David Rossi strolled through the bureau late at night, whistling softly to himself. He just finished his reports for Strauss to look over and felt the need to deliver them personally. It was her first day back and he couldn't help but wonder how she was. Despite his feelings of deep hatred toward her, she was still a person that was going through hard times. He got away from his job by retiring early and writing what he knew about. Gideon disappeared, went mainly off the grid to deal with the many nightmares that haunted him. And Erin chose to drown her problems in alcohol. He couldn't blame her. Everyone that worked here had a time bomb that would go off at any second eventually.

It was supposed to be a secret the reason Erin left, but Hotch felt the need to tell Rossi for he's known Erin since day one in the FBI. They were never close of course, but they weren't distant either. They were actually partners at one time during a case in New York. After that case, Erin got promoted and David began the BAU. They spoke from time to time, but only when necessary. Their relationship has always been filled with yelling, tension, and animosity.

As he turned the corner, he saw the door partway open, the light from her office shining into the darkened hallways. As he passed by the windows, he peeked in to make sure she was there. Erin sat at her desk, her elbows resting on top of it with her head in her hands, her back slightly slouched.

David slowly walked in and cleared his throat, "Rough first day?"

Her head snapped up and David felt regret start to rise in him as she stared at him. Maybe he shouldn't have come here.

The tear stains and her swollen red eyes and nose were unmistakable. Her hair that was put into a French twist this morning was hanging loosely around her shoulders. She had discarded her jacket and her shoes were underneath her desk.

He definitely shouldn't have come.

When she still said nothing he backed away slowly, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come-"

"David," she said, her voice cracking, and he flinched at how vulnerable she sounded. He looked at her with pity and she looked away. All she has been seeing lately were looks of pity. "I don't know if I can do this."

He dropped his jaw. He never expected her to open up to him. He thought he'd walk in here, hand her the file, tease her a little about stupid things and go home. This trip to her office had taken a drastic turn.

He took a few steps forward and set the files on her desk, taking a seat in front of her, gesturing for her to continue.

She stared at him for a long minute and spoke again, "I thought I could come back after," she paused and moved her hands in front of her, "you know… but I realize that I can't. This job is killing me. It's killed my marriage, my relationship with my children and now it's doing its best to kill me, literally."

He frowned at her, leaning forward in his chair. "What do you mean?" he questioned.

She sighed and clasped her hands together, keeping her eyes anywhere but on him. "I didn't want help at first," she began. "When Agent Morgan got me into the EAP anonymously I rebelled. I found what I needed and I got a motel and drank my fears away." She raised her head finally and looked at his slightly shocked face. "I woke up in a hospital with my son and daughters standing next to me." Her voice cracked again and tears welled in her eyes. "I lost control, David. I just lost control. If they hadn't found me I…" She stopped again, a tear rolling down her cheek and she cleared her throat. "I thought I could come back and jump right into my work. I've only been here for 12 hours and I already feel like finding the nearest liquor store."

"You're craving, Erin…" He started to say, but her shouting cut him off.

"I don't want to crave, David! I don't want to sit here and try to drown my pain!"

"So don't!" He exclaimed. "Get back on your bitchy high horse and run this place like you used to! Don't let one mistake set you back farther than you started, Erin. You can't blame yourself for everything that happens here."

He stood and walked over to her, grabbing her chair and spinning it so she faced him. He leaned down to her level and looked her square in the face. "You can overcome this, Erin," he whispered. "I know you. You never let one thing slide by you. Despite how much we don't get along or agree, at all, I know we need you here. And you know it too."

"But,"

"We do, Erin." He assured her.

He grabbed her hands and she stood up. He never realized how tiny she was without her heels. She was almost a head shorter than him. He squeezed her hands and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "I'm gonna hug you now, okay?"

She nodded her head and stepped into his warm embrace. As soon as his arms wrapped tightly around her, she broke down. Her sobs pulled at his heart strings and he rubbed her back soothingly, whispering gently in her ear.

"You're okay, Erin. You're okay," he repeated.

When she calmed down, she lifted her head and stared at him. He looked right back, wiping the stray tears from her cheeks. Slowly, she leaned forward and laid a soft kiss on his lips, lingering longer than she probably should have.

"Thank you, David," she said.

He grinned a big goofy grin. "You're welcome, Erin."

The End!

All right, so this might have a follow-up, depending on how lazy I am.