//This is a long chapter sorry I could have probs split it up but it had a nice flow to it tee hee- the above is Darling's outfit again//
//also TW for mention of parental abuse and violence//
It was 2 in the morning when Morgan finally heard from Darling after weeks of nothing..
It was 4am when she eventually let him into her apartment.
It was 4:32 when the ambulance finally arrived after his endless calls...
"I don't know" Darling sighed, giving the same answer to his questions that she had given for the last however long they had been sat in the hospital.
"You're trying to tell me that you have no idea how you got a black eye, dislocated shoulder and concussion? How stupid do you think I am Darling?" Morgan couldn't help his frustration.
She glanced up at Hotch who was stood in front of them, giving her a small nod for her to tell Morgan the truth but she shook her head slightly before looking at Morgan with a shrug.
"Yeah, I don't know."
"For Christ sakes Darling- you go missing for almost two weeks, worry us sick, turn up eventually covered in cuts and bruises with a god damn dislocated shoulder that you were trying to set back on your own in your apartment, and all because of your brother, who you won't even acknowledge is dead-"
"Do not mention him" Darling spat suddenly, tears almost instantly coming to her eyes, "don't you dare bring him into this Derek."
Morgan paused for a moment, wanting to yell or argue to let out his frustrations but seeing that look, that truly broken look, in her eyes and taking her hand gently as he crouched down in front of her.
"I'm sorry, sorry I shouldn't have said that" he apologised sincerely which made her pause with surprise- not that he would apologise or truly mean it, but at how sincere he was, how he didn't get angry, how much he cared for her enough to push past his valid frustrations and be there for her.
"I'm sorry" she whispered, looking down at her hands in his that she desperately wanted to keep ahold of.
"For what?" He asked but she didn't respond, instead looking over at Hotch.
"Can I go?"
"Dawson, you've barely been here an hour" Hotch pointed out, "the doctors want to talk to you and check out your injuries again."
"I need to get back to Chicago to see Addie, she's been with Duncan for a while and I'm sure he's driving her up the wall-" she stood up and went to grab her coat, wincing at the pain it brought her newly put-back-in-place shoulder.
"Here" Morgan stood up and took the oversized green coat from her, holding it open for her to put her arms in, smiling down at her as she did before standing in front of her, "but Hotch is right, you shouldn't leave yet."
"There's not more the doctors can do, I'm just taking up hospital room space" she shrugged and stepped to go around him but he stood in front of her again.
"Stop doing that annoying thing you do" she rolled her eyes and stepped to the other side, him following suit.
"What annoying thing?"
"Blocking me with your mountain self, side stepping like that like you're a line dancer at a rodeo" she tried to brush past him but he placed his arm in front of the door, their bodies close together as he looked down at her.
"I think you should stay, instead of rushing off or running away- I think you should stay this time Darling" he spoke in a serious tone that hid something else, a begging of sorts.
I think you should stay with me.
She looked up at him, scanning his face for a moment, opening her mouth to speak before closing it again and ducking under his arm out of the door without another word.
Hotch watched as Morgan stared at the empty spot in front of his arm where Darling had just been standing, a ghost of her remaining with the hint of her perfume.
"She'll be back Derek" Hotch tried to comfort, watching Morgan turn and look out of the door before shaking his head, quickly grabbing his coat before running out of the door too.
"Derek? Where are you going?!" Hotch called after him, but he was gone.
"Open this door Darling!" Morgan banged on her apartment door for the 2nd time that day, the unlocked door swinging open from him knocking on it and him walking in to find her packing her bags with one hand, the other arm aching and being mostly useless from being dislocated.
"Okay enough, what's going on?" He stormed into the bedroom but she ignored him and continued packing.
"Oh for god sakes Darling, don't start ignoring me now" he rolled his eyes, unable to hide his frustrations.
"I'm not ignoring you, I have a flight to catch" she replied simply, walking past him to her underwear drawer.
"You've been ignoring me for the last two weeks-" he turned and followed her.
"I haven't been ignoring you, I've just been busy" she pointed out, grabbing her things and chucking them in the bag quickly before trying to zip it up one handed.
"Doing what?" He walked over and zipping it up for her, he may be frustrated and angry with her but he would never want to see her struggle.
Darling paused at this with almost confusion, unsure of how to react to someone not taking out their anger with her in a violent way but shaking off the thought and grabbing the bag.
"Thanks- but quite frankly it's none of your business" she replied, attempting to drag the heavily packed bright lime green swirl patterned suitcase to the front door.
"Are you kidding me?" Morgan couldn't help his scoffing, "of course it's my business."
"Why?" She turned to him with irritation, "why on earth is it your business?"
"Because we... because I-"
"Because I slept with you? You think I owe you something because I had sex with you?!" She picked up on what he was saying, outraged by it but he rolled his eyes.
"Of course not, I didn't mean that at all and you know it- I just meant because we're close, you're my best friend, I care about you. I don't want to be selfish but I think that warrants a little more than a message two weeks after you disappear saying 'I'm home, stop calling me you stalker.'"
"I said that I was busy! That's all you need to know-" she turned to leave.
"Doing what?!" He yelled after her, "because it sure as hell wasn't being in Chicago like you said you were going to."
