Truth is always in harmony with herself, and is not concerned chiefly to reveal the justice that may consist with wrong-doing.

-Henry David Thoreau

Dave grabbed his coat and rushed out of his office towards the parking garage. "Hey, Dave. Where's the fire?" Hotch asked, coming up behind him.

"Erin's hold is over and Penelope is pleading her case with Barnes. I'm going to pick her up."

"I'm surprised you're here now," Hotch deadpanned. "I thought you would have left at the end of your interrogation."

"Thought about it," Dave said briskly. "I didn't want to get called back. My lawyer is with her…"

"Well, you don't want to leave her hanging."

Dave grinned, Hotch understood. "We both know I can't afford another night in the doghouse, even if it is a well appointed air conditioned one." Dave quipped as the elevator doors opened and Dave stepped inside.

"Hey Dave?" Hotch threw his arm out, to block the doors from sliding closed.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think you'll come back?"

Dave shrugged, he couldn't find a good answer to that question...after a long moment he said, "I don't know, Hotch."

Hotch dropped his arm and the doors slid closed. Standing in the elevator, Dave found his phone in his pocket and checked his messages. He found a text from J.J. telling him that she and Will drove Mackenzie to school that morning and Paige and Paul drove themselves with no problem.

Thank God for the team, he knew then that his family might have been up the creek if Will and Jessica hadn't been able to sit with the kids. True, they were old enough to stay home alone, but Erin didn't need her ex husband to have more ammunition against her. "Thank you for the team," he said aloud as the elevator stopped at the parking garage. He called Erin's number and waited. When it went straight to voicemail, he figured she probably didn't have her phone. No biggie, he would meet her there. He unlocked the car and climbed in the driver's seat. "Hey, Siri." He commanded, "Call Erin."

"You're late!" Stan snapped as Agents Lambert and Thomas filed into the interrogation room. "I have half a mind to report this to the Attorney General. My client should have been released an hour ago."

"You're free to go," Thomas said, completely ignoring Stan's fit of temper.

"Are you closing the case?" Erin asked.

"Not yet," Lambert cut in. "But there's no evidence against you."

"When are you closing the case?" Erin asked, her tone indicated full authority. "I don't want this trainwreck hanging over me."

"Listen, Ms. Strauss." Lambert met her eyes, suddenly they were equals. "We have no evidence against you. For all we know, you're innocent, nothing is coming back to haunt you."

"It's Section Chief Strauss," Erin reminded them. Even though they had put her through the ringer, she was still an Agent with the FBI and deserved the respect of her title. Can I get that in writing?"

Lambert nodded, "absolutely."

"Thank you for your help, Stan. You really came through for me." Erin said. She pressed the button for the elevator and waited.

"I'm glad we were able to help." He said as they boarded the elevator. "I can drive you home if you want." He'd collected her phone before her release and handed it to her.

"I need to call David…but I can't wait to get the hell out of this place." She said and pressed the power button on her phone. Stan led her across the main floor to file the paperwork for her release.

She checked her messages, there was a text from J.J. and Will and one from David.

"Oh I'm sure he's on his way." Stan said, "If I had thought about it, I would have called him an hour ago."

Erin held the phone against her face,Dave answered the call on the first ring.

"I'm five-minutes away," Dave said. He flipped on his turn signal and merged into the correct lane.

"That's five-minutes too far. Stan and I are signing the paperwork for my release, but I don't know how long that's going to take. Dave, I want to get out of here, as far away from this place as we can get."

"Call me if you finish before I arrive."

"That's a promise. I-" she couldn't get the words out, not here in the DOJ. She took the pen in her hand and scrawled her signature on the release forms. Her foot tapped anxiously on the floor, "I trust my attorney has gone over these.." She said and kept signing, with the phone pressed between her neck and shoulder.

"You wouldn't be holding the pen if I hadn't," Stan said. As she passed the paperwork to the clerk.

"I'm parking," Dave said and she could hear the smile in his voice. "I'll meet you out front."

