Disclaimer: I own nothing.

So sorry about the delay in posting this epilogue. This is the wrap up for this short little story. Thank you very much for all your reviews, follows, and favorites :) I appreciate it very much! All Rossi POV for this one. This epilogue is especially dedicated to my beta-reader/buddy CeeCee333 because she really wanted it done!

Note: In this story, Strauss doesn't have the same issues with alcoholism that she did on the show.

2 Years Later

"Okay, before it gets busy in here, everyone gather round!" Penelope proclaimed.

"Everyone" at that moment consisted of merely Dave and JJ, but he assumed everyone else would see whatever it was she wanted them to see eventually. His lips twisted into an amused smile as Penelope hurriedly pulled up a video on her her phone and shoved it in front of them.

"What is it?" JJ asked with a laugh. Shooting her a look for speaking, Penelope pointed to the screen as it started to play with the video. JJ giggled. "Sorry."

Soon as JJ stopped speaking, the video shifted to show a little boy with a head of dark brown curls and amber eyes that was completely absorbed with his toy cars. His lips bubbled as he made vrooming noises with his lips. It was Penelope and Derek's two year old son, Rhys. What Penelope thought was going to be a normal yearly checkup after one of the karaoke nights ended up delivering her the news that she was in fact pregnant. Considering the fact no one knew she and Morgan were even dating, the news had come as an extreme shock to everyone. Rossi tried his hardest to stagger the nights they worked so one of them could be home at night with their son, but on the occasions he needed them both, Rhys slept over at JJ's house with her son, Henry.

"Rhys," Penelope's voice cooed on the video. The little boy's face shot upwards at the sound of his mother's voice, and he giggled uncontrollably, hiding his face behind his hands. "You hiding from me, buddy?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed, giggling the whole time as Penelope got on her hands and knees and crawled towards him. When she stopped in front of him, he moved his hands from his face, flashing her and the camera his toothy toddler grin.

"Can you wave to the camera for mama?" Penelope asked.

Dave couldn't help himself. "Uh, Penelope. We've all seen Rhys do this in person. Why are we —" He was cut off by the glare that could have stopped a speeding semi truck Penelope shot his way.

JJ swatted his arm. "Hush!" she commanded. "It's adorable."

"Plus we haven't even gotten to the best part yet," Penelope stage-whispered over her and her son going back and forth with giggles. Pointing at the phone once again, she gave a little yelp of excitement. "Oh my God, here it is, here it is!"

Dave looked back at the camera and watched with a humorous smirk as Rhys' head was drawn up yet again by the distant sound of the door opening. "Baby Girl? I'm home." Derek appeared in the archway behind Rhys in the camera. A large grin that mirrored the one his son bore covered his face. "Hey, little man!" he said excitedly, walking swiftly into the living room so he could pick his son up.

"I still don't see how this is any different than something we've all seen before," Rossi commented dryly.

"Shush!" JJ and Penelope groused simultaneously.

Derek's voice on the camera was cheerful, but as he was heading into the living room, his shin rammed into the coffee table. He had been so focused on Rhys he hadn't even noticed it. All at once, his tone changed. "Fuck!" he cursed loudly, forgetting his two year old was standing right in front of him.

Penelope's camera focussed in on Rhys as he reached upward for Derek to pick him up. Pain still written on his face, Derek leaned down and picked up Rhys. He kissed his cheek. "How ya been today, buddy?" he asked, shifting his weight off the leg that he'd run into the table with.

"Daddy, what does fuck mean?" Rhys asked, blinking innocently.

"It's a word you and Daddy aren't allowed to use!" Penelope growled before the video stopped.

JJ and Penelope were laughing hysterically while Dave was shaking his head. "The things you younger people find funny," he muttered, amusement lighting up his eyes. "The funniest part of that wasn't even on the camera. I'm more wondering how you punished Derek."

"Uh, Dave, I don't really think we want to know how she punished him," JJ teased. "Plus, the funniest part of that whole thing was Rhys repeating it. Toddlers swearing — while it shouldn't be encouraged — is hilarious."