She paused in her tracks, unaware that he found out the truth about that.
"You said when you left the jet that you were going to Chicago, that you were going to say goodbye to him, that you were going to do the funeral preparations and you wanted to do it alone, without any of us- without me, which is fine, you needed space to grieve and that's okay obviously" he continued before shaking his head, "but what I can't understand is why you didn't go? What was more important that you missed your own brother's funeral-"
"You shut your god damn mouth!" Darling suddenly snapped, turning and yelling at him, "do you know how god damn hard it was to not go?! How much it broke me to not say goodbye to my own brother who the last thing I said to was to tell him to leave?! Are you fucking kidding me with that shit Derek!? I have cried, I have sobbed until my eyes felt like they were bleeding every single god damn night because of that. I had to leave Addie and Duncan there all alone, I had to leave them with my father, I had to... My big brother is dead, my world, my life, the boy I was meant to protect- he's dead. A-and I couldn't even say goodbye to him and-"
Morgan paused, but not from her yelling, instead from the tears streaming from her eyes and the utter pain on her face.
"You... how dare you... I can't believe- screw you for ever implying that..." she started sentences but the pain was too much, shaking her head and staring at him with agony in her eyes as she whispered, "I-I had no choice."
"Why?" He walked over, placing his hands gently on her shoulders and looking down at her, speaking gently, "just tell me why Darl?"
She looked up at him eventually and shook her head slightly, stepping back from him, "I have to go. I have a flight to catch, I have to pick up Addie from school before my dad does and I have to pray to god he doesn't know I'm coming back-"
"Wait, wait, wait- your dad is out of prison?" Morgan stared in shock.
"He was let out three weeks ago" Darling grabbed her rucksack but it got stuck on the armchair, making her pull it with flustered frustration.
"Why didn't you say anything?" He quizzed.
"Oh I don't know, maybe because of the whole trauma from a man I thought I was safe from now being in my old house again" she said with a hint of sarcasm as she tried to yank the bag, "for fucking goodness sake, I swear to god I'm going to rip this bag apart-"
"Hey, hey, hey- let me help-" Morgan walked over.
"I've got it-"
"Darling-" Morgan turned her to look at him with a sympathetic face, placing one hand gently on her good shoulder and softly cupping her face with the other, "please let me help you."
She watched him for a moment, understanding that he wasn't just referring to the bag.
He was asking her to let him in, to let him look after her, to let him support her, to let him be a part of her life, to let him be there for her; to let him help her.
She sighed and nodded slightly- knowing full well that she could never do one of those things.
"Okay" he smiled at her, a smile she wanted to wrap up in a little present and keep in her pocket forever if she could, a smile she would lie and say she would let him help her if it meant she got to see that smile again.
"Okay- so let's start with this" he picked up the bag from the armchair, unhooking it from the arm with ease.
"Show off" she mumbled a tease that made him smile more, comforted by her familiar humour and southern accent that he craved since she had been gone.
"Now, why don't we make you some food and then head to the airport- does that sound good?" He led her to the kitchen, sighing at the mostly empty fridge that only had spoilt food in it.
"Yeah... good luck with that chef" she joked, "but I have to go get a flight that leaves in an hour so-"
"We'll just take the jet- what take out do you want?" He pulled out the food takeaway app, scrolling through the list of restaurants.
"What?" She quizzed.
"What take out do you want to eat?" He asked again.
"No I meant what do you mean 'we'll just take the jet?' We can't do that without it being a case, plus it's just going to be me going."
"Hotch won't mind, I already messaged him about it on the way here- it's fuelled up and ready to go after you eat. The only condition is that I, unfortunately for you, have to go too since you're not an agent" he leant on the counter with a slight amused eyebrow raise at her that she couldn't help smiling at.
"You really thought of everything to stop me running off again, didn't you?"
"Short of putting cuffs on you, yes" he chuckled, "but I can do that too if you're into it."
"Shut up" Darling laughed, nudging his arm and leaning on the counter next to him, speaking into the moments silence quietly, "thanks."
"For what?" He quizzed.
"For not... for not leaving me, for not walking away when I try to push you to" she kept her gaze down at her hands fiddling with the hem of her oversized graphic t-shirt that was French tucked into a pair of high-waisted, wide legged yellow and orange floral trousers that matched the yellow and orange graphic on her t-shirt.
"Hey-" He nudged her arm with a soft smile as she looked up at him, "I'll never leave you- that shouldn't be something you feel you have to thank me for, it should be a given. I said it was 'you and me always' before, and I mean it now too, I'll always mean it."
Darling watched his face for a moment, never believing anyone more than she believed him right now which brought a speckle of tears to her eyes.
She didn't say anything for a while as she turned to face forward again and Morgan wasn't sure if he had said the wrong thing, until her hand slipped into his quietly with appreciation.
"Chinese food sounds good" she replied, leaning her head on his arm, choosing to let herself lean on him both physically and emotionally.
He smiled, leaning down and and kissing the top of her head, unsure if he was allowed to do that since they hadn't exactly discussed what 'they' were now but he knew that she didn't need that, she just needed support, she just needed a friend, she just needed him.
"Chinese food it is."
