Erin tried not to let her jaw hit the floor, but her eyes widened. What the hell was he thinking?
"That's okay-" She said, giving him plenty of time to back out. "I can handle it-"
"I have annual leave and plenty of space-" Dave argued. "There's no reason why I can't help you out-"
"I'm not on bedrest-" she protested, "I can take care of myself."
"Of course you can," Doctor Jones said diplomatically, "but you've been through a lot in the last few days...It wouldn't hurt to have some support at home."
"Fine," Erin huffed, "if I say yes, will you discharge me?"
"I'll throw in a doctor's excuse, free of charge." Doctor Jones said with a smile and began unhooking Erin's IV. "Here's your paperwork." The doctor laid the forms on the table.
Dave snatched it up and read the list. "We got this, Doc."
"I'm sure you do." She said and handed Erin her business card. "Call my office and make an appointment." She said and walked out the door.
"What the hell are you doing?" Erin asked, crossing her arms.
"Well," Dave shrugged, "you said I could stay the night. What's the difference?"
Erin flushed and he didn't miss the sudden pink in her cheeks. She crossed her arms over her breasts and hissed, "I expected you to come in, put the dog out one more time and then go to bed. I didn't ask you to sign a permission slip over my care."
"You didn't have to ask. What was your plan? Send me on my way and wait for something to happen? That's not about to happen, Bella. I'll cram myself so far up into your business that you'll be able to hear my voice when you speak."
"Would you shut up and stop trying to be the hero? An hour ago you were ready to walk out-" She hissed, getting off the bed.
"And a few hours before that, you were holding the door open-" He said, folding the blanket and laying it across the bed.
"Because I don't want you to feel obligated-"
"Who the hell decided I feel obligated?" He snapped, holding the door open for her.
Erin walked through the door as he held it, "I just want you to keep your options open!"
"Well I don't!" He stage whispered, through clenched teeth as they walked towards the exit. "Why the hell else would I want to be with someone else? We have a year under our belts and a baby! Why would I want to throw that away. Come on, give me a break. You have to admit, I was hit with a lot, in a short amount of time?"
. Who can blame me for reacting, in a less than flattering manner. You and I both, know, I didn't mean all the horrible things I said."
Erin stayed quiet until they made it to the parking lot. Dave handed his ticket to the valet and they waited for the car.
She crossed her arms against the cool night air, she was grateful for the dark, she could only make out his shadow under the far away streetlight. If she couldn't see him, he couldn't see her fighting back tears.
"We should call your mother," Dave said, shattering the silence.
The Cadillac pulled up, just in time to stop Erin's reply.
"I need to call my kids," she whispered. "I miss them…"
Dave pulled out his phone. "Call them," he insisted.
"It's late, I'll call them tomorrow after school."
"You're their mother, they'll get up." He pressed, opening the passenger door.
Once she was buckled in the car, She took his phone and dialed Cassie's number. She waited a beat, but the call went to voicemail.
"Anything?"
"No." Erin said, hanging up the phone.
"Call again." He pressed.
"It's fine."
"She probably doesn't know the number," Dave said, it was a lame attempt at comforting her. "Charge your phone when we get home and call her then-"
"She has school tomorrow-" Erin bit out, against the lump in her throat. "Let her sleep."
"You have two other kids-"
"Peter wouldn't let them have cell phones-"
"Then call him-" He argued.
"I'm not using your phone to call my ex-husband."
"Well, why not? It's not like it runs on minutes-"
"It's bad taste-"
"So? When have you ever cared about his opinion?"
"Right now." Erin bit out, letting her tears spill over. "I care right now." She said as reality crashed down around her. Her hands trembled, her feet tingled and nothing felt solid anymore. She went to work one day and woke up in the hospital with a baby bump. "I care what my children think-" she gasped, her chest heaving, "I care about what you think-" she said as the pressure in her chest built to its breaking point. Her mind raced, her thoughts terrified her and she couldn't stop them. The knot in her throat choked her voice.
