Savior
Chapter 63
-xx-
Cate tapped her nails anxiously against the handrail in the elevator as she took a deep breath. Her mother asked if she could call the two of them to give them an update on the house. Cate decided since she was closer to Derek's office than their apartment, she was going to stop in.
She called to give him a heads up of her arrival, and told him she'd meet him in his office.
A polite smile crossed her face as the doors opened and she took her left down the hallway towards his desk. His blinds and door were closed; she knocked softly on the door and smirked at the "Come in" she heard inside.
Cate stepped through the doorway and grinned at the sight of him behind his desk. As soon as he looked up, he placed his pen down and tucked the paperwork he was working on in the closest folder.
"Hey," she offered as she closed the door behind her.
Derek stood from his seat and stepped around the side of his desk to take her into his arms. "Hey yourself," he answered. He pecked her lips quickly. "Does this mean good news?" he asked as he ushered her to the couch.
Cate shrugged. "I have no idea," the brunette answered honestly. "Fingers crossed," she said as she held up her hand showing just that.
"JJ is dying to see this," Derek said as he took her left hand in his. Cate's grin grew as he moved her hand to catch the light off of the diamond.
"It is a stunner," she answered softly before taking a seat on the leather couch. "Should we get this over with?"
Derek watched as she tapped on the back of her cell phone anxiously. The way she would lick her lips and stare at the blank cell phone screen gave away her nervousness. "Whenever you're ready, Catie."
She pursed her lips and let out a sigh before turning on the device in her hand. Derek took a seat next to her and placed a comforting hand to her thigh as she hit send on the screen.
"Catherine," her mother answered. "I was just going to call you. What took so long?"
"Security," the brunette answered with a laugh. "It's extremely difficult to get in here."
Derek chuckled. "Ah, Derek, hi," Helena offered from the other end.
"Hi," he answered back.
"So," Cate interjected. "We're hoping for good news."
It seemed to take minutes for Helena to answer rather than just seconds. Cate took a deep breath as she could hear her mother shuffle paperwork in the background. "Are you in the mood for some great news?"
Cate released the breath and smiled in Derek's direction. "Always," he answered.
"The third offer dropped out, which helped both current offers because that was the highest bid, but the worst contingencies." Cate's eyes lit up as she watched the time click away on her cell phone screen. "They raised their bid, but the bank was giving them a hard time with the loan increase."
"Mother," Cate said, forcing her mother back on track.
"Sorry," Helena apologized. "You two had the higher bid of the final two, and they loved your offer. Three ninety-four, and they'll cover the closing costs."
Derek wrapped his arm around Cate and pulled her close to him. As the brunette turned to look at the man next to her, she lost herself in the excitement on his face. "It's definitely been a weekend of a lifetime."
Derek nodded. "It definitely has," he agreed. He placed a kiss to Cate's forehead as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Thank you, Helena."
"You are ever so welcome. I am so excited for the two of you." Derek winked in Cate's direction. "I will be in touch for the closing."
"Thank you, Mama," Cate added as Helena disconnected the call on her end.
Cate placed her cell phone down on the coffee table as Derek wrapped her in a tight hug. "It's ours, baby."
Cate could only stare at her cell phone in disbelief. She knew from her own history with clients not to get her hopes up when it could crumble before her eyes. But there they were – almost homeowners and newly engaged.
"What's going on up there," Derek tapped the side of her head, jolting her away from her own thoughts.
She smiled. "I kept telling myself it wasn't going to happen so I wouldn't get too upset if it fell through." She placed her hand on top of Derek's on her thigh. "I'm just letting it all process."
"Are you sure that's it?" Derek asked as he rubbed her back comfortingly.
Cate nodded then paused. "When is the other shoe going to drop?" she asked abruptly. Her blue eyes slowly lifted to get a look at Derek's face.
"It's not." The affirmation caused a smile to cross her face. "We're both getting what we deserve, Catie. Don't you see that?"
She shrugged. "I guess so." She pursed her lips as she contemplated his statement. "It's more than I could ever want, D, but," he placed his fingers to her lips to cut her off.
"There are no buts, anymore." Cate slowly let her shoulders relax as she watched Derek turn towards her. "I promise you, Catie, that you will have everything you deserve. And then some."
He moved his finger from her lips to capture them with his own. His hand slid from her back to the back of her neck to hold her in place. Cate chuckled as he pulled away when his cell phone beeped in his pocket. Derek sighed as he pulled it out and read the message on the screen. "Duty calls," Cate said with a smirk.
"They have the worst timing." He released another sigh as he stood from the couch. Derek offered her his hand to help her up from the couch. Cate ran a hand over her maxi skirt and slipped her cell phone into her purse. "Did you want to say hi to JJ before you left?"
