Disclaimer: Criminal Minds and Harry Potter do not belong to me.

July 30, 2009 (7:30pm)

Derek was holding the paper cup out for Aaron when the older man entered the hospital waiting room. He raised an enquiring eyebrow but took the offered beverage none the less. He took a drink of the black coffee and settled into a chair next to Morgan's.

"Has Harrison been brought back out?" he asked his agent.

Morgan shook his head, taking a long drink of his own coffee. "I think Dr. Samson wants to keep him overnight. They sedated Harrison while they cleaned his injuries from this morning of the gasoline and I know that there was concern about infection in the damage to his wrists. They were just preparing him for a second treatment when I got here. His eyes were burned from the fuel and they were talking about oxygen therapy to clear the fumes from his lungs, but I'm not sure if they suspect any damage to his airways or not."

"Will he consent to being admitted?"

"With Hill dead and Rhys in custody he might." Derek thought about it then shrugged. "I doubt it though. Things have been out of his control too long; he'll want to reassert himself. Losing it the way he did back at his shop was probably the only time he'll let himself acknowledge what he's gone through."

"You think he'll repress?"

"No," Derek sighed. "But unless someone pushes him he's not going to deal with it. Just like the rest of the crap his gone through."

"Fate's Bitch since 1981," Aaron quoted.

"Exactly."

Silence fell around the two friends and after a moment, and another drink, Aaron spoke. "Want to tell me what happened?"

Setting his cup aside, Morgan turned to face his boss. "I don't know, exactly. I've felt drawn to him from the first time I met him - hell even before that, during the debrief on the plane, if I'm being honest. But when he grabbed onto me in the park yesterday morning... I honestly can't describe it. Then last night, we were talking in his kitchen and the attraction to him was intense. The more he told me, the more we talked, the more I realized it wasn't just physical. I'm not homosexual, but there's just something about him. And when he kissed me - when I kissed him - it was like nothing I'd ever felt before. "

"He's the victim in our investigation, Morgan," Aaron reminded him.

"Victim," Derek met the man's intense gaze, "but not a suspect. My job wasn't compromised."

"Maybe not," Aaron put aside his own coffee and leaned forward in his seat. "But you were, Derek."

"Yeah," he admitted. "This morning, when I saw Hill holding him and threatening him again... God, Hotch, I was so scared! To see him bleeding like that, I thought I'd never have the chance to figure out what I was starting to feel for him. If I could have taken the shot myself I would have put Hill down."

Aaron nodded in understanding. "The case is just about wrapped up, but I think you need to take a step back. You've let yourself get to close to him and we can't risk your attraction for Harrison jeopardizing the case against Davies."

The younger agent frowned. "Aaron-"

Holding up a hand to forestall the objection, Hotchner continued. "Go back to the Hotel, Agent Morgan. Take a shower, get some rest, I'll explain to Mr. Evans what's going on when they let me in to see him."

Clenching his jaw, Derek nodded and stood up. He didn't like it, but he knew why Hotchner was doing it. He was almost to the door when Aaron called him back.

"Because he was never a suspect, this won't be mentioned in the casefile or on your record." Aaron told him kindly. "He's no longer in any danger, and I believe you've got some vacation days owed you. Take a few of them and figure things out before coming back to DC."

Derek smiled.

: - : - : - : - : - : - : - : - : - :

His contacts had been removed, his eyes flushed, and his glasses rested on his nose. Hair wet from the twenty minute decontamination shower, Harrison sat in near exhaustion on the gurney while the nurse finished wrapping the bandages around his wrists. The cuffs had cut deep into the tissue and the wounds had required several stitches to close.

He was grateful for the sedation, to save him the pain of cleaning the gasoline from his injuries, after Dr. Samson told him he'd ordered a Bronchoscopy. Having a camera in your airway and lungs did not sound pleasant and he was glad he'd been unconscious for it. Luckily, even after being doused with the caustic fluid, he didn't have any internal burns. His throat was sore from the gas fumes but the breathing mask pumping oxygen into his lungs was helping ease that.

