"So, where do you want to decorate first?" Derek asked as he stepped into their apartment Friday night after getting back from a case.

Erin looked up at him, smiling tiredly as she shrugged. "I was hoping that we could decorate here, first. This is going to be the easier of our places to do, plus, for the time being, it's home."

He loved the way her voice softened when she said that word, and he nodded. "Sounds like a good plan to me. Do you want to use my artificial tree?" She shook her head violently and he couldn't help but laugh at her reaction. "All right, we're going to get a real tree two weeks before Christmas. That shouldn't be too hard to do."

"Um, we'll have to get two, darling. One for here, and one for my house. We usually get a nine footer, since the living room has a taller ceiling." Her smile had turned a bit sheepish and he shook his head as he held out his hand to his wife. She clasped it quickly, using his weight to pull her to her feet before wrapping her arms around his waist. "And I'll want to get two wreaths, one for this door, and one for the front door at my house. Plus, we'll need garland for the stairwell. Christmas is my favorite time of year, and for a time, I thought that I wasn't going to be in the mood to celebrate. Now, though? I am."

She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him passionately. Derek let his hand come to rest on her stomach, and he felt her smile as the kiss lingered. There was something so open and loving about her this morning, and he knew that he wanted to take it for all it was worth. "So, we have to go and hunt down two live trees, two wreaths, and garlands. Is there anything else?"

"We'll need some extra ornaments and lights. And tinsel. I love tinsel."

Derek nodded, feeling a little overwhelmed at the amount of things that they would need to get. He hoped that there was still something left that Erin would like, since it was so late in the season. "Well, we should get started, then. I have the feeling that this will take us the greater portion of the day, and I do not want to tire you too much."

Erin gave him a tender smile as she nodded, going over to the doorway and grabbing her coat, slipping it on as she looked at him expectantly. "That is why I love you, Derek, You are so good at making certain my needs are fulfilled before your own."

Derek nodded as he closed the distance between them, grabbing his coat and shrugging into it as he opened the door for them. Once they were in the hall, he wrapped his arm around Erin's waist, leading her over to the elevator. As they waited, she began to hum Christmas tunes, and he joined in, feeling a sense of peace wrap around his heart. "Erin, do you want to shop for the ornaments and whatnot first?"

"We could. And then we can head to the tree farm where I normally get our tree. I hope you don't mind chopping away at a tree."

"That will be fine," he said as the doors opened, and he smiled as he led her out to his truck. As was fast becoming their ritual, he caressed her stomach before closing the door for her. It didn't take long to get them into the city, and he found a parking spot that was close to the boutiques that he knew she would love to shop at, and she shot him a pleased smile as she climbed out and came around to his side.

"I shouldn't be surprised that you know me so well already, but this pleases my heart." Erin plastered herself to his side, and his arm fell into a comfortable embrace around her waist. "I don't want to get too many things, Der, but I do want to have enough to split between our two homes right now. When we find our own place, then we can condense and merge. I mean, you have to have some ornaments of your own."

"I do. Though I usually just have a small fake tree. Clooney won't know what to do with a live tree and decorations." He smiled down at her before leading her into the first of the shops. The small gasp that slipped from her lips told him that he really had made the right choice.

He picked up a basket and followed Erin around the shop, letting her put whatever ornaments and gewgaws that caught her eye inside it. It was clear that she had a vision for both trees, as there was a vast difference in what she was picking up. A pattern began to emerge, though, and he was able to determine which things were for their apartment, and what was for her home, just based on the amount of what was chosen.

After about thirty minutes, it seemed like she had finally picked out everything that she wanted, and they went up to the counter to pay. Before he could pull his wallet out of his pocket, Erin already had her credit card out, and was swiping it. "I have this, Derek. You were so kind as to get me a new wardrobe earlier, after all."

All he could do was nod as he watched their items being packed up by the efficient clerk, who wished them a happy holiday season before they left. "Here, let me take the package," he said, taking hold of the bag before clasping her hand with his.

"My gallant knight," she murmured before guiding him to the next shop. They didn't spend too much time there, though Erin did manage to pick up enough tinsel to decorate fifty trees, or so it seemed to Derek. "All right, the last thing left to get are lights, and I know that we can get a good deal on those at Home Depot. Once we're done there, we can head to Flowerland and get our trees and whatnot."

The smile that she gave him was radiant, and he wondered why they had never taken the time to look behind the mask that she wore to see the warm heart that was concealed. "That sounds perfect, Erin," he said before bending down to kiss her softly. She purred against his lips before pulling away from him, her smile becoming dreamy. "You can't smile at me like that, Erin. It makes me want to kiss you senseless, and we are not in a place to do that."

