Raleigh, North Carolina

"Welcome to our home," David Rossi greeted his daughter and her mate at the door. "Come in, Jazz is cooking up a storm."

"It certainly smells good," Derek said, as he sniffed the air appreciatively.

"My wife will appreciate the compliment," Dave told him with a smile, even as he shook Derek's hand. "No need to introduce yourself. My daughter has told me and Jazz all about you. You can't get her to shut up about you actually whenever we talk."

"Dad!" Marla said blushing.

"It's not like it's unusual," Derek said smiling. "I told my family about Marla to and I usually don't mention my girlfriends, because my mother will then be on me about finally settling down."

"That's all mother wants for her children though. For them to be happy and settled," Dave said and Derek nodded.

"Yes, my mom wants that for me as well as Desirée. Only my older sister is married."

"So you have two sisters and you're the only boy in your family," Dave said and Derek nodded.

"He also has a female cousin by the name of Cindi and an Aunt Yvonne," Marla said.

"No fathers in the picture?" Dave asked

"Both of them are dead," Derek said, even as Dave lead the way deeper into the house and towards the den. "My father was a cop like I am now and he was killed by two men robbing a convenience store. The ironic thing is he was off duty and just picking up some milk and bread for my mother on his way home after his shift."

"That is so sad and I know it was years ago, but I'm sorry that happened," Dave offered.

"Me too," Derek said. "I miss him sometimes and I know my mother and sisters do to."

"Of course, they do, as he was your father and your mother's husband," Dave offered sympathetically. "If you loved him then of course, you wish he was still alive."

"We're going up to visit his mother next. His family lives in Chicago," Marla said.

"You're a long way from home," Dave told Derek.

"It hasn't been my home in a very long time, as I was transferred to St. Paul over 10 years ago," Derek said. "I go up to visit on my mother's birthday, which is December 13. I was asked if I was willing to move to another state that needed experienced officers."

"I understand, as you often do things for work obligations like moving to another state all together when you wouldn't otherwise," Dave said, as he led the way to the den were everybody was gathered.

"Everyone this is Derek Morgan who Marla has been telling us about for months now. Derek this is my wife and Marla's mother Jazz and also her godparents and our good friends Shonda and Aaron Hotchner."

"It's nice to meet you," Jazz said standing and shaking Derek's hand. "We've heard all about you from Marla."

"That's true we have," Shonda agreed, even as she and Aaron stood in order to shake Derek's hand politely.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you Detective Morgan," Aaron said.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you to," Derek said. "There's no need to be so formal. I'm Derek."

"I am Aaron and my wife is Shonda," Aaron said.

"We're not big on formality in this family," Shonda told him.

"That's true we're not," Jazz agreed smiling, even as Dave sat beside his wife.

"And I'm Dave and of course, my wife is Jazz."

"Dinner is about ready everyone, so we might as well head for the dining room as unfortunately, we won't all fit in the kitchen," Jazz said.

"Make sure you save room for dessert as you'll regret it if you don't," Marla said. "Where do you think I got my talent for donuts from, but my mother. While I could have opened a bakery as I told you and the two officers that responded to the break in I decided not to."

"I do remember you saying that," Derek said.

"So what's for dinner Jazz?" Shonda asked her friend.

"Chicken and dumplings as none of us have had that for awhile," Jazz answered.

"That's great! It's one of my favorite," Marla said excitedly.

"I know and that's one of the reasons I decided on it," Jazz said. "Your father helped so you should thank him to."

"Thanks dad," Marla Dave kissing his cheek as soon as they had entered the dining room.

"You're welcome sweetie," Dave said. "Your mother is right we haven't had it in at least a year."

"It was just time to dust off that recipe, that's all," Jazz said. "That it just happens to be one of your favorites helped with that decision."

"That's something my mama used to make when I was growing up," Derek said now really looking forward to dinner.

"Mine to," Jazz agreed. "It's a classic for a reason. In fact, the recipe that Marla likes so much comes down from her grandmother Anastasia Lincoln. My mother was a great cook and not just of desserts, but regular food too and my father was a very happy man."

"So are they still living?" Derek asked.

"No, they passed away a long time ago," Jazz said not telling Derek that it had been centuries ago not just a decade or two."

"Yeah it was really sad when that happened," Shonda put in, as they all sat at the dining room table, as Jazz and Dave worked together to bring the food out.

"So you knew them?" Derek asked with every evidence of interest.

