Unshed Blood | Criminal Minds

chapter twenty-two - Catalina

- CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO -

CATALINA

DEREK HAD managed to convince Hotch to allow Soren to go and visit her sister at her home. Sybil and Tobias had moved after the ongoing threat with their father, and now she had a two month old daughter who she also had to protect as well.

Derek had informed Soren on the news and she had then spent the entire day getting ready to go and see her sister. She had began with showering and then straightening her hair, she applied a little makeup and soon, Soren was standing in front of her wardrobe wondering what to wear as clothes surrounded her on the floor.

Derek was walking up the stairs when he heard the commotion coming from her bedroom and stepped inside, seeing Soren tossing more clothes onto the floor. He stepped over them all, sitting down on the edge of her bed as he picked some clothes up, looking through them all as well.

Suddenly, Soren fell back against the floor, the clothes surrounded her as she sighed loudly. "This is the hardest thing I have ever had to do."

Derek chuckled at her, standing up in front of her as he held his hands out for her, helping her stand up as they remained holding hands. "You're worrying about it too much, Sybil won't care about what you are wearing."

"I know." She sighed. "I just really want to make a good impression considering the last time I saw Sybil and Tobias I was covered in blood."

He grimaced at the thought of having to see her in the hospital but immediately pushed the thought away. "That's in the past now, so come on, let me help you find something to wear."

She nodded and for the next hour they spent their time looking through all of her clothes until they found something acceptable to wear, picking out a pair of blue jeans and a white shirt to keep everything simple. Then, they had set off to Tobias and Sybil's home.

*

They had arrived at the home within the next half an hour, but Soren was refusing to get out of the car. Derek had tried everything but she still wasn't moving and it was beginning to concern him even more. Soren was beginning to panic, every thought running wild in her mind and it was causing her to have tears in her eyes.

"Hey, hey. Calm down, this is Sybil we are talking about, you're going to be safe here." Derek reassured her as he placed his hands on the side of her face, making direct eye contact with her.

Soren gasped for a breath, stammering as she spoke. "I-I'm not safe. She's going to hate me for everything and now if Arlo is following us we have led him right here, and he's going to kill her! Derek, he is going to kill her and it will be my fault."

"Stop that. Your fathers actions are not your fault nor your responsibility and Sybil will know that, so stop worrying yourself." Derek comforted her, "Sybil wouldn't of invited you here if she thought you were a danger to her, her fiancée or her baby."

"You promise?" She said, letting out a shaky breathe as she ran her hand through her hair.

Derek nodded, holding out his pinky finger for her as she let out a small laugh, connecting their fingers together. "I promise you."

"Let's do this then." She inhaled as she finally got out of the car, walking behind Derek as they stood opposite the front door, knocking on it twice until they heard footsteps from behind the door.

Soren held her breath as the door opened revealing Sybil, she looked older, with her hair tied into a French braid and a baby in her arms. She still had the same soft features as before and a smile that lit up a room. "Soren!"

Derek stepped out of the way as Soren took a few steps towards her sister. "Hey."

Sybil wrapped her free arm around Soren who hugged her back before they were both invited inside, soon taking a seat on the couch as Derek made them some tea and coffee. "Thank you -" Sybil said, forgetting she didn't know the mans name.

"Derek Morgan, pleasure meeting you." He introduced himself, taking a seat beside Soren who smiled at him.

"Is this your boyfriend, Soren?" Sybil asked, winking at the pair of them.

Soren's eyes widened as she heard the question and she was sure her cheeks had turned a bright pink. "What? No. Derek is my friend, who is also like my babysitter."

"Babysitter?" Derek repeated with a scoff. "She's the one babysitting me, cooking me food and doing everything else."

Soren nudged him playfully as she turned back her niece and sister. "Does she have a name?"

Sybil nodded enthusiastically, her eyes lighting up as she spoke about her daughter. "Catalina Rose, the names we thought of when we were kids, remember?"

Soren thought back to that moment, her and Sybil had always played with dolls when they were younger and Soren had chosen to name her doll 'Catalina' whilst Sybil named hers 'Rose'. "I love it, c-can I hold her?"

"You don't need to ask, but seriously, I know that you think I hate you but I don't. Our father is a piece of shit who manipulated you your entire life, it wasn't your fault." Sybil explained, handing over Catalina to Soren.

The younger Hale sniffled, hearing the comforting words from her sister that meant so much more to her than Sybil could of ever known. "That means a lot, but honestly, this girl is the cutest baby in the whole world."

"She is pretty adorable." Derek commented as he leaned over Soren's shoulder, his finger wrapping around Catalina's hand as Soren stared down at her with love and admiration in her eyes.

Soren looked over her shoulder, her eyes meeting Derek's as she stared for a moment. Their eyes said more than their words ever could and Sybil saw that because it was how she looked at Tobias. She saw the love in her sisters eyes whenever she looked at Derek, despite not knowing him for long, love doesn't have a time stamp on it.

"I wanted to ask you something." Sybil blurted out without thinking twice about it as Derek and Soren glanced up at her. "I was hoping you would like to babysit? Toby has planned this meal for us but we have Catalina so we won't be able to go."

Derek shrugged his shoulders, not opposed to the idea but he did remember that he had work and needed to be with his team the majority of the time. "I don't see a reason not too, what do you think?"

"I think it's a good idea, I would be more than happy to do that." Soren agreed instantly.

Sybil clapped her hands excitedly. "Then it's a plan! Wonderful, we are going tomorrow night so everything should be sorted by then. Thank you."

"It's not a problem, really." Derek shrugged off, looking between Soren and Catalina with love in his eyes.