Dave pulled the car into the parking lot of a gas station, she needed him more than he needed to go home.
"Erin, are you okay?" He laid his hand on her knee. "We can go get the kids if you really want to-"
"NO!" She screamed, that was the worst idea he had ever had. "They need to stay where they are, where The Replicator and his accomplices can't find them-" she said, bordering on screaming. "I should have seen it coming-"
"Erin-" Dave snapped, trying to get her attention.
"I should have told someone what I knew about Curtis and he wouldn't have hurt the baby! He wouldn't have come after me-"
"Erin!" Dave ripped his seatbelt off and tore out of the car, around to the passenger side.
He yanked the door open. "Listen to me!" He demanded, crouching down in front of her.
"You are not responsible for what Curtis did."
"I am!" She argued, staring out the windshield. The street lights poured into the car and everything felt too bright. "I was so focused on catching him, that I couldn't see anything else-"
"You caught him," Dave said, putting his hand on her knee. "You caught him. He's dead."
"He's not." Erin shook her head, her pupils were as wide as saucers and her whole body shook. "He's working with someone and they're coming back."
"I believe you," Dave said gently, and picked up her hand. "We'll find them- Look at me."
She lifted her chin, mouth trembling. "I want you to do the cognitive-"
"Okay," he agreed, standing up. "We can do that." He tentatively reached over her and unhooked her seatbelt. "Come here."
Erin climbed out of the car and threw her arms around his neck, her breath beat against his ear as she tried to pull herself together
"It's okay," he said against her hair. His hand wandered up and down her back. "You're okay."
She pulled away and took a breath as her heart rate steadied into normal rhythm.
"I'm sorry-" She said, cheeks reddening. "I-don't know-we should...we should go…" She climbed back in the car, embarrassed.
"Don't even…" Dave said, shaking his head. "Everyone breaks sometimes…" He went around the car and got in and put the car in gear. He was surprised it hadn't happened sooner.
They sat in silence...it filled the car, it wasn't comfortable, but it wasn't toxic either. The two of them were, just there. Existing in the same space, sharing oxygen, when sharing conversation was too much effort and neither had anything to say.
He pulled the Cadillac into the driveway and blew out a breath. "We're going to be fine." He said, staring at the glow in the windows of the townhouse's kitchen.
"I know that…" she took his hand and held it, savoring the warmth of his touch.
Dave pulled away and reached for his door handle. "I'll uh... go let Mudgie out so he doesn't knock you over."
"Thanks…" she said, handing him the keys. He got out of the car, leaving her alone.
She watched him walk up the steps and unlock the house, like he owned the place. She rolled her eyes, when he didn't shut the door behind him.
Dave hurried through the dining room, and opened the sliding glass door. "Mudgie! Out!"
The dog bounded out the door in a mad dash and Dave flipped the outside light on. Something on the patio caught his eye. A potted plant, that he had never seen before. He walked over to the plant, inspecting it, without touching it. There was a tag tied to the stem, To: Erin. Your friends from A.A. He heard the front door close and stood up.
"What are you doing?" Erin asked, stepping onto the patio.
"Did you know this was out here?" He asked, stabbing his finger in the direction of the orchid. "I thought A.A. was supposed to be anonymous," Dave said.
She stared at the orchid in the pot. "No one I know would send this-"
"Are you sure?"
"I've never seen this." On habit, she reached out and touched the delicate leaves. "It's a beautiful plant."
"Who sent it?" Dave asked, point blank, "and how did they get back here?"
She explained. God, who could blame Dave if he didn't believe her right away.
"I have no idea."
His hand twitched for his phone, he could have a crime scene unit on the way in twenty minutes. He cleared his throat. "Do you want me to bring it in?"
"No. Don't touch it." Something felt off. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. The Replicator sent flowers to the BAU, weeks before her abduction.
"You okay?" Dave asked, "you got quiet…"
"I'm calling a crime scene unit...Something's wrong."
