July, 2020
Working for the FBI, in the BAU especially, had prepared Derek Morgan for anything. Or so he had thought, at least before today. Because absolutely nothing could have prepared him for walking his daughter down the aisle and leaving her there with Declan Prentiss and a preacher. And yet here he was, about to do just that. He'd only been in her life for barely eight years, and already he was going to let her go.
Looking back over those past eight years, he realized just how quickly the time had flown by. And all of a sudden he wished that he could gather them up – every memory, every minute, every second – and relive them all.
That first night when she had been dumped into his lap – the then almost fourteen year old daughter that he hadn't known he had. That whole first month with Sailor, really, had been an experience that he hoped to never forget.
Although… there had been that one instance, on her first Fourth of July with the team…
Declan had kissed her and it was then that Derek had realized that he had serious competition for his daughter's affection. And, for the most part, Declan had won, hands down, no questions necessary. It was kind of funny, when he thought about it. Derek could have had the interest of practically any woman that he wanted, and quite a few that he didn't, without hardly even raising a finger. But when it came to his daughter, there had been times when the struggles had seemed endless.
As he stepped up to his daughter before they began their walk down the aisle, there were a hundred thoughts and a thousand memories running through his mind. And yet, with all the memories that he did have, he had still missed so much of her life. And that was something that he would always regret.
The thought came to him that maybe Hotch had the right idea about blinking…
"Any last minute advice, Daddy?" his smiling daughter asked, looping her arm through his.
"Just thinking about your father-in-law, how maybe he has the right idea. Don't blink, and you'll miss less that way."
I know that this is random and out of order for this series, and, essentially, useless, but I wanted to write something for this series as my 75th story, and this is what I came up with. I hope that you liked it! Please review and make my day, since that big box really does look so empty and lonely. Thanks!:)