Derek patted Clooney on the head before filling his water bowl and then toed out of his shoes. It had been a rather late evening, later than planned, but everyone had been getting along so well that neither he nor Erin had wanted to end the night. It took Erin nearly falling asleep against his arm for his mom and Marlene to urge him to head back to their apartment, and he agreed readily, helping Erin out to the car before saying goodnight to the others.
"Hey, Pretty Lady, you didn't fall asleep on the sofa, did you?" he called out, only to hear her chuckle float out of the living room.
"I was about to, but you woke me from my trance. Would you mind pouring me a glass of water before coming to bed?"
"Of course." He heard her get up from the sofa and make her way down to their bedroom before he went over to the sink and grabbed a tall glass from the cupboard, filling it with ice before adding water to it and then making his way to their bedroom. When he entered, he found that Erin had already stripped down to her underwear and was just pulling a warm flannel nightgown over her head. "I thought that we were going to cuddle tonight?" he teased as he set the glass of water on her nightstand before going over to the dresser and grabbing a pair of flannel pyjama pants.
"That was until it grew to be one in the morning. I am dead on my feet, Der, and crave sleep more than anything. I'm sorry?"
"There's nothing to be sorry for. Crawl into bed, and I'll hold you until we fall asleep." She gave him a slightly sad smile, before heading to the bed, slipping beneath the sheets before plugging her phone in and setting their alarm. "I'd probably set a second alarm, just in case we sleep through the first."
"Good idea," Erin replied as she tapped at her screen once more. "Tomorrow is our last day at work before the holiday break, so there is no way that I can leave early. I might even have to stay later than anticipated, since I want to have no paperwork hanging over my head for the two weeks we're off."
"I can wait for you," he said as he undressed, pulling on the pyjama pants before joining her in the bed, pulling the sheets up around their shoulders as she scooted closer to him. Shaking her head a little, Erin fitted herself beneath his chin as she entwined her arms around his waist. "Why?"
"You'll need to finish wrapping and running over our gifts to the house. I don't think that I'm going to have time to get all the baking I want to get done along with that. There's so much left to do and I feel so unprepared right now. But as long as I know I have you by my side, helping out where you can, then it will fine. I know this, based on how I've seen you work over the years. There was a reason I allowed Aaron to name you as the acting Section Chief when he had to step down during the Foyet affair."
He felt tears splash against his chest, so he began to run his hand up and down her back in an effort to soothe her. "You know that I will always do my best for you and our families. If you need me to wrap presents and bring them to the house, I can do that. Do you have a shopping list, too? I don't think that I have many baking ingredients here."
"I had planned on doing that when I left work, but if you want to, that would help me out immensely. Stop by my office when you leave, and I'll have that all sorted for you." She pressed a kiss to his chest as quiet fell over the room, and then she grew heavy in his arms, telling him that she had fallen asleep. Derek slid his hand up to cup her head as he also allowed himself to drift off to sleep, a smile on his lips.
It seemed like only a few seconds later when the alarm went off, and he groaned as Erin shifted away from him to reach out and turn it off. "I could easily fall back asleep for a few more hours," he mumbled as he sat up with a stretch and a yawn.
"I feel the same way, Derek," she said as she climbed out of bed and padded over to the closet. "I think that I'm going to dress down a little today, since it's the last day before break." He watched her pull out a longer skirt, along with a more romantic blouse, and he grinned as she grabbed fresh undergarments. "And if you want to shower after me, you'd better hurry and choose clothes for the day."
Chuckling a little, he watched her disappear from the bedroom before he got out of bed and hurriedly made it, having already learned that Erin preferred a neat bed, even if it would be mussed up by the next morning. Listening attentively, he heard the water turn on before Erin began to sing a familiar Christmas hymn. It was in that moment Derek realised that they hadn't made plans for which service they intended to attend.
Trying to make a mental note to bring that up with Erin on their drive, he went over to the dresser and pulled out fresh clothes. Erin wasn't finished in the shower by the time he was done, so he popped in to drop off his clothes before sticking his feet into a pair of sandals, tugging his coat on, and taking Clooney outside to do his business. When that chore was done, he brought his dog back inside and fed him, just in time to hear the bathroom door open and close.
"I'm finished now, Derek. Did you want me to make breakfast?"
"That would be great. Is there time for waffles?"
She looked at her watch before back up at him and nodded. "I'll make it work, though we might be eating on our way in to the office." He grinned before giving her a kiss and she shook her head as she chuckled, heading over to the fridge to start getting breakfast ready. Derek found that he couldn't stop looking at her, even though he knew that he had to get ready for the day. "If you keep dawdling, Der, we really will need to eat while we drive," she said without turning around, and he nodded before hustling down the hall and into the bathroom.
