Because in my fan fiction world, Hotch never left and Derek doesn't either, but he is married. I know I'm crazy for posting this, found on my computer and well, you know how it is. No money is made as it all belongs to other people.

It was a quite apartment complex and everyone seemed to like it that way. There were a list of rules for living there; it was all in their lease. The most important one was that there was to be no loud noise after nine P.M. It was a good rule and all of the tenants followed it without to much difficulty. Twenty apartments, all one bedrooms so mostly couples and singles lived in the units. No one really complained about the noise unless it went past ten. You would get a phone call gently reminding you about the time.

Mrs. O'Shannon liked the apartment very much. It was easy to keep clean and close to the stores. Selling the house after her husband died was not a hard decision. Her children had moved away long before and they lived across the country. She chuckled softly to herself hearing the soft good-byes and then closing of the door of her neighbor down the hall.

She liked the man who lived there, quiet and he kept to himself for the most part. She liked the colorful woman that used to come and visit, even spend the night once in a while. It was a shame that it didn't last, but she did keep long and unusual hours.

He would always come and tell her when he was having a group of people over. Theater friends he would tell her. They were learning a new play, going over lines. To please come and knock on the door if they were too loud. She never did complain though.

She woke up just after eleven hearing a muffled scream and shout. Putting the light on she waited but she didn't hear anything else. Shaking her head she put it down to someone watching TV too loud.

Just after nine in the morning when Mrs. O'Shannon left her apartment taking her small dog out for his morning walk. Her little dog is usually so well behaved that she doesn't put the leash on until they get outside. When he runs into an apartment that has its door left ajar she calls after him, when he doesn't come to her she pushes the open door wider looking at the horrible scene before her, she screams and screams. Her screaming brings people out from behind locked doors from various apartments.

The police come within minutes after being called. It looks like a scene from a badly made slasher movie. Blood everywhere, walls, floor, and on the ceiling. That wasn't the worse part of it, the poor man had a gag in his mouth, his body lay on the floor; parts of his intestines are coming out from a large gash in his abdomen. His zip-locked tied hands frozen in place as he tried to hold his intestines in his body. It is the look of sheer terror on his face that is the worst that some of the detectives had ever come across.

The lead detective looked around the place and groaned. It's a forensics nightmare, empty glasses and plates on every flat surface. Cartons of take out food as well as empty wine and beer bottles

"Call the Techs; tell them it's going to be along long one." The lead detective tells a uniform officer as he stands guard at the open door.

With gloved hand one of the uniformed cops closes the door so the neighbors can no longer see the grizzly scene. In doing so, the techs and the detective are surprised to see on the inside of the door written in blood 'BAU' and a perfect handprint.

"Damn. Better call them, this looks like it's going to be their case."

"Detective we have evidence of another victim here." A tech calls out to them, a blood soaked towel lying in the dry tub.

It was Cruz that made the decision to send in Hotch and his team. If the message on the wall was anything to go by, he wanted his best on the case. His team is one of the best profilers in the world, and they would need the best according to the report he was sent.

Four men and two women enter the apartment they didn't blink an eye at what they were seeing. They did what they always do, they got right to work.

Morgan kneels down looking at the face of the man. He stand then calls Hotch and the rest of the team over.

"What is it Morgan?"

"It's Sam."

"Sam?" Emily asks.

"Penelope's Sam." Morgan explains.

"They stopped seeing each other six months ago. He couldn't deal with the hours the way she cancelled plans and everything else that comes with the job." JJ informs them.

"They still belong to the same theater company." Reid tells them softly. "I run lines with her, it takes two read-through's to memorize the entire play."

"Did you expect anything else Reid?" Hotch asks him as he moves toward the door.

He takes a picture of the handprint then sends it to the tech on call. "Run the print against the one we have on file for Garcia." He orders.

"Hotch if she's hurt she'll run, especially if she thinks it's him, if only to protect the team." Morgan reminds him.

"I know. Put out an APB and alert everyone, sister agencies included. If we're lucky we might be able to find her before she disappears."

Hotch turns and looks at the detective in charge. "It looks like it might be one of ours. Have the M.E. and your CSI's send their finding to us. After you talk to the neighbors send us that report too. Please."

The detective nods his head and he is relieved as well he doesn't have to solve this horrific crime."