He handed her his phone, "I can't argue with that."
"The house is clear, Ma'am. No prints on the plant, no footprints leading to the yard."
"There's no prints at all?" Erin asked. Washing her hands at the kitchen sink.
"No, Ma'am."
"Whoever sent it must have worn gloves," Erin deduced. "Nobody I know would wear gloves, when it's 65 degrees outside."
The tech nodded, "there are traces of oil and soap on the pot. They probably wore construction gloves."
"Or driving gloves…" Dave said, thinking back to his pair of italian leather gloves.
"Yes, Sir. We're hoping to pick up some fibers from the plant itself."
"Thank you, Agent." Erin said, showing the crime scene team to the door. The orchid plant was in an evidence box, on its way to a laboratory for further testing.
"Any signs of poison?" Dave asked, standing shoulder to shoulder with Erin.
"I'll have test results in a day or so.."
Dave threw him a look, "Put a rush on it."
"Yes, Sir." The door closed and a sense of relief fell over the house.
"I told you-" she said, Sitting down on the sofa. "I told you there was an accomplice."
"And we're looking for him…" Dave said, turning to the alarm panel. "I'm sleeping in the guest room," he declared, punching the code into the number panel. "I'll ask Hotch to do the cognitive tomorrow." He closed the keypad and mounted the stairs.
"Fine." She dismissed him, "go to bed."
"Look," he turned away from the staircase. "I'm still trying to process everything...I need a little time to let the dust settle."
"You?" She scoffed, equal parts angry and disgusted.
"Now, hang on, what's that supposed to mean?"
"Just go to bed," she dismissed him, arms crossed over her chest. "I'd hate for you to go without your beauty sleep."
Dave threw his hands up, clueless. He didn't know if she was pissed at him or if the mood swings were a terrible side-effect of Curtis's cocktail. Either way, he was tired of it.
"What the hell do you want from me, Erin?"
"I want to wake up tomorrow and know you're here because you want to be. I want everything you promised me David. Oh that's right, we didn't make any promises to each other. This was just the two of us having fun. So excuse me if I don't trust that you are not going to suddenly decide that you feel trapped in this relationship because you feel obligated to the child I am carrying." Strauss shouted at him. She didn't know whom she was more frustrated with, David or herself. Neither one of them were children. They were two grown adults who knew the dangers of unprotected sex and yet they still found themselves in this untenable situation. Right now she was disgusted with him, not to mention herself . Erin just wished David would just go to bed like he said he was going to do because at this moment, she couldn't stand the sight of him.
"I guess I'll have to prove it! Since you haven't been listening to a word I've said in the last hour!" He fumed. He crossed into the living room. He spoke softly, fighting fire with gasoline never did anyone any good. "I don't know what else I can say that will convince you that I'm here for the long haul. I'm trying, here."
"This isn't only about you-" she snapped, glaring at him. "My home was compromised tonight, what happens when they come back?"
"You're not going to be alone when that happens." He reached down and took her frigid hand in his. "They're not going to hurt you again."
She swallowed, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. "Do you think the Unsub knew where we were? Do you think they're stalking me?"
"Stalking is consistent with The Repilicator's M.O. That's the part of the profile we got right."
"I know." She said with a nod. There was a rock of fear in her stomach. "I needed to hear you say it."
She grabbed her phone and plugged it in. "I want 24 hour security detail on Peter and the kids." She said, her finger hovered over the phone.
"Wait!" Dave said, he grabbed her wrist, stopping her. "The Replicator had your phone-"
The blood in her veins froze, she dropped the phone, like it burned her and it clattered on the table. "You're right. He could have done anything with it."
"He hacked Penelope's computer's, he got to your phone too. He could have taken it, but he let you keep it."
"To track me-" Erin finished the thought.
"Let me make the call. We'll get you a cheap phone tomorrow."
He dialed the number and put his phone on Speaker. "I need a full security detail on Section Chief Strauss's family, here in Quantico and on her mother in New York."
