Sofie's heart was pounding so loud, there was nothing else she heard as she and her mommy stopped in front of the door to the room her dad was lying in. She honestly wasn't sure if it was about to jump out of her chest any minute. She'd never felt anything like that.

Sofie was so nervous. But it wasn't that kind of nervousness she always felt right before a simple test at school.

Sofie had never felt like that before.

She was excited and scared. So many feelings were taking turns since she'd stepped into the hospital with her grandma. Unbelievable that it hadn't been more than half an hour.

Sofie felt queasy, and her lips were trembling. She had a hard fight to hold back her tears. Sofie was very emotional, just like her momma. She knew it, and everyone told her so.

But her momma had asked her for a little thing: a smile.

And Sofie wanted to give that so badly to her daddy. He shouldn't see her crying, not when they were about to meet for the very first time.

Sofie still couldn't quite believe that her daddy was right behind that door. That she would meet him in a few seconds.

Finally.

She'd been hoping for this moment to come for so long. And she knew more than anything that she couldn't wait for much longer.

"Are you okay, Baby?"

Too occupied with her thoughts, Sofie hadn't even realized that they'd stopped walking at some point.

She bent her head to look at her mom and nodded shakily. Just a second, Sofie only needed a second to bring herself to smile.

"You don't have to do this if you're not ready."

"I know, momma. But I really want to meet my daddy now. It's okay. I'm good."

"Okay, Baby Girl. All at your pace."

Finally finding her smile, Sofie took her momma's hand and opened the door to her father's room.

Stepping into the room, Sofie realized how dark it was. But she could make out her grandma and daddy easily.

Grandma was sitting with her back to them on the edge of her daddy's bed, silently talking to him. She was holding his hand as far as Sofie could see it.

Sofie couldn't see their faces from where she was standing, so she pulled her mother's hand and stepped closer.

That was when her granny realized that they were there.

She turned around and smiled gently at Sofie. Grandma Fran's eyes were swollen and red-rimmed.

She must've cried a lot in the last minutes, Sofie realized. For all the years she'd listened to her granny talking about her only son, Sofie'd never imagined how hard it must be not knowing if he was still alive. The need to apologize filled Sofie's very being for asking so many questions about her dad. And that she would do later.

"Hey, sweetie. Give your granny a moment to kiss and hug her son one more time, and then your dad is all yours."

Sofie nodded, unable to say something.

Usually, she couldn't stop talking, quite a motormouth, like her mom and grandma used to say. But right now, it felt like her lips were glued together.

She observed her granny hugging and kissing her son. Grandma Fran treated her son with such great care as if she was afraid to hurt him. Sofie vowed to herself to do the same. She didn't want to cause her dad more pain.

"See you later. I'll wait outside, Baby Boy. Meet your sweet daughter now. We all can't wait for it. Take your time" Sofie heard her granny whispering.

"Okay, momma."

Sofie almost couldn't hear her dad's voice. He was so silent, his voice so hoarse as if every single word exhausted him.

But from where she was standing now, Sofie could see her daddy smiling weakly. He was super thin, the color of his skin was...Sofie couldn't even describe it. She'd never seen anything like that. For everyone else in Sofie's age, the sight would surely be a reason for one nightmare after another.

But not for Sofie.

This was her daddy, and somehow she wasn't scared. Within a second, Sofie felt connected to the man, lying in this bed.

And he smiled.

He smiled, and that was all Sofie needed to forget that she was scared and nervous about what to say, how to act. She felt calm and at ease within a second.

Her grandma hugged her and her mom before leaving the room.

And then came the moment, Sofie's and her fathers' eyes met for the first time.

Sofie would never forget that particular moment in her whole life.

It felt like time passed by in slow-motion.

What Sofie recognized at first that they had the same eyes. The color was a little different. Her daddy's eyes were a little bit darker than hers.

But they were the same.

He was looking at her, observing her silently. Tears welled up in his blood-shot eyes.

"Derek, this is Sofie. Our daughter," her momma said behind her, bringing Sofie out of her stupor.

"Hi, poppa," she said then. A little shy, yes, but who could blame her?

Anyways, she smiled at her dad, stepping a little closer to his bed. Sofie didn't know if his eyes were hurt; he had bruises everywhere she could see his skin. And she wanted to make sure that he could really see her. His brows slowly shut up at how Sofie called him, but only for a mere second.

"Hello, Sofie."

His voice broke for a second, and a tear streamed down her father's face, but he managed to smile as well.

