CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT: DEREK !

11x16

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CASEY WILLOWS WASN'T EXPECTING A CALL FROM HER BOSS RIGHT BEFORE HER AND HER HUSBAND WERE GETTING READY FOR BED. She definitely wasn't expecting the call detailing that Derek Morgan had gone missing.

Apparently, Savannah had heard Morgan getting taken and he told her to call Hotch immediately before all she could hear was scuffling. Casey had broken the news to Spencer, who obviously took this to heart considering Morgan was his best friend.

Spencer and Casey were ordered to go to where Derek was last seen, which was the grocery store. His car was still there and his cell was broken. They had finally made it to the BAU to tell Hotch what they had found.

       "What did you find?" Hotch asks. "No sign of him. But they left this in his car at the parking lot." Spencer explained as he handed Hotch the broken phone. "Could Savannah tell us anything? Maybe she heard someone on the other line." Casey suggested.

      "She said she thought she heard three attackers and that Morgan sounded drugged before they cut off the call." Hotch told. "Then, this was a planned attack, most likely professional. They had him where they wanted him." Casey told.

       "We did just take down a network of online hitmen, but if this is blowback, why Morgan?" Spencer questioned. "We have to assume that we're all targeted," Hotch said as Casey's breath hitches in her throat. "I've put protective details on each of our families, but I want Savannah to stay here." Casey sighed in relief, happy to know her son and siblings would be okay.

       "How is she?" Casey asked. Hotch looked towards Rossi's officer where Rossi and Vivian were talking to her as she paced. "She's being brave." Hotch stated.

        Garcia had called the team up to tell them what she found herself so Casey and Hotch headed to the conference room where JJ and Garcia were at as Spencer grabbed Rossi and Vivian from Rossi's office.

         When everyone got settled in the office, Garcia started as she had everyone pay attention to the screen. "This is the block Derek was taken from. That blue dot is him. And then at 9:23, we lose him. So I checked all the other cell signals in the area. They're all legit, aside from one that I was only able to find thanks to some technology no one outside this room needs to know about."

       "What is that?" Spencer asked.

       "An encrypted signal most likely bouncing off a satellite." Hotch stated. "I know we're thinking this would be tied to our Darknet investigation, but satellite encryption is much higher in technology than most online crime." Spencer explained.

      "That's true, but the hitmen are still our best lead. Morgan was the one that did a lot of digging on them, even before Garcia was targeted. There was a reason he was taken." Vivian told as she pointed towards the screen.

      "JJ, you, Casey and Garcia will take an armed agent to Savannah's house and get her to pack a bag." JJ and Casey nodded to one another as Garcia furrowed her brows at Hotch. "Yes, sir. Absolutely. But why me?" She asked.

      "Because while she gathers her things, we're going to see if they were under surveillance." JJ said. "Whoever's behind this has been planning this for weeks, if not months. We have no time to catch up. Let's move." With that, the team leaves and before Casey can, she hears Penelope talking to herself as she closes her computer and removes her glasses.

     "He's gonna be okay, he's gonna be okay, he's gonna be okay." Penelope keeps repeating to herself like a mantra. Morgan was her best friend, her platonic soulmate. Of course, she'd be worried the most about him.

      Casey stood in the doorway and nods at the woman. "Penelope," She speaks. "He's gonna be okay." Casey knows that she needed someone else to say so it could sound real. "It's Morgan, he's strong. He knows what he's doing. He's gonna be fine." As Casey told Garcia this, Casey talked as if she was reminding herself that he was gonna be okay. He was the strongest person she had known, inside and out.

        Garcia nods, "Thank you... for saying that." Casey nods and smiles weakly, "Let's head on out." Garcia nods as she grabs what she needs.

       Trust be told, Casey had no idea what her and the team were gonna find once they did find him. It scared her, the thought of losing Morgan. But she knew she had to be strong. Strong for Spencer and strong for Penelope, as well as the rest of the team but she knew she had to be strongest for them.

        They had taken an SUV to Morgan and Savannah's place as they stayed there while Savannah packed a bag. Casey had joined Savannah in her bedroom, gaining her some company as she packed. Savannah sighed in relief seeing the woman walk in the room.

         No words needed to be said. Casey didn't even know what to say to her. Just standing in the room with her was enough. That's what Savannah liked about Casey, she didn't pry, she waited. As Savannah held one of Morgan's shirts in her hands, Savannah finally spoke up.

         "Have you ever been through this before?" Savannah wondered aloud and Casey thought about it for a minute. "Well, I haven't but... Spencer's been through it with me. I had a stalker. But... I got out of it and if I know Morgan, he's gonna get out of it, too." Casey hoped.

           "How do you manage to stay... so calm during all of this? I mean, you said Morgan was like your brother. How are you doing that?" Casey hadn't realized she stayed as calm as she could but the truth was, she was scared. Sure, she compartmentalized sometimes but other times, she'd be worried. But Casey had been through this before. But this was different, she knew this affected other people and not just herself.

