"I wish that I had pushed a little harder to stay with you yesterday. I know that you eventually give in to me," David said as Erin put the finishing touches to her makeup. She looked at him in the mirror, giving him a smile before spritzing setting spray on her face.

"Not in this case, no. I would have pushed you away, because I needed to be alone to lick my wounds. So you sent me the one person I couldn't push away. She really is a dear woman, David."

"Isn't she? Kitten always seems to know when one of us need her, and when she called yesterday to ask if you were all right, I knew that she needed to be with you. I see that she drained the bottle of Drambuie."

"We did it together. Penny was right, there was something satisfying about destroying the one thing that could have destroyed my progress since Curtis."

He stepped closer to her and rested his hands on her shoulders, meeting her eyes in the mirror. "I knew that you would win that fight, even if you needed a helping hand to do so." She nodded and then let out a little mewl of satisfaction when he bent his head to kiss the crown of her hair. "Now, we need to get going before we're late."

"Yes." She smiled widely before taking his hand and allowing him to help her to her feet. David slung his arm around her hips and together, they went downstairs and out to the garage, stopping to grab her purse and their phones before heading out. She hummed along to the radio as David pulled into their favorite coffee shop, ordering their usual.

Her bagel was as delicious as she was used to, and she finished the last bite as David pulled into his spot. Giving him a small look, she pulled her lipstick out of her purse and applied a fresh coat before smacking her lips lightly. "When you wear that color, I just want to kiss you senseless."

"Shit, David, do not tell me that I…" She looked down at the tube still in her hand and groaned loudly. "I forgot that I still had this color in here. I thought it was the neutral pink I normally wear to work." Erin grabbed a napkin from the bag, only for David to lightly grab hold of her wrist.

"Leave it. You look beautiful, and red is a power color. You need to feel powerful today." She melted a little at that and nodded, letting out a soft breath as he kissed her cheek. They got out of the car, and she found herself happy to walk in tandem with her lover into the building. They breezed through security, and then up to her office, and she gave Helen a tiny nod before heading past her into her inner sanctum.

"We're going to have to head out on a case today, you know. I already pressed my luck with Director Shepperd in allowing us a paperwork day yesterday."

"I knew that would have to be the case. But I was also hoping…" She broke off to look at him, worrying her cheek between her teeth a little. "Well, I suppose that it doesn't matter, really." Erin shrugged out of her jacket and hung it on the hook before turning around and looking at her desk. "David?"

"Don't look at me! I was the jackass who didn't even think to give my lady flowers after she had been hurt so deeply the other day."

She shrugged as she drifted over to her desk, burying her nose in the lilies and breathing in their heady scent. "You made me life bloom into sheer happiness, how could I ask for anything as mortal as flowers from you?"

"I love you." The sudden declaration caught her off guard, and she turned her head to watch him approach her, a roguish grin on his lips. "You are amazing." She sighed prettily as she felt his lips press against the side of her head. "I'll have to hunt down whoever did send you flowers, though, and remind them to not be more romantic than me."

She chuckled as she leaned against him, her fingers brushing over the stems to try and find the card that would identify who had sent them. Finally, the tip of her pointer finger brushed against the stiff cardboard, and she plucked it out to read. Pretty flowers for our pretty lady. Not everyone found that display appropriate. Derek

"It looks like Agent Morgan is giving you a run for your money, darling," she murmured lowly, handing the card over to her lover. "I don't know what could have inspired him to send me this bouquet, though."

"I think her name is Penelope Garcia. I know that she's been working on him to melt a little."

"That is so sweet of her," she whispered as she once more breathed in a scent of the flowers. "Really, this is the perfect start to a day that I thought was going to be so hard."

"I had the feeling that you were not looking forward to today," he said as he kissed the side of her head. "Now, I have to get into my office before someone comes looking for me. If you need anything today, do not hesitate to call."

"I know. And I will." Erin gave him a crooked smile as he pulled away from her. "I'd kiss you, but this lipstick isn't transfer proof. And I know that Penny would tease you to no end as soon as she saw my lip prints on your cheek. So, you'll have to be satisfied with this. I love you, my darling one."

His expression changed into one of overwhelming happiness, and she knew that she had said exactly the right thing. "And if you keep looking at me like that, I'm not going to want to go out on a case." She shrugged a little as she slipped behind her desk and took a seat. "Ah, bella, let it never be said that I don't love you. Hopefully, I'll see you soon."

"Yes. And if you're going across the country on a case today, please, see me before you leave. Surely, Aaron will allow you that."

David nodded as he crossed to her office door. "I would come even if he didn't allow it. But sometimes there are perks to being best friends with your supervisor." He gave her a broad wink before heading out the door and closing her away from the world outside, and Erin slumped in her chair as she stared at her flowers. They were a gorgeous reminder of the strides she had made with the team since Jennifer's wedding, and she tried to smile and be confident that the day would turn out to be a good one for her.

Plucking out one pink and white lily, Erin tucked it in the pocket of her blouse as she rolled over to her computer and booted it up. While she was waiting for that, she pulled out her phone and texted Penelope. Tell Derek thank you for me. I don't think that it would be apropos of me to email him my appreciation. And thank you for spending the whole day with me. It meant more that you could ever possibly know. Erin pressed send before she could chicken out, and then set about starting her work, knowing that she had a lot of work to catch up from her unexpected day off.