Dave tapped his fingers anxiously against the steering wheel. His eyes were fixated on the DOJ he played with the radio, until he found the station Erin liked and waited. He looked in the mirror to check his appearance, his hair was impeccable, as usual but the bags under his eyes would give him away. The Robert F. Kennedy building seemed more imposing than ever, the white marble gleamed against the mid-morning sun. Regal flags fluttered in the wind. Dave couldn't take his eyes off the door. "Come on Erin." Glancing in the rearview mirror, horns blared and he realized he was holding up traffic. He put the car in gear and circled the parking lot. On his third pass around the lot, he saw her coming down the steps of the building. He threw the car in park, in front of the building and got out of the car.

"Hey Bella," he took her face in his hands and kissed her cheek. He gently tucked a stray tendril of blonde hair behind her ear "Are you guys okay?" He asked, cradling her abdomen with both hands, assuring himself that his children were still there. They were safe; He was bringing them home.

"We're fine," Erin said, "I'm exhausted, but... She dropped her shoulders, and smiled. "We're fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," She laughed at him, "It's been two days."

"Two, very long days," he agreed and kissed her deeply, holding her close.

Stan coughed lightly and the pair broke apart. "Thanks for taking care of her, Stan." Dave said and shook the other man's hand.

"It wasn't the most ideal way to get to know your bride, Rossi."

"Trust me," Dave cut in, "I figured you two wouldn't cross paths until the reading of my will."

Erin smacked Dave, lightly on the arm.

"Glad we could meet before then," Stan said easily. "Let's not make this a habit."

"Hand to God," Dave said.

"Okay, I have some business to take care of at the firm. It was good seeing you both." Stan pivoted back towards his car, across the lot.

"Stan?" Dave said.

The attorney turned around, "What's up?"

Annoyed, Dave said, "When is the government going to unfreeze our accounts?"

"I'm working on that, but the worst case scenario is two or three days." Stan said with a shrug. "It'll be alright, Davey." With that, Stan hurried back to his car.

"Two or three days," Dave grumbled. "It took 30 seconds to freeze our money and 2 or 3 days to release it."

"It doesn't matter," Erin said, "It's mildly inconvenient but we're not going to starve." He held the passenger door open for her "Did you remember to take your pills while I was gone? I missed you-I." she rambled, her thoughts tangled in her head, sheer exhaustion clouded over her.

"I missed you too," He closed her door and went around to the other side. "Yes, I took my statins. I promise I didn't eat anything good while you were gone." He said, climbing in.

"It's almost comforting to know I wasn't the only one eating out of a vending machine."

Dave wrinkled his nose at the thought, "I figured...so I brought you breakfast." He reached around her seat and withdrew a paper bag. A cup of coffee sat on her side of the console. "Might want to eat the sandwich while it's still warm. I had the roast beef warmed up. I ate mine on the drive here."

She unwrapped the croissant and took a bite. The warm roast beef sandwich was the best thing she'd ever eaten in her whole life.

"David Rossi, you're officially the sweetest man on the planet." She said, gulping down her coffee, thankfully it was closer to room temperature than scalding hot.

"Sweeter than the Kool-Aid man?" He quipped.

"You've outdone the candy man." She said, replacing the cup. She shot him a doubtful look."Are you completely sure you remembered your statins?" She pressed.

"Were you worrying about me the whole time you were in interrogation?" He shot her a surprised look. She had more important things to focus on, than his pills.

"What if I was?" She deadpanned, "I had a lot of down time."

He leaned over and brushed a lock of hair out of her face. She turned to face him and kissed his lips. Her hand found his cheek, she ran her palm across his whiskers. "I kinda like the stubble."

He gave a derisive snort, "shaving kinda slipped my mind." He leaned forward and kissed her again. His tongue swept across her lips, teasing them open. He didn't realize what he missed until he was deprived of it. He was a very greedy man. "We need to never go that long again without kissing." He said, pulling back for breath.

"Deal."

"Are you sure you're okay?" He took her chin in his hand, studying her face.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You look kinda puffy…"

"David, I haven't slept." She said and pulled down the visor mirror. Horns blared behind him. "You might want to hurry up, Honey. We're blocking traffic."

"These people do know, they can go around," Dave grouched.

He started the car and navigated them back onto the highway. Setting the cruise control at 65 mph he reached over to grab her hand. "I worried about you too.." he admitted. He couldn't shake the thought that her hand felt firmer than normal.

