Elijah was sat at his desk, doodling little cats on the pages of his notebook which he.. Well, be rarely used it for note-taking. Earlier, Fleur and Morgan had left for Chicago. Reid told him he always goes for his mother's birthday and this year he decided to invite Fleur.

"Elijah, you're missing Reid's magic trick." JJ called him over.

"Oh, lemme see." Elijah hurried over to the desk, looking down at the fuzziness capsule.

"Okay, just wait.." Reid pointed as Garcia came over.

"Nothing's happening." JJ looked down at it.

"Shh, just- Wait!" Reid pointed.

That's when the capsule shot up into the air, causing Garcia and JJ to shout in surprise.

Although Emily had just walked in, the capsule hitting her in the head,"Oh!"

"I'm so sorry, Emily." Reid shook his head as Elijah burst out laughing.

"What was that?" Emily held her head.

"Don't you recognize a rocket when you see one?" Garcia giggled.

"I was merely demonstrating a physics law. I-I didn't mean to hit-" Reid stammered as he began to explain himself.

"Oh, show me." Emily smiled as she walked over.

"Alright- Please... Can you all turn around?" Reid hummed.

"Turn around?" Emily raised a brow.

"Yeah, he's not going to show you how it's done." JJ shook her head.

"A magician doesn't reveal his secrets." Reid told them as they turned.

"I thought you said it was physics." Emily turned back.

"Physics magic." Reid pointed.

"Trust me, it will not do you any good to argue with him, my dear." Elijah patted her shoulder.

Reid then set up his little trick,"Alright, turn back and observe."

The group watched as the little capsule sizzled... Before it shot into the air again! But this time... It landed at Hotch's feet.

All the girls began walking away as Hotch lifted the capsule up,"Physics magic?"

"Yes, sir." Reid nodded as Elijah placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Reid, we talked about this." Hotch walked over, placing the capsule on his desk.

"I'm sorry, sir." Reid looked down.

"You're starting to get some distance on those." Hotch nodded and walked off.

"So he does have a sense of humor?" Emily asked.

"Sometimes." Reid shrugged.

"Took me a little while to figure that one out too." Elijah hummed.

"Hey, where's Morgan?" Emily looked around.

"And Fleur, actually." JJ blinked,"Elijah?"

"Chicago." Elijah answered,"Morgan told me he goes every year for his mother's birthday and he invited Fleur this time."

"Letting the mother meet the 'good friend'. Exciting." Garcia hummed.

"I miss them." Elijah sighed.

"They'll be back soon." Reid assured him, patting his arm.

Elijah smiled,"That's good."

*********************************

Elijah hummed as he wrapped a towel around his waist. The day had been uneventful, no cases and so he'd headed home that evening quite relaxed and gone for a shower. But as he headed back to his bedroom, he heard his phone ringing from inside. Elijah quickly hurried in to answer it in case it was work.. But it was Fleur.

"Yes, darling?" Elijah answered the phone,"What is it?"

"We have an issue, a big one." Fleur sighed, sounding clearly panicked and distressed.

"What's the issue? What's wrong?" Elijah crossed his arms.

"This cop turned up- He arrested Derek. You and the team need to get down here." Fleur told him.

"I'll be there as fast as I can, and I'll make sure the others are too." Elijah assured her,"Just try to stay calm, we'll sort this out."

"I'm gonna stay with Fran and his sisters, call me once you're here." Fleur held her head.

"I will, darling."

"Love you, Eli." Fleur hung up.

Elijah sighed and sat his phone down, trying to quickly dry himself and pull on some clothes before he picked up the phone once more, calling Hotch. He'd rather speak to Hotch than Gideon.

"Deans?" Hotch answered,"It's late, what is it?"

"Fleur just called me from Chicago. Morgan's in trouble." Elijah told him,"She said he's been arrested."

