Erin sighed as she looked down at Elise's sleeping face. David had been called away unexpectedly to meet with his publisher, and then to go out researching for his next book, and while she knew that she was a strong, independent, woman, she still missed his help. Especially when her daughter was sleeping, and there was someone at the door. The children were with their father that week, since it was Thanksgiving, which meant that there was no one to watch the baby while she got up. "Please, remain sleeping, little one," she whispered at the Moses basket as she delicately rose to her feet and hurried over to the front door, frowning a little to see the last person she would ever expect to see on their stoop.
"A little birdie told me that you'd be alone for Thanksgiving, due to unforeseen complications with his schedule, and that you probably wouldn't take the time to make a decent meal. It's not much, but I'm alone this year, too, since I don't really know my new team yet, and you're the closest thing that I have to friend in the BAU, and I thought that we could break bread together?"
The hesitancy in her voice told Erin that she was expecting to be rejected, and so she easily reached out her hand to touch her shoulder gently, causing her to look up into her face. "I would enjoy sharing Thanksgiving with you, if you don't mind us praying before the meal." Penelope shook her head and then hefted the bags in her hands as she brushed past Erin to enter the house. "We'll eat in the dining room, like civilized adults. It's right next to the kitchen."
"Got it. I'll get everything set up, if you want to check on Elise, like I know you want to." Erin blushed a little as she nodded and closed the door, locking it before she went to the living room and picked up the Moses basket. It took longer than usual to get to the dining room, since she didn't want to wake Elise, and by the time she got there Penelope had already set the table and placed the dishes on one end. "I even brought non-alcoholic sparkling grape juice for us, since I read that you can't drink while you're breastfeeding."
"You thought of everything," Erin murmured as she took a seat next to Penelope, setting the basket on the floor between them as she scooted her chair closer to the table. "Do you not have any family here in DC, then?" she asked as she served herself from the dishes around her, watching Penelope do the same as she shook her head.
"And the little family I do have never wants to see me again. I'm used to being on my own, but usually I have a few friends to rely on. I think that Derek and I will be friends, eventually, but we haven't reached that point yet. And I know that we're not friends, that you're my boss, and I haven't really done anything to engender trust in you, but I am hopeful that with time you'll be able to see me as an ally, if not a friend."
Erin frowned a little, curious about the woman's statement on her family, and gave her a small nod. "You're right, I don't trust easily, and I don't open up to people unless they're in my inner circle. It is going to take quite a bit for me to learn to trust you, maybe a number of years. But I am willing to work to that point, if that is what you wish. Though you should know that if you decide to be friendly to me, then your burgeoning friendship with Agent Morgan and the rest of Alpha might be hindered, since there is no love lost between myself and Agents Hotchner and Gideon."
"I sort of figured that out from what I've been hearing in the conference room during our briefings. But I don't think that Agent Gideon likes me very much, so my liking you really wouldn't change his opinion of me?"
Erin frowned as she ate, trying to bite her tongue so as not to say anything untoward about Jason in front of Penelope. "If he gives you any trouble, do not hesitate to come to me, and I will deal with the issue. I don't care if there's friction between Jason and myself, since no one truly likes their boss, but you are a vital member of the team, so there cannot be any issues that arise in the cohesion of my teams."
"It's nothing that I can't handle. I promise. But if things do get out of hand, I will come to you. So, um, how awkward is it that your daughter and Hotch's son have the same birthday?"
Erin raised an eyebrow as she shook her head. "I try not to think about that, actually. It is a little more awkward than I would care to dwell on, especially since things between us are so strained." She glanced down to see that Elise was stirring a little in her basket. "I'm just concentrating on making certain my little peanut continues to grow like a weed, which she is currently doing." Setting aside her fork, Erin leaned down and picked Elise up, arranging her in her arms so that she could hold her and continue eating.
"She does look a lot larger now, and it's only been two weeks!"
"She's almost six pounds now, and finally fits into some of the smaller newborn clothing that we have for her." Erin stroked Elise's head gently before letting out a little sigh. "I'm so proud of my little peanut growing so quickly."
"I can only imagine." The rest of the meal was filled with idle chatter, broken only when she had to take a moment to loosen her clothes to feed Elise, covering them with the blanket from the basket before finishing her food. "When she's done eating, may I hold her?"
"Certainly. Leave the plates on the table, I'll take care of them later, if you'll carry the basket back into the living room for me."
Penelope eagerly nodded as she popped to her feet and grabbed the basket, smiling widely at her. Erin's smile softened as she awkwardly rose to her feet, cradling Elise closer to her breast as she fought not to trip. Erin went into the living room, Penelope following after her, setting the Moses basket on the floor between them as she took a seat on the sofa. "Are you going to start decorating for Christmas soon?"
"We're going for a more muted celebration this year, so I'll be shopping for greenery once the children return from school on Monday. Both David and myself don't care for ostentatious displays, and this house is far too elegant to festoon with an overabundance of gaudy decorations." She tried to make it sound entirely like her idea, since she didn't want David to appear to be the stick in the mud. "And it would be difficult to go all out with a preemie baby, anyway. Maybe next year, when we're all more settled, we can decorate a little more, but for now I am completely happy with having a low key holiday season."
"He would hate my apartment, then. After I've finished Black Friday shopping, the decorations are coming out of storage and it is going to look like Christmas threw up all over my place. I've even figured out how to set up my lights so that they'll twinkle along in time to whatever music I'm currently playing. And before you say it, I know that that's a bit over the top, but I'm the only one that sees it, so what's the harm?" Erin nodded as she switched Elise to her other breast, listening to Penelope prattle on about how she was planning to spend Christmas, knowing that the woman was just a little lonely and looking for someone to listen to her.
