"Erin, I need you to go over and cut the man at table seven off. He's had a few too many drinks, and Debra should have cut him off half an hour ago. She claims that she felt sorry for him, since he caught his girlfriend sleeping with his brother. I'm sorry, but you have to be the heavy once again."

Erin sighed a little as she wiped her hands on her apron. "Sure, Harry, no problem. But you owe me!"

He chuckled a little as he clapped her on the back and she tried not to wince. There were still tender spots on her body, and that happened to be one of them. Her doctor had assured her that that would fade with time, but it had been almost a year since her "death" and she had yet to have all the pain completely fade. "I always end up owing you, Erin."

She just shook her head as she headed over to table seven. From the back, she could see thick, dark, hair cut in a familiar way, and her thoughts instantly travelled to Aaron and his team. They had no idea that she had survived, that she had gone into protective custody when the bones that were found in the rubble of Curtis's house had been inconclusively identified as him, and that David had been offered the opportunity to accompany her and had declined it. That had been the reason why, after further tests had been run and the remains were definitively identified as John Curtis, that she had chosen to remain dead to that world. She couldn't bear any more pain.

"I'm sorry, sir, but we're going to be cutting you off for the ni…" Her words trailed off as she looked into the familiar brown eyes of Aaron Hotchner.

"Erin?" he asked somewhat blearily as he narrowed his eyes, reaching out to caress her face. "Am I dreaming or just that drunk that I'm hallucinating things?"

She felt panic begin to claw at her heart as she shook her head, trying to think of a way to back out of the situation and go hide out in the stock room until Harry had bounced Aaron from the bar. And then, he was sliding his hand into her hair and cupping the back of her skull, pulling her in close before kissing her softly. Her mind raced back to the one time before when they had shared a kiss, when she had let her guard down around him, and a simple, tender, kiss on the cheek had become something more, something she didn't want to acknowledge then.

"You taste like she did. Erin?" The dullness that alcohol had added to his eyes was rapidly fading away and he tightened his hand in her hair almost painfully. "Answer me, dammit."

"Yes," she finally whispered, looking away from him. "No one was ever supposed to find me here. No one was ever supposed to know I was alive. And then you just had to show up here, didn't you?" The bitterness in her voice was too much to disguise, and he looked wounded. It was only then that she remembered that Harry had said that Aaron had found his girlfriend in bed with his brother.

"Hey, Erin, is this jerk giving you problems?" They both looked at Harry, and she shook her head, disentangling Aaron's hand as she did so. "Do you need anything?"

"I know that I still have an hour to go on my shift, but this is actually an old friend. Would you mind terribly if I took off now?"

Harry gave her a searching look, and she smiled at him, a warm wave of affection washing over her heart at how protective he was of her. Of course, he also knew about her situation, so that helped. "That will be fine, Erin. Have a good night catching up, and don't worry about tomorrow, I'll have Debra cover it for you."

"Thank you." He nodded and moved off, never taking his eyes off them until he was back behind the bar. "So, I should clarify. David knows I'm alive, but he didn't want to come with me. My children know I'm alive, but not where I am, since that's part of the program. You could really upset the apple cart here."

Aaron motioned for her to sit down and she took a seat across the table from him, untying her apron as she did so. "Will you let down your hair for me?" he asked softly, and she touched her bun, hesitant to do so for some reason. "Please?"

"Okay." She pulled out the pins that were holding the hairstyle in place and her golden tresses spilled around her shoulders and onto her back.

"How long is it now?"

"Almost to my hips. My hair always did grow quickly, and since I wasn't in the office any longer, I could let it grow out."

He gave her a tender smile before reaching out and picking up a tendril of hair, rubbing it between her fingers. "You look like a queen." She blushed at his words but didn't pull away from him. "So, why are you here?"

"I get to be around people. I get a second chance at life."