Erin pulled the blankets tight, she could hear David pacing the floor of her guest room, across the hall. Even with both doors closed, she could hear him talking on the phone. She imagined him power walking on the floor, with his phone tucked between his chin and shoulder. While gesturing wildly with his hands. He was an animated conversationalist on a good day, on a bad day, his hand gestures bordered on violent. Today was a bad day, and she wouldn't want to be on the other end of that phone call.
Suddenly, he went quiet. The pacing stopped, Erin got out of bed and opened her door. The light beneath the guest room door shone brightly in the dark hallway. She tapped lightly and waited for a response.
"Yeah?" Dave mumbled, his hands clasped over his stomach, eyes closed.
She pushed the door open and found him sprawled out on top of the blankets, still fully dressed, dead asleep.
She turned out the lamp and turned to walk back to her room. Before The Replicator, she would have crawled in bed beside him, but the way things were now, she knew she wouldn't be welcome. It was not a good feeling.
He groaned in his sleep and the mattress creaked as he rolled over, "Erin?"
She turned towards him, with her hand on the doorknob. He was probably talking in his sleep.
"Love...you." He grumbled, asleep, in the dark. His light snores filled the room.
"Sure you do..." she whispered and went back to her room.
That part was true, even when she didn't want to admit it. On some level, they did love each other. Even if they weren't 'in love.' They never said it out loud, but she knew. She knew...his love for her was embedded into everything he did. The way he took out her garbage, the day before it was due. He cooked her favorite meals and made a point to clean up after Mudgie when he shed on the carpet and did his business in her yard.
She loved David enough to try and let him go...The Replicator went on a rampage, to get to her. He caught her and almost killed her, now, someone else was taking Curtis's place. She couldn't allow David to be caught in the crossfire. She closed his bedroom door and walked down the stairs, there is no rest for the wicked, after all.
"Why me?" Erin asked out loud. She paced the floor of her living room with her service weapon in one hand, safety on, of course and a flashlight in the other. "Why did he come after me? Why did he wait so long to do it?" The Amerithrax case was twenty years ago, Curtis could have taken his revenge at any point. What kind of person had that much willpower?
"He snapped and went on a murder spree when Blake was hired at the BAU….who else did Curtis trust from back then?"
Sudden flashes of that night in the hotel room came back to her.
"You've aged well, Erin." Curtis croaked, forcing his way into the room.
"Lies." Another voice said, suddenly, Erin was on the ground. Someone had her pinned to the carpet.
"There were definitely two people," She said out loud. Every light in the house was off, her flashlight in her hand, was off as she paced in the darkness, prepared for anything.
"Did you sleep at all?" Dave asked, stepping off the last stair of the staircase. He was fully dressed and ready to take on the day. Starting with breakfast...
"No." Erin said, shoving away her plate of half-eaten toast across the kitchen table. Her service weapon laid on the table beside her.
"Do you want some eggs?" He opened the refrigerator door and pulled out a carton of eggs and a block of cheese and laid them on the counter.
"No." She said and took a sip of her coffee. She tried water throughout the night, but it made her empty stomach churn. At least coffee gave her temporary energy.
"The baby does." Dave said, without malice. He walked around the bar and put his hand on the butt of the gun. "Can I put this away?"
She shrugged, the sunlight streaming through the windows made her feel safer. "Sure."
He picked it up and took it to the gun safe in the back of the pantry, grabbed some hot sauce from the shelf and went back to the kitchen.
"Don't waste the eggs," she said, cradling her head between her hands, her elbows resting on the table. She was trying to push away the headache that was gradually building behind her eyes. "I'm just trying to keep my coffee down."
"Try me." He said, cracking eggs into a bowl. He'd spent the morning pouring over her discharge paperwork and researching the effects of MDMA on his laptop, trying to prepare himself for anything that she might be going through. The problem was... they didn't know what she had been dosed with.
"I'm not hungry." She got up from her seat and threw the toast in the garbage can. "You're going to do what you want anyway." She said, watching him scramble the eggs with a fork.