"Yes, I did, as Jazz and me have been best friends since kindergarten. They were great people. I was over at their house so often growing up that they considered me another daughter, even though my parents were great."

"Marla did happen to mention on several occasions how close your families were to each other," Derek mentioned.

"I knew her parents to, as I was over her house just as often," Jazz added.

"They've been dead longer than Jazz's, as my mother had died by the time I met Aaron," Shonda said.

"That's true, she lived just long enough to see Jazz and I marry, but was gone soon after that," Dave agreed. "I got to meet her, but didn't really get to know her that well, as she was gone too soon."

"Unfortunately, my grandparents were dead long before I was born so I never got a chance to meet either set," Marla said.

"They would've loved you honey," Jazz told her daughter. "They loved children and had four their own."

"It happens that way sometimes, despite humans living longer now," Derek said.

"True, it does," Aaron who had been silent agreed.

"Why don't we head for the den and Jazz and Shonda can bring the desert once everybody is settled," Dave suggested once everybody had finished their chicken and dumplings.

"I hope you left room," Marla told Derek.

"I did," Derek promised. "I'm sure it'll be great, since Marla has told me what a great baker you are."

"She's being modest, as she's just as good a baker and not just of donuts," Jazz told him.

Marla said nothing, but blushed, at her mother's praise.

"Jazz is right," Shonda told her, even as she went to help her friend get the desert ready to serve. "You are a very good cook as well as a great baker."

"What's the difference?" Derek asked curiously.

"The two are not the same," Marla explained. "Some people can bake quite well and even create their own recipes, by experimenting, but can't cook half as well or at all. I've known people that can cook quite well, but can't bake unless it's with a premade mix and all they have to do is follow the directions on the box and the reverse is also true. There is a large difference between making something that is already premade and just needs to be put in a pan or a pot and sat in the oven or on the stove for a set amount of time. Those that use such shortcuts aren't really cooks, at least not in the traditional sense. There was a time, a very long time ago that there weren't any premade items. You cooked the old-fashioned way and a lot of people, mainly women I admit, passed down their recipes to their daughters like they were worth gold. Women in the past often worked out their own recipes that never ended up in any cookbooks, because cookbooks didn't exist until the 1885, as a genre.

"The first cookbook published was the Virginia Cookery Book by Mary Stuart Smith," Jazz added before she was gone into the kitchen.

That Jazz knew that very old piece of trivia didn't surprise Derek, since she was a baker, so probably had numerous pieces of trivia about cooks and other things involving food in her head, as it was knowledge that went along with being a cook and a baker.

"While mom and me can use premade items most of the time we do not unless we're in a rush for some reason, though it does depend on what it is that's being made," Marla continued to explain.

"Not many people know how to cook in the traditional way anymore. To be fair they might not have time to spend cooking the old fashioned way when using a premade item is faster and easier," Dave added, as he led the way to the den.

"Cooking in the traditional way usually makes it a lot better than something that comes premade in a package that you buy at the grocery store. A lot of love goes into a homemade product whether that's cooking or some kind of craft," Shonda said. "Like Jazz, I can use premade items, but I don't except on rare occasions."

"Something that has me very happy and contented man, since I can't cook to save my life," Aaron said, as he took Shonda's hand in his squeezing it affectionately.

"That's true, Aaron really can't cook," Shonda said smiling at her husband.

"Doesn't matter, there's always restaurants, if you're too busy to cook a meal and most places deliver," Aaron said. "Besides, Dave and Jazz would never let me go hungry or our children either back before they grew up on us."

"True, we wouldn't," Dave said, as he sat in the same place he had been before they had headed into the dining room for dinner. "Jazz is always cooking extra and freezing it so you have to do is thaw something and then bring it over to their house so that Aaron and the children don't go hungry if Shonda is busy."

Derek listened to the conversation and thought he really liked this family, as it was clear they loved each other a great deal and were always willing to help each other out in an emergency.

Kindness, generosity and thoughtfulness were such rare qualities in the human population in this century.

"I was always grateful for your kindness not that Shonda was too busy to fix a meal very often, but it did happen occasionally."

"True it did," Shonda said, having heard Aaron's last comment, as she came into the den carrying plates and silverware while Jazz had the desert and a stack of paper napkins.

"So what do you fix for dessert tonight honey?" Dave asked Jazz as she put the dish down on the coffee table that sat in middle of the arrangement of furniture

"It's a trifle with chocolate, mascarpone, dulce de leche and nuts as well as whip cream," Jazz explained.