"What are you two talking about?" Penelope giggled. "The funniest part was him hitting his shin on the table."

Dave rolled his eyes as he laughed. "Alright you two," he said, "we've got some people coming in." He nodded his head in the direction of the doors where a whole group was entering the bar. Both women nodded before taking off to regather themselves before waiting tables for the evening. Behind the bar, Derek was wiping it down, shooting Penelope sultry grins as she worked her hardest to keep a straight face. However, nowhere in sight were the Hotchners. Almost six months ago, Hotch and Emily got married. Regulars joked about whether or not they were now supposed to call Emily "Hotch Two." Some of them, Mick Rawson included, did.

Walking up to Morgan, Dave leaned over the bar to draw his attention away from his girlfriend. "Any idea where our resident husband and wife team went off to?" he asked.

Frowning, Derek shook his head. "No idea," he said. When he finally caught sight of the group of people headed towards him, though, he groaned. "Ugh, but wherever they are, I need Emily. And likely Hotch, too. I'm more than a little sure they're going to want his wings."

Dave nodded. "I'll go find them." Heading towards the hall that led to both his office and the staff room, he caught sight of the Hotchners immediately. Emily looked anxious, something she rarely appeared outright. Hotch's hands were rubbing her upper arms, and he appeared to be attempting to comfort her.

"I just don't know if…" she was saying before her voice trailed off.

Hotch kissed her forehead. "What do you want to do?" he asked. "We could just tell Dave and —"

"Everything okay down there?" Dave called, concerned.

Both of them looked up at him. Emily gulped and nodded; beside her, Hotch shook his head. They exchanged a glance, Emily shooting her husband a dirty look. Dave could make out her mouthing something to Hotch, but he couldn't quite tell what it was she was saying.

Dave went to stand in front of them and crossed his arms over his chest, attempting to look like a stern father. Hopefully it would get the answer out of one of them. "What's going on? And don't say nothing because there's obviously something." Emily sighed with reluctance, he arched a brow. "Please tell me you haven't done anything illegal."

She laughed halfheartedly. "No, no," she said quietly. "It's —"

Hotch interrupted her. "She can't drink with people tonight. And I'm probably gonna punch someone out if they pressure her to do it." Dave could have laughed at that. Aaron Hotchner punching someone would have been a sight to see. The man kept his cool so well, it made Dave wonder what an angry Hotch would look like. He got the distinct feeling he didn't want to find out. Maybe Hotch had a beast caged up inside that was named his anger, and he only let it out on rare occasions.

However as soon as realization hit Dave, his mouth dropped. "Emily, are you pregnant?" he demanded.

Biting her lip, Emily nodded. "Yeah," she muttered. "Just found out today." Unconsciously, she placed her hands over her belly. There was absolutely nothing to see, but she was already protecting her belly like she were nine months pregnant. She didn't want anything to befall her unborn child.

Throwing his arms around each of them, Dave, in his natural Italian way, placed smacking kisses on each of their cheeks. "Congratulations!" he crowed excitedly. "You don't have to bar tend if you don't want to. And I'll give you paid leave."

Emily's eyes went wide. "Dave, that's — you don't have to do that," she sputtered. "Legally that's not required."

He waved a hand. "I'm insisting. Hell, I'll give it to you even if you decide not to work until after you have the baby, and —"

She held up her hand, laughing. "That's generous of you, boss," she said, smiling. She wrapped an arm around Hotch's waist. "But I'm gonna work. I'll just pass on the drinks."

Uncertain, Dave nodded. "Alright then," he said. "But you will get paid maternity leave. I completely support that."

Smiling a rare smile, Hotch kissed the side of Emily's head. "Thanks, Rossi," he said appreciatively.

Dave grinned. "It's just in my nature."

