Erin fiddled with her coffee mug as she waited for their next proposed partner for David to appear. Alex had woken up feeling ill, and had cancelled her classes, so Erin hadn't felt like dragging her out for something that she could easily handle on her own. But still, she was nervous over this meeting, because she didn't know the younger woman very well. Not that Alex knew her at all, but there was a certain strength in numbers. She jumped a little when her phone buzzed against the table, and Erin shook her head as she picked up the device and looked at the screen.

You have this! Remember, this is a friendly visit, and if she says no, we have other options available to us. Though it was nice of Katie to suggest that we ask Ashley, since she knew that she fits Dave's usual type. And before you come home, would you please stop by the store and pick up some ginger ale? I used up the last in the fridge.

Erin smiled as she tapped out a reply before setting the phone back on the table to watch for Ashley once more. Finally, the woman entered the diner, and she raised her hand in welcome, beckoning her over. Ashley gave her a tiny wave in return before heading in her direction and taking a seat in the chair across from her. "Hello, Chief Strauss."

"Ashley, please, I'm no longer with the BAU, you can call me Erin."

The younger woman nodded as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. Erin knew that she had to be in her mid-thirties by now, but she still looked impossibly young. "Old habits die hard. But it is good to see you today. Is everything all right?"

Erin nodded as their server came over, notepad out and a smile on her face. "Hey, can I take your drink order?"

"A strawberry milkshake for me," Erin replied, looking at Ashley expectantly.

"That actually sounds good, same for me."

The server nodded as she wrote their order down before heading back towards the kitchen. "I suppose that you're wondering why I've asked you to meet me here. Well, us, but my Lexie is ill, and stayed home. So you won't get to meet her this afternoon."

"I was looking forward to that, since Reid's told me a lot about her. And yes, I am curious about why we're having lunch together. Though I think that it might have something to do with Katie Cole randomly stopping by and visiting with Andi?"

Erin smiled as she looked over the menu, trying to decide on what she wanted that afternoon. "I'm not entirely certain that is the case, but it might explain the call I received from her, asking me to reach out to you."

"Okay, that's not cryptic at all." Ashely gave her a look, and Erin shrugged a bit before setting the menu aside, knowing what she wanted. This must have caught their server's attention, as she came over with their shakes, setting them on the table before pulling out her notepad once more. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Do you know what you'd like?"

They both nodded, and Ashley set her menu on top of Erin's before ordering. "I'll take the grilled ham and cheese with fries."

"And I'll have the turkey club with chips, and a side of applesauce, please."

"Very good. This will be out shortly."

Erin gave their server a warm smile before picking up her glass and taking a long sip of the shake. It was perfect, and she groaned a little, knowing that she'd be ordering two more for the road and hoping that they wouldn't melt too badly before she got home. "Well, I'm waiting."

Erin chuckled as she nodded. "There's something that we've been doing for a friend for almost two months now." Ashley frowned a little, and Erin knew that she was mucking things up horribly. 'It's not what you're thinking, I swear! God, it's easier with Alex by my side. It makes more sense with her here."

"Just take a deep breath and start again."

She smiled and nodded before taking another sip of her shake. "A dear friend of ours is looking for a lasting love like we have, and he thought that we would be able to find someone for him."

"So, you're a matchmaker now!"

There was something almost affectionate about the way Ashley said that, and Erin shrugged. "Perhaps? He likes to call it setting him up on blind dates. Katie thought that you might be more his type, and based on things I know about him, she might be right."

"And you're not going to tell me who it is, are you?"

"That sort of is the point of blind dates, though you aren't the first to ask that we reveal his identity. Look, I know that we didn't really get a chance to know each other well when you were attached to the BAU, but from what I do know of you, you seem like a smart, independent, woman. My friend likes that in a partner, so I truly do think you'd work well together. And if he's not the right one for you, at least you'll get a good meal out of the whole thing. He took Grant to Stan's the other weekend, and if you agree, he has reservations at Il Forno for Friday night."

"Oh, they do delicious Italian food," Ashley said as their server placed their food in front of them. Erin was quick to pick up a chip and pop it in her mouth as she nodded, and Ashley sighed with pleasure as she stared at her plate. "Just one date?"

"That's all he wants, unless you both hit it off, and then you two can go from there. I just want to see him happy."

Ashley nodded as she took a bite of her sandwich. After swallowing, she looked Erin dead in the eye and smiled. "I am not one to turn down free food, and this might give me a funny story to tell Andi on Monday. What time should I meet him at Il Forno?"

"The reservations are for seven, if that works for you."

Ashley nodded as she quickly entered the information into her phone before setting it aside and looking at Erin once more. "And if this goes pear shaped?"

