Derek was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He was just a kid when his police officer father was shot in front of him, which led to a lot of acting out and trouble-making (he had a juvie record). However, he was able to turn his life around thanks to the local youth center (ok, we won't go there for now, this is a happy post), and a football scholarship to Northwestern University, where he ended up injuring his knee.
At the BAU, Derek develops close relationships with his team, most notably Penelope Garcia and Emily Prentiss. He also takes on a big brother role to Spencer, who tends to depend on Derek a little more after Gideon leaves.
As with, well, everyone on this show, there's a lot to love and adore about Derek. He's most definitely an alpha male, possibly even more than team leader Aaron Hotchner, and tends to act on impulse more frequently than he should. Whether this is his making up for his father's death--where he was basically powerless--or pure testosterone, one can't be sure, as Derek tends to keep people at arm's length. Penelope gets to him more than any other team member, but in the truth of things, that's not much. We get to see his bravado crack when Ellie Spicer enters his life after Derek helped save her from a freaking insane serial killer, played by the amazing and creepy Tim Curry. The bond he forges with the little girl is beautiful and a little sad. Ellie makes him vulnerable, and a vulnerable Morgan is an incredibly sexy Morgan.And now, a gratuitous Shemar Moore photo:
Oh yeah. You love me.
