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Derek knocked and opened the door to Dave’s hotel room. He found Dave standing by the window, just staring out at the bright sunlight. He adjusted his bag on his shoulder. “Hey, where did you disappear to this morning?” he asked cheerfully. “I missed you when I woke up.”
Dave glanced at Derek over his shoulder. He managed a small smile. “Sorry. I was visiting some very old friends. I’m afraid that we lost touch and this morning seemed like a good time.”
“Did everything go okay?”
Dave hesitated for a moment but the smile didn’t waver. “Yeah.”
“Well, are you ready to go?”
Dave turned back to the window. “I’m not heading back till tomorrow.”
Derek frowned. “Why?”
Dave sighed heavily. “I want to visit the Hunley while I’m here.”
“What’s that?”
“The first submarine to sink another ship in combat.”
Derek shrugged. “Then I’ll come along with you. Hotch won’t mind.”
Dave shook his head immediately. “You don’t have to.”
Derek stood behind Dave and wrapped his arms around him. He felt Dave tense and tightened his grip. “I want to.”
Dave didn’t pull away but didn’t relax. “You’ll be bored,” he warned.
“I’ll risk it.”
It was a slow day at the Warren Lasch Conversation Center in Charleston. They were the only two people visiting what was left of one of the first submarines: H.L. Hunley. Derek walked along the tank holding the sub. He peered at the corroded metal. “I can’t believe this is a sub.”
Dave sat on one of the benches. He stared at it without really seeing it. “Eight men in hot and cramped conditions.”
“It says here there were two hatches about the size of the center of a tire. Talk about cramped.”
“The air was stale with the stench of sweat. They were all afraid yet it didn’t deter them.” Dave turned away. There was a far away quality in his voice. “There was barely enough room to move. It was dark. They moved the propeller by hand cranks. The navigator could adjust the dive planes.”
Derek’s ears perked up and he turned to watch Dave. “Ballast tanks. It’s not really that much different from modern submarines.”
Dave didn’t notice Derek’s gaze centered on him. “The first two crews died in training exercises, but that third crew. You would think that no one in his right mind would volunteer with the rumors of it being a widow maker, but there was no shortage of men willing to risk everything.” He shifted uncomfortably. “I guess it shouldn’t be so surprising. The Union blockade was choking off Charleston. There were no supplies coming in. The only things that weren’t scarce were tobacco and cotton. The Confederates needed any advantage they could get.”
Derek divided his attention between Dave and one of the wall plaques. “The third crew was Lieutenant George Dixon, Arnold Becker, Corporal J.F. Carlsen.”
Dave recited the rest easily. “Frank Collins, Lumpkin, Miller, James Wicks.” He paused for a long moment and there was a new note in his voice. “And Joseph Ridgaway, the second in command. He was responsible for securing the aft hatch, manning the seventh crank and operating the aft pump, the seacock, and the flywheel. You know he was married to the inventor Hunley’s sister. He never saw her again.”
Derek arched an eyebrow at the way Dave rattled those names off. There was no hesitation, no forethought. He watched the tense but still way that Dave was sitting.
Dave gave a small, pained smile as if he’d just remembered something. “She had long black hair and she spent hours in front of the mirror just brushing it. She liked to wear blue ribbons. She always said that if she had a son, she’d name him Matthew after her father.”
“How do you know all this, Dave?”
Dave inhaled sharply and his voice barely shook. “Those boys were so proud when they sunk the USS Housatonic. The crew of the Housatonic must have seen them coming. There was the pinging sounds of bullets bouncing off the hull. But the Hunley still planted their torpedo. The ship burned for three minutes before it went down.”
Derek sat next to Dave. He peered into his face and he couldn’t quite interpret Dave’s expression. “Dave.”
Dave didn’t blink. He didn’t react when Derek touched his hand. “It was hard to breathe but they whooped and hollered anyway. Lieutenant Dixon fingered that twenty dollar gold piece he carried for luck. It saved his life at Shiloh.”
“Dave,” Derek tried again.
“He had this infectious grin. He could be like a kid on Christmas morning. You would’ve thought he’d had a charmed life. If anyone should’ve made it home…”
“There were lots of boys who should’ve made it home.”
“Too many. There are always too many,” Dave agreed, still not focusing on Derek. “They surfaced to signal the base on Sullivan’s Island of their success and then they sank. The water was freezing. Soon, the lone candle was out. They died cold and in the dark.” He jumped when Derek squeezed his hand. “Sorry. I was…”
“Somewhere else.”
Dave squeezed Derek’s hand. He rubbed his eyes with his free hand. “Yeah.”
“Dave,” Derek said gently. “You sound like you were there.”
