Aaron had not let anyone know that he and Strauss had been working together to take down the Replicator, since she had been quite insistent that she knew who was stalking them. He had let her dictate what direction their search would take, since she seemed to know what she was doing. And then she had very nearly gotten killed. All because he had listened to her rather than listening to his gut.

Which brought them to this moment in time. Erin was still trembling on the bed, tears tracking down her face as she thought about how close she had come to dying for the second time in as many years. Somehow, they had ended up bunking together, since it seemed like she and Dave had broken up, and couldn't even stand to be in the same room as each other.

"I'm going to head into the bathroom," Erin whispered quietly as she finally stood up, heading over to her go bag and pulling out a nightgown. He noticed that the fabric was diaphanous, and some part of him began to picture her wearing that and nothing else.

"All right, I'll be in bed when you get out," he replied just as lowly, rummaging around in his bag for a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. She nodded and stumbled over to the other room, closing the door behind her.

The moment he was certain it was safe, Aaron stripped and changed before heading over to the bed and pulling back the covers. He wondered if she had a side, and hoped that she wouldn't mind if he took the one closest to the door. Though a small part of him didn't really care if he was being accommodating or not, seeing as how this had not been his idea, and he didn't care if Erin was happy or not.

And then, he heard the first strangled sob that even a closed door couldn't mask, and Aaron felt his heart stir. Making his way over to the door, he went to knock when he heard her begin to wretch, and he closed his eyes as he rested his head against the cool wood. "Erin? Do you need me to get you anything?" he finally asked.

"Would you mind seeing if the soda machine has any ginger ale?" she asked, and he could hear the embarrassment and pain in her voice.

"All right, I'll be back in just a moment." He grabbed his key card and a few dollars before heading out into the hall and padding down to the vending machines. Kate was there, too, dressed in a baggy sweatshirt and wrap pants. "Hey."

"Hey. Sorry about you getting stuck with Strauss, JJ was just really quick to call me as her roomie. Is she doing okay? I mean, she got off an amazing shot, even after almost being hit by a bullet. I don't think that I could have kept it together so well."

He took a deep breath as he scanned the drink offerings. "She managed to keep it together until now. I'm letting her have some privacy, you know how it goes."

Kate nodded and made her selection from the snacks available to them. "Tell her that she has nothing to be ashamed of, I would have broken down out in the field. Sleep well, Aaron." She patted him on the shoulder before leaving him alone once more, and he smiled when he noticed Vernor's in the vending machine. Feeding the dollars into the machine, he pressed the right button and then made his trek back to their room.

Unlocking the door, he found Erin curled up on the bed, closer to the window than the door, and he smiled as he threw the deadbolt and chain. "Hey, I found some ginger ale for you."

She turned, and he tried not to gasp at the way that the moonlight made the fabric of her nightie transparent enough to where he could tell that her nipples were a deep pink. "Thank you," she murmured, holding out her hand.

He made his way over to the bed and sat down before handing the bottle over, and she cracked the seal to take a few delicate sips. "I saw Kate, too. She wanted me to tell you that you were amazing today. And she's right. You managed to take down the unsub even after almost getting shot."

She nodded, looking away from him. "It was my training that kicked in."

He snorted as he shook his head. "Don't bullshit us, Erin. You are one of the best shots in the FBI, even better than JJ, and that is a skill you were both born with." She gave him a small smile as she nodded. "Well, Erin?"

"Fine, I was not lucky, I was blessed. I still feel sick, though." She took another sip of the soda before resealing the bottle and setting it on the floor next to her. "And I would have stayed with David tonight, but he doesn't love me anymore, and, and, it feels like a shard of glass is twisting in my heart each time we're alone."

She was facing the window as she spoke, so he couldn't see her face, but from the tone of her voice, he knew that she was crying, and he fought the overwhelming urge to spoon up along her back and hold her close. Knowing that he couldn't avoid the inevitable, he stretched out under the covers, keeping his body ramrod straight.

It didn't take long for her breathing to even out into sleep, and only then did he let himself relax. Hesitantly, he reached out and stroked her shoulder, loving the way her skin felt beneath his hand. He had broken up with Beth weeks ago, and yet he still craved the way a woman felt. Erin let out a soft groan of pleasure as she turned to face him, a tiny smile curving the corners of her lips up as she snuggled in close.

Aaron struggled to keep his thoughts pure as she slipped one slim thigh between his legs, her arm coming to rest around his waist as she sighed softly. It seemed as if her sleep made her oblivious to what her body was doing, and he wondered if he should push her away and risk embarrassing her.

A sudden coughing fit took away that option as her eyes flew open, a deep blush staining her cheeks as she turned away from him and curled up on the edge of the bed, as if she were trying to hide herself away. Unable to stop himself, Aaron reached out and touched her shoulder gently, pulling her back towards him. "Aaron…"

"Come here, I'll hold you tonight. That's what you want, isn't it?"

She drew in a harsh, ragged, breath, and he had to wonder if that really was what she wanted. "I haven't been held in months, Aaron."