XXXXX

As the time was nearing midnight, the bar was filled with people, all of whom were drinking. It was significantly less rowdy than the karaoke nights got, but still there was a din that filled the place and required people to speak louder than normal. Emily was behind the bar, pouring drinks and laughing with people, but Dave was watching all of the people at the bar carefully to make sure none of them tried too hard to get her to drink.

"C'mon, love," Mick Rawson teased. "Have a drink with me."

Smiling serenely, Emily tapped his nose and shook her head. "Not tonight, Mickey dear." She passed his drink across to him and held out her hand for his money.

He chuckled and shook his head. "Suit yourself, Hotch Two," he said, accepting his drink and putting his money in her palm. "If I didn't know any better I'd say my favorite bartender is expecting a little bundle of joy." Noticing Emily's eyes went wide, his jaw dropped. "Oh…" His voice trailed off.

Dave's eyes trailed over to Hotch, and he saw that his cook was glaring daggers at Mick's look of realization. Waving a hand at him, Dave shook his head. Emily could easily handle this.

"Mick, I swear to God if you say anything I will kick your ass so hard you won't be able to walk straight for a week," Emily growled.

The swaggering smile he usually held graced Mick's face, and he winked. "Secret is safe with me, m'lady," he said, giving her a graceful little bow. "But if it's a boy, you better be naming him Mick."

"Are you kidding me?" she laughed. "That would only inflate your gigantic ego even more."

"You make it sound like that's a bad thing," Mick said, raising his drink to her.

Dave rolled his eyes. Yes, it would be a bad thing to inflate Mick Rawson's ego. It already filled the bar on a nightly basis.

Hotch had come around out of the kitchen and was wiping his hands on his apron. He put his hand on the small of Emily's back and whispered something in her ear. Emily listened to him as she was pouring a pitcher of beer and laughed. She cupped Hotch's cheek and kissed him softly, seeming to tell him not to worry. Hotch looked uncertain, but she pointed to the kitchen, giving him a stern look. Grinning, he ran his thumb over her cheekbone and went back to the kitchen.

Dave smiled. Who knew his bar would sprout love? It certainly hadn't for him, but two couples were together. It had been three years since he'd seen Erin Strauss. Yes, she knew he'd named his bar after her. Yes, she knew he was head over heels in love with her. And some part of him wanted to believe she loved him in return. However, she'd gone and gotten married to someone else, telling him she would always remember him. All he had to remember her was his bar and the memories of their time together, however short it may have been.

"C'mon, doll! Give us a dance!"

The cat calls of a group of twenty-one year olds who were out for their first night of drinking drew Dave's attention from Emily and Hotch. Four of them were gathered around Penelope, all of them leering at her with their glazed over, drunken eyes. She rolled her eyes and forced a smile.

"Sorry, boys," she said. "Not now."

Out of the corner of his eye, Dave caught sight of Derek, his face appearing like a thundercloud as he saw the group around his girlfriend. Without hesitation, he threw the dollar bills he'd been given by a customer onto the counter and ignored the irritated woman who he'd ignored to go around the bar. He made his way over to the group, and for a moment Dave thought there was going to be a few people getting punched that night. Rubbing his forehead, he went to follow his bartender. "Jesus Christ," he muttered. He wasn't in the mood to have a lawsuit on his hand, or for Derek to get arrested for assault, no matter how justified it would be.

"Get the fuck outta my way," Derek snarled loudly, shoving two of the college boys out of his way.

Penelope's eyes went wide at the dangerous look in her boyfriend's eyes as he glared ferociously at the boys around her. Several of the regular customers were now observing the event around them, all of them petrified of what Derek might do. Dave was walking over, ready to stop the madness. "Okay, Derek," he said, attempting to calm the situation. "Just —"

However, what Derek did next was a shock to everyone. Instead of raising his fist to punch out the young men, he dug his hand in his pocket and descended to one knee right in front of Penelope. Her eyes went wider than they already were, and a smile stretched across her face from ear to ear. She covered her mouth as he opened the small velvet box. All of the college men immediately backed up, allowing Rossi to get a look at the ring. It was a silver band, a shining diamond surrounded by two glittering rubies. Tears filled Penelope's eyes, and Derek flashed her his thousand watt grin.