A light giggle escaped her lips as she shook her head a little. "That is too true, Derek. So, let's go get our trees, and once we have everything decorated, then we can focus on other, sweeter, pastimes."

He nodded and they went back to the truck to head off to the next store. After another ninety minutes, everything was bought, and Erin was giving him directions to her house. The sight of it made him smile, since it looked perfect for Erin. "So, this is home."

"Maybe. If you want it to be. We'll have to wait until after the holiday season to determine that." Though he knew that she was trying to sound committed to the idea of finding a new place for the both of them, he was beginning to see that this house would be the perfect place to raise their child.

"No, I think that I know. After all, it has a huge yard for Clooney to run around in." She glanced up at him, that radiant smile back on her lips as she launched herself into his arms and kissing him passionately. "If I had known that was all it took, I would have said that ages ago."

"Keep telling yourself that, Der." She unlocked the front door and brought in the wreath before showing him where the living room was. "This is where the tall tree goes. Do you think that you can maneuver it in by yourself, or would you like me to help?"

"I think I got it, Erin. Why don't you hunt down the decorations while I'm getting the tree up?"

She nodded before disappearing into the hall. Derek listened to her climb the steps, her light tread becoming softer and softer the farther away from him she got. It was only when he heard the sound of boxes being moved that he went back outside and began to drag the truly humungous tree that Erin had settled on into the house.

Derek found that he was out of breath by the time that he had dragged the tree into the living room, and he rested against the mantle of her fireplace as he sucked in deep breaths, trying to slow the racing of his heart a little. "I managed to find everything!" Erin sang out as she dragged a large tub into the room. "Is everything all right?"

He held out his arm to her, and she snuggled up close, resting her head on his chest. "I will be fine in a few moments, Pretty Lady. At the tree farm, there were two of us maneuvering that monstrosity of a tree that you insisted on getting."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that." Somehow, he could hear the blush in her voice, and she smiled as he hugged her close for a moment. "Well, this is just the first bin to bring down. I'm going to get the others while you get the tree up and all that. I thought that we could hang the lights first, since I've always loved having a lot of lights on a tree. It makes it all the more special, you know?"

"Yeah." Derek knew that he was agreeing with her just to agree, since he never had paid it much thought, but if it was important to her, then it should be important to him, too. With tender eyes, he watched her leave the room, her hand never leaving her stomach.

Once he heard her feet on the stairs once more, he set the tree stand up in front of the window before finagling the tree into it. The screws went in easily, and he took a step back before he cut the twine off, to make certain that the tree wasn't sitting at an angle. Satisfied with how it looked, he pulled out his Swiss army knife and severed the rope, pulling it off before starting to fluff out the branches.

Somehow, he managed to finish that task before Erin returned, so he pulled the lid off the first bin, smiling when he saw the tangle of lights there. "Oh, Erin, of course you leave me this job," he murmured as he pulled out the first strand. Letting out another sigh, he turned to the tree and wondered just how he was going to do this.

"There's a stepladder in the hall closet. I'll be right back with it."

Glancing over his shoulder, he gave her a wide smile. "That would probably be for the best." She bit her lip as she smiled, a tiny nod bobbling her head. He waited for her to return, and then he took the ladder from her hands and set it up in front of the tree. "All right, could you stand by the window and help me thread the lights around the tree?"

"Of course!" They fell into an easy rhythm, and as Derek watched her, he began to fall even more under her spell. There was something so enchanting about the sheer delight on her face as the tree began to come to life. "All right, and now for the star at the top."

"Oh, not an angel?" he teased, and she shook her head, another blush blooming on her cheeks. "What is it?"

"The angel is for our tree, at home."

"Ah. That works, too." She tucked her chin into her chest as her smile spread across her face. "So, are we finished here, then?"

"Just about, you need to plug the lights in to make certain that they work."

He let out a low groan as he looked at all the work they had just put into the tree, and prayed that every light worked, as he did not relish having to take everything off and back on. "We should have thought of that before we tinsled this sucker."

A soft giggle escaped her lips as she shrugged. "Sorry. But while you're doing that, I'm going to wind the garland around the bannister of the staircase and settle the wreath over the door. And since you'll be done with that before I'm done with my tasks, you can run the tubs out to the truck, since we'll need the rest of those things for our home."

There was something so endearing about the casual way those words slipped off her tongue that Derek found himself nodding in agreement, a wonderful sense of peace filling his heart as he thought about the holiday ahead.