"Please tell me that you are free tonight, Baby Girl," Derek said as he stopped in her office after finishing his work for the day. He had told Erin that he was going to be late, though he had stretched the truth a little, saying that he had a large backload of cases to muddle through before he could come home.
"And why do you need me to be free? Do you not have a beautiful, pregnant, wife to go home to?" she teased as she turned to face him.
"I do, and that is part of the problem. I need to go Christmas shopping for her, and I have no idea where to start. You're a woman, so you should be able to give me some hints as to what she might like. Please?"
Penelope gave him a knowing smirk before turning back to her computers and logging off the day. "You are very lucky that I don't have a date this evening. And I do hope that you plan on spending a lot of money. We are going to pamper her after the way that she's been treated so far this holiday season."
He groaned a little, having completely forgotten about how overboard she could go. "Just remember, we're still in my apartment for the time being. I don't have a lot of room to hide presents or to store things."
"There's always her house, Der. I'm certain that we could get some really awesome things and hide them at her place until the big day. Now come on!"
He nodded and followed after her in a daze. In the hallway, they met Erin, and he smiled widely at her as he strode over to her side, giving her a tight hug. "Hey, Pretty Lady. I'm glad that I caught you. Penelope and I are going to go shopping for some Christmas gifts for you, and I'll catch a ride home with her. Is there anything that you can think that you really want?"
Erin stepped away from him a little and smiled sweetly as she shook her head. "There's nothing that I can think of right off hand. After all, I've already received the best gift, haven't I? You're in my life and willing to raise my baby." Reaching up, she cupped his cheek, running her thumb back and forth along his cheekbone. "I will love whatever you choose for me, because it will be your expression of love for me."
He smiled before leaning in and kissing her gently. "You are so wonderful, Erin."
"So are you." She kissed him once more before pushing him back over towards Penelope. "I can make us supper, if you'd like. It would be one less thing to worry about."
"I think that we'd like that, Erin." He caressed her shoulder and gave her a wide grin before ambling over to his best friend once more. "Erin's going to make supper for us, so we'll have to leave the presents in the trunk until I can sneak away and deliver them at the house."
"Ooh, that will just make things a little more interesting," she replied as she pressed the down button on the elevator. As they stepped inside, they both gave one last look to Erin, and she waved a little before resting her hand on her stomach. Derek couldn't stop the stupid grin that spread across his face at the gesture, and Penelope elbowed him a little as she pressed the button for the basement. "You would think that you were the first father in the world, what with those looks you keep sending her way."
"Well, she looks so adorable pregnant. And those are two words I never thought that I would string together in regards to her, but they fit her. Baby Girl, don't laugh at me, but…"
"You love her. You fell hard and fast, and you're starting to think that the baby in her uterus is yours, well and truly." That she could cut to the heart of the matter so succinctly reminded him once more just why they were best friends, and he sighed as he nodded. "And this is where I'm going to use the adorable word. You being this smitten is thoroughly adorable. If I were to guess, though, I'd say that she is just as smitten with you, too."
"Yeah." He stepped back and leaned against the wall of the elevator, thinking about his wife. "You know, I think that we could use another Christmas miracle."
"And that would be?"
"Getting Blake to be cordial to Erin, at the very least. I know that there's bad blood there, even if Erin hasn't told me the whole story yet, and I really think that if they were to bury the hatchet, this pregnancy would go a little smoother."
Penelope nodded and then pulled out her phone, tapping away to someone. "We'll just have to work on her. I made a note to look into Alex's background a little more closely. We really hit the ground running with her, and I haven't had a chance to completely vet her like I did Rossi and Ashley when they joined our team."
The elevator stopped, and they got out, heading over to her car. As he climbed into the passenger seat, he pulled out his own phone and opened the messenger app, tapping out a quick message to Reid, asking him to call him later. He really wanted to touch base with the kid before things got too far in his marriage. He knew that the kid would most likely not understand the rash decision, since he was cautious and careful in every detail of his life.
"So, where do you think we should head to first?" he asked as he settled back into the seat, thinking about the different gifts he could get for his wife.
"I was thinking the mall. There are a lot of different shops that I think might have some things for her, and there are a few baby stores, too."
"Sounds good," he murmured absently as he stared at his phone. "I need a picture of her."
"What?"