"You shouldn't have," Erin settled in the front seat, her eyes drifted closed against her will. "I was okay. Bored out of my mind, but otherwise..."

"You think you have the market cornered on being concerned, Erin?" He raised one incredulous eyebrow at her. "I didn't know what was happening to you. I couldn't shake the thought of them getting rough with you."

"Stop," Erin ordered in the firmest tone she could muster, "you're spinning out."

"Yeah, I think I'm entitled," He said pointedly. "I know what the box is like Erin. The interrogators will do anything to get what they want. I've slammed grown men around and scared the hell out of their wives. In the field, I've held my gun on a pregnant woman, to get the intel I needed. I don't even believe in karma, but if I did." He cut the sentence off abruptly. He swallowed tightly, emotion clogging his voice. "Erin, I didn't know but I imagined what could happen, trust me when I say that it felt very real."

"Stop!" She guided his hand over the spot where their children were moving. The sudden caffeine rush had woken them up. "Nobody touched me." She assured him. "We're fine."

He sighed heavily, stomping his emotions down. "Good job, Kids. Your first and last interrogation."
She swiped her hand across her eyes and looked at him, "I think…" She cleared her throat. Exhaustion took over her thoughts, she couldn't trust herself to say the right thing, but she tried anyway. "I think we need to talk seriously about setting a date." She leaned forward and sat the bag from the bakery on the floorboard.

"We can do that," Dave said, but his nerves hummed. Was she really ready to take the next step? "But I don't think I'm comfortable making such big decisions on such little sleep. I don't want to pressure you."

"You regularly make life altering decisions in the field, on two hours of sleep." She argued, "don't hold back now." She said and took a sip of coffee. After 2 days without coffee and very little sleep, the caffeine slammed into her veins, suddenly she was wide awake. "Weren't you the one trying to convince me to throw caution to the wind and go off with you on a mini vacation, before we got stopped by the DOJ? How many times did you propose to me before I finally said yes? And now, when I am finally onboard, you want to wait? That's not fair, David."

"Fair point," he said. "What if we got married this weekend?"

"We could do it in the backyard-"

"No. No. No." He held up his hand, "that was good enough for J.J. It was a great party, but-"

"You want something different for us."

"Exactly." Reason, 394 why he loved her. She understood him, even when he put his foot in his mouth.

"I think we should go get the kids from school on the way home. I hate the way we left them…David, I want to see them. I need to see them." She spread her arms wide, "I want us to be together. No phones, no stress."

"Alright, we can do that." he agreed, "For the record, I didn't like it either…" Looking back on the situation, there wasn't a better way to leave them. At least they didn't have to watch their mother get arrested. "We'll pick up Mackenzie first." Dave said, pulling the car onto the interstate. He worried about Erin, the interrogation must have done a number on her. She was pale, her face and hands were swollen.

"How much did you tell them?" She asked, "do they think I'm a criminal?"

Dave shook his head in the negative, "they don't know much at all...we'll talk about it when we get home." He said, squeezing her hand. "Rest awhile and I'll wake you when we get there."

"I caught a second wind," she explained and took another sip of coffee.

"Yeah, okay." He said, raising an eyebrow. "You've changed the subject like 3 times since we've been in the car. Tesoro, you're not rested, you're wired."

"Who's fault is that?" She replied dryly, "I would have been happy with water."

He popped open the center console and withdrew a bottle. "Trade me?" He relented. "Get some rest and we'll pick up lunch after we get the kids. I'm not cooking."

"Dave, I'm so sick of pizza," Erin admitted before he could fall back into the habit of having chicago pies delivered. "Every time something bad happens, we order pizza."

"That's okay," he said. "We're turning the tide today. Hey Siri, call Max's restaurant." He turned to Erin, "Order whatever you want."

"I could get used to you using your clout," Erin said. She loved Max's; It was the restaurant where they spent their first date. The food was delicious and Dave was friendly with the owner; it was a safe bet that he would offer them a generous discount. "Even your version of 'poverty' is expensive." She joked and pulled her wallet from her purse. She had enough cash to cover a nice dinner, but not much extra.

"We're not poor." He denied, "We're temporarily delayed," he fired back. The phone continued to ring and Dave stabbed the button with his index finger.