All in all, he was very fortunate. A few new cuts and bruises, but nothing that wouldn't clear up in the next couple of days.

"You have got to have the worst luck of anyone I have ever met."

Harrison and the nurse looked up to see Agent Moffat standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with an amused smirk.

Beneath the mask Harrison frowned and lifted his free hand to pull the mask from his face. The Nurse scowled. "That needs to stay on for at least another hour, Harrison."

"I'll put it back on when I'm done talking with the Agent, deal?"

The woman looked between the two men and nodded reluctantly. "I'll be back to check on you in a little while. I don't think Doc Samson will make you stay overnight if you listen and do what you're told."

"I will," Harrison agreed.

When she was gone, he lost his easy smile and scowled at the Magical Agent. "Rhys is a Wizard."

"We didn't know," Moffat said with a sigh. "Like most of the victims, when he left the Magical World we let him slip between our fingers. This has been an eye opener for my superiors and we're taking measures to see it doesn't happen again."

Harrison nodded and rubbed at his eyes beneath his glasses. "What happens to him now?"

"His magic is being bound. Temporarily," he added quickly when he saw Harrison's glare. "We understand that psychologically he's a mess and so I've been ordered to bind his magic and block his memories of magic for the time being. Since he's been arrested in the Mainstream world he'll be tried and rehabilitated, if possible, through their system. In a few years time we'll readdress his right to his magic."

"I need the name of a good defense attorney." He said with a soft sigh. "One who knows both worlds, if possible? Can you do that for me?"

"You're going to pay for his defense, aren't you?" Moffat stared at him for a moment, unbelieving. "By Merlin, the man stunned you, tied you up, and was going to burn the both of you alive! Why in the world would you want to help him?"

"Because I've been him," Harrison admitted quietly. "I've lost everyone I cared about and it leaves you raw and raging against anyone you can possibly blame. You will strike out in the only way you know how, and in his eyes I was the cause of him losing his father. I can understand that. I won't turn my back on him, not when I can do something to help him."

"Like other people turned their back on you?" Moffat frowned but nodded. "I know someone. I'll get them to contact you in a few days. Rhys been admitted for gasoline poisoning, like you, but he's under guard. He'll be transferred to a psychiatric facility for evaluation before he'll need a defense attorney. "

"Thank you." Harrison yawned and picked up the oxygen mask again. Before he put it back in place he glanced at the Magical Agent with uncertainty. "You're going to obliviate them, aren't you?"

"It's standard procedure, Harrison," Moffat admitted. "They needed to know for this case, but the knowledge of our world will, in the long run, hinder their work. They'll look for magical explanations in their investigations and it'll trip them up."

The government agent hesitated for a few seconds before continuing. "You should also know that Ambassador Granger-Weasley has been making noise in the last twenty-four hours. A lot of noise. She's claiming that you were risking the Statute before clearance was granted to them and that you've been using magic in your Mainstream business. She's claimed that your breaking of the Statute is what had you - a Magical Britain National Treasure - targeted by an American serial killer."

With a growl he dropped the mask on the bed beside him again. "Are you bloody well kidding me?! I've got a license to use what preservation charms I do since they're undetectable by the Mainstream public!"

"I know that, and you know that," Moffat crossed his arms over his chest. "And the bit about Agent Hotchner and his team is nothing but hot air. It's looking like she's trying to get you declared a risk to the Statute and get you deported."

"She can try," the Chocolatier snarled. "They've been trying to get me back in their world ever since I left. They hate me, the lot of them, but they can't stand the fact that their goddamned 'Savior' has snubbed them!"

"Try not to worry about it." Moffat assured him. "It's not my office, but I know that our Government is taking this very seriously. They are talking about placing her and any other British Wizard National, at least not those specified by you, under a magical restraining order to keep them from harassing you anymore. The Ambassador got her ass reamed by the Director for showing up at your place last night."

"Good." Yawning again, Harrison picked up the mask and slipped it back into place. He voice was audible but muffled when he spoke again. "Agent Hotchner and his team; when are you going to do it?"