"A picture of her, that I can use on my phone. So that I can carry her with me everywhere I go, even if I can't physically have her at my side. And I need pictures of her children, with names, so that I can talk to them and know who is who. There's so much that I don't know about her, that I want to know, but I just feel like there's not enough time in the day to find it all out."
A small laugh bubbled out of Penelope's lips as she shook her head. "You really do have it bad. When are you meeting her kids?"
"Soon, I'd assume. Hopefully before her parents arrive from Switzerland. I'm supposed to call them Dale and Marlene, but she wants me to call her Mom, too. When I feel ready to do so."
Penelope grinned as she wrapped her hand around his shoulder, squeezing tightly. "And just how did you manage that so quickly?"
"She thinks we have a romantic backstory. That I fell for her after years of being aggravated by her, and now we're going to have a baby. Only, that little bubble will all too soon be burst, because there is no way that I can keep that little secret for too long. I mean, really, what will her parents think of me when they learn that our marriage is just one of convenience?"
Penelope gave him a small smile as she shook her head. "I think that you'll find that might endear you to them more, especially if they also hear about how Rossi treated her when he found out she was pregnant."
"I don't want to throw him under the bus, though, Pen," he replied as she started the car up and pulled out of her spot. As they drove, he tapped out a message to Erin, asking her to send him a picture of her kids and herself. Slipping the phone into his pocket, he tried to think of just what he would get to pamper Erin. There wasn't much that she needed, she had made that perfectly clear, and the only thing that he could think of that might make her heart happy would be a minor miracle to pull off, and he wasn't certain that he knew Blake well enough to even begin approaching her.
"Going to stay here all night?"
He looked up to see that they had arrived, and he shook his head a little to clear the wool from his thoughts as he got out of the car. "I was just thinking about what to get Erin."
"Jewelry is always appreciated, you know."
"Yeah, but she doesn't wear a lot of it to work."
Penelope cocked her head to one side. "I have the feeling that if her husband gave her something, she'd wear it. Actually, I think she'd be grateful for anything you gave her. She's besotted, in the best possible way."
He nodded slowly as he held out his arm to her. Penelope slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow and they headed inside the building. There was a crush of people, which he knew to be expected, since it was so close to Christmas, and a part of him wished that he could just do all his shopping online, to avoid these crowds. Still, he knew that there was something about having the tactile experience that might help him hone in on the perfect gifts.
"I don't want to go overboard."
"Oh, sugar, you don't have to worry about that. I'm the one that does overboard," she giggled, turning him in the direction of Rogers and Holland. "Now, if there was time, I'd take you to my preferred jeweler, the one who makes some of my more outlandish pieces, but we don't have that much time. There's always time for her birthday, or for the push present."
Derek rolled his eyes a little before starting to look at the displays. "Push presents are ridiculous, and you know that."
"They're a nice thought, since your partner went through hours of grueling labor to bring your child into the world. You might change your mind the closer she gets to her due date, and by then it might be too late to get something nice."
"We'll see," he said offhandedly as his eye was caught by a delicate pendant in the back row. "I think that this is the piece for her." Looking up, he found that an associate was already there, smiling at him expectantly, and he gave the woman a sheepish grin. "Sorry, I tend to zone out when I'm browsing. But I think that pendant in the back would be perfect for my wife."
She nodded and pulled it out, allowing him to look at it a little more closely. "We can put it on any length chain that you'd like, but it comes with a 24" one, standard. We also have a matching pair of earrings that go with this. Did you notice them?" the associate asked as she pulled out another small box, holding it out to him.
The rubies winked in the light, and he felt his breath catch in his throat, knowing that the set would make Erin smile. "Perfect," he breathed out as he looked up at the associate once more. "I'll take them both."
She nodded and motioned for him to follow her to a register. "Would you like me to gift wrap these for you?"
"That would be nice, yeah," Derek said as he took out his wallet, grabbing his credit card and handing it over so that she could finish the transaction. While they were waiting for it to be approved, she began the process of wrapping the boxes before handing him the receipt to sign, placing the other copy in his bag. "Merry Christmas," he called out as he and Penelope turned to leave, and the woman gave him a smile and nod in return before going to help the next customer.
"See? It isn't that hard to find pretty baubles for your wife," Penelope teased as they started down the hall, and Derek nodded, hoping that he could truly keep from going overboard with presents for his wife before the evening was finished.