A/N: I'm so sorry it's been a while, but since my computer crashed I had to rewrite these last two chapters. And as you probably know, that's a bitch to do as you're never as happy with the second version. But here they are!
Disclaimer: Criminal Minds does not belong to me.
Chapter Four
Commitment is an act, not a word.Jean-Paul Sartre.
Erin woke up in an otherwise empty bed. She discovered that when she reached over to touch Aaron. The side where her partner had slept since the first time he'd spent the night at her place was cold. That told her he'd been gone for a while, and she immediately opened her eyes.
On Aaron's pillow was a note. A single ray of sunlight fell across it, almost as if it wanted to draw her attention to the white strip of paper. She reached over, lifting it gently. Without turning over to lie on her back, she read what he had written.
Dear Erin,
I truly hope you weren't too worried when you woke up and found I wasn't there. There's no need; I'll be back soon. I just wanted to pick up some food and other things we'll need for this evening. You see, I'm planning on inviting everyone over for dinner. I hope you don't mind, I just think it's been too long. Could you call our eldest and make sure they can be there too? I'll call Sean and Jess; they're family too, after all.
I love all three of you. Give the boys a kiss for me when they wake up, okay? You'll get yours when I get home.
Aaron
His words made her smile. She'd been hinting at wanting to have another family gathering with the rest of his team and her children, and it seemed he'd picked up on it. She really hoped everyone would be able to make it.
Pushing herself a little more upright, she took her phone from the bedside table to send Aaron a text; she wanted to make sure he knew she was more than okay with his plans. She couldn't have him thinking otherwise.
She'd barely laid the phone back down when someone knocked on the bedroom door. it slowly creaked open to reveal two boys that still looked a little tired. They were so gentle in pocking their heads inside the room it was obvious they had had no desire whatsoever to wake the adults; they just wanted to crawl in with them, something Arthur and Jack often did when their parents were home.
She motioned for them to get in, and they didn't have to be told twice. Soon, she was ensconced between the two of them. Arthur and Jack each tested their heads on one of her shoulders. She pressed a kiss to both their foreheads, enjoying what was turning out to be a lazy morning.
"I love you," Jack said, snuggling a little closer. The boy had not taken long to admit that. At a little over eight months into the relationship, he wasn't comfortable calling her mom yet, but she was more than fine with that. He had known his mother, and she could imagine how difficult it was for him to use that word for her instead of the woman who had given birth to him. And truth was, he didn't have to say it. She'd be fine being Erin to him for the rest of her life if that made him happy.
I love you too, mommy! Arthur signed. He was getting a lot better at lip-reading, which made for easier conversation with people who didn't know how to sign.
Erin's heart stopped beating for a second. She wasn't sure Arthur was aware he had called her mommy for the first time just now; his eyes were closed and he had a fist curled into her top, but he wasn't showing much of how he was feeling.
Tapping Arthur's nose to get his attention, she spoke aloud. That way she could keep them in her arms for a little longer. In a few years, they'd be telling her to were too old to hold or to spend a morning in bed with their parents; she wanted to enjoy it as long as she could.
"I love you both too. To the moon and back," she smiled, using the same phrase she used every night as she tucked them in.
For a few moments all three of them were silent, simply enjoying being warm and comfortable. She was surprised they weren't asking where Aaron was, but they might have heard him leave; they were always up early.
"What are we going to do today?" Jack wanted to know. He was the most inquisitive of the two, although Arthur wasn't far behind.
Arthur watched her intently. Therefore, she extracted her arms and pushed herself up so she could sign as well as speak. She explained the team would be coming over, and that Sean and Jessica would be there as well.
Can we make pancakes for dessert, mommy? With strawberry ice cream! Arthur enthusiastically asked. Jack nodded in agreement; they both had a sweet tooth and pancakes were a favourite. Aaron liked them to, and so did she, so it didn't actually surprise her when she found that out.
"All right, but that means we have to get out of bed. We'll have to start soon if we want to make enough pancakes and get some more ice cream from the store. We'll probably need some other things as well, like chocolate syrup, so it might take us a while to find everything. Go get yourselves dressed and I'll meet you in the kitchen. Then, we'll have breakfast and get started," she promised.
As both boys disappeared from the room, Erin went over to the closet to pull out a rather dull shirt and a pair of plain jeans. Today was sure to be interesting. She could only hope her kitchen and their clothes would survive an attempt at baking pancakes with a two young boys.