It was 3pm when they arrived in Chicago, 3:22pm when they arrived at Addie's school, and 3:30pm when the teacher told her that Addie's grandfather had picked her up from school already.
Morgan watched Darling tap her finger on the steering wheel the whole drive back to her old house in Chicago, sat outside in the drive for a while to go pick up Addie from her father, the panic inside her not being hidden very well.
"Hey- you don't have to go in there" Morgan placed a hand on her knee to comfort her when he saw how much she didn't want to get out of the car, pausing when she flinched slightly before realising it was him and feeling almost immediately comforted by him being there, taking his hand in hers.
"I need to get Addie."
"I'll go in and get her and her stuff" Morgan gently rubbed her hand with his thumb, "you shouldn't have to see him, least of all back in that house."
"I can't make you do that Derek-"
"You wouldn't be making me do anything Darl, I don't think you should be going in there and I would much prefer to deal with him than you having to."
"I... I should be the one to go in there" she chewed on the thought, really not wanting to go in there but knowing she shouldn't make Morgan go in for her, forcing a smile at him instead, "I'll be fine, it's been years- I'm an adult now, I'll be okay."
Morgan watched her for a moment, how brave she was trying to be, how strong she was trying to act; the way she had to act as a child for her brothers to be safe, the way she had always had to be, the way she still acted around him sometimes.
"I'll see you in a minute- don't drive off without me" Darling joked as she got out the car, turning with confusion as she got halfway down the drive and heard the car door shut, Morgan walking over to her at the front door.
"What are you doing?"
"You may be an adult now Darl, but you're still allowed to be afraid- no matter how long it's been" he pointed out, "you're allowed to need someone stood by you with this."
Just as Darling went to speak, the front door opened, revealing someone she had thought she'd never see again standing there staring at her.
"Well would you look at this, look who finally decided to show up."
Darling stared in utter shock, Morgan too, at who was speaking to her.
"Only took me dying to make you come back to Chicago- and even then you arrive two weeks late," Tobias folded his arms at her, glancing over at Morgan who looked like he was looking at a ghost, "oh, and you brought your little buddy I see? Great, just what my funeral needed, a giant brute who's at your constant beck and call to kick me out of his apartment."
"You're... you're alive?" Is all Darling could manage to say, choking on her tears and words, feeling her body going limp, not realising that from the moment the door opened and she had seen Tobias she had been leaning on Morgan to be able to stand up properly.
"Took you long enough to notice" Tobias rolled his eyes.
"What... what- the- fuck?" Darling's confusion quickly turned to anger, which was replaced by something else even quicker when she heard a deep voice at the top of the stairs.
"You watch your language young lady."
Fear.
Morgan looked past Tobias, of who's presence he was very confused about considering he was supposed to be dead, up the stairs to see the looming shadow of Darling's father.
He then looked to Darling who had instinctively dropped her eyeline to the floor, hunched her shoulders and seemed to be trying to make herself as small as possible; a survival instinct.
"Hey, it's okay" Morgan whispered to her but she just kept her gaze down as she tried not to flinch from the heavy footsteps coming down the stairs, each step sending her back to her childhood.
"Darling, look at me" Morgan whispered to her again, brushing his hand against hers as she tilted her head to him slightly, "we can leave whenever you want, I'm not going to let him hurt you- I promise you, you're safe."
That was the first time, Darling realised, that she ever believed she was safe on her home property- because it was him who said it, it was Morgan who meant it.
"Oh give me a break" Tobias rolled his eyes, "stop being dramatic and go give dad a hug."
"I... don't want to" she spoke quietly before clearing her throat and grasping onto any ounce of bravery, "I don't want to."
"What was that?" Her dad's voice was at the same noise level it had been a moment ago but even to Morgan it seemed to boom and bring fear.
"I-" she looked up and saw him stood there, immediatly all her bravery was gone now- she didn't even feel like she was there.
She was suddenly back to being a child, coming home from school and trying her best to sneak into the house so the door wouldn't alert him that she was home;
Sneaking up the stairs, tip toeing on the edges of it, knowing exactly where the creeks in the floor boards were after years of mistakenly standing on them.
Knowing what would come down the hallway if she woke him up, knowing the exact timing she would have to run out of the house, knowing the persona she would have to flip into when he caught her and yelled.
The fear of when she would hear his voice as she would get closer to her room, so close to getting away with not seeing him, was coursing through her now.
The fear of him.
"You've finally come home Darling" he stepped to the door, Tobias stepping back automatically- proving that even if he didn't know it, that he was afraid of him too.
Morgan watched Darling and waited for her to respond, but she didn't say anything.
She just stood there, utterly frozen.
"We're just here to get Addie" Morgan spoke for her, unafraid of the man he had only met a handful of times in his and Darling's 18 years of friendship but had such a deep rooted hatred for, wishing he could beat him black and blue but pushing down his anger and urge to just punch the asshole he knew had done far worse than Darling had told him.
Rick, Darling's father, kept his burning gaze on Darling before slowly turning his head to look at Morgan, his dark gaze glossing over him without a second thought before going back to Darling.
"I see you're still hanging around the Morgan's boy like a bad smell then" his southern accent was strong, almost hard to understand what he was saying as he spoke.
