Erin checked her outfit in the mirror one last time, hoping that she looked appropriate for Alex's birthday party. She knew that it was going to be an interesting evening, since they hadn't really talked all that much since the night of her party. Yes, they had made plans for how they wanted their night to go, but she didn't know if James would be all right with that, since Alex was tightlipped about how her conversation with him had gone.

"You look beautiful, Erin."

She looked over her shoulder to see David in the doorway, a bemused smile on his lips. "Thank you. I wish that you were going with me."

"That's a little too raw yet. It was difficult enough to start untangling my heart from yours in this last month. But after tonight, I suppose that we'll know where we go from here. I can't say that I'm not hoping you return to me, and we can start anew. But I will understand if you choose her. A part of your heart has always belonged to her."

Erin blushed a little as she turned and made her way over to the door, cupping his face with her hands. "I tried my best to not let you see that. I guess that I really did let you see the woman behind the mask I wear. And a part of me will always love you for that." She leaned in and kissed his cheek softly before slipping past him and heading down the staircase. Though they had been carefully separating their lives, she still found his place home, and hadn't been able to move her things back to her house.

"I'll wait up for you."

"I would appreciate that, David. Pray that this doesn't blow up in my face, that I haven't made a fool of myself."

"Foolish love can be the best sort of love there is, Erin. Because it means that you're placing all your trust in the other person in your life." He smiled as she opened the door to the garage and opened the door for her as she went to her car. "Drive safely, and don't do anything that I wouldn't do, Erin!"

She laughed as she shook her head, slipping behind the wheel and backing out of her spot. On the drive over to Alex's home, she thought about what was going to happen. "I don't know how to act around James," she murmured, thinking about the hurt he might experience as a result of the revelation that she and Alex were soulmates. If Alex had told him. There was a good chance that everything had been swept under the rug, and that she would have to act as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

That thought caused her to tear up a little, and she blinked furiously in order to clear them away as she turned onto the road that led to Alex's house. The closer she got, the more nervous she felt, and her hands tightened around the steering wheel so painfully that by the time she turned into Alex's drive, her knuckles were bloodlessly white. "Everything will be fine, Erin," she murmured to herself as she grabbed her purse and the gift she had chosen for her soulmate from the passenger seat and made her way to the door. It took a few seconds for her to find the courage to reach out and knock, but then Penelope was bounding up to her side and taking the option to collect her emotions from her.

"Hey! You're running late, too?"

She shrugged a little as the door opened, revealing Damon Miller, and her breath caught in her throat. Erin hadn't seen the man in so many decades, but from the smile on his lips, he recognized her, and she felt like a young woman again, hesitantly spilling her heart out to him over late night coffee after Alex's mother had abruptly left them alone. She had known that the woman didn't like Erin, didn't understand what she and Alex shared, but Damon had always been so sweetly welcoming. "Little Bit! I didn't know you were coming!"

"Little Bit?" Penelope asked, and Erin flushed deeply as they went inside. "Oh, there is a story there, and I have to hear it!"

"Maybe at another time, Penelope," she replied quietly, allowing Damon to guide them into the kitchen. Scott was there, and she gave him a shy smile before turning her attention back to Damon. "Is everyone in the backyard?"

"Yes. Scott, why don't you take Penelope out to where the others are, and get her set up with the refreshment table. I think that we have some catching up to do."

Penelope looked ready to protest, but Erin gave her an almost pleading look, which caused her to nod briefly before patting her shoulder as she followed Alex's brother outside. "I'm surprised you recognized me, sir."

"Damon, please, Little Bit." She nodded, tearing up once more as he led her over to the table and gestured for her to take a seat next to him. Erin sank into the chair and looked at him expectantly, feeling her lips wobble a little as she tried not to cry. "Oh, has life really been that hard?"

"No, but there have been difficult spots. And then there was my birthday last month."

"The big one, right?" She nodded. "And you found out what I knew all along, didn't you?"