"Can...can I...can I hug you?" Sofie asked then, feeling her lips tremble. She wanted to do that for the longest time, so of course, it was the first thing she asked. Sofie bent her head to look at her momma, who nodded encouragingly.

"That would be nice," her daddy answered hoarsely, trying to blink his tears away. He seemed too weak to even lift his hands, and Sofie's heart broke for her daddy. "Come here. You can't hurt me. Your...momma can help."

Sofie took another look at her mom, who smiled at her, shoving her closer to the bed. It really seemed to be okay to climb up into the bed.

"Of course, Hot Stuff. Come one, sweetheart, let's get you into your daddy's arms."

Her mom carefully helped Sofie to climb into the bed. Kneeling beside her daddy, Sofie took another moment to look at him before she carefully laid down beside her dad and hugged him as good as possible. Placing her head onto her daddy's chest, Sofie realized that she could feel every single rip. But Sofie honestly didn't care. What she did care about was that she finally could give her dad a hug.

"I'm sorry that I can't hug you back," her dad murmured weakly.

Sofie was about to respond, but her momma was faster. She sat down beside them and gently lifted up Derek's arm, and brought it around Sofie.

"Now you can hug your daughter, Handsome," she whispered tenderly, carrying so much affection in her voice.

If Sofie had managed to hold back her tears then, she absolutely failed when she heard a silent sob escaping her father's throat at her mother's actions. The love her parents shared for each other was unable to dismiss. Sofie could feel it radiating between them, and it was the best feeling in the whole wide world.

A flood of tears streamed down her face. Happy tears, though.

For such a long time, Sofie had imagined how it was to have a daddy. How it would feel when he held her in his arms. Having this now was beyond everything she'd ever imagined. Having a family, a mom, and a dad.

It was perfect.

Her daddy was holding her.

In his arms.

She'd met him.

Finally.

"I'm so glad to meet you, poppa," she blubbered, carefully snuggling a little bit closer to her daddy.

"Me too...Sofie," her daddy choked out, almost unable to speak.

"Oh, you two," Sofie's mom spilled out. "God, I love both of you so much."

After a little more than ten years of going through hell, Derek Morgan finally felt absolutely complete.

And so save.

He'd hoped to see his Baby Girl again. His momma and sisters. Goddamnit, he'd hoped.

But Derek had never imagined having this.

Knowing that Penelope hadn't given up hope. That she'd searched for him for so long. That Penelope really was here, taking care of him so selflessly. With all the love she carried in her. Just like Derek remembered.

And on top of that, his wonderful Baby Girl had gifted him with a daughter.

He was getting weaker with every passing minute, yes. And he wasn't dumb; he knew that his chances couldn't be great.

Derek had made it much longer than any other man. He'd heard the kidnappers harp on about it.

Truth was, Derek had only made it through all of this because he'd imagined the faces of his beloved ones before and after every fight. He'd said their names, facing everyone in front of his inner eye.

If it hadn't been for his family and his friends, Derek would've given up years ago.

Derek's body had been in great shape when he was kidnapped. There was nothing more than a shadow of that left now. Derek knew it without looking at himself. He'd seen the shock on his momma's face, his Baby Girls face. Even if they were treating him absolutely normal.

They were careful when they touched him, yes, and that was good. He hurt everywhere, despite the medication that was given to him.

But even if he would die, Derek knew that everything he'd been through had been worth it.

All the fights.

The drugs.

The pain.

The psychical torture.

It didn't really matter now that his daughter was snuggled against his side, hugging him carefully.

Now that Penelope was helping him to embrace his daughter.

That she was at his side, taking care of him so selflessly.

He'd got to see his momma.

Even the team, his old team, was here to support him from afar. Derek hadn't been able to face them until now.

He remembered that they'd found him. But Derek had been too afraid. Everything had just been too much at that moment.

Derek had only wanted his Baby Girl from the moment he'd realized that he was out of danger. She'd been the only one able to soothe him.

Penelope had always been at his side from the moment they met. They were meant to be; Derek had known it from the first moment.

If he was lucky - and Derek was willing to fight - they had a second chance.

"Tell me something about you, Sofie," Derek asked his daughter after a minute of getting his feelings back under control. He wanted to get as much information as possible about his daughter.

Derek didn't know how much time he had with her and Penelope. He wanted to make the best out of it.

As soon as Sofie started to talk, Derek couldn't help but smile. His daughter was quite a motormouth, just like Penelope. Once started, Sofie's mouth didn't stop. She told him a lot about her friends, pets she really loved, and favorite shows. But also about Derek's sisters, that she and Penelope regularly visited Desiree and Sarah on holidays and what they did in Boston. He heard that his sisters visited them as often and that his momma moved to Quantico. And that was when Derek realized how close Sofie was with his family.

