"I'm glad that you were able to close that last case so quickly, Derek." Erin looked up and gave him a gentle smile. "I know that you have a mother and two sisters who will be visiting, but I don't know enough about them to buy gifts. And there is definitely not enough time to make anything."

He chuckled a little as he nodded. "They're mostly easy going, you know. Momma had to be flexible when we were younger, and she tried to teach us that same lesson. I just happened to turn out more stubborn than Sarah or Desirée."

"Why does that not surprise me?" she drolly asked, letting her head thump against his chest as they continued to walk down the street. It was a cold evening, so he pulled Erin closer to his side, letting his hand come to rest possessively on her hip as they walked along. "And I'll give you pointers on what to get my family. Bruce will be easy, he always has been. And I thought that we could go together on Momma and Daddy's gifts. At least, that's what Alan and I always did. Unless you want to get them something just from you?"

"I think that I will bow to tradition, Erin. At least this year."

"Okay."

They sighed in unison, and then Erin was cuddling even closer to him, their steps falling into unison as they went along. "My girls are a bit snobbish, I'm afraid. Though Tabitha could be wooed over by some nice makeup from Sephora. Even if it is outrageously expensive."

He chuckled once more as he squeezed her hip. "She and Desirée will get along famously, then. She loves makeup, too. You'll just have to point out the brands and colors that she likes. And since that's the closest store, let's stop in there first."

She nodded and they turned, heading into the store. Derek found himself a bit overwhelmed at all the displays and scents that struck him as they entered, and he dazedly took a basket from the associate's hands and trailed after Erin. "I never knew…"

"What? That it took so many products to make our faces look this beautiful?" she asked as she picked up a long, thin, box filled with circles of color. "This is a new palette. Do you think that Desirée would like it?"

"Those colors are very muted, she prefers something with a little more pop. But I could get that for Tabitha. If you think she'd like it."

Erin nodded as she continued to browse. Derek looked around at what was closest to him, picking out a few lipstick shades that matched the tone of the palette that Erin had placed in their basket. And in short order, he had racked up quite a number of products, picking out a few things for Erin along the way, even as she returned with a few things for his sister. They managed to finish up in the store in about twenty minutes, and Derek tried not to let out a loud sound of surprise at the final total, since it was a little more than he had planned on spending at the first store.

"I told you, makeup is expensive, especially the good brands. But they are worth it."

He nodded as he followed after Erin to the next store. They spent a few minutes there, trying to find something for her parents, and it seemed like they couldn't settle on anything there. "This just means that we haven't found the perfect gift for them, yet," he said as they went on to the next shop. "What do you think, is there anything for anyone here?"

"Maybe Brucie," she breathed out as she disappeared into the back of the store. Derek trailed after her, looking around at what was on offer. He seemed to get a better handle on just who Bruce was by browsing, since Erin seemed adamant that they would find something for her son here. "Derek!"

He perked up at the sound of his name and hurried over to her side, seeing that she was holding a fishing reel. "That is a nice reel."

"Dave would be a better judge on if it's a good one than I am. He's been fishing and hunting for so long. Bruce seemed to really enjoy the few trips that they took together over the summer." There was a sudden sad expression in her eyes, and he reached out to stroke her hair lightly. "They don't really get why we broke up. I couldn't bear to tell them the real reason, since I don't want to tarnish his image in their minds. That wouldn't be fair, you know?"

"I do," he murmured before leaning in to press a tender kiss to the crown of her head. "So, we'll get him this reel, and a good rod to go with it? And then we could all go on a fishing trip together. Rent a boat, sail on a lake, you and the girls can read or rest or whatever, if you don't want to fish, and we can bond."

"What about the baby?" she teased, and he shrugged.

"We can get one of those slings, and I can wear the kiddo while I'm fishing. That way, you don't have to do everything."

Erin let out a soft sound of pleasure as she glanced up at him. "I am so blessed that you fell into my life, Derek Morgan." Tears prickled her eyes, and he chucked her chin softly before turning to the rods. "We should probably get a rod from the same company, yes?"

"That does seem practical," he said as he scanned the display for something that seemed appropriate. They had just reached an agreement on a rod when a clerk came up to them, apologizing for the lack of help. "Nonsense, you're busy, what with Christmas being so close." Derek gave the man a wide smile as he handed over the rod and reel.

