"No! No! He can't die! You don't get to come out here and announce that he's dying like your announcing the baseball scores on the eleven o'clock news! No! No!" Garcia screamed.

Rossi grabbed her and held her tight to his body. She felt her knees go weak; his armed quickly wrapped around her waist and held her keeping her steady.

"Isn't there anything you can do, doctor?" Hotch asked.

He felt as if someone had kicked him in the gut but he had to be strong and he refused to accept the doctor's words.

"We need to find out where the poison came from. I didn't find any puncture wounds on his body, so it has to be something he ate or drank."

"So if we find it then he'll be alright?" JJ asked desperately.

"Maybe. It depends on how fast you can find it. This poison is aggressive and he's already showing signs of the last stages of its affects…numbness in the lower extremities which has progressed to extreme pain…"

The team looked at each other then back at the doctor. This wasn't happening. He had just risked his life to save them now he was fighting for his life and here they stood helpless.

"We've got to go back to the house! There's got to be something there that can help." Reid added.

"Reid, you and JJ go back to the house. Tear it apart. Whatever she gave him it's there!" Hotch ordered.

"Agents…hurry…he's running out of time."

Reid and JJ ran out of the waiting room down the hallway dodging patients and staff barging through the doors and out into the parking lot. They made the forty-minute drive in silence. The air felt thick and it was hard to breathe. The forty minutes seemed like an eternity and even though neither one of them spoke the words, their hearts were sinking and a feeling of futility overcame them.

Potomac General Hospital –

He was just beginning to wake up when they walked through the door. The doctor followed them in the room as they surrounded him on both sides. The doctor took her position at the foot of his bed and watched his friends fighting tears, fear and anger.

The pain was excruciating and it had moved further up his body now it was a struggle to breathe and the others couldn't help but hear the wheezing sound he made with every breath.

Garcia rushed to take his hand with one of hers as she softly ran her other hand down the side of his face. He closed his eyes at her touch. Her tears ran uncontrollably from her eyes. He didn't want her to see him like this it would be hard on her which made it even harder on him.

"No tears." He said barely audible.

"How do you feel?" Rossi asked.

Morgan took a moment before he spoke again. He had to ride out another wave of pain that was wracking his weak body.

"Tea." He muttered.

"What?" Hotch asked confused.

"Tea...she made me…drink tea…"

His breathing became more difficult as he began to cough and he moaned in pain.

"Tea…"

"Don't talk, Handsome. Reid and JJ are on their way back to the house."

"I'm sorry I was late… I didn't mean to make you worry."

"Shhh, my Sweet…Rest."

She kissed him on the forehead as he closed his eyes.

The monitors began sounding alarming that there was a problem. He was still, lifeless and for a moment so were the others in the room.

"Out! I need you all out of here! Now" The doctor ordered.

Nurses began rushing in to the small room as "Code Blue" was announced over the intercom.

Home of Mabel Henry –

The once immaculate house was in complete shambles as JJ and Reid turned it upside down searching for the culprit in Morgan's condition.

"Reid, we're running out of time!"

" I know! I know, JJ! Hotch said that Morgan told them he was forced to drink tea but there's no sign of tea anywhere! The kitchen is clean."

JJ turned around in circles running her hand through her hair. She felt helpless; they'd search everywhere.

"Wait!" She began. "I remember my mom mixing her used tea leaves in with her potting soil!"

"What?"

"Yeah! Is there a plant in the kitchen?"

Reid turned around and noticed a healthy potted Peace Lily. It was healthy looking and it was obvious that Mabel paid it a lot of attention.

"Y-Yes! JJ, I found it!"

Reid had lifted the plant and placed it on the counter when JJ reached him. Lightly he ran his fingers across the soil and indeed there were tea leafs lying on top.

"Let's get this back to the hospital!" JJ said.

Potomac General –

JJ was surprised to see Hotch, Rossi and Garcia in the waiting room when they arrived back. Reid had gone straight to the lab to begin working with the doctors and research staff to determine the poison and to find a way to stop it.

"What's going on? Why aren't you guys in with Morgan?"

Her eyes immediately fell on Garcia who sat staring into nowhere; she'd been crying. JJ braced herself for bad news.

"He's on life support." Rossi answered.

"He coded…the doctors said his heart stopped. Everything is shutting down, JJ."

Garcia wiped a tear from her eyes and again retreated staring into space.

They sat together for another thirty minutes before Dr. Asbill returned looking exhausted but there seemed to be a confidence in her countenance that had not been there earlier when they first met.

"We found a treatment."

They all sighed collectively a sound of relief.