"You haven't been hungry in two days," he argued and went to the freezer. Looking for anything she might eat. He came across a bag of frozen fruit that didn't look expired. "How about a smoothie?" He offered, grabbing the blender off the counter before she could respond.
She shrugged, exhausted and physically weak. "I'll try anything."
He filled the blender with ice and frozen fruit. "There's some frozen kale in there," he jabbed a thumb towards the freezer. "Do you want to try it?"
"Doesn't matter."
He added the kale to the blender, put the lid on and started the machine. A minute later, he grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it. He added a straw to the glass for good measure.
"Are you sick?" He asked, handing it to her.
She shook her head, "no," she lied. Putting her plate in the dishwasher. She felt like she'd been run over by a semi. She closed the dishwasher and Dave caught her by the hand.
"Come here." He said, wrapping his arms around her waist, holding her to him.
"David..please."
He placed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "You're warm," he decided. "Go lay down."
"We both know that's not the most accurate method."
"It's the fastest and the most fun," he countered. "I told the doctor I would take care of you and I always keep my word."
"Humph," Erin mumbled under her breath. She thought she hadn't uttered the phrase loud enough to be heard, but of course, David, heard her. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Here we go." Erin said, pulling away.
"Again," Dave shot back, "what does that mean?"
"It means we're going to sit here and pretend that we don't have anything to talk about- Come on, David." She threw her hands up, exasperated. "You can't stand here and pretend like this whole situation doesn't bother you. You can try, but it's coming off of you in waves. We both know you resent me-" He was being too nice, she could feel it. There was an underlying tension between them, the sooner it broke, the sooner they could have a conversation.
"Should I?" Dave asked calmly and went back to scrambling the eggs. He knew she needed a convenient target and, unfortunately, he was the only person around. Nothing would set her off faster, than his apathy. If he ignored her, she would fizzle out and then they could have a conversation.
She sat down at the table and sipped her smoothie, watching Dave scramble his eggs.
"I can't let you stay here," she finally said. "Not while I'm being stalked."
He flipped the knob on the stove and turned around. "If you think I'm leaving you to fend for yourself, you're out of your mind."
"Dave- please, just think about it."
"No." He argued, dumping his eggs on a plate. "We're a family-"
"And we will be, when this is over-"
"That's what Hotch told Haley, too." Dave snapped, dropping the skillet into the sink. "I'm not about to take that risk."
"What happens when the Unsub comes after both of us?" Erin asked, she was desperate for a plan. Even if it wasn't a good one.
He went around the breakfast bar and took her by the shoulders. "Then we do what we gotta do." He said, staring into her eyes. "Just trust me. We are a heck of a lot stronger together, than we will ever be apart. I think that is one of the reasons we fight so well. Our strategies are similar and we know each other's strengths and weaknesses, along with the best way to suss out and capitalize on other people's weaknesses."
"Okay," she nodded, even though she didn't quite believe him. "I trust you."
"Good," he grabbed his plate off the bar and sat down. "How's your smoothie?"
She took another sip and nodded. "The baby likes it." She said, rubbing the spot where she could feel him moving. "Here," she reached for Dave's hand. "Feel."
He stiffened and pulled away slightly. "Uhh… that's okay."
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"Nothing," he said, shoveling another bite of eggs into his mouth. "I'm good."
"What's the matter?" She pressed.
"Nothing."
"Nope that's not going to work David. If I can't get away with not talking about what is wrong, neither can you. Why are you afraid to touch where your child is growing? Is this how it is going to be for the rest of my pregnancy, you resenting me? Are you going to hold, you dislike for me against this baby, once he is born? If so David, you need to tell me now!"
Dave slowly lowered his fork and laid it on the plate. "Erin-"
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He grabbed it and took the call.
"Oh saved by the bell," Erin sneered.
"It's the lab." He said, putting the call on speaker.
"Did anyone touch the plant?" The lab tech asked, without bothering to say hello.