"Arrested?" Hotch asked, falling silent for a few seconds before he spoke again,"Get to the Headquarters, I'll contact everyone else."

"Will do, sir." Elijah nodded as Hotch hung up.

Muffin meowed as he jumped up on the bed, Horatio following soon after. They were ready for a bedtime cuddle session.

"I'm sorry, boys. Daddy has to go to work." Elijah sighed.

Muffin meowed, rubbing against Elijah's side. Elijah sighed and stroked him before he hurried out of his room, shoved on his shoes and grabbed his car keys on the way out of the house.

*********************************

"Special Agent Hotchner, I'm with the FBI. I'm looking for Detective Gordinski." Hotch announced as the team walked in, holding up his badge.

"I got this, Chuck. How you guys doing? I'm Wally Dennison, CPD." Dennison walked over.

"Where's Agent Morgan?" Elijah asked.

"Detective Gordinski's in with the suspect now." Dennison nodded.

"I need to see him." Hotch stated.

"When my partner is finished talking to him." Dennison put his hands on his hips.

"I have your superintendent's personal cell number. And in the interest of not running roughshod over another police agency, I've resisted calling him for now." Hotch crossed his arms,"I need to see Agent Morgan now."

"I'll get Gordinski, he's the primary." Dennison walked off.

"I don't like them calling him a suspect." Elijah shook his head.

"Me neither." Hotch sighed.

After a while, Gordinski walked over to the group.

"Detective Gordinski, CPD."

"You think an FBI Agent, a BAU Profiler committed a homicide?" Hotch asked.

"Actually, it's three murders at least, over fifteen years." Gordinski corrected.

"You think he's a serial killer?" Fleur scoffed.

"This is ridiculous." Reid nodded.

"Has he been charged with anything?" Hotch raised a brow.

"I got seventy-two hours for that." Gordinski shrugged.

"I'd like to see him."

"Be my guest, right this way." Dennison lead Hotch off.

"Agent Gideon, right? I owe you a big thank you, I had no suspects at all until you looked over my case for me and sent me this profile." Gordinski grabbed a file and handed it to him,"Everything in it leads to that son of a bitch, Derek Morgan."

"The fuck did you just call him?" Elijah cursed as Gideon looked down at the file.

Elijah hadn't known Morgan for long, barely a year. But he wasn't going to take Morgan being treated like this. He knew about serial killers... And Morgan wasn't one of them.

"He's had it out for Derek since he was a kid." Fleur sighed.

Elijah nodded slowly and held his hand out to Fleur. She looked up at him and took it, squeezing it tightly.

"I profiled him?" Gideon asked.

"It's all right there." Gordinski nodded.

"Detecive, a profile is just a guide." Reid shook his head.

"Yeah, well this one guided me to him." Gordinski pointed.

"They're really more useful in the elimination of suspects, rather than the inclusion." Emily sighed.

"That's not the way you presented it to me." Gordinski turned to Gideon.

"If I confused you, I'm sorry." Gideon chuckled.

"Ha, I'm not confused at sll." Gordinski smiled.

"I think you are." Elijah muttered.

"Look, whatever is in here that made you consider Agent Morgan a suspect has to be a coincidence. You can't rely solely on this." Gideon pointed to the file.

"You're right, I'm not." Gordinski told him before he began to explain,"Fifteen years ago, I was a new Detective. One of my first cases was a black kid, twelve or thirteen years old, found strangled in a vacant lot near here."

"The boy was a John Doe, right?" Gideon asked.

"Still unidentified to this day." Gordinski nodded.

"A twelve year old kid that no one reported missing?" Fleur crossed her arms.

"Ever. Four years ago, another body turns up. Same MO. Worked that case just as hard, came up with just as much nothing." Gordinski continued,"Nobody in the area had ever seen the kid before."

"No ones looking for these kids?" JJ asked.

"Then a few months back, I attended a seminar that you taught at CPF Headquarters." Gordinski looked over at Gideon,"I told you about my case. You send to send you the files. You'd look them over."