"Yes, but you have a Masters in Psychology! You could have become a counselor, or taught, or something…"

"Something worthwhile?" she asked wryly, tears pricking at her eyes. "This is worthwhile. I've made friends, Aaron. I have people who respect and care for me, because they want to, not because they fear me. For the first time in a long time, I'm happy and I'm free. And then you walked back into my life today. What am I going to do?"

He dropped her hair to touch her face once more, his large thumb brushing away the tears that had started to fall. "Did Harry tell you about what happened to me this evening?" She nodded. "Then you'll know that I'm asking myself that same question. I'm in the city that never sleeps, and all I want to do is sleep and dream away this living nightmare."

Without thinking, she nuzzled her face into the palm of his hand, pressing her lips to his flesh. They shared a long look and then both sighed in unison. "I felt that way for two months. Eventually, you learn how to move on." Then she leaned in and met his lips halfway, hungrily kissing him, eager to feel something for the first time in months. "My apartment isn't very far from here."

"Are you inviting me over?" She nodded. "I think I'd like that. Just let me settle my tab."

Erin gave him a soft smile as she stood up and held out her hand expectantly. Aaron clasped it gently before tucking her hand into the crook of his elbow and together they walked up to the till. "Have a good evening, Harry," she said as Aaron handed over enough to cover the bill along with a generous tip.

"You, too, kid." His smile set her heart at ease once more and she nodded before tugging Aaron outside. The early night was still warm, and yet she cuddled up to his side, wanting to feel protected and wanted, even if it was only for a short amount of time.

"You have a good boss," Aaron said genially as they slowly walked.

"He's watched over me from day one. My handler's family and his family have known each other for years, I guess. It's been so nice to have a safe haven. But I wish I could see my children."

"Curtis is dead. Why don't you return?"

He was asking the very question she had buried in her mind for months, and she shrugged a little. "I feel tied to this city. I nearly died here. I started over here. And though I miss my old life, there's something good about this one, too. I'm Erin Murphy now, and have no worries."

Aaron stopped them and she looked up into his eyes, seeing the understanding there. "You have more self-control than Haley ever did. She couldn't keep from calling her mother or Jessica when she was in the program. She couldn't let go over her old life."

Erin shrugged a little. "What can I say? I'm good at following directions." He nodded before bending down and kissing her once more. It was so easy to wrap her arms around his neck and hold him in place, kissing him back with all the passion that was thrumming through her body. "I haven't been kissed like that in ages."

He pushed back her hair out of her eyes and then rubbed her nose with his thumb. "You were made to be kissed like that."

A lazy smile crossed her face and she snuggled in close to him as she began to lead him on once more. Finally, they were in front of her brownstone and she fished her keys out of her pocket before letting them in. "Welcome to my home."

"How can you afford this while working at a bar?" he asked without preamble, and she laughed lightly.

"Alan still has to pay my alimony. And being a lawyer at one of the top law firms in the country means more than enough money to live here." He grinned before stepping inside the apartment and closing the door. "I've had my things brought here piecemeal over the past year. I've loved being able to feel close to all my loved ones in DC."

"Because a small part of you wants to return home."

Erin turned from him, not wanting him to see how close his comment was to the truth. While she did love her new life, she wanted to talk to Penelope again, to hear her voice in the hall, or have her call for some requisition or another. And she wanted to listen to Alex analyze the language of a letter once more, hear her argue some semantic point with Doctor Reid. "I can't go home," she finally whispered, wrapping her arms around her body.

"Yes, you can," he replied as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back against his body. "You can come home with me, you can return to life in DC, and you can start again. Sure, you might not be a Section Chief, but I know a certain technical analyst who might be overwhelmingly happy to see you once more. Matteo may have let slip just how much you respect and like her."

Erin turned and looked up into his face. "But I'd have to face David once more. He made his choice, and it wasn't me."

"Well, I'm making my choice, tonight, and it is you." He captured her lips in a tender kiss and she melted against him, letting him hold her body tightly against his. "So, what do you say, Erin? Will you take a chance on me?"