"Morgan, you and JJ go to her place." Both agents nod their heads there wasn't any need for Hotch to tell them what to do.

Eight hours earlier.

Closing and double locking the door to her apartment she goes to the bathroom tossing off the clothes she is wearing in the tub. Then she applies some first aid the best she can to the cuts she has on her body and face.

She dresses quickly nothing to bring attention to herself, a black wig to start with, a toned down a dark skirt, and a simple shirt also a muted color, a large sweater and, black flats. Comfortable traveling clothes. Tossing some clothes into a brown go-bag she adds a tablet and some money she takes out from a loose board in living room floor. Last but not least a large pair of sunglasses and some contact lens.

One last look around the places she grabs a black silk scarf and wraps it around her head and partially covers her face. She drives she car to the bus station and leaves it there in the parking lot. She puts handprint and the letters BAU on the windshield in lipstick.

She takes the bus to the train station luckily the bus only has a few people on it, less than ten, a godsend for her.

Finding a twenty four hour café open she gets some coffee then sits in a table close to the exit. She takes out her phone and takes a selfie, showing the cuts on her lip and cheek and the beginnings of the bruises' on her face and swollen eye. She sends it to the one person she knows will help her without asking any questions.

Shane looks at his private number and answers without giving it a second thought only a few people have this number.

He sees the picture of his former lover and gets angry. It is the simple message "I need help" that makes him leave the room and go to his office.

"My God what happened? How can I help?"

She wants to cry even after hurting him he is still willing to help her.

They walk back into the BAU angry and very concerned for their friend. "She's not there, I think some of her clothes are missing, it's hard to tell. It's a mess, the place looks like its been tossed and there are bloody clothes there as well.

"What about her techie stash?" Reid inquires

"What techie stash?" Emily demands.

"I looked one cell and one tablet missing; she also took the five hundred she had hidden in there." Morgan answers.

"She won't get far with that." J.J. adds

Rossi laughs lightly after hearing about Penelope not having enough money to hide and take care of herself. .

"I wouldn't worry about that. It seems that I made a five thousand dollar donation to Kathy's Kitten Rescue." He tells them looking up from his cell phone.

"Kathy? Do we know anyone named Kathy?" Emily asks

"It's her middle name and my grandmother's middle name was Catherine. Our Kitten knows this, I told her."

"I'll try to see that the money is returned somehow." Hotch tells him.

"Don't worry about it, if it can keep her safe that's all I care about. Now let's find her."

The team hears someone clear their throat and a man's voice say "Excuse me." the team looks at the large monitor.

"Shane, how did you?" Morgan asks.

He ignores the question looking the team. "My friend called me seven hours ago. She's injured and she needed help. So we helped got her a set of identifications for Kathy Lake. She is safe for now, find the bastard that did this to her." he tells them as the picture she sent him appears on the screen.

"Shane where is she? Please tell us." JJ asks as he steps closer to the monitor.

He shakes his head. "I don't know any of you well enough to trust you. Congratulation on your son Derek. I worried a long time that you were taking her for a ride." Seeing the look on their faces he lowers his head then look back at them. "I love her still and there is not much I wouldn't do for her. Including looking out for her in my own way. Then I remembered that you just aren't her type, neither am I apparently. She hides her true feeling so she won't get hurt. She has been hurt enough in her life time. Don't you agree?"

Hotch folds his hands over his chest and looks at Shane not saying anything. A small laugh came from Shane watching Hotch. "Don't worry tall, dark and silent. She took a train to Penn Station that is her first stop."

"Please tell us where we can find her; she is very important to us."

"Ah agent Rossi, thanks for the donation, she said that she'll give it back."

"I don't give a shit about the money I want my Kitten back."

"Kitten, she loves that nick-name. She'll go to ground, she's going to need to find a doctor first, that bastard hurt her badly. She didn't run because of your team, she ran because of the children, Henry, Michael and Hank, but mostly because of Jack his father is the main target. Right?" The monitor went black without any warning.

Hearing his cell chirp Hoch takes it out looking at the text. "She's afraid, so afraid that something will happen to your son. She believes she is the weak link." He exhales slowly then before he can tell the team what the text says a new one comes in. "If you find him kill him, the bastard violated her."

He looks at them, "Find her, use all your contacts." He orders then leaves to inform Section Chief Cruz with Rossi a step behind him.