         Casey had to hand it to Savannah. If it were Spencer, Casey would've been an absolute wreck. Savannah was calm and trying to keep it together as much as she could.

         "You're not really on the BAU team unless you get taken a couple of times," Casey tried to joke. "But we make it out of it eventually. I just hope he's gonna be okay." Savannah nods as she packed the rest of her bag upstairs and headed downstairs, Casey following behind.

        As soon as they were downstairs, the guard had let JJ through the door. "Hey. So I just talked to your neighbors. They didn't see anything, and I didn't find anything forensic outside."

       "So, they weren't peeping on us through our windows?" Savannah asks and JJ shakes her head. "Thank God for that, I guess." She heads towards the kitchen where Penelope is stationed on her laptop. "That leaves you, Pen. You find anything?" Casey asks.

       "Finishing my diagnostic now. I think I have something." Penelope looks over at Savannah. "Do you have a wireless router on your DVR?" Savannah thinks for a moment, "Uh, I think so."

        Penelope nods, "They used it as their back door. And then the encrypted phone call, this is the hacking version of that same thing, and-- oh, man, they were all up your business."

       "Was it the same unsubs?" JJ questioned. "My money says yes, but what what's weird is they used an intranet." Penelope stated and Savannah inquired, "What is that?"

       "An intranet is a private closed system. They use a portal to a public page." Penelope stated. The public page appeared with a tab connected to the CIA and Casey furrowed her brows as she looks at it. "Will someone explain why the CIA would abduct Derek?" Savannah questioned.

       JJ takes her phone out and dials a number as she holds the phone up to her ear. "Hey, Bob, it's Jennifer. I need a big favor."

         After taking Savannah back to the BAU, Penelope explained to the rest what she had found. Casey had currently been on the phone with a contact of her own as JJ delivered news from hers.

     "My contact at the Agency told me the guys who took Derek are freelance contractors and not on our side." JJ told. "Casey's looking into them now with a US Marshal friend of hers."

     "So they're ex-spooks?" Rossi questioned. "Mostly foreign, a few domestic. These guys have figured out how to piggyback on existing infrastructure to hide their tracks. My contact thinks it might be this group." A photo appears on the screen.

     "It's hard to sync out who might be hitching a ride on their computer traffic. Fortunately, one of the CIA versions of me is trying to crack their encryption signatures." Penelope explained.

     "What do we know about them so far?" Spencer questioned. "A 6-man team. They do dirty work for the highest bidder." JJ told. "What kind of dirty work?" Vivian questioned. "From what we can tell, disappearances. If you need someone politically inconvenient to disappear, these guys make that happen."

       The team gained focus on a tattoo on one of the men's arms as Casey had walked in the room and hung up the phone. "I just talked to a friend that's a US Marshal for the state. I sent over that photo you sent me, JJ, he was able to identify all of the men in the picture. Says he's been trying to track them down for months." Casey told and had given Garcia the list of names she'd written down.

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       Derek Morgan didn't want to die like this. He was sure that this wasn't how it was gonna end. He knew this job wasn't an easy one, he knew the risks of it and how many times he's come close to death. He didn't think that this would end with him with a cell phone that has no service after he gotten back at the bad guys. He screamed at the top of his lungs, feeling as if this was the end for him. He didn't want this. It wasn't gonna end with him in some house in the middle of nowhere.

        His father's ghostly presence was the only thing that was getting him through any of this. He knew he had to calm down and he knew that the team would eventually find him. But the words in the back of his head stuck there as either himself or his father asked, "What will they find when they walk in the door?"

        In his mind, Spencer and Casey were the ones that found his lifeless body on the ground. Feeling for no pulse and sobbing once they realized they were too late. The looks on their faces broke his heart. He didn't want them of all people to find him like that. To have to break the news to Savannah.

        He then imagined the team standing in front of his memorial plaque in the BAU. They stood around it, despair and grief on each of their faces. Morgan's heart broke again.

       "Anyone want to say anything?" Hotch asked, looking at the team. "I do." Morgan spoke, but no one turned to him. Nobody listened to him. "I do." He repeated as he approached closer to them. "Hotch." The man began to walk away from the team and Morgan tries to follow him and talk to him but he didn't listen. "Hotch. You've kept this team together, man. I know that. I want to thank you."

      JJ was the next to walk away and Morgan turns to the woman next but of course she doesn't listen. "JJ. JJ, you're one of the best people I know. No, JJ, wait."

      Then it was Vivian and Rossi next. "Rossi. Vivian. Kid." Spencer pulled away from his wife as she was holding onto his arm and she let him walk away with no goodbye or warning. "You've inspired me so much. I never got to tell you that."

       Casey followed behind after placing a soft hand on Garcia and walking away with tears in her eyes. "Casey. Ace. You're such a strong woman. I don't think I've ever told you that. And I want you to know that. Casey." But the woman didn't hear him as she continued to walk away.

