Derek woke up to Erin watching him, and he smiled up in her face as he stretched and then captured her lips in a soft kiss. "Mmm, Derek, you have morning breath, and it is not agreeing with my sensitive stomach this morning," she muttered before pecking his lips once more and then clabering off the bed as fast as she could and hurrying into the bathroom. A part of him wanted to laugh at the reaction, but then he heard her start to throw up, and he let out a groan of sympathy as he bounded out of bed and jogged into the bathroom.

Erin was on her knees, losing whatever her stomach hadn't digested from the previous evening, and he knelt beside her, pulling her hair out of her face. There was a little sick in it, and he knew that a shower was in order, once she was done. Finally, she sank back against him, gasping for breath, and he supported her weight with his legs as they took a seat on the floor. "I didn't know that a simple kiss would make you ill," he whispered into her ear, and she shrugged as she let out a long sigh.

"I think it's a combination of nerves and the stale taste of your breath. I'm getting too worked up about tomorrow already." He nodded and pressed his lips to her head before helping her to her feet.

"Let's get you in the shower, and when we're done, I'll make us breakfast."

She nodded as they made their way to the shower, and he entered first, turning the water on and getting it to the right temperature before tugging her gently inside. She let out a sigh of pleasure as he turned them, letting her stand beneath the stream so that her hair would get wet. From there, it was easy to pick up the shampoo bottle and wash her hair. He hadn't realised that this would be the intimacy that he would come to crave the longer he was with Erin. It was so much sweeter than any of the hookups he had previously had, and he knew that Erin felt the same.

"Derek, can we wait until after we eat before I tell you about what the lawyer told me? I want to be able to eat and if I try to tell you what's going on while we're at the breakfast table, well, I don't think I'd get much to stay down."

"That would be fine," he quickly answered before rinsing the shampoo from her hair. "Do you feel cleaner now?"

"Yes, thank you." She leaned in and pressed a kiss to his chest before drawing in a deep breath. "Though I would love to stay beneath the water until it ran cold. It's one of those mornings."

She laughed, and he chuckled along with her before reaching out and turning the water off. Then he opened the shower door to grab towels for them both, wrapping his around his waist before helping her out of the shower and gently wrapping the other towel around Erin. Together, they brushed their teeth before Erin dropped the towel to the floor and went back into the bedroom. Derek was a little slower to follow, but he managed to join her just in time to see her lay out casual clothes for the day for him.

"You still have us matching, even on a lazy Saturday."

"It's habit by now. Alan wouldn't humor me like this, and David doesn't really do matching, even on a casual level. But you? You match us when I don't. It's something I've come to love." She leaned over and kissed his cheek before taking a seat on the bed and watching him dress.

"I'll have to remember that, then." He gave her a broad wink before pulling the dark purple shirt over his head. "And now it's time for me to make you breakfast. Does French toast and scrambled eggs sound good?"

"That sounds perfect," Erin replied as she held out her hand. He took hold of it and threaded their fingers together as he brought them down to the kitchen. Erin took a seat at the table and watched him start to get everything together for their meal. Derek made certain to put a little extra flair into the making of their food, wanting to entertain his wife, knowing that she needed something to keep her mind off what they would be discussing as soon as the meal was finished.

"Would you like powdered sugar or syrup with your toast?"

"Powdered sugar sounds best this morning."

He nodded and pulled the cannister out of the cupboard before setting it on the table in front of his wife. Turning back to the stove, he plated their food before placing it on the table and then taking the orange juice out of the fridge and pouring them each a glass. Erin dug in after saying a short prayer, while Derek was a little slower to start, content with watching her for a moment. "I know that we'll talk more in depth once we're finished here, but can I ask if we have good news in front of us?"

Erin swallowed the bite she'd just taken before wiping her mouth with a napkin. "I have reason to be cautiously optimistic. But that's all I want to say before I finish."

He nodded, starting to eat once more as a comfortable silence grew between them. It didn't take long for him to finish, and he pushed his plate aside as he watched Erin finish. She sighed with pleasure as she took the last bite and then put her plate on top of his. "I'll load the dishwasher if you want to get comfortable in the living room."

"Sounds good. And before you join me, would you please brew my one cup of coffee for the day? I think that I'm going to need it."

