Sorry this has taken so long. Hope it was worth it :)

Karen was relatively quiet in the car as David drove them home, or at least that's where Karen thought they were going. As they approached the intersection leading to Karen's house, David turned on his indicator, however had signaled left when Karen's house was to the right.

"David, you're turning the wrong way" she said quietly

"No, actually, I'm not" he said as he completed the turn

"But my house is the other way"

"Then it would stand to reason that we are not going there wouldn't it" he replied

"David...I"

"Karen, whoever is behind this knows an awful lot about you...including where you live. I can't protect you there" he said as he drove a bit further before he turned onto a long, tree lined drive that headed toward a large stone house

"Where are we?"

"Welcome to my home" he said as he opened the garage and pulled in, closing the door behind them

"But I can't stay here" she protested as she got out of the car

"You can and you will" he said as he got out and entered a series of numbers on the security pad next to the door, turning off the alarm "This place has more security than Fort Knox and I will be with you the entire time" he said as he motioned for her to enter

"This is crazy. You need to be with your team, solving this case. Homeland Security can look after me just fine" she said

"Maybe, but I'm not taking any chances, not THIS time" he said as he put his arm around her "So make yourself comfortable"

"If it is security you are worried about, I have friends who are very good at this" she said pulling away from him

"I know, but I want...I need to do this" he said quietly

"Because of her...Erin?"

"I wasn't there to protect her when she needed me, and I'll be damned if that's going to happen again"

"Hey" she said as she turned to face him "This isn't the same thing, and I'm not her, and I'm not your responsibility."

"You're right" he said as he reached up and cupped her cheek "You're not her" he said as he leaned in and gently kissed her "I just don't want to lose you too"

Karen pulled back a bit to see the pain in his eyes before she snuggled close, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"I suppose it is pointless to try to talk you out of this" she said quietly

"Come with me" he said as he guided her to the sofa in the living room and sat patting the space beside him. Karen sat down and David put his arm around her as he leaned back against the cushions

"In the short time I have known you, I have felt things I thought I would never feel again, things I haven't felt since Erin died" he said as he rested his head against hers "I don't want to lose that again"

"You're not going to lose me" she said quietly as she turned and gently placed a kiss to his lips.

David reached over and cupped her cheek with his free hand as he leaned her back against the arm of the sofa, never breaking the kiss. He pulled back to see both love and pain in her eyes as he softly ran the pad of his thumb across her cheek before leaning in and kissing her more deeply. Karen responded in kind by wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him closer as she softly moaned against his lips.

The mood, however was quickly broken when David inadvertently mumbled Erin's name, causing Karen to pull back with a confused and hurt look. David, suddenly realizing what he said, quickly stood up and walked into the kitchen, cursing under his breath, leaving Karen on the sofa. After a few moments, Karen rose and went to the kitchen to find him sitting on the floor with his head in his hands and tears streaming down his cheeks.

"I'm sorry" he said quietly as he buried his face in his hands

Karen stood beside him and leaned back, sliding down the wall until she was seated beside him before she leaned over and put her arms around him and pulled him to her, cradling him against her as she gently rocked him back and forth while the tears began to slip down her cheeks. It was the first time since Erin had died that he had felt comfortable enough to let go and let his emotions take over. As his sobs subsided into intermittent whimpers, Karen gently took his face in her hands and kissed his forehead

"It's not your fault David" she whispered as she smoothed his hair and gently wiped away his tears with her thumb

""I just miss her so much" he said quietly

"I know."

"I guess, seeing you in danger has brought back all of the memories…"

"David, I understand. Why do you think I have turned down countless invitations to go back to work? I just can't deal with the ghosts" she replied as she leaned against him

"A fine pair we are don't you think?" he said as he put his arm around her

Karen rested against him with her head on his shoulder, but David could sense the tension as he tightened his grip on her.

"I suppose we should get up and think about dinner" he said as he rose and offered her his hand

"That and if I am going to stay here, I am going to need a few things from my house" she said as she gently squeezed his hand

"How about we go collect your things and then we'll come back and I'll cook us a nice dinner and maybe we can start over?" he said with a hint of hopefulness in his voice

"I don't think we need to start over, we just need a plot twist" she said with a grin

"A plot twist?"

"Well, you have to admit that up until this morning, things were going pretty well between us" she said "Just maybe a little fast is all"

"Have I told you how amazing you are" he replied pulling her to him in a tight embrace as he leaned down and kissed her cheek

Karen smiled as she leaned back and looked up at him with a crooked grin

"You weren't kidding when you said you wanted to start over were you?"

"I just want the chance to get to know you as Karen" he replied quietly "I don't want you to be a ghost"

"Would a ghost do this?" She said leaning up and capturing his lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck

"It depends on the ghost" he said with a laugh as he led her back out to the car to go retrieve the things she needed from her house.

TO BE CONTINUED...