At that moment, her phone vibrated on the nightstand. The message was from Aaron, telling her everyone would be there at five. She quickly texted back that that was fine and that she would take care of dessert. Yes, today would be very interesting. There was no doubt in her mind about that.
Two hours later she was back from the store. Jack and Arthur helped her carry the groceries inside. Not that there was much: some fruit for a fruit salad, two extra boxes of ice cream, the ingredients for her batter and some chocolate syrup. Aaron had told her Sean was a big fan of the stuff, after all.
"You two can take the flour, a large bowl and a cup already; as soon as all this is in the fridge, I'll get us started," she said and signed.
As they did as they were told, Erin quickly slid the fruit and syrup into the fridge. She'd take care of that later on, while the boys changed for the party.
"Okay, you can sift one and a half cups of flour into the bowl, Jack. Arthur and I will put in the baking powder," she told them.
Soon enough, her batter started to take shape. The boys actually turned out to be a great help; they were very interested in what she asked them to do and they followed her instructions to a T.
"Now I have to add the melted butter. You guys are going to have to move a little further away; that stuff is hot, you don't want to get burnt. After that, all there's left to do is mix it and pour it onto the pan. Can you take that out already, Arthur?" she asked.
Arthur did as asked; Jack followed close behind. Erin oiled the pan and made sure the fire was on properly before adding the butter. Her helpers heeded her advice and stayed far enough away from the butter, but they did crawl onto their chairs to watch her bake.
"Can you flip them? Aunt Jess can't, she says she always makes them fall next to the pan instead of into it. Daddy can, though," Jack said.
Erin gave them a little show, flipping each pancake. They cheered for her, both boys grinning and making her giggle like a teenager. Children really were easy to please sometimes, especially when they'd been through a lot.
Soon enough there were pancakes enough standing at the ready. There were quite a lot of them, seeing as there would be three children and a lot of adults. They could be reheated or eaten cold, depending on what the person in question preferred. On a hot day like this, the latter was more likely.
It was by now noon, so she fed the boys their lunch: turkey sandwiches and a cold pasta salad. She was grateful neither one of them was a picky eater, else she would have had more trouble deciding what to cook.
Can we play outside for a bit now? It's too warm to be inside, Arthur told her. She couldn't agree more; she sent them on their way and joined them a few minutes later, a cool glass of water in her hand.
She watched them play numberless games: tag, hide and seek (which they managed surprisingly well considering there weren't all too many places to hide), I spy and a few others.
At one point she disappeared for a little while, slicing up the fruit so the fruit salad would be cold and she wouldn't have to rush later on. The boys didn't even notice, that's how caught up in their games they were.
Soon enough, it was four in the evening. It was time to start getting ready if she wanted to dress herself and the children before the first guests arrived.
"Come on, you two. Go get cleaned up and changed. Your aunts and uncles will be here soon and you want to be ready when they arrive," she said and signed.
Jack and Arthur was inside in an instant, beating her to their bedroom by a good shot. When she got there, she quickly selected a pair of dark shorts and t-shirts for the boys. Arthur's was yellow with a brown pair of shorts and Jack wanted the wear his blue shorts with grey shorts. Since the only purpose was to get the boys into some clean clothes, so she let him have his way.
Can we help you decide what you are going to wear? I'd like that a lot, Arthur signed. As his hands moved, he looked at her with the puppy dog eyes she could never say no to. Especially when Jack supported his plea.
"Yes, aunt Jess let us help last time we were there. She said we were very good at it," he smiled, his eyes twinkling.
And Erin let herself be swayed. Maybe it would turn out to be a disaster, she couldn't be sure, but there might be fun to be had as well. She'd always been willing to take risks when the reward could be handsome, and this time it just might.
"Lead the way, my personal stylists," she grinned, extending her hands.
The boys immediately dragged her to her room. Once inside, they headed straight for the wardrobe. Erin felt her nerves leave her somewhat as they opened the door and carefully looked over the pieces one by one. They couldn't really do much damage; she felt comfortable in all her clothing.
"I think you should wear a dress. My dad likes dresses: he says they make girls and women seem even more like princesses. I think he's right. You and aunt Jess both look like fairy tale princesses when you wear a dress," Jack admitted.
