The plane touched down at the airport. One by one, the team stepped off, yawning. It was about 6 in the morning, and they had just got back from Arizona. They had a serious case that the BAU was needed for, and it took three days to find the Unsub. Benjamin Trent was raping and murdering boys and girls in his city. It stemmed from his sexual relationship with his father which he perceived as normal once he grew older. The only reason he hadn't attacked his own kids was because he couldn't find them. His mother had taken them and moved to Canada.
"Go home and get some sleep, guys. We'll deal with the paperwork tomorrow morning," Hotch said. The team happily obliged and got into their cars. They wanted to be with their families or sleep the day away.
Morgan got home and slipped off of his jacket. Another sex offender was out of the streets, making the world a little safer. This case had gotten to him though. It really had him, and he nearly ruined procedure by ambushing the Unsub. He nearly cost his team the case and their lives.
Morgan knew it was time to tell Derek the truth. He knew that if he kept this bottled up, it would ruin everything he had worked so hard in establishing with the werewolf. The younger man had told Morgan the most painful secrets he'd ever had, and Morgan felt like he was holding back. Believe it or not, he loves Derek. He only wants the best for him.
Clooney was the first to greet him at the door. He was barking and wagging his tail, greeting his owner after a long absence. Morgan smiled at the dog and scratched behind his ears.
"Hey, Clooney. Where's Derek?" he asked.
"In here, babe," said man yelled from the bathroom upstairs. It was early in the morning, so Morgan knew that his lover was just brushing his teeth. The agent climbed the stairs with Clooney hot on his tail and greeted his lover at the bathroom threshold.
Derek asked, "How was the case?" He had gotten into the routine of asking his lover about his cases once he got home. He knew that Morgan's job could take a lot out of the older man, so he wanted to help. He'd cook dinner, wait to eat it with the man he loved, and lay with him while he talked about whatever had him uptight.
"Can we talk about it later? I really don't feel up to it right now." That had Derek concerned. He watched as his lover walked away from him. He felt a pang of hurt, but he knew it was just the case. He knew that, eventually, Morgan would open up to him and tell him what is going on. Derek sighs as he turns off the water in the sink and shuts off the bathroom light.
He hoped this wouldn't cause any problems with their one year anniversary night. However, Derek was sadly mistaken.
They had spent the day in total silence. The both of them were feeling somber, and it just hurt. Derek felt a pang of regret for asking how the case went. Morgan was regretful that he completely blew off his lover. The pair was dodging each other around the house and refusing to speak with each other.
Finally, Morgan got up and grabbed his keys. He mumbled something about going out but didn't say anywhere in particular before he slammed the door behind him. Derek stood there, tears nearly in his eyes. He hoped Derek would be back. He pushed all the poisonous thoughts out of his head and went to make dinner.
Minutes become hours as Derek sat their waiting for Morgan to come back. He completely forgot about his dinner and started to worry about were his lover went.
Morgan would never cheat, Derek knew that, but he just couldn't help feeling that way. He sighed as he blew out the candles that were burning on the table and got ready to go to bed. He was putting up the lasagna when the front door opened and revealed Morgan coming into the house. Anger swelled up in Derek as he slammed the oven door and got ready to walk up the stairs to their bedroom.
"Derek, can we talk?" Morgan asked his fuming lover as he saw him stomp up the stairs.
"No," Derek simply answers. The agent was taken aback by his lover's reluctance. Derek had never refused to speak to him before. They talked about everything in order for Derek to cope with college and Morgan to cope with work. He was slightly hurt, but he was also a little angry.
Morgan asked, "What's wrong with you?" Derek chuckled as he walked into their bedroom. The older man shook his head as he followed behind his lover. He stopped in the doorway of his bedroom when he saw that Derek was packing his things. Morgan's breath got stuck in his chest as he saw that he was shoving everything into his bag and was heading out the door.
"Derek, what are you doing?"
"I'm doing both of us a favor and leaving," the younger man growled as he grabbed his leather jacket. He slung it over his shoulders. His elbow was caught in Derek's hand as he was about to descend down the stairs.
Morgan asked, "What do you mean a favor? What the hell is going on with you?"
"Do you know what tonight was?" Derek asked. "It was our anniversary. We had planned to enjoy the night together, but apparently, your job is more important than our relationship!"
Morgan shouted, "That's not true, and you know it!"
"Oh yeah? If it's not true, how come I had to sit up tonight, waiting for you to come home from wherever you went? How come I sat here as the food got could, waiting for you to tell me what's wrong? Why did I have to sit here alone on one of the most important nights of our lives?" Derek cried. He snatched his arm away from his lover and walked down the stairs. He opened the door and looked over his shoulder to speak with the love of his life. He let the tears slip down his face as he declared an ultimatum.
"You don't owe me an explanation for not telling me, Morgan. I know that, but you do owe me an explanation for missing out on our anniversary and leaving me in the dark. If you can't open up about what's going on with you, then I don't think we should be together anymore." With that, Derek slammed the door on his future.
Reid drove up to Morgan's driveway and sighed. It had been two months since Derek moved in, and he knew he had to do something. He knew that Derek was hurting, but he needed to be with his lover. They had been through so much together and couldn't afford to through it away over one misunderstanding.
"Pretty Boy," Morgan says as he answers the door, "what brings you here?"
"Derek does," Spencer answers, "or his mood does. I know what happened between you two.
"How do you know?" Reid started to talk about how Derek ran to his and Isaac's house and detailed the fight that they had on their anniversary. Morgan sighed and hung his head in his hands. He was happy that Derek didn't run off to people that he didn't know, but he still wanted him hear by his side. He loved that man with all his heart and wanted to protect him no matter what.