She pursed her lips together as she nodded once more. "If you mean the fact that my soulmate is not my now former partner, then yes. Alex and I have plans for this second span of hours, but those are all contingent on who else might be here."

"He's not."

Erin's shoulders slumped a little, though she didn't know if she was relieved or scared at the thought that they were both without partners at a pivotal point in their lives. "Well. Okay. I…"

"You need to stop overthinking and trust your heart. I know that my wife said something to you, when you last visited all those years ago, and that changed something in you, but we never had the chance to speak again until now. My little girl was so happy with you, and if she can find that same happiness in life again, I will do everything in my power to facilitate that happiness." Damon reached out and covered her hands with one of his, squeezing softly. "You deserve happiness, too, Little Bit."

"Thank you," she whispered before they lapsed into silence as she collected her emotions. "I think that we should probably head into the backyard, too. I'm certain that Scott is filling Penelope in on everything that he remembers from my visits to Missouri."

Damon chuckled as he rose to his feet, cupping his hand around Erin's elbow and helping her to her feet before pulling her into a tight hug. Erin couldn't stop herself from melting into the embrace, since he was the closest thing that she had to a father figure in her life, and she had to hold in her tears as he murmured a few sweet words of encouragement in her ears before leading her outside. Erin's eyes instantly found Alex in the crowd, and she couldn't stop the easy grin that spread across her features as she drank the sight of her in.

As she watched, Alex excused herself from the people she was talking to before coming over to their sides, and giving Erin a tender look before glancing at her father. "Dad, could you grab Erin and me a glass of water?"

"Of course," he replied, winking quickly at Erin before leaving their sides.

"So, Penelope intimated that Dad was telling you about everything that's happened in the last few weeks."

Erin shook her head. "No, the most I got out of him was that James is no longer in the picture. We were actually talking about me, and how I need to be bold. Though I think that we should wait until our midnight until boldness is my friend?"

"I will hold you to that. Now, as soon as Dad gets back with our water, we're going to mingle with my guests and I will introduce you to a few of the people you don't know." Erin nodded and forced herself to relax as they watched Damon amble back over to them with two bottles of water. "Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome, Bug." Alex rolled her eyes a little as she took the water from his hand, Erin following suit before handing over her gift to the man. "I'll put this on the table with the other gifts. Enjoy yourselves, you two!"

"We will, Dad," Alex replied as she gestured for Erin to follow her with a quick jerk of her head. Nodding a little, Erin followed Alex over to the circle of people that were near the large maple in the corner of the yard. "Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to my friend, Erin. Erin, these are my colleagues from Georgetown."

She shook hands with the six people, trying desperately to remember all their names, before being drawn into a conversation with them that she didn't fully understand, though she did try to keep up. It helped that she had read a good number of the papers that Alex had published over the years, and she tried to cobble together a few cogent responses to the group. They seemed to accept her offerings, and she felt a small bit of elation bubble up in her heart to know that she could be accepted by Alex's colleagues. Looking around for the woman, she found that she was off talking to Penelope and Aaron. Their eyes met, and Alex gave her an encouraging nod, which she returned before diving back into the conversation once more.

Time passed much more quickly than it had at her party, and Erin found herself strangely bereft to end the conversation as all attention went to Alex as she brought everyone together. "All right, it is a few minutes to midnight, and tonight is the night that I get to spend an unfettered twenty four hours with my soulmate. As many of you have noticed, James is not here this evening, but I will still have a wonderful time." Alex's gaze met hers once more, and Erin felt pinned to the spot as a few of her friends looked almost knowingly at her. "I am so thankful that all of you are here, celebrating with me."

There were murmured of happy words going on around them, but Erin found that she only had eyes and ears for Alex, even though she knew that the other members of Alpha Team would be able to put everything together now. A part of her knew that it would come to light eventually, and she didn't really care. After everything that she had been through at the hands of John Curtis, others knowing that she and Alex being soulmates seemed so small in comparison.

