Usually Derek was the person who was mean, moody and deeply uncommunicative, but it seemed he was meeting his match today. He was satisfied that, whether naughty or nice, everyone he cared about was accounted for, so they could deal with it all together. "Maybe it's trying to teach us all some patience," he suggested with a nod to the gifts, but didn't push that too far.
He gave Mitch a moment more, to see if he wanted to give him the reason behind his Christmas funk, but he stopped short. "You don't have to do it if it doesn't feel right," Derek told him with a small shrug. "Whatever is going on, whatever the reason for not celebrating, don't make this place take you somewhere you don't want to go." He took a moment himself and smiled, "I meant emotionally. Obviously this is not where anyone chose to be, at least initially," Derek said.