"You know I've heard of trifle, but I don't believe I've ever had it," Derek said.

"I'm not surprised as it's one of those recipes that can be rather complicated depending on what trifle you decide to try to make. I usually don't sell it in my bakery as it's not like most dessert items as it can require some specialized equipment depending on the recipe you use. Most restaurants don't have it on their menu, except maybe at a really high class, expensive place," Jazz explained.

"And yet you made it for tonight," Derek said.

"I never said I couldn't make trifle, just that I normally don't bother to sell it in my bakery unless it's a special order or something," Jazz told him.

"She only does it on rare occasions," Shonda said.

"That's true," Dave agreed. "It doesn't last around our family, as we'd eat it all up in a matter of days, even if she does a large batch. Why go to all that trouble if it's not gonna last for at least a week?"

"So we'll just have to enjoy what Jazz has made, since we probably won't get it again for awhile," Aaron put in.

"You must all exercise probably about every day with the way you eat," Derek observed.

"Oh, a few times a week is significant," Dave told him with a smile. "It was a great day when I met Jazz and realized she was a baker. I've certainly been a very happy and contented man ever since we married and not just, because she's the best baker around, though that's certainly part of it."

Marla knew what her father meant, but she said nothing, as she enjoyed her trifle that her mother handed her in a bowl.

"This is really good," Derek told Jazz who nodded in appreciation at the compliment.

"He's right it is really good," Aaron told Jazz with a smile.

"You'll find that most of the family are chocoholics," Marla told Derek with a smile kissing his cheek.

"And why not, since your mother is a baker by profession," Derek said as he ate his trifle, savoring it.

"I meant to ask you earlier, did you ever catch who made such a mess Marla's business," Jazz asked Derek.

"We did, I'm surprised Marla hasn't told you," Derek said.

"It kind of slipped my mind," Marla admitted. "If they had thought to ask when we talked, I would've told them, but they didn't."

"With everything you have going on I'm not surprised it slipped your mind," Shonda told her goddaughter.

"True," Dave said giving his daughter a significant look.

"So did you get the reason that the Marla's donut shop was broken into?" Jazz asked Derek.

"It was as I originally thought. They mistook Marla's donut shop for the pawnshop Hidden Treasure a few doors down," Derek explained.

"They don't sound very intelligent," Aaron observed. "I mean it says Enchanting Donuts right on the door so either they don't know how to read or they were very drunk."

"They were actually drugged up to the gills," Derek explained. "The doctors found a whole lot of a new drug called ecstasy in this guy's system. In order not to leave empty-handed he took the posters that Marla had on her wall."

"Illegal drugs have always been a problem," Dave said shaking his head in dismay.

"Well, at least the perpetrator, has been caught and Marla had her front door repaired and her shop cleaned up."

"I hired a professional cleaner and they had the place back to normal in no time," Marla said. "And it was actually the company that I rent the space from that had the front door replaced once they knew it wasn't my fault. Insurance covered the damage."

"I suggested she get an alarm system," Derek said.

"Wise advice," Aaron said.

"I did mention it to the company I rent the space from, but they didn't want to go to expense, especially since it's never happened before and I've been at that location for over 10 years," Marla said.

"I can understand their point of view though," Shonda said. "If your store had been broken into on multiple occasions it would be one thing, but this is the first time."

"It's also in a really good part of the city where that kind of crime doesn't often happen," Derek added. "It appears it was an isolated incident as there haven't been any other similar crimes in that area, ever since it happened."

"That's good," Jazz said relieved that Marla would probably be safe running her donut shop without having to worry about the criminal element.

It wasn't that Marla wouldn't recover if she was injured or killed but if somebody discovered her as she came back to life or healed from an obvious injury right in front of that person's eyes that could be very bad, so it was just as well that the break-in at her place of business appeared to be an isolated incident.

Everybody except Derek knew what Jazz was thinking and they totally agreed that secrecy is what kept them all safe.

"Yes it is," Dave said gravely. "Jazz and I are certainly glad that Marla wasn't hurt when the incident occurred. If it had to happen we're glad it did before Marla arrived to make her stock for the day.

"I'm only glad that the break-in at her place of work ended so happily," Shonda said. "It could've been much worse."

"True," Jazz and everybody else agreed including Marla.

Everybody finished their trifle in silence and were sad that it was all gone.

~~~Derek and Marla~~~