"Why?" Erin asked.
"We found traces of a powder on the leaves of the plant. Traces of MDMA and something else that we couldn't identify but we know it can definitely be absorbed through the skin-"
Erin jumped up from the table and made a beeline to the kitchen sink. She scrubbed her hands with scalding hot water and soap until the skin was raw. Steam fogged over the window above the sink. She didn't care how hot the water was or that the skin of her palms were bright red. She would have dunked her hands in lye if it would help. She couldn't hear David on the phone with the lab. All she could think about was getting rid of every trace of John Curtis. The soap lathered and washed down the sink, hopefully taking Curtis's poison with it, but it was impossible to tell. She grabbed the bar of soap again for good measure.
She didn't notice Dave standing behind her. He reached in front of her and turned the tap for the cold water.
"Erin." He said calmly, too calm for her internal storm.
"What!" She snapped, jerking away from him.
"Burning yourself isn't going to help."
"I have to get it off!" She said, through her teeth and scrubbed the soap over her hands again.
"You got it off." He said, handing her a towel.
"You don't know that." She took the towel and brushed passed him, "I'm going to take a shower…"
"Erin-" He stopped her, suddenly worried. "Do you think we should go back to the hospital?"
"If the FBI lab doesn't know what's wrong, the hospital won't have a clue. I'll treat the symptoms and move on."
"What about the baby?" He pressed, if there was anything that could be done, he hoped Erin would be on board.
"What do you mean?" She gestured down her body, "I don't know if you've noticed, but we're one in the same."
"Good point.." he dropped his shoulders, "Maybe we should keep track of your symptoms-"
"For next time-" she finished the thought. "There won't be a next time, David." She had a plan to take out stock in latex gloves if she needed to. "Help me catch this son of a bitch."
"We're not done." He said flatly.
"You're right," she shrugged, "You didn't answer my question. Why do you hate our baby?"
"I don't."
"You resent him-" She said.
"I don't. I just-" he scrambled for the right words to say that would put their relationship back to normal. "I thought I had more time to get used to the idea."
"So, you won't touch me? You won't bond with him because you need time to get used to the idea of being a father. I know you lost a child, David but this baby needs you. David, I need you. I can raise him by myself, but I don't want to and I need to know that you're going to-"
"Stop." He put his hands on her shoulders and said, "I'll bond with him when he's he's safe, when I can protect him."
"Well? What's your plan until then?" She said as he stared into her eyes.
He took a step towards her and took her hands in his. "To keep you safe." He pulled her into a hug, "No more pacing the house with your gun." He said, resting his cheek against her hair. "We both know you can throw a punch, but leave the rest to me."
"And the guards outside."
"Them too," he said, kissing her on the temple. "Go get dressed and I'll get someone over here to do the interview."
"Not Blake-" Erin said. "I don't want her here." True, they had a nice conversation and Alex let her vent about her fight with Rossi, but she hadn't said anything she wouldn't have told a stranger on the street.
"Okay...I uh.. thought you two had turned over a new leaf."
"That doesn't mean I trust her. I let her drive me to the hotel because it was easier than telling her no."
"She was acting weird on the flight back. Suddenly she decided she could speak for the team and check in on you." Dave said, thinking back to the odd text messages Blake sent, asking about Erin.
"She probably feels guilty. Not that she should," Erin shrugged. "Either way, I don't want her in my house."
"Derek's particularly skilled at facilitating cognitive interviews."
She stiffened slightly, "are you sure?"
"You can trust him." Dave reassured her, "you can talk to him."
"Agent Morgan, then." Erin agreed with a nod. She grabbed the banister and started up the stairs.
Dave blew out a breath, there was nothing he could do for her, except solve the case. He grabbed his phone and dialed Hotch. Who answered on the first ring.
"The Director took us off the case," Hotch said immediately. He closed the file on his desk, he'd had enough of staring at John Curtis's ugly face.