It didn't take long for him to shower, though he did spend a few extra long minutes under the hot water as he thought about the upcoming holidays. There was something so soft about the way things were coming together, and he hadn't often had soft in his life. He had had to fight and scrape for every good thing that came his way, and so this was a pleasant change. Humming the same hymn Erin had been singing, he turned the shower off and wrapped a towel around his waist as he went over to the mirror and groomed his facial hair before drying off and dressing. Making certain that he looked fine in the mirror, Derek smiled at his reflection before splashing on some cologne and heading back to the kitchen.
"Was that quick enough for you?" he asked as he took a seat at the table, picking up his coffee mug and taking a long drink.
"Yes, and you've arrived just in time. Here's your waffle." Erin turned and placed a plate down in front of him. "Mine's still cooking, but go ahead and eat."
He frowned a little and held out his hand. Hesitantly, she clasped it, and he said a quick prayer for them before he dug into his meal. "So, we forgot one little detail in our preparations for Christmas."
"Oh?" Erin asked as she opened the waffle maker and flipped the contents onto a plate before drenching it in syrup. "Derek?"
"Sorry, I'm just trying to imagine how Helen's going to deal with your sugar crash later this morning." Erin reached out and smacked his shoulder lightly before she sat down and dug into her waffle. "Anyway, we never planned which service we wanted to go. I know that Mama usually attends the Baptist service back home, and I'm assuming your parents attend a Methodist service?"
"Oh, you're right, I didn't think about that. I, I want to go to my service. You can take your family to the Baptist service if you'd like. I don't want to…"
"No, we'll attend one service together, as a family. And since you want to go where your spiritual home is, we'll go to your church. Okay?"
"Okay," she whispered, a happy smile stealing across her features as she continued to eat. "And I was thinking, while I was making our breakfast, I am going to need extra help with the baking, so I'm going to see if Tabitha wants to come over tonight and lend me a hand."
He somehow understood that she was making a request, even though she had so firmly stated her intentions, and he nodded. "If she wants, I can pick her up after work and bring her here."
"No, she can drive, especially since I don't know what time we'll be done, and I don't want you to have to keep running back and forth between here and other people's homes." Again, she gave him a sweet look, and he nodded before finishing his waffle. She was just a few bites behind him, and then he was picking up their dishes and rinsing them off before loading them in the dishwasher. "All right, ready to head to work?"
"As long as you're okay with me hiding out in your office if Rossi is still pissed about yesterday."
Erin laughed before wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her cheek on his back. "He can hold a grudge, yes, but I'll speak to Aaron if things get too far out of control. I don't want there to be open enmity between members of my best team."
He covered her hands with his, giving them a firm squeeze. "I will do my best to be the bigger person here. But I make no such promises about Rossi."
"As long as you're trying your best, that's all I ask for. Now, I'm going to head out. I'll see you at work?"
"We aren't driving in together?"
She shook her head as she grabbed her coat and shrugged into it. "There would be no way for me to get home if I do have to work late, darling. Now, give me a quick kiss so that I have something to look forward to tonight. Because we are going to finish what I wanted to start last night."
He nodded and stepped closer to her, wrapping his arms around her waist before tugging her flush against his body. "You know that I'm going to hold you to that, which means if Tabitha spends the night, you're going to have to be quiet. The walls aren't the thickest in this apartment." Erin flushed deeply before nodding, tipping her chin up so that she could give him a smouldering look.
"I rather think that you're the one who's going to have to be quiet, Derek. I am going to do my level best to make you sing like a bird." He groaned a little and tried to think the most chaste thoughts he had, listening to Erin's knowing chuckle. Throwing caution to the wind, knowing that they needed to get to work and soon, he growled in the back of his throat before capturing her lips in a torrid kiss, one hand sliding down to grab her ass and hold her all the closer to him as they deepened the kiss, fighting for dominance. "Oh, if only I could be irresponsible for one more day," she panted out as she tore her lips away from his, panting heavily.
"We'll have nearly two weeks of free days to find our pleasure together," he replied, breathing just as heavily as he rested his forehead against hers, breathing in her perfume as he tried to get control over his body, knowing that they both had to present a professional image to their coworkers. Still, like her, if they were able, he knew that he would drag her back to the bedroom, and they wouldn't leave until they absolutely had to. Pressing one last kiss to her sweet lips, he then pulled on his own coat before leading her out to their vehicles, wondering just how they'd get through the day when all they wanted to do was be together.