The only thing Dave could feel as he trudged home was a crushing sense of despair. He had wanted to take Reid home, but Derek said that he and JJ would manage that task. Even Aaron and Alex had seemed inconsolable at the culmination of their search for Maeve, and he was glad that he, at least, had Erin to go home to. "Hey, Alex, is James going to be there for you tonight, or is he on shift?" he asked as he stopped by her desk, needing to connect and reach out.

"No." She looked up at him, tears in her eyes, and he cocked his head to one side. "I'll be fine, Dave, I promise."

"No, you and Kitten are the only ones who don't have someone to go home to tonight. We need to draw together at a time like this, and I know that Erin will need extra support, since she felt like this was a Replicator case all along. There are quite a few signs that point to the fact that he did have a hand in this, and I just don't want to tell her that she was right on my own. Maybe that makes me a coward, but I do also want our friends to surround us at this time."

Finally Alex smiled at him, though it wobbled a bit, and she reached into her desk for her purse. "You drive a hard bargain, Dave."

"I try. Let me go up and speak to Penelope, and then we can head out." Alex nodded and he made his way up to Penelope's office. Knocking twice before he entered, Dave tried to brace himself for the waterworks he was certain to encounter. Penelope's system was already off, and she sat in her chair, her head bowed deeply against her chest as she sobbed quietly, and he went over to her side, resting his hand on her shoulder. "I want you to come home with Alex and me tonight. I don't want you to be alone, especially since Derek and JJ are with Reid. All right?"

She nodded wordlessly, getting to her feet and stumbling into his chest. "I failed again, and one of our loved ones paid the ultimate price. First Haley, now Maeve. When will I learn to do better?"

"Oh, Kitten, sometimes our best won't be good enough, and sometimes we'll lose those closest to us." Bending his head slightly, he kissed the crown of her hair, trying not to choke on a feather on her headband. "Come along, Erin will help us hug the hurt out of you, too."

She nodded a little as she gracefully squatted down to pull her purse out of her desk drawer before getting back up and wrapping her arm around his waist. Together, they went down to the elevators, joining Alex there. "I never thought that this would be the outcome, Alex."

"I know, I know. But we're going to get through this together. All of us." She nodded at them in turn, and Dave returned the gesture with the softest smile he could manage. Alex looked a bit pained as they stepped into the elevator, and he wished that they were alone so that he could offer to hug her. Penelope seemed to pick up on that feeling, as she moved away from him to wrap her arms around Alex in a tight hug, offering the older woman the same comfort he had offered her moments ago. "It's just not fair!"

"Life is never fair, I've learned that lesson many times over as I've gone through life. But I also know that if life were fair, that would mean that we were deserving of whatever bad things happened to us. Kitten was shot, she did nothing to deserve that. My son died when he was just a baby, he did nothing to deserve that. Maeve and Haley were murdered, they did nothing to deserve that. We just have to keep that thought in mind. Our actions, our small unkindnesses, they didn't result in the tragedies that have touched us." He blinked back the quick tears that came to his eyes, and then Penelope was reaching out for his hand, squeezing it tightly as they stepped out of the elevator.

"All right, so, I am planning on spending the night at your house, Dave. You have enough guest rooms, and if I cry as much as I think I will? I'm going to have a monster headache. I'll see you at your place," she said before letting go of his hand and quickly making her way over to the parking garage. Alex was more content to walk by his side to their vehicles, since they had parked next to each other that morning, and she let out a deep sigh as she looked at him.

"I suppose that I'll spend the night, too. James won't be home until after I'm supposed to be back here, and I don't relish spending the night alone. I'll need to follow you."

"Of course. The more the merrier."

She gave him a small, fleeting, smile before she reached out to pat his arm and then went to climb into her car. Shaking his head to loosen some of the wool gathering there, Dave got into his car and backed out of his spot, praying that he would drive slowly enough so that she could keep up. The drive home didn't take too long, since it was already rather late, and by the time he pulled into the drive, he saw that Penelope had arrived before him, since she and Erin were on the stoop, hugging tightly.

He waved to them as he pulled into the garage, coming outside so that he could join them as Alex parked next to Penelope in the drive. "I have a full house and a full heart tonight," Erin managed to choke out before bursting into tears, and he very gently pushed Penelope away so that he could embrace his lover, kissing her deeply as Alex and Penelope made their way into the house. "Aaron called with the news, and he said that there is evidence that it was the Replicator who had a hand in things. I told you, David, he's not going to stop until one of us is dead!"

"Shh, bella, I am not going to let that happen."

"You talk a big game, but you can't protect everyone. That was made entirely clear today. What if, what if you're the one that he kills? What if I lose you before I get the chance to build my family with you?" Erin wobbled on her feet a little, and he reached out to catch her, slinging an arm around her waist as he led her inside. The sobs that were wracking her body concerned him, and Dave brought her into the living room, finding Alex and Penelope already there. Alex jumped to her feet and hurried over to them, helping him to get her over to the sofa where they heavily took a seat. Erin curled up into him, burying her face into his shirt as she continued to cry, and all Dave could do was look helplessly at Alex and Penelope, knowing that Erin needed to get this out of her system before they could have an honest, level headed, conversation.