Dave swallowed heavily. His voice was barely above a whisper. “What if I was?”
Derek’s brow furrowed as he studied Dave. “It’s crazy but I might just have to believe you.”
Dave tried to pull his hand away. “I wasn’t going to burden you with my past, but seeing the boys get a proper burial made me think about it again. I don’t want to keep this from you, Derek, but it’s bound to change the way you look at me.”
Derek didn’t let go. “Probably, but you know I hate secrets.” He stood and pulled Dave up. “But we’ll finish this in private.”
Dave leaned in and gave Derek a quick kiss. “Just remember that I love you, okay?”
Derek smiled. “Okay. I love you too. I can deal with the rest.”
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Derek shoved the young man into the wall hard. They were in a dark alley outside of the team’s hotel in Dallas. He held his forearm against the man’s throat.
“Let him go, Derek,” Dave ordered softly.
Instead, Derek pressed harder until the man’s hands clutched at his arm. In the dim light, he saw the man’s eyes get wide. “He’s been following us, Dave,” he snarled. “Maybe this is our unsub.”
Dave gently but firmly pushed Derek’s arm down. He stepped between them. “He’s not.”
“How do you know?” Derek demanded. “We know the unsub’s trying to insert himself into the investigation somehow.”
Dave took the man’s wrist and nodded when he saw the tattoo. He sighed. “What happened to Monica?”
The man smiled sheepishly. “On maternity leave.”
Dave gave a small smile. “That will make three kids, right?”
“Yeah.”
Derek frowned in confused frustration. “Dave, what is going on?”
Dave held a hand up. “Just a sec.” He put his hands on his hips and regarded their shadow. “What’s your name, kid?”
“Freddy.”
“Okay, Freddy. Joe promised me that you guys would stay out of my way, especially on a case.”
“I know,” Freddy stuttered. “But you’re my first assignment and I got curious.”
Dave grunted. “Well, keep your curiosity at a distance. Not every Watcher leads Joe’s charmed existence when it comes to getting out of scrapes.”
Freddy nodded eagerly. “I know and I’ll do better. I won’t get in the way.”
Dave waved an arm. “Go on. Get out of here, but if I see your face again, I’ll get Joe on your ass. Understood?”
“Yes, Sir.”
Derek stood beside Dave and watched Freddy disappear down the street and around a corner. He leaned in close. “Do you want to tell me what that was all about? What is a Watcher? And what did he mean you’re his first assignment?” he asked in a deceptively calm voice.
Dave stared at Derek, his face inscrutable. Finally, one end of his mouth quirked up. “You won’t take it’s a long story for an answer, will you?”
Derek’s mouth was near Dave’s ear. He pressed against Dave’s side. “Not if you want me in your bed tonight or any time in the future.”
“Derek,” Dave tried.
“You know you can tell me anything.”
Dave shook his head. “After the case.”
“The news is that big?”
Dave chuckled ruefully. “Oh, yeah.”
Derek nuzzled the warm skin. “All right. I can wait.”
Dave’s wry smile disappeared. “You still coming to my room tonight?”
Derek nipped at Dave’s earlobe. “Yeah.”
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They were pinned down in the back of the unsub’s house, behind an old car. Dave sat with his back against it. He grunted in pain and held his hand to the wound on the side of his chest, just at the edge of his vest. Blood leaked out through his fingers. “This always has to fucking hurt so much.”
Derek broke his radio when he dove for cover. He frantically knelt beside Dave. He pressed his hand over Dave’s. “Just hang on, Dave.” He peeked over the car and a shot rang out. It hit the car just to his left. “Hotch and the others will get in from the front. We won’t be here long.”
Dave recognized the numb and coldness settling over him. His vision was hazy. “I always hate this part,” he murmured.
“Damn it, Dave! Stay with me!”
Dave’s eyes slid shut. His limbs felt heavy. “It’s okay, Derek,” he panted.
Derek pressed his forehead against Dave’s. “No, it’s not,” he whispered urgently. “Don’t make me say it.”
“Say what?”
“I love you,” Derek answered and kissed Dave’s lips softly.
There was no reaction. Derek froze, hoping to feel Dave’s breath against his lips. However, Dave was completely still.
Derek didn’t move. He choked back a sob. “No. No. No,” he chanted.
Gunfire and shouts erupted from the house but Derek ignored it. He squeezed his eyes shut. “Fucking hell.”
Suddenly, Dave inhaled sharply. Derek responded immediately by capturing his mouth in an intense, needy kiss. He returned it and slid his hand around to cup the back of Derek’s neck.
When Derek broke for air, he pulled back just enough to see Dave’s face. He gripped Dave’s shoulders. “Dave, you were….” his voice trailed off at a loss.
