"Gideon, whoever killed this family had to be a big guy. Chris Crawford was a black belt in judo."

"So are you. I've got a gun to your back. Maybe you could take it from me. But your children are in the same room. And if you fail, they die. Does it matter how big I am now?"

Morgan & Gideon , 'The Fox' 1.07

"Yeah, but if we don't tell anyone, you'll be in the field." Morgan pointed out as he opened the door to their home.

"I know, but you know the first trimester is risky, and if I...If I lose it, I don't want to spend months explaining to people why my stomach isn't growing." Emily's voice was soft with worry, even as she carried their first child on her hip, the toddler still in his 'clinging to mommy' phase.

The two year-old looked much more like his daddy, having Morgan's smooth mocha skin, and handsome features that were still hidden in a chubby baby face. Jamie did have his mother's eyes though, a shade darker than his father's, and a vivid barometer for his moods.

"Hey," he said, brushing her face, "we've got one healthy kid, what makes you think we won't have a second?"

"Derek, you and I both know I'm on the older side for making babies," she pointed out.

"That implies I'm old too, and I am not old," he teased, kissing her.

"Hmm, difference is, you can make baby's as long as this," she ran her hand over the front of his pants, "keeps on working. I have a smaller window."

He barely stifled a groan. "Careful there, Princess, that works a little too well to take teasing."

"Oh, I know. Jamie's half-asleep, I'm planning on him going to bed easily, and...it's still early." She smiled suggestively.

"Then let's put him to bed." He ushered them toward the stairs, where Emily stopped him.

"I'll take care of this, you unpack his lunchbox," she instructed, shooing him toward the kitchen.

Morgan obeyed with a smile, dropping their bags in the study, and pulling out the little lunchbox with animated cars from Jamie's backpack, before hanging it on the back of a chair.

Everything with Emily had seemed to happen so quickly and so slowly at the same time, but five years together, and they were still very happy. The day he met her, he'd have never imagine she'd be the woman to finally get him to settle down, but after a year of dating, he'd found himself ring shopping. He'd accepted a promotion to heading the newly formed, HSK (Highway Serial Killer) Task Force, which kept him at Quantico, and saved them some of the repercussions of being romantically involved. Then she was pregnant, and he was cursing over crib directions, and calling Garcia and JJ to get advice on managing mood swings. And, now they were on their second baby.

He was hoping for a girl, but would never admit that out loud.

Once he'd finished with the lunch box, he headed up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and headed toward Jamie's room. He was smiling when he poked his head in the door, but it dropped abruptly and his breath caught in his throat.

Emily was sitting on the edge of Jamie's bed, their son snuggled under the covers, eyes wide and frightened. A masked man was standing behind Emily, gun pressed to her skull, her weapon tucked into the back of his waistband, and his hand traveling through her hair and down her neck.

She didn't look scared. She looked pissed.

"What do you want?" Morgan demanded.

The masked man pressed his nose in Emily's hair, inhaling the scent with rapture. "To know what it's like to have everything."

"You take me, and you leave them be," Morgan instructed, ignoring the man's words.

"It's not you I want, Derek. I want the perfect life. A beautiful wife, a great kid, a nice home, a job I love. Really, what is it like to have all that?"

"Paradise." It was the simple truth.

The mask man nodded. "That's what I figured." He turned to Emily. "When are you due?"

"March," she said. The bastard must have been listening to them come in.

"What's it like?" He asked Morgan. "To know that? That you put a baby inside her? That she loves you enough to nurture your child for nine months?"

He inhaled, okay, he could play this guy's game until he found a better option. "It's amazing. And, it's terrifying."

The masked man cocked his head to the side. "Terrifying?"

"Yeah, it makes you feel like the king of the world, but that's a lot to live up to. You have to worry that you'll be good enough, that you'll do right by her and the baby. That you can take care of them and protect them."

Morgan could see the man smile through his mask. "And, what does it feel like when you fail?"

He swallowed. "Like someone put a vise around your heart and they're slowly squeezing, slowly killing you." Yeah, that's what that tightness in his chest was.

"Take your glock from your holster, and toss it in the closet," the man instructed.

Morgan had no choice but to do it. His heart hammering in his chest, his brain screaming that this wasn't happening, this couldn't happen, he did as told, tossing the gun in Jamie's closet.

"Close the closet door."

Again Morgan complied, mind running through scenarios, possible ways for this to end, ways to get this bastard away from his son and pregnant wife. It all came down to the gun pressed to Emily's head. Any move he made, and a bullet would be in her brain before he could stop it.

"Take out your handcuffs." While Morgan removed his, the man took Emily's off her, and cuffed her hands behind her. "Now, we're going to take a little trip, if you make one wrong move, her brains get splattered all over your house, then I kill the kid, got it?"

Morgan nodded, and turned on the man's instruction, walking out of Jamie's room. It seemed they were leaving him there, which was good, especially if he remembered what they told him to do in an emergency.

The man closed Jamie's door, and nodded them toward the master bedroom, which made his stomach drop to his feet. Once inside, he nodded Morgan toward the closet, which had sliding doors with handles.