Dave leaned over and shook Erin by the shoulder, she was dozing in the front seat with her head resting on the door. "Wake up for a minute."

She raised up, bleary eyed. "Where are we?" She croaked.

"Mackenzie's school. You stay here, I'll sign her out."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, I'm sure. I haven't picked her up in four days. The principle probably thinks you threw me out." Truthfully, he missed picking her up from school. She made an effort to connect with him on the drive home. She chattered away at him about her day and then he took her for ice cream on fridays. Yeah, it was safe to say he missed that side of domesticity.

"Ha! Probably." Erin said and took a sip of her coffee. "I'll try the restaurant again, while you're gone."

Dave pecked her lips and got out of the car. She watched him amble easily across the parking lot. Mark never made much of an effort with the kids, he complained the whole time, when picking them up and he always late.

As much as Erin teased David about his lack of patience in the school pickup line, he never failed her. He always left the house at least a half an hour early to beat the traffic, because he wanted to spare Mackenzie the embarrassment of being the last kid to be picked up. Not that David shared that motivation with Erin, but she knew he enjoyed the 20 minute drive with her youngest daughter. He kept her giggling from the time they walked into the house, till bedtime and Erin found more than one receipt to his favorite ice cream truck parked near the school. Always dated on a Friday afternoon, always 2 cones. David Rossi was as steady as a drum beat, when their family needed him most.

Erin sat up in her seat and dialed Max's again. After all they had been through, they deserved a steak dinner.

"Dave!" Mackenzie shrieked, running towards him. She hugged him tight, completely forgetting she was standing in the office.

"Whoa! Slow down, Kiddo. It's not that serious." He sent an apologetic glance towards the secretary. "Sorry...we're easily excited."

The secretary rolled her eyes. She worked in an elementary school, and excited little kids were par for the course for her.

"Is Mom okay?" Mackenzie released him long enough to allow him to sign her forms. "Why are you picking me up early?" She peppered him with questions and tapped her foot on the floor.

"Your mom missed you," Dave said, escorting his soon-to-be step daughter out the door. Dave glanced down, when he felt a sudden warmth in his hand. He looked down in surprise. Mackenzie was holding his hand as they walked across the parking lot. She glanced up at him and said in a voice so quiet he had to strain to hear it, "Love you, Dave."

Dave thought his heart would burst, "I love you too, Kid, but I think you miss our ice cream trips more."

"Can I love both?" she shrugged.

"Is it okay that I love both too?" He asked, with a gentle smile.

She giggled.

"Let's say hi to your mom," he said as they neared the car.

Mackenzie dropped Dave's hand, slung her backpack on the ground and pounded the pavement, long legs eating the distance between them. She yanked the car door open and launched herself towards her mother.

"Easy!" Erin huffed, Mackenzie knocked the breath out of her, clinging to her mom's neck.

"Mom are you okay? Are the babies alright?" The 10 year old asked, still not sure what was going on with her mom as the adults and her older siblings had given her an age appropriate version of what happened, but she was Erin Strauss' daughter and knew when something was missing from the story.

"Sweetheart, I am fine and so are the babies."

Can I come back home?" Mackenzie asked, burying her face in Erin's shoulder. Erin squeezed her back. "Of course you can."

Mackenzie pulled back, "I really miss Mudgie...and you guys too." She covered quickly.

Dave laughed and held open the door to the backseat. "I'm sure he misses you too."

Erin checked the time, Paige and Paul would be dismissing soon. Dave climbed in the car, buckled his seatbelt and glanced in the rearview mirror.

"Got a lot of homework, Shortie?" He asked, pulling onto the highway, towards the high school.

Mackenzie shrugged,"not much."

Soon, the whole family gathered in the living room. Erin and Paige sat on the sofa, watching Dave, Paul and Mackenzie locked in a fierce battle. 'Won't Get Fooled Again,' blared through the surround sound.

"I don't think this is fair," Paul said as Dave's score increased. "Mackenzie and I have never heard this song outside of the C.S.I. opening. How are we supposed to play it?"

"Expand your horizons," Dave said and turned to look at Erin, in surprise. "You actually let them watch C.S.I? I can't believe you watch that stuff, don't you get enough of the real thing?"