And then, a small frisson of expectation swept over her body as the countdown began around them. Just like with her birthday, everything just paused the moment the guests has spoken the word zero. Hesitantly, she stepped towards Alex, watching the woman reach out her hand towards Erin. It didn't take much for Erin to clasp that hand before she was tugging Alex close to her, capturing her lips in a firm kiss. "Happy birthday, Alex."

"It's going to be a good one, isn't it?" Erin nodded as Alex led them inside the house and into the living room. "I couldn't help but overhear that Dad used his nickname for you. I'm not surprised that he remembered you, he always was expecting to get another daughter."

"I sort of figured that, after what he was explaining to me tonight. It's really sweet. So, James is gone?"

Alex nodded as they took a seat on the sofa, pulling Erin down next to her. "He knew, and the moment we were home, he said we had to talk. It was the most polite breakup I've ever dealt with, and it was in that moment I realized that the end had probably been coming for longer than I cared to admit to myself. And while I would love to fall into bed with you, since we're both free, I think that that would sour something about this. We're still too fresh from our splits to truly have the clean slate that I know I want to have when we make love for the first time."

"I think that I want that, too. You're right, things are still so fresh and raw." Erin let out a sad breath as she rested her head on Alex's chest. "But I wouldn't be against perhaps stretching out on your bed and talking some more?"

Alex's laugh was unexpected, but welcome, and she shrugged a little as she burrowed in closer to her soulmate. "You, Little Bit, just want to talk me into slipping off my top so that you can bury your face in my breasts."

"One, only your father gets to use that nickname. Unless you want me to call you Bug." Alex shook her head before turning it so that she could kiss the top of Erin's head. "Good. And two, there is nothing wrong with heavy petting, or exploring how our bodies might have changed in the decades since we last were together. And it would only be your blouse."

"My sweet politician comes out at last," Alex teased as she ran her hand up and down Erin's arm. "We could come back to the house later and talk in bed. I have a few plans for some of these early hours together."

"Oh?"

"Yes. You'll just need to change shoes. We're going for a little walk."

Erin nodded as they got up from the sofa, and she followed Alex over to the closet near the front door. "If we're going to be outside for any length of time, I'll need a cardigan. I was getting a little cold in the backyard, and we didn't spend that long out there."

"Of course," Alex replied as she handed Erin a pair of sneakers, which she quickly swapped her heels out for. Once she was standing once more, Alex helped her into a familiar striped cardigan, and Erin wrapped it around herself, breathing in the scent of Alex as they walked out the door. "There's something a little freeing about being able to just close the door and not having to worry about locking it."

"I know," she said quietly as she took hold of Alex's hand, letting the woman guide her down the sidewalk. She soon found herself lost, but trusted Alex to know exactly where they were going. Within twenty minutes, they had arrived at a rather large park, and Erin let out a quiet sigh as she was led over to the carousel in the middle of it. "I wish that we could get this running," she said as Alex helped her onto an ornate horse.

"We can always come back when it is running. I just thought that it would be romantic to sit here, under the sky, and be alone. Usually, there are kids running around."

"It's perfect right now. Because it is just the two of us." Erin rested her cheek against the pole of her horse as she studied Alex's face. "We were sort of obvious about the fact that we'd be spending a full day together, don't you think?"

"Mmm, perhaps. But do you really care?"

Erin shook her head a little as her smile widened across her lips. "A part of me wishes that we could have days like this every year, but that might get a bit stale. After all, I wish that we could hear the sounds of the night around us as we spend time together."

"You've turned into a romantic. How did I fail to see that when I returned to the BAU?"

She blushed as she looked away from Alex, allowing her hair to fall across her face as she bowed her head. "You only saw me as you wanted to see me. You were so angry when you returned to us, and rightfully so, and that clouded your perceptions of me. Plus, I didn't really allow that side of me to show at work, because it was a bit unprofessional. This side of me will be yours and yours alone when we return to work, and you head out into danger. I never really grew comfortable with David out in the field, and I have the feeling that that's going to only be harder with you."

