Chapter 6

"I think it's time you meet my family in Chicago," Derek mentioned several days later.

"I told you already I'll be happy to. I knew if you wanted to introduce me to your family that you were ready for my family to tell you what they were. You're not the type of guy to introduce a girl to their family unless you're ready to make a commitment," Marla said. "I'm glad you accepted that my family is different from normal humans."

"You're still human, just much longer live and heal faster. You're right, I'm not the type of guy just to introduce any girl to my mother and sisters unless I am ready to commit," Derek said. "You never have explained how I can be your mate since I am very mortal."

"I was waiting for you to ask," Marla said simply, "as I know you had a lot to absorb. The answer is fairly simple. We simply take some of my blood and inject it into you and the blood will overtake your body until you're just like we are."

"I never even thought about about the fact that you probably wouldn't let me die when I reached the end of my lifespan," Derek said. "You would be unhappy if I did, because I was mortal."

"Not just unhappy, try utterly miserable," Marla corrected. "It would be like having half my soul ripped out of my body. While it's never happened in my family at least so far, the immortal that has lost their mate will want to meet their own death and basically, the only way to accomplish that is to have someone do it for you. If it happened to someone in the family they would do every thing in their power to talk you out of it."

"So I see that having a mate can be like a two edged sword," Derek suggested.

"I never thought about it in that way before, but it's a good analogy all the same," Marla said. "So long as the immortal in question isn't rejected then everything else can be dealt with."

"So how many immortals are out there well, besides, the ones in your two families," Derek asked.

"No one knows, not even my father," Marla said. "Both my dad and uncle have met a few immortals in their centuries, but not very many really. You have to remember that we're basically human, so we act human. It's only if one is injured and another immortal sees them heal..."

"I hadn't thought of that, but you're right," Derek agreed.

"Also, the way that some immortals phrase a sentence, using words and phrases that have changed over time. Language is constantly evolving and any immortal of any age will use words and phrases that have since dropped out of the English language. That's not a sure indication of course, but another immortal will likely pick up on that kind of thing if they're at all observant and actually listening to the way another person phrases a sentence."

"Yes, I can see that," Derek said after thinking about it.

"Let's get that visit to your family out-of-the-way before we talk further about turning you immortal," Marla suggested.

"A good idea," Derek decided. "I'll let mom know that we'll be coming up for a visit sometime in the next couple of weeks."

"Just give me some warning so I can make preparations," Marla said.

"I will," Derek promised. "How did immortals get created in the first place."

"That's a good question," Marla said. "There are supernatural forces in the universe. My father was changed when he saved a magical's family's lives as they were going to be executed for having powers that we call magic. This was way back in the dark ages. Magic was considered evil back then no matter how it was used. It is one reason that magicals went into hiding many centuries ago though. The families name happened to be Ambrosius which means they were related to Merlin."

"Merlin was real?" Derek asked. "I read the legends based around King Arthur when I was a kid and I figured none of it was real."

"Legends and myths have to come from somewhere Derek, but they also get exaggerated over many centuries. In the case of Merlin, yes, he was real and all magicals revere him as basically the father of all those with magic. It is rumored that every magical in the world is descended from him, as he apparently traveled a great deal at one point in his life, but probably after Camelot was no more," Marla said. "Most legends have at least a grain of truth to them."

"I don't know why it really matters as we'll probably never know the real truth," Derek said.