"Hey, don't judge me." Erin held up her hand, "Mark started it. I got sucked in."

"I don't get it," Dave continued, "that stuff isn't even realistic. Now...criminal Minds…" He wagged his finger. "That's good TV."

"It's all fake! That's what makes it good," Paige said. "And they still catch the bad guy without all the scary stuff."

"Fair enough," Dave relented. He went into the kitchen and pulled out some dessert plates. "Anyone else want cheesecake?" He asked, sliding pieces on plates.

When he didn't get an answer, he grabbed a plate for himself and one for Erin then went to the couch, he picked up Erin's feet and laid them in his lap.

"David Rossi, if you keep feeding me-" Erin gave a halfhearted threat and picked up the fork.

"You'll what?" He teased, arching an eyebrow.

"I'll keep eating," she speared a bite.

A huge belly laugh erupted from Dave and the kids at that statement. "Have I told you how adorable you are pregnant?" Rossi asked and kissed her on the lips.

"What was that for?" Erin asked.

"I wanted to see if the cheesecake tasted sweeter on you." His eyes twinkled in mischief. "I was right."

"You're too much," she swatted his arm, playfully pushing him away.

"You're adorable.. and violent." He clarified, rubbing his arm. "I hope the violence dissipates once the babies are born." He joked, patting her belly.

"It won't!" Paul warned his almost-step father. "It only gets worse from here." Paul teased his mother.

Dave shrugged, "Eh, that's okay. I knew the answer to that question when I asked it."

"Damn right, you did." Erin pecked him briefly on the lips.

"Um.. children in the room you two." Paige said reaching out and covering her brother and sister's eyes, as she teased her parental figures.

"Unnecessary roughness!" Paul screamed, pulling away from Paige. He picked up the plastic guitar and started another round of Rock Band. "For that," He turned to glare at Paige. "You're playing with me." He forced the drumsticks in her hand.

Erin pointed the remote at the TV, lowering the volume.

"What if I don't want to?" Paige asked, crossing her arms, she stuck out her tongue and took the drumsticks.

"You look tired." Dave said, so only Erin could hear.

"I am," she said, sitting up and placing her head on his shoulder. "I think it's important for us to talk to the kids about what happened."

"I think we should squeeze in a nap," Dave offered.

"I can't sleep, worrying about what they think of me."

"I don't think they have an opinion," Dave said and brushed his lips against her forehead.

"I know they seem okay. They're just glad to have us both back, but we both know what trauma does to a child psychologically. I won't allow this to put my children at risk of becoming unsubs, David."

"I think they'll be okay, Erin." He paused, to gather his thoughts. "Most unsubs don't have good parents to lean on."

"We can nip this in the bud, now. It will have to be a quick discussion because I don't know how much longer I can keep my eyes open. I refuse to lie down in our bed before I wash the stench of spending 48 hours in a DOJ interrogation room off me."

"How about as soon as we finish our talk with the kids, I run you a nice warm bath while you grab something to sleep in. You can take a quick soak."

A bubble bath sounded heavenly. There was something oddly satisfying about taking a bath in the middle of the afternoon, being completely indulgent when you were supposed to be at work. "I could get used to this," She said. David fell naturally into his new role of devoted family man. The selfish part of her, didn't want to lose that if either one of them went back to The Bureau. She hadn't left her position, but after what she had gone through, it was a serious consideration.

"Don't worry, I won't let you stay there long enough to fall asleep." He promised, "I might even climb in there with you."

"Hmm…" she pretended to think it over, "I think we could make that work. Maybe a nap afterwards?"

"Deal. I didn't get any real sleep, not knowing what was happening to you. The couch in my office isn't known for its lumbar support."

"The kids can do their homework, and entertain themselves for a bit, and then we can have a nice family dinner." Erin said.

"If you are up to it, maybe we can go out and catch a movie. I'm sure there is some sort of superhero flick that we all can agree on, playing somewhere near." Rossi said, knowing that was the only genre of film that everyone in the family liked. Last time they had tried to decide on a movie, they had spent two hours just deciding on what film to see. What had been planned as going to see a Matinee, had turned into almost missing the last show, by the time they got their act together.