"That's very kind of you," the clerk said as he rang them up, and Derek couldn't help but notice that they were given a discount on the gifts, since he had made a quick sum in his head of what the total should be. "Have a merry Christmas," the young man called out as they left the building, and Derek gave him a small wave as they left.

"Now, I know that your parents like to ski. Could we get them a gift related to that, at all?" he asked as they walked past the next few shops, nothing really catching Erin's eye in the windows as they went. Erin paused beneath an awning to look up into his face, a pleased smile on her lips.

"That would be perfect, Derek! I don't know where we're going to get something like that, but…"

"Penelope knows how to fast track shipping, so we could always find something for them online. And that would leave us with just Sarah, Karen, and my mother." She nodded as they went into another shop, and her attention was immediately caught by a dress on a mannequin in the back. "That's not exactly your style, Erin."

"No, but it would suit Karen very well."

He nodded, and watched Erin pull out the correct size. "Let's try and find something for Sarah here," he said as he slipped his hand into the crook of Erin's elbow, leading her towards the back of the shop. "This seems to be her style of clothing."

"That's good to know," Erin said as she began to flip through the clothes, humming along to the Christmas music on the radio in the shop. "Do you think she'd like this?" she asked five minutes later, holding out a dark purple dress, a hopeful look on her face.

"Sarah will love this, Erin."

She nodded and he helped her to choose the right size for his sister, holding it along with the dress for Karen. "All right, it's just our parents that we have to purchase gifts for. That's not too terribly bad, is it?"

"No." Erin gave him another one of those secret smiles that he had come to love from her, and he chuckled a little as they went to the register and paid for their items. "All right, if we're going to look for your parents online, we might as well look for Momma's gift online as well. If I remember correctly, there's this book that she's wanted for some time, but it wasn't available around here."

"Okay." Erin slipped her hand into the crook of his arm as they made their way back to the truck. "This has been a wonderful evening, Derek. Do you think that we could eat out, though, before we head home? I'm not really feeling up to cooking tonight, since we've done quite a lot of walking tonight."

"Chinese sound good?"

"Yes!"

"Good," he answered with a chuckle, "because that is what I've been craving all day." A bright blush stole across her cheeks as she shook her head, stepping close to him as they fell into step with each other. "This is how I always pictured my life, you know. Not with you, exactly, but having this peace and promise with the woman I love. That it happens to be you is a surprise, I won't lie, but it makes sense, it feels right. And something that feels so right has to be destined by God."

A soft blush colored her cheeks as she nodded, and then she looked down at the ground as they walked. From the corner of his eye, he noticed that she was crying, and his heart sank a little, wondering what had upset her so. Looking around the sidewalk, he saw that it was clear for him to move her close to one of the buildings, and wrapped her up in a tight hug. He was reminded of that first night, when he made up his mind that he would take care of her and her child, and as she cried into his chest, Derek felt at a loss. "I love you, Derek Morgan."

Her words were strong, but quiet, and he nodded before kissing her forehead lightly as he pushed her away. "And I love you, Erin Morgan. Now, would you like to tell me why you're crying? I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong."

"There's nothing wrong this time, per se. My hormones are a little wonky today, but I'm also so overwhelmed by love for you and our families in this moment. I want, so badly, for everything to be perfect this Christmas, since it will be full of first impressions, and what if, what if everyone decides this is too much, and I'm alone?"

He let out a sad sigh as he bundled her closer once more, trying to keep from hitting her with their purchases as he buried his nose in her hair, breathing in deeply. "Even if we're the only ones left standing at the end of the holiday season, I will never let you think you're alone. I will always be by your side, please don't ever think that I'll abandon you, because I am not Dave."

"Oh, Derek," she sighed out as she nodded against his chest. "I think this is why I have so easily given you my heart. Because you take care of everyone so well. Please, let's go eat, though. I think that a little of my weepiness is because my blood sugar is starting to get a little low."

"All right, we can do that. But I also want to talk about this a little more when we get home. The only way that I can do my best for you and our baby is if we keep an open dialogue with each other."

"Of course." She leaned up and kissed his cheek gently before allowing him to start guiding her back to the truck, knowing that this would be the first of many difficult discussions between them, but as he told her, it would only make their relationship all the stronger.