Cate nodded as she watched his frown grow. "Sure." She placed a hand to his shoulder, causing him to turn to her direction. "I'll see you at home in a few hours, relax." He chuckled as the pair started towards the doorway.
Just as Derek opened the door, he was met with Penelope on the other side; her hand was raised to knock on the door. "Ah, good timing," the blonde said with a laugh. She stepped out of the way to let Derek out and squealed when she saw Cate step out after the black man. "Cate! I didn't know you were stopping by," she exclaimed.
The smile on Cate's face gave away their good news. "Cate came by so we could get the news from her mother together," Derek explained. He ushered to the two ladies to start down the hallway.
"News? What news?" Garcia asked as they neared the doors to the BAU.
Derek held up his hand, emphasizing with his pointer finger 'one minute' as he held the door open for both ladies. JJ and Emily turned from their desks when the door opened; the blonde smiled in the direction of the pair. "Hey Cate," Emily offered as the trio made their way over towards their desks.
Cate laughed at JJ as she watched her nibble on her nail, as to not grab at her hand to check out her ring. "First news, PG, is that our offer on the house was accepted."
"That's fantastic news," Emily said as she rested next to Derek's desk.
Derek turned to the brunette next to him and watched as she ran her fingers over his chair. Her lower lip was sucked in between her teeth. He knew it was against rules of having visitors in the building, and fought every urge to wrap her into his arms.
JJ smiled softly as she placed her hand on top of Cate's. The brunette turned her eyes up towards the blonde's and pursed her lips into a smile. "Congratulations," JJ said, trying to lift Cate's spirits. She could see how tough it was on the brunette to be back in the bullpen.
"Thanks," Cate responded, trying the best she could to snap out of the reverie. "That's not all," she said, as her eyes lit up. She turned to Derek and grinned before sticking her left hand out in front of the three ladies.
"Oh my god!" Penelope squealed. "Derek! Oh my, it's gorgeous!" Her words ran together as she grabbed Cate's hand. "I'm sorry! It's just so beautiful!"
Cate chuckled as JJ and Emily took their turns checking out the diamond. "Wow, that's a lot of good news," Emily said with a grin. "Congratulations to you both."
Derek occupied his lips with a smile as JJ winked in his direction. He wanted so badly to kiss his fiancé at that moment, to truly celebrate their announcements, but knew it was frowned upon by the brass. "Nicely done, Morgan," JJ added with a smirk. She pulled Cate into a hug. "I'm so happy for you both. For all of this good news."
Cate let out a content sigh. "We're pretty stoked ourselves," she added. "He has no idea what he's in for though. Planning a wedding and moving into a new house." Penelope and Emily chuckled.
"Woah, woah, woah," Derek said and slipped his hand into his jeans pocket. "Little Miss 'I want a small wedding' – what happened to that plan?"
"It still needs to be planned," Emily corrected.
"Right," Penelope agreed, "they don't plan themselves."
JJ could only laugh. "They do if you have a Rossi," she said as the mentioned man stepped out of his office.
"He just needed a reason to plan a party," Penelope added with a laugh. JJ shrugged, not arguing too much with the statement.
The BAU members watched Hotch's door open and the tall brunette stopped to speak with Rossi outside of the Italian man's office.
"Drinks to celebrate," Garcia said with a smile. The three ladies nodded as Derek let out a low whistle.
"Let's see what this," he motioned to the conversation above them, "is about first before we plan a night out."
Cate began to say her goodbyes to the team. "We never said you were invited, Morgan," Emily said with a chuckle.
The black man could only laugh. The three ladies started towards the War Room, leaving Derek and Cate at his desk. She grinned as she turned the piece of furniture and saw a small photo of the two of them on the desk. "I really wanted to walk you out."
She swallowed the lump in her throat as her eyes caught the chair she sat in while she waited for Derek. She pursed her lips into a tight smile. "I know," she responded as she turned back to him.
He motioned to the doors they had just walked through. Cate licked her suddenly dry lips as she kept in stride with him to the double doors. Derek held the door open for her as they entered the elevator area. "I'll see you at home."
She nodded again. "I hope so," she added solemnly. "Be safe."
Derek bowed his head, knowing that the possibility of the team heading out looked promising based on Hotch's expression. "Always."
Cate pressed the button to call the elevator as the two waited in silence. The doors to the elevator opened and Cate stepped into the car. She turned around to see Derek put his hand across the door to stop them from closing. He stepped towards her and pulled her into a passionate kiss in the entrance way of the elevator.
"I love you," she mumbled as the two pulled away.
"I love you more," he responded as he stepped away from the car, letting the doors close. He caught sight of her placing her fingers to her lips to keep her smile at bay at the doors closed all the way.
-xx-