"Do you know the reasons why?" Morgan asked. When Spencer shook his head, he started to explain his reasons. "The serial sex offender case got to me. I started to think about my past with Buford that it clouded my judgment. I was so distracted that I forgot our anniversary and completely shut Derek out. I even got him a gift before this happened, but I can't give it to him if he doesn't want to look at me."
"Did you try to apologize?" Reid asked.
Morgan answered, "No, it was too late. He was packing his bags and leaving. I was too scared to stop him." Reid listened to him carefully and figured out a plan. He knew that Derek would be too stubborn to see him. Spencer stood up and was heading for the front door when he turned to look at his co-worker.
"What was the gift that you were going to give him?" That made the gleam in Morgan's eye change. It went from sad and dismal to happy and excited. Spencer's eyes went wide as he finally got the message.
"No. Way!"
Isaac hung up the phone and looked to his Alpha, "That was Reid. He said that you need to talk with Morgan." Derek growled and laid back into the guest bed. He did not want to talk to his lover. That was the last thing that he wanted to do right now. He hated the idea that he'd face the man that had hurt him so much.
"I thought I told him that I refused to speak with him," Derek responded.
Isaac chuckled, "You said that you'd refuse to talk with him if he didn't tell you what was wrong." Derek sat up and looked at his beta. The younger man nodded and smiled. "Go to him, Derek."
"You don't understand, Isaac," Derek contradicted. "He forgot our anniversary, and he shut down on me. Morgan didn't talk to me for a full day, and he left me waiting there, worried sick that someone has hurt him. I don't want to feel that feeling again."
"Is that what this is all about?"
"No," the Alpha sighed. "Hotch said something about Derek having a troubled past, but he said it wasn't his place to tell me. I told him about Laura, Peter, Kate, and my whole family. I laid all my dirty secrets on the line, and he didn't trust me enough to tell me more about him. "
Isaac responded, "You feel hurt that he can't trust you with his past if you trusted him with yours." Derek nodded and breathed. For the first time in a month, the Alpha smiled. He knew that Isaac was right and that he had to make things right. He jumped from his seat and ran to
"Do you love that man, Derek? Do you feel like you could lay your heart on the line and spend the rest of your life with him?" Isaac finally asked.
"I could," Derek answered. "Every waking moment with Morgan was worth an eternity of happiness. I would love to spend my last days with him."
"Well, then," Isaac sighed, "what's stopping you from being with him? If you don't go back to him, Derek, you could lose him forever." Derek listened and swallowed his pride. All this vulnerability could cost him. He wanted to be vulnerable to let his guard down, but he didn't want to be so vulnerable that it ruins this relationship.
"I'm going to go see him," Derek declared as he grabbed his jacket and car keys. Before he could run out the door, Isaac handed him his bags. As he was about to ask him how he knew, the younger man dismissed him and sent him on his way. He ran out the door, leaving his beta happy for him and perfectly smug.
The rain poured as Derek pulled up to his house. He knew that his jacket wouldn't cover him from the harsh weather, but he didn't care. All knew was that the love of his life was separated him by a single door. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. It was now or never.
When he stepped out of car, Morgan moved to the front door and opened it. As soon as he saw Derek, his heart swelled and tears almost flooded his eyes. The younger man had made it to their doorstep and stopped there. He was soaked through, and his hair was plastered onto his forehead. His eyes held hope that they could make up.
"Can I please come in?" Derek asked. Morgan stepped aside and let him in. Clooney tackled his second owner, having not seen him in over a month. The younger man smiled at the dog as he waited for his lover to close the front door. When he heard that lock click, he finally stood up.
"I'm sorry," Derek said. "I'm sorry that I walked out on us. I'm sorry that I gave you a hard time and pushed you to tell me something that you're not ready to tell me."
"No, baby," Morgan started, "I'm sorry. I should have been up front with you and told you how I was feeling. Forgetting our special night was not called for, and I apologize for that. Just please come home." Derek nodded before he kissed his lover. It was so passionate and searing. They were putting all the love that they have for each other into that kiss. It stayed chaste, but that really didn't matter. They were together again, and that was the whole point. When they broke apart, Morgan whispered to the werewolf.
"I'm going to tell you everything." Morgan told Derek about his father's death. The agent told Derek about how Carl Buford took advantage of his vulnerability as a child. Buford would cover up his tracks by working at the local recreational center. He explained to him all the things that Buford made him do as a child and how he never told his family about it. When he returned to Chicago, he was framed for murder by Buford because one of the boys was going to expose Carl. The whole time Derek listened to his lover tell him every painful moment of how he dealt with the abuse. He shed a tear for his lover, but Morgan kissed him and told him it was in the past.
"The case got to you, didn't it?" he finally asked.
"Yeah, it did." They sat in total silence staring at everything but each other. They need this quiet moment to process what they just talked about.
"You know," Morgan smiled, "I wanted to give you something, but I completely screwed it up." Derek chuckled.
"Oh really? What is it then?" Morgan smirked and reached under the couch cushion to pull out a black box. He got down on one knee and opened it. Inside was a 25 karat, onyx ring. The diamond was a clear white that glitter in the sunlight. Derek's breath hitched in his chest as he stared at the ring.
"Derek Hale, will you marry me?" Derek couldn't even get the words out. All he could do was nod and hold his hand out. Morgan slid the ring on his fiancée's finger. They both stood up and embraced each other.
They were going to be alright.