The sun was too bright, she thought as she woke up with a groan. Pressing her hand to her aching head, Erin sat up and blinked a few times, the unfamiliar sheet dropping around her waist as the events of the previous evening came crashing over her mind. Turning her head at the soft sound of a door opening, she saw Aaron glance back at her, his face a serious mask as their eyes met. Before she could say anything, he had left the room, and she bowed her head before bringing her hands up to her face, a harsh sob tearing from her lips as the enormity of what they had done hit her.

"I'm nothing more than a common whore," she murmured as she continued to sob. "How did I let this happen? I cheated on my husband, I caused him to cheat on his wife. I am never drinking again in my life." Stumbling from the bed, she made her way into the bathroom and managed to make it to the toilet before losing the contents of her stomach into the bowl, fresh tears streaming down her face as she continued to gag. Once there was nothing left in her body, she shakily rose to her feet and flushed away the contents before making her way to the shower and stepping inside, turning the water on and trying to wash away how she felt.

The water turned cold before she felt clean, but she knew that she had to get out, and she turned the water off, wrapping a towel around her body before drying her hair and making her way back into the room. Her clothes were strewn about, and she picked them up, wrinkling her nose at the stench of the bar that permeated them. Picking up her panties, she frowned to see that they were torn, and she absently rubbed at her hip before taking a look at the bruise that was forming there. "This is so lurid. We obviously fucked like animals. I have no idea how I'll tell Alan about this. I can't keep a secret of this magnitude from him." Erin felt fresh tears start to gather in her eyes as she slowly dressed, crumpling the torn panties and throwing them in the trash before picking up her purse and heading down to the reception desk.

"May I help you, Ma'am?"

"Just checking out, and I need to order a cab to take me home."

The clerk nodded as she picked up her phone, dialing a number. "There will be one here for you in five minutes. May I have your key?"

Erin handed it over before making her way over to the doors, knowing that the woman was obviously wondering where her luggage was, and putting together the awfulness her life had become in the space of a day. Shaking her head a little, Erin took a deep breath and pulled out her phone, seeing that she had a missed call from her husband. "There's no way to avoid this, Erin," she muttered as she called him back.

"Erin, are you all right? Where were you last night?"

"I, I got drunk because of what happened in Boston, and thought it would be best if I didn't come home in that state. I guess that I forgot to call and tell you that. I'm so sorry."

"I'm just glad that you're all right, darling. I told the kids that you had to spend the night in the office, so that they wouldn't worry. I have to go, I'll see you tonight."

Before she could tell him the truth that fluttered on her lips, Alan had ended the call, and she let out a deep sigh as she left the hotel and climbed into the taxi that had pulled up for her. After telling him the address, she settled back in the seat and shoved a pair of sunglasses on her face to block out the too bright sun. "Can you leave the meter running and wait fifteen minutes for me? I need to get to work, and I left my car there last night," she asked when the cabbie pulled into her drive.

"Sure thing, Ma'am."

She gave him a small smile as she slipped out of the back seat and fished her keys out of her purse, hurriedly letting herself into her home and rushing up to her bedroom, slipping out of her clothes as she went in order to be a little more efficient with both their time. It didn't take long for her to get changed, and she slipped into the bathroom to pick up her travel makeup kit, shoving it in her purse before racing back downstairs and out to the waiting taxi. "And now, to the FBI building. I have twenty minutes before I'm late."'

"It'll be close, but I'll do my best to get you there in time," the cabbie replied, and she nodded as she settled in her seat and pulled out the makeup, expertly doing her face as he drove. By the time he arrived at the building, she felt put together for the day, and she made certain to give him a handsome tip before heading into the building and up to her office.

"Oh, Ma'am, it is so good to see you! Your husband called yesterday, asking about where you were. I didn't know what to tell him, so I told him about what happened in Boston, and that you might have gone for drinks before heading home. It's what I would have done, if I was in your shoes. But you look upset. Is everything all right?"

To her horror, she burst into fresh tears, shaking her head a little as she made her way into her office, going right to her sofa and taking a seat, curling up in the corner as she tried to stop her tears. Hearing the door close, she looked up to see Helen standing there awkwardly, a little smile on her lips. "I made a huge mistake last night."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't talk to people about my mistakes or problems," she whispered, watching as Helen went over to her coffee machine and made her a fresh cup, bringing it over to her side and pressing it into her hand as she took a seat next to Erin on the sofa. "Helen?"

"You don't have to say a word, Ma'am, you just need to know that there's someone who is willing to support you no matter what. And I know that the Adrian Bale incident took a lot out of you, so it makes sense that you'd be off kilter. Let me guess, you had a little too much to drink last night and ended up in a hotel room without telling your husband where you were going? That's not really that large a mistake, you know. It's responsible, to not drive home or let your kids see you drunk."

She let out a watery laugh as she shook her head. "If only it was just that." Erin took a deep breath before sipping at the coffee. "Can I trust you? I need to be able to trust someone."

"Of course you can trust me. What happened last night?"

Helen cocked her head to one side as she looked at Erin, an encouraging smile on her lips. "I slept with a married man. I cheated on my husband because I got so drunk I couldn't think straight."

"Then it sounds like this man took advantage of you!"

Erin shook her head. "He was drunk, too. We both made a stupid, rash, decision, and I just feel so awful about it. And I don't think I can tell Alan, because he was just so understanding about things this morning when he thought it was just me sleeping off a hangover. How do I explain this?"

She knew that her mascara was running down her cheeks, but she knew that she could do nothing about that. "You don't. You go to your priest, ask for absolution, and move on, leaving it in the past. From the sound of things, it was a one time mistake, and you'll never see him again." Erin let out a bitter laugh. "Oh. Was it someone here?" She nodded. "Well, that certainly is a sticky wicket! But still, you're not going to make that mistake again, and we will move forward from here. I'll keep your secret close to my heart, and won't breathe a word about it to anyone." Erin gave her a small smile as she nodded, taking another sip of coffee as she tried to keep Helen's optimistic words in her mind and heart.