Erin yawned and stretched. It was midnight, and she had to be back here by eight for her daily file check. The later she was here, though, the less time she had to focus on her empty home, her empty life. Sighing, she signed off on the last report of the evening and then stood, cracking her back. Turning off her desk lamp, she looked over the room to make certain everything was in place.

Leaving her briefcase on her desk, she grabbed her pursed and made her way out of the office. As she walked past the bullpen, she noticed, through the half light of the room, that Agent Hotchner's light was still on. Which was odd, given his recent proclivity to leave early to be with his son and girlfriend.

Not really thinking about her actions, she pushed open the doors of the bullpen and stepped inside. The doors closing seemed ominous in some way and she took a deep breath as she stumbled forward. "This will never do," she whispered. Squaring her shoulders, she walked over to the stairs, climbing them slowly as she tried to figure out what she was doing. She didn't bother knocking on the door, she was just going to send him home, anyway.

The delicious scent of scotch overwhelmed her senses the moment she stepped into the room. Instantly, her hands started shaking and she felt her mouth water for a sip of that forbidden fruit. Looking around the room, she noticed his chair was turned from the door and he had no idea she was there. "Go away, Dave. There's nothing to talk about." By the slur in his voice, she knew he was drunk. Before, she would have exalted in this, eager to rub his face in his lack of decorum. Now, though, she knew the pain of not drinking. The sweet siren call of liquor to dull her emotions was no longer available to her.

"It's not David," she bit out, the cravings making her stomach clench. He whirled around and glared at her.

"What are you doing here?" he growled, his eyes bloodshot.

"I came to send you home, but you're in no condition for that. Have you even thought about how Jack would react to seeing you like this?" She thought of the first time Lynn had seen her drunk, how disappointed she was, and glared right back at him.

Aaron jumped to his feet and stalked over to her, backing her up against the door. She felt truly afraid of him in that moment, and she raised her arms to push him away. Roughly, he grabbed her wrists and she drew in a short breath, trying to brace herself. "Beth broke up with me, through a text, on this last case. She was fucking another curator behind my back. Jessica has Jack, so don't worry about him or me, you haughty bitch."

His hands tightened on her wrists and she winced, trying to pull away from him. "Aaron, you're hurting me." She hated how weak her voice sounded and she tried to get away once more. "Let me go!"

This seemed to break through the mental fog and he relaxed his grip a little. "I'm sorry," he mumbled as he lifted one of her arms, gently kissing her wrist, caressing the red marks with his thumb. "I'm sorry." His lips felt so soft against her skin and she shivered lightly as a flicker of fire ran through her body, pooling in her stomach. "Does that feel good now, Erin?"

His voice was weird, desire mixed with derision, and she fought not to nod. "Please, Aaron, let me go." It was as if he couldn't hear her, though, as he kissed her other wrist, licking at the marks he'd left. "Aaron…" she murmured as he ran his lips up to the crook of her elbow, kissing and licking her there. Why had she worn short sleeves today?

"Do you still want me to let you go?" The derision had fled, leaving behind only desire in his voice. And she knew she couldn't deny him this, not when, in some small part of her heart, she wanted this, too.

"No, please. Go on." He chuckled lowly and pulled her close to his body, one hand sliding down her back to cup her ass. Somehow, he got them turned around and he led her over to his couch, pulling her down onto his lap. She'd never felt this nervous with Bert, but something told her he would not be so timid with sex as her ex was.

As he situated her to straddle his lap, she could feel his arousal rubbing against her center. Erin sucked in a deep breath and he cupped her breasts, kneading the suddenly too heavy weight. "Your breasts are wonderful. I've always noticed them, you know, with the blouses you wear. They're larger than hers, than Haley's, and oh so firm in my hands." He bent forward and nuzzled his face into her cleavage. "And you smell so good."

Aaron's hands fumbled with the buttons on her blouse, becoming frustrated when they wouldn't open. Before she could help him, his hands tugged at the sides of her collar, tearing open the buttons as he pulled the blouse apart roughly to bare her flesh to him. She whimpered a little, some of the earlier fear resurfacing. He noticed and gently kissed her lips. A cool breeze stiffened her nipples and she realized then he'd gotten her bra off. Then his mouth was engulfing her breast, sucking and licking a turgid peak. "Aaron," she moaned, feeling her body react, feeling her vulva slicken with her juices.

He kissed a path of fire across to her other breast, suckling hard as her fingernails scrabbled at his back. She squeaked a little as she felt his hands ruck her skirt up around her hips, his fingers rubbing across her sensitive mound. "Does that feel good?"

