"I was just calling to let you know that we should be on the ground in forty minutes. Aaron has already said that we're free for the rest of the day, even though it will only be three thirty when we touch down. This case ended well, but messily, and we all need a bit of downtime before we start back at it tomorrow. Oh, and Alex said that she's coming home with me?"

Erin smiled as she pulled her glasses off her face, tapping the corner of the frames against her chin as she nodded. "That would be correct, David. We have a little bit of unfinished business that we need to take care of before things can properly settle between us."

"All right, should I just drop her off at your house then? I'm assuming that this will be a private sort of talk."

"No, I have the feeling that I am going to need a strong chest to curl up to tonight when the dust has settled. There won't be any arguing, I can promise that, but there might be more than a few tears. We're going to work on some much needed healing between us."

"All right, I suppose that I can live with that. Do you want me to cook for you?"

She smiled widely. "That might just be the best thing for all of us. Your cooking is always the best thing to come home to after a hard day here. Could I make a request for your chicken parmesan?"

"Do you have all that I need to make that?"

"I should, yes. Though if you want to stop by the grocery store and pick up fresh chicken, that might be for the best."

"I think we can do that. See you at home tonight."

They hung up, and she shook her head to clear her thoughts before turning back to the case at hand. The anticipation of a delicious meal seemed to speed her fingers and time, as the next few hours flashed by in a moment, and then she was powering down her computer and gathering up her belongings for the weekend in front of her.

On the drive home, she decided to listen to classical music, hoping that it would put her in a frame of mind conducive to talking with Alex. Her favorite Mahler piece was on, and a pleased smile spread across her lips when she recognized Susan Graham singing the lead. Since it was a longer piece, and she had tuned in nearly at the beginning, Erin knew that it would last her entire commute home. It was hard to keep from humming along, so she turned the radio up louder than she normally would, so that it would mask the sounds she was making.

When she pulled into her drive, she noticed that David had parked in the garage, leaving the door up for her. It was one of her pet peeves, but she'd never been able to break him of that habit, as he was accustomed to living where there wasn't the need to worry about such things. Parking, she got out of the car and drifted inside, saddened at missing the final fifteen minutes of the piece, but knowing that she couldn't let them wait on her to finish.

When she opened the door, she could hear Alex and David talking, and a smile spread across her face as she closed the door behind her. "Whatever he's telling you, it's true," she said warmly as she hung her purse up on the hook next to David's jacket. "And I see that you brought your bag in. Feel free to use the washer, if David hasn't offered you that, yet."

"He did mention that you would say something like that, but I thought I would leave that for after supper."

Erin inclined her head as David came over to her side and pressed his lips to her cheek. "And now is when I shoo you both from the kitchen. I can handle finishing supper, I know that you have much to talk about."

She gave him a grateful smile as she held her hand out towards Alex. She took it softly, and Erin led them into her living room. "It's not quite as ostentatious as David's place, but I hope that you like the changes I've made since you were last here."

"New paint, I see. The pale blue suits you more than that horrid orange brown."

"Alan liked the darker tones better, and there was a time that I wanted to please him. Then, when we divorced, I decided to live for myself." They sat on the couch, and Erin pressed a pillow tightly to her torso as she watched Alex carefully. She knew that whatever they were going to say to each other in this moment, it was going to hurt, even if that was not their intention. "We can only run from our pasts for so long."

"I know. Erin…" Her name sounded so sad dropping from Alex's lips, and she blinked back the sudden tears as she tilted her head a little. "Do you know, this entire case, I couldn't help but wonder if our children and Spencer would have been friends? They were so close in age, only a few months between them all. I knew a glimmer of the person Ethan might have been, had he grown into adulthood. You weren't even allowed that sweet comfort."

Erin shook her head a little, reaching out for Alex's hand. Their fingers naturally threaded together, and she held on tightly as she struggled to find her breath. "She would have been the first to help a friend, I know that much for certain. She was always trying to cheer me up whenever I cried over some silly television program, or got upset with David. It was as if God melded together the kindest bits of us to create Maddie. I'd like to think that she would have been a therapist if she had grown to adulthood."

Alex nodded a little as she gave her hand a sharp squeeze. "In my mind, Ethan grew up to be a doctor. Isn't it odd that we both saw our children as healers?"

"Not really, Alexandra. We both saw them as best bits of ourselves, and wanted them to have the best opportunities, the ones that we might have wanted for ourselves, if other passions hadn't gotten in the way."

Alex nodded a little as the first tears began to fall down her face. "I'm glad that we were able to sit down and talk like this. I didn't realize that there were still some hurts that needed to be exposed and talked about and finally moved past."

Erin let out a shaky breath as she nodded in response. "I am, too, Alexandra."

Their eyes met, and Erin felt her heart start to mend a little, the rift healing bit by bit as they continued to smile at each other. "All right, ladies, if you're hungry, supper is ready. I thought that we'd eat in the kitchen tonight, since it's a little more cozy."

Erin glanced up at David, giving him a tiny smile. "I might need a little bit of encouragement to prod me up from this seat. I am very comfortable."

He chuckled a little as he strode over to her side, bending down and kissing her forehead tenderly. "Are you ready now?" Erin let go of Alex's hand as she nodded, taking hold of David's hand and letting him tug her to her feet. "You don't want to eat when it's cold, believe me, Alex."

She let out a watery chuckle as she got to her feet. "I suppose that you might have twisted my arm here, Dave. Lead on." Together, they all went into the kitchen, and Erin felt like everything was finally starting to get back on track.