It was the night before the day she would be released and Erin Strauss was so nervous she couldn't sleep. She had been packed hours before lights out and now she just lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, willing morning to hurry up and come but also terrified that it would get here. She was anxious to be able to spend time with her kids and David in private but she was worried that she wouldn't be able to retain her sobriety and would end up disappointing them. As the hours slowly eked by, she had worked herself up so much that if there was even the slightest drop of alcohol nearby she would have downed it before she could blink and all her hard work would have been for naught. Erin knew she had to find a way to trick her brain into relaxing so she began to mentally relive the first couple of dates David took her on and their the first few times they were intimate. Before she knew it, she had drifted off to sleep and when she was awoken the next morning, if she had been at home in bed with Rossi, he would have definitely gone to work with a smile.

She got up and took a very cold shower. She couldn't wait to be back at home where she would have her own private shower and could bathe when she pleased, not when she was scheduled to. Erin decided to skip breakfast, or what passed for breakfast around the place. The cooks made good lunches and dinners but for some reason breakfast, always was a sloppy affair. She could make it a few hours without eating and she'd convince David to take her and the kids for a sit down breakfast once she was out of here. Time seemed to move extremely slowly as she had one more group and then individual session before she could leave. Strauss didn't make friends easily but she had manage to make one or two while she was here and got along with most of her fellow rehabbers so they threw he a small going away party during the group session. It was really nice of them and quite unexpected, so she was understandably choked up by the gesture.

Her final individual session was really just a formality, really. Her therapist gave her a chance to talk but didn't really ask the deep, probing questions she had been subjected through in previous sessions. She had a few minutes before her family was due to arrive so she double checked her room to make sure she wouldn't be leaving anything behind. Erin would have preferred not to attend the short graduation ceremony that would be held for all those being released that day but David and the kids were planning to attend to show her how proud of her they were. As soon as she had thought of them, the attendant knocked on the door and once he she had been bade to enter, informed Erin that her visitors, had arrived. Strauss thanked the woman and practically flew out the room, anxious to see her kids and the man she loved. They were just as happy to see her and hugs and kisses were shared all the way round with the kids teasing her and Rossi about setting off the smoke alarms, when the kiss went on for several minutes. The ceremony was thankfully short and by 10:00 am they were on their way. Erin couldn't believe she was finally going home. The stopped at a small family owned restaurant and had an amazing country breakfast. Her eyes lit up as they left the restaurant and Rossi handed her the keys, saying, "Why don't you take the wheel". It was hard to imagine something so simple giving her so much pleasure but after months of not being able to engage in that activity and having very little control over one's own life, she was thrilled at the prospect of driving herself and her loved ones back home.

Conversation in the car was lively as they discussed some of the things she had missed that the kids hadn't had a chance to tell her about since they had last seen her, their plans for the immediate future and Rossi told a 'G' rated version of Reid and Anderson going undercover at an exotic dance club.

After about an hour of driving, Dave told Erin to get into the right lane and get off at the next exit. She protested that was not the way home but after he gave her a just trust me look, she made the move while traffic was light and then informed him just loud enough for him to hear, that if he got them lost, "his team would be searching for him".

"Trust me, Bella. I know what I am doing".

"Yeah, go with the flow Mom", her son called out from the back seat. Another thirty minutes and a few more turn offs and they arrived at a lovely Bed and Breakfast They checked in and went down for lunch. While they ate, Dave and the kids informed her of their plans for the next few days. On the agenda were visits to an amusement park, Water Park, animal safari, botanical garden, tea room, magic show, art museum, family festival and renaissance festival. He also gave her a box and told her to open it. She gasped when she saw what was inside. Erin couldn't believe what was inside. Rossi couldn't help but grin at the smile on her face, when she saw her gift. He knew how much she loved this musical group and so he had gotten tickets for the two of them, not just to attend the concert, two nights after they got back home, but also passes to go back stage for a meet and greet, plus entry for the after party. Strauss was never one for excessive public displays of affection but this gift had her up out of her seat, hugging and kissing him, exuberantly. When she had calmed down, she whispered in his ear, that she thank him properly later, after the kids were asleep. Luckily for them, it was late in the afternoon and the dining room wasn't crowded but she was still embarrassed when she realized she was sitting on his lap and they had garnered the attention of the other patrons. The rest of the lunch passed quietly with the kids eating quickly as they were anxious to get out and have fun.

The days passed quickly. Erin, Dave and the kids had fun, doing family activities. He even hired a staff babysitter for one evening and took Erin out to dinner and dancing. As they packed up to head back to Virginia, Erin took Rossi's hand and sat down with him on the bed.

"I have had a wonderful time, these last few days David and so have the kids. I can't tell you how much it means to me that you would do something like this for me and my children".

"Sweetheart, there is nothing that I wouldn't do for you and those kids in the other room. They are great kids Erin. You did a good job raising them. I really can't even take credit for the ideal, it was theirs. They wanted to spend some time with you, where you could relax and have fun, doing the things you like to do and where you and I could be a couple without worrying about someone seeing us and endangering your position. I knew you would only be happy if they were having fun too, so I encouraged them to come up with some things they would like to do too".

"Ah tell the truth Rossi, the water balloon fight, was solely your ideal, wasn't it?"

"I wish I could take credit for it, especially since I got to see you soaked to the skin" he said giving her a long lecherous leer.

Before she could respond to that statement, the kids were knocking on the door, declaring they were starving. Erin bade them to go double check that they hadn't left anything, then she quickly made sure she had everything packed while Dave called for a luggage cart. They checked out and hit the road, having promised to stop for lunch at the kids' favorite restaurant chain.

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