"So... What even is this profile?" Elijah raised a brow.

"There are about three million people in Chicago." Gordinski began,"Your profile said I was looking for a black male, twenty-five to thirty-five, with a knowledge to the area. Non-threatening to children. Either he knows them or is normal enough that he doesn't scare them."

"No disrespect but it's still looking a little vague there, sir." Elijah commented.

Gordinski continued,"A probable criminal record. It also said the way the body was placed gently on a mattress, not just tossed on the ground, indicated someone who was probably consumed with guilt, especially for the first victim. Your exact words are, 'With a guilt ridden offender, the BAU postulates that the first victim is the most important and the Unsub may still visit the place of the crime or even the victim himself.' Care to guess who visits my first victim everytime he's in town?"

"He can't just be visiting the victim. There must be more than that." Gideon shook his head.

"Sure. You said the Unsub might try to inject himself into the investigation, keep tabs on it. Morgan has called our Headquarters many times since he joined the Bureau, always about this case."

"So wait, he talked to you about it?" Fleur tilted her head.

"Headquarters. He'd never call me." Gordinski shook his head,"After I got your profile, I checked airline records. Turns out, Derek had just left Chicago when the other body turned up."

"Show us all your evidence." Fleur told him.

Gordinski lead them into a room with boards and his 'evidence',"Then yesterday, another kid ends up dead and the last person he was with was Derek Morgan. In the kid's pocket, was one of his FBI business cards, his cell number written on the back of it. In fact, every time Morgan's in town, he hangs out with kids."

"This is all just coincidence." JJ scoffed.

"A hell of a lot of coincidences." Gordinski pointed.

"It's purely circumstantial." Emily shrugged.

"So's a fingerprint." Gordinski shrugged,"Did I mention that Morgan found the body in 1991? Hidden way back in a vacant lot? Now, don't you teach that when a body's hard to find, the person finding it is always a suspect?"

"There are key pieces of the profile that don't fit, Detective. The age, twenty-five to thirty-five. Morgan was fifteen or so at the time." Reid stated.

"It also says that age is hardest to predict and that I should never exclude someone simply because of a discrepancy with age." Gordinski countered.

"What about the speculation that since he didn't manage to leave any evidence at the scene of the crime, that he most likely has a criminal record or previous law enforcement knowledge? Derek wasn't even in the Bureau yet when the first body was found." Reid explained.

"He may not have had a knowledge of law enforcement but Derek Morgan definitely had a criminal record." Gordinski crossed his arms.

Elijah looked him up and down,"Somehow I'm struggling to belive you "

Gordinski waved Elijah off and walked back to his desk.

Fleur turned to Gideon,"Let me talk to Gordinski, tell him exactly what Derek and I have done since we got here."

"I would, but I doubt he'd believe you. We're dealing with a desperate detective." Gideon sighed,"Three dead boys with no evidence at all, so he applies the profile to someone he already suspects."

"One begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts." Reid quoted,"It's one of Sherlocks Holmes favourite quotes."

"We need to figure out who actually killed these boys before they decide to charge Morgan." Gideon shook his head.

"What do you want us to do?" Emily asked.

"The last victim was someone Morgan was seen with. Conveniently, Morgan was already a suspect in the other two." Elijah looked up at her from his chair.

"Someone set him up." Fleur nodded,"I was with Derek, he didn't do this."

"We should consider Morgan a victim." Gideon agreed,"Howards, you Reid and Deans go talk to his family, learn about him, especially around the time of the first murder."

"I can drive there." Fleur nodded.

"Okey-doke, lead the way." Elijah hummed.

"Let me come with you, police escort." Dennison walked up.

"No, thank you." Fleur hummed.

"Actually, I think it would be a good idea." Gideon told her.