Darling didn't answer.
"You forgotten how to speak then have you girl?" Her father's voice raised slightly, igniting an ingrained response.
"N-no sir.
"What did I say about that stuttering?" He mocked.
"Sorry sir" she kept her gaze down before the familiar feeling of stupidity took over, feeling Morgan next to her, feeling him almost begging her to stand up for herself, but when she looked at him, there was nothing like that.
There was no judgement, no sympathy or pity, no embarrassment for her; only support.
For whatever she needed, for whatever she wanted to do- he would always support her and be there.
And that's what gave her the strength to look up at her father, almost shivering when she met his eyeline- but feeling something else when she saw him now.
It had been almost 10 years since she last saw him, and although he was still terrifying- he looked worn.
His eyes were more sunken in, his nose even more permanently red like the splotches on his face from the years of alcohol abuse, his military build still the same but with a beer stomach pushing against his white top that had stains on it.
She realised now that all these things were the same as when she was a child- but now she was different.
Not just taller, not just older, not just with support next to her now.
She knew what these things meant, that they gave him weakness, they proved he was human, and they proved to her now that he wasn't as terrifying as she thought he was- and that she wasn't as weak as he made her think.
"No, you know what? I'm not sorry" she squared her shoulders back and Morgan looked at her with surprise, as did Tobias- Rick only showed a response with a slightly raised eyebrow in his scowl.
"I'm not sorry for anything; not for stuttering, not for crying, not for being here, not for sending you away, not for leaving- I'm not sorry" she shook her head, swallowing her tears as she stepped forward to talk to Tobias, "I'm here for Addie; I don't know what is going on with you or Duncan, but I came here to be here for her and I will not leave her alone, especially not with him."
Her gaze flicked from her brother to her father, almost choking from the terrifying expression that had set into his face- an expression that she knew meant either of 2 things were coming; both of which terrified her.
It wasn't his hand that lay on her though, it was Morgan's placed gently on her shoulder as he stepped forward in support.
To her surprise, when she looked back at her father his cold glare wasn't at her- but it most certainly was at Morgan who seemed unbothered by it to a degree that Darling envied.
How do you do it, she thought, how do you not fear him?
"Mr Dawson" Morgan nodded as a seemingly pleasant greeting but with no attempt in his tone to hide how much he loathed that man.
"Derek Morgan" Ricky greeted back- his tone of a similar fashion, "you've grown since I last saw you."
"10 years give or take will do that" Morgan replied, noticing how he was now looking down at the still relatively tall man in front of him instead of looking up at him like he did the few times they met- all of which happened to have more glares in them the more Morgan had learnt about what he was like to Darling.
I'm going to rip you limb from limb if you even so much as look at her in the wrong way, Morgan thought to himself as he stared at Ricky behind a forced pleasant expression.
"And why is your hand on my daughter then boy?" Ricky broke the tense silence and asked, his eyes shifting to Morgan's hand placed gently on her shoulder before going to Darling- Morgan realising then that Ricky only cared about him being there when he was touching Darling, that he thought of her as his property just because she was his daughter, because he had hurt her, because he had disgustingly 'claimed' her as he told her so many times- Morgan felt the rage growing more and more.
"What happened to that boy Jacob that Tobias told me about? He was good for you, he kept you in line, he even gave you your job- lucky he did, no one good would want to hire you- remember when I got you that job with Greg in the ice-cream shop? He told me how much of a mess you were."
You son of a bitch, Morgan felt every part of him pulling his fist back to throw it in Ricky's face, every cell in him was furious at how he spoke fondly of Jacob, how he praised the perverted ice-cream shop owner who always made Darling uncomfortable, how he spoke of Darling and the behaviour Jacob treated her with as 'keeping her in line.'
But he didn't act out, he just stood next to Darling in support, being there in whatever way she needed.
"We have to get, uh, back to work" Darling lied and cleared her throat in attempt to hide her fear of the one man she feared most in the world who was stood in front of her not so subtly eyeing her up and down, "so if I can just go and get Addie-"
"Addie's not going anywhere" Tobias interrupted, "she's my kid."
"Your kid who you made cry with thinking you were dead!" Darling suddenly yelled, her control of her anger being loosened by her fear and coming out as she snapped at him.
"Don't speak to my boy like that" Ricky's voice sent a chill down her spine, "if you know what's good for you, you'd apologise to him for speaking to him like that."
"She doesn't owe anyone an apology" Morgan interjected with a calm tone, Ricky's burning gaze still firm on Darling.
"Apologise."
"Darling don't-"
"Apologise right now girl or I'll remind you how you respect your father in this house-"
"Darling!" A surprised voice broke the rising tension, running down the stairs towards her into a huge hug.
"Hey Ads" Darling smiled, letting herself breathe properly now that her view of her dad was blocked slightly as she crouched down into the hug with Addie, "how're you doing sweetie?"
"I'm good" she said but Darling noticed a waver in her voice- a familiar waver she recognised from her own voice as a child, a waver Morgan himself recognised Darling having when they were kids and he'd meet her outside her house when her dad was home.
Darling slowly stood up, expression dropping to something none of her family had seen before as she looked up at her father and spoke with a quiet rage.
