Aaron had known something was up the moment Dave had confirmed it would be an adults only meal. Ever since their party, it had become obvious the entire team was up to something. Even Sam had a hand in it, whatever it was. Sighing, he sat back in his chair, staring out over the bullpen without really seeing anything.

As he let his mind wander, inevitably his thoughts turned to Erin. Their tenderness to each other had been something he'd never expected. To see her open, vulnerable, just complicated everything he felt about her. His day was spent doing nothing, his concentration shot as he thought over everything they'd gone through lately.

Finally, he left for the day, only to notice Erin's green Mercedes behind him. "So, this is the game they're playing," he said under his breath as he turned down Rossi's street. Pulling in the driveway, he parked and went up to the door, needing to be there before her. Aaron knocked on the door, waiting for one of them to answer.

"Come on in, Penny's in the dining room. You can join her."

"Or I could wait for Erin. So, is it you or Penelope that's trying to fix us up here?" Dave squirmed a little under his scrutiny.

"Neither. Penelope just wants her friends to be happy. And I know you like her. You don't send flowers or make late night calls to someone you don't like." Aaron felt himself flush a little, looking for a rebuttal.

Erin was at his side before he could come up with anything. "So, tonight's a quartet," she said as she rested her hand on Aaron's arm. Instinctively, he held out his elbow and smiled a little as she set her hand in the crook, letting him lead her inside.

"We're having a catered meal tonight. Irene was acting up today, and Penelope didn't feel like cooking," Dave said as he closed the door behind them.

"That will be fine, David," Erin replied. When they entered the dining room, it became clearer what Penelope's agenda was, as the leaves had been removed from the dining room table, leaving them to eat in close proximity to each other.

They sighed at the same time, and Aaron glanced at her, seeing the small shake of her head. He shrugged and she smiled up at him. Her eyes were blue, like Haley's, and he felt himself pulled by something in them. Breaking eye contact, he held out a chair for her as Rossi held out Penelope's chair for her.

Dave took off the coverings on the food and set them aside. "Are you getting enough rest, Penelope?"

"Yeah, I've been taking twenty minute naps after lunch like you suggested. That's seemed to help things out considerably. Oh, I remembered Georgia's address. Remind me to give it to you before you leave." Out of the corner of his eye, Hotch watched Erin slip her hand onto her lap, curling it into a tight fist. He slipped his own hand off the table and covered her. As she opened her fist and clasped his hand, he heard her draw in a deep breath.

"Thank you for remembering." She released his hand and took a bite of food, effectively stopping that line of conversation. He wondered if the woman in question was their child. If Penelope had found her, it would be a blessing, a ray of hope in the midst of her sorrow.

"My publicist wants me to do another talk soon. I used your pregnancy to push her off for a few months." Dave looked at Penelope, smiling slightly. "If I had known that's all it would take to get her off my back, I'd've done this years ago."

"Then you wouldn't have me."

"Good point. It was worth the wait." He reached out for her hand and she clasped it tightly, a wide smile on her face.

"I didn't realize married life would make you so saccharine, David," Erin said, smiling a little herself. Aaron chuckled and Erin leaned over to touch shoulders with him. He sucked in a breath at the brief contact, and felt a slight flush once more stain his cheeks.

The rest of the meal was spent trying not to focus on the touches they shared. Each was deliberate on his part, to see how much of a rise he could get out of Erin. But she never said anything about them, instead turning her focus to the conversation at hand, a faint blush staining her cheeks at times.

"Shall we head to the den?" Dave asked once they were finished eating. Erin nodded and Aaron helped her up, leading her towards the den. "We'll join you shortly with drinks."

Aaron nodded absently as they continued on their way. Together, they sat on the sofa and stared into the fireplace. "Have things gotten any easier in the last few days?"

"I could lie and say yes."

"I figured as much. It's so hard to put on a game face every day and pretend everything is all right." Aaron turned to look at Erin and saw that she was near tears. "But I always kept in mind some advice JJ gave me shortly after I lost Haley." Erin turned to him, gazing into his eyes.

"What would that be?" she asked tremulously.

"That one day, you'll wake up, and it will hurt less. You'll realize you're strong enough to move forward." A few tears began to fall down her cheeks and he reached up, cupping her face with his hand as he brushed the tears away with his thumb. "Erin," he said lowly, felling himself once more drawn in by her eyes.

She reached up and covered his hand with her own, leaning into him. He bent down and softly kissed her lips. He was surprised that she didn't pull away from him; instead, she brought her other hand up to his face, framing it. She continued to cry as they kissed, for he could taste the salt of her tears.

He went to pull away and Erin buried her hands in his hair, holding him close. Taking the unspoken invitation, he deepened the kiss, pulling her closer to him. She sighed slightly, and he probed her mouth with his tongue, tasting the peach cobbler on her breath. Tentatively, she touched her tongue to his and he felt himself begin to lose control of his wildly spinning emotions.

It took a moment to register Rossi's cough and they sprang apart like teenagers getting caught. Aaron tried not to focus on Erin's heaving breasts as he caught his breath. Erin stood up and went to Penelope's side, as if she were seeking sanctuary from the woman as she took the glass of wine from her hand.

Aaron stood as well. "I should go. Jack's probably waiting for me to get home." He had eyes only for Erin and she nodded slightly, biting her lip. Aaron saw her eyes were still wet with tears. "We'll talk Monday?" He felt himself smile and was rewarded with a small smile from her in return.

"Monday." As he left, he heard a nervous, girlish, giggle and chuckled himself, feeling the same way. He drove home in silence, brooding over where this left him with Erin. After that kiss, he couldn't hide from his feelings any more. Rossi was right, he did like her. But it was much too soon to be with her, Erik had only been gone for two and a half months.

Aaron pulled into his garage and sat in his car, trying to find some focus. He heard a soft tapping on his window and bought his head up from the steering wheel. Jack was standing there, a wide grin on his face. Aaron opened the door and his son threw his arms around him before Aaron could get out. "Daddy! You're home! Aunt Jessie said you'd be gone until after my bedtime. Does this mean you'll read me a bedtime story?"

"Of course, I have just the story for you." He got out and led Jack into the house, nodding to Jessica and Peter as he passed by them on their way to Jack's room. His son pulled back the covers on his bed and stared up at Aaron expectantly. He sat on the edge of the bed, smiling down at Jack.

"What story are you going to tell me?"

"A brand new story. Once upon a time, there was a very sad queen who had just lost her husband. Having no one to rule the kingdom, she had to do that job herself, on top of her other duties. One day, a knight of her realm noticed her sorrow and decided to become her champion…"