"Right." Fleur muttered, turning to Dennison as they walked out to the car,"Have you checked out Rodney Harris? The gangbanger?"

"Not yet." He responded.

"He's trouble, you should." Fleur shrugged.

*********************************

"Fran, I've brought some friends... Is it okay if we just look through some of Derek's things? We need to clear him." Fleur sighed to Derek's mother.

"Is Derek okay?" Fran asked her.

"Yeah, he wouldn't let us go down there." Sarah sighed.

"Our boss is with him, he's okay." Fleur assured him.

Sarah then handed the two boys some cake from the night before.

"Thank you, darling." Elijah hummed.

"Did he tell you Gordinski's been harassing him since he was a kid?" Sarah asked.

"Why's that?" Reid ate his cake.

"Well, you'd have to ask that bastard." Sarah shrugged.

"Oh, Sarah." Fran shook her head.

"It's true." Sarah told her.

"Sure, it's true." Dennison rolled his eyes.

"What are you even doing in my mother's house?" Sarah questioned.

"They asked me." Dennison sighed.

"Not really." Fleur shook her head.

"I don't understand how they think he could do this." Fran sighed.

"Someone may be trying to make it look like he hurt those kids." Fleur explained.

"And the police believe that?" Sarah questioned.

"Just following the evidence." Dennison muttered.

"He's an FBI Agent." Desiree pointed.

"Actually, law enforcement officials are just as probable statistically to commit a crime as anyone else. Look at the cross section of a society. There's a general population and a small fraction of this percentage is-" Reid rambled.

"He's not actually saying we believe Derek is involved with this." Elijah cut him off as he took a bite of cake.

"Oh, no, no! Yeah, not at all! I'm merely speaking theoretically." Reid nodded.

"You're Doctor Reid, right? And Elijah?" Desiree asked.

"Mhm." Elijah nodded,"That's us."

"Derek talks about you two." Desiree hummed.

"He does?" Reid smiled softly.

"All the time." Desiree nodded.

"Someone may be trying to make it look like this was Derek." Fleur sat down.

"But Derek loves kids." Fran sighed,"Whenever he's here, he always visits the Youth Centre."

"The Youth Centre?" Fleur raised a brow.

"The Upward Youth Centre." Fran nodded.

"Does it have some sort of significance for him?" Reid asked.

"What are you saying, that there's something in it for him other than giving back to the poor kids of the community?" Sarah questioned.

"That is not what we're saying." Elijah instinctively put his arm around Reid.

Elijah immediately regretted his action and bit his cheek. If Gideon saw... But if anything, Reid seemed to lean into his arm so he left it there.

"Sarah, Reid and Elijah are like brothers to Derek. We're all here trying to help, when we ask a question, it isn't to denigrate or demean anything he's done. We just have to know everything, so we can figure out where to look next. Is there a special significance to the Youth Centre?" Fleur sighed.

"The Youth Centre saved his life." Fran told her,"My husband, their father, was killed when he tried to stop a robbery. Derek was with him, he was ten. A year or so later, he started getting into trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" Elijah asked slowly.

"He started running around with older kids. They would give him money to run errands for them. Not drugs, no. Derek would never disgrace his father's memory." Fran sighed.

"But they were gangbangers." Sarah pointed.

"So people started looking at Derek like he was one of them. One night he and a friend were attacked by some boys from another gang. Big fight. And one of the other boys' head split open." Fran continued.

"And that was the first time Gordinski arrested him. Now, he wasn't a Detective then, just a street cop and from that day on, whatever happened in the neighborhood, he'd pick Derek up for it." Sarah explained.

"Probably because he was involved." Dennison shrugged.

"Like hell he was." Sarah glared at him.

"Stan never arrested anyone who didn't need arresting." Dennison stood up.

"He did with Derek."

"Until Carl Buford stepped in." Fran nodded.

"Carl Buford?" Reid raised a brow.

"He runs the Youth Centre." Dennison shrugged.