From the corner of her eye, Erin saw a whisper of movement before Alex was cupping her face and gently lifting her chin so that she could look into her eyes. "I can take care of myself, you know that."

"I do, yes, in my brain. My heart, though is not that rational. And it loves to think up the worst case scenarios."

"Is that what led to your problem?"

Erin nodded before turning her head a little so that she could kiss Alex's fingers. "It's a bad habit that I never really knew how to get over. Until that second stint in rehab, where I connected with a great counselor who understood me and my issues. She worked with me to ensure that I was dealing with things appropriately, and could find healthy coping mechanisms, rather than always turning to the neck of the nearest bottle. You, you should know this, and you'll be the only other person besides David who does know this, but I am still in therapy. I could never do the group thing."

"No, you have always been too private for something like AA, even though it is supposed to be completely anonymous. I'm glad that you're continuing with therapy."

She let out a self-deprecating laugh as she shrugged a little. "We're going to have a lot to talk about at our next session. Right now, she's still trying to help me work through whether or not I should consider the fact that John made me drink that night a reset to my counter."

Alex's hand tightened around her chin almost painfully for a moment before she slid it up into her hair and curved around her skull, gently pulling her forward. Erin instinctively complied, her lips trembling as she anticipated the kiss that she was about to receive. And though she was prepared for something fierce and harsh, Alex's lips were instead gentle and soothing as she pressed Erin to her. "I think that I might have to agree with your therapist, and say that whatever John forced you to do before we took him down, does not count against you, at all."

"Thank you, but even David couldn't talk me into seeing that point of view. I'm trying, truly, but it's only been a few months. Can you be gracious with me?"

"Of course," Alex hurriedly replied, and Erin smiled gently before kissing her once more. "I'd forgotten how much I love kissing you."

Erin purred a little with pleasure before giving Alex another kiss. "I love kissing you, too. That was how your mother discovered us."

"She just wanted me to be normal in one aspect of my life."

She let out a long breath as she nodded, slipping off the horse and then stepping off the carousel before heading over to the swing set. She knew that Alex was following her, because soon enough, they were holding hands once more. "I just wanted to be happy. Your dad understood that about me, about us."

"Mom ruled the house."

Erin nodded as she felt her eyes grow hot from tears she hadn't shed all those years ago. "I know," she managed to choke out through the first sob, and then Alex was pulling her into a tight hug. She wept on Alex's shoulder as they clung to each other, and Erin wondered, not for the first time, if love was enough to keep them together. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm still so good at ruining the delicate things in my life before I really get the chance to cherish them."

"You haven't ruined anything, Erin. Being real, being open, is the genesis of a strong relationship. I did love James, you did love Dave, and I do love you. Normal is overrated, even if there are still people out there who don't understand that." Alex rubbed her back in slow circles to comfort Erin, and she relished the touches as she rubbed her wet cheek against Alex's shoulder. "We are going to make this work, and we'll have my father's blessing. You are his Little Bit, after all."

"Just because I was the short one…"

"It's better than Bug."

She nodded as she giggled lightly, sniffling a few times as she regained control over her emotions. "I suppose that you have a point there. Will you push me on the swing?"

"Of course." Alex pulled away from Erin and looked into her eyes. That was when she saw that her soulmate had been crying, too, and Erin reached up to brush a few of those tears away before bringing her fingers to her lips and kissing them. They sighed in tandem before Erin took a seat on the middle swing, holding onto the chains as Alex began to push her.

There was something so freeing about the sensation of flying through the air and knowing that her Alex was behind her, controlling the movements so that she never felt out of control as she flew up towards the sky. She didn't know how long they played like that, only that by the time Alex was gently stopping the movements, she felt freer than she had in years. "That was amazing."

