Erin let out a nervous breath as she looked at herself in the mirror. While she knew that they weren't going anywhere fancy, she still wanted to make certain that she looked nice for him. A soft blush sprung up in her cheeks, pinker than the rouge that she had used there, and she bit her lip a little as she smoothed her blouse of absent wrinkles. Michel hopped on her bed, and she smiled indulgently as she turned and padded over to the bed, scratching her cat behind the ears.

"If you only knew how nervous I was, Michel. Which is entirely ridiculous, since we're both adults going into this relationship with eyes wide open. But I desperately want him to like me, you know. He's been so kind and gentle with me, even as we deal with this whole Replicator business. He and Dave both know that it's spooked me, more than I'm willing to admit, and it seems that they've taken to shadowing me a bit, and if they're not around, Anderson dogs my steps. Even Alex has started to thaw a little to all of us, as if she can feel the tension and apprehension in the air."

Michel mewed loudly, shoving his head against her hand, and she laughed a little as she scratched him once more before sitting on the bed and letting him climb into her lap as she petted his fur, finding the weight of him soothing her frazzled nerves a little as she waited to hear the doorbell ring. It came a few minutes later, and she set him on the mattress before getting to her feet and brushing the fur off her skirt.

Erin tried to take measured steps towards the front door, not wanting to arrive out of breath. Pausing in front of it, she ran her fingers through her hair slightly before smiling a little as she opened the door for him. "Hello, Derek."

"Hey, Pretty Lady. Are you ready to head out?"

She nodded a little as she looked up into his face. "I just need to grab my purse and phone. You're welcome to wait inside," she replied as she reached out and took hold of his hand, tugging gently. He smiled a little wider as he stepped over the threshold into her home, and Erin sighed a little at how his presence seemed to fill the room. "I'll be right back."

Derek nodded before moving over to look at the pictures on her walls while she darted into the kitchen and grabbed her phone off the charger, stuffing it in her purse before scurrying out to rejoin him. "Your children look so much like you," he commented as he slipped his hand into the crook of her arm, leading her out the door.

Erin quickly locked everything up and then clasped his hand as they went down the walk to his truck, which was parked at the end of her drive. "I always thought that Bruce favored Alan, from the moment he was born."

"He has your eyes, Erin. In every picture on your wall, your eyes are there."

It was one of the sweetest things she had ever heard, and she teared up a little as she let him help her up into the vehicle. Before he could turn to go, she reached out and caught his upper arm. "Thank you," she murmured before leaning out. He stepped closer to her, and their lips met in a tender kiss before he pulled away from her and gave her a little smirk. "Though if you keep looking at me like that, I might reconsider everything."

"As Garcia would say, once you've tasted chocolate gold, it's hard to go back to a hint of vanilla."

She laughed loudly as he closed the truck door before heading to the driver's side, quickly getting in and backing out of her drive, heading down the road and into the city. A part of Erin had expected him to take her someplace well known, as that seemed the easiest idea for their first date. Instead, he drove down some roads that were unfamiliar to her, even with all the time she had spent there, and then pulled into the parking lot of a secluded, romantic, Italian trattoria. "Italian food?" she teased.

Derek shrugged as he parked the truck before looking at her. "I know that Rossi thinks only he can cook the very best Italian food on the planet, but I've loved this place ever since I discovered it. This isn't the same type of food that he makes, this is from a different area of Italy."

She nodded as they climbed out of the vehicle, and Erin gave him a tender look as he slipped his arm around her waist and guided her over to the door. As they entered, it became clear that Derek did frequent the establishment, as he was greeted by name. "And who is your friend?" the host asked as she led them over to a more secluded table, away from the larger, more open, main dining room.

"This is my partner, Erin. She wanted to try some good food for a change." She could hear the wink in his voice, and was unable to keep from rolling her eyes as Derek pulled her chair out for her. "We'll have the daily special, but no wine. Perhaps some tea?"

"Or a good Italian soda," Erin countered, knowing that if the restaurant was as good as Derek said it was, they would have an excellent selection to try. "Preferably vanilla."

"That we can do, Erin. Would you like the same, Derek?"

"Why not?" Again, he gave a flirty wink to the woman, and she rolled her eyes before heading away from their table. "Now you can see why this is my favorite little place to visit."

She nodded a little as she picked up the menu, looking it over to try and find something that wouldn't remind her entirely of David. She was surprised to find that the menu was laid out in different regions of Italy, and she so chose something that she had never known David to cook before setting the menu aside and picking up her water and sipping at it as she waited for their sodas. "Do you always flirt like that?" she finally blurted out, hating that the question made her sound like a fishwife, but unable to stop the words from spilling from her mouth.

The grin in his lips faltered a little as he reached across the table to take hold of her hand. She returned the squeeze with a squeeze of her own, and he tilted his head to one side before swallowing. "It's part of who I am. I learned to charm and flirt when I was young, as it was a way to get what I want and deflect from myself. The banter that Garcia and I have is different from the charm that I use with others. Does it bother you?"

Erin took a deep breath as she thought about his question, letting go of his hand so that she could rub her chest a bit. "I don't know how to answer that, truthfully. I always knew that David was a bit of a womanizer, even as he was completely faithful to his partners. And Alan was never like that at all. I want to say that it's okay, but I think that I need more time to ruminate on your question before I give you a full answer?" He nodded, and she sighed in relief before carrying on with her thoughts. "I don't mind your banter with Ms. Garcia, though. I can tell that the two of you are the best of friends, and that there's nothing overtly sexual about your back and forth, even as you might push the boundaries of good taste."