"He took Derek under his wing, mentored him. He became like a surrogate father for him." Fran explained,"He taught him how to play football and that changed Derek's life. He got a scholarship to college with it, got his degree."

"Where is Carl Buford now?" Fleur asked.

"He still runs the Youth Centre." Dennison nodded.

"I'd like to speak to him. Detective, do you think you could take me over there?" Fleur turned to Dennison and he nodded.

"Wait, just you?" Reid asked.

"I thought you and Elijah could stay here and go through the stuff. The Morgans won't mind." Fleur assured him.

"Good idea, yeah." Elijah nodded slowly.

*********************************

Elijah was stood with Reid and JJ in the station, waiting for Fleur to see if she found anything at the Youth Centre.

"Did you find anything at Derek's?" Fleur asked as the boys walked back into the police station.

"Nothing that would help with the investigation." Elijah sighed,"I got to keep some cake, though."

"It was good cake, wasn't it?" Fleur pointed.

"Very good cake." Reid nodded.

"I made it with Desi and Sarah." Fleur nodded.

"Your mum's taught you well." Elijah smiled as they approached the others.

"Thank you." Fleur hummed before turning to JJ,"What did Garcia find out?"

"Well, Morgan has a criminal record. It was expunged by the judge but.." JJ sighed as she held out a list.

Fleur looked down at the list,"This... This isn't Derek. He's not like that."

Elijah shook his head, as he read over Fleur's shoulder. He made up his mind in that moment. He was going to help Derek.

"He probably gave him them all." She pointed at Girdinski.

"Don't doubt it, darling. Make sure you keep him busy." Elijah whispered as he walked off,"I'll be right back."

Fleur looked at Gordinski before she headed over. Elijah nodded before heading towards the room where Morgan was being held, looking around before entering.

"Elijah? Oh man, am I glad to see you." Morgan sighed.

"I'm getting you out of here." Elijah pointed,"You're innocent and I know it."

"What do the others think?" Morgan asked,"Flo, she doesn't think I did this, right?"

"Of course she doesn't, Fleur's a smart girl." Elijah tossed Morgan his jacket.

"You're gonna get caught, kid." Morgan caught the jacket.

"I don't think so." Elijah shook his head,"Besides, I have to keep my promise."

"What promise?" Morgan asked as he walked over to him.

"I made a promise, the day I decided I wanted to be an FBI Agent." Elijah told him,"I was going to help as many people as I could, to do the right thing."

Morgan patted his arm,"My folks okay?"

"They will be, they don't think you've done this either."

"Thank god." Morgan sighed,"Cover me?"

"Of course." Elijah nodded before he pointed,"Stai attento, stai al sicuro."

Morgan nodded slowly before he checked the hallway and left. After Morgan left, Elijah walked out shortly after, his hands in his pockets.

"What did you do?" Fleur walked over to Elijah.

"I merely helped out my brother." Elijah shrugged.

"Did you... You let him out, didn't you?" Fleur whispered.

Elijah smiled,"No, whatever do you mean?"

"I don't know if I'm happy or mad at you." Fleur sighed.

"Uh, you're happy with me." Elijah patted her shoulder.

"I am happy with you." Fleur held his arm,"But... The others might not be."

"They don't need to know." Elijah shook his head.

"Hey! What, did we turn him loose?" Dennison walked up to everyone.

"What do you mean?" Hotch asked as Gordinski headed towards the room.

"You let him escape?" Gordinski scoffed, walking over.

"Me? Why would I do that?" Elijah hummed.

"I could have you arrested." Gordinski grabbed Elijah's arm.

"Agent Deans hasn't done anything." Hotch sighed.

Elijah smiled,"Besides, he's out there now. You need to go find him."

Gordinski turned away, scoffing.

"All the evidence I have points towards Carl Burford." Fleur crossed her arms.