She could only nod and gasp as he slipped those sinfully long digits of his beneath her panties, running them along her went core. Her arms came to circle him neck as he pushed her back to lay prone on the sofa. In one swift movement, he was stripping off her panties, cupping her with his hand.

"More," she panted out. "Fuck, please, more." Her words were becoming incoherent as the pleasure swept over her body. He still had yet to kiss her, and she threaded her fingers in his thick hair, pulling his face up and latching her lips onto his. She could taste the scotch lingering on his breath and this only fueled her desire. Vaguely, she heard a zipper coming undone and felt the cool air of the office once more lick her skin.

She stiffened then, the realization slamming home that she was naked and he fully clothed still. She began to fall small and stupid, tears pooling in her eyes as she shrank into herself. He wasn't too drunk to notice the change, and he pulled back to look at her. "Erin?" he gently, gently!, asked as he cradled her cheek, brushing at the tears with his thumb.

Erin began to sob, turning her face into the couch, unable to look at him. Shame swept over her and she tried to curl up in a ball. Once more, alcohol had made a fool of her and she had let it. Aaron got up and she scrambled to pull the blanket over her nude body, desperate to cover herself up. And then her heart stopped as he returned to her. He bundled her up in a soft embrace, kissing her forehead tenderly. "Just go, and we'll forget about this. I promise, I won't say a word if you won't."

"Oh, Erin, I'm sorry. I've used you, terribly." He kissed her again and she flinched for the caress of his lips. "Let me in, let me fix this. Let me show you how beautiful you are. I've made this so cheap, so crass. I know you've been struggling and here I am, adding to the burden when I should be easing it from your shoulders." His lips sought her out once more.

Erin relaxed her arms, reluctantly embracing him as he tenderly mapped her face with his lips. "You think I'm beautiful?"

"You caught that, huh? Yes, you are." He kissed her sweetly, softly, and she knew that the alcohol had left his system, if not hers.

"I don't know if I can do this, Aaron."

"One night, Erin. One night to fix my mistake and make you feel worthy. And we will never speak of this again."

His conviction touched her heart and as she thought, she let her fingers fumble with his shirt buttons. They opened so easily beneath her fingers and soon she was caressing his bare skin. "Okay. All right. One night of pleasure." She blushed at her boldness and let the blanket fall as she pushed the shirt from his shoulders. "Make love to me."

He smiled at her, tenderly stroking her cheek before leaning in for yet another soft kiss. She could fall in love with his kisses alone, but that was madness, and they only had this brief moment to burn. She sighed as he gently laid her down once more. He kissed his way down her neck, licking and sucking at her skin as she cooed in pleasure.

He placed two feather-light kisses on her nipples before continuing his path down her body. Bert had only gone down on her once before, but he wasn't into it and so she wasn't that into it. This, though, was different, was gorgeous and lush, and she held her breath as he kissed her nether lips. Almost teasingly, he wriggled his tongue between her folds to find her clit and she stiffened as a jolt of pure pleasure shot up her body.

Erin bit her thumb in an attempt to hold in her cries and moans. Her orgasm was blindingly fast and she collapsed on the sofa, breathing hard as his fingers lazily plucked at her nipples. Her veins still sang with pleasure and she heard him skim down his pants and boxers. "Round two?" she panted out, staring into his eyes. He nodded and she smiled wantonly. There had never been a round two with Bert. Opening her legs gentler, he entered her in one long, smooth stroke.

Aaron set a slow pace for them, prolonging their pleasure for as long as possible. When she came, she bit down on his shoulder, trying not to scream from the overwhelming beauty of it. He kissed her forehead tenderly and she began to cry once more. "Tears again, Erin?"

"Sorry, I do cry a lot now. Everything is just so close to the surface these days. You're wonderful, though. Thank you for this." She lifted her lips for a kiss and he obliged her.

"The only question is, how do we get out of here? I think I tore your blouse earlier, and my go bag in in my car. I don't want you to be embarrassed."

"This is the Aaron I admire." The words slipped from her lips before she could stop them. He smiled a little, one of those rare glimpses into his heart, before kissing her again. "I have a spare blouse in my office, just in case I were to spill. The keys are in my purse." He nodded and got up, covering her with the blanket before pulling on his clothes. Before he left, he kissed her once more and she watched him go with a smile on her lips.

She never felt herself fall asleep, but when she woke up, Aaron was there, sleeping on the floor next to her. Her fresh blouse rested on top of the rest of her clothes and she felt her heart clench as she saw how he was trying to take care of her. Her eyes were drawn back to him, and she watched him shiver slightly. Sliding off the couch, she curled up next to him, covering them both with the blanket. His arm snaked around her waist, pulling her closer, and she sighed, snuggling into him, letting sleep steal over her once more.