"Bruce, could you lend us a hand? We're going to put your grandparents into ythe master bedroom, and I know what it's like to get off an international flight and try to do anything too strenuous almost immediately afterwards."
Bruce nodded before hugging his grandparents, who turned into the kitchen, where the girls were. "Was it a good drive home? Mom looks exhausted."
Derek waited to answer him until they were out in the garage. "I think that the arrival of her parents has knocked her a little off kilter, especially when you add in the fact that my family will arrive sometime tomorrow. Desiree wasn't too clear on when their train was arriving from Chicago. Apparently, Amtrak doesn't have the best track record for being on time."
"I've heard that, yes. How many bags did my grandparents bring?"
"Four, plus the carry on luggage and your grandmother's purse. They're only going to be here for a week, but I think I heard that most of it is gifts for us all?"
Bruce chuckled as he nodded. "That makes complete sense. Grandma Mar always spoiled us, and now that there are four more members to the family? It's just that much worse. Oof! This is one heavy bag."
Derek nodded as he pulled out the last few bags. "If I had to guess, three of those bags are at weight limit." Bruce shook his head a little as Derek shut the trunk before grabbing his share of the bags and carrying them into the house.
"Derek, Bruce, if you want to leave the three heaviest bags downstairs, those are full of presents. The others can be brought to the room we'll be using during our trip," Marlene said as she smiled at them. They nodded in unison before heading through the kitchen and into the living room. He was glad to leave the heavy bags downstairs before he took the other carry on from Bruce and brought it up to the master bedroom. He took a look around at the room where Erin had lived up until recently, seeing her touches everywhere in the decorating.
"Derek?
He turned to look at his wife, giving her a wide smile as he held out his arm. She was at his side in a moment, leaning against him as she stared at the room. "What is it?"
"You were gone a little longer than I anticipated, so I went looking for you. We're almost ready to eat, and I find you up here staring. Having regrets already?"
Derek could tell that she was trying to cover her fears with a joke, and he tightened his arm around her waist as he shook his head. "No, I just wanted to get a little more acquainted with who you are. I know who you present to me and the others at work, I've seen glimpses of the woman you really are as we've bonded, but this tells me more about you, and I love the woman I see here. She's feminine, romantic, and lovely. Did you want to bring anything home with you tonight?"
Erin stepped away from him before leaning up and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "I would like to bring some of my clothes, yes, and a few books, too. Would you help me pack a few bags after we eat?"
"I would love nothing more than to do that," he replied before kissing her once more. "Now, let's go eat. I am starving, even with the doughnut in my stomach."
She nodded before holding out her hand, and he took it without hesitation. Together, they went downstairs, and she led him to the dining room. It was a stately, warm, room, and he could see that the table was large enough to include his mother and sisters when they arrived tomorrow. Marlene and Bruce were setting the final dishes on the table and he and Erin took the two empty seats next to each other. Looking up, he saw that he was sitting across from Dale, and he gave his father in law a nod and a smile, which were easily returned, a fact that eased his heart a little.
"So, we know that you work with Erin, Derek. But do you do anything outside of the FBI?" Marlene asked as she started to pass the dishes around the table. That took him aback a little, since he assumed they'd pray before digging into the meal, but he went with it as he took the mashed potatoes from Tabitha's hands, spooning a little out onto his plate before he gave the bowl to Erin.
"I flip houses as a hobby. It helps me take out my frustration with the unsubs of the world in a more healthy way than other options." Erin stiffened beside him, and he knew that she was thinking he was referencing her problem. Sliding his hand off the table, he covered her knee with his hand, squeezing gently. She glanced over at him, a tight smile on her lips and tears glittering in her eyes. "One of our coworkers, she kicks the stuffing out of boxing bag when she gets frustrated, and I'm surprised she hasn't broken something yet. I just know I wouldn't want to cross her when she's angry."
"Thank you," Erin whispered as she passed him the next dish, and he nodded a little before portioning some on his plate and passing the bowl on. Soon enough, their plates were full, and Derek sat back and listened to the chatter go on around him, seeing how comfortable everyone was with each other. Even Erin was slowly drawn out of her shell until she was animatedly interacting with her mother. There was a warmth there that he had with his own family, and he knew that this only meant that things would probably go a lot smoother than he had anticipated.
"And what about you, Derek? What are you looking forward to most this holiday season?"
He met Marlene's eye and smiled widely. "Creating memories with my new, larger, family. I haven't seen my mom in far too long, and even longer for my sisters. It's hard to get away, doing the job we do. But this year is special. Isn't it, Erin?"
"Yes." She let her head drop onto his shoulder for a moment as she let out a long sigh. "I am decidedly full. Are you finished, darling?"
Derek nodded as he pushed his plate away from him. "Mom! There's still dessert!"
"I don't think I could eat another bite, honestly. And we need to get home, so I can sleep. You know that you're free to stay here as long as you want, Tabby. I just, I'm tired and I need to grab some clothes for the office. I promise, we'll spend so much time together this holiday season. I just need to sleep now."
Derek stood from the table and reached out his hand to his wife, who gratefully took hold of it and pulled herself to her feet. "We'll be back tomorrow, after work, to help with putting out gifts and anything else that needs to get done. All right?"
"I suppose," Tabitha said, and he smiled at her, trying to get her to know that he would always follow Erin's lead, for as long as she was pregnant. "Do you need any help, Mama?"
