"Does my hair look all right? I actually went on the internet and looked up different ways to braid hair, since I wanted to do something special for our party. Even if I am choosing to go there in a dress that is decidedly not of this century."
"You look completely ravishing. This is one of the dresses from your trunk, yes?"
She nodded as they got out of the car and he went over to her side, taking hold of her hand. "This is actually the dress that I wore to our anniversary dinner with my parents. It took me so long to sew, and I think there still might be a little bit of blood on a few of the seams." Erin smoothed her hand down the skirt as she looked up into his eyes. "They won't think it odd, right?"
"No. I think that Penelope has managed to let them know that you beat to the sound of your own drummer, and that it is a good thing. We all need to be confident enough in who we are to not care about what others say. And that is what I see in you." They paused on the stoop in front of Dave's home, and he used the brief moment to kiss her softly. "I love you for who you are, and I don't want you to feel like you have to change, just to fit in."
Before Erin could reply, the door opened, and Dave's grinning face appeared before them. "Aaron! Erin! You've finally arrived."
"Are, are we late?" Erin threw him a desperate glance, and he shrugged as he shook his head. "David, did we get the time wrong?"
"No, you're here on time, but I'm just accustomed to Aaron being early for everything."
She nodded as they went inside. He wasn't surprised when Dave wrapped Erin into a tight hug, kissing each of her cheeks before hugging him. "Yes, well, Jack was a bit disappointed that this was going to be an adult party, since he thought he should be included since we're becoming a family once Aaron marries me."
"That kid uses some great logic. I'm sensing he's either going to be a lawyer or a profiler, just like his daddy." Dave gave him a small wink before tucking Erin's hand into the crook of his elbow and leading her into the back garden. Aaron heard his fiancée gasp with pleasure when she saw that the patio was strung with fairy lights, lending an ethereal glow to everything. Penelope was already there, and the moment that she saw them, a loud squeal of happiness slipped from her throat as she ran over to their sides.
"Erin! Do you like? I was just putting the finishing touches on the tables for our supper. I wanted to make certain that everything looked perfect for this. I think Rossi was about ready to strangle me a few times." Taking a deep breath, Penelope grinned before tugging Erin into a tight hug. "You and Aaron just mean the world to me, I want you to know. Oh, and I have a lead on a seamstress for us."
Shooting a sharp look at Aaron, Penelope lead Erin over to the tables, and he chuckled as he fought to keep from rolling his eyes at being so quickly separated from his fiancée. "Kitten's right, there were a few times I just wanted to strangle her or shoo her out of the backyard. But I must say that her attention to detail has made your Erin quite happy. That dress. Is it original?"
Aaron nodded. "It was in the trunk we took home from your cabin. She's afraid that the others will judge her, but I'm hoping that they're better than that."
"I gave a brief rundown to them, saying that Erin liked to reenact, except instead of the Middle Ages, she went for the Civil War. That's all they need to know, since I highly doubt they would understand where she really came from." He nodded as he looked over at the two women, seeing the way their heads bent together as they talked, almost like they were sisters. "I'm just sad that I wasn't the one who thought of kissing the statue first, as it might have been me she was marrying."
He laughed as he heard the doorbell ring, knowing that the others were starting to arrive. "I don't think that it would have worked that way, since the curse had to be broken by true love's kiss. But nice try." Aaron patted Dave's shoulder before letting him head inside as he went to join Erin and Penelope by the tables. "This is beautiful, Penelope."
"I had to do right by my Boss Man and his lady! Though I still wish that you had read me in on what you were planning to do. I so could have hooked you up with my jeweler."
"I think that this is perfect, Penelope. Elegant and simple, understated." Erin closed her eyes as she smiled through a happy sigh. "And I wouldn't change a thing about it. Now, you are coming over this weekend, right? We have plans to make, after all."
"I wouldn't miss it for the world. And before you ask, Hotch, I will spring for food. Use Saturday as a day to spend time with Jack, and come home for a late lunch." She winked broadly at him before looking over his shoulder and waving at someone. "Der's here now, I'll be right back." Before he could say anything else, Penelope had leaned in and kissed his cheek quickly before scurrying over to the other man.
"She is a whirlwind, I know. But we have a more concrete date for our wedding, darling. It's going to take slightly longer for my dress to be made, so instead of May, which would have been a lovely month for the wedding, it's looking like August will be our target. Since that is an awful month for heat and humidity, I was thinking that we could have the wedding at…at the cabin."
"I think that we can make that work." He smiled gently at her before kissing her softly. "And Dave will love an excuse to head up to the cabin and celebrate. Do you want to have the ceremony outdoors, beneath our willow tree?"
"God, no, Aaron. The bugs from the lake? The heat? I would faint dead away before we even got partway through the ceremony. No, the library will be the perfect pace to hold the ceremony, since I don't expect that we'll invite too many people. Your team, obviously, and their partners, and Jessica and Jack. But we both know that there's no one from my side of the family coming."
He nodded, wanting to ask more about what she and Penelope had planned when Morgan ambled over, an easy grin on his face. "I don't believe that we've been formally introduced, even though I know so much about you, thanks to how much Hotch here talks about you. I'm Derek Morgan."
"Erin Strauss," she replied easily, holding out her hand to him. He shook it softly before stepping back a bit. "I've also heard a lot about you, and how you like to kick down doors. Doesn't your supervisor care that you cause so much damage to houses that the FBI then has to pay for?"
Derek laughed richly as he shook his head. "I only kick in doors when necessary, Erin. But if these are the kinds of stories that Hotch is telling, I am going to need to spend more time with you, telling all the stories that we have about him." Erin let out a soft giggle as she nodded. "Oh, I will enjoy filling you in on what our leader has conveniently left out of the conversation." He grinned at Hotch as the others came over to join them, taking their seats at the table as the caterer arrived and began to lay out the food. And just like that, Erin was a part of their group, and he knew that things would be okay from there on out.