Series 9 one-shots: What Happens in Mecklinburg

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the ideas

I am a M/G fan, without them I would never have entered the world of FanFiction, yet here I am. So the whole Sam and Savannah storylines are kind of "La La La, I'm not listening," but obviously I have to pay attention at some point and wake up to the reality that we will not have our Chocolate Thunder and Baby Girl together. So this is my concession to Morgan loving a woman other than Penelope Garcia!

Sorry the last few chapters have been M/G heavy.

Also big apology for any reviews I haven't managed to reply to but RL is not my friend at the moment and I want to focus on getting the next chapter to you as soon as possible. Please accept this huge thank you for your support, kind words and advice. I really do appreciate it all.

. . .

The Prompt

JJ: Look it's really quite simple either you want a relationship or you don't. If you don't except the fact you might be alone . . . forever.

. . .

Who didn't dream of the perfect family?

A life with the woman you loved plus a couple of kids, ideally a boy and a girl, both with the best features of their parents. All living happily ever after.

The only problem with the whole picture was that Derek knew that his life wasn't one that led to happily ever after. He knew that reality tended not to pay attention to your wants, desires and dreams. Or if it did it was only so it could piss on them from a great height.

With that in mind Derek had always been on the cautious side, in a reckless sort of way.

He had had his heart broken once already, and not by a woman he loved. He had learnt the hard way that when you think all is good then you are likely to get your teeth kicked.

Losing his Dad had taught him that. Having had him ripped out of their happy family had proved how tough life was. Time didn't heal, it just numbed the pain. He didn't have to close his eyes to be back there, in the store, watching the blood seep from his father's wound. No-one needed to prompt him through the sounds and smells, it all came flooding back. Yet in the panic of it all he could clearly remember the sense of responsibility that had landed on his shoulders. The sickening sense in the pit of his stomach, as he had tried hard not to vomit, his mind swimming with thoughts and beliefs, all while he watched life drain from his father's still body.

That moment had defined Derek Morgan's life. It was at the root of every decision he had made.

Grief had sent him into a spiral of disruptive behaviour. The lack of a father figure had driven him into Carl Buford's clutches. Pride in all his father had done had given him the idea to join the force himself. I want to make up for all that had happened pushed him onto the FBI.

Not wanting to be responsible for hurting anyone the way his Dad had hurt his Mom had left him playing the field, running as fast as he could as soon as it looked like it could become serious.

Derek was a realist. He'd already been shot, admittedly only grazes, more times then he cared to count. How many lives did he have left?

It wasn't right to let someone love you then let them down, leaving them alone together. Destroying a child's life before it has chance to begin. Hoping that the woman you had chosen was strong enough to carry on, to be both mother and father to the children you had together.

No, he had long ago vowed he would not repeat his father's mistake.

But that was before Derek had realised there was more to life then meaningless sex. That at the end of the day he wanted more. He needed someone there for him. Someone to remind him that life wasn't full of death and mutilation. That it was possible to laugh and smile at the most ridiculous of things. To feel safe and secure, curled up with someone who mattered and wasn't just there because they had heard a few rumours of his alleged sexual prowess.

Derek Morgan needed to be loved!

It was another turning point in his life. It battled head on with everything he had previously believed. And while his mind was busy battling with itself he met Savannah. Bam!

Helping her up the stairs with some boxes had lead to coffee, a take out, drinks, dinner. Before he could comprehend it they were spending as much time in the other person's apartment as they were their own. Then it had happened, the penny had started to drop and Derek started to get cold feet.

It wasn't that he picked an argument, but maybe he didn't agree as easily as he had done before. The little niggles crept in. Work became an excuse. But Savannah didn't give in the way others had before. She had her own busy schedule, she didn't work nine to five either. She understood the pressure of being on call and she wasn't prepared to take his crap.

This had lead to this point and the realisation that he was just about ready to move on from the past that had haunted him for so long. Derek Morgan was about to grow up and finally become the man that he had admired for such a long time. After all his father had managed to have the dream life. He had got the woman he loved, the kids he adored and the bonus of the career he had desired.

It was time for Derek to try out that dream and let himself love and be loved.

. . .

Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes... but no plans.

Peter Drucker, author