"Tomorrow morning," the man told him. "Before they go back to Quantico."

: - : - : - : - : - : - : - : - : - :

July 30, 2009 (11:40pm)

The knock on the front door was light but still resounded through the near silent house. The lights were burning in many of the windows, so Derek was not worried about waking the resident.

"Just a sec, Wayne!" the voice called from inside and the agent could hear movement on the other side of the door. It took another moment before the door opened; a surprised but otherwise healthy looking Harrison standing in a pair of sweat pants and t-shirt.

"Agent Morgan!" The Wizard took a step back, opening the door wider for the other man to enter. "I thought you were Lieutenant Gough; he was going to come back after his shift and I thought he had cut out a few minutes early again."

"I stopped by the hospital first," Derek told him as he walked into the foyer, "but they told me you were checked out a couple hours ago." He glanced at the yellow police tape still blocking off the door to the kitchen before turning his attention to Harrison as he closed the door and locked it.

Harrison seemed fidgety, not moving away from the front door, and avoiding Derek's gaze. "Yeah, Wayne - Lieutenant Gough gave me a ride home. His shift ends at midnight and he was going to come back to help me pack."

"Pack?" the agent asked with a frown. "Are you going somewhere?"

"I've already cleared it with Agent Hotchner, he has a contact number he can reach me at if need be, and I plan on giving Wayne a key in case they need something from the house while I'm gone. I've been asked to return to the UK." A soft smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "William called me while I was still at the Hospital; little bugger had his security detail hunt down the number. Charles had been keeping the situation from him and Harry but they caught a news cast this morning and had been trying to reach me all day. He and his brother have demanded I come home so they can take care of me. The Elizabeth agrees with them completely so a car will be coming to take me to the airport at nine tomorrow morning."

Derek smiled at that. "Is that why you look as good as you do? Some mojo to keep the kids from realizing just how close you came to dying?"

Harrison nodded. "I had Agent Moffat bring me a couple of low grade healing potions and an energy restoration potion. My magic is still basically recharging, but at least I don't look like death warmed over anymore. These will be the only physical reminded of the last week." He held up his hands and Derek could see the new thin, white lines circling his wrists.

Stepping forward, Derek reached out to touch the exposed scars but Harrison took a step back and out of reach. With a frown, Derek observed the younger man. "Harrison, what is it? What's wrong?"

The dark haired man shook his head. "Nothing's wrong, Agent Morgan-"

"Derek." He pressed forward, stepping into Harrison's space when the wizard's back hit the door and he had nowhere else to retreat. "I'm not here because of the case, Harrison. I'm here because I've can't stop thinking about you. I thought we were starting something here, Harrison, but you're backing away from me and looking like you want to get away from me. So please, don't insult my intelligence and tell me nothing is wrong."

Harrison sighed and rubbed a weary hand through his hair. "We were starting something, Derek, and that's the problem. I'm leaving in less than ten hours and you're going back to DC. In twelve hours we're going to be worlds apart and maybe that's the way it should be."

There seemed to be more to that statement, but Derek wouldn't press it any more. That wasn't why he was here. "I can't walk away from this, Harrison." He said, reaching out and letting his knuckles caress the side of the other man's face. He was pleased when he felt the familiar tingle at the touch and smiled when Harrison reacted and leaned into it. "I don't know if we can have something more, or if this is all there is, but I'll be damned if I walk away now."

He didn't give Harrison a chance to respond. He leaned in, letting his lips cover the other's in a heated kiss that elicited a content sigh from the smaller man. Derek lessened the space between them, his one hand turning to cup Harrison's face while the other rested on the door beside his head. Their bodies pressed into one another, Harrison's hands coming to reside on Derek's hips, and their mouths worked in tandem as they deepened the kiss. Tongues and teeth clashed as they fought for dominance, Derek's moaning into the other's mouth when Harrison's hands tugged the shirt from his waistband and slipped under the fabric. Dexterous fingers explored his abdomen and reached around his back, pulling him even closer until their hips and groins were touching.

