Alone Time- Chapter One

Exhausted from a long week, Derek Morgan is looking forward to a peaceful weekend. He's admonished his teammates not to call, text, or drop by; or else! Once the weekend begins, things go terribly wrong and he soon regrets his words.

Home of Derek Morgan - Evening (Friday)

Derek couldn't remember the last time he and the team had had a weekend off. The cases seemed to string together in a non-ending sequence of events. Crime had no starting or stopping point, this he knew all too well. Serial killers, rapists and the rest of societies demented criminals had no sense of a normal 9-5 workweek. It was all a part of the job with the BAU and as much as he longed for normal, he loved his job and couldn't imagine doing anything different. Still, he had sacrificed a lot-personal life, privacy and time alone.

Exhausted, Derek plopped down on the living room sofa ending all well intended plans to prepare dinner as he leaned his head back, closed his eyes and fell quickly asleep. The week had been crazy, with three cases in five days, three cities, long hours, no sleep and too much caffeine, his body at last had no choice but to surrender to what it so desperately needed.

As the hours passed, Derek laid on the sofa in a deep sleep; so deep that he did not hear the beep from his alarm that sounded whenever a door or window was opened. An intruder, dressed completely in black quietly opened the back door, walking confidently through the kitchen, through the den and into the living room, stopping at the sofa. Momentarily, staring down at Derek, then pulling a syringe from his jacket pocket. Just as Derek begins to stir, he plunges the needle into his neck, the pain startling Derek awake. Just as Derek looks up at the dark stranger looming over him he looses consciousness.

MEANWHILE...

Mar's Bistro – a popular upscale restaurant in Downtown D.C.

"Too bad we couldn't convince Derek to come with." Garcia sips from her extra large Margarita and licks the salt from the rim of the glass.

"Garcia, he was exhausted! He looked like a MAC truck had hit him." JJ reaches for the guacamole and chips.

"Yea, that last unsub wasn't going down without a fight." Reid motioned for the waitress.

"I've got a great idea. Let's grab some popcorn, beer and movies and go camp out on his sofa!" Garcia drains the rest of her drink, waiting for a response from her friends.

"Are you insane? Do you not remember what he said before he left? No calls. No text. No visits. No nothing!"  Reid looks at Garcia as if she has lost her mind. 

"C'mon, Garcia let him have his time off. God knows it doesn't happen often with this job." JJ smiles and rubs Garcia's hand.

Home of Derek Morgan - Evening

Derek, lying still unconscious on the sofa is now bound and gagged with duct tape.   The dark intruder is seated comfortably in a chair across from Derek sipping a beer and smoking a cigarette; his mask now removed and lying on the coffee table.

Derek begins to slowly awaken and realizing he is bound begins to struggle to free himself.

“Hello, SSA Derek Morgan!” The intruder takes a long drag from his cigarette and drops the butt on the floor smashing the smoldering remnant with his boot. The fog begins to clear and Derek begins to recognize his captor; his eyes widen in shocked disbelief.

“I’m sorry for interrupting your evening but I really need to talk to you…in private.” The intruder stands and moves toward Derek. Ripping the duct tape from Derek’s mouth, the intruder smiles wickedly down on him.

“Kevin! What the hell is going on?”

“Calm down…I just want to talk…that’s all!” Kevin returns to the chair across from Derek and finishes the rest of his beer.

“Let me go, Kevin, you son-of-bitch!”

“I can’t do that, Derek.”

Kevin’s eerily calm demeanor and blank deranged smile seems freaky to Derek; freakier than normal that is and he knows that he’s in trouble. His mind races to figure a way out of his predicament. It was obvious that Kevin had snapped and he was glad that Penelope was no longer involved with him.

“What…do…you…want, Kevin!” Derek’s struggles finally are successful and he is able to sit up. The effects from whatever he was injected with still affecting him and has not totally worn off and he feels dizzy and his head is splitting.

“What did you do to me?”

“Just something to even the playing field…that’s all.” Derek grimaces in pain trying to clear his head and make sense of the situation.

“What are you talking about…’even the playing field?’” There it was; that wicked crazy grin again…spreading across Kevin’s face.

“Well, I guess I need to be honest. I want Penelope back and you’re going to help me.”

“She’s moved on, Kevin and you need to do the same.”  Derek, furious continues to struggle to free himself.

“No. I love her. I can’t live without her!”

“Kevin, you’re the one who broke up with her. You started dating almost immediately after…”

“Shut up! You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Kevin angrily jumps up and moves toward Derek.

“Okay, okay…you want to talk? Talk…I’ll listen…” Kevin pauses and then returns to his seat.