Yes, you do. And you look special then. Daddy says you glow, and I don't have a better word for it, Arthur signed.
It seemed Arthur wasn't done surprising her yet, as it was the first time he called Aaron daddy as well. She had no idea what had gotten into the boy, but trying to figure that out would have to wait until some other time.
Jack now drew Arthur's attention to the side of the closet furthest away from Erin. She couldn't see what he was pointing at, but it had to be something good. His face was all lit up and he was practically bouncing up and down. Arthur seemed to agree, because he nodded vigorously.
This one! No one will be able to look away when you wear this dress for daddy, mommy! It's prettier than Cinderella's, even if it is almost the same colour. Will you wear it, please? Arthur almost begged.
Erin took a step in his direction so she could see the dress he was pointing at. Immediately, she knew they had made the perfect choice.
The dress was a pastel yellow. It had only one strap and was made of a soft, almost fluent fabric. The skirt widened a little at the bottom, letting the fabric rush around her knees as she walked. Yet it wasn't as overwhelming as one might think based on the description. It would be more than suitable for the occasion.
"I will most certainly wear it. I think I'll let you help me pick my clothes more often. Now shoo so I can get dressed. You could get everything ready to play basketball later. I think Derek would join in with you two and uncle Sean if you ask him. And Henry, of course. Maybe Will too. How does that sound?" she questioned.
"Awesome!" Jack said at the same time Arthur signed the word. They then gave each other a high five for working so well together and disappeared from the room.
Erin slipped into her dress as soon as the door closed behind them. Taking into consideration, she decided not to use any make up. she didn't need it either, but the heat would cause her to tire sooner and she might smudge it when she rubbed her eyes.
She also opted to leave her hair lose. It was a little longer now that it had been a year ago. Not by much, but it gave her a very free look when she let it fall as it pleased. And Aaron liked her hair a lot. It was perfect for burying his hands in when they kissed, he'd admitted a while ago.
It was five when she finished, and at the bottom of the stairs she could hear her always punctual partner opening the door. She could hear Jack flying past the door and down the stairs, dragging Arthur with him.
When she came down, Arthur was signing with Alex and Spencer. Henry was dangling from Alex' neck, looking very much at home. All of the boys were very comfortable around her, despite the fact Alex still wasn't entirely comfortable around children. Erin had no doubt that would soon change, though.
Jack was at the same time kissing Penelope's cheek. Just like with Alex, Penelope's maternal instinct was going into overdrive with three young boys present. And a little birdy told Erin she probably wouldn't have to wait too long to have her own little bundle of joy. She and Derek had been together for two months and they were too happy to not let this continue.
"You look absolutely gorgeous," Aaron whispered to her when she reached him. She kissed him, letting him know she appreciated him telling her that; she needed the reassurance sometimes, and she was glad he didn't think that was weird or silly.
Irene, Maya and Travis came in at that moment, dragging David along with them. All four of them were smiling, a sight that touched Erin's heart. Sean was behind them with Jessica, JJ and her husband. They also seemed happy and at ease.
"Come on, let's get settled at the table. Then we can have an uninterrupted evening later," she smiled, dragging Aaron with her. The others would follow, she had no doubt about that.
And indeed, everyone was quickly settled around the table. Since it was very normal by now for them to be here, they each had their allotted place, much like Erin's eldest had had when they still lived at home. Spencer's place was at her right side while Aaron and Dave sat at her left.
"So how was your visit to your mother, sweetie? Was it good, was she lucid?" she asked Spencer as Aaron and she began to place the food on the table.
"She was amazing. And she really loved Alex. Did you know she actually wanted me to go get them something to drink so she could have Alex to herself? I liked that, it showed me more than anything that she already thinks of Alex as the daughter she never had. And Alex was smiling brilliantly when she left the room," Spencer grinned.
Alex blushed a little at those words, which she tried to conceal by quickly kissing Spencer's cheek. Erin decided she might ask her about her conversation with Diana Reid later and see what the blush was about. If she has the time, considering the amount of people that are in her house. But she loved all of them, so she was more than happy to have them all over.
Dinner was fairly uneventful after that; they talked about anything and everything, laughing and praising the food Aaron and Sean had brought. The chef had made most of it himself, and everyone agreed they should simply have Sean cook every time they had a gathering from now on.
As was to be expected, the children finished first. They immediately wanted to go outside, but Erin told them they should wait until one of the adults could join them. Since Derek was finished a few minutes later, he was the one to lead them out.