The intimate touch was arousing and had Derek gasping into the kiss. The tingle he had come to associate with touching Harrison intensified and wasn't enough. He let his hand drift down from the other man's face and down his torso, sliding into the elastic of Harrison's sweats and inching toward his backside. With a plaintive groan, Harrison tilted his head to the side and broke the kiss. Both men were panting for breath and Harrison gently pushed the large man back.

"We need to slow down," he told the older man between gasps.

"Right." Derek nodded and took several steps back until he was leaning against the opposite wall. He looked at Harrison, at the man's kiss swollen lips and the lust pooled in his gut again. He quirked a sly grin at the wizard. "Why?"

He was rewarded with an amused chuckle. "One, Wayne is going to be here any minute thinking I'm alone and needed his help. And two... have you ever been with another man, Derek?"

Swallowing, the older man shook his head with a tinge of a blush. "No."

Harrison closed the distance between them again and placed a tender, chaste kiss on his lips. It was brief but filled with promise. "Then if we're going to have just this one night, I will not let it be in the entrance of my home. Not when I have a large, comfortable bed just up those stairs behind you."

Derek grinned and wrapped his arms around the smaller man's waist and pulled him close, kissing him passionately. The embrace was returned with enthusiasm and things were getting heated between them again when a knock at the door interrupted the pair.

"I'll get rid of him," Harrison whispered, breathless and flushed. "Why don't you grab a drink for us from the liquor cabinet and I'll be right there. There's some things that need to be said before taking things any further."

Derek nodded and, with one last quick kiss, disentangled himself from the other man and walked into the living room. He looked through the various liquor bottles, absently listening to Harrison and the Hartsville PD Lieutenant talking in the foyer, before pouring two tumblers each with only a couple ounces of Whiskey. A moment later, just as he was sitting down with both glasses, when the door closed and Harrison joined him in the living room.

The flush had faded from Harrison's cheeks and he still seemed hesitant now that they were no longer in the heat of the moment. He accepted the drink from Derek and sat on the sofa beside him. Both took a small drink before the silence was broken.

"They're going to obliviate you," Harrison said in barely a whisper. He wiped at his mouth and looked at the federal agent with a frown. "They are going to take your memories of Magic and erase them from your mind. This time tomorrow you won't know about the Wizarding world or my connection to it."

Inhaling sharply, Derek took another sip before responding. "Is this why you weren't exactly pleased to see me?"

Harrison cringed but nodded. "Apparently, the don't want any of you to beginning looking for magic when there isn't any. You guys are amazing at your jobs and knowing what you do may compromise that. Before you get back to DC, you will be obliviated of any knowledge of Magic and its world. When they do that, every conversation we've had will be modified. Every memory of the past few days will be altered and I can't guarantee that what's developing between us will survive that."

Derek swallowed the bile creeping up his throat at the realization of what Magic was capable of. He wanted to ask, but something else had grabbed his attention. He looked at the distraught man. "You're saying that I won't remember how it felt when we've kissed?"

"I'm saying, I don't know." Harrison's emerald gaze locked onto his and he could see the uncertainty. "We've talked about Magic, Derek, more than I have with the others. You're drawn to me because my Magic sees in you someone strong enough to be a match for me. Take away what your know about Magic and I don't know how much of that attraction will remain."

"A lot," Derek smiled softly, reassuringly, and set his glass aside before sliding closer to Harrison. "Even on the plane coming here, before I knew anything about Magic, I saw something in you that pulled me to you. I could appreciate the way you fought when I saw the video of your kidnapping and when I saw you lying in that grave it just seemed so horribly wrong. Before I knew about Magic, and the draw it had on me, I knew you were someone that I wanted to know."

Seeing the distress slowly ebbing away, Derek reached out and touched Harrison's face, smiling when the other man again leaned into the contact. "I want this, Harrison. Maybe it's not the best idea because I won't remember everything, come tomorrow, but I can guarantee that right here, right now, I'm not letting you get away from me."