"We probably won't," Marla agreed.

~~~Derek and Marla~~~

Chicago

A few weeks later

"Welcome to my home Marla," Fran greeted Derek's girlfriend warmly.

"Thank you, it's nice to be here," Marla answered, even as Derek kissed his mother's cheek.

They all entered the house and Fran led the way to the living room.

"It's nice to see you mama," Derek told the older woman.

"If that was true you'd visit more than once a year on my birthday," Fran scolded him.

"You do come to see me," Derek told her with a smile that creased the corners of his eyes.

"Here, I bought you these as a thank you for being so welcoming," Marla said handing over the box.

"Oh, that was so nice of you," Fran said delighted.

"You'll enjoy them I'm sure, as not only did Marla do some donuts for you, her mother is a baker," Derek said. "Marla owns a very popular donut shop."

"I'm sure I'll enjoy these but you really didn't have to bring me anything," Fran said.

"I wanted to," Marla said. "I only do donuts, but that doesn't mean I can't make other things. My mother on the other hand, owns a very popular bakery and she always has repeat customers."

"Too bad your family doesn't live here in Chicago, as I would visit this bakery, on a regular basis," Fran said.

"Believe me, I've already had a sample of Marla's mother's baking and it was really, really good," Derek said. "Marla took me up to visit her parents, because they live in Raleigh, North Carolina to introduce me to her family. Her mother Jazz fixed chicken and dumplings."

"Mom knew it was one of my favorites and since she knew we were coming that's what she fixed," Marla said. "Dad helped her."

"Well, a man that can cook," Fran said smiling.

"Yes, he's quite a good cook actually," Marla agreed. "Mom has him beat when it comes to any type of dessert though."

Marla didn't explain why her mother had Dave when it came to any type of dessert.

"It sounds like your parents have a very happy marriage," Fran said. "You should be grateful that you still have both of them as my Hank died back when Derek was only 12."

"Yes, he told me about that so there's no need to bring up what I'm sure are painful memories," Marla said. "I am grateful that my parents are still around, even if I don't see them much. I also have a set of godparents that are both still living as well. They were really happy for me that I had finally met someone. None of my other siblings have settled down yet, so I am the first."

"No wonder your parents were so happy that you had met Derek," Fran said.

"Exactly," Marla agreed with a smile. "They really like him actually."

Marla didn't tell Fran why they had liked Derek when they had met him and that was because he was her mate. Fran knew nothing about immortality or magic and Derek said it was better if they said nothing about either one. While he had accepted it with a calmness he hadn't expected, he said that his mother and his sisters would never believe it.

Marla had agreed that it was not a secret to be given out lightly, so said nothing.

"So how did you meet?" Fran asked Marla.

"My donut shop was broken into," Marla explained. "Derek is one of the ones that responded when I called 911."

"Oh, that's just awful," Fran said.

"It is, but it also allowed us to meet," Derek said. "Her front door was shattered and it turned out that the guy that did it meant to hit the pawnshop a few doors down, but was stoned on a new drug called ecstasy."

"I'm so sorry that happened to you," Fran told Marla. "I'm glad you weren't to hurt."

"I wasn't even there at the time. It happened at night after the place was already closed for the evening. I was just coming in to make my stock for the day when I saw my shattered front door. Well, everything is back to normal now and I'm actually kind of glad it happened, as I wouldn't of met Derek otherwise," Marla said.

"That's true," Derek agreed. "It was a rather stupid robbery actually, as there was nothing worth stealing at a business that sells donuts."

"They actually stole the posters off the walls because they didn't want to leave empty-handed and they weren't worth anything, as I never leave cash in the register overnight," Marla said.

"Sounds like whoever robbed your place was pretty dumb," Fran said.

"They were. As I mentioned earlier they meant to hit the pawnshop just a few doors down as there were items they could've sold for a nice profit if they knew what they were doing," Derek said. "When you're drugged up to your gills though, it's not like you're thinking straight and probably not seeing straight either, which is how Mr. Robert Klein mistook Marla's place of business for the pawnshop."

"So you caught him then," Fran said and Derek nodded.

"We did, it turned out he had a sheet and he was identified by the cameras at the shopping center where Marla's shop is located. Normally, there's not much crime in that area, as it's a relatively low crime usually."

"Luckily, it appears to be an isolated incident," Marla added. "My parents were rather upset when they heard about the incident, but were glad I wasn't hurt."

"Of course, they were. They love you and they wouldn't want you to come to harm, just because some idiot broke into your place of business and messed it up," Fran said

"No, I really can't blame them for being upset," Marla agreed.

Marla didn't bother to tell Fran that it wasn't so much her place of business being broken into that had upset them, but let Derek's mother assume that was why her parents were worried about the incident. The reason they had been upset though, was totally different then what Fran assumed was the reason and that was she might've been killed and then come back to life when somebody was standing over her body or she was already in the morgue in a drawer.

"Your sisters will be coming for dinner," Fran told Derek, "along with Sarah's husband and her two kids."

"It will be nice to see them," Derek said.

"I hope you like children," Fran told Marla.

"I do and I'm hoping to have some of my own after I marry," Marla said. "Only Perry Hotchner has settled down. That's one of the sons of my godparents Shonda and Aaron. We consider the Hotchners as our cousins, even if they're not technically related."

"That's really nice," Fran said smiling.

"From what I've learned Marla's mother Jazz and Shonda Hotchner have been friends since childhood and consider each other sisters," Derek said.

"They managed to retain their friendship despite all the drama that comes with becoming a teenager," Marla said.

"That's really nice, as I don't know many people who managed to maintain their friendship for such a long time," Fran said.

"It helps that they both grew up in a small town and then moved to a bigger city once they had married," Marla said. "They both had businesses that do a lot better in a big city then in a small town less of than 10,000 people."

"So how many siblings do you have?" Fran asked Marla.

"Three," Marla answered. "Two brothers and one sister. I am the first to even come close to settling down."

"Have you met her siblings," Fran asked Derek.

"Not yet, but as I said I have met her parents and godparents," Derek said.

"They don't live in Raleigh or St. Paul, which is one reason. My siblings have scattered to the four winds," Marla said. "Like me, they go up to visit their parents occasionally. I, for one, talk to them frequently, so it's not like we don't communicate. They will eventually meet Derek, it just hasn't happened yet. They will be at the wedding, so maybe I can introduce him before we marry."

The three of them continued to talk for sometime before Marla volunteered to help Fran out in the kitchen.

~~~Derek and Marla~~~

"So what's for dinner?" Marla asked Fran after they had entered the kitchen.

"One of Derek's favorites ham, collards and rice," Fran answered.

"Sounds really good," Marla said.

"It's so nice that Derek is finally thinking about settling down," Fran said. "I was afraid that would never happen. He seemed rather determined not to."

