Title: Found
By: patch_tank
Summary: The secret comes out.
Rating: G (or whatever the fic equivalent is)
Archive: Sure thing :)
Notes: Spoilers up to season 7.
Disclaimer: The whole sumbitch belongs to CBS, not Patch.

***

Derek Morgan felt sick.  He pressed the heels of his hands over his eyes and swallowed hard, trying to quell the nausea.  It had to be a mistake, there was just no way, no fucking way. 

He'd found it by accident - a slow week at work had prompted him to look into a cold case from a year or so ago, and he'd emailed a buddy of his from Chicago to ask for some surveillance photos.  The photos were of no use to the case - the vehicle model was completely wrong, Morgan could see that straight away,  he didn't even need to clean up the grainy photo quality to try to make out the license plate.  But there was something else - a woman in the background at the gas station counter.  Longer hair, thinner face, unfamiliar clothing ... he couldn't be sure, but something wasn't right, he could feel it.

He made his way downstairs, the folder containing the photo grasped tightly in his hand.  Bypassing the entrance to the familiar, cheery office of Penelope Garcia, he navigated the hallways until he came to a smaller, darker bunker that smelled vaguely of cheesesteak.  Kevin Lynch was at his desk, messily attempting to mop up a spilled soda while he talked into his headset.

"Yeah, just reconfigure that and you shouldn't have any more compatibility problems.  Alright.  Later".  He spun around in his chair, a sheaf of soda-stained papers in his hand.  "Oh, G-man, hey.  If you're looking for Pen, she's not here".

Derek handed Kevin the already-overflowing wastepaper basket.  "Actually, I came to see you.  I need a favour".

"Need me to beat Pen's high score on Angry Birds?  I hear she bragged for a week after she trounced you last time, but I bet I can -"

"Dude, focus.  This is important.  I've got a photo here, and I need you to run some facial imaging software - I also need you to keep it quiet."  He gave Kevin a stern look.  "I mean it - Penelope can't know about this."

Kevin put the sodden documents in the trashcan and wiped his sticky hands on his pants.  "Alright, top secret, I get it.  I'll do this ninja-style - but what exactly am I looking for?"  Kevin took the file and carefully placed the photo on a relatively dry patch of his desk.

Derek pointed at the woman whose familiar face had caused the sickening jolt in his stomach only minutes earlier.

"Emily.  I think this is her ... I think she's alive."

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

Derek nearly dropped the receiver.  He'd waited for the phone to ring all afternoon, hoping Kevin would tell him he was wrong, hoping he wouldn't have to acknowledge what a collossal shitstorm this could potentially turn into.  Instead, his stomach lurched with the memory of his grief.

"I don't know what to tell you man - it's her.  I mean, the software isn't a hunderd percent or anything, but gun to my head, I'd say it's her.  Except - it can't be, right?  I mean, she's  ... well, you know -"

"Thanks, Kevin," he muttered, hanging up.  Fidelity, bravery, integrity ... what stupid, meaningless words.  A useless lump of stone, an empty grave, a broken family.  He needed to know, now, what the hell was going on. 

Hotch was in his office talking over some case files with JJ.  Both of them looked up in surprise when Morgan stormed in, slamming the photo down on the desk.

"There! That's her, isn't it?  That's Emily!"

"Morgan -"

"NO!  Did you think we wouldn't find out?  Did you think you'd be able to lie to us forever?  Tell me the goddamn truth, Hotch!  IS THAT HER?!" 

JJ's face was pale, Hotch's expression impossible to read.  Suddenly the office seemed very quiet.  Morgan slumped down into an empty chair, his head in his hands.  "Is she alive, Hotch?" he asked softly, not looking up.  "I ... maybe I'm wrong, but I just saw it and I thought - "

"No,"  Hotch replied quietly.  "No, you're not wrong."    He glanced over at JJ who held the case file in her white-knuckled hand.  "JJ, could you call the others in here please?  It's time to explain what's going on."