"Feel free to call me, and I'll get you out of the situation. We never leave a team member behind, after all." The younger woman smiled as she nodded, and then they were digging into their meals as she asked Ashley about her work with Andi, and how she was getting along with her life, eager to know more about her as a person, and not just as the probie that had been with her team for a short while.

~~TS~~

Dave tapped his fingers on the table, wondering who Erin and Alex had chosen for him now. His night with Grant had once more been amazing, but despite the amazing second round of sex, there still wasn't that connection that he was looking for. But if, or when, they ran out of people that they thought would be compatible for him, he knew that he could be content with Grant.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

He looked up in time to see Ashley Seaver taking a seat across from him, spreading her napkin on her lap as she smiled at him. "There aren't many rattling around up there anymore," he said with a small laugh, and she giggled in return. "It's good to see you once more."

"You, too! When Erin said that she was trying to matchmake for a friend of hers, I was assuming someone that she knew from outside the BAU. Though I should have known that you would need help, after you let Erin slip through your fingers."

He felt a small pricking at his ego with those words, but still managed to smile and give a small nod in her direction. "I wouldn't exactly term it slipping, but I did lose out on a good relationship with her. Though she found lasting love with her first love, so maybe it was all meant to work out like this."

Ashley appeared a bit uncomfortable, and he knew that the night would end with dessert in the restaurant in that moment. Still, he'd be kind, since he didn't want to leave a bad impression, and he went back to looking over the menu. Their server came over and he put in an order for a gin and tonic, knowing that it would be his only drink that evening, while Ashley ordered a cosmopolitan. There was an awkward silence while they looked over the offerings, and while he made up his mind quickly, he still used the menu as a buffer between them to keep the quiet for just a little while longer.

It didn't take long for their drinks to come, and they put their orders in before the server left once again. "So, how are things with Andi's unit? Are you still happy working with her?"

Ashley nodded as she took a sip of her drink. "It is certainly exhilarating work, and I feel much more connected to actually helping people than I did with the BAU. Though I think part of that stems from the fact of what happened in front of me during my few months there. It would have been nice to have a head's up from any of Alpha about Emily not being dead. Instead, I had to find out via office gossip."

He winced a little, knowing that she had a point. "I guess that there never seemed to be a good time to let you know, since we all hit the ground running after taking down Doyle and then heading straight into the Senate inquiries. If it hadn't been for Erin, we probably would have faced sanctions, at the very least."

"I suppose that you have a point there."

"And what about you, Dave? Things still going well with the BAU?"

He nodded and settled back in his seat, a lopsided smile on his lips. "I honestly feel old some days, but as long as I'm doing some good, I'll still head out with the team." As he looked at Ashley, all thoughts of telling her that he had a daughter and grandchildren fled his brain, since she was younger than Joy was. "Though I do miss having Hotch and Morgan with us, since they were a large part of our team dynamic."

"Yeah, you three loved to play the macho heroes. Though it was quite adorable at times." She gave him a soft smile, and he returned it as they began to make small talk while waiting for their meal. It was light and breezy between them, but he didn't even feel a spark of attraction there. Which was odd, since she was his usual type. As the night continued on, they talked while they ate, though he knew that Ashley knew the spark wasn't there. Still, they enjoyed a delicious dessert before Ashley made some excuse to leave.

As soon as he was alone, Dave pulled out his phone and called Erin. "The fact that you're calling me says that you've not made the connection that you were hoping for," she said the moment she accepted the call, and he let out a bark of laughter. "Well?"

"No, and I don't know where things went wrong. She's smart, she's witty, she's blonde. Everything that appeals to me as a man. But it was like talking with my sister. I don't know, Erin, maybe I'll never find the one. Like I told Ashley tonight, you are blessed to have returned back to your first love."

"Even though that meant I left you?"

"Even though. You know I still love you, it's just a different love now. And I have complete faith that you'll be able to find my last love. Do you think Alex would mind if I brought over ice cream and we just had a talk session?"

He heard Erin murmur something to her partner before she answered. "That would be acceptable, as long as it includes hot fudge, caramel, whipped cream, and strawberries. We don't like maraschino cherries."

"I think that I can arrange that. I'll see you in forty minutes?"

"Sounds good. Drive safely."

"I will." She kissed into the phone, and he thought he heard Alex make the same sound in the background before the call ended. While he waited for the check, Dave pulled out his phone and did a quick order for what Erin had suggested, so all he would have to do was pick it up at the store before he arrived at Alex's house. At least the night would end sweetly, he thought as he handed his credit card to their server, ready to head out and find a small spot of happiness with his friends.