"No, we should be able to get everything done shortly. You need this time with your grandparents, okay?"
Reaching out, Erin stroked Tabitha's hair before looking up at Derek, and he nodded a little before wrapping an arm around her waist and guiding her back to the stairs. Letting her go up first, he followed to make certain that she wouldn't stumble and then they went into the master bedroom, and he went over to the bed to join her. "I didn't mean to hurt you earlier, Erin. I wasn't thinking about your time in rehab when I said what I said. I was thinking about Reid, and how he didn't get help for his problem."
"I think I knew that you wouldn't hurt me on purpose, I just have triggers that I need to deal with, and that is all on me. Kiss me?"
He nodded and leaned over, brushing his lips first against her temple before claiming her lips in a deep kiss. She sighed against his mouth before contorting her body so that she could straddle his hips and hold him closely as they continued to kiss, and he smiled as he leaned back, allowing her to push them back onto the mattress. "Were you really tired, or did you just want to get me alone so you could kiss me?" he teased when she pulled away from him to lay her head on his chest.
Erin smacked his arm lightly as she shook her head and groaned a little as she rolled off him to stare up at the ceiling. "I could fall asleep right here, Derek. But I know that we have to get home to take care of Clooney. Give me a moment?"
"I can do better than that, Erin. Just stay there and rest, and I'll fill a suitcase with clothes for you. I think that I can guess what you might like to have at our home until after our families leave. And then we'll bring everything here?"
"What?" she asked as he slipped off the bed and ambled over to the closet. He turned and gave her a warm smile before crouching and grabbing one of the larger cases that stood in the back of her closet. "Derek?"
"We're going to need more room for the baby, when it arrives, and I know that Clooney will need time to get accustomed to a larger place, as well. Am I right in thinking that there's a large backyard for him to run around in?"
Erin turned on her side to watch him as she nodded. "Yes, that was one of the features that we looked for when we were house hunting. I had hoped, once upon a time, that Alex would bring her son over to play with my children, but Amerithrax killed that dream, too."
"I didn't know that she had a son."
Derek watched Erin's face turn white, and he knew that she hadn't meant to reveal that. Her next words confirmed his thoughts. "Please, do not let her know about my slip of the tongue. She would hate me even more than she already does if she knows I told you something she hasn't told the team at large. Ethan was always…" Her voice broke off, and Derek set the suitcase on the bed next to her before crouching down in front of her, reaching out to stroke her hair gently. "Oh, I miss her, Derek. Please take care of her out in the field?"
"Of course, Erin." Leaning in, he brushed his lips against hers before getting to his feet once more. "All right, I'll try to pick two weeks' worth of clothes for you, since we should be here before that period of time ends. And you can't complain about what I pick, because I am going to choose what I like. I mean, if you're going to let me do this, I should get some say on what I want to see on you."
He turned and went back over to the closet, and so wasn't anticipating the hard whump against his back as one of the decorative throw pillows landed on the floor. "I'll thank you to remember that my aim is deadly when you choose what you think I should wear for the next two weeks, darling."
He chuckled as he nodded, slowly thumbing through the clothes that she had. There was going to be a little room for his things when they fully moved in here, and that thought, of his clothes hanging next to hers, made his heart lighter than it had been in years. "I highly doubt you have something as risqué as a French maid uniform in here, Erin. I know that that might get Dave revved up, but I don't see you being eager to role play like that."
"You might be surprised," she replied tartly, and he nodded again as he pulled out three suits in colours that she didn't normally wear in the office. Once those were decided on, he then chose six blouses that would coordinate with any of the suits. Turning around to bring them to the bed, he saw that Erin had sat up and opened the suitcase. "Oh, those are good choices," she whispered, holding out her hands.
"I may have learned a thing or two from Baby Girl on the many shopping trips she's dragged me on over the years. Now, I need to pick some casual clothes and two dresses for Sundays. Are you going to fold the clothes?"
"I thought that I'd be of some help, yes. I need to stay awake until we leave for home, otherwise, I don't think that I'll be able to get back to sleep."
He gave her a small smile before leaving the garments in her lap and then going back to the closet. It was a little easier to pick the Sunday dresses, as he went with two that he thought were loose and romantic, yet still tasteful. Then he pulled out a few sweaters and blouses that would go with the suit skirts, as well as a pair of jeans and two more casual skirts. "All right, do you need more pyjamas and underwear?" he asked after setting the small pile of clothes next to her on the bed.
"Another set of pyjamas would be nice, yes. And two more bras, and some underwear. I bought a fair bit when Penelope and I went shopping together, so with regular wash, I shouldn't need too much."
He nodded before pausing to kiss her once more. "Whatever you want, Pretty Lady."
She made a happy sound in her throat as he went over to the dresser, quickly pulling out what he thought she'd need for the next two weeks. With that task complete, he turned to his wife and watched her place another piece in the suitcase. Knowing that he had to help her, he went over to the bed and began to fold up the fripperies in his hands, carefully placing them on the side of her other clothes. Their hands made short work of the folding, and then he was zipping the case before helping her to her feet. "I'm going to grab two other pairs of shoes if you want to carry that down to the car?"
"Sounds like a plan. We'll head out in ten minutes?" She nodded, and he smiled once more as they went their separate ways for the moment. He knew that they'd come together again, soon, and then he'd bring his lovely wife home so that she could find the rest that she craved.