"Remind me again why we all have to head to this game?" Erin asked archly as she continued to load the car with the things she thought they would need for the softball game. She didn't want to overpack, but still, she knew that there was bound to be something that she forgot.
"Because Reid needs the support of everyone in the BAU, and I think that it will be good for us all to get together again. It's been a while since everyone on the team was together, outside of work, and this is the perfect time to relax and build stronger bonds. Besides, Jack and Henry will be there, and it will give Elise a chance to hang out with them."
Rolling her eyes affectionately, Erin nodded as she closed the trunk, hoping that she had brought enough snacks and water, along with sunscreen, for their family to get through the entire game. "I suppose that you're right. Will Alex be there?"
"I'm assuming she will be, since Reid is her protégé. Have you two talked at all since you had Anderson start tracking down information on that box and letter?"
"No, but I wasn't expecting that we would, either. She needs time to lick her wounds, and maybe we can start to rebuild things once more. I should have always assumed that things would be one step forward, six steps back, as I pursued making amends with her. And perhaps I shouldn't have mentioned the fact that I practically handed her her job on a silver platter, but I just couldn't stop my tongue in time."
He chuckled as he rubbed her shoulder. "You just got caught up in the heat of the moment, which is completely understandable. Sure, it might not have been the smartest move, but you led with your heart. I like when you do that, since it shows everyone that you have a passionate heart hidden beneath your carefully curated exterior."
"I wanted to always keep it that way, David. It's better for a leader to have a little bit of mystique, you know."
He laughed as the girls came running out of the house, Tabitha giving them all a small wave before she closed the door, and Erin helped Elise into her booster seat while David took care of Catherine. Once they were settled, Erin took a seat on the passenger side, listening to her girls chatter away between themselves as David drove over to ball field. They were some of the last to arrive, and Erin sighed as she shouldered both bags to carry them over to the stands.
"Here, Erin, let me help you with those," Penelope said, taking the larger bag before helping Elise to settle between her and Penelope. Just as Erin was about to let Catherine sit on her lap, she saw David hand their youngest daughter over to Alex before he went down to talk with Agent Morgan and Doctor Reid. "Jayje always runs late to these things, too, since Henry takes forever to get ready."
"Mommy, can I go sit by Jack? Please?"
Erin looked down at Elise before rummaging through the bag still in her hands, pulling out the tube of sunscreen and slathering it on every piece of skin that was touched by the sun before making certain that her hat was firmly in place. "Be careful, and when I call you back to us, come right away, because you'll need more sunscreen. Okay?"
"Yes, Mommy," she said with an exasperated sigh before wigging off the bench and hurrying over to Jack's side just as Henry arrived and ran over to join them, too. Next to her, she heard Alex try to suppress her laugh, only for it to come out in a bit of a snort. Glancing over at the woman, Erin couldn't help but smile to see the way that her former friend snuggled Catherine tightly to her chest. There was something so sweet about the picture presented, and she wished that she could surreptitiously capture the moment with her phone, knowing that Alex would catch her in a heartbeat and react poorly. Instead, she committed the moment to memory before meeting the woman's eye. There was a soft smile on her lips, even when she noticed Erin's gaze, and she felt her heart lurch a little in her chest. Hesitantly, she held up her phone, and Alex rolled her eyes a little before giving her a gentle nod.
Her smile widened a little as she took a quick picture of Alex and Catherine together, knowing that this was the only concession that Alex would allow her. Without daring to push boundaries farther, she gave Alex another soft smile before turning her attention back to the game. A few minutes later, Penelope dug her elbow into Erin's side, and she turned her head to look at the younger woman, a questioning look on her face. "Yes?"
"Take a look at the other kiddos," she murmured, pointing to where Jack, Elise, and Henry were playing. Somehow, they had set up an impromptu game of soccer, with Jack as the goalie while Henry and Elise took turns trying to get the ball past him. "They are so adorable!"
"They really are. And I'm glad that Elise has kids her age to play with, even if I worry about her and her broken arm a little too much. But since she can't ride until it's fully healed, I'm glad that she can at least do something active." Erin let out a little sigh as she reached up to rub her bad shoulder. "Are you doing anything after the game? David was sort of cagey about our plans after this."
"I think that we're all going out to eat, even if our team loses. Hotch and Rossi wanted to build Reid up, since he doesn't feel that confident with this. And I don't blame him, he's not very athletic, just like me. We have a very different set of skills that we were recruited into the FBI for, after all."
Erin chuckled as she nodded. "I do not miss the yearly physical exam, though I revel in keeping up on my shooting skills. I know that you don't believe in guns, and you're not required to carry a service weapon, but there's something to be said about going down to the range and watching agents practice and hone their skills."
"Erin's being modest, Garcia. She doesn't need to keep up on her skills when she's naturally blessed with extremely good skills when it comes to hitting her target."
Erin didn't turn to look at Alex, but a warm smile curved her lips upwards as she drank in the compliment that the woman had just given her. "How good? Because Jayje was able to make a headshot through the glass of the bullpen, which I've heard is very difficult to do."
"I think that Erin might be a little better than that. Perhaps we'll have to have a competition to see who is the best. Since Rossi is so bent on making certain that we all bond as a team."
Erin dared to glance back at Alex, taking stock of the fact that she was cradling Catherine close to her chest, her chin resting on top of her head. There was a shy expression on her face as their eyes met, and Erin tremulously smiled as she dropped her eyes down to her daughter, not wanting to break this tender moment, especially not when she wasn't certain that she'd have that again any time soon.