"Did anyone ask where you were going, Alex?"

The woman shook her head a little as they stepped into the elevator together. "No, but I think that Penelope knew we were going to go somewhere together, since she gave me one of those smiles of hers as I grabbed my purse out of my desk."

Erin let out a little giggle as she nodded. "Penelope is very good at knowing everything. One day, I am going to have to learn her secrets."

"You and me both," Alex replied as she pressed the floor they needed. A few other people got on as they went down, and Erin fell silent, not really comfortable with talking about things in front of people she wasn't very familiar with. Alex seemed to understand her reticence, as she stepped closer to Erin's side, allowing their hands to brush together on the short ride down to the car park. "Do you mind if we take my car? I'd feel better…well, no, I'd feel more in control if I drive."

Erin's shoulders slumped in relief as she nodded. "I was so hoping that you would offer. I don't feel like I could drive today, simply because I know that I'm not in enough control for this." They started to head in the direction of Alex's vehicle, and Erin pursed her lips. "I'm craving right now, if I'm honest with you." Her words were so soft that she didn't even think she'd spoken aloud until Alex drifted closer to her and reached out for her hand, holding on loosely until they had reached the car.

"I don't doubt that you are, Erin. This is going to be hard for me, too. I haven't been there in so long."

Erin nodded as she slipped into the passenger seat. The day was bright and beautiful, and she was grateful for that small mercy, since it would have been too much if there had been rain. "I want to get flowers." The sudden realization took her aback, and she only hoped that Alex wouldn't mind her declaration.

"That sounds wonderful, actually. I, I didn't think about that. I'm glad that one of us has a clear mind."

She shrugged a little as she buckled her belt, continuing to stare out the window. The sun began to hurt her eyes, and she fumbled around in her purse for her sunglasses, noticing out the corner of her eye that Alex did the same. "It just came to me now. I mean, that is the thing you do, yes?"

"Yes."

They fell quiet once more as Alex drove. There was a florist along the way to the cemetery, and Alex pulled into the first open spot she found. "Would you mind if we hooked arms as we went in? I find myself needing the contact."

"That's fine." They shared a gentle smile as Alex extended her elbow towards Erin. She slipped her hand into the crook of said arm, and together they went inside the shop. The miasma of scents nearly overwhelmed her senses from the moment she took her first breath inside, and she fought to keep from coughing. Alex seemed to know that it was bothering her, though, as she led her away from the overpowering lilies and towards the more sedately scented flowers.

Erin sighed a little as she looked around for something that reminded her of her Maddie. And then, she saw them. Letting go of Alex, she drifted over towards the sunflower and picked up the largest bunch of them from the black pail they were resting in. "These are just right for my Maddie," she whispered, glancing at Alex over her shoulder. The woman was fingering a bunch of carnations softly, and Erin knew that she had found her flowers. Their eyes met, and they made their way up to the register and paid for the flowers before heading out on their way once more.

"I can't believe I never knew that our children were resting in the same cemetery," Alex said as she pulled in.

"One of those weird happenstance occurrences," she said, hating how shaky her voice sounded. Alex slipped her hand off the steering wheel to pat her leg encouragingly, and Erin nodded before swallowing thickly. "Would you mind terribly if I told you that I don't want to do this alone? I know that you might want to spend time with Ethan, but I don't know if I'm strong enough to do this."

"We're always stronger than we think we are, Erin, but I will go with you. Because sharing our strength is also precious." Alex smiled at her tenderly, and she smiled back before getting out of the car and making her way towards where her daughter rested. Alex was soon by her side, and Erin found her quiet presence enough to start settling her soul. "You aren't the only one to visit Maddie."

Erin shook her head with a start, focusing in on the headstone they had chosen for their daughter. There was a small bunch of roses resting on the ground in front of it, and she instantly recognized David in them. "I have a wonderful partner," she said as she dropped to her knees in front of the stone, picking up the nosegay and tucking it in amidst the larger sunflowers. "Hi, Maddie. I brought Lexie with me, and I know that you're looking down on us, completely overjoyed that we've started to heal our broken friendship. I wish that you were still here with us. That I could go back and change things. But as Penelope would say, I don't have a TARDIS, and so cannot fix what I think is broken. I, I might come back soon with your Papa, since it seems like he can handle this much better than I can." Tears prickled her eyes, and she looked up at Alex, noticing her encouraging smile. "We need to go visit Ethan before we go home now. I love you, Maddie."

Alex helped her to her feet, and they began to walk down the footpath that led to Ethan's grave. Somehow, it didn't surprise Erin to see that he had been buried beneath a large maple tree, and she allowed her tears to start falling as they stopped in front of his stone. Alex tugged her down once more, and this time, Erin tucked her legs beneath her as she watched Alex brush some of the dirt that had collected in the grooves of his name. "I don't really say anything to him when I visit."

"That's fine. I don't know why I said so much."

"You were speaking from your heart, and needed that catharsis. I've had so much of that over the years, that now I just come here and place the flowers and sit for a while." They both smiled at each other before Erin scooted closer to Alex, resting against her as she took a few deep breaths. "Sometimes, in order to forget the ugliness of what we see every day, we need to have the reminder that time heals us, and that beauty can be found in even the darkest places. The Moirai set a hard path for us, but we walked it nonetheless. And we're stronger for it." Erin nodded and let her head settle down on Alex's shoulder, grateful that they had made this progress back towards a healthy friendship after so much ugliness in their lives.