"…knocking at the door."
"What, Erin?" he mumbled as he sat up, trying to clear the sleep from his mind.
"There's someone knocking at the door. I think that Penelope has arrived."
That caught his attention, and he sat up with a start, looking at the clock to see that it was close to six, the time they had agreed on to meet, and his eyes widened as he slipped out of bed and hunted for his boxers, hurriedly stepping into them and his jeans before tugging on his sweater as he left the bedroom and practically flew down the stairs. Whoever was on the porch was still knocking every few seconds, and he rolled his eyes a little as he finally yanked the door open, only to see more people there than just Penelope.
"It took you long enough, Dave," Penelope said as she craned her neck inside the cabin, obviously looking for Erin. "Were you two napping, or something?"
"I think the answer to that is or something, Baby Girl," Derek replied drolly, and Dave frowned a little, only to feel Erin's body press up against his.
"I didn't realise that we had other guests," she managed to squeak out in his ear, and he nodded absently, wondering why she had so suddenly turned shy. "I need to go back upstairs and change."
Again, he nodded as he felt her step away from him and then he listened to her feet slapping against the floor as she hurried back up the stairs. "Please, come in," he said as he stepped away from the door, his mind still on Erin and her sudden shyness.
"I guess I should have called rather than texted to let you know that there were going to be more people than just me coming. I think that you know Alex Blake?"
He felt his face slacken in surprise as the woman stepped out from behind Derek's back, giving him a small wave. "I know that you weren't expecting me, but after we talked on the phone, I did some digging on what happened, and I knew that I couldn't stay away. I promise, on Ethan's life, that I'll be good." Dave nodded a little as he beckoned them inside, allowing Kevin to close the door as he was the last to enter, and without looking back, he led them into the living room.
"All right, I'm going to go upstairs and check on Erin. I'll be right back," he said before turning on his heel and making his way upstairs. He didn't bother to knock on the bedroom door, barreling right in and looking around for her. "Topalina, why did you leave me hanging like that?"
"I thought it was only Penelope, and so I just threw on one of your button down shirts, since she's seen me in less clothing. And then, I saw Derek."
"It's not just Derek that came with her. Kevin is also here, along with…"
"Yes?"
"Alex."
She gasped a little, turning to look at him with hopeful eyes. "Really?" He nodded. "Did she say why or how she knew to come here?"
"No, but I have been in contact with her recently, so maybe that helped to thaw the ice that's built up between the two of you?"
"Oh, I pray to God that you're right, darling." Erin stepped over to him and threw her arms around his waist as she leaned up to kiss him passionately. "Well, let's go downstairs and greet our guests."
"Of course, Erin," he replied before he kissed her once more. Somehow, he knew that they couldn't kiss again until after everyone had left, but that waiting would just make their next kiss all the sweeter. He was unsurprised when Erin took hold of his hand as they went down to the living room, her fingers tightening around his hand as she set eyes on her former friend.
"Well, I thought that it was just going to be Penelope here, so seeing other, friendly, faces is quite the surprise. I hope that you'll be all right with foraging for yourself in the kitchen for food, soon, because I don't think that we have enough here for a proper meal."
"Ever the hostess, Erin," Alex quipped lightly, and he watched Erin shrug a little. "Well, Penelope thought of that, and there's food in the kitchen for us all. It might be nice to talk while we eat?" Alex got to her feet and approached them, reaching out to run the tips of her fingers down Erin's arm before looking into her eyes. "If you don't mind, I'd like to get the table set with just Erin. I promise, Dave, you can throw me out if I make her cry on purpose."
"I will hold you to that promise, Alex." They shared a sharp nod before Erin let go of his hand and followed Alex into the kitchen. Feeling the weight of their eyes on him, Dave looked around the room before letting out a long breath. "We should probably give them fifteen minutes. I know that won't be long enough for them to discuss everything, but it is a good amount of time for a first talk."
"Yeah, that's not why I'm staring at you, old man. Are you really sleeping with her? So soon after the death of her family?" Derek was giving him a disappointed look, and he felt his shoulders pull up defensively as he tried not to react in anger.
"Erin has been the one to lead this entire time, and I have down my best to assure her that we didn't need to make things physical between us, as I don't want her to make rash decisions. I find myself falling in love with her, and while I know that this is a less than ideal situation for us to be starting a relationship, I will not begrudge her whatever happiness she finds. Caring for her has made love a joy, something I never thought I'd find myself saying at this point in my life."
Penelope let out a romantic sigh as she popped to her feet and came up to him, hugging him tightly as she kissed his cheek. "You are so sweet, my Italian Stallion. And I know that I haven't been the happiest with this, but even I can see that she's so much more relaxed right now. Though this added wrinkle of Alex Blake might throw that off. You're the only one who really knows anything about her. Is she nice?"
"She's fiercely intelligent which has lent her an air of coolness, just like Erin was. From what Erin has told me of her, however? I think that she is nice, but fair. They're going to need time to work out what happened between them, but the fact that Alex would even think about dropping everything to come here so quickly? Tells me that she's willing to work on getting back to where their friendship used to be, and that makes my heart incredibly light. For Erin to fully heal and move on from the annihilation of her family, she needs to have all other rooms of her house in order. Which means that I need you all to help me wear Hotch down and get him to treat her with a little more respect. Because that is going to be our final stumbling block, I fear."
"I can definitely help with that, Rossi," Derek said as he gave him a quick smile. "You just need to assure me that you won't hurt Erin."
"That is the plan, Derek. I care for her, and I will do everything in my power to see that she's never hurt like this ever again. And if I do something stupid, Penelope is allowed free reign on my credit and you can do your worst." The other man nodded as he settled back in his seat, smiling a little easier at him. "Well, I haven't heard any shouting, so I am going to take that as a good sign."
"The very best, darling," Erin said as she came back into the room, her eyes red rimmed, but a gentle smile on her lips which told him that everything was going to be all right. "We have the table set and the food is out, so if you'd like to join us in the kitchen, we're ready for you." She took firm hold of his hand and began to tug him along with her as they went to the kitchen. "I thought that you might like to ask him, Alex, since this was planned to be just the two of us."
"Ask me what?" he replied as he took the seat Erin pointed to, listening to the others approach. "Alex?"
"Erin was telling me that you two were going to spend the weekend here, and since I don't have classes until Tuesday, I was wondering if I could stay as well. I don't mean to intrude on whatever is growing between the two of you, but from the little that we've talked here, I know that I need more time to find the right words to say. If that's all right with you."
From the look that Erin gave him, he knew that he couldn't say no, and so he nodded before speaking. "If you don't mind borrowing some of Erin's clothing, I don't see why that would be a problem. As long as you don't mind us acting a bit mushy."
"I'm certain that I'll muddle through that, Dave. Thank you." The sincerity in those two words told him he had made the right decision, and he nodded in response as the rest of the group filed in and took their spots around the table. There was an air of camaraderie in the air, and Dave felt his heart lighten a little as they began to pass the food around the table, an easy conversation beginning to grow between them as they ate.