The tender revelation hurt his heart, and he closed his hand around her shoulder, drawing her back to him, curling protectively around her. It was similar to how he had held her on the streets of New York, and he leaned his head down to rest on hers as he stroked her back, letting her sob. "I have you, Erin. I won't let you go."

"No, you wouldn't. It's what you do best," she whispered, her lips ghosting against his neck with each word. "I never thanked you for holding me, cradling me, really, that night. I was so afraid. It's horrifying when no one will stop to help you because they think you're crazy."

"I can only imagine," he whispered in reply before pressing his lips against the crown of her head. "Is there anything that I can do to make you feel better right now, Erin?"

"You are just by being here." And then she was kissing the side of his neck, the kiss sloppier than he would have expected from her, but more honest than a simple peck on the cheek. "There's a restlessness in me tonight, there always is when I have to discharge my weapon. You are under no obligation to quench this fire in me."

Erin nipped at the tendon of his neck, her teeth sharper than he expected, and Aaron let out a soft yelp which turned into a moan as her tongue lapped at the bite. "You are making it very difficult to turn you away," he said a bit breathlessly, only for her to stop and pull away once more. "I never said that was a bad thing."

"Really?" There was a bit of a challenge in her voice, and he nodded as he carefully turned her onto her back and straddled her body, staring down at her. Her eyes were wide open, the pupils large from the light, or desire, or both, her skin flushed and dewy. "How will you go about sating me?"

"Like this," he said before leaning down and capturing her lips in a hard, searching, kiss. She responded with a ferocity that he was not expecting, her hands scrabbling against the worn fabric of his t-shirt, finally grabbing hold of it to pull over his head. The kiss broke long enough for her to throw the garment to the side of the bed, and then she was attacking his lips once more, using her body to flip him onto his back, her fingers tracing and mapping the scars on his chest as she seemed to devour him.

"Aaron," she gasped out when he took hold of the lacy edge of her negligee and began to tug it up her body. His hands brushed over her skin, and she arched into the touches, her movements reminding him of a cat at times, of water at others. The one thing he knew for certain was that he had to see her body, and he roughly tugged the nightie off her, letting it join his shirt on the floor.

"You're beautiful, Erin," he said as he stared at her breasts.

"You're just enamored of my tits, Aaron." That remark had him looking up sharply at her, desire moving to the backburner as he reached up and cupped her cheek, his thumb rubbing back and forth against the bone as he shook his head. "Really? That's what David loved about my body."

"Well, then, he missed out on your eyes, your lips, everything about you. Just because I like breasts, doesn't mean that was my intent. I was speaking about your skin, so smooth, so unblemished, like a porcelain doll. My skin isn't like that any longer."

"No, it carries a very different beauty now. The beauty of survival." She lifted her wrist to her mouth, and his eyes were drawn to the scar tissue that marred otherwise perfect flesh. "I'm marked, too. And these won't ever go away."

Aaron nodded and took hold of her arm, drawing the wrist down to his lips and tracing the infinity mark with the tip of his tongue, his eyes never leaving hers. The tone of the room suddenly shifted, from ferocity to tenderness, and he tugged her down on top of him before turning so that she was beneath him once more. "Our scars are part of our story."

"Yes," she whispered fiercely before closing her eyes, her lips puckering in invitation. He smiled before giving her a lush kiss. They exchanged sweet kisses as she used her feet to push off his sweatpants before wrapping her legs around his waist, drawing him down to her. And then, she was guiding him into her welcoming body, and he let out a deep groan as he found her wet and wanting. It seemed as if they were both unconcerned with how time was passing, as together, they set a lazy pace, more intent on being together than actually having sex.

Finally, though, he felt himself close to orgasm, and he reached between their bodies to circle her clit with his thumb, encouraging her to fall over the precipice with him. She came with a sigh, and he stroked her face as she smiled up at him, the fear and hurt from earlier having disappeared from her eyes.

"Oh, Aaron," she sighed out as she tangled her limbs around him, refusing to let him go. He didn't mind being so close, though, and he pressed his lips to her forehead in a tender kiss as she pushed them onto their side, snuggling in close as she let her head come to rest on his chest. "Thank you."

"No, thank you," he murmured in response. "When we get home, I want to take you on a proper date. There was something about this that was too perfect to just happen once."

Her fingers curled around the back of his neck, tugging on his hair distractedly. "I suppose. As long as you aren't out to play me a fool."

"Never," he said before tugging her closer to him once more. "You're too lovely to play for a fool. This relationship may have started with a bang…" She giggled a little, and it was then he took stock of what he just said, and shook his head. "I meant from a gun, Erin. You've picked up a little salty humor from Rossi, I see."

Erin shrugged a little. "He did have some good points, Aaron. Just like I'm sure that you have your good points. I'm going to adore finding them out, and getting to know Jack, and introducing you to my children. The future that lies before us could be so sweet."

"It will be sweet, Erin." He kissed her head once more, and she sighed before pressing her lips to his chest. "Sleep now, I'll hold you until the morning comes." She nodded before kissing his chest once more, her breathing then evening out into sleep once more, and he followed soon after her.