Savior

Chapter 38

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Cate groaned as Will carried over a third round of shots from the bar. She glanced across the table at JJ who shrugged in her direction. The brunette subconsciously played with the straw in her mixed drink as Will set the shot glasses down.

"This is the last time I come out drinking with him," Cate joked and pointed to Will. "He's a terrible influence."

JJ laughed. "He's the worst drinking partner," she agreed. "He is really good at beer pong, though"

Will shrugged as he passed out each drink. "You only say that because I've won every game for us." The blonde smiled at her husband before he pecked her lips. "Every one needs something they're good at," he added.

"JJ seems to be an ace dart player," Derek said nonchalantly as he took the glass from Will with a nod of thanks.

Jennifer laughed loudly. "I was hammered, Derek, and they kept buying pitchers of beer every time I beat them. We played a lot of darts growing up in Pennsylvania."

Derek watched JJ's smile slowly fade away as she remembered the case following the Super Bowl years back. That night at the bar when Derek was the biggest player in the room, and JJ seemed to be a dart shark were trampled by Tobias Henkel.

He placed a hand to her forearm and JJ caught his gaze. She offered a polite smile as she let the memory wash away with the drink in her hand.

"To friends," Will toasted as they lifted their glasses.

JJ and Cate made faces as the Fireball flowed down their throats. Derek laughed at the two women's expressions. Cate blinked a few times as the liquid burn hit her. She blotted her mouth with a napkin and sighed. "Do not let Will near the bar anymore," she said to JJ.

"Deal," JJ agreed, her face scrunching at the taste of the liquor.

Cate stretched her legs under the table, just enough to run her foot against Derek's leg. She caught his wink at her action and grinned to herself. She was definitely beginning to feel the liquor and knew she was not going to be able to keep with Will if he wanted to stay at the pace they were at.

Derek quietly watched his girlfriend as he took a sip of his beer. As he tilted the bottle back, he noticed Cate look across the bar to the open pool table.

He had to admit JJ was pretty sneaky; when she talked to him about going out for drinks, he was not expecting to be back at Sully's. It was their typical Friday night hang out after particularly hard cases, but the same bar he ran in to Cate at months before.

He looked towards the bar and the same barstool Cate was situated on watching the Capitals game when he caught her eye. She was dressed down that night and wanting to blend in with the crowd, but those blue eyes that Derek had fallen in love with made him interrupt her from across the room.

Cate had no idea where they were going to meet JJ and Will until she texted JJ on the way out of the apartment. She was suddenly feeling very self conscious in the outfit she was wearing, but knew Derek appreciated her putting some effort into going out on the town.

"Who's up for some pool?" Derek asked as he caught Cate looking back at the pool table once more.

Cate blushed as she remembered that night four months before. After a few drinks, Cate asked if Derek had wanted to play pool. They had been catching up like old friends, but she was tired of sitting around. Cate challenged him to a game of pool, and Derek set the stakes. If he won, he'd get her phone number. If she won, he bought the next round of drinks.

She would never admit, but she missed the last shot on purpose. Her brothers taught her well when it came to the pool table. Cate just wasn't going to let Derek Morgan walk away from her that night.

"Let's go," Cate announced as she stood from the table. Her face lit up as she picked her drink up and reached across the table for JJ's hand. "Girls versus guys."

"Ooh, I like that!" JJ announced as she followed the brunette towards the table.

Will shrugged and stood from the table to follow the ladies. Derek could only shake his head in enjoyment. The two men walked into the pool room and placed their beers on the high top table.

About an hour later, the two couples were on the tie-breaking fifth match. Derek stepped up to the table with a grin on his face. They had three balls left to the girls five. Just as he lined up his shot, Cate stepped across the table from him and leant against the table.

Derek looked up from his shot as his girlfriend rested down enough on the table to give him a good shot down her shirt. "That's cheating, Catie," he warned, but lost himself in the grin she wore.

With a shrug, she stayed right where she was and rocked back and forth on her heels. "Let's see how good you really are, Mr. Morgan," she licked her lips as their eyes locked on each other.

Derek connected the cue stick with the ball and it went wide of the corner pocket he lined up at.

