"There's a rather large box waiting for you on your desk, Ma'am," Helen said as she entered her office the next day.

"Did you happen to see who it was from?" she asked as she looked through the mail that was in her inbox, seeing nothing that needed to be handled right away.

"Harney and Sons?"

A large smile spread across her face as she nodded eagerly. "Perfect! Now, I hate to ask this of you, since it is completely not in your job description, but I need an electric kettle for my office, now, and I though I chose expedited shipped, I didn't expect the package to arrive this soon."

"I would be more than willing to do that for you, if you promise that I can have one of the first cups that you make."

Erin nodded. "You drive a hard bargain, but I suppose that I can do that for you. As long as you don't mind my choosing which tea we have to christen our new kettle."

"Deal." Helen gave her a small wink as she finished typing up something. "I should be back in an hour?"

"That will work perfectly. Thank you." Helen nodded as she stood, making her way out of the office. Erin took a deep breath as she went into her own office, making a beeline for her desk and picking up her letter opener to break the seal on the box. The first thing she pulled out of the box was the tea set, and she set that aside before pulling out the different boxes she had ordered. A small blush lit up her cheeks when she realized just how much she had ordered, and Erin shook her head a little as she brought the boxes over to the coffee table, setting it on her sofa before systematically placing an assortment of the teabags into the basket she had cleared out for just that purpose.

Pulling out her phone, she quickly tapped out a question to Penelope. They're still gone, right?

Yes.

Good. I have something to drop off for Alex. Can you make certain that it stays on her desk until they get back?

Of course, Erin.

Smiling, she slipped the phone back into her pocket and went over to pick up the tea set. A tender sigh slipped from her lips as she caressed the wood, and Erin hoped that Alex would appreciate the gift, even if she didn't know where it came from. It didn't take long for her to slip into the bullpen, and she looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to her. For once, she was grateful that she had gathered a reputation for being prickly, as it seemed like everyone deliberately looked away from her as she passed them by, which worked perfectly for her needs that morning.

She stopped in front of Alex's desk and glanced at the few desks next to hers, seeing that they were either empty, or not paying attention to her. Erin pulled out Alex's chair and took a seat, looking at the cubicle to see how Alex had personalized it. Other than a picture of James above her monitor, there wasn't anything else to make the spot hers, and Erin sighed at that thought, somewhat saddened by that. "I know that you'll enjoy this, Alex," she whispered as she set the tea caddy next to her keyboard before rising to her feet and heading back to her office.

Helen still wasn't back yet, and Erin went into her office, setting two mugs on the table and then took a seat at her desk, booting up her computer so that she could get a start on her emails. She was fully engrossed in that task by the time she heard a knocking on her office door, and she looked up to see Helen and Penelope there. "I picked up a visitor, Erin. I hope you don't mind!"

She smiled as she shook her head, beckoning them inside. "I suppose that I could be obliged to have another person trying out the new tea kettle," she replied as she pushed away from her computer and rose to her feet, moving over to the sofa. "If you want to choose the tea you'd like from the basket, I'll fill the reservoir with water." She took the box from Helen's hands and set it on the table before opening it and pulling out the machine. "I'm certain one of you can find a plug for this while I'm in the break room?"

Penelope nodded as Erin took hold of the reservoir and made her way back to the bullpen. Alpha team was just stepping off the elevators as she reached the doors, and she drew in a sharp breath as she tried to act cool and collected, not wanting to let anyone know the nerves that were suddenly active in her. Holding the door for David, she gave him a small smile before making her way into the break room and starting to wash the reservoir, knowing that it had to be done before they used it. "How did things go back here while I was gone?"

Erin looked over her shoulder to give David a grin. "They went well. I decided to get a tea kettle for my office so that I can drink something delicious that won't end up with me hungover. Would you like me to bring you a mug when it's ready?"

"Oh, bella, you know that I am strictly a coffee man. Though I'm glad that you've found something to fill you with warmth until I can fill you with warmth." Erin snorted a little as the laugh she tried desperately to keep inside burrowed its way out of her body to be heard. "Too much?"

"For the workplace? Yes. But I will keep that offer in mind for tonight." He nodded as he came over to her side, pecking her cheek lightly. "I hope you don't mind that I want to be at my place tonight, but Tabitha has a golf tournament in the morning, and I don't want to let her down by missing it, and my place is closer to the golf course than yours is."

"That would be fine. Would you mind my tagging along? We probably won't have a new case until Monday, unless you're going to be a slave driver and expect us to head out tomorrow."

She turned to look at him, shaking her head a little. "No, you're home until Monday. And I expect to spend until then with you, if you're serious about going to the tournament, that is."

"I am. I love getting to know your kids better, Erin." He gave her another soft kiss, and she sighed a little as she pulled away from him to fill the reservoir. "I'll head over about five?"

"That works for me. You have the key I gave you, feel free to use it." She smiled at him as she turned the tap off. "And if you want to start supper for us, I'd love that, almost as much as I love you." It felt right to just casually say those words, knowing that they had been dancing around those words until that moment. From the look on his face, she knew that she had chosen the right time to bowl him over and she sashayed from the break room with a smirk on her lips. Alex looked up from her desk as she passed by, and she softened the smirk into a smile as their eyes met. "Good morning, Alex," she said gently, not expecting anything in return.

"Good morning, Erin." Her tone was flat, but still, it was an answer, and Erin let out a long, happy, breath as she continued on to her office, trying not to take those three small words for anything more than politeness, even though she so desperately wanted them to be more.