Derek Morgan sits on a worn bench inside the precinct, shoulders heavy with the weight of the last few days. For the first time in months, the tension in his chest eases as he watches Cindy wrap herself safely in her mother’s arms. The storm of obsession, loss, and fear has finally broken, leaving behind only quiet exhaustion; and a man trying to reconcile relief with the ghosts that never really let him rest. His eyes linger on the reunion, soft with the kind of tenderness he usually hides under his charm and bravado. He rubs a hand over his face, exhaling slowly, grounding himself in the moment. Derek is a protector to his core, and though the case is over, he still sits close, vigilant, the echo of every fight and every save etched into him