"Did you want to head out for a late supper with us, Rossi?" Derek asked as they dropped their go bags off in the bullpen. He shook his head, and the other man chuckled as he raised an eyebrow. "That eager to return home?"
"Yes. I am exhausted from this case, as I didn't sleep well the past few days. Though I will take a raincheck on that offer. Perhaps next time, we both can join the team for supper."
"I would like that," Derek replied as he patted Dave's shoulder. Dave smiled at him as he went out into the hallway, deciding to eschew the elevator in favor of the stairs, knowing that they would get him to his car faster. While he was walking across the parking lot, he pulled out his phone to see if Erin had sent him any messages, but there was nothing new there. It didn't really surprise him, since they had been texting back and forth up until it was her normal bedtime, but he had still hoped for one last message before she had fallen asleep.
Dave made certain to put on light jazz as he drove home, knowing that the music would help him unwind after the case. It hadn't been nearly as bad as some of the ones they covered, but it was still enough to cause his skin to crawl a little. Along the way, he began to hum along to a familiar tune, thinking about crawling into bed and falling asleep. He was weary from the time change, and knew that it might be a miracle if he came into work on time the next morning. And since was the first time that they had worked under Cruz, he didn't know how lenient the man would be with tardiness. Still, he had the feeling that if everyone was dragging ass the next morning, there wouldn't be too much fuss.
Finally, he pulled into his driveway and opened the garage door. A wide grin slowly bloomed across his lips when he saw a very familiar car parked in the now cleaned spot. Though they had only been gone three days, it seemed like Erin had worked some magic in preparing a place for herself in his life, and he wondered who she had strong-armed into helping her. Still, he knew that was a story that could wait until morning, and he stumbled into the house, dropping his go bag off in the laundry room before stepping out of his shoes and then making his way upstairs. There was no need to turn any lights on, since he knew that would only disorient him and wake him up. Sighing a little, Dave pulled his shirt from his pants and began to undo the buttons as he climbed the stairs, ready to just collapse on the bed and pass out.
When he entered his bedroom, however, he found himself staring at the sight awaiting him on his bed. Erin was curled up on his usual side, wearing one of his pyjama shirts that was about two sizes too large for her slender frame, with Mudgie nestled at her feet. "You're gonna have to get down, boy. That's my spot," he said lowly as he tugged on his dog's collar. He slowly opened his eyes and let out a small woof of complaint as he jumped onto the floor. Dave chuckled as he crouched down to rub his head. "You did a good job watching over her for me, though." Another quiet woof came, and he smiled as he stood up and finished undressing, hanging up his trousers and shirt before dressing in a fresh set of silk pyjamas and joining Erin in the bed.
He had hoped that he wouldn't wake her, but from the groan that tumbled from her lips, he knew that she was coming to wakefulness. "You're finally home," she murmured as she sat up a little, wrapping her arms around his waist as she nuzzled her face into his neck. "I tried to wait up for you, but I fell asleep."
"I figured that when you didn't answer my last text."
"It's tough to grow accustomed to these new hours, David. The international team checks in at the oddest times, and I find myself having to be more on the ball than I was with your team. At least I knew that you went rogue only every once in a while. The Red Cell team practically reinvents the word rogue every time they go out on a new case. And I don't sleep as well when you're not here."
"Is that why you made room for your car in the garage?"
She nodded. "And we moved over the bulk of my clothes and makeup." She let out a long yawn as she stretched against his body. "But enough talk. You're home now, and I want to go back to sleep." He smiled as he nodded, leaning in to kiss her tenderly before pulling the covers up around their shoulders as he snuggled down into the mattress, finding his eyes closing heavily as they cocooned themselves together, shutting out the night and the problems of the day that they had faced.
The next thing he was aware of was the feel of Erin's lips brushing against his as their alarm went off in the background. Smiling against her mouth, Dave reached out and turned off the alarm before deepening their kiss, not minding the slight hint of morning breath on her, since he knew that she was probably tasting the same thing. "Good morning, Topalina. I hope that you were able to sleep better after I came home."
"I did," she said as she climbed from the bed. "I took my shower last night, so if you want to hop in, I'll just brush my teeth and get ready before fixing breakfast for us."
"That sounds like a small bit of heaven," he replied as he also got out of bed, following her into the bathroom and shucking off his pyjamas before stepping into the shower and turning the water on. He watched Erin wash her face and brush her teeth before putting on her makeup, finding something soothing about the deliberate, delicate, motions that went into her toilette. Erin turned and gave him a small wave before scooping up his pyjamas and leaving the room.
With her gone, it was a little easier to focus on getting clean, though he had hoped that he might be able to watch her dress as well. After a few minutes, he turned the water off and shook off the water that was still pearled on his body before stepping onto the bath mat and wrapping a towel around his waist as he went through his morning grooming ritual. With that taken care of, Dave padded back into the bedroom, grinning to see that Erin had laid out a fresh suit for him. He assumed that the tie and pocket square coordinated with what Erin was wearing, and he hummed a jaunty tune as he hurriedly dressed and then made his way downstairs. "I started a fresh load of laundry for us, David, and put clean clothes in your go bag. I think that you zoned out a little in the shower, but that's okay. We still have a lot of time before we have to leave, as I set the alarm a little early. It's selfish, but I wanted to spend as much time as possible with you before you go galivanting off once more."
Dave chuckled as he took a seat at the table. "And here I thought that I'd have trouble waking up and making it into work on time. Trust you to keep your punctuality." She shrugged a little before bending down and kissing his cheek lightly. "I'm not complaining, though, since you're right, we need to steal as many moments as possible for us."
Digging into his breakfast, Dave kept up a light conversation with his lover as they ate, and he found another sense of peace rolling over his soul, watching the play of emotion over Erin's face as she talked about how Penelope and Anderson had been so gracious to lend their time to helping her move her things over and cleaning out the garage. "They are such sweet souls, David. I am so glad that I have their friendships to keep me company when you're gone."
"I'm glad that there are people to watch over you while I'm gone. And if you need anything while I'm away, I'll give you the numbers of my agent and my manager. They can help you out with almost anything, as well."
"So I'm going to be a well kept woman, huh?" she teased, and he nodded. "You know, that's exactly what I need right now. Someone to watch over me and keep me safe. I love you, David."
He set aside his fork and relaxed his face as he reached across the table and picked up her hand, squeezing it lightly as he nodded. "And I love you, Erin. I don't know where this relationship of ours might lead, but I do know that I want to be by your side for as long as you want me in your life." Tears began to make her eyes sparkle, and she held onto his hand a little tighter as she nodded. "Now, I suppose that we have to head out to work."
"If we must. I wish that we could drive in together, but since I have no idea where you're going any longer, I can't afford to leave you stranded, even if Aaron or Derek might offer to drop you off here at the end of cases." She brought his hand to her lips, kissing the palm lightly before getting to her feet and putting their dishes in the washer before grabbing her purse and briefcase. "Make certain you come see me before you head out. I'll want a goodbye kiss."
"As if I could ever forget that," he said, watching her laugh a little as she left the house, and he let out a long breath as he rose to his feet and gathered his things, thinking about the day ahead of them, a happy song on his lips.