"I don't know if I'm ready to do this, Aaron," Erin hissed as she wiped her hands on her skirt.

"I have complete faith in you, darling. This is the culmination of six months of hard work. Everyone is here to support and listen to you." He kissed the side of her head before looking into her eyes once more. "I'm going to go join everyone now. You come in when you're ready, or else I'll send Penelope in here to drag you before us." He hoped that she knew he was teasing her, and from the slight shake of her head accompanied by a tiny smirk, he knew that she had heard him perfectly.

Giving her a small wink, Aaron left her alone in the study before heading out to the living room. Dave had been gracious enough to allow them the use of his house for Erin's recital, and everyone had managed to make time for her performance. It had taken Derek and Spencer longer than the others to warm to Erin and him, but that was to be expected, he knew. Giving them a small smile, Aaron took a seat next to Alex, grateful that she had made the effort to come down from Boston.

"She's nervous, isn't she?" Alex asked as Bella crawled up into Aaron's lap, wriggling around until she found a comfortable spot, her head thumping heavily against his chest.

"How did you know?" he murmured in return, rocking the toddler back and forth as they waited for Erin to appear.

"She was always like this, back when we were in the Academy together. But she'll appear, once she finds her courage."

Penelope glanced over at them from her spot by Dave. Katrina was on her lap, and they looked so much like a family that Aaron wondered when they would publicly announce their relationship. Aaron gave her a small nod and smile before turning his gaze on the doorway, willing Erin to appear. Finally, she took a few, hesitant, steps into the living room, and he gave her an encouraging smile gesturing with his head towards the stand and chair in front of them all.

She took a deep breath and nodded, taking a seat and spreading out her skirt a little before arranging her guitar and music. It was something he had often done himself while trying to buy some time and calm his nerves. And then, Erin was looking up at him, giving him a nervous smile before nodding once more and clearing her throat. "Thank you all for joining me here today. It means so much that you would agree to hearing me, even though I'm not the greatest player yet. I'm going to start with the latest song Aaron has been teaching me, one that means so much to me."

The opening chords to Hallelujah began to pour out from her fingers, and Aaron pursed his lips a little to keep from crying. It had been difficult for them both to work through that piece, but Erin had insisted that it was a necessity, since she loved the song so much. Alex reached up and rested her hand on his shoulder as she leaned over. "This song always gets to me, too," she murmured before focusing her attention on Erin once more.

The recital went well, as Erin played her favorite songs from the ones that she had learned from him over the last few months. It was clear just how much she had grown as a musician, and it made him feel proud for having taught her. Their eyes met as she finished up with Leezie Lindsay, a tender smile on her lips as the high, thin, notes poured from her throat. When she had finished the song, Erin set aside her guitar and stood, curtsying a little as their friends and family applauded her.

Bella squirmed out of his lap and ran up to Erin, hugging her tightly before starting to run her hands over the strings of the guitar. Aaron knew that he had to get a small guitar for her to start learning on, since she was so fascinated by music. Dave gave him a knowing smile, and he shrugged a little as they all stood and began to mingle. Alex made her way over to Erin, giving her a quick hug, and Aaron felt himself relax a little at the sight, turning to Dave and Morgan.

"She plays quite well, I would never have thought that she had that much talent when you first started giving her lessons." Dave clapped him on the back, and Morgan nodded a little in response. "And I see that Bella is already starting to follow in her mother's musical footsteps."

"Yes. I'm thinking about getting her a miniature guitar to start teaching her on, since she's always so fascinated whenever Erin or I play."

"I'll see what I can do about that, Hotch. Nothing but the best for my children, after all," Dave said softly. "Now, while we were listening to this fine performance, I had the best catering company in DC set up in the garden, since it is a glorious spring day. Let's head outside."

Penelope came up to their sides and slipped her arm around Dave's waist. "That was not what I was expecting, Hotch. You're a great teacher."

"Erin is a great student. We work very well together, and I've found it very fulfilling to teach her. Even if things hadn't happened the way they did between us, I think I still would have found great satisfaction in helping her master the guitar."

Dave gave him an understanding smile as they started to head outside. Alex and Erin were helping the twins with their food, and Aaron went to join them, only to find that Dave had the same intention. They both chuckled as they grabbed empty plates and went up to the women. "Since you're starting their food, is there anything that you want?" Aaron asked his partner kindly.

"Just get me a small sampling of what you know I like, darling," she replied off-handedly, prying the tongs of the meatballs out of Bella's hands and sticking them back in the pan. "All right, Bella, let's go take a seat under the tree."

He smiled to watch them go, and Aaron quickly filled the plate for both of them, knowing that they wouldn't be eating too much as they tried to keep an eye on the twins. It didn't take long for him to finish, and then he was joining his little family beneath the branches of the wide oak that Katrina and Bella loved. Jack was entertaining them with a story from school, and he leaned down against Erin, setting the plate in her lap before taking a seat and allowing her to scoot up close to him.

"This is a nice surprise," Erin murmured as she rested her head on his chest, watching Jack allow Katrina to climb into his lap as he continued to tell his story. It was clear that the girl was enamored with him, and Aaron was proud that his son was treating her like a sister, even though he didn't have to.

"It is. Our family is together, and we're happy. What more could we ask for?"

"Not much, honestly. This is the happiest I've been in months, and I cannot wait to see what the future brings us. Ever since Jessica has stepped in with helping me out with the twins when it's our week with them, I've found myself once more gaining the family that I lost. This afternoon has just shown me that all I had to do was reach out."

She sighed a little, and Aaron rubbed her back, wondering what was troubling her. "Erin, is everything okay?" Penelope asked as she brought Dave over to the tree to eat with them.

"Just thinking about how things might have been different if I had reached out sooner. I don't know where that path might have led, but it would have made for a different life."

"We can't change what happened, we can only move forward down the path we chose. But if you hadn't chosen Aaron, then I might not have been with Dave. And I think that we're both happier at this point for our choices."

Erin nodded a little before smiling up into Aaron's face. "With the distance of time, I think that we can say yes. Thank you for all that you've done to smooth this transition. I don't know where I'd be if it weren't for you, my dear friend."

Penelope blushed as she nodded. "It was my pleasure, Erin," she replied before starting to eat. Aaron dropped a gentle kiss to the top of Erin's head before starting to eat as well. As he looked around the lawn, seeing how his friends and family interacted, he felt a warm surge of joy sweep through him as he realized that the dilapidated dreams he and Erin had shared had become realized in the light of day and that happiness was now in their grasp.