"Now what?" Rossi asked.

"We wait. Hopefully we got a cure in time…I'm cautiously optimistic. Your agents did a good job finding the tea blend that was used on him."

"Can we see him?" Garcia asked.

"He's still on the respirator and we're monitoring his heart very closely but I don't see why not."

"Thank you doctor." Hotch added.

"Please don't stay too long. Besides, you all look like you could use some rest."

The tired war-weary group headed toward Morgan's room. Garcia resumed her spot closest to him taking is hand in hers. They all knew she would not be leaving until he left. They stood watching the machines and the monitors filling the room with their own weird symphony of beeps and hisses.

"Have they caught her yet?" Garcia asked her eyes remaining on him.

"Not yet." Hotch admitted.

"She can't get away with this, Hotch!" Her voice eerily calm but determined.

"She won't, trust me."

"He must have gone through hell." JJ added looking at the damage that had been done to his body.

"I'll hunt you down if it's the last thing I do!" Garcia vowed under her breath.

Next Morning – Early

Hotch had convinced them all to go home and get some rest; well all of them except Garcia. She remained by his side watching and waiting for some sign of improvement. Every hour throughout the night the nurse would come in to check the monitor readouts and his vitals, making notes in his chart and then leaving.

He was so still as she watched him she fought to push aside the images that ran through her mind of him being tortured by that mad woman. He must have felt so alone not knowing if his team knew that he was in trouble and needed them. Hotch had suspended him and she didn't know if she'd ever be able to forgive him for sending him out alone and armed.

She had work to do and she was grateful that Rossi had asked Agent Anderson to bring her laptop a few hours ago. She was about to do some things that would send her smack dap in the middle of her old life. She didn't care if it jeopardized her freedom or her job.

Mabel Henry was a hacker and she knew how to vanish into thin air. Her team was good at what they did not doubt, but they were no match against a hacker in their world. Garcia knew that the only way to find her was to go deep into cyberspace to undo the maze she had created to hide herself in. Only a hacker could catch a hacker and so, it was on. It was no way in hell she was going to allow that woman to nearly take her man's life and get away with it.

Derek had kept in contact with Elle after she'd left the team and he had kept it from her and everyone else. Elle's name had barely even been mentioned since she'd left. Hotch believed without a doubt that she had shot a suspect in cold blood and the fact that she was not made to answer for it, irritated the former prosecutor. He'd taken his anger out on Morgan insisting that he give her up.

Garcia had a big task ahead of her and just like Derek had a few days ago, she realized that she needed help. The job was too big for just her especially being tied down to her lair and now to Derek's bedside. So, while he lay quietly in the bed next to her she reached in her large royal blue pleather bag and pulled out her phone. It had been a while since she'd dialed her old friend she hoped she would not give her a hard time.

"Well hello, old friend! Feeling better?"

Derek wasn't the only one who had kept their friendship with her a secret.

"Elle…I need you!"

Two Days Later…

It had taken Penelope a day and a half to unravel the mystery of Mabel Henry. What made things even better, Derek was awake and alert and giving the doctors and nurses hell which was a sure sign that he was on the road to recovery. The team had been sent to Dallas on a case Penelope had been allowed to support them from Morgan's room. She knew this was Hotch's attempt to get back into her good graces. She didn't care what his motivation had been she just appreciated being able to stay with Derek. The doctors were discharging him tomorrow and for that she was happy. She hadn't told him or the others that she'd located the illusive Mabel Henry; that was a bit of information left between her and Elle.

Café de la Paix, France – Late Evening

Mabel had always dreamt of going to Paris finally she was here. It symbolized romance and passion and culture. She'd been in the city for two days now and things just seemed right. She'd made a list of all the tourists spots and cafes and it had become her new bucket list. Now after a long day of sightseeing she decided to make the Café de la Paix her last stop before returning to her apartment.

She was impressed with the service in the old landmark. It didn't take long for the tall, thin dark haired waitress to return to her table with her drink order.

The woman smiled at the older woman, wondering why she had chosen Paris. Paris was for lovers, not old women traveling alone.

"Elle, what a lovely name."

"Why thank you. I was named after my paternal grandmother."

She set the small pot and mug in front of the woman.

"Here you go, ma'am I think you'll love this tea. It's a special brew. Enjoy!"

"Why thank you. I love tea…fancy myself a connoisseur of teas!"

"Really? Well, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. It's a special blend and I hear it's to die for."

/

Revenge... is like a rolling stone, which, when a man hath forced up a hill, will return upon him with a greater violence, and break those bones whose sinews gave it motion. -Jeremy Taylor

THE END…