"One cuff on your right wrist, the other around the handles. I want to hear it click." Then he turned to Emily. "On the bed, Princess."

"Don't call her that," Morgan seethed. That was his pet name for her, the term or endearment he'd used for years, even when they were just friends.

"I'll call her whatever I want," the man snarled, then gestured back at Morgan. "Click. Click, I want to hear it."

With his attention diverted, Emily stopped mid-shimmy on the bed, pulled one leg back, and threw it forward into the man's chest, knocking him to the floor. Morgan reacted, having not quite sealed the cuffs yet, and launched himself at the man.

The unsub started pushing himself up, when Morgan tackled him to the ground. A shot went off, wild somewhere in the room, and Morgan wrestled the gun from the man's hand. It flew, and landed sliding somewhere across the room. The unsub went for Emily's gun, still tucked into his pants, and Morgan slammed both fists into the man's shoulder joint, earning a crack and a scream of pain.

"Son of a bitch!" The man screamed. "I will fucking kill you all!"

He yanked the gun out, pointing it straight at Morgan's head, almost vertical in the air, but didn't have a chance to fire before Emily's foot made contact, kicking it into the hallway.

Seeing nothing but red, Morgan started launching punches at the man. Strong left jabs, and even stronger right hooks right at the man's face, just wailing away. He'd almost lost them, almost lost everything in his life that mattered, everything he loved. He didn't stop, even as he saw blood under the black of the mask.

"Derek! Derek! Stop! Damn it, Derek stop!" Emily's voice finally made it to his brain. "You'll kill him! Stop it!"

He froze. She was right. He wouldn't actually mind if the bastard was dead, but that went a little beyond self-defense. The man was already unconscious. Breathing heavily, heart hammering away, Morgan nodded, and yanked their attackers mask off.

Late twenties, white, almost baby-faced if you took away the blood coming out of his nose and mouth. He couldn't be more than 5'6", and Morgan could feel himself already profiling the guy. Broken, dysfunctional family growing up, no success with women, no success in many other relationships, ridiculed as a kid for his small size, likely abused by family and classmates growing up. He was always powerless, and this probably wasn't his first home invasion. Family annihilator.

"Derek, babe, keys," Emily woke him out of his whirring mind, gesturing with her cuffed hands.

He nodded, and reach into his pocket, unhooking his first, and slapping them on the unsub, leaving him on his stomach. Then he unhooked Emily's, and she immediately tore out of the room, headed to Jamie's. He collected the unsub's gun, and Emily's in the hallway before following her.

She already had their son wrapped in her arms, and he fell heavily onto the bed, wrapping them both up. Jamie wiggled his little four number kiddie cell phone at them.

"Me call Unca Awan."

An hour later, they were outside their building, huddled together in an ambulance. Emily hadn't been able to let go of Jamie, and he hadn't been able to let go of either of them. Hotch and Rossi were inside with the local cops, and Reid, JJ and Garcia were all on their way.

Uncle Aaron had successfully read through the two year-old speak, and called DCPD, who made it over quicker than he or Rossi, who had been in the city, on a date. Jamie's cell phone had both of their numbers, Hotch's and Garcia's, for emergencies. Four buttons, four numbers.

"Are you guys okay?" JJ asked breathlessly, rushing up, Garcia right behind her.

"Oh my god, oh my god, what happened? Hotch said someone broke into your house?" The analyst was frantic, looking on the verge of tears. JJ grabbed one of her hands, in an attempt to settle her.

"He was already here, waiting for us," Morgan explained.

"What? But why?"

Morgan just shook his head, his chest tight with emotion. So close. Too damn close.

"You're okay, though?" JJ repeated.

"Yeah," Emily answered. "We're all alright, just a little shaken up."

Jamie took that moment to wiggle out of his Mom's tight grip, and launch himself at Garcia. "Aun Nelpee."

"Oh, hello sweet boy," she gathered him into her arms.

"Hey, what happened?" Reid asked, jogging up, looking frantically around.

"We're alright, Kid," Morgan assured him.

"Thank god, for that," Rossi's voice caused them all to turn to the two approaching senior agents.

"We just spoke with DCPD, you aren't the first family he tried this with," Hotch informed them.

"How many?" Emily asked.

"Two others."

"What happened to them?" A big part of him didn't want the answer.

Hotch sighed, and turned to Garcia, nodding to Jamie. JJ put her hands over his ears. "Seven people dead in total. He spent the night, raped the wives, had dinner, played with the kids, and killed everyone before the sunrise."

"Any idea why he picked us?" Morgan asked, arms tightening around Emily.

Hotch and Rossi shared a look, before the latter answered. "Maybe. You're the only interracial couple, but the locals think he's preference revolves around the wives."

"What?" Emily sputtered.

"Brunettes. According to DCPD the other two women were also beautiful, brown-eyed brunettes."

"They're going to find a woman fitting that description in his past," Reid commented. The other four profilers nodded in agreement. Maybe a babysitter, maybe a foster mother, maybe a nurturing girlfriend, but she'd be there, the one woman who made a mark on him.

Hotch cleared his throat. "They're going to be here for most of the rest of the night. Do you want a ride to a hotel?"