He leaned in, lips enveloping Harrison's with an intensity that surprised even him. Harrison returned the kiss, their mouths moving with near perfect synchronization. A feather-light brush of a tongue against his lips had him parting them and his own tongue darting out to meet the tentative probing. The kiss deepened, their bodies drawing closer, as their tongues massaged and danced together.

Derek let his hand trail down the side of Harrison's face and neck, reaching around the lower back and pulling them further in to each other's space. His larger body leaned over Harrison's, leaning him back until he was inclined against the sofa's arm. His weight pressed in until strong hands fell onto his hips and he felt himself held in place.

They broke for air, but Derek needed more. His mouth moved down the other's chin and throat, lips nipping and nuzzling at the sensitive skin beneath the jaw line. Harrison's head tilted back, giving Derek the access he craved, and his hands slid up Derek's torso beneath his still untucked shirt. Fingers traced the lines of his abdomen, and Derek shifted his body over Harrison's until they were practically pressed against each other.

Pelvis' brushing against each other, Derek attacked the man's mouth when he felt the burgeoning erection penned beneath Harrison's jeans. His own arousal had caused a tightness in his pants and he rolled his hip forward until the friction increased pleasantly.

Harrison moaned against his mouth and gently pushed against Derek's chest. They broke the kiss, still holding on to each other, dragging in desperate panting breaths. "Upstairs. Now."

: - : - : - : - : - : - : - : - : - :

July 31, 2009 (8:55am)

The trunk of the stretched limo was loud in the quiet of the morning. Harrison was nestled in Derek's arms; the younger man's forehead resting against the agent's strong chest. Derek kissed the top of the head of dark hair, rubbing his hands comfortingly up and down Harrison's back. He watched as the driver opened the back door and waited for his passenger.

"You'll miss your flight," he murmured into Harrison's hair.

The man sighed but nodded, pulling away from Derek before smirking. "Is it too cliché of me to thank you, again, for saving my life?"

Derek chuckled. "As much as me thanking you, again, for last night. Twice. And this morning. And the shower."

The Chocolatier snickered and leaned in for one last, lingering kiss. The moment passed and they separated. "Take care of yourself, Agent Morgan."

"You too." Derek gave him a small smile. "Try not to get into trouble without me there to rescue you. Again."

Harrison climbed into the car and stuck his head out before the door closed. "No promises."

He stood there watching as the limo backed out of the driveway and disappeared around the corner. Derek sighed, heading for the dark SUV he had driven over the night before. He was reaching for the door when he heard someone call his name. Looking up he saw Agent Moffat standing on the curb. Sighing again, Derek joined the man on the sidewalk.

The Wizard already held his wand in his hand and Derek motioned to it. "How much will I remember?"

"Harrison told you, of course he did." Moffat snorted. "I'll remove everything about magic and the memories will be modified. You'll remember what you need to remember for the case. You're my last one. The rest of your team has already been taken care of."

"What about Harrison and me?" Derek hated asking, he sounded like a jilted lover, but he had to know.

Obviously, the other Agent recognized the tone and softened a little. "Look, Agent Morgan, I'll try to be careful with any... personal memories you have of Harrison Evans, but there's a lot about him that you're going to have to forget. I don't know what that may alter, but if I can I'll leave them mostly alone. Whatever happens after that is going to be up to you."

With a nod Derek tried to shake off the remaining tension. "Do you know when he gets back to the States?"

Readying his wand, Moffat smiled knowingly. "He set the "On Vacation" feature of his business website for three weeks. I'd give him another to let him catch up on his work."

"OBLIVIATE!"

Author's Note: I do hope that you all enjoyed the story and are satisfied with the ending. I'm not 100% happy with it, but then again I never like ending my stories. Even so, this is all she wrote folks! Man, what a ride! I will forever be floored by the response to this story. Thank you to everyone who has ever left a review and to everyone that had this story on their alerts.

Thanks for reading!

~Lily Ann Lyones