She had been eager to escape Washington after she had found David in bed with another woman. He hadn't expected her to come over, since she had been spending time with her children. Yet, there he was, on top of a girl half her age, and she had fled. She had ended up in a seedy bar, her phone glued to her ear as she waited for Penelope to get there.
The woman had managed to talk her down off the ledge and they had gone back to her house together. And that was when she had invited her to London with her. On a whim, Erin had said yes and from there, the whirlwind that was Penelope Garcia had gotten everything arranged. Now they were landing at Heathrow and meeting up with Emily.
"Now, you wait here with Em while I go get our luggage, Erin." The woman grinned as she hugged Emily tightly. "It is so good to be here once more! And I cannot wait until you fill me in on how things are going with your girlfriend!"
She bustled away, leaving the two of them to stand there. Erin felt uncomfortable around the woman, not really sure of where she stood with her. She had never been the kindest to her when she had been in the BAU, and there was never really a chance to atone for her mistakes. "So…you have a girlfriend?"
"Had. She was less than faithful to me."
"That is so awful. And I understand exactly what you're feeling." Their eyes met and she saw the small flicker of compassion that arose there. Emily reached out and placed a hand on her arm, and she tried to smile at her.
"So we're both unlucky in love this Christmas." She nodded and let out a deep breath as Emily ran her hand down her arm to clasp hers. "No wonder PG twisted my arm to let you join her this holiday. Sometimes escape is the best thing for you."
Erin sucked on her cheek as she struggled not to cry. A still, soft, silence fell over them as they waited, and she quickly became accustomed to having Emily hold her hand. Penelope came up, pushing a cart with all their bags on it. "Are you ready to head out, ladies?"
"I think that we are. Clyde let me borrow one of the drivers for the night, so I wouldn't have to deal with all the extra traffic. I'll even bet we can get him to bring the bags inside and up to your room!" Emily winked at them and took off, never letting go of Erin's hand.
The car ride to Emily's home was quick and the woman pointed out all the interesting places that she lived near. While the man brought their bags upstairs, Emily led them into a cozy sitting room and she sat on the low settee. It didn't really surprise her that Emily chose to sit next to her, though she did smile when the woman made sure she wasn't too close. "So, how is Easter doing?"
"He's bored, actually. Since he was promoted, there's less for him to do, and he still hasn't quite gotten used to that." Emily smiled at her and she smiled back, tucking a piece of hair behind her ears. "Since I still have to do some work tomorrow, I could have him take you out to supper. He loves having a pretty woman on his arm."
"Most men usually do, but I wouldn't call myself pretty." Her heart ached as the memory of Dave calling her beautiful surfaced. "That's usually just a lie men tell me, to get what they want." Penelope sat down at her other side and clasped her hand tightly.
"Well, speaking as an objective outsider, who is totally not into women, Erin Strauss, you are absolutely gorgeous." She turned her head to look at Penelope, even though there were tears streaming down her face. "You have amazing skin, your boobs are perfect in every way, and the way you move is just mesmerizing. I've caught my Boo staring at your ass many a time, even though he would deny it to his dying day. Never doubt your beauty."
She nodded and let the woman catch a few tears on her fingers, rubbing them away. "Thank you, Penelope." The woman nodded and then pulled her into a tight hug.
Emily sighed deeply and Erin turned to look at her. "This is going to be a lovely holiday for you, I promise, even if I have to make it so myself." There was real concern in her eyes and Erin nodded a little, her smile still wobbling. "And now it is time you both were asleep. You need to get on our timetable."
Erin nodded and stood, stretching slightly. "Lead on to our bedrooms, then."
"Well, bedroom, actually. I could only afford a two bedroom place." Emily clasped her hand and tugged her over to the stairs. They stopped by the first door they came to, and the woman smiled at her. "Here you go, ladies. I will see you in the morning."
