Erin felt her shoulders get tighter and tighter the longer that they had to wait outside the house. At some point, paramedics had arrived, and David had insisted that she go over and be checked out. "I'll be fine, honey. It's just a flesh wound."

"Still, I'd like it if they cleaned the wound out, since who knows what sort of germs and filth were inside that house. Bella, dolce, please. For me."

Letting out a deep sigh, she looked over at Penelope, hoping that the woman would back her up. Instead, she just shook her head and pointed towards the ambulances. "No matter which one of us protests about being looked over, saying that it's the smallest, most insignificant, of wounds, everyone else prods them towards the paramedics."

Rolling her eyes, she shook her head and allowed her partner to wrap his arm around her waist and guide her over to one of the rigs. Erin took a seat in the back of it and shrugged out of her blouse before peeling off the vest and handing it to David. "At least it wasn't my dominant arm," she muttered as she allowed one of the paramedics to irrigate the wound.

"This doesn't look too bad," she said as she blotted away bloody water from her arm. "I can't stitch anything together, since it appears that the bullet didn't penetrate your flesh, and you'll have a wicked looking scar, but all the best people do."

Erin smiled at her as she nodded. "That is very true." The paramedic winked before pressing a wide gauze pad over the wound and then winding a cheesecloth bandage around the pad before clipping two butterfly clips to it in order to keep it all in place.

"All right, you're set. I would go to your GP and have it checked out in a few days, just in case infection has set in."

Erin nodded and hopped off the back of the rig, taking her blouse from David's hands and shrugging into before allowing him to take her back to the group. "This was my favorite blouse, you know. John just had to shoot me."

"I'm just glad that you're safe and whole, Erin. You had me so worried about you."

"Didn't you read my letter?" she asked as they reached Clyde and Penelope.

"Yes, but that didn't really explain just what was going through that brain of yours. You've always been insular, keeping a lot of yourself hidden away. And when Clyde called to let us know what was going on, I thought the worst."

Erin pursed her lips as she tried to find an answer to give him. His words hurt deeply, as if she had deliberately set out to hurt him, and she looked to Clyde for a way out. He tilted his head to one side before clearing his throat. "You know, Rossi, there were numerous times when Erin wanted to break and call you, to let you know that she was okay. I was always reminding her that in order for this op to work, she needed to remain in deep cover. And obviously, I was right. She took down the man who was stalking your team, and rescued Doctor Blake. You, of all people, should know how important that would be for her."

David looked a little sheepish before nodding. And then, in the background, Erin heard the man who had spoken to them earlier all out "All clear!" Turning on her heel, she focused on the door, her foot starting to tap anxiously as she waited for Alex to come outside.

They all started to drift towards the door, as if drawn to Alex, wanting to make certain that she was all right. "Erin?" she called out, and Erin tried to ignore the askance look Doctor Reid gave her as she stumbled forward, breaking through the group before starting to job over to the woman's side.

"You're finally free," she breathed out as her hands fluttered around her shoulders, wanting to touch her, but not certain if it would be welcomed or not. And then, Alex was stepping forward, falling against her, and she encircled her arms around the woman as the first shudder tore through her body. "We have to take you over to the paramedics now, to make certain you're okay."

Alex nodded against her chest, and together, they went over to the rigs. The same paramedic who had dressed her wound came up to their sides, pressing her hand against the small of Alex's back as she helped them get up into the back of her ambulance. "I probably should have introduced myself earlier. I'm Sam."

Erin gave Sam a small smile as she began to go through her checklist, and she held Alex's hand tightly as she responded to the questions she was asked. "I can't find anything really wrong with you, Agent Blake. But for a slight vitamin D deficiency, since you were out of the sun for so long, everything looks good. I would take it easy for a week or two, build your strength up, and rest."

Alex nodded, though she didn't move from where she was sitting. "Could you give us a few moments?" Erin asked softly.

"Of course, I just need to write up my report, so take your time."

They shared a smile before the woman moved off, and Erin turned to face Alex, taking hold of her hands as she gazed at her. "Alexandra?"

"Will you come home with me tonight? I don't know if James will be there, and I feel like we still have some unfinished business to talk about. The others, they don't understand what happened during the Amerithrax case. We're the only two, still with the Bureau, who know how things went down. Please?"

Tears shimmered on the edges of Alex's eyes, and Erin knew that she couldn't deny the cautious request, not when things were still so nebulous between them. "Of course, I would like nothing more than to bury this once and for all. I'm so sorry that it took something like this to get us to this place, but I will definitely take hold of this olive branch."

Alex nodded, a few tears tracking down her cheeks before she swiped them away. "We're different people now, and I know that there's so much to learn about who we are now." She gave her a tremulous smile before leaning forward and hugging Erin. "I will never be this touchy feely again, Erin, so be grateful for this moment."

She giggled a little as she nodded against Alex's shoulder. "I understand, a lot of this is due to the adrenaline coursing through your veins." She rubbed her back gently before pulling away. "All right, let's go talk to the team before we head back home."

"Yes."

They clambered out of the rig and Erin smiled a little wider as Alex threaded their arms together as they approached the others. "So, the paramedic gave Alex the all clear, but she does need to head home and rest. I've been asked to accompany her, and I've agreed. It goes without saying that you have tomorrow off, and I will talk to Director Shepperd about getting you a week off, since there has been so much turmoil in the last few months."

Doctor Reid looked like he was going to protest, until Agent Morgan guided him away from the group, talking lowly to him. Aaron nodded sharply before reaching out and patting Alex's shoulder gently. "Take care of yourselves," he said as he looked into their eyes. Erin nodded and Alex made a small sound of agreement before he moved on.

Agent Jareau just stood there for a few seconds, looking between the two of them. "Sometimes, miracles really do happen," she whispered before jogging over to join the others, leaving just David and Penelope standing there. "Do you mind if I crash the party?" he asked lowly.

"As long as you make me food, I will be fine with that," Alex replied as she tightened her arm.

"Perfect," he replied, and Erin just sighed a little, wondering how she would go about this now.