"I don't think Derek has everything against settling down," Marla told Fran carefully. "I think it has more to do with the fact that his job isn't exactly very conducive to relationships. He told me he dated plenty, but a lot of the females he dated didn't understand his job and that he could be called in, even when he was supposedly off duty. I, for one, understand his job, because I have to be up at 4 am, which is the middle of the night for most people to get ready for the day and then to go in to make the stock for my shop, which means I have to go to bed relatively early. A lot of people, women included, don't understand that and think I can just make them the night before."

"I see what you mean," Fran said pursing her lips thoughtfully. "You could make them the night before but then they wouldn't be fresh."

"Exactly," Marla agreed smiling. "Places like Milo's Donuts might get away with that, but my customers have come to expect the freshness of the products I sell, which is why I have repeat customers. So many males just don't understand that, you know? Derek was different in that regard and I'm glad we met."

"I'm glad you met to," Fran said not saying she was hoping that Derek married Marla who was a lovely person and not just in looks, but on the inside.

"I'm glad your parents like my son."

"They like him, because I love him," Marla said looking over her shoulder to make sure Derek wasn't lurking. "Unlike so many parents they care about my happiness."

"That's the way it should be, but often isn't," Fran said approvingly.

"True," Marla agreed. "My parents were overjoyed when I introduced them to Derek. I am the first of my siblings to even come close to settling down as you know."

That last statement wasn't quite true, as she had plenty of siblings that had settled down but not for her generation, so technically she hadn't lied.

The two women chatted one older the other supposedly younger getting to know each other.

~~~Derek and Marla~~~

Back in St. Paul Minnesota

Two months later

"Marry me Marla," Derek proposed.

"I'll be happy to," Marla said trying not to act like a teenager and squeal in excitement. She let Derek slip the ring onto her finger and then admired it. It might not be the biggest diamond in the world, but then she understood that Derek was a cop and cops didn't make a lot of money, which was OK and she had plenty of money for both of them. She would help Derek invest so that he also had money and wouldn't have to work unless he wanted to, which she knew he probably would. She certainly had a job, even if it wasn't that important in the grand scheme. Derek wasn't one to laze around and do nothing, as he'd be bored if he wasn't active like she was.

"My parents will be very happy," Marla told Derek with a smile kissing him.

"So will mom and my sisters, because they really like you," Derek said

"I'm glad they do, because they don't know all about bonds," Marla said. "Also, they won't be around for centuries like my own family will so we need to spend as much time with your family as we can manage before they'll be gone."

"You're so lucky to still have your parents and the rest of your family," Derek said. "They truly love you and care about your welfare and I can't say the same for some parents."

"I know and agree. I'm not naïve, Derek I've been around too long to be," Marla said.

"That's one thing I really like about you Marla, as you know the way the world works. You're not an innocent like some people I've encountered over the years, Sandra included."

"We never would've been mates if I was, because you would've felt the need to protect me all the time," Marla said.

"If you ask my mom and my sister to help they'll love you even more than they already do," Derek said.

"Happy to, as I'm busy at the donut shop for most of the day and while my mom will be willing to help she also has a business to run. The same goes for my Aunt Shonda," Marla said. "Still, I have plenty of female relatives and with their help as well as your family's hopefully, they can plan on a ceremony relatively quickly. I warn you now there are several hundred Hotchners and several hundred Rossis."

"Are you planning on inviting all of them?" Derek asked.

"I don't really want to and Minerva Hotchner set the precedent of only having a small wedding, as she and Jason Gideon had only about 100 of the family's relatives there."

"I say, we do the same thing and only invite those that you really want to," Derek said.

"Well, our family has become rather large," Marla mused, "between the Hotchners and the Rossis. That's one of the drawbacks of being immortal you know. You never get to old to have children. Our family is like an octopus actually, one with many arms. Every generation both my parents and the Hotchners have a few more. I'll let my parents know that we want a small wedding, which will leave out many of them, but then again, I don't know most of them very well. We see each other at family gatherings like Christmas or Thanksgiving and that's about it really. They may be upset that they weren't invited though, so fair warning."

"If they are, they are, but like your cousin they should understand that we don't want seven or eight hundred people at our wedding," Derek said.

"Even if only half of those RSVP," Marla agreed. "They may at least technically, be related to me, but that's one of the problems with having so many relatives as you just can't get to know everyone. Besides, they might be tired of going to weddings by now, as there has been quite a few in both of the Rossi and Hotchner families. I know my parents won't mind coming to a small wedding so long as they are invited and the same goes for my godparents, but as for everyone else..."

"Make sure you remind whoever is invited not to talk about things like immortality and magic since there will be some ordinary people there including my family," Derek said.

"I'll tell dad and he'll remind everyone to act normally," Marla said. "That's the only problem that when a lot of immortals get together they won't always watch what they say. Dad will remind them to be careful on what they talk about when out in public."

"Mom will be thrilled that I'm finally going to settle down," Derek predicted smiling. "If we give her grandchildren she'll smother them with love."

"So will mine," Marla agreed smiling.

~~~Derek and Marla~~~