They went in the room and Penelope plopped down on the bed closest to the door. "Well, now you know why I wore pajama pants on the plane. Good night." The woman was asleep before Erin could even reply and she shrugged, going over to her bags and pulling out a long nightgown. It didn't take long for her to strip down and change and then she crawled into her bed, her eyes closing almost the moment her head touched the pillow.
"…and then I helped take down an international terrorist ring. Of course I got no credit for doing so, par for the course."
Erin tried to look like she was interested in what the man had to say, but he had bored her within five minutes of their supper together. After he had ticked her off by ordering for her like she was an anorexic toddler. She had bit her tongue, since she didn't want to upset Emily's boss and potentially get her in trouble. "Oh, I see."
"Yes, yes. And your BAU got all the credit for taking down Ian Doyle, as well."
"Well, it was my team that hunted him down. While you may have provided a little assistance, we did most of the legwork." Her voice sounded harsh to her own ears and internally she winced. Reaching out for her water, she took a sip and tried to calm down.
"I'll have you know, I was the one that gave Emily the head's up about Doyle in the first place, Erin." She met his eyes and saw that he was less than pleased with her response. "Are you planning on having dessert?"
"No, I should be getting back. Emily has plans for tomorrow, and I don't want to be too tired for our outing. Sorry."
"No problem." Clyde quickly settled the check, and he drove her home in silence. Emily was peeking out the window of her house as he walked her up to the stoop. "I'd say it was fun, but I don't believe it was for either of us. Good evening."
"Good evening." She opened the door and slipped inside, resting against it as she let out a deep breath.
"Was it that awful?" Emily asked and she jumped a little.
"Oh, that obvious?" She nodded and Erin shrugged. "He's an insufferable bore. I'm sorry, I hope he doesn't give you any trouble at work. I couldn't conceal my derision very well, I'm afraid."
Emily giggled as she led her into the living room. "He can be a bit much, can't he? I thought he would be on better behavior around you, but I see that I was wrong." They sat on the sofa and Erin curled her legs underneath herself, staring into the fire. "The snow has finally started falling."
"So it has. I love snow, even though we don't see much of it in Virginia." Closing her eyes, she let her head fall back against the cushion. "Where's Penelope?"
"Sleeping. I guess Kevin called after you had fallen asleep, forgetting about the time change, and she couldn't let him go, not after they're trying to work on their relationship. So, it's just you and me until you decide to go to bed."
Erin nodded a little, and then turned her head to look at Emily. "So, when did you know you were bisexual?" she asked without preamble.
"In high school. Mom being an ambassador helped make sure there were no rumors floating around me, since we were moving before anything got too bad. The abortion was the one time that something did stick to me, since Matthew's parents still despise me. It wasn't even his child, and yet he still went with me, stood up for me."
"I didn't know that about you," she murmured, reaching over for the woman's hand. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Here, outside the boundaries of our job, I feel like I can trust you. There's something about you that sets my heart at ease, now that I can look at things a bit more objectively." Emily began to rub her thumb over the back of Erin's hand. "I hope you don't mind this…"
She leaned forward and kissed her sweetly. Erin sighed into the kiss, the ugly feelings of loss and hurt swept away by the promise of something better, of someone better. Hesitantly, she returned the kiss, letting Emily probe her mouth with a soft, facile, tongue. They broke apart and Erin felt her cheeks redden in a blush. "That was…thank you."
"You're welcome." Emily pulled her close and Erin found herself snuggling into the woman's side. "You know, I always place a pair of silver bells on my tree, to remind me of the beauty of the season. But come with me, you have to hear this."
The woman tugged her up off the couch and pulled her outside through the back door, not even giving her a chance to put her coat back on. In the stillness of the night, she began to hear bells pealing, something she didn't have the opportunity to hear back in Virginia. "That is so beautiful," she whispered, burrowing close to Emily in an attempt to stay warm.
"Isn't it? I discovered that you could hear them about a month after I had arrived. I try to listen to them as much as I can." Emily turned her head and kissed Erin's temple lightly. "We all need some beauty in our lives."
