Reunion

Chapter 7

It might have been because he hadn't had much sleep, or it was just one of those days when everything goes wrong, but Morgan's bathroom project didn't go well. It took twice as long as he expected to lay the floor tiles and give the room a fresh coat of paint, plus, he had to make two additional runs to the hardware store. But the end result was beautiful, and Fran Morgan couldn't have been happier. Derek was rushing to leave for the youth center, when she asked him. "What would you like for dinner tonight? Your sisters are coming over. I was thinking of making a meat loaf…"

Although he was in a hurry, Derek paused and gave his mother a peck on the cheek. "Mom, you've been cooking all week. Put on a pretty dress. I'm taking you out for dinner tonight. Tell the girls. I'll make reservations for us at Dante's. Be ready to leave by eight."

"Derek, Dante's? That's so expensive. Are you sure?"

"Ma," he warned. "What did I tell you?" He hated her worrying about money. Being able to indulge his mother was one of his pleasures. "Eight," he said with finality, and went out the front door.

Thursday afternoon was busy enough that he didn't have much time to worry about the reunion, now just a day away. He'd managed to put the horror of the bouncer's murder out of his mind, just as he compartmentalized all of the atrocities he saw investigating murders.

"It was just that the circumstances were similar to my father's death that it got to me." He confessed to Penelope, when he called her to apologize for waking her up last night. "Shit, if I got queasy every time I saw a violent death, I couldn't do my job."

"I understand," she said, empathetically, wishing she had the right words. Penelope thought of her BAU team members as her "babies," and she worried about all of them. Derek was the strongest member of the team, the person everyone else relied on. Yet, she understood what the others didn't. In some ways, Derek was also the most vulnerable of them all.

xxxxx

There was a chill in the Chicago air, as Derek and Sarah sat on the front steps of the home where they grew up. Desiree had just left and Fran was upstairs, getting ready for bed. "Think Ma had a good time tonight?" He asked.

"She loved it. It was cute when she got giggly on the wine. Mom's not used to drinking. Des enjoyed it, too. That useless shit, Curtis, never took her any place nice. Hell, that dog never took her anywhere, period. Did she tell you he called her up from jail?"

"No." Derek replied, aggravated. "What the fuck?"

"Thank God, she refused the call." Sarah was proud of her sister for having strength to resist. "She went to her first counseling session yesterday. And that support group for abused women meets tomorrow night. I told her I'd go with her for the first few weeks. She's so ashamed, like she's responsible for all the crap that went down with Curtis…or Marcus, or whatever that fool's name was."

He shook his head. "Just stay on her, Sis. I never realized how much Ashley's death fucked her up. She needs to do this."

"They were best friends, like from forever. You remember how it was. Me and you were always close, but she was closer to Ash. They were like twins with different mothers."

"Yeah," he smiled, remembering how Ashley was always at their house when they were kids. He even had a crush on Ash for a fast minute when he was about twelve.

Derek looked at the night sky and remarked to his sister. "You know, there are more stars in the sky in Virginia." A pair of police cars sped past the end of the Lafayette Street, sirens blaring. "Quieter, too. You can hear the crickets at night."

"Well hell, Derek, if cockroaches made a noise, we could probably hear them out here." She joked.

Feeling the nip in the air, he added, "and it's definitely warmer."

"Since when did you get so damned spoiled?" Sarah teased. "What happened to the brother that used to sit out here with me at night, drinking Kool-Aid and…"

"Agh! I haven't had Kool-Aid since I left home." He said, making a face.

"Yeah, and I bet you don't sit out on the stoop at your flashy assed suburban home either, do you? Heck, you've probably got a deck," she laughed. "Maybe a gas grill…doin' a little barbequing with the neighbors. I can picture you in your chef's apron…"

"I don't have an apron," he said, defensively, emphasizing the word "don't," but there was some truth in what she was saying. "And my house is nice, but it's not 'flashy.' The deck, I built myself. In fact, I'm doing most of the work on the house myself." He said, with pride in his voice. "You should visit. You haven't come out since I moved to Stafford."

Just after the first of the year, Morgan purchased a home in the quiet village of Stafford, south of Quantico. He found a house that was in foreclosure and needed some repairs. He enjoyed the prospect of refurbishing it, as working with his hands was a great stress reliever for him. His most recent project came to mind, and told his sister. "Oh, this is going to really kill you."

"What?"

"I just put a Jacuzzi out on the back deck." He broke out laughing when Sarah began smacking him on the arm.

"Tough city kid's come a long way from his roots, eh? So tell me, Little Brother," she asked, getting serious. "Is this a white neighborhood?"

"About eighty percent." He knew the actual demographics because he researched the neighborhood before he purchased his house, although he felt strange about admitting it to her. "Why?"

"Do you feel like you fit in there?"

"Nobody's gonna burn a cross on my lawn, if that's what you mean." He quipped.

"Give me a straight answer. Do you fit in there?"

He wondered why Sarah was asking this. "Yes, I do fit in there. Race doesn't seem to be an issue. Times have changed."

"Have they? How fast would your neighbors move out if a bunch of us black folks from Lafayette Street moved in?"

Derek was annoyed by the question. "Sis, what is this about?"

"Why did you come back, Derek? Are you going to that reunion because you want to see Vanessa, or do you have something to prove?"

"What the hell do you think I'm trying to prove?" Now, he was angry.

"That you're successful in the white man's world." She realized her tone was hard, and she checked herself. She put her hand on his arm and rubbed him, affectionately. "Derek, I don't mean to make you mad. I'm glad you're doing well. I just don't want to see you hurt. Have you ever told anyone what happened with her? Did you ever tell Mom?"

"You're the only one who knows what happened with Vanessa. You and my friend in Virginia are the only ones I have ever talked to about it. Forgive me for not wanting to share the most humiliating event of my life," he said, bitterly, and he stood up." I'm not talking about this anymore. I didn't get much sleep last night. I'm going to bed." He was angry with his sister but he was trying not to be. "Call me, if you need me tomorrow."

"You can call if you need me, too, Derek."

xxxxx

Derek took his mother's 1985 Dodge Aries to the car wash and used four dollars in quarters getting it spotless. He vacuumed, and sprayed the inside with new car scent. He polished the car until it sparkled like it had just rolled off the show room floor. He drove down to the florist to pick up the flowers he'd ordered for the event. They were pricey but gorgeous, and he was certain she would love them. He walked out to the car and reached into his pocket for the keys. They were missing. He retraced his steps, looking to see if he had dropped them. He went back into the flower shop and asked the shopkeeper if she had seen his keys, but to no avail. Perhaps he had locked them inside the car, and he went back out to look. Nothing! He stood with the flowers in his hand, considering what he should do next, when he spotted Vanessa. She was walking with someone about a half a block ahead. He didn't recognize the man she was with. He called to her, but she didn't hear him, or at least she didn't answer. He called to her again, but she still didn't respond. He wanted to go after her but he didn't want to leave his mother's car unattended in this neighborhood. He stood there holding her flowers, feeling foolish as he watched her getting farther and farther away from him.

And then he woke up. Like many dreams, it didn't really make sense, but it followed the recurrent theme of all of the dreams he had been having since he decided to see her again…Vanessa eluded him while he stood there like a fool.

He turned over and went back to sleep, relieved that it was only a dream.