Dave found himself feeling a little lost as he stepped into the bullpen his first day back on desk duty. Penelope had told him that the team was heading out to Palm Beach early, and would be gone by the time he got in, since it was a time sensitive child abduction they were dealing with, but he still felt like every eye was on him as he made his way up to his office.

Unlocking his door, he immediately saw the reason for the attention, as his office had become festooned with balloons and flowers. "Surprise!"

He looked over and saw that Penelope and Erin were sitting on his sofa, bright smiles on their faces. "What did you do?" he asked as he walked over to them, looking at the cake on the coffee table and rolling his eyes a little. "I didn't need anything special for today."

"Yes, you did! I got everyone in our department to sign a card for you, and there's non alcoholic champagne here, so that Erin can indulge, too." Penelope bustled to her feet, wrapping him up in a tight hug before she slipped out of the office. "Anderson! Can you grab the bubbly from the fridge in the break room?"

Dave gave Erin a look as he took a seat next to her, and she shrugged a little as she let her head bump against his shoulder. "We wanted you to feel like you were welcome here. I know that it is difficult to find your groove once more, after you've been off for a while." He knew that she was thinking about her time off in rehab, and he stroked her knee gently before turning his face and kissing her. "Don't make me cry, David. Please, not today."

"I'm sorry, bella."

"It's been a long time coming, getting to the place where I feel comfortable with everyone knowing that we're together, and I just know that if I left here in tears this morning, there would be so much idle gossip, and I just don't need that today." He nodded as he took a look at the cake. It was beautifully decorated, and he just knew that he would have a sugar rush from any size piece that Penelope cut for him. "Do you want to just split a piece?"

"You read my mind as usual, Erin." She gave him a soft smile, and he stroked her hair lightly before grabbing the knife on the table and cutting into the cake, making a piece for him and Erin, along with one for Penelope and one for Anderson.

The other two came into his office, and he watched as Anderson opened the bottle of champagne, pouring it into the glasses that Penelope held out. "After you take your pieces, take the cake to the break room. There's no way we can eat all this, after all."

"Okay." Penelope gave him such a sunny smile that he couldn't help but return the expression. "I do hope that you like this, though. Erin told me what your favorite type was."

He nodded as she plated the cake, handing it over along with two forks. As they dug in, Penelope and Anderson went to town on their slices, as if there were other places that they had to be. He winked at Erin before feeding her a small bite. The tender smile that she gave him made his heart feel a little easier, as they had slowly been creeping back towards normalcy in their relationship. "This is delicious, Kitten. Thank you."

She nodded. "I'm glad that you like it. And, we have a question for you. Would you like me to drive you to the hospital on your lunch hour today? I have a bit of a heavier foot than you or Erin do, and that way you can spend as much time with Helena as possible."

"That would be really nice, thanks," he replied and Penelope grinned at them once more before she had Anderson pick up the cake and she took the dirty plates from the office before leaving them alone. "I hope that you don't mind letting her commandeer us like that."

"She means well, and it is easier to just give over right now. I'm so worried about you and Helena and this Replicator that I feel like I'm being pulled in a thousand different directions at once." He frowned a little as he scooted closer to her, wrapping his arm around Erin's waist as he rested his head against hers. "I want to protect you all, and I feel like I'm failing everyone."

Dave knew that she was about to start crying, and he raised his hand to her shoulder, tugging her closer. Erin turned into him and snuggled in close as her shoulders started to shake. "You haven't failed me, bella. I failed you, and the fact that you've been able to forgive me is something that still astounds me. I know that we still have work to do with our children, but they will come around in time. I mean, Harriet has gotten Greg to ease up on me, so that's progress. Right?"

She nodded a little before rubbing her cheek against his chest. "And Alex and I have been growing closer than ever since everything happened. I hate that it took almost losing Helena, and her finding out about our affair, to create the healing, but I am so glad that we've buried the hatchet. It's been so nice to have my friend at my side once more."

"It is, yes." He bent his head to kiss the crown of Erin's hair before squeezing her tightly and then pushing her away a little. "Now, we both have to get to work, so that we can justify having a bit longer of a lunch hour today. I'll see you at quarter to?"

Erin nodded before kissing him softly. "Of course, David." Rising to her feet, Erin brushed her skirt down along her legs before looking at him. "Let me know if you need anything. As your Section Chief, I can make things a little easier for you, you know."

"I do. Also? If you have a few minutes today, I'd like it if you could get together a list of what the kids might like for Christmas this year. It's coming up sooner than I'd like, and I haven't gotten to know them as well as I would like."

"Of course I can do that. But you have to promise me that you won't spoil them. That won't win you any points, after all, and it's not like they really need anything, besides Helena. And we are completely free to spoil our granddaughter, yes?"

"Yeah," he replied, a silly smile spreading across his face to hear her call Helena that. "I'm just grateful that she'll be home in time for Thanksgiving. I want to have dinner at my house, do you think they'll show up?"

"I think so, yes. It might be a little tense, but I think that a family meal might just be the thing that brings us together." Giving him a small wave, she left his office, and he felt her loss instantly. Picking up the remnants of their piece of cake, Dave went over to his desk and took a seat, nibbling at the dessert as he got to work on his current file.