This was a mistake. This was a total, stupid mistake.

"It's now or never," Derek whispered to Morgan as they stood in the kitchen doorway. The older man sighed as he stared at their friends, staring each other down. They had been sitting there, silence totally slaughtering the once festive mood. Even Isaac, who had met the BAU team before, fidgeted where he sat between Hotch and Spencer. It was just a big cloud of awkwardness over them.

It all started when Lydia had called Derek, telling him that they were going to visit him in D.C. That set Derek into a whirlwind, cleaning the house and trying to make sure that Morgan would take forever at work. At the time, he still hadn't told them that he was in a serious relationship, and he wasn't ready to. Once Morgan caught a whiff of Derek's uneasiness, he knew what was going on.

The BAU had known about their relationship from the start. They knew what Derek was and his life story. They were extremely happy to welcome him to the family. They knew that Morgan wasn't the type to immediately settle down, so when he fell for the younger man, they knew he was something special. When Morgan mentioned the pack coming by, the team jumped on the idea of having a dinner party.

That's how they got here. In the quiet, awkward dining room of Derek and Morgan's house.

"Anything new in the pack?" Derek asked Lydia. The redhead grunted.

"Not much. You'd know if you were there," she snarked. Derek's temper was growing. He stared angrily at the mashed potatoes on his plate. This was already going downhill. His relationship with the pack was sour. Scott, not liking that Derek had up and left, was the first person to through a glare the Alpha's way. Lydia was no different. She was alone after Jackson had left for New York without her. She didn't like that, after he had told him that she loved him and brought him back, he went off to college. He had told her twice before that he wanted to move on, but she thought that she was a part of that plan. When she found his room empty, she saw red.

"Stiles, how's everything with the pack?" Derek tried again. The teenager answered with a smile.

"Pretty good. Peter hasn't tried to destroy anything or anyone."

Peter faked offense, "Stiles, I'm hurt. Wounded even." Stiles rolled his eyes and focused on the piece of baked chicken. He had come to terms with Derek leaving the pack back at Beacon Hills. At first, he felt like Scott and Lydia; he was thoroughly pissed with Derek. Then he realized what this meant for Derek and what he had done for them. He didn't constantly hassle them about pack meetings, and he had let them enjoy their youth. All that mattered to Stiles was that Derek was now happy with Morgan, someone that wouldn't hurt him like everyone else did.

"Derek," Sheriff Stilinski asked, "how are you up here?"

Derek grinned, "Pretty good. I'm going back to college." John and Peter lit up.

"Oh really, nephew. You're going to advance your degree in English Lit?" Peter asked as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. Scott made a gagging gesture, and it took the fact that he was surrounded by FBI agents to not rip the smartass' throat out with his claws.

"Yeah, I got a recommendation from my boss at the library," Derek breathed through his teeth. There went the somewhat bearable mood. It just went from calm to near hostile. He was sick of Lydia and Scott blaming him. The pack was his responsibility, yes, but he made sure that they were stable before he went after Morgan. They didn't seem to care that he was happy with this man, and that he finally had someone that he could give himself, physically and emotionally, to.

Isaac barked from between his teeth, "Scott, behave."

"Why should I?!"

"Because, you are a guest in their home, and you will show respect!" Isaac retorted. Scott growled before shooting out of his seat. All the werewolves at the table followed suit, standing up just in case that an altercation broke out in between the betas. All the humans stayed down, knowing that this was pack territory.

Melissa whispered, "Scott, be reasonable." Scott laughed darkly at that.

"Mom, there is no such thing as reasonable anymore. Reasonable went out the window as soon as Peter nearly took a chunk out of me!" Scott responded. Peter threw up his hands in surrender. Geez, you go all Alpha on someone, give them the bite, and now you're the bad guy?

Lydia spoke up, "He's telling the truth, Ms. McCall. He has every right to be angry with Derek. We have every right to be angry with him." That was it. Derek had heard enough!

