"What? Really?"
"Is it such a surprise? I mean, they let me outside unaccompanied. I was surprised my mother trusted them enough to dress me after that incident." They both laughed, and she sipped at her glass of milk. "Though, I was one for getting into scrapes. Thank God I did not pass that trait on to my children."
"Why?"
She pulled away from his chest to look into his eyes. "You're not going to be able to think of me with a straight face after I tell you some of these things, Der."
"Tell me anyway. Or I'll just pull them out of your parents when they get here."
She sighed as she shook her head, snuggling back against him. "Fine. So, when I was three, I guess I liked climbing everything in sight. And there was a six foot tall bookcase in my Sunday School room that I always tried to scale, every single week."
"And you finally did it?"
"Yes. And managed to scare my poor teacher in the process. I got to hear that story at her funeral."
"That is too adorable, Erin." He rubbed her arm lightly and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "All right, so a cute story about me. When I was young, about three or four, I loved all things Batman. My momma used to show me the old television show, and I knew the theme song by heart. One Sunday, during Communion, there was a quiet moment and all you could hear was me, going 'Nananananananana Batman!' Momma was mortified, but Daddy laughed it off afterwards."
She was laughing, something he loved hearing, and he pulled her closer to his side. "And that is adorable, too, Derek. So, tomorrow's the day. Is it strange to say that I am so very nervous about this? Because I am."
"I am, too, truth be told. I don't want to do anything that would hurt you, you know." She nodded against his chest and sighed lightly. Just then, someone knocked on their door rapidly and he stood up after gently disentangling himself from her. "I wonder who that is?"
"You'll have to open the door to find out," Erin replied tartly, and he chuckled as he went over to the door. Looking out the peephole, he saw JJ and Penelope standing there, each holding a takeout bag.
"We have company." Opening the door, he let the women in, a tight smile on his face. "Hey, what are you doing here? Are Will and Henry parking the car?"
"No, I left them home. Penelope said that this was going to be a grown up discussion." JJ smiled kindly at Erin as she came in the door. "Hello, Ma'am."
"Agent Jareau," Erin replied guardedly, a protective hand covering her stomach. She didn't fail to notice that move, and she raised her eyebrow at Derek as she took a seat in the recliner. Penelope sat down next to Erin, putting her bag on the coffee table before grinning up at him. "What did you bring us, Penelope?"
"Chinese food. I don't know how your stomach will handle that, but Jayje craved it all the time when she was pregnant with Henry."
A soft gasp escaped JJ's lips as she trained her eyes on Erin's stomach. "Is that…Derek?"
"It's not what you're thinking, Agent Jareau. I am pregnant, with David's child. He decided that fatherhood was not the thing for him, at this stage in his life, and thought I would agree with him. I wanted to keep the baby."
"And I agreed to provide the baby with a stable home. It's Christmastime, Jayje, a time for families and miracles. Do you think you could find it in your heart to give us a fair chance?"
The woman sighed, looking between him and Erin, her brow furrowing. "But why would that include marriage? That's so permanent. Will and I took forever to get married."
He slipped his arm around her shoulders and she sank against him gratefully. "I need stability in my life, Jennifer. And so does this little one. I guess I'm just a stickler for tradition." Accepting the plate from Penelope, she dug into the fried rice, quickly devouring her portion before reaching out for an egg roll.
"Here, Pretty Lady." He handed her what she wanted and she smiled at him, dipping her chin a little. He recognized the gesture and felt his own smile turn into a little smirk as he settled her against him once more. "Our parents are both coming here for the holidays, too."
JJ nodded a little as she picked at her food. "Excuse me one second, guys." Getting up, she rushed over to the bathroom, and they all watched her go. He felt Erin's hand move to her stomach and automatically, his mind went to the same place.
"You don't think…"
"I don't know, Sugar. She hasn't said anything to me, yet. I do know she's been off her birth control ever since the bank incident." Penelope smiled kindly at Erin, and he felt Erin nod gently. "It would be sort of adorable to have BAU babies at the same time."
"That may end up happening, PG." He looked up at JJ's tired face and frowned a little. She smiled wanly at him while retaking her seat. "I went off my birth control a few months ago, hoping this would salvage the train wreck my marriage has become. Will, he wasn't too happy with my announcement, especially when I told him I wasn't planning on doing desk duty this pregnancy, either."
Derek watched her pick up her plate and stab at the food, eating with an anger that didn't surprise him. He would be upset in her position, as well. "Oh, Jayje, why didn't you say something to us?"
"It's Christmas time, PG. I didn't want to dampen the spirit." He watched Penelope nod before reaching out and clasping JJ's free hand. "I'll be fine, there's always time to take care of it." Both women nodded sympathetically before turning back to their food. Almost as soon as they were finished eating, JJ jumped up and headed towards the door. "I really should get back to Henry. It's my turn to read him his bedtime story."