“I see how she looks at you…all goo goo-eyed. You’re all she talks about…”

“That’s not true Kevin; Penelope and I are just friends, that’s all! She loved you!”

“I may not be a lady’s man or a handsome hunk like you, Derek, but I’m not stupid!”

“Kevin, look man, the team’s coming over for drinks. You’re not going to get away with this!”

“Nobody’s coming! You told them not to! We’ve got all the time in the world.”

Kevin’s face turns stone -cold as he reaches for another syringe from his pocket and moves across the room again toward, Derek.

“I realize now that the only way to get Penelope back is if you are dead!”

“Kevin, you won’t get away with this, man! Think about what you’re doing! Do you think Penelope will love you if she finds out what you’ve done?”

Again, Kevin plunges the needle into Derek’s neck, slowly pushing the drug into his system as he again looses conscious.

“She won’t find out.” Kevin places the empty syringe into his coat pocket. “I’ll be back in the morning. Sleep tight; I’ve got to go see my lady love.”

Apartment of Penelope Garcia –

Penelope enjoyed ending her week with JJ and Spence but she missed having Derek with them. Hotch, as always had rushed home to be with Jack, Alex’s husband was in town for the weekend so she barely said goodbye as she rushed out of the building. Rossi very seldom hung out with the team preferring the company of a single malt scotch and the company of the week’s mystery woman.  Derek was always up for a quick drink and laughs, but not tonight. She knew better than anyone else how tired he was. The week’s cases had taken its toll on him and he was in a foul mood, demanding not to be bothered for the entire weekend. If she didn’t care about him so much and valued their friendship she would have been hurt, especially when he looked into her eyes and said, “that means you too, Baby Girl.”

Just as she settled comfortably on the sofa and turned on the television to watch a Golden Girls marathon, the doorbell rang. She had half a mind not to answer. Who would come by this late without being invited? Maybe Derek had changed his mind and decided to join her after all. Without looking through the peephole, she opened the door. Derek would have had a fit if he’d seen that. He always chastised her about being too carefree and trusting. When she saw who was standing outside, she wished she had listened to him.

“Kevin, what are doing here?” Pulling her robe closed around her, she waited for a logical explanation—the earth was coming to an end and he was in charge of evacuating her building or something outrageous like that.

“Hi Plum Sauce.” That creepy smile crept across his face. Surely she’d be happy to see him; like old times.

“Kevin, it’s almost midnight. What are you doing here?”

“I know it’s late, but we need to talk…”

“Not at midnight we don’t. Now, please leave.” Penelope closes the door on his foot that is now wedge in the doorway.

“Please, just a few minutes. I know I don’t have a right to ask but please…” Against her better judgment she lets him in. She could hear Derek’s voice in her head, “you’ve got to be more careful, Baby Girl.”

She could feel her jaw tighten as she motioned for him to have a seat.

“You look beautiful tonight, as always.” Kevin was nervous and didn’t know where to begin. Maybe he should start with the fact that he had Derek drugged and bound in his home and had plans to kill him later.

“I’m sitting her in my flannel nightgown and no makeup, really Kevin?”

“You…I’m nervous…I had this speech all prepared…”

“Well, you have one minute. So, spill it.”

Home of Derek Morgan –

Derek fought to overcome the drug-induced haze. He heard Kevin mention Penelope just before he lost consciousness. He knew he had to get free before he got back. His hands and feet felt numb from being tightly bound for the last several hours. He regretted insisting on being alone this weekend. For once, he wished somebody would completely ignore his wishes and come by for an unexpected visit. He wasn’t sure what drove Kevin to a psychotic break but he knew that he and Penelope were in danger. He wasn’t about to go down without a fight and he especially wasn’t going to allow anyone to hurt his baby girl.

His head was slowly clearing and he had to act fast before Kevin returned. Rolling himself off of the couch onto the floor was his first thought. When he hit the floor pain shot through his body but he couldn’t stop to dwell on it. Slowly he inched himself toward the table in the middle of the room. If he could somehow get the vase to fall to the ground he could use the sharp pieces to cut the tape on his hands. Derek began to bump his body against the table. After about a dozen times, the vase tumbled off crashing to the floor. Derek managed to maneuver himself and grab the largest piece and wedge it between his fingers. As he tried to cut the tape he realized it was going to be harder than he thought. It seemed so easy in the movies. He could feel the chard nick his wrist and fingers but he had to keep trying. Suddenly he heard the alarm beep. Kevin was back; Derek was out of time but he kept fighting to get free. Kevin appeared around the corner irritated at Derek’s attempt to free himself. Derek wondered if he had hurt Penelope. He knew if he got a chance he’d kill Kevin with his bare hands.