Cate let out a soft whistle. "Better luck next time, baby." She winked in his direction before pushing herself back upright and walking to hers and JJ's table to grab her drink. Cate never broke eye contact with Derek as she placed her straw between her lips and take a sip.

The black man shook his head as he rested his pool cue against the chair at the table he shared with Will. "We're not letting them get away with it," Will joked as Derek could only smirk in Cate's direction. "They'll never catch up."

"Is that so?" JJ asked as she took their pool cue from Cate. "Let's show them how it's done."

The blonde smiled at her husband as she pocketed two balls in a row. "JJ, they're getting nervous," Cate teased. A third ball went in to the side pocket.

Derek crossed his arms over his chest as JJ lined up the fourth ball. It went just wide to the left of the far pocket as both men let out a deep breath.

Will stepped up to the table, but Derek kept his eyes on Cate. She was paying no attention to the pool table, but to her boyfriend. She noticed that he would lean heavily on his chair to take pressure off of his back.

Will pocketed two balls, leaving just the eight ball, but missed the pocket on that one. Cate sauntered to the pool table and tucked in their last ball.

She took her eyes off of Derek to lean across the table to line up the eight ball. "Left corner," she announced and pointed to the pocket in question. She readjusted to lean over the table from a different angle when she felt Derek wrap his arms around her from behind.

"Let me help," he whispered in her ear. Cate could feel her body come to life at his touch; his hands wrapped around hers on the pool cue. Derek made extra sure to apply pressure to her bottom from how he stood behind her. He grinned as he noticed Cate's sharp intake of breath.

If he didn't know any better, she was biting her lip at the moment too. He accidentally grinded up against her from behind one more time. "I think I know what I'm doing," she replied in a hushed whisper. He could make her lose her breath at the drop of a hat.

"Show me, then, Miss Johnson," he added before placing a kiss behind her ear. It was the way he said her maiden name that caused the hair on her arm to rise.

"Enough of that Morgan," JJ called out with a laugh. "Stop trying to distract her! You're just afraid you're going to lose!"

Derek stood up from behind his girlfriend with his hands up. "She looked like she needed a little help." He stepped around the table to stand by Will and watched Cate take her shot.

Blue eyes flashed up at Derek from beneath heavy eyelashes. She winked at him before turning her attention back to the pool cue in her hand and the only ball between the girls and bragging rights.

She took a deep breath to control herself from jumping over the pool table to Derek and took her shot. JJ hollered in excitement as it easily slid in the pocket.

The blonde caught Cate in a lopsided hug as the two celebrated. "That means it's your round, boys," JJ called to them. Cate sighed as she watched them take out their wallets and start towards the bar.

"Not that you need any more, JJ," Cate joked. The blonde shrugged. "We are good!" she exclaimed as they ventured away from the pool room with their hands full of the empty glasses and bottles.

They placed the empties on the bar next to where Derek and Will stood waiting to order their next round of drinks. Cate slid next to Derek and wrapped her arm around him, as her hand instinctively slipped into his back pocket.

"We've got this one," Derek mentioned to Will and JJ. JJ shrugged and headed back into the lounge to find them an open table with her husband. "Two more beers, a vodka and soda water," Derek started.

Cate cut him off on the fourth drink, "And a Crown and ginger, please," she added with a smile. Derek turned to her and lifted an eyebrow as she ordered different from her regular cocktail. "I wanted something different."

Derek laughed as he placed his cash on the bar top. "One more and we head home?"

She noticed that he was starting to look tired and knew it was probably the best option. She nodded. "But if you think you're going to bed after pulling that stunt back there, you have another thing coming, mister."

"What stunt?" He asked with a smirk. Derek leant closer to her ear; she lost herself in the scent of his cologne mixed with the alcohol. "The one where I tell you I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

He pulled away from her and she caught the sincerity crossing his face. Her lips opened to flash a bright smile as blush peeked into her cheeks. "That better not be the booze talking," she warned jokingly.

"Not at all," he replied with a straight face. The kiss he placed to her lips was interrupted by the bartender telling him their total. Derek handed her cash and waved off the change before turning back to the brunette in front of him. "It's the truest thing I could ever say, Catie."

-xx-