"I could tell by the way you kept giggling with glee. It's like we were young again." Alex stepped in front of her before leaning in and giving her a soft kiss. "Would you like to head home now?"

Erin nodded as she allowed Alex to help her to her feet, and they slowly walked back to Alex's house. She slipped her feet out of the borrowed shoes before making her way into the living room and curling up on the sofa. Alex took a seat next to her, pulling her feet into her lap as they stared at the wall. "I shouldn't be tired, I took a nap in preparation for our day together. Perhaps the walk tired me out?"

"And you're still recovering from what he did to you. I wish that I had been faster."

Erin turned onto her back so that she could awkwardly look at Alex, giving her a small smile and shrug. "You and the others still rescued me in the end." She let her head thump back against the arm of the sofa and stared up at the ceiling. Another period of comfortable silence fell over them once more, and Erin smiled as she felt her eyes close heavily, feeling so safe in her presence that it was easy to drift off to sleep and rest.

She woke up a little while later to see that she was alone, covered in a soft blanket. Frowning, she got to her feet and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders as she began to explore the house for Alex. Finally, she found the woman in the kitchen, staring out the window. "You're awake," she said without turning, and Erin stepped forward to encircle Alex's waist with her arms, resting her cheek against her back.

"I am. When did you leave me?"

"About five minutes ago." Alex turned and pressed a kiss to the top of Erin's head before wrapping her arms around Erin's waist, copying her embrace. "We still have about twelve hours together. What else would you like to do?"

"I think that there was mention of heading up to your bedroom and doing some topless cuddling?" she asked, trying to keep her tone light, knowing that she was making a very large ask of Alex.

"That's right, I forgot that you wanted to do that," Alex replied as she chucked Erin under the chin before stepping away from her and taking hold of her hand, guiding her up the stairs once more. Erin drifted over to the bed as Alex kicked the door closed, and she gave the woman a small grin as she watched Alex slowly unbutton her blouse as she walked over to her side. After shrugging out of it, Alex licked her lips before leaning in and grabbing hold of the tab of her dress's zipper, running it down her back before pushing the sleeves off her shoulders and then tugging it off her arms. "I won't be the only one stripped bare here."

Erin nodded slowly as she reached behind Alex's back to unhook her bra and pull it off her chest, trying not to stare too much at her pale flesh, knowing that if she looked too long, she'd want too much. "It's a bit cool in here," she murmured as she felt her bra loosen. Alex made a soft sound of agreement in the back of her throat as he dropped the bra to the floor. Erin rolled her eyes affectionately as she stood a little and shimmied out of her dress, before bending to pick it up, spreading it out on the foot of the bed. "I don't want it to wrinkle. After all, the fewer questions asked, the better, right?"

"I suppose," Alex answered as she dropped the rest of their clothing on top of Erin's dress while Erin stretched out on the mattress, tugging the quilt over her body as she watched Alex strip off her skirt and add it to the pile before she stretched out alongside Erin. There was something so gentle about the look on Alex's face and Erin reached out and stroked her cheek as she sighed. "You're still so beautiful."

"The years have been kind to us, Erin." Alex's hand landed much lower than Erin's had, and she firmly cupped one of her breasts, her thumb swiping against Erin's nipple. "And you're still so responsive to touch."

"That was one of the things that David loved most about me. He pushed a few boundaries at work as a result."

The giggle that slipped from Alex's lips was anything but innocent, and she rolled her eyes a little before gasping as the woman tugged a little on the rapidly stiffening peak. "Did he ever bring you down to the bunker? I've heard rumor that the bed is still down there, for when we had to pull late nights."

"That was one of the lines that he wanted to push, but I wouldn't allow."

"Will you allow it with me?"

The question surprised her, and she arched an eyebrow as she looked at Alex. "That remains to be seen. We could always go down to the bunker for naps, if you should find yourself tied in the middle of the day when you're home. If you're not occupied with your classes."

