When he arrived home, Dave was still mulling over the advice that Derek had given him. There would be problems facing them in the future if they didn't have a long talk, and he didn't want to end up hurting Erin inadvertently if they decided to take things to the next level. After staring at his steering wheel for a solid minute, he finally climbed out of the vehicle and made his way inside to the kitchen, setting his go bag in the laundry room before he joined the women there.
"You took longer than I expected," Penelope said as she looked up at him, a sweet smile on her lips. "We made a pot of tea, just in case you wanted something to drink before you headed up to bed. I'll see you in the morning, Erin?"
"Probably. If we don't end up talking late again. I enjoy…talking with David." The soft look that Erin was giving him caused his heart to skip a beat or two, and he nodded as he took a seat at the table and picked up the cup that Erin pushed towards him, taking a long sip as he watched Penelope give them both a wry look before she left the room. "I know that this is forward of me, but you're spending the night in my bedroom. I've been sleeping alone this whole week, trying to find the strength to just be a me, rather than a we, and while that was nice, I missed being held while I slept."
"It is so easy to grow accustomed to a new way of living very quickly. Though I was happy to talk with you as much as I did while I was in the field. It helped me to transition back to into my regular work. And let me tell you, I do not envy what you do, Erin." She smiled shyly as he drank from his cup once more, leaning back in his chair to study her. "I hope that Penelope was able to keep your mind off your troubles, too."
"Yes, and Agent Anderson was being especially kind as well. I never knew just how much he respected me. I always thought that everyone in the BAU assumed I was a dragon and avoided me as a result. I'm not certain that I want to suddenly have a completely new countenance at work, but I think that I am ready to start thawing a little."
"Slow changes are probably for the best, yes. You want people to see you for who you are." She nodded before finishing off her tea and setting the cup aside. "Are you ready to head up now?"
"I think so. You'll probably want to shower, so I'll change for bed while you do that?"
"You read my mind," he replied as he drained the rest of his mug and got to his feet, placing the used cup in the sink before making his way upstairs. He was surprised a little to not hear Erin's feet on the steps behind him, but he trusted her to be there when he finished washing the day's grime and travel off his skin. Stepping into the bedroom he had claimed as his own, Dave grabbed out a fresh set of pyjamas before slipping into Allie's room, knowing that Penelope would probably have claimed that room on Erin's insistence.
Sure enough, she was in there on her laptop, skyping with Kevin, and he cleared his throat to get their attention. "Hey, Dave. What do you need?" she asked as she muted the call with her partner before turning her full attention on him.
"I just wanted to check in with you before I get ready for bed. I reached out to Alex Blake on Erin's behalf, and it appears like she might be willing to start making amends with Erin. I don't know how well the initial reach out will go, so I wanted to prepare you for more tears."
"That's good to know. I've heard a little about what happened between them, and I know that Erin is still saddened by her inability to reconnect with her former friend. I'm just going to hope that this is the best course of action."
"I think that it will be. Erin needs as many friends as possible at a time like this. And she'll have us, and Derek, and Grant, to fall back on should things not go well. And thank you for going to my house and grabbing more clothes for me while I was out. I was starting to wonder when people would comment on the fact that I was rotating through the same three ties."
"I needed a wardrobe refresher, too. Even though I think that this will be my last two weeks here. She's going to need some privacy, after all." His brow furrowed in confusion as she chuckled airily. "For how smart you are, sometimes you are so clueless. I'm not going to intrude on the start of your physical relationship with Erin. There are some things that friends just shouldn't know about each other, much though I love you and her. This does not mean that I approve of you sleeping with her right away, but I understand a little more fully now. Hold her heart delicately, David."
"I fully intend to, Kitten," he replied as he went to her side and pressed his lips to her temple before making his way out to the master bathroom. Stripping off his clothes, he placed them in a neat pile before stepping into the shower and turning the water on, allowing it to sluice over his body. As he washed himself, Dave thought about Penelope's gentle admonishment, knowing that she was right, he would have to tread lightly with Erin's heart. They were both treading on thin glass, and he didn't want to do anything that might cause that glass to shatter and hurt them both.
Finally, he was clean, and then he was turning the water off, wrapping a towel around his hips before stepping out of the shower and padding over to the sink, grooming his goatee and brushing his teeth before tugging on his pyjamas and then heading into the master bedroom. Erin was leaning back against the headboard, her nose buried in a book, and he smiled as he crossed over to the bed, climbing in next to her and slipping his feet beneath the covers. "Just let me finish this chapter, darling, and then we can talk," she murmured as she scooted closer to his side, allowing her body to mold to his as their heads touched.
He nodded a little as he let his hand rest on her thigh, the warmth of her skin filling his senses as he listened to her hum a little as she continued to read. Soon enough, she was done with her reading and had placed a marker where she had left off before setting the book on the nightstand along with her reading glasses. "What do you want to talk about?" he asked lowly as she stretched out long his body a little more, burrowing close to him as she rested her head on his chest.
"Penelope told me that she's going to go home in two weeks, though she'll be only a phone call away. I knew that that would have to happen, eventually, but I don't know if I feel ready to have an empty house again. It's already so quiet when it was just the two of us."
"You can't get rid of me that easily, Topalina. Unless you want me to leave, too?"
"No, I'd rather you stay. If you don't mind. I know that Mudgie must miss you something fierce, and I wouldn't mind of you brought him here. And he would be a companion for me, when you're out on a case."
"I suppose that we could do that for a little while. At least until you feel ready to be on your own once more."
There was a small pause before Erin contorted her body once more, straddling him so that she could look down into his face, studying his features intently, pinning him to the spot. "And if I decide that I want something different?"
"Then we'll talk about that, too. Everything will be on your timetable, Erin, because your health and recovery matter the most here. How are the cravings?"
She gave him a sad smile before leaning down and kissing him tenderly. "You would think to ask about that," she finally said after breaking the kiss. Letting out a deep sigh, she draped her body on his, her left hand curling around his shoulder as she rested her head on his other shoulder. "They're still here, but with Penelope's help, and my new group, I've found a way to stave them off. My sponsor didn't want to agree with me, that my overdose attempt should reset my clock, but I rather think that I have to look at it that way, since it was a deliberate act, even if it wasn't my getting blindingly drunk."
"I agree with your sponsor, but I know that you have to do what's most appropriate for you, so I'll support you no matter what." Erin let out a little sigh as she snuggled a little closer to him, her hips unconsciously grinding against his erection, and he slid his hands down to her waist in an effort to still her movements. "I only have so much control, Erin, and I don't think that tonight is the right time to take this to its natural conclusion."
"I hate when you're right," she muttered before pressing her lips against his jaw. "All right, tell me about your case. I heard a little about it from the updates that Aaron sent my office, but I'd rather hear more from you."
"All right," he replied, spreading one hand out on her back as he used the other to finagle the covers up around their waists. "It was an easier case than I thought it would be, but it was still a bit difficult to get back in the swing of things. Though Hotch and I seemed to find a better spot to be in, as we found our working rhythm once more." As he spoke about the case, he felt Erin's body start to grow heavy in his arms, and he smiled as he reached out to turn off the bedside lamp and allowed the peace of the room to settle over his mind as he drifted off to sleep himself.