"Penelope Garcia," he began, "you used to tell me there wasn't a chance you would marry me. But considering we've been together for two years now, and we've got a little boy, will you marry me so all of these punks and women who come in here and ogle us know we belong to each other and no one else?"

Wiping the two tears that rolled down her cheeks, Penelope nodded and allowed him to slide the ring onto her left hand. Dave grinned as the perfectly sized ring slid onto her hand.

"Get up here, you," Penelope laughed, pulling him into a fiery kiss. As their lips remained planted together, Derek dipped her down and held her tightly. Cheering and clapping filled the bar, and Dave grinned.

Yeah, his bar was the place to be if someone wanted to fall in love.

"Looks like there's love in the air," a voice behind him commented, a slight twinge of amusement filling her voice.

Dave's eyes went wide, and his heart sped up to jet plane speeds. He would know that voice anywhere. Whirling around, he was shellshocked as his eyes fell upon the one woman he'd always wanted to be with. Erin had her purse slung over her shoulder and her arms were crossed over her chest. His mouth dropped open.

An amused smile graced her face, and she motioned to him. "You're looking well," she remarked.

He wasn't quite sure what to do; all his body was reacting to was the shock at seeing her. Sparks shot through his heart, and his palms began to sweat. "Erin?" he stammered. "Wh - what are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked coyly.

"…no," he returned.

Erin laughed. "It's a bar," she said. "I came for a drink."

Gulping, he nodded. "Well then," he said. "Come with me. I'll serve it to you myself."

As they returned to the bar, Reid had started playing "Unchained Melody," and Morgan and Garcia were dancing, their cheeks resting against one another. Hotch and Emily were standing behind the bar, Hotch's arms wrapped around her from behind. Erin was write about one thing: there was certainly love in the air.

"Who knew your bar could bring lovers together," she said as she sat on the barstool. Rossi went around the bar and smiled, his confidence slowly returning.

"The usual?" he asked, shooting her a suave smile.

She arched a brow. "Do you remember what my usual is?"

"My dear, I could never forget what your usual is," he remarked, going behind him to pull out two wine glasses and a bottle Shiraz. Opening the bottle, he poured two glasses and slid one over to her. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of having Erin Strauss grace my bar?"

She sipped her wine. "Well, it's partly mine, isn't it?" she teased. "After all, my name is on the building."

He laughed. "You didn't answer my question." He arched his brow at her and took a drink from his glass. "It's been three years. Don't you think this is a little out of the blue? And where's your husband?"

"I don't have one anymore," she announced, meeting his eyes. "We…grew apart."

Dave blinked. "Oh," he murmured, sipping his wine so he wouldn't begin jumping up and down with glee. Was this his chance?

"Sorry to hear that," he mumbled, averting his eyes so she wouldn't see they were shining with hope.

Erin snorted. "Dave, I've known you long enough to know when you're lying. You're happier than a kid on Christmas morning."

He returned his gaze to her and instead of seeing hurt or anger on her face, he saw an amused smile. Sipping his wine once more, he coughed slightly. "Oh, well…I guess you're right," he admitted. He shot her a grin. "What can I say? I've always loved you, Erin. Hearing you're single now makes me hope I have a chance with you."

Smiling, Erin's eyes flicked to both Morgan and Garcia and Emily and Hotch. When her eyes returned to Dave, she swirled the wine in her glass and took a sip. "You know, the one time I came in here before, I thought your staff were a little…strange," she said. "But this place seems to have given them something." Her eyes twinkled. "Maybe it can give us something, too."

Dave felt his heart soar at Erin's words. Sincerity was written across her face as she sipped her wine, waiting for him to speak. He grinned broadly and stroked his goatee. "Maybe it can."

Glancing at his staff, he smiled. Quirks or not, they'd come together at his bar. Something about this place was causing a little bit of magic in the air for them. Maybe it could do the same for him.