"It's only six…" Penelope started to protest as she got up, trailing after the other woman. Erin sighed and burrowed into his side. Instinctively, he began to rub his hand up and down her arm, pulling her even closer.
"It's going to take time, Derek. Especially when her hormones are in just as much flux as mine are." Erin rubbed her head back and forth against his chest. "I suppose we should get up and put the leftovers away. I, I just don't want to leave your arms right now."
The tender admission tugged at his heart and he stilled his movements, closing his hand around her shoulder. "Well, that sounds perfect to me, Pretty Lady. I rather like having you in my arms." She let out another sigh, much softer and more pleased than her earlier one, and he knew he must have said something right. "We'll get up in about ten minutes to put everything away."
"All right." She fell silent and he dared enough to let his hand creep up to her head, running his fingers through her hair. A soft sound of pleasure escaped her throat and he smiled, even though he knew she couldn't see it. As he listened, the sounds of her breathing evened out and he gently sat her up.
"None of that, now. We need to keep you on a more stable timetable, especially if you plan on working through the pregnancy."
"You do have a point there, Derek." She pushed away from him to sit up and stretch, moaning a little as she did so. "Oh, I did forget to tell you one thing."
"And what would that be, darlin'?" he drawled.
"I crave massages the later it gets in the pregnancy. By the time the last few weeks roll around, I will beg for my feet to get rubbed." She turned a little and smiled at him, holding out her hand. He clasped it and stood, pulling her into a warm hug. He loved the way she melted into him, and he reached down to caress her stomach.
"I will definitely remember that, Erin. And by that time, I don't think that I'll be able to keep my hands off you." Tilting her chin up, he kissed her, letting her take the lead. He was surprised a little when she deepened the kiss, her arms closing around his waist.
"We, we should probably put the food away before it spoils. At least I'll have lunch for work on Tuesday." She was blushing a little as she stepped back from him, picking up the first container her hands touched, hurrying off into the kitchen.
He followed after her, coming up behind her and setting the rest of the containers in the fridge. She turned around and looked up at him and for the first time he noticed the tears in her eyes. "Did I make you cry, Pretty Lady?"
Erin shook her head as she stepped into his open arms. "No, I made myself cry." She clung to him as she struggled to remain calm, and he just rubbed her back softly, hoping that she was at least a little like Penelope, that the movement would calm her like it did his best friend. Reaching up, she pulled his hand around to her stomach, and he took the hint, rubbing her stomach in the same soft circles. "I really like when you do that," she whispered in his ear.
"I know. And I like doing it. Will I be able to feel the baby kick eventually?"
She nodded. "Didn't Jennifer ever let you touch her stomach during her pregnancy?"
Derek shrugged as he led them back to the couch. "I didn't really want to, after she nearly broke some poor cop's hand. He had made a comment about how she reminded him of his wife as he reached out to pat her baby bump, and she did not react well."
"He didn't ask permission. I don't like random strangers touching me, too." She turned in his arms as they sat, tugging his hand back to where she wanted it. "This is going to be different, though. You are going to be my husband, so you'll get to touch me whenever you want. And yes, you will feel our baby kick."
He smiled a little at the thought, his hand curling protectively over the gentle rise that protected their baby. "You're already thinking of it as ours?" he asked lowly, wondering if she knew how much that sweet phrase had endeared her to him.
"Yes," was her simple answer. Her head came to rest on his chest and she sighed lightly as he kissed her temple. "I also like when you kiss me so gently. When Alan and I first got married, he used to do that all the time. I didn't realize how much I missed that until you started doing it."
The tender admission made his heart melt and he nuzzled his nose in her hair, breathing in the scent that was uniquely hers. "Even if we're not in love?"
"Even if. Maybe it will come, in time. My heart is already becoming tender to you." She lifted her lips and gave him a gentle kiss. "Could we watch some television before we go to bed? I know there's not much on Sunday nights, but I'm too tired to read."
"If you don't mind watching sports, I think there's a basketball game on." She nodded and he reached for the remote, turning the tv on and turning it to the sports channel. Once the game was on, she began to ask a myriad of questions, as if she had never really watched the sport before. Derek was more than happy to fill her in, since she seemed to want to know more about something that he liked.
By the time the game ended at nine, Erin was yawning frequently, and he helped he up into the bedroom, fishing out a nightie for her before quickly undressing her and helping her into bed. Erin was asleep before he had the chance to tell her good night, and he shook his head as he picked up her clothes and put them in the hamper. Changing into a pair of lounge pants, he crawled in beside her, pulling her close as he let loose his first yawn of the night. While it would be awhile before he fell asleep, he relished being able to hold her close in the sweetness of sleep.