Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses.

-Ann Landers-

"Hey," Erin tried to roll over at the sound of his voice, but his arm was heavy and kept her pinned to the mattress. He was groggy and closer to being asleep than awake.

"What is it?" She reached for the lamp and the room illuminated with soft light. "Do you hurt?" She looked at the clock on the nightstand and reached for his prescription. It was about time for another dose.

"No."

"Then what is it?" She struggled to roll over to face him, it was an impossible feat. What's wrong?"

"I was just thinkin'."

"About?" She questioned and stifled a yawn. Jesus Christ, this is why David Rossi should never take opiates. They made him overly emotional and if he would just go to sleep, he would be fine when he woke up.

"You should be sleeping," she chastised.

He flopped onto his back and blew out a breath.

"What is it?"

"You used to face me when we slept," he said lowly. He was almost sad. "You're going to change your mind one day."

Jesus, fucking opiates she thought bitterly. He would be fine in the morning if he could go to sleep now. On the cusp of annoyance she said, "your children appreciate the extra blood flow when I lay on the left side."

"Oh." He blew out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"You realize that if I roll over you're going to have a cast across your abdomen?"

His voice brightened, "I can take it."

She wasn't moving on her own and if that's what he wanted he was going to have to help her.

"Put your hand under my hip and pull me towards you."

"Yes, Ma'am." He did as he was told and she felt her back pop from the sudden movement. Her head landed squarely on his chest. "Now, that's more like it." He mumbled against her hair. She angled her cast away from him and closer to the mattress. "You're gonna pull your shoulder out like that."

"I don't want to crush you."

"I promise you won't." He said and repositioned them so her cast lay across his waist.

"Do you feel better?" She asked and kissed his forehead.

"Like a new man." He gave a content sigh, "today was a great day, Erin."

"It was," she agreed. "The kids love you so much."

"Good," she caught his impish smile, "Because I love them too." His hand found the taut skin of her belly. "Are you sure you don't want to know?"

"Absolutely. Do you want to know?"

"That envelope is burning a hole in my pocket," he said shamelessly. "I'm about to go put it in the safe."

She laughed, "It's not a state secret."

"It feels like one."

"Well, how much are you going to screw with me if I agree to let you peek?"

"How do you know I haven't already?" He teased.

"Thank you," she groaned.

"For what?" He goaded.

"For telling me what I needed to know."

"What do you think?" Erin asked holding up a lilac and green onesie.

"It's nice," Dave remarked, "for a girl."

"Then we'll need two," Erin said and reached across the rack for a second.

Dave cast a look at the cart, laden with enough tiny clothes and accessories to supply a hospital nursery, there was just one problem.

"Honey, it's all pink." Every blanket, stuffed toy, pacifier and bottle, were varying shades of Pepto-Bismol.

"So what?" She shrugged and reached for a little black and white dress, "see? It's not all pink."

"What if they're boys? Erin, I'm all for 'tough guys wear pink' but I'm not dressing my infant son in an Easter dress just because you think it's pretty."

"Then you pick out something, David." She snapped, crossing her arms over her chest, instinctively scratching the top of her cast.

"Why won't you just read the note, Erin?" He countered. "Save us all the trouble of buying stuff we may not need."

"Because, either way it goes, nothing we buy will go to waste."

"So, what are we going to do with a pile of dresses if we have two boys?"

She shrugged and patted her baby bump, "roll with the punches, David, we'll roll with the punches."

"Roll with the punches," he snorted and turned towards the rack of baby blue clothes. He grabbed two baby-sized tuxedos, the Rossi men are a dapper breed and if Dave had his way, they would be bringing him home in a bow-tie and a top hat.

"Red?" He held up a tie for inspection. "Or yellow?"

"Green." She countered and grabbed the cart.

He reached for the green one and dumped all three in the cart. "This is called a compromise, Sweetheart."

"Who says we need three ties? Put the yellow back."

"I like the yellow one."

"I don't. You've never looked good in yellow."

"Who says he'll look like me?"

"What makes you think there's a boy?"

"Call it Father's Intuition."

"Well, I think there's two girls," she said, reaching for a third package of headbands. "Mother's Intuition."

"Boys." He grinned and dropped two packages of blue bibs in the cart. 'Daddy's Clone' and 'Sorry Girl's My Mommy says I can't date, Ever.' Stuck out of the heap.

"Girls." Erin snarked. Fed up, she dug in her heels and added a pair of patent leather Mary Jane's."

"Boys." A stack of blue clothes landed in the cart.

"Girls." Erin froze when a familiar voice deadpanned, "I'd hate to see how you two grocery shop."

Erin looked up, feeling like she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She glanced over at Dave who looked equally embarrassed; Dave's cheeks colored tomato red.

Aaron Hotchner was pushing an empty cart, with a subtle smile on his face. "I could hear you from across the store."

" This isn't your usual Saturday night hot-spot, Hotch. What brings you to 'Baby's R' Us?' Dave gave him a suspicious glance that would make a lesser man feel like Dave could see right through him.

"Beth wants to try again and she's coming to town for her sister's baby shower. I offered to pick up a gift."

"That's really nice of you, Aaron." Erin gushed and looked in his cart. "You haven't decided yet?"

"Oh I was just headed out." He prodded the underside of the cart with his shoe. A hollow noise sounded. "Diapers."

"Good choice, you can never have too many."

"How's the arm?"

"Itchy. How's your head?"

"Much better and I should be able to return to active duty by next week." The bruising around his nose and forehead was nearly gone since the last time she'd seen him.

"That's good news." Dave said, reaching for Erin's hand. "We should get going." Hurrying towards the checkout line with a full cart in tow, Erin whispered, "Well that was awkward."

"Oh, I think it could have been worse."

"How so?"

"We could have run into Garcia."

"Fair point."

"I've made a few."

'I like your team, David, really I do."

"But?" He pressed.

"But I can't stand to think about what's going to be said about me. About us."

"What could they say?"

"The same shit my parents spewed about Mark when we were dating. How he rode my coattails and only wanted what I could give him."

"There's just one problem." He squeezed her hand as they approached the register.

"What's that?"

"You would have to be a gold-digger for any of that to be true. You never cared about what I did during retirement."

"I cared. I wanted to know what you were doing."

"But the money never mattered, listen here, Sweetheart you haven't let me fully pay for anything since we've been together. You tried to return the damn pillow that I bought for you and if I hear anyone whispering behind your back, I'll tell them to get fucked. I don't care if it's a member of my team or the FBI Director an asshole is an asshole."

"I can take care of myself, David."

"Just because you can, doesn't mean you should."