"I would be up for movie and game night at home." She countered. "We haven't done that in a while. I'm not looking forward to having this conversation but we might as well get it over with." No time like the present Strauss thought. "Alright, Kids. Family Meeting." She said and the kids came over and sat with them again.

Paul and Paige were just finishing the round, where she had kicked his rear end solidly. He had managed to beat Mackenzie but not by much. Either they were sneaking in practice with Dave behind his back, or Dave had shown them some cheat codes, the young man thought as he walked over, sat at his mom's feet and said, "What's up, guys?" Paige sat next to Paul on the floor, against the sofa. With Erin's hand ruffling his hair. Their little sister hopped up on the couch and side hugged her mom again before glueing herself to her mother's side.

"We need to talk about what happened," Erin began.

She waited, to make sure her teenagers were listening. She had their rapt attention.

"We told you we needed romantic time," Dave said. Regret tinged his voice. "That wasn't true. We didn't want to keep you in the dark, but we didn't want you to worry."

"There have been some problems...at work." Erin said she didn't want to keep lying but they didn't need all the details either. "A friend from work had to come and pick up some paperwork."

Dave shot her a dark look, "Come on Erin. Don't hold back now. Kids, they searched our house looking for paperwork."

"Did they find what they needed?" Paige asked, "they're not coming back are they."

"No, Honey." Erin said, "they're not coming back and before you ask, we didn't let them search your rooms." The last thing she wanted was her children to feel violated because of her mistakes. "When we followed you home-"

"You got arrested?" Paul asked.

"I was questioned." Erin said sharply. "Not arrested, but everything is taken care of now."

"But they thought you messed up the paperwork?" Paige asked, "That's why you sent us to Dad's?"

Erin nodded, her kids were too smart. "Babe, I didn't want you to see that."

"Thanks for that," Paige snarked. "Are you sure it's over? I don't like bouncing back and forth."

"I get it," Erin said sternly. "I don't like it either. The investigation is over and you don't have to go anywhere you don't want to."

Paige didn't say anything, she wanted to be mad, but it was hard to be upset about something that you just found out about. She reached over and hugged her mom, "I'm glad you're home."

Erin sighed against her daughter's shoulder. "Me too. I'm not leaving you." Erin said, squeezing her eldest tightly.

"Better not," Paige sniffed. Only then did Erin realize her tough as nails teenager was openly sobbing on her shoulder.

"I didn't know what to do-" Paige said.

"You did exactly what you were supposed to do." Erin reassured her, rubbing her back. "I promise not to keep you in the dark anymore, but you all need to remember that some problems are mine to solve."

"Mine too," Dave said. "We're your parents and we'll handle it."

Dave stepped away from the group to find a box of tissues. He returned a moment later. "Paige, you know you don't have to handle everything on your own." He said as the teenager untangled herself from Erin.

Paige took a tissue from the box and wiped her eyes. "I don't know how to be normal," she sniffed. Only because her definition of normal was the unattainable kind.

"Don't put so much pressure on yourself," Dave said, squeezing her shoulder, he jostled her lightly. "You're not strong enough to carry the world." Paige gave a watery laugh and wiped her eyes. She stood up from the sofa, facing her mom.

"David's right," Erin said. "Go be a kid." She said, giving her daughter a playful shove, "stop trying to be an adult all the time. Now, go upstairs and call your friends. All of you," Erin turned to her children, "go upstairs and do your homework. David and I are going to take a nap."

"Can we walk Mudgie?" Mackenzie asked.

The dog, who was laying in the corner of the room, well out of the way, perked up at the word 'walk.'

"I think he would like that," Dave said, the dog in question trotted up to Mackenzie and laid down at her feet.

When Erin and the kids first moved in, Mackenzie made it her job to look out for the dog. Who knew, after 8 years with Dave, he'd been doing it all wrong. At first, Dave worried that the dog would pull too hard on the leash and overpower Mackenzie. Mudgie liked a good chase and Mackenzie wasn't strong enough to control him on the leash. As usual, Dave was proven wrong. The hyperactive dog took it slow, ambling through the neighborhood, slow and easy. The old dog took in the scenery, smelled the roses and ignored every passing squirrel or wayward bird that he saw. Basically, when Mackenzie had the leash, Mudgie put on his blinders and forgot how to chase.