“What are you doing?" Kevin leashed a barrage of kicks to Derek’s upper body. The force of each kick sending excruciating pain through him as he unsuccessfully, tried to dodge the blows. Finally, out of breath Kevin stopped and Derek lay still on the floor.

Apartment of Penelope Garcia- Day (Saturday morning)

Penelope hadn’t slept at all. She was still unsettled by Kevin’s surprise late night visit. He seemed as if he were struggling to seem himself. His quirky-ness had been one of the things that she had loved about him but last night was beyond quirky; it was disturbing.

He wanted to plead his case for reconciliation but she had moved on. She couldn’t help but think that if he had wanted to get back together a year ago, she would have jumped at the chance, even though he had been dating from almost the moment they broke up. Now out of nowhere, almost two years had passed, he wanted her back.

As she sat at her kitchen table drinking her morning coffee she missed Derek. She needed her friend but she had heard his demand for peace and quiet for the weekend. Still, she wanted to pick up the phone and hear his voice, reassuring her that she was doing the right thing. He’d tell her not to doubt herself and to go with her gut. He'd also tell her that everything would be just fine. She loved Derek and their friendship defied definition. There was no label for what they were to each other. She would respect his wishes and not bother him. She’d wait until Monday…early…to call him.

Home of Derek Morgan –

The house was quiet as the morning’s sun shone through the blinds. Derek, still lying on the floor was still bound and gagged. He wondered where Kevin was, if he had left or was he somewhere in the house.  His body was aching where he had been kicked a dozen times the night before and his head hurt, no doubt a result of the drugs that Kevin had pumped into his body. He had to get free but he had no clue how. His first attempt had ended badly and he was running out of time.

He struggled to a sitting position, leaning against the wall near the front door. Almost immediately Kevin came around the corner from the kitchen. He slowly examined his captive wondering what he had been up to.

“You are persistent, I’ll give you that” Kevin walked over to the window and peeped through the blinds as if he were expecting company. Derek began to struggle against the tape over his mouth, which Kevin found humorous.

“I can’t understand a word you’re saying! No worries I’ll do all the talking.” Kevin sat down on the floor in front of Derek. He could see the rage in his eyes and he knew if this man got free he’d kill him for sure and for a brief moment a bolt of fear shot through him.  Then he realized that as long as Derek was bound he held all the power; so with a confident hand, he ripped the duct tape from his mouth.

“Kevin, you sick son-of-a-bitch, I swear I’m gonna kill you. That’s a promise!”

“Now how do you plan on doing that, Mr. FBI super agent? You don’t look like you’re in any position to kill anybody!”

Derek’s cell phone began to ring in the background. After the fourth ring, Kevin jumps up, and sees that it’s Penelope calling Derek. Infuriated, he throws the phone against the wall above Derek’s head smashing it into several pieces.

“Kevin! Get a grip man…you can’t make this work, man! Let me go! We’ll get you some help…”

  

“Help!? Help! The only help I need is for you to stay out of my and Penelope’s life! We would be fine if it wasn’t for you!” Kevin stands and tries to gather himself. Derek watches him as he straightens his clothes. Again, he pulls a syringe from his pocket and heads toward Derek.

“Don’t do it, man! I can’t get away! You don’t have to give me that!” With his bound feet, Derek tries to kick Kevin and prevent the inevitable, but he plunges the needle into Derek again. Struggling against the affect of the drugs, he watches as Kevin heads toward the back door.

Apartment of Penelope Garcia

Against his wishes and her better judgment, Penelope had dialed Derek’s number. After several rings, her call had gone to voicemail. Assuming her friend had slept in she vowed to call him later. She didn’t want to bother him especially since he had been so adamant about being left alone. He’d get over it, she thought. She knew he couldn’t stay mad at her for long. But for now, Penelope had promised herself a day of shopping and the spa, so off she went.

Kevin knew he had to convince Penelope to take him back. He had messed up and played his hold card. In reality the only thing that he had played was himself. He never thought Penelope would let him go without a fight. He was upset when she had turned down his marriage proposal so he stormed off like a little brat. He missed her and no matter who he had dated afterwards, they were not Penelope. As he turned into a parking spot in front of her building he hoped that his reception would be warmer than it had been the night before.

Home of Derek Morgan

Derek felt his body losing the battle against the drug that Kevin had injected him with. He hated the nightmarish dream state it sent him in. He was helpless and vulnerable to a mad man. He knew that if he didn't escape he'd die and worse than that, his girl could possibly die as well. As he lay on the floor slowly slipping into unconsciousness, he began regretting the decision to spend this weekend alone. He'd give anything to have Penelope or the rest of his team pop by unannounced to interrupt his weekend.