"We'll have to see," Alex replied before she leaned in and kissed her softly. "I can't believe that I want you this badly. That you intoxicate me so thoroughly." Another kiss against her lips, and Erin smiled as she scooted closer, wanting to feel Alex's soft, warm, skin against her own.

"I want you, too. But I know that you're right. We have to take this slowly. I want this relationship to last. Just because we're soulmates doesn't mean that we'll work as a couple." She hated to be so pragmatic, but knew that there was a necessity for a firm foundation to their relationship. "Though I will never turn down the opportunity to have a bit of a naked cuddle with you. There's something so right about this."

Alex nodded and snaked her hand up Erin's torso before spreading out on her cheek, the thumb stroking lightly against her cheekbone. "It's not sexual. That's what's so right about this. James and I never slept in pyjamas if we could help it. How about you and David?"

She shook her head, a wry smile curving her lips upwards. "He likes the finer things in life, and always ended up in silk pyjamas after we had sex. Nudity always ended up in sexual intimacy, and so I learned to wear pyjamas when I didn't want to have sex."

Another giggle slipped out of Alex's lips before she kissed Erin's forehead. "I am going to have to remember that about him, and tease Hotch about being careful when they share a hotel room."

"Darling, please, no. I don't want to embarrass him! And he'll know that I was the one who told you about that, and then he would tease me unmercifully and try to get information about our sex life out of me. Not that I would tell him anything, since that's private, but you know that a simple word or look can make me blush."

"Like you're doing right now?"

She nodded and then sighed as she felt herself pulled tighter to Alex's chest. "I don't think that I'm a prudish woman, but there are things that I can't hide or talk about. You're lucky you were able to pull out of me that little nugget of information." Erin rubbed her cheek against the soft skin of Alex's chest before turning her face and pressing a kiss there. "That's as far as I'll go, I promise. I just wanted to feel your heart against my lips."

Alex's hand began to card through her hair, soothing Erin as she let out a short trill of laughter. "You can't feel my heartbeat with your lips there. You have to find my pulse on my neck."

"May I?"

"Carefully."

Erin smiled as she placed feather light kisses up Alex's chest and neck before she felt the flutter of the woman's heartbeat. Then she pressed her lips more firmly against that sensation, finding that it grounded her in a way that defied explanation. "Your heart is like a drum against my lips. That tempo keeps picking up little by little. And I haven't done anything to arouse you."

"Being in your arms is enough," Alex huffed out, causing Erin to laugh a little. The vibrations of her mirth must have been enough to further excite Alex, as she squirmed against her body, and Erin moved her lips, not wanting to push herself past the boundaries that Alex had laid in place. "Oh, Erin."

"What?"

"You didn't have to pull your lips away. If I can't control my reactions, that's on me."

"I was deliberately pushing against boundaries."

"Dave taught you well." Erin giggled as she nodded. "It's adorable, honestly, and that is not how I ever thought I would describe you. Even when we were together, all those years ago, you were regal, elegant. As if you were made of marble. This is a new side to you, and I really like it."

"I'm glad that you do." Erin rested her cheek against the swell of Alex's breasts once more and let out a long breath of contentment. "All right, I'll be good, as long as we can talk some more. Tell me about how your dad is doing. He's looking old, and I hate to think what that means for us. But I am so happy to see him again. Is he going to be here long?"

"He's staying for two weeks, but Scotty has to get back for work. Do you want to help me keep him entertained?" Erin nodded enthusiastically, loving the fact that she could feel Alex's smile through her whole body. "Well, that will make things easier for me. And this can be the first test of our relationship."

"I like the way you think, darling. Now, on to stories?" Alex chuckled before nodding, beginning to regale Erin with the tales of things that had happened in her family in the time since she had last seen them. There was something good and right about this, and she was grateful for the fact that she had discovered that Alex was her soulmate. It had led to this joy that was currently hers, and while she hadn't been expecting that, she would cling to it for all that it was worth in the days ahead as she and Alex learned to forge a life together.