"What the hell is it to you?!" he growled. Everyone flinched and froze. They knew that this was coming, and they were going to let it happen. Lydia and Scott deserve this after all the shit they threw Derek's way.

"Don't get that tone –"

"Lydia, shut the hell up!" Derek growled. The girl fell silent, biting her lip out of agitation. Derek continued not letting her get an inch over him. Derek felt bad because he was cursing in front of Jack, but Hotch had firm hands over the boy's ears, so it was free game.

Derek started, "Ever since you got here, you've been nothing but disrespectful. You have not only disrespected me, but Morgan, his team, Isaac, and the rest of pack. You've even disrespected Clooney. He's a fucking dog; he is not a werewolf, so don't challenge him!" Lydia and Scott slid low into their chairs as if they could melt through it and into the wooden floor.

"You don't understand. I left because I was unhappy! We lost Erica and Boyd, and it hurt me deeply. I love this pack with all my heart, but I had to understand that you were moving on. I gave you your space," he said, lowering his voice only a couple decibels. His voice was still firm, though. "I love Morgan. I've loved ever since we met. I moved because I wasn't happy without him with me. I took that chance, and for the first time in my life, I was truly happy."

"Did you even think about the pack before you ran?" Scott asked. He felt like a total jerk off. He knew that Derek was struggling, but he still wanted to blame him. He was in the wrong, and he now knew that. He wanted Derek to forgive him. He wanted his Alpha to be able to trust him.

"Of course I did," the older man answered. "I thought about how you would get along with an Alpha. I thought about how you would feel when you'd come by the apartment, and I'm not there. I thought about all of that."

"And you still left?" Lydia hissed. She wasn't so understanding.

Derek sighed before looking to Morgan. He saw the love in the older man's eyes, and he wanted to spend his life with him. He'd never said he had loved Morgan until now, and it felt right. He gave a small smile back to the older man.

"Yeah, and to be honest, I regret none of it." Aww's rang through the room, and Morgan gave a watery smile to them before taking his lover's hand. Scott got up and walked to Derek, looking visibly remorseful for disrespecting him.

"God, I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I should have thought it through before I had jumped to conclusions." The younger man was baring his neck, a clear sign of submission. He wanted to be forgiven, even if it took all the time in the world. He wanted to be in Derek's good graces.

The Alpha smiled slightly, pulling Scott into a tight hug and burying his nose into his neck. Scott did the same, and they stayed that way for a good few seconds. When they pulled apart, a sharp scrap of wood against wood was heard before the slamming of the door. Derek and Scott sighed, knowing well that it was Lydia without looking at her now empty seat. They'd deal with that one later.

The rest of the dinner was ridden with laughter and happy conversation. Everyone had gotten along well, talking about the latest book or their new favorite TV show. They talked about interests and giggled at Jack's sweet, blissful innocence. They had fun, and enjoyed the night until the pack had to leave. They had to catch the first plane in the morning back to Beacon Hills.

Scott said goodbye to Derek, Morgan, Isaac, and everyone else before he took his car back to the hotel room. The pack slowly filed out as well, Peter being the last one to leave. The team also left, but they left by twos because of the transportation arrangement. Derek and Morgan were truly alone now.

While lying in bed, totally blissed out, they spoke.

"Did you mean it?" Morgan asked. Derek raised his eyebrow.

"Did I mean what?"

Morgan looked the younger man in his eye, seriousness evident in his sharp stare.

Morgan clarified, "Did you mean it when you told them that you loved me?" Derek smiled slowly, letting a loving smile quirk to his mouth. He took Morgan's hand and kissed his palm.

"Of course I meant it," Derek smiled to his lover. "I love you, Derek Morgan." Morgan's breath caught in his chest and a small smile crept to his lips. He swooped down, kissing his lover passionately on his slightly rough lips. He licked into his mouth as he ran his fingers through the dark locks. He released the younger man's lips when air became a necessity. Breathing heavily, Derek verbally stated his response.

"I love you, too, Derek Hale."