"That we do, Emily." She began to shiver, unable to stave off the cold any longer, and Emily briskly rubbed her arm. "Could we head back inside now?"
"Of course, Erin." They went in and the moment the door was closed and locked, she shook off the snow that had fallen onto her in the short time they had been out. "I know of a good way to warm up," she purred and Erin blushed once more, shrugging.
"I agree, Emily, but…we've never particularly liked each other. And we're both still reeling from our betrayals. Would something like that be a good idea?"
"Perhaps it would, as a way to forget for one moment just how raw a deal fate has dealt us at this time of year. I'm not looking for a partner at this time, just some way to feel once more." Erin nodded slowly, smiling a little at Emily.
"A beautiful Christmas present to ourselves, then, is what you want."
"Exactly." Their lips met once more in a gentle kiss and Erin smiled as the kiss lingered. "Come up to bed with me."
"Yes." Erin had no idea why she agreed to the command, she just knew that she wanted to feel something other than what she currently was experiencing. "Lead me on."
"I don't lead anyone on. We go together, and we know exactly what is going to happen. I won't hurt you like I was hurt, like you were hurt. While we might not be a couple, I still want you to know that this will mean something to me. This could be our holy and broken hallelujah."
Erin nodded as she teared up. "I love that song," she whispered as she kissed Emily once more, reaching out to clasp her hand. Together, they went upstairs and Emily guided her to her bedroom. It was clean and modern, everything she associated with the woman, and Erin turned to smile at Emily. "This is lovely."
"Thank you." Emily embraced her and she felt the woman run the zipper of her dress down her back. Erin shrugged it off her shoulders, letting Emily pull it down her arms so that it pooled on the floor. "You can turn the light off, if you wish."
"Why? Then I wouldn't be able to see you, to know what makes you feel good."
Erin nodded, trying not to cover her stomach with her arms, knowing that would tip Emily off to why she was so uneasy. "Aren't you a bit overdressed?" she asked, hating how shaky her voice sounded.
"I guess I am," she replied with a slight grin, tugging her sweater and blouse over her head. The first thing Erin saw on her bare skin was an angry looking shamrock brand. Gasping, she reached forward and delicately traced it with her fingertips. "One of two parting gifts that Doyle left to me," the woman said lowly as she dragged her hand down to her stomach. Erin traced the jagged scar, quick tears pooling in her eyes.
"Oh, Emily," she breathed out, splaying her hand out against her flat stomach. Lifting her eyes, she saw that Emily was also close to crying and she kissed her, wanting to chase that sadness away. She felt her fumble with the belt on her pants and then they were tumbling back onto the bed, limbs quickly becoming entangled.
Erin had no idea when she lost the last bits of her clothing, only that they were gone when Emily latched onto one of her nipples, sucking strongly as she teased her folds with her fingers. In a haze of passion, Erin let the orgasm sweep over her body, feeling the lethargy of wonderful sex wash over her.
"I don't know why you don't think you're beautiful, Erin. Because you are." Erin blushed as Emily leaned in to kiss her once more.
"I, thanks," she finally stammered out, burrowing close to the warmth Emily radiated. "Would you hold me through the night?"
"Yes. Do you want to hear the bells again in the morning?" Erin nodded. "Then give me one second." Emily let go of her and climbed out of bed, jogging over to the window and opening it. "It will be cold, but we can keep each other warm."
"And this way we can hear them sing all through the night," Erin said lowly as Emily returned to the bed, covering them with the heavy blankets and comforter. "You do this a lot."
"What makes you think that?"
"The fact that you have so many covers on your bed and that the register is covered." She yawned and snuggled in close to Emily once more. "We're going to be here for another week. I'd like to listen to the bells every night."
"I'd like that as well." They locked eyes and Emily smiled a little at her. "A week of complete and utter bliss."
"Amen," she murmured as she leaned in to kiss Emily, wanting to feel her lips on hers once more before she fell asleep.