Dave licked his lips nervously. “Yeah, I was dead.”
“But…”
Dave cupped Derek’s face in his hands. He held Derek’s gaze. “I give my word that I’ll explain it to you, but no one else can know.”
“Why?”
“Derek.”
Dave’s tone made the hair on the back of Derek’s neck stand on end. He couldn’t look away from Dave’s eyes. Obviously, he had plenty of questions, but his Dave was alive. “Okay, I promise.”
Dave’s expression softened. “I know it’s a shock, but it’s still me. I’m still Dave.”
The gunfire stopped and Hotch was calling for them. Derek smiled and turned his head to nuzzle Dave’s palm. “I know.”
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Dave, Derek, and Aaron walked across the parking lot towards the hotel. Suddenly, Dave stopped and looked around. He tensed and stared at a spot in the shadows.
Immediately, Derek’s protective instincts kicked into high gear. “Dave?”
Dave didn’t take his eyes from that spot. “Aaron, take Morgan and go.”
“What do you mean go?” Derek demanded.
Dave’s voice left no room for argument. “Aaron, now.”
Aaron took Derek’s arm. “Come on, Morgan.”
“But--”
“That’s an order.”
Derek planted his feet. “Bullshit!”
“If you stay, you’ll only be a distraction,” Aaron snapped back.
Dave pressed against Derek’s back. He rested his hands on Derek’s hips. He spoke in Derek’s ear. “Go, Derek. I’ll be along.”
Derek had never heard that tone in Dave’s voice. “Dave,” he whispered at a loss.
“Aaron will explain, but you can’t be here.”
Derek let Aaron drag him away. A few minutes later, they were on top of a nearby roof looking down at the parking lot. “What is this all about?” he hissed.
“Watch for a moment,” Aaron told him.
Dave was focused on that spot in the shadows again. He raised his voice. “They’re gone. Come out and face me.”
A young man in Goth clothes and blue spiked hair stepped into the light. He was extremely skinny and looked to be no more than eighteen years old. “I’ve come for your head.”
Derek stared, open mouthed. “Is he carrying a sword?”
“Yes,” Aaron answered simply.
Dave looked the young man up and down and saw the track marks on the man’s arms. He took in the battered sword that looked like a replica out of Lord of the Rings that was never meant for actual fighting. “You don’t want to do this.”
The kid snarled. “Yes, I do. If you don’t want to fight, just kneel so we can get this over with.”
Dave didn’t move. “You’ll lose, Kid.”
“If you don’t stop stalling, I’ll go after those two guys I saw you with after I take care of you.”
Derek blinked and Dave had a sword out. “Where does he keep it?” The question was out before he realized it and he felt ridiculous.
One end of Aaron’s mouth quirked up. “Actually, I don’t know. You’d be in a better position to know that.”
Dave’s sword had a curved blade. It looked elegant and natural in his hands. “What kind of sword is that?” Derek breathed.
“It’s an Arab design. It’s called a Saif sword.”
Derek knew Dave could be a bad ass but he’d never seen Dave look quite so dangerous before. “How do you know all of this? What is going on?”
“You wonder why I wear long sleeves all the time.” Aaron took a deep breath, unbuttoned his cuff, and rolled up his sleeve. He showed Derek his tattoo. “I’m a Watcher.”
“What do you watch?”
Aaron nodded down to where Dave and the kid were circling each other. Dave had a relaxed, alert posture while the kid twitched. “Immortals.”
Dave laughed contemptuously. “Well, come on bad ass. Let’s go.”
Derek swallowed when the kid charged. “Hotch, I don’t get it.”
Dave stepped to the side while the kid tripped and sprawled on the ground. “You’re telling me that you’ve actually taken someone’s head. Were they drunk or stupid fledlings like yourself?”
Aaron touched Derek’s shoulder to steady him. “There’s a small percentage of the population who are Immortal. The only way they die and stay dead is if they lose their head.”
Derek watched the kid scramble to his feet and charge again. His hand hovered over his weapon. “You can’t be serious.”
Aaron squeezed Derek’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. Dave can handle this young headhunter. The idiot has no idea what he’s gotten himself into.”
Dave easily moved to the side. He ducked out of the way of several angry, mis-aimed strikes. “Walk away, Kid. I don’t like killing dumb animals.”
Derek licked his lips. “Dave…”
“Is still Dave,” Aaron said reassuringly.
“How old is he?”
“He won’t say. I know he’s been around since the Roman Empire.”
Derek saw the kid down on his knees with Dave behind him. “Hotch,” he whispered. “Shouldn’t we do something?”
Aaron sighed. “It’s not our place to interfere.”