"Paul, will you go with her?" Dave asked.

"Yeah, sure. I'll go." Paul said and went to the kitchen to get the leash.

"Stay together," Erin warned. She glanced out the window. They had a solid hour of daylight left. "Paul, take your phone and when you come back, I want you to do your homework."

"Erin," Dave took her hand. "They're fine." He whispered against her neck.

"I'll go too," Paige took their coats from the closet and Paul fastened the leash to Mudgie's collar.

"Stay on the sidewalk," Dave warned as the kids walked out the door. The neighborhood was safe, but drivers liked to take advantage of the quiet street.

Erin smiled, "I thought you said they were fine," she said smoothly.

"They are," he grumbled, then he turned and walked towards the bathroom.

"I've been trying to get us in here all day," Dave said, gently pulling out the pins in her hair and dropping them over the side of the tub. He gently ran his fingers through her hair. He loved watching the blonde strands fall wildly around her shoulders.

"We've not been home 'all day," Erin countered, he could hear the challenge in her tone.

"That doesn't mean I wasn't thinking about it, all the way home."

"You're extremely affectionate today," Erin said, with Dave's legs wrapped around her, the warm bath water lapped over them. He held his hands on either side of her swollen belly. He placed another kiss on her naked shoulder. The third kiss in ten minutes.

"Are you complaining?" He asked, keeping his voice low.

"I'm not," she said, but concern leaked into her tone. "Is there something I should know?"

"Bella," he peppered her neck with kisses, punctuating each word. "I don't think you understand. I was, very, very deprived while you were gone."

"Is that so?"

"It is," he whispered lowley in her ear. His tongue traced the shell of her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

"You're so damn sexy," he whispered. "I missed you so much." His hot breath blew against her neck as he spoke, it was clear he knew exactly what he was doing to her. She wanted to bring the conversation back to something relevant, before she lost her nerve completely.

"So...I was thinking about the wedding." She said, as his hands thumbed across her breasts. She couldn't keep a coherent thought as sudden pleasure overwhelmed her.

"What were you thinking?" He asked, continuing his massage.

"Re-Reagan Room, for the reception-" she said, heat spread through her most sensitive parts, her nerves felt like they were on fire as he caressed her. In cruel torture, he moved his hands to the back of her neck.

"I like that," he said, the picture of nonchalance. "What about the ceremony?" He asked, suckling the tender skin on her neck. God, he loved her. The very ground she walked on was holy to him, more holy than any church he'd ever been to. The buildings were made by mortal men. The woman under his hands, she was sculpted by the master.

"David Rossi, teasing me like that is unacceptable!" She said, and yanked his hand back to her breasts.

"You've been teasing me about a wedding for five months. I figured a five minute delay for your orgasm was fair payment."

"Remember payback is a …" Erin didn't finish the sentence as Dave's ministrations were fanning the flames in her body. His hand was beginning to wander lower and she gripped his thighs as he touched her most sensitive spot, quickly drawing her closer and closer to mind blowing bliss. As she began to recover, her first thought was, no man had ever coaxed her body to the heights of ecstasy the way David did. Her second thought was, she hoped the kids had not heard her screaming David's name. Scratch that, she hoped the neighborhood hadn't heard her scream his name.

Dave reached around her and turned on the shower, "we're never going to get clean this way."

Dave stared at the ceiling. Erin curled against his side, with her head resting against his chest. She was out cold, but Dave couldn't sleep. He shifted his weight towards the edge of the bed, gently laying her back on the pillows. He pulled the blanket over her, letting it fall away from her abdomen. He gently ran his hand across the taunt skin of her abdomen. He lean in close and whispered, "This is your Daddy speaking and I'm going to make you mine." For his trouble, Dave was rewards with firm pressure under his palm. He grinned with pride and kissed the spot. "It won't be long now." He adjusted the blanket again then quietly left the room.

He didn't have cold feet, not in the slightest. He wanted to cement their future together; most importantly he needed his children to share his last name. Erin was right, if something went wrong, Heaven forbid, he wouldn't have a legal claim to his own children. There was something very, very wrong with that picture. With that thought in mind, Dave climbed the staircase in search of his step-kids. They had a wedding to plan.