"What did you do to her?"
His expression didn't change, he just stared at her before responding, "that's not how you address me young lady-"
"I don't care" she suddenly interjected, that expression in her eyes growing, the sternness and threat in her voice unlike anything Tobias or Duncan- who was walking into the hallway- had ever seen before.
Morgan had seen it once before- right before she killed a man in the woods who had tried to kill him.
An expression that for the only time in his 18 years of knowing her had made him afraid of her in some way.
A look of protection unlike anything else.
To all of their surprise, Ricky didn't retaliate in the way they all thought he would- instead, a slight smirk came to his lips as he stepped closer to Darling.
"You know Darling, you've grown up quite well in these last 10 years- like a much prettier version of your mother" he lowered his voice so only she would hear, "nicer body and all."
"You're disgusting" Darling whispered.
"What was that?" His expression turned angry within seconds of her 'disrespecting' him- but she wouldn't back down, not after seeing Addie flinch slightly when his tone shifted, Darling gently pushing her behind herself before she squared off her shoulders, "what did you do to her?!"
"Addison's had a nice week here with me and the boys-"
"I said what the hell did you god damn do to her?!" Darling suddenly yelled, jumping them all as she stepped forward- but Ricky was already there, his hand suddenly wrapped around her upper arm, unaware of the pain it would cause with her recently dislocated shoulder but enjoying the wince it brought to her face as his strong grip increased.
"What did we talk about using god's name in vein?" He warned and Darling's mind flashed back to all of the times he did that when she was a child- and then to that woods church with Jimbo.
The pure hatred she had for him and the man in front of her now who was where it all stemmed from.
"Get your hands off of her" Morgan stepped forward and warned.
"Let's all calm down-" Duncan tried to say but his father's glare shot back to him was enough to make his legs shake let alone silence him.
"Don't look at him like that" Darling warned in a protective manner despite the pain of her arm and fear running through her- the same protection she had growing up that stopped her brothers experiencing the full force of her father's wrath.
"Don't make me angry and I won't have to- you know the rules" Ricky warned her right back, not expecting her to act this way, expecting her to fold just like when she was a child and do what he told her to do so that her brothers wouldn't get hurt or he wouldn't be angry.
"It's not my responsibility to make sure you're not angry" Darling realised as she spoke, trying to pull her arm from him and doing so but with a wince of pain as he let go in shock of how she spoke back to him, an eye twitch telling her that he was furious but hiding it because they weren't behind closed doors.
"Get inside, now" he demanded.
"No" she stood her ground, hating how her hands were still trembling.
"You have no idea what you put me through the last 10 years because of your silly rumours missy" he spat.
"And you have absolutely an idea what you put me through for 18 years!" She suddenly yelled.
"I have no idea what you're on about" he lied with a tone that told everyone that he knew exactly what she was on about and enjoyed her bringing it up- his tone making Tobias pause for a second with a thought that Darling might not have been lying like he thought she was, like his father had told him she was.
"You deserve to rot in that prison" Darling stepped back, shaking her head as he stepped forward,
"Get inside of your home young lady, we'll settle this as a family."
"It's not my home" Darling shook her head, "it never was, a-and you are the furthest away from my family."
"You can't abandon your family again, I won't let you abandon us so easily this time now that I'm not behind bars" he stepped forward again, "family is forever, my blood is still in you- you are still mine."
"Just because I share your blood, does not mean I am yours" she attempted to square off her shoulders, fighting the fear fuelled tears in her eyes, "I have never been yours-"
"You didn't say that before when you were obeying your orders and chores" he mocked, adding a grotesque implication to the word 'chores.'
"I was a child!" Darling found herself yelling, "you were my father! You were meant to keep me safe! You weren't meant to be the one I had to try and keep safe from when you would attack me and sneak into my room to-"
A sudden intense slap across her face sent everything into a frenzy as she flew to the floor but being caught by her arm and yanked up before she could fall and 'cause a scene.'
"Watch your volume, I don't need the neighbours believing your crazy stories too" Ricky threatened.
"Get your fucking hands off her!" Morgan did not care about causing a scene, grabbing Ricky and throwing him off Darling- not before Ricky had whispered in her ear.
"You know Addie is a lot like you were- but she's stronger, it's going to take a while for me to get her to do her chores, but she will one day, just like you did. With enough fear and respect, anything is possible."
Morgan pulled Darling away from Ricky before he had a chance to tighten his grip on her, enjoying the tears streaming down her face but pausing at the pure anger in her eyes.
"I will kill you before you have the chance to even breathe near her" she whispered, no one else really hearing but Morgan and Ricky who stared at her.
"Someone's gotten braver."
"Go to hell-" Darling spat before glaring at Duncan and Tobias with a 'now do you believe the file?' look in her eyes, "-all of you."
"Come on Ads" Darling took her shocked niece's hand, leading her to the car as Morgan kept his stance on the doorstep before she called out to him, "Derek- let's go."
"You can't just take my kid-" Tobias walked out past Derek who was following Darling despite his urge to pumble her father's face in.
"H-he hit you, I've never seen anyone hit someone before" Addie said in shock to Darling, spotting her bleeding nose from Ricky's large hand smacking across her face.