"And be a rebound relationship?" Again, her voice was brittle and bitter, and Aaron shook his head. "Then what?"

"We could start over together. Start slow, base a relationship off of what we already know about each other, and see what happens."

She worried her lip between her teeth. A part of her did want to throw caution to the wind and let him take her back, to flaunt in David's face how his best friend wanted her when he did not, to start a real friendship with Penelope. "I don't have anywhere to live back there. The house was sold, and the proceeds split between the children. And it would not look seemly for me to move in with you, when we would be trying to start something."

He tapped his finger against her lips as he thought, and she couldn't resist kissing it, just to see how he would react. A quick smile flitted across his lips and he opened his mouth once more. "You could stay with Penelope until you found a place of your own."

It was like he could read her so clearly, and she smiled widely as she let out a chuffed breath. "You have an answer for my every rebuttal. I'd forgotten that you were a lawyer before you joined the FBI."

"I don't want to talk you into something that you feel uncomfortable with, though. This really should be your decision."

"In for a penny, in for a pound. With you and David knowing I'm alive, it's bound to come out, sooner or later. I'll discuss with Mary how I leave the program, and then you can bring Penelope up here in a few weekends and get her used to my resurrection. If she rejects me, this whole deal is off."

"That sounds perfectly fair. Shall we seal the deal with a kiss?" She nodded and he smiled as he bent his head and claimed her lips in a searing kiss. While the embrace lingered on, she felt him maneuvering her over to the closest wall, his hands creeping up her sides to cup her breasts and stroke her nipples.

A whimper escaped her lips as he broke the kiss, and she sagged a little, trying to catch her breath. "Oh, that is so much more than a kiss, Aaron."

"It's a promise of pleasures to come." The roguish way he said those words made her laugh throatily, only to have it turn into a moan as he pressed his lips against her neck, biting and sucking at the tendon.

"Not against the wall, please, my bed," she panted out and Aaron nodded a bit before releasing her. She swallowed deeply before holding out her hand to him and leading him up the stairs. Erin jumped a little when the door closed with a heavy slam. "Aaron?"

"I have you." She nodded and let go of his hand, moving over to her dresser and setting her apron on it. Then, she slipped off the wedding band she wore to keep away most lechers determined to hit on any woman in a bar. Finally, she took off the necklace that David had given her, the one that marked her year of sobriety.

"Erin?"

She turned to look at him, a smile on her face as she stepped out of her shoes. "I'm fine, just caught in thought for the moment." He nodded and came over to her side, wrapping her up in a warm embrace.

Soon, they were moving over to the bed, never breaking their kiss, and she tugged at the hairs at the base of his neck as she felt him begin to unbutton her blouse. Finally, she ended their kiss and looked into his eyes as she tugged the shirt he was wearing out of the waistband of his pants.

As she ran her hands up his chest, feeling the scars that Foyet had left him with years ago, she closed her eyes, mapping out their every ridge and bump. A tiny sob escaped her lips as he brought her wrist to his lips, his tongue tracing her own scar. "We're marked."

"We are," she murmured in reply as she pulled her hand free and made short work of the buttons on his shirt, pushing it off his shoulders before leaning in and pressing her lips to the closest scar she could find. While she was peppering kisses across his chest, he quickly divested her of her clothing before undoing his pants and letting them pool on the floor.

"Are you ready to finish this, Erin?" he asked as he gently pushed her onto the bed, his eyes soft and tender as they searched for her answer.

"I am," she responded, opening her arms and welcoming him on top of her. This felt like home to her, and she found herself wanting to see what would come to them, away from the city that never sleeps, when they had to work on a relationship in the light of day. "I trust you, you know."

"I know," he replied before stretching out along her body and claiming her lips in a possessive kiss. Sighing, she gave herself over to him, knowing that she would follow him to wherever he would lead, that he would do nothing to hurt her. They had both been battered by life and together, maybe, they could start anew.