Derek let out a loud bark of a laugh before shaking his head. "You are adorable, and I know that you hate being described that way." She nodded. "Still, it suits you, and I might make that part of my nickname for you."

"Try it and see how far you get, bucko," she retorted as their server returned with their drinks. The woman burst into a fit of giggles, and Erin fought to keep from blushing as she gave her order to the woman, listening as Derek ordered something that David would usually make. A small part of her was a bit saddened by that thought, but she was determined to start making new memories with Derek, and focus on him alone. "Now, when we finish here tonight, I would like to invite you home for a nightcap. Some tea, or decaf coffee, or hot chocolate. And maybe a few kisses."

"Well, if you're offering kisses, I think that we'll have to go with hot chocolate, since that will be something double sweet." He gave her a small wink before they settled into a bit of small talk as they waited for their food to arrive. There was something so free and easy about their conversation, something she hadn't had since her early days with Alan, and she found that it fit what she wanted from a partner in her life in that moment. And even the arrival of their food did little to interrupt their conversation.

"It's getting a little late," she finally said as she pushed her dessert plate away from her, and Derek gave her a small nod before signaling for their server. After he had settled the bill, he helped her to her feet, and Erin easily slipped her arm through his, cuddling in close as they walked out to his vehicle. "You are still coming in for a nightcap?"

"Of course," he replied as he helped her into the vehicle, and she sighed as she smiled. "But if we get to talking again, do you think that I could spend the night? I don't want to drive if it's too late after all."

Erin knew that he was teasing her, but there was a note of seriousness in that teasing, and she couldn't help but nod. "I'd rather you be safe than drive sleepy. My bed is always open to you, even if I'm not ready to do anything more than sleep. I rather like taking things slower this time around, since everything happened so quickly with every single other partner I've invited into my bed."

"And it's nice to be courting a lady," he responded as he turned the truck on. Her smile widened a little as she considered those words, knowing that he meant everything he said to her. He did appreciate taking things slow, which she had been worried about, honestly. "When do you get to see your children again?"

"Saturday. Alan's letting me have them until I bring them to school on Monday, and I couldn't be more grateful for that kindness. Isn't it sad that I have to be thankful for what other mothers take for granted?"

"Yes, but I am proud of the way that you've managed to rebuild your life and even start making inroads into reconciliation with Blake. I keep putting in good words about you with her, and while she doesn't respond kindly yet, it is starting to be more of a neutral reaction."

"I was wondering what had started to thaw her reactions to me, honestly," she whispered as she turned her head to stare out the window as Derek drove back to her home. "I know that you probably don't understand this animosity between us, but there are some wounds that take far too long to heal, no matter how hard a person tries to make amends."

"Do you want to talk about that tonight?"

She shook her head before looking over at him. "I've had a wonderful time this evening, and I want to hold on to that fizzy, happy, feeling for just a little while longer. Perhaps another night, when I'm better geared for talking about myself and a past that still haunts me?"

"Of course." Erin's shoulders slumped in relief, and she quietly hummed beneath her breath for the rest of the drive. "And now, I believe that I was promised hot chocolate?"

She nodded as she slipped out of the truck and up to her porch, letting them inside before bringing Derek into the kitchen. "I'll grab the milk out of the fridge if you want to look through the cupboard and pick out mugs for us."

Derek gave her a small smile before doing just that, and Erin felt a blossom of happiness start to form in her chest as she pulled out the milk and a pan, pouring in a generous amount of the gallon that was left before turning the burner on and letting the milk start to warm up before she began to dig through coffee cupboard. "Do you have that many different flavors?" he asked as he peeked over her shoulder to see the shelves arranged in by types of hot drink.

"Yes. When I gave up alcohol, when I decided that rehab was the best thing that you and Aaron had ever forced me into, I knew that I would need something to keep my mind off those previous pleasures. So rather than having fifty different bottles of gin or whiskey, I now have a plethora of healthy options. Well, I suppose that hot chocolate isn't that healthy, but it's better for me than booze."

Derek nodded as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him as he looked into the cupboard. "You have a very good point there, darlin'. Now, what should we have tonight?"

"I was thinking some of my special cinnamon hot chocolate? I only drink that when I'm really happy." He nodded before kissing her cheek, and Erin sighed as she leaned forward and pulled out the correct cannister. "I will need to be free to make it, honey."

"Right." He let go of her, and Erin missed the warmth of his body against hers in that instant. Still, she knew that it was only temporary, and she peeled the lid off the powder before spooning in enough to make a rich tasting drink. As she stirred the powder into the milk, she glanced over at Derek from the corner of her eye, seeing that he was giving her a silly smile, which she returned before bringing her attention back to the pan. As the chocolate laced milk began to bubble, Erin dipped her finger into it to test the temperature. It seemed to be just about right, and she turned off the burner before pulling out a ladle and filling their mugs.

"And now to the living room to talk. I want to know more about your family, Derek. More than what I had to be privy to as a result of that case in Chicago."

"When Gideon was still with us?" She nodded as they began to drift into the other room, Michel padding next to her feet. "That was a horrible case."

"I know, and I can only imagine how much it hurt you to have your private business splashed about like that. But tonight isn't about sadness, it's about the good in our lives. And you're part of my good, and I want to know more about your family good."

"You're part of my good, too, Erin." He kissed her forehead softly before they took a seat on the sofa, and Erin curled up against his chest as he began to tell her more about his sister, Sarah, and how much she had influenced his life.