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

Morgan couldn't speak to the others.  His head felt cloudy and slow, a dense buzzing irritated his ears, and the bland beige office walls seemed to close in oppressively.  Rossi had arrived first, taking the chair next to Morgans.  Garcia was next, raising her eyebrows at him questioningly as she entered.  He gave no response.  Someone was tapping on the arm of a chair, he was about to bark at them to quit it before he realised it was him.  He wondered if anyone else was finding it hard to breathe.

Reid came in last, apologising as he disentangled himself from the strap of his satchel.  "Sorry, did I miss anything?  If we have a case I can -"

Hotch interrupted him.  "No.  No, it's not a case - I've called you all here together because there's something I think you should know."  he inhaled and looked around at his team, holding Morgan's gaze for a fraction longer than the others.  Derek stared back, gripping the arm of the chair, unsure of how he was supposed to feel but unable to stop his heart pounding.

"I ... I've been keeping something from all of you, not because I wanted to, but because I had no choice.  The safety of everyone on this team was at stake, and I made a decision.  I never meant to deceive any of you, but the alternative was to put you all at unimaginable risk".  Hotch's eyes were dark, but his voice was steady.  "Emily Prentiss is alive."

It was as if all of the air had been sucked out of the room.  For a few seconds, nobody seemed to react.  Reid was the first to speak.

"But ... how ... she ..." he broke off, looking up at Hotch with hurt and confusion in his eyes.

JJ leaned across the desk, her hands clasped together.  "Spence ... I know this is a shock, for all of you.  But you have to understand - there was just no other way.  My department made the decision, and it was my call whether or not to tell Hotch."  Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.  "I'm sorry - I'm so sorry - that we couldn't tell the rest of you.  We just had no choice," she pleaded, her voice pitched higher than usual as she tried to hold back her tears.

Rossi rested his chin on his hand, his face remaining impassive as he addressed Hotch.  "So Aaron ... when you did our assessments, you knew?"

Hotch lowered his head sadly, the guilt evident this time when he spoke.  "Yes.  And I understand if you see that as a breech of your trust -"

"A breech of trust?" Garcia breathed, tears spilling down her cheeks.  "How can you - I can't even - you held me at her funeral!"   Garcia dissolved into sobs, allowing Reid to pull her close.  He buried his face into her shoulder, and Morgan watched as JJ stared at them helplessly.  He wanted to say something comforting, to let her know that he didn't blame her, but what could he say when he felt so raw and betrayed? 

Hotch spoke again, his voice shaky and hoarse.  "I know.  And I don't expect you to forgive me for that, but Garcia - "

"Penelope, it wasn't his fault, if you're angry at someone be angry at me, okay?" JJ interrupted.  Her mascara had created tiny black rivulets on her cheeks, she tried to wipe them away as she approached Garcia and laid a hand on her back.  "I wish I could have told you too, but it was just too dangerous."

Garcia whirled around, throwing the hand off her and for a second Morgan thought she'd slap JJ.  Clearly JJ did too, and she recoiled slighly - this seemed to deflate Garcia's rage, and the tension in her shoulders slackened.  "But ... I could have found her," she whimpered, reaching out for JJ's hand.  "I don't care how dangerous it is!  Emily's family, I would have done anything to get her back."

JJ squeezed Garcia's hand and reached up to push a lock of hair back from her forehead.  "Of course you would ...you're amazing, you would have found her faster than anyone else could ever hope to.  And I couldn't let you put yourself in that kind of danger."  She pulled Garcia into a hug.

"So," Rossi began, "when you interviewed us - "

"Dave- " Hotch tried to break in, but Rossi persisted.

"No, I just mean ... that must have been rough.  I know how much you care about this team Aaron - seeing us all like that can't have been easy."

Hotch shook his head.  "Lying to you all was the last thing I ever wanted to do.  The reason we work so well together is because of the trust we have in each other.  I know I'm the one who broke that trust - and knowing that hurts.  But you were all hurt and grieving too, and as the leader of this team, it was my responsibility to deal with that."  His voice lowered.  "Any pain it caused me was entirely deserved."

And with that, Morgan's anger was gone.  It wasn't just he who had suffered - his whole team had been fractured, ripped apart by something none of them could control - and Emily was still out there somewhere, alone.  He spoke for the first time.

"We need her back."

***