"Someone sent a plant to Erin's house last night." Dave admitted. "It was dosed with the same shit Curtis poisoned her with."
"That's all the proof we need to say there's another unsub." Hotch said, standing up from his desk. "That explains why the director took us off the case." He flipped off the lights and closed the door to his office. Morgan was in the bullpen and he headed for the bullpen.
"Who told him?" Dave snarled.
"You called agents to her house and a crime scene unit. There are no secrets in the FBI. He's put Cooper's team running point-"
"Yeah and Sam Cooper couldn't give a damn-" Dave snapped, harshly.
"Exactly-" Hotch said, and Dave knew what he meant.
Cooper's team was going to solve the case, on the books. After that, nothing else mattered.
Dave glanced out the window, there were unmarked cars parked outside the townhouse. "I need someone here to do a cognitive interview-"
"Sam-"
"No." Dave interrupted. "Erin won't trust him and we've got one shot at this-"
"I was going to say… Sam's in charge, but I'm in the neighborhood."
"So you'll do it?" Dave asked hopefully.
Hotch nodded and stepped off the last step and into the bullpen. "I'll pick up Morgan on the way." He hung up the phone and shoved it into his pocket. The bullpen was practically empty. Reid and J.J. were at lunch, Penelope was in her office which left Blake and Morgan alone.
Derek heard his name and closed the file on his desk, he jumped out of his seat and grabbed his jacket.
"Where are you guys headed?" Blake asked.
Hotch shook his head, dismissing her. As far as Hotch was concerned, this was a classified mission and Blake was too close to the victim and the unsub to be of any help. "Derek are you coming?"
"I don't always question your orders, Hotch...but...uh..why me?" Derek asked as Hotch drove through the immaculate neighborhood that housed Erin's townhouse.
Hotch knew that was coming, he kept his focus on the road in front of him and said, "Strauss still sees me as competition, she wouldn't tell me anything that she thinks I might be able to use against her. She's in a relationship with Dave…."
"So that leaves me, because they're bumpin' uglies." Derek said flatly.
Hotch pulled into the driveway, behind Dave's Cadillac and put the car in gear.
"Hotch, are you sure about this?"
"She trusts you," he said and pulled the handle of the door, leaving Derek behind. "Whatever you say, Boss." Derek said, getting out of the car. Hotch knocked on the door and waited for an answer.
"Hey," Dave said, pulling the door open. He smiled, but it didn't meet his eyes.
"How's she doing?" Hotch asked.
"Not great." Dave said grimly. He stepped outside and closed the door. "She's sick, she's terrified and more pregnant by the minute…"
A beat of silence passed, "Can she handle a cognitive?" Derek finally asked.
"I'm more concerned about you handling the cognitive, Dave teased.
Derek swiped his hand over his bald head. "Great."
"Are you going to invite us in?" Hotch asked pointedly.
"Hold on." Dave opened the door slightly and poked his head in.
"Good God, David let them in!" Erin snapped from the sofa.
Dave took a deep breath and let it out. "Gentlemen...come inside." He pushed the door open, inviting them inside.
"Come on," Erin said to Derek, "let's get this over with." She turned the doorknob to the back patio with a flick of her wrist. "It's quiet out here." She said, closing the door behind her. Leaving Dave and Hotch alone in the house.
Derek didn't miss the pack of cigarettes on the patio table.
Erin sat down at the table, "how do you want to do this?"
Derek stood in front of her and leaned against the banister. "Just relax…" he moved to a chair on the other side of the table. "Take a deep breath and close your eyes." He started the voice recorder on his phone and placed it between them.
Erin took a breath and slowly released it, her stomach churned with anxiety.
"You're in a safe place," Derek coached her. "Tell me about the hotel-"
"Alex...she dropped me off."
"What did you guys talk about?"
"Nothing, really." She said, shaking her head.
"It was a 20 minute drive, from the field office to the hotel. You didn't sit in silence."
"She wanted to bury the hatchet…She told me about Curtis...how he was