Aaron could tell by the piece Erin was playing on the baby grand piano that they had bought last month that she had gotten news that had upset her. It was amazing how quickly he had been able to discern her moods that way, but it also helped him to understand her better. Dropping his bag off in the laundry room, he then made his way into the front room, walking in as quietly as he could so as not to disturb Erin while she played. Still, she glanced up at him and gestured with her head that he should take a seat next to her on the bench, and he nodded in response before doing just that.

"I'm so transparent to you, Aaron."

"I'm a profiler. My job is to know how to read people, and since I love you, you're that much easier to read. What's troubling you?"

"I had to have Jessica take Jack out to the park so that I could work my feelings out on the piano. I couldn't even work on our quilt, I was too worked up to keep my stitches neat and even." The song came to an end and she turned a little so that she could look at him. "Penelope's found one of my descendants, now that I gave her more details to work with in regards to my children."

"And why is that throwing you off kilter?"

Erin sighed as she turned back to the keyboard, her hands automatically starting to play a different song as she breathed in and out deeply. "Because I don't know if I want to meet her. I had considered my past a closed book, and that there would be no turning back to what was left behind. Now, however, I have a link to that past, and I can't tell her the truth of how we're related. I know that Penelope meant well, but now I'm left feeling like I'm being torn between two very difficult decisions, and I don't know which choice to make."

He nodded as he listened to her continue to play, knowing that that would be the best thing for her in that moment. Finally, that song came to an end, and then he rested his hands atop hers, drawing them off the keys and onto their legs. "I know I can't make this decision for you, but I can talk you through whatever is going on in your brain. Has Penelope reached out to this woman yet?"

"No, she said that she'd wait until I told her what my decision was, she just wanted me to know that she was living in our area, and so it would be easy enough to meet her in a public space. Her, her name is Tabitha, and I think that may be partially why I am so uncomfortable with meeting her. If she carries my daughter's name, she might also carry her face, and how would I be able to explain breaking down into tears at the sight of her?"

"But you might also find comfort in seeing your daughter's face living on through one of her descendants, too. And if I know Penelope, she will most likely have a printed dossier available for you to look at the next time she's over, so that you can see any public pictures of this Tabitha, along with getting to know her before you go meet her. And I would go along with you, if you wanted to meet her, so that you would have some moral support."

Erin sighed as she nodded. "That would be nice, yes. Thank you. Between the music and your presence, my heart is so much lighter now."

"Good." He leaned in and kissed her softly as he ran his hand down her braid and quickly pulled off the hair tie, unraveling her hair so that it spilled around her body. "I know, you don't like your hair down during the day, but I love seeing you like this. Humor me?"

"Of course, Aaron. Are, are you certain that you don't want me to cut it?"

"No, please keep it long. I love the way you look with your curls spiraling around your shoulders. And I find myself happy that I get to learn how to braid it when I'm home. Penelope's even mentioned that there are videos online that can show me how to do different types of braids." Erin let out a soft laugh before she kissed him, her hand tugging at the short hairs on the nape of his neck. "How long do we have until they're home?"

"Enough time if you text and ask her to bring back food for supper."

Aaron nodded as he grabbed his phone, sending off that text before getting to his feet and holding his hand out to Erin. She clasped it without hesitation, and together they made their way upstairs. She had lost some of her inhibitions in the time that they had been together, and he relished these moments that they could steal away for themselves, since they were so few and far between.

Once they were in the bedroom, Aaron closed the door with the heel of his foot as he wrapped his arms around Erin's waist, leading her over to the bed. Once there, he ran the zipper of her dress down her back and pulled it off her arms before hurriedly undressing himself. Together, they tumbled onto the bed, and he lost himself in the beauty that was Erin. She met him kiss for kiss, caress for caress, until they were both experiencing higher and higher planes of pleasure. He let out a sharp cry, muffled by her hair, as they came, and then he was collapsing on top of her, holding her close as they fought to catch their breath.

"I love you," she breathed out before nuzzling her nose against his collarbone. "I'm so tired, darling. Would you mind if we napped for a little while?"

"No, that's fine. I'll set an alarm for forty minutes, so that should give us enough time to get dressed and your hair pinned back up before Jack and Jessica arrive home." Erin let out a deep breath as she snuggled close to his chest, pulling up the sheet around their shoulders as her breathing started to even out against his skin. "Sleep well, dearest."

Erin muttered something unintelligible, and he chuckled a little as he tightened his hold on her waist, listening to her fall asleep. He wasn't entirely tired, so he dragged his fingers through her hair, working out some of the tangles that had appeared after their lovemaking. "Penelope, what kettle of fish have you cooked up for Erin now?" he murmured as he pulled away from her a little so that he could look into her face, seeing how relaxed she looked in sleep. "I know that you mean well, because you want only the best for your friends, but we have to take things so carefully when it comes to Erin."

Erin frowned a little before closing the distance between them once more, her hand splaying out on his chest as her features evened out once more. Taking that as his cue, Aaron bent and placed a soft kiss on her forehead before allowing his eyes to close as well, sleep easily overtaking him as he held tightly to Erin.