      Morgan turned back to the last person that stayed. The person he expected to. Penelope Garcia. She stared at the plaque and he approached her, trying to speak to her and to get her to listen. "Baby girl. Please stay with me." Of course, she didn't hear him and she walked away. "No. No, please. Please, don't leave me."

      Morgan was left alone and left with no answers, he punched the plaque and stirred awake, back at the house in the middle of nowhere. His father spoke to him. "Stop that right now. You're letting your fear take over." He heard him say.

     "I'm so tired." Morgan whispered. "You skipped over the most important part. When your team comes through that door, what are they gonna see?"

     "Me, on the floor... with a useless phone in my hand." As if the gods were answering his prayer, Morgan spoke to himself as he found a redial list. "Wait. If I press redial, one of those guys is gonna answer."

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        Garcia had come running into the conference room with laptop in hand. "I--I may have a line on him. I just got notification from Fort Eustis. That encrypted SAT phone, it became active again and we managed to pin down one side to here. It is a 20-mile radius in Virginia. The other side was to a contractor who didn't even bother not to use his own cell phone." Garcia explained.

      "Arrogant," Rossi comments. "He thinks we can't find him." Garcia nods, "And he would be wrong. I looked over that list that the fair maiden gave me and I looked up a John Bradley. Not SAS as we had suspected. Bradley and Mr. Who Dares Wins tried to become SAS, but they couldn't cut it, not to mention people who are SAS don't get tattoos saying SAS because SAS is covert. That is the point." Garcia told.

       "Please stop saying SAS, you're making my brain hurt." Casey comments.

       "But apparently people who are dishonorably discharged from the British Royal Marines do get that tattoo." Garcia finishes. "Your last ping has him in Derek's direction. He's probably on his way to him now." Spencer told.

       "We've got helos on the roof standing by for immediate transport." Hotch informs. "Any way we can narrow down the search?" JJ questions to Garcia as she works her magic. "Yes. Their encryption algorithms are dust. If and when that SAT phone connects, I've got him." Garcia stated.

        In under a minute, Garcia spoke, this time with hope. "Sir, it just went live." She informed and the team looked on the map on the screen. "Smart move, Morgan." Vivian mutters under her breath.

         Hotch nods to the team and they know that that's their cue to leave. Spencer is the first to exit the room and rush to the elevator. Casey and Hotch are right behind him and Spencer holds the door for the rest of the team to come in.

         Spencer nods towards Garcia, assuring to her that they'd get Morgan back. As Spencer enters the elevator, Casey grabs ahold of Spencer's hand tightly, assuring him herself that they'd get Morgan back.

          Soon enough, the team splits into two and they get their FBI vests on as they head into the helicopters. Hotch, Casey and Spencer are in one as Vivian, JJ and Rossi are in the other one. They landed to where they need to and surround the area to see if their main man, John Bradley would be around.

        They had arrived on time because Bradley had been standing over an injured Morgan, a knife dug into his hand on a wooden desk. From the corner of his eye, Morgan saw Spencer with his gun in his hands. For a split second, he wondered if was hallucinating him being there.

      "It's time to die." Bradley stated and Morgan glares up at him. "Not yet."

       Spencer takes the shot, shooting him multiple times as Hotch, Rossi and Casey come bursting through the door. "Get medical in here." Hotch orders over his mic and Casey rushes over to the man in pain. "Morgan!" Spencer, JJ and Rossi follow and back up as they help Morgan and carry him out on a gurney once they get the knife out of his hand.

       Morgan is getting carried out of the house as Spencer follows closely behind with the EMTs, staying close to Morgan. "Dad..." Casey hears Morgan spew out. "What is it, Morgan? What is it?" Spencer questions.

      "I'm scared, Pop. I can't feel anything." Morgan says. Casey nudges her head as they get him into the ambulance. "You're gonna be okay, Morgan!" Casey tells and then grabs her husband's bicep and turns him to her.

       "Go, go with him." Casey tells Spencer, who looks back at the ambulance and then at his wife. "Are you-are you sure?" He asks. "Yeah, go. He needs you. We'll meet you at the hospital." Casey squeezes his hand before he gets into the ambulance with Morgan and the EMTs.

        The first thing Casey does is call Savannah to let her know that Morgan was okay and was headed to the hospital. In the back of Casey's mind, she knows that Derek Morgan is a fighter and he was gonna be just fine.

i sincerely do not want to do these next few episodes
i physically can't do it
i bawled like a baby the first time i watched them bro

i have no memes for y'all but ladies and gentlemen

miss casey willows 🛐
agent, wife, mother, you name it

also
i've come to the conclusion with the team dynamic
more specifically the season 7 team
rossi and hotch are mom and dad obvi
morgan is the jocky older brother
jj is the popular sister
emily is the goth sister
garcia is the sister that tells it like it is
and spencer and casey are the babies that feed off twin energy lmaooooo (of course until they get together) now they're more of the married couple that you can easily get sick of

anywaysss
thank you for reading
surprisingly this came out shorter than expected
oh well
i love you all!
-mya <3333