Erin felt at ease as she stirred the pasta sauce in the pan, the scent calming her stomach. Penelope was nearby, working on the noodles and humming along to the music in the background. "What time do you think Dave will be home?" she asked suddenly.

"Well, if I hear rightly, I think he's pulling into the garage now. How are you feeling?"

"Tired. I was tired a lot through Tabitha's pregnancy, too, though. Helen's going to have to keep a closer eye on me. It was risky enough carrying her." She lowered her hand to her stomach, sighing deeply.

"Tabitha's what, thirteen now?"

"Yes. I had her when I was thirty-seven. Which, isn't that old these days, but she was a surprise baby, and I had just started my position as Section Chief. There was so much stress, and, I almost lost her. I had to go on bedrest for the last fourteen weeks of the pregnancy, and even then she came three weeks early." Another sigh slipped from her lips as she rubbed her stomach.

"Are you afraid that will happen again?" Penelope softly asked, reaching out to touch her shoulder.

"Yes. And it probably will. I'm fifty now, Penelope." She broke off her thought, not wanting to vocalize her deepest fear.

"I will do everything in my power to make certain that you do not have anything to worry about. All right?" Erin nodded a little, accepting the tight hug that Penelope pulled her into.

"It will be harder this time, too, since I won't have the support of a lover. Now, I know that you and David will be by my side, but there is so much that I had to rely on Alan for. I never imagined that I would be in the position of single mother." She began to cry softly, burying her face in Penelope's shoulder as the woman rubbed her back in slow circles.

The door to the kitchen opened, and Erin could smell David's aftershave get closer and closer to her. "You'll be fine, bella," he murmured as he wrapped his arms around them, cocooning Erin in the middle. Hot tears began to roll down her cheeks once more as she nodded, letting her head come to rest against his chest.

"I don't feel fine right now."

"I should imagine not. Reid tap-danced on your heart today, so it is still very tender. But the food smells delicious. Is this what our babies were craving?"

She laughed a little at the sudden appropriation of her baby as part of their family, but knew that he was just trying to make her feel better, to make her feel included. "A little. Would you mind terribly if I was bad company tonight and went right to bed after supper?"

"This is going to be like Tabby's pregnancy all over again, isn't it, bella?"

She nodded and pushed away from him. "Maybe worse. I am thirteen years older, after all. But, oh, how I want this to go smoothly."

"Move in with us."

Penelope's words took her aback, and she turned to look at her friend. "I'm sorry?"

"We have the room, obviously, we're both going through the same experience, though you have more practice than I do, and I don't want you to get lonely. We can look out for you." There was a soft look of concern on the woman's face, and Erin found herself nodding a little. "I'm glad I didn't need to twist your arm to get you to agree to this. Davie, you don't mind, do you?"

Erin slid her eyes over to look at him, seeing the easy smile that had spread across his face as he looked at their stomachs. "No, I don't mind at all. And this way, you're closer to your children. Alan lives, what, ten miles from here?"

She nodded and placed her hands on her stomach. "Yes. I suppose I should break the news to them this weekend. Could I, that is, do you..?"

"Would you like to have a dinner party, Erin?" She felt her eyes grow wide as she nodded. "Why don't I see if I can get a chef to cater us in something. I seem to recall that you loved French food last time around."

A blush spread across her face as she nodded. "I'm surprised you remembered that, David." Penelope's cellphone began to ring, interrupting the moment and Erin turned back to the stove, stirring the red sauce absently.

"Um, I'm not at liberty to say where she is at the moment, Reid. And I doubt very much that she would even speak to you if I gave you her number." Erin flipped off the burner and looked at her friend, shaking her head vigorously. Penelope nodded, reaching out for her hand. She squeezed it tightly before threading their fingers together.

"Don't worry, bella," David whispered in her ear, rubbing her back lightly. "Let's get the food plated up while she talks to him." She was grateful for the way he led her over to the island, helping her up onto one of the stools. She knew that what he meant was she had to sit back and watch him do all the work. Which suited her just fine in that moment.

"You want to know what? Her favorite flower? Hollyhocks," Penelope spat out loudly, rolling her eyes at Erin. "And good luck finding a place that sells them, since they're a wildflower. You can bet your sweet ass that this will be worse than the Herculean tasks. Why? Because you destroyed her heart today. Nothing is going to change that. Goodbye."

Penelope stabbed at the end call button and exhaled forcefully. "I miss a handset a lot, too," Erin quipped, accepting the plate from David's hands. Finding herself famished, she dug right in as Penelope took the seat next to her, eating with the same gusto.

As the meal continued on, she started to yawn, feeling her head droop before jerking it back up. "This is a losing battle, Erin. You need sleep right now more than food. I think there's an old nightgown of yours still in the dresser. Kitten, run up with her and get her settled for the night."

She accepted the help down from the stool and held on to Penelope's arm as they made their way upstairs. "He really wants to send me flowers?" she whispered, feeling her heart begin to start sewing itself up a little.

"Yeah, but I don't trust his motives. He probably just wants to get on your good side for some reason. He's a snake in the grass, Erin. Don't go letting your heart get soft. All right?"

Erin nodded absently, rubbing her stomach in soft circles. "I'll try. But what if he wants us? What then? Should I just rebuff him? I know he hurt me this afternoon, but this is his baby, too. Maybe I was a bit hasty."

"No, Erin, you were not hasty. He made it quite clear what his intentions were."

"But I sprung this on him!" She worried her lower lip between her teeth as she took the nightie from Penelope's hands. "I didn't really give him much time to think about what had happened. If he really wants us, would it be so wrong to accept him in our lives?"

Penelope reached out and caressed her cheek. "I just don't want to see you getting hurt, honey. We'll support you no matter what decision you make here."

Erin nodded and then hugged Penelope tightly. "I'm so glad that we have tomorrow off. I really need to clear my head. Why did you tell him that hollyhocks are my favorite flower? You know that it's really tulips."

"Because hollyhocks are impossible to find right now, if at all. If he's really sincere, you'll get those flowers." Her friend reached out and tweaked her nose gently. "Now get changed and head to bed. I'm sure Davie will make breakfast for us in the morning."

Erin sighed as she turned and left the room. It was reassuring that she had people in her life that were going to support her through this, no matter what the future held.