Something New

Chapter Eleven

Two days ago, Meredith was abducted. That means they only have five days left to find her alive. Five days. One hundred twenty hours. Seven thousand two hundred minutes. The clock is constantly ticking. They don't have enough time.

Derek was pissed. At everything. The world, The Scarlet Killer, himself. Lucky for him, FBI Agents have to stay in shape, and the police station has a gym on the bottom floor. Leaving his team in capable hands for the time being, he grabbed his go-bag, which had anything he could ever need in it, and headed downstairs. 

There were a couple of other guys down there, but none of them looked like Lockhart. Ever since the fake officer had given them the pictures, they had all been on the lookout for him. The team had yet to discover what role that man plays in this case.

They have nothing on him, besides a facial composite. Derek described him to the sketch artist and they had his picture all over the news. They didn't know anything about him, he didn't come up on any of Lohan's facial recognition software. They didn't even know his name, assuming the highly likely possibility that he used an alias on his nametag.

He remembers his surgical incision and realizes he can't push himself like he usually does. Suddenly, it strikes him that he's supposed to have his final post-op checkup tomorrow. The checkup that should be with Meredith. He should get cleared to go back in the field.

Derek shakes his head, trying to clear the thoughts of Meredith that consume his every waking moment. He steps on the treadmill, starting it off at a walk then a light jog. He doesn't go any faster, not willing to risk messing up anything that could get him back in his recovery. 

After three miles, he stops and moves to the weight room. He tapes up his hands and goes over to the punching bag in the corner. Finally, he lets all the anger and horror and emotions that had been building up inside of him for the past few days out on the bag.

"Sir! You need to come see this!"A voice pulls him out of his groove. Derek turns to see Maggie standing in the doorway. She tosses him a towel and beckons him upstairs. He wipes off and quickly changes his sweaty shirt, not wasting any time in the shower despite how he knows he smells.

Within five minutes, he's back upstairs with his team. Everyone is crowded around the table, and he squeezes in to get a view of what they're all looking at.

"What the hell?" He means for his voice to come out angry and strong, but it comes across as more shocked and horrified. In the middle of the table lay at least a dozen pictures of him. 

He slowly starts to shift through them. Some of these look a month or two old. At the bottom of the pile, he sees it, and his heart stops. It's him and Meredith kissing in front of the station the night she was abducted. 

He was there. He was just waiting for the right moment to take her. He was right there the whole time and Derek had completely missed it.

"Oh, god," He sighs, his voice breaking. "Damnit!"

The rest of his team is quiet, knowing it's better not to mess with Derek when his temper's flaring, they might lose their jobs. For a couple of minutes, Derek paces the room, spitting curses. Then, in the blink of an eye, he leans against the door and sinks to the ground, burying his face in his hands. Anyone could see the overwhelming guilt radiating off him.

When it becomes too much for her to watch, Olivia walks over to him. She squats in front of her boss and lifts his face up to meet hers. "Get up." She orders.

Derek frowns, his bloodshot eyes swimming with confusion. He had been expecting some speech like Desmond had given him. Then again, it was Olivia he was talking to, so he shouldn't be surprised.