Savior

Chapter 34

-xx-

Derek juggled his keys in his hand as he readjusted the duffle bag on his shoulder. Every ounce of his body hurt with every step that he took; the result of fight with their most recent unsub.

He was home hours later than he expected to be; when they started towards Marshall Terry's home, they never expected the brawl Derek landed in. Derek had to give him credit – he gave him a hell of a fight, but Morgan had JJ in his corner. After she cleared the rest of the house, she fired one shot into Terry's shoulder, knocking him off of Derek.

The black man winced as he lifted his keys to unlock the apartment door. It was just after midnight as he slid through the door with a sigh.

He placed his duffle bag down on the ground by the front door before locking the door behind him and setting the alarm.

Through the darkness, Derek walked through the apartment. Just as he was going to start down the hallway to the bedroom, he saw his girlfriend's sleeping frame on the couch. Her iPad rested face down on her chest as she slept.

Derek slowly shuffled into the living room and blew out the candle she had lit on the coffee table. He grinned at the bottle of Jack Daniels she had left out for him as well.

He took a seat next to her on the couch and stroked her hair. Cate sighed softly in her sleep and relaxed into the touch. Her eyes slowly fluttered open. "Hey you," she greeted softly.

"Hey baby," he replied. Cate sat up on the couch next to him and tried to wipe the sleep from her eyes.

She blinked to adjust to the lack of light in the room and grimaced as she took in Derek's face. "What happened?" she asked as she instinctively reached out to his face.

"I'm fine. He looks worse, trust me." She frowned at his words, and even more so when he winced when she touched his cheek. "JJ made sure of that."

The white tape on his forehead holding together a few stitches caught her eye. "Are you sure?" she asked, worry covering her voice. "You don't look fine."

He managed a simple smile. "I swear I'm good."

Cate ran her hand up and down Derek's arm comfortingly. "You needed JJ to bail you out?" she asked with a smirk.

"Something like that," he answered sarcastically. She rolled her eyes. "I am ready for bed, though."

The brunette nodded. "I'll join you in a minute." Derek slowly pushed himself up from the couch. "Is there anything you need?"

"Just you," he replied with a grin.

The wink he left her with as he made his way towards the bedroom brought a content expression to her face. She licked her lips before picking up the iPad and carrying it into the kitchen to plug in. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge before stepping out of the room.

Cate stopped at the bathroom on her way to the bedroom and grabbed a bottle of aspirin. As she stepped into the bedroom, she noticed Derek struggling to lift his arms up enough to take his shirt off.

"Let me help," she offered as she placed the two bottles on the bedside table. "It's not often I get to help you undress."

Derek grinned as her fingers worked quickly on the two top buttons on the Henley shirt he wore. It made it easier as she lifted it over his head, careful not to rub the fabric across the cut on his forehead.

He dropped a kiss to her forehead as she fixed the shirt from being inside out. Through the dark, he caught her blue eyes in a stare. Cate almost lost herself in the adoration pouring from Derek, but noticed the hint of exhaustion in them as well.

She would lose her breath when he watched her as closely as he did right then. There was something so sincere in Derek Morgan's gaze when he watched her. It was definitely something she had never felt before, but was not willing to give up any time soon.

Even when he seemed to be in a lot of pain, he was focused on her.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, concern dripping from her voice as he maneuvered towards the bed.

He took a seat on the edge of the mattress and smiled at his girlfriend. "I've been through worse, baby. I'm good."

Cate pursed her lips together and she looked him over. Her lower lip snuck between her teeth as she took him in. A bruise was starting to form around his left eye, as well as a few on his arms. "What happened?"

Derek shrugged softly. "Jen and I were the closest to a suspect and went by ourselves. I broke the door in," he said as Cate laughed. "while JJ went around back. He jumped me as I turned the corner."

Cate's face fell as she crossed through the bedroom. "And here I was thinking you had super powers," she joked.

Derek chuckled. "A bullet proof vest can stop a bullet, but it doesn't take an awful lot of the impact of going through a table."

"Ah, so you're a professional wrestler now."

Derek shook his head. "Let's get some sleep, silly girl."

Cate was too eager to oblige. As she made sure Derek was situated on his side, she walked around to her side and slid in next to him. She rolled to her side to watch him. Cate lazily ran her nails up and down his arm. "I'm glad you're okay," she began, "if that's what you call okay."

"I'll be as good as new in a few days," he promised. He tried his best to get comfortable enough to turn to face her, but had to crane his neck to look at her as he lay back in bed. "How are you holding up?"

She shrugged and took a deep breath. Cate pursed her lips as she weighed her words. "I was so scared," she muttered.

"Why would you knowingly put yourself in harms way?" It sounded harder than he meant, and Derek instantly regretted it. "I mean," he began.

"No," Cate replied. "It wasn't my brightest idea." She licked her lips and sighed. "Madison was with us." Cate let her eyes wander around the bedroom, not able to focus on one thing at the moment. "I'd kill for that girl."

Derek slowly reached across and took her hand, causing her to turn her attention back to him. "You are the bravest woman I have ever met."

Again, she shrugged. "If you say so." Her chest dropped as a deep breath escaped her lips. "I just did what I thought would keep her safe. I didn't think he'd have a gun."

She forced herself to focus on Derek's thumb rubbing circles against her hand. "I should have told you," he said quietly.

Her blue eyes narrowed towards him. "What does that mean?"

"Garcia put a tracker on him. All of his accounts, social media, anything. She protects her family." Derek let out a deep sigh. "She told me when we were on the way home from our getaway."

Cate sucked in her lower lip and nodded. "It's in the past," she said with a tight lipped smile.

"It's still very fresh," Derek answered. "I see it all over your face, baby."

Cate threw herself back in the bed, her hair splashing across her pillow. "Do I really want to marry a profiler?" she asked aloud.

"I know," he began. "I know way too much about this shit, Catie."

"You think?" she asked with a laugh.

Derek could not help the laugh that escaped his mouth. "It's over now, baby."

"Is it?" She asked with all honesty. "It doesn't feel like it. It feels like something is going to happen."

"Stop worrying." Derek used every muscle he could to lift his hand to her cheek. "I promise, nothing is going to happen to you."

Cate slowly turned her head to face him and took a deep breath. "Okay," she bargained. "I trust you." She closed the gap between them and placed a kiss to his lips. "I trust you with my life."

"Catie," he began, trying his best to roll to his side to give her his utmost attention. "I will do everything in my power to keep you safe for the rest of my life."

The brunette blinked back the tears pricking her eyes. "I love you," she offered.

"I love you, more than you know, beautiful." She grinned. "Now get some sleep. I need my nurse in top shape for my day off tomorrow," he added with a wink.

-xx-