"I'm okay Ads, I promise, I'm sorry you had to see that doll" Darling forced a smile, holding up her finger to pinky promise after putting her in the car.
"Darling- I said you can't just take my kid away from me" Tobias stormed over but was stopped by Morgan grabbing him by the collar and pushing him back.
"You willingly brought 'your kid' into a house of a man who hurt your sister in ways you can't comprehend and don't even try to because you're too busy idolising said man who hit you and assaulted her-" Morgan spoke quietly to him with a threat to his voice before pushing back towards the steps where Ricky stood looking like he was moments way from launching at Morgan who was wishing he would dare but just continued to glare at Tobias, "-go to the police, go to the courts if you insist, I'm sure a jury will agree that your kid is lucky to be taken from you after what you made her say to Darling about your 'death.'"
"I just... I just needed Darling to come back here, to fix the family" Tobias tried to excuse what he had done- of which was his father's idea to tell Addie that Tobias was dead of an overdoes, get her to call Darling to come back and then reveal that he was alive to her before Darling came back which was the whole objective of Ricky- to trap her back in that house with him in a family again, to bring her home, to bring her back to him.
"You're sick" Morgan shook his head at him, "Addie is better off without you."
"Y-you can't say that!" Tobias called out but Morgan had turned and walked away.
"She has you wrapped around her little finger, doesn't she boy?" Ricky called out to him in a far too casual tone that made Morgan pause and look back at him as he chuckled and shook his head from the porch.
"You watch yourself mind, a girl like that don't stick around long- not for men like you, she needs more, she needs men like her father who can look after her and keep her in line" there seemed to be almost amusement to Ricky's voice which disgusted Morgan.
"She's never needed you" he replied.
"I'm her father" Ricky crossed his arms, "I'll always be her father- what will you be when she tosses you to the side for another one of me?"
Morgan didn't realise Darling had walked back over and was stood behind him, pausing at what her dad said and terrified for a moment that Morgan might think she was going to do that.
"I'll always be there for her" Morgan replied simply, "no matter what."
"You mean nothing to her" Ricky stepped down the porch, walking over to Morgan, "look at her, she's not a girl who deserves a knight in shining armour-"
"She deserves the world" Morgan interrupted Ricky- something that made all three of the Dawson siblings almost gasp from an act that would have made their father turn on any of them within seconds if they had done that to him.
Instead, Ricky's fist just clenched in a boiling anger at Morgan who showed no fear of a man he could see terrified Darling even now.
"And she has always deserved more than you" he added.
"Oh so you're that 'more than me' then, are you boy? Don't forget where you came from, I know that riffraff family of yours, someone like you should be calling me sir" Ricky stepped forward to antagonise him but Morgan just shook his head.
"She deserves more than me too, but I'm trying to be anything close to the unbelievable good that she deserves" he said with sincerity, words surprising Darling who looked up at him as he continued, pure hatred bubbling out as he looked at Ricky "she sure as hell deserved a childhood far away from a disgusting monster like you."
Ricky tilted his head for a moment before a realisation hit him and his gaze went from Morgan to Darling, rage behind his eyes.
"You told him."
"I-" Darling felt an old wave of fear take over just from his tone alone.
"I always knew it was a bad idea letting you see that boy" Ricky walked towards Darling who started walked backwards automatically, "he's the one who put all those ideas in your head, isn't he? The one who told you that you were anything but the mess that you are, the one who gave you the idea to get the police involved in our family business-"
"T-that was nothing to do with him" Darling stood up for Morgan- surprising both herself and him with how she stood up to her father.
"Of course it was, you would have never been smart enough to figure out how to do that without him" her father rolled his eyes.
Darling frowned and wanted to give into every urge she had just to step back and avoid any confrontation with him, to avoid angering him, to avoid punishment, to blame Morgan for sending her father to prison so she wouldn't feel his anger- but she could feel Morgan's gaze on her, practically begging her to stand up for herself but in a way that told her he would be there still if she didn't.
She realised then that as much as the was terrified of her father, she was afraid of disappointing Morgan more, afraid of disappointing herself too.
"I was smart enough, I am smart enough" Darling rolled her shoulders back and looked up at him, her voice rising and slightly shaking as she stood her ground, "I contacted the lawyers, I went to the police alone, I kept records of every bruise, every cut- everything you did even when it made be sob to look back on. Do you know how messed up it is to keep your childhood teddy not for memories but for evidence in a court case? I kept time stamps and made a chart of when you were angry to be able to avoid you and used it as evidence to make sure you would never leave that place. I did it alone. I did because I am smart, but I also did it because I had to be smart to survive living with a god damn alcoholic, abusive, paedophilic-"
His furious hand down towards her fast and hard, instantly making her flinch and cower in fear- but Morgan's hand was quicker.
Ricky stared with rage at Morgan's hand wrapped around his wrist, catching it mid-air.
"I don't think that would be a 'smart' decision of you to make- sir" he mocked, but his tone was anything but humorous.
There was a threat behind each syllable, a deep hatred in his eyes.
Darling had never seen him like this, she had seen flickers- moments where his overwhelming protection of her took over, but nothing like this.
But Morgan knew that this had been brewing for years, biding its time.