Swiftly and suddenly, Dave cut the kid’s head off. Energy crackled and zipped off the body, breaking the windows in numerous cars. It zipped along the nearest power lines. Then it all came back and zeroed in on Dave.
Derek couldn’t tear his eyes away. It was brutal, yet beautiful sight. There was an awe inspiring power to it.
When it was over, Aaron squeezed Derek’s shoulder again. “I saw my first quickening when I saw sixteen. It’s not something you’ll ever forget.”
Derek frowned at Dave resting on his knees. “Is he okay?”
“Yeah, come on. I’ll let him explain the rest to you. And Derek?”
“Yeah?” Derek asked at a loss.
Aaron held Derek’s gaze with a quiet intensity. “Don’t run away from him because of this. He’s still Dave.”
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Derek couldn’t believe Thomas escaped from custody. After thirteen victims, he figured that the Memphis police would’ve kept a closer eye on him, but now Thomas was in the wind. It wouldn’t do any good for the team go back there. Thomas wasn’t dumb enough to stay in the city.
Derek couldn’t sleep at home by himself. He didn’t care if Dave was tired and cranky. He didn’t want to spend the night apart.
Derek would pick a fight until one of them shoved the other into a wall for some angry sex if he had to. He let himself into Dave’s dark house. Mucci came to nudge his hand but he was whimpering.
“What’s wrong, boy?” Derek murmured and patted Mucci’s head. “Where’s Dave?”
Mucci turned and trotted into the kitchen. Derek followed and found Mucci whining and pawing at the sliding glass door out to the deck.
Derek heard the sound of steel clashing before he made it to the door. His heart thumped in his chest. He pushed Mucci away from the door and noiselessly slipped out.
The moon was full and gave him plenty of light to see Dave and Thomas in the yard below. They circled each other and they were armed with…swords? He leaned on the railing and all he could seem to do was stare at them.
Thomas was a giant of a man, over six feet tall. He was stocky and broad shouldered. He wore his long blonde hair in a ponytail. He carried a large broadsword that he needed both hands to control. “I’ve done my homework on you.” He bared his yellow, crooked teeth at Dave. “You’re one of the old ones. Your quickening will give me the power to handle anyone who crosses my path.”
Dave used a smaller, easier to wield sword, with a long curved blade. He grinned back. “Even if by some miracle, you can take my head, you wouldn’t be able to control my quickening. It would make you crazy.”
Thomas bellowed in rage and charged. He swung at Dave. Dave stepped to the side and shoved him to the ground. He scrambled to his feet.
Dave stared at him as he would an insect. “You killed all those people just to get my attention. Why not just come challenge me directly?”
Thomas snorted. “I wanted to see you work. I wanted to see your team,” he sneered. “I wanted to see your beloved Derek Morgan.”
Derek blinked at the mention of his name. He scowled. He reached for his weapon but something in his gut told him not to interfere.
Dave’s eyes narrowed. “You want my quickening. Come take it or all you all talk?”
Thomas charged again. Dave let him get close, ducked, and slit Thomas across the belly. He dropped to his knees and bowed his head.
Dave stood behind Thomas. “All brute force. No finesse,” he scoffed.
Thomas spit out blood. “Just do it. There can be only one.”
In one swift strike, Dave beheaded Thomas. Derek wasn’t sure how to react. He’d just watched his lover execute someone. Before his mind could begin to process that, he saw lightning crackle along Thomas’ body and up and out into the nearby trees. The wind whipped up and it seemed as if the air itself was angry.
Dave stabbed his sword into the grass. He jerked as the lightning sizzled around and into his body. He dropped to his knees. The sound of the wind drowned out his cries.
As suddenly as it began, the lightning and wind stopped. Dave tiredly climbed to his feet and grabbed his sword. He stood still, trying to catch his breath.
Derek made himself move. He ran down the steps to the yard. He didn’t hesitate to grab Dave’s arm. “Dave,” he said in excited confusion.
Dave stared as if he didn’t recognize Derek for a moment. Then he shook his head as if to clear it. “Derek, you shouldn’t be here.”
“That’s why you sent me home.” Derek nodded to Thomas’ body. “You knew this would happen.”
Dave nodded. “I knew he’d escape and I knew he’d challenge me.”
Derek squeezed Dave’s arm. “What is going on? What did I just see?”
Dave closed his eyes for a moment and then looked at Derek. “You just saw a duel to the death between two Immortals.”
Derek opened his mouth and closed it again. His brow furrowed. “I believe you,” he said at a loss.
Dave walked Derek to the steps. “Go inside and wait for me. I have to take care of Thomas and then I’ll come explain everything to you.”
Derek held Dave’s gaze for a long moment before he nodded. “I look forward to that.”