"No, that's alright. We've got Jamie's seat in our car." Morgan was shaken, but not enough that he couldn't drive. He turned to Emily then. "We should take you to the hospital to get checked out."

The group in front of them immediately tensed, suddenly worried.

"I thought you said, no one was hurt." Hotch didn't sound quite angry, but unhappy and concerned.

"No one was hurt," Emily confirmed, before turning to Morgan. "The EMTs said I'm fine, blood pressure's normal, no cramping. No need for a hospital."

"I'd feel better if a doctor said that," he said.

Four of five of their friends looked around in confusion, while JJ's mouth opened, and then became almost a smile. "Are you pregnant?"

And, like that, their earlier argument had settled itself. Morgan laced their fingers together, while Emily answered. "Yeah, about eight weeks."

"Oh! Oh! Congratulations!" Garcia squealed, and was the first to envelope them in a hug, even with their first child in her arms.

After a round of congratulations, hugs, and Hotch informing Emily that she was out of field duty for a while, they begged off, both exhausted and emotionally overwhelmed. They finally agreed that since she had an appointment with her regular doctor in a few days, they could skip the hospital.

After grabbing a bag for Jamie, they went to a decent hotel, and got a room for one night. But, even with their son tucked snugly between them, neither could seem to get to sleep. Morgan laid on his side, watching Emily stroke their little boys head, soothing herself more than him. Jamie was probably the least emotional traumatized of the three of them, too young to really know what had happened, and fortunately, having missed the violence in the master bedroom. Hopefully, he wouldn't remember any of it.

"Hey," he said softly, "you okay?"

"Yeah," she smiled at him, "just the adrenaline winding down…you?"

Morgan swallowed, his voice cracking. "I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you and Jamie."

Her hand moved from their son's head, to his cheek, caressing his jaw. "We're fine. We'll be fine."

He kissed her hand. "I know, I know it, but it was too close."

And, he'd been so utterly helpless.

"We came out okay. I'm fine, you're fine, Jamie hopefully won't remember any of it, and the baby's fine. She's still there."

"She?"

Emily grinned. "Come on, I know you're hoping for a girl."

"I never said that." His lips turned up to match hers.

"You don't have to, I know you, and frankly, you with a little girl worries me a little."

He frowned, almost offended.

"Relax. It's cause I know you'll spoil her absolutely rotten, and she'll be screaming for a Beamer when she's 16," she teased.

"Oh come on, Princess, give me a little credit. I won't spoil her that badly."

"Yes, you will," she said matter-of-factly. "But, that's alright. Cause I know I'll baby my little boy, more than I would a girl. We'll balance each other out."

"Well, we better have a girl then."

She smiled again, and rubbed her thumb across his lips. "Derek, you've never failed us. I need you to know that."

How had she known that was rattling through his mind? "I let a man take you hostage at gun point, that's a pretty clear failure, Princess."

"No. If anyone let that happen it was me."

Morgan shook his head. "You were protecting our babies."

"So were you."

He sighed. "Not well enough. I'm supposed to stop threats before they get inside our home, before they get that close to you or Jamie."

"You couldn't have known, Derek. Neither of us could have."

"I should have."

"Then I should have too."

He shook his head and closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he knew she could see the tears hanging in them. "What good is the black belt, the combat training, the weapons training, if it comes down to that? I couldn't do a damn thing to protect you. If you hadn't kicked him when you did, then he would have raped you, and my options would have been to let it happen, or rip the closet doors off their hinges and risk him shooting you. I couldn't live with either option."

Emily sighed then, and then leaned up, over Jamie, and pressed a kiss to his lips, before breaking it, her face still barely inches from his, her hand still on the back of his head. "I love you, Derek Morgan, but you are not Superman. You do the best you can, and you'll never fail us."

"And, what if my best isn't good enough?" He wanted to believe her, wanted to take comfort from her words, but he was still doubting himself.

"Never happen."

He raised an eyebrow at that.

"Superman you may not be, but you aren't far from Batman, and Batman never loses. Not really. Even if his wife's got to kick somebody to give him an opening." She pecked him on the lips, and laid back down.

Morgan chuckled at that. He may doubt himself, but at least she still had faith in him. "What do you think of taking a few days off, and going to Chicago?"

"You think you can get the time?"

They both knew Hotch would give her the time without hesitation, but he ran a team now, and it made things a little more complicated. "Yeah, we've got nothing big going on now, I can leave one of the others in charge for a few days."

"Alright then, a little break from life sounds nice. Especially since I'm not looking forward to scrubbing that asshole's blood off our bedroom floor."

"At least, it's not too much, it would have been a lake if one of us had shot him."

"Maybe we can just cover it with a small carpet."

"Let's worry about that later. I'm tired, and you need to rest," he reminded her, fingers stroking her stomach.

She nodded, and Morgan kissed her goodnight before they both settled into sleep. It was close, but in the end, he did save them. He could live with that.

Alright, so this idea came to me the first time I saw that episode, it just took me a bit to get out. I used Prentiss because, well, it was more fun than some random character, and I like them together. So, I hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for any reviews, which I'd greatly appreciate. :)