Derek's and Penelope's eyes met for a moment.

Penelope knew how much his family meant to him, and she'd stood in contact with them for all those years. She'd given his sister's a niece to take care of, his momma a grandchild. Derek couldn't be more grateful.

On the day Derek had been kidnapped, he'd wanted to ask Penelope to marry him. Desiree and Sarah had helped him to find the perfect ring for his Baby Girl. His momma had called what felt like a hundred times to help him get the perfect dinner ready just for him to decide to go to Penelope's favorite restaurant. He'd been fucking nervous for a whole week, planning that goddamn proposal.

It should've been the happiest day of his life. Instead, he'd been missing for a little more than ten years, as he was told.

Knowing that Penelope had stood in contact with his family was more than Derek could've asked for. It really was.

And once more, Derek felt so thoroughly grateful.

Watery smiling at his Baby Girl, he weakly squeezed her hand with whom she was still holding his arm in place in a silent thank you.

Penelope nodded, smiling tenderly at him. Tears were shimmering in her eyes as well as they just looked each other in the eyes.

They still could do that.

Understand each other without any word.

Even if they'd both changed, indeed they did, they still got each other perfectly.

JJ was still outside in the waiting area, hoping for any news on Derek.

Penelope hadn't even recognized her earlier when she came out to bring Fran and her daughter to Derek.

But JJ wasn't mad, far from it. Penelope had to take care of her family first, and that was more than okay.

JJ could wait, and that she did.

When Fran Morgan stepped out of the room again, closing the door, JJ was fast at her side. The older woman seemed on the verge of tears as she leaned against the door, taking a deep breath.

"Mrs. Morgan, is there anything I can do for you?"

She asked Derek's mom, observing her carefully. Fran was pale, and apparently, she'd cried. But she was strong. That was obvious.

Nevertheless, everyone could need a shoulder to lean on from time to time.

"Jennifer. I already told you to call me Fran," the older woman smiled gently at JJ, who returned the smile.

"Sorry, Fran. What do you need?"

"Let's just sit down for a while. I'm sure you want to know how Derek is?"

"Yeah, that would be nice. The team wants to know as well. Spence called at least thirty times until I stopped counting."

JJ sadly smiled a little to herself.

Spencer and Derek had always been so close, just like brothers. Seeing Derek in such a bad state had hurt and worried the younger man to the bones. Of course, he wanted to know everything. Coping with Derek's situation had been hard on Spencer, even if he hadn't talked much about it for all these years. But JJ simply knew it, just like she knew how much Penelope had suffered.

"I don't know much more than earlier, to be honest. There hasn't been time. But, of course, I'll tell you what I know."

Fran filled JJ in on Derek's actual condition and everything she knew.

She described her son as very weak, exhausted, but calm. Fran told her how he'd smiled and that he remembered every one of his former team, his family. And that he'd asked about them.

"Penelope can tell us more. It was more important to introduce Sofie to him. God, he was so happy to hear that he's a dad," Fran's voice broke then for the first time. Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke.

JJ totally got her. She was on the verge of tears as well.

Seeing Derek earlier had been the most challenging thing ever. And JJ knew she was tough and all.

But knowing how Derek had been before and seeing him after everything he'd gone through. So disorientated, weak, and honestly almost dead. JJ was happy that Derek had some happy moments now. That he was awake and could experience love from his family.

Nothing more mattered, that was for sure.

No one knew if he would make it. Not even the doctors.

"Call Spencer. I'm sure he's waiting for your call."

"Will you be okay?"

"Sure, sweetheart. You'll find me right here. I'm not going anywhere. Just, if you pass a cafeteria or anyone who sells coffee, could you bring some along? I really need some caffeine."

"Sure." JJ hugged Fran before she rose to her feet and made her way through the hospital to get Derek's mom and herself a much-needed caffeine dose.

While walking, she dialed Spencer's number, bringing her phone to her ear.

"JJ!"

JJ wasn't even sure if it had rung one time before Spence picked up.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I just got some information."

Filling Spencer in on everything about Derek, JJ bought two coffee and made her way back to Fran.

The team was almost ready and would join them in the waiting area in a few. None of them wanted to go to the hotel to have some much-needed rest.

They all had the same priority: to be there where they were most needed. And that wasn't a hotel. It was where their team members were.

Derek might've been afraid earlier, but maybe the knowledge that each and everyone was there, supporting him, would help Derek feeling better.

They were there for each other, always.