Every bruise he saw hidden on Darling growing up, every time she flinched after leaving her house and hearing a loud noise, every time he saw her pull her dress down more to hide marks, every time he didn't hear from her for days when her dad would be 'let go' from yet another job- all of it was growing into a fungus of pure, otherworldly hatred for that man, just waiting for a chance to come out.
And now was that chance.
Before he could even think about the worst ways he could hurt the man who so desperately deserved it, a shaking hand placed on his shoulder- immediately alerting his suddenly soft gaze down to Darling.
"Can we go?" She tried not to look at his hand gripping her father's wrist or worry about the repercussions that would come.
"Darling, I think I should have a conversation with your father" Morgan held onto his burning rage and the need to let it out.
"Yes Darling, let me and the boy 'talk'" her father suddenly interrupted and she saw that look in his eyes at Morgan- the same look he would get when he was thinking of which places he could hit her and no one would notice, a look of danger, a look that she had learnt meant there was nowhere to run.
"Derek- please" Darling begged, her hand moving from his shoulder to his arm just like it always automatically did when she was scared.
He looked down at her hand for a moment before letting go of her father, pushing him back slightly at the same time to keep him away from Darling.
"Of course" Morgan gave a soft smile to her, turning with her to leave.
"You're not going anywhere-" Ricky stepped forward and spoke sternly, "you have some 'spaling to do Darling."
"Just keep walking Darl" Morgan whispered down to her, "it's okay, you're okay."
"Don't let him talk you into leaving, he did that with his father when he left for work and look what happened to him, now Hank's got two girls without a father and a bullet in his skull on the job all because little Derek begged him to go to work and be his hero-" Ricky called out, suddenly cut off by a fist flying into his face as something took over Morgan and he couldn't control it anymore.
"You keep my family out of your god damn disgusting rapist mouth you son of a bitch!" Morgan yelled down at a bleeding Ricky who had fallen to the floor with the brother's running to his side as Morgan yelled at him.
"Holy shit-" Darling whispered, stumbling back from Morgan's side, embarrassed to admit that she was terrified to see him like this as he wound up to hit Ricky over and over again who was, surprisingly, not doing anything back- in fact, he seemed to be looking right at her and oblivious to Morgan's ranting, a wicked smile on his face instead.
That's when it hit Darling; he wanted this.
He wanted Darling to see Morgan like this, he wanted her to fear him not because it was Morgan- but because he knew she was only afraid of Morgan acting like this because of him, because Ricky had installed that fear into her, and he knew it.
He couldn't say it out loud or everyone else would know what he wanted only Darling to know- that he had hurt her in more ways than just physical, and he wanted to relish in the fact that even if he was in prison, even if she ran from him like she had before, that she would always feel that pain still even from someone she trusted more than anyone had ever been trusted before.
"-I should arrest you right now, you disgusting excuse of a man-" Morgan felt the fire burning in his stomach as he hurled insults at Ricky, pausing when he felt an absence next to him and turned to see Darling walking quickly away.
"Shit-" He suddenly realised that she had just seen him like that throwing punch after punch down at her father, fists bleeding and rage uncontrolled- the kind of rage he knew she was terrified of.
"Darling, wait!" Tobias went to run after her, staring in shock at the whole thing but he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder and saw his father get up, watching Derek run after her instead.
"You and your brother get back in the house, I'll sort her out."
"Dad, I think you should leave her alone to cool off-" Tobias said- immediately folding into himself as Ricky glared at him suddenly with a look he had seen as a child, a threat.
"I said, get back in the house- don't make me repeat myself or you'll be sorry."
Tobias paused, suddenly realising that this man was even more terrifying than he realised- suddenly realising how much Darling had sheltered him as a child from the full extent of his already scary father.
"Yes sir" Duncan automatically said, turning and walking into the house- a grown man terrified and obeying his father like a solider.
Tobias's slight moment of thinking made Ricky pause in his stride after Darling and Morgan, turning to him slowly and tilting his head.
"Are you disobeying me boy?"
"I-"
The punch flew fast, Tobias was on the ground receiving kick after kick before he could even register it.
His father had beaten him before, of course he had being the man he was- but never at full force he realised, and not in years.
Because Darling was always there to stop him, get Tobias and Duncan out of there and take the full hits herself, and more.
He realised it all now, that she wasn't lying, that she wasn't lying about the disgusting things she said their father did in the police reports, a terrifying pit in his stomach that made him want to throw up when he imagined all she went through from a man he had idolised all these years for being a 'proper man.'
He realised now why he should have never let him be anywhere near his daughter, just like he should have never let him be anywhere near his little sister years ago.
"-Hold still you wiggle-butt" Darling hushed Morgan with a small chuckle as she dabbed his split knuckles with a wet cloth on the jet back, trying to keep him and his laughter quiet since Addie had fallen asleep a few rows back.
"Did you just call me a wiggle-butt?" Morgan couldn't help his amusement, hiding his winces from the pain and scanning her face instead, the large hand mark that took over most of the side of her face slowly going down with the blood from her nose dried under it now.
"Mhm, I sure did" she smiled, looking up from his hand and seeing his concerned frown, "I'm okay sugar, it's just a little blood."
