Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the TV series, Criminal Minds.

Disclaimer 2: The Tale of Peter Rabbit text belongs to Beatrix Potter.

Years

By
N. J. Borba

"Once upon a time there were four little rabbits, and their names were - Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail and Peter. They lived with their mother in a sand-bank, under the root of a very big fir-tree…"

Emily read the story to her baby boy as he sat curled up on her lap in his green, frog-printed pajamas. He wasn't much of a baby anymore, though. Peter's head leaned against her chest, his brown eyes still open but droopy. His dark, wavy hair had grown in after a few months and was getting thicker every day. And he looked more like Derek every day. It was hard for her to believe that it had only been one year ago that she'd given birth to him. Sometimes it seemed like several years had already passed, as they'd watched all his firsts. But, at the same time, Emily felt like she'd barely blinked and the time had rushed by.

Derek entered the boy's room, both hands behind his back as he watched his two favorite people. Seeing Emily in the rocking chair with their son was a sight he'd come to cherish over the last twelve months. "He's still awake? I thought for sure the bath would have done him in."

"Me too," she looked up. "I'm trying a bit of Reid's gift to see if I can get him down," Emily indicated the book their dear friend had given Peter as a first birthday present. "Although, I imagine my parent's thoughtful gift of a savings bond might be even more boring to read and much more sleep inducing," she chuckled softly, glancing down at her son again and kissing his forehead. "I think all the birthday festivities got him over-stimulated."

"Well," Morgan moved closer and kneeled down in front of them. Both hands came from behind his back. One of them was holding a small red gift bag. "I was going to do this once he'd fallen asleep, but I can't wait." He extended the bag to Emily. "This gift is for you."

She smiled, but was confused. "It's not my birthday," Emily let the book fall to her lap as she grasped the bag.

"Nope," Derek replied. "Just open it," he insisted.

Emily removed a layer of brightly colored tissue paper and reached further into the bag. She pulled out the item and her eyes became glued to the small velvet box that had been revealed. "Derek…" she carefully opened it and her breath hitched. The ring inside was a simple silver and solitary diamond setting, but Emily thought it was the loveliest ring she's ever laid eyes on. She still couldn't find the words to convey her surprise, though.

Morgan took her left hand. "I know we've been doing fine without all the formalities, but this past year of my life has been more than I ever expected; difficult at times, and completely wonderful at times. Through it all, you've been there with me; my lover, the mother of my child, my constant source of guidance. And it would be my honor to call you my wife. So, will you marry me, Emily?"

"You know we don't need titles to validate our love or our family," she assured him.

"I do know that," Derek agreed. "But I've thought long and hard about this and I really want us to spend the rest of our lives together. For the next fifty, or however many years we have left, I want to wake up with you by my side. I want to call you my wife, and I want every other man who walks by us to see that ring and know they need to steer clear," he concluded.

"Oh, so you want to mark your territory like a wild animal?" she grinned.

"Yep," he replied.

Emily chuckled softly, looking down at her son who was still trying hard to fend off sleep. "What do you think about all of this, Peter? Should mommy and daddy make things official in the eyes of the law?"

"Da," the boy replied, his eyelids slowly closing.

Derek's brows rose as he smoothed a hand over his son's downy hair. "You see there," he looked to Emily. "He said da, which is clearly sleepy shorthand for daddy. All of which obviously means he's siding with me."

Her laughter returned as she regarded both Derek and Peter, knowing they'd be her family for years to come, no matter what. "Actually, da also means yes in Russian," she pointed out.

"You've been teaching him Russian already?"

She shook her head, joyfulness still present on her curled lips. "No, I guess he's just a natural," Emily looked down at the ring again and plucked it from the box. "Either way, I think that makes the vote unanimous," she handed the ring to Derek, her eyes misting with tears.

"Yeah?" he asked, looking for final confirmation even as he slid the ring onto her finger.

"Yes," her head bobbed up and down. "I will marry you, Derek."

End