"And my best guess at where Derek is going... Is to find Buford." Elijah nodded

Fleur then overheard Gordinski telling his officers that Morgan was a threat so she quickly stormed over.

"You tell your officers that he is not a threat." Fleur pointed.

"Like hell I will." He shook his head.

"But this-"

"Listen here, lady. As far as I'm concerned, he is a threat, okay?" Gordinski shook his head before starting to put on his jacket.

"Shout at me again, and I'll show you a threat." Fleur warned and turned around, walking back to the others,"He's beyond reason, we have to find him first."

"Any ideas?" Gideon asked.

"Well, I have one." Elijah raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"Morgan's mother said that Buford practically raised him after his father died. Took him on trips, spent all his time with him, basically became a surrogate father." Elijah crossed his arms.

Fleur looked up, a look of realization on her face,"I think I know what he was afraid we'd find."

"Do you remember the way to the Youth Centre?" Elijah asked.

"I do, come on." Fleur nodded.

*********************************

As the group made their way through the Youth Centre, they heard Carl and Derek speaking.

"I never hurt you, Derek." Carl shook his head,"You could've said no."

"That son of a bitch." Elijah muttered, practically holding Fleur back before she could do any damage to Buford despite how much he deserved it.

"You're under arrest, Carl." Gordinski spoke in shock as he walked forward.

"I've helped a lot of kids." Carl looked over at him as Dennison cuffed him.

"Let's go." Gordinski took Carl's arm, Dennison at the other.

"The neighbourhood won't be the same without me. It'll be worse without the centre." Carl shook his head.

"Somebody will keep this centre running. The neighbourhood will, I will." Morgan nodded.

"Wait- Wait. Wait!" Carl looked into Morgan's eyes,"Derek. Isn't there something you can do for me?"

"You go to hell." Was all Derek said.

Dennison then dragged Carl put of the door. Gordinski lingered behind, looking as if he wanted to say something to Morgan, but he soon followed after Dennison.

"Derek." Fleur ran in, quickly hugging him.

Morgan held Fleur close, shutting is eyes. He was still trying to stay strong, even now.

"It's okay." Fleur assured him,"You can let go."

Morgan hid his face in Fleur's shoulder as he broke down, sobbing.

Fleur sighed and rubbed his back,"He's gone now."

"I'm sorry- For not telling any of you." Morgan told them.

"We understand." Hotch assured him.

"I didn't want you to find out like this.."

"It doesn't matter what happened in the past. You're a good man." Gideon nodded.

"I'd be an asshole if I judged you for what happened." Elijah shook his head.

"We'll leave you two to be alone. We'll be waiting." Hotch told Morgan and Fleur who were still holding each other.

"Thank you." Morgan nodded to them.

Elijah smiled softly at the pair before he turned, going to follow after Gideon and Hotch.

"Elijah." Morgan spoke.

"Hm?" Elijah turned to face him.

"Thank you. I mean it." Morgan told him.

"It was nothing, Derek." Elijah assured him,"I was just doing the right thing."

Morgan and Elijah shared a smile before he left Fleur and Morgan together in the Youth Centre.

*********************************

"So, are you both alright?" Elijah asked Fleur over the phone, sat on his bed.

"We're alright." Fleur told him,"I just.. Can't believe that any of it happened."

"I know." Elijah sighed,"I'm just glad Morgan's okay."

"Oh- That reminds me. When we were heading home he.. Asked if I wanted to get drinks sometime. Together." Fleur informed him.

Elijah gasped,"Oh, that is amazing. I'm so happy for you, Flo."

"Thanks, Eli." Fleur chuckled,"Maybe Reid will invite you to hang out again... As more than friends."

"Oh hush." Elijah shook his head,"I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, okay." Fleur hummed,"Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Elijah nodded, lying back as he hung up.

Elijah sighed, rolling onto his side. He knew it wasn't likely but he was hoping, deep down, that Reid would feel the same way.