"It's not a little blood Darl, he hit you so hard that your nose bled" Morgan pointed out.
"It's not as bad as it could have been" she shrugged.
"Just because it could have been worse doesn't mean it isn't bad" Morgan said knowingly before noticing her hands shaking as she finished bandaging his up, a tenseness to her body that she never normally had around him.
"Hey-" he gently placed his other hand on her shoulder with a soft expression, "I'm... I'm sorry."
"Oh don't apologise Der, it's not your fault he hit me, I'm just surprised he did it in front of so many people if I'm honest, he used to be so careful about making sure no one saw, about wanting everyone to think of him as a 'good strong father-"
"No, not for that- I'm sorry for... for getting angry and violent, for making you afraid of me" he gently rubbed her shoulder with his thumb.
"Afraid of you?" She quizzed and tried to brush over it, "Derek I could never be afraid of you, despite your mountain of a man-ness you really are harmless."
"Darling it's okay, I saw your face; you were scared, I made you scared of me even for that split moment and I'm so sorry. I hate that I made you feel like that, that I didn't think and I-"
"Stop apologising" Darling hushed him, trying to move past it once again by taking his hand, "see? Not afraid."
"You don't have to pretend-"
"I'm not pretending" Darling said with a forced smile before seeing his unconvinced expression and sighing, "fine, I was maybe a little tiny bit scared but-"
"I told you-"
"But, I wasn't afraid of you" she added truthfully, "I mean it Derek, I trust you with my whole being. I was afraid, and yeah seeing you like that was pretty scary- but I wasn't afraid of you, I wasn't even afraid of the violence. I don't know how to explain it, it's just... seeing that switch in a person. No warnings, no build up that I could prepare for or prevent- just that human switch from one normal emotion to pure rage was just... all too familiar I guess. I don't know, it sounds stupid-"
Morgan watched her for a moment, lowering his hand down her arm gently and taking her hand.
"Darling, I know you say you weren't scared or upset that I got angry- but if you were, that's okay. I want you to know that there aren't any consequences to what you say with me, you'll never be hurt for saying how you feel, if you're mad at me or upset with me then you're allowed to say it, I want you to say it. And I want you to feel like you can, I want you to feel safe enough around me to be able to say when you're upset with me."
She looked up from his hand placed on hers into his eyes, a watery mist coming to her own as she took in the words that she didn't know she needed to hear.
There aren't any consequences.
"I... I didn't entirely like seeing you like that, I didn't like seeing you act so violently unpredictable like that" she said quietly, unsure of how to express these kind of emotions this way since she had never been allowed to before.
"I know" he nodded, tilting his head to keep her gaze with a soft smile, "I'm sorry, I won't let it happen again."
"I can't expect you to make a promise like that- especially not in your line of work" Darling chuckled, "anger is a normal emotion, you should be allowed to act angry or violently- it's not your fault or problem that I'm afraid of-"
"No Darling-" Morgan shook his head and cupped her hand with both hands engulfing them safely, "-I promise you, I will never let you see me act like that again. It's important to me, you're important to me."
Darling was overwhelmed to say the least by what he said, so overwhelmed that she didn't even notice the tears down her face until she felt Morgan's thumb softly brushing them off her bruising cheekbone.
You're important to me.
She wasn't sure why that set her off but before she knew it she was wrapped in Morgan's arms quietly sobbing into his chest as he gently rubbed her back, placing a soft but purposeful kiss on the top of her head as he closed his eyes and held her for a while.
"I-I'm sorry, I'm being a big baby and getting tears all over you" Darling cleared her throat with a chuckle, going to sit back but he pulled her back to his chest.
"You're not a 'big baby' for feeling emotions Darl, you can cry in my arms as long as you need to- that's what they were made for" he smiled down at her, enjoying the muffled laugh that he felt against his chest.
"You're a good gem" Darling sat back and smiled at him.
"Wow, a 'good gem?' The highest of compliments" he laughed.
"Savour it" she joked before looking up at him earnestly, "hey... about the last two weeks by the way, I'm really sorry that I just disappeared like that and didn't tell you or didn't explain- I mean I can't explain really but-"
"It's okay" Morgan interrupted with a soft smile, "I obviously would like to know at some point who or what dislocated your arm, but you don't have to tell me anything that you don't want to. And as much as it drives me nuts when you go off the grid like that, it's not my place to demand you tell me where you are all of the time- just as long as you're safe, and just as long as you come back, that's all that matters."
If Darling wasn't teary eyed before, she certainly was now as she tried not to let herself sob from his heart-warming words.
"I like you."
"You like me?" He raised an amused eyebrow at her word choice and sniffled chuckle as she nodded.
"Yeah, you're not so bad- I think I'll keep you around" she joked, leaning on his arm as they sat side by side on the jet.
"Thanks" he laughed but couldn't help his smile from her implying that she wanted him around.
They still hadn't had a talk about what 'they' were or what 'this' was going to be now after everything,
But in this moment, that didn't matter- the strange in-between that Morgan was worried about them falling into didn't matter when she was falling asleep on his shoulder laughing away with him about nothing like usual.
All that mattered was this, all that mattered was now, all that mattered was her.