"I'm glad he doesn't mind playing with them for a bit. He's really great with children," Erin said, stealing a sideway glance at Penelope.
"Derek loves kids. Jack's always adored his uncle Derek, and so has Henry. There's just an ease to the way he deals with the young ones that appeals to them. He makes them feel safe because he looks like he knows what he's doing," Penelope said, the smile evident in her voice.
Erin nodded as she made to get up. She was planning on cleaning away all the empty dishes so she wouldn't have to deal with them later. But Aaron stopped her by taking her hand in his. She raised an eyebrow at him questioningly. She knew it would be more effective than using words.
"Leave it. It can wait. But the question that I have for you can't. Will you let me ask it, here in front of our family and friends?" he wanted to know.
Erin's heart began to beat faster. What kind of question could Aaron possible have for her? Surely he wasn't referring to that one very special question, was he? Then again, he had invited all of their relatives and friend. She nodded, hoping with all her heart her instincts were right.
Aaron waved Derek and their sons over. With a brilliant smile on their faces, they appeared. Arthur crawled into Derek's lap while Jack made himself comfortable on Penelope's. Erin saw Alex squeeze Spencer's knee beneath the table and David was already smiling.
Then, Aaron stood up and retrieved a small box from his pocket. He sank down on one knee in front of her, looking at her with such love and adoration in his eyes that it literally took her breath away.
"Erin, I wish there were words enough to tell you how much I love you. But none of them seem to say enough. So I hope this ring will say it all. Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?" Aaron asked.
Erin nodded, too overwhelmed to form any words. Aaron slipped the ring onto her finger. It was a perfect fit, and a perfect ring as well. The band was small, nothing too overbearing but elegant and gorgeous in its relative simplicity. There were three small stones set into the band, and she guessed they represented each of the three people her family consisted of beside herself.
She flung herself into Aaron's arms as soon as he was on his feet again, capturing his lips in a sweet kiss. When they broke apart, she finally managed to speak.
"Yes. Yes, yes, yes, I will do you the honour of becoming your wife. I would like nothing more," she whispered in his ear, feeling his arms tighten around her.
All around them, their friends and family cheered. Penelope and Alex were dapping their eyes with a handkerchief, JJ was holding Will's hand and struggling to keep it dry. The men were better at keeping their emotions in check, although Derek had his hand on Penelope's back in a rather open show of affection.
Her children were the first to come hug her and Aaron, all five of them positively beaming. The two youngest pressed a quick kiss to her cheek, Irene and Maya nearly smothered her and Travis pecked her forehead. It might have been a little odd to the others, but to her it was just Travis.
"I can't think of anyone who deserves it more," Spencer said, standing up and opening her arms. She went willingly, letting him hug her quickly before he gently pushed her in Alex' direction.
Erin was glad when Alex immediately hugged her with such an ease as she had before the Amerithrax debacle. After ten years, things were better between them than they'd ever been. And no doubt Spencer had something to do with that. The young genius had really opened up to both her and Alex, after all.
"You guys make an amazing couple. I never doubted he would ask. Or maybe that you would if he couldn't find the courage," Alex softly spoke before she stepped back, a smile gracing her lips.
Penelope couldn't keep from squealing a little when she pulled Erin into her so forcefully an unbecoming "humpf" left her at the impact. She didn't mind, though. She'd come to appreciate Penelope's exuberance as much as the others, had found in it the same strength to get through tough times as they had.
Derek was next, his smile broader than any she'd seen on his face so far. His hug was manly and powerful and every bit as overwhelming as Penelope's had been, albeit in a different way.
"I'm glad you got here, momma. You beat your demons, now it's time to have the good instead of the bad and the ugly," he told her in hushed tones.
JJ, Henry and Will also congratulated them. They told her they were certain her wedding would be every bit as beautiful as theirs had been, and even more so to her and Aaron.
A few hours later, when the boys were in bed, the garden table had been cleaned and everyone was finally gone, Erin remembered Derek's words. And the truth they held. Because she was indeed through with having bad and ugly things in her life. She was ready to head down a different path.
One Aaron would always walk with her, of that she had no doubt.
Love shouldn't be about jealousy or anything like that. It should be about commitment and being able to trust that person. If you can't have that from the get-go, there's a problem.Aaron Carter.