"Of course." He smiled at her, watching her get to her feet and leave the kitchen before he cleared away their breakfast dishes and made coffee for both of them. It was a quick brew, and he made certain that Erin's was prepared exactly as she liked it. Once that was done, he went into the living room and found Erin curled up on the sofa, her arms cradling her bump as she hummed lowly. He picked up the tune on her lips as he took a seat next to her, handing her the right mug as he welcomed the way she leaned against him. Erin pulled the blanket off the back of the sofa and wrapped it around her legs as she took a deep breath.

"All right, why are you optimistic?"

"Because the lawyer drew up papers that would absolve David of his parental rights, and he can sign them tomorrow, if he agrees. The lawyer also said that we would have a strong case in court, if David took it that far, because we are married, and you are claiming fatherhood of the baby. We just have to get him to see things our way. We just have to keep our cool until the end of our meeting with him, right? Then we can get what we want."

She sounded sad, and he wondered what was going through her mind at that moment. "You're having second thoughts."

"That obvious?"

He nodded before curling his arm around her shoulders in order to hold her closer. "Your voice gives you away far more often than you'd imagine. What is holding you back from just cutting Rossi out of our son's life?"

"Both Penelope and the lawyer had a rather good point that I had been overlooking. If, God forbid, something is wrong with our son, healthwise, it would be nice to have David close at hand in order to get medical information that would help our son. I just hope that, if we show him the fact that we're willing to play hardball, that he'll agree to something a little gentler."

He nodded before pressing his cheek against the top of her head. "What idea is that?"

"That he be known as Uncle Dave, he'll see our son when we're present, or for short trips. He'll be part of his life, jut not a large part. That's fair, to all of us. He didn't want us, not really, and it's not right for him to try and shove his way into the family dynamic we've created because he sees what he could have had. But he needs to have a small role in our son's life. Right?"

"I agree about the small part," he answered, still not exactly certain how he felt about Erin waffling like this. After she was so certain that she wanted to make it a clean break between them, to have her backpedal like this made him wonder what was going on in her mind. "I just don't understand this sudden about face?"

Erin sighed as she drained her coffee in a few long drinks before leaning forward and setting the mug on the coffee table. Then she turned to look at him, her eyes swimming with tears. "I'm terrified that if he decides to play hardball back, that he'll wind up with full custody. He has more money than us, he can offer our son so many better opportunities. He can use my past against me, my alcoholism, my divorce, my relationship with Alex. There's a lot of mud that he could sling, and I don't want to face that in court. Does that make me a coward?"

He quickly shook his head, understanding more fully in that moment. "Erin, I wish that you had opened up to me about this. You shouldn't hold fears like this inside, it will eat you up."

"But you work with him every day. I don't want to sour that relationship any more than I already have. I love you, so much, and I love this life we've built together. I never expected to find this love with you, not after the way my heart was shattered by him. And yet, you've stayed by my side, and you rescued me. But what if we're not enough? I don't want to lose him."

Erin burst into tears as she buried her face in his chest. Instantly, he bundled her up closer to his chest and rubbed her back, crooning in her ear as he rocked them back and forth. "We won't lose our son. I will fight with everything in my power to ensure that."

"I know that you will. I still have this fear, though, and there's nowhere for it to go."

"Oh, Pretty Lady, I have this strong feeling that this might have led to your problem. We're partners, in everything, so never be afraid to trust me with the hard feelings"

"I know that you've trusted me with your secrets, Derek. I've tried so hard to rely on you, too, but there's just so much fear inside. Fear overwhelms."

He nodded before dropping a kiss to the top of her head before holding her closer to his chest. "I know, I've seen that so often out in the field. But we're not going to let fear win this time. We have no idea how Rossi will respond to our options, so until tomorrow, we're going to focus on what we can control, which would be our feelings. So, you're fearful that we'll lose our son because of Rossi's prestige and money. I am hopeful that he'll agree to our softball suggestion of being Uncle Dave, and getting to play at being a relative, since that means we'll do all the hard work, while he gets to do the fun stuff. And if he signs off on his parental rights, well, that leaves more money for him to have fun with. Right?"

"Right," she whispered as she pulled away and looked up into his face. "Optimism."

"Optimism," he replied, giving her a tender kiss. "Now, since it is a gorgeous day outside, how about we head to the park and let Clooney run around while we just relax?"

"That sounds like heaven, actually. Thank you." Erin kissed him and then stood up, giving him a tremulous smile as she held her hand out. He clasped it and hauled himself to his feet before leading her out to the kitchen and grabbing their shoes, helping Erin into hers before he pulled his on and brought Clooney out to the truck while Erin climbed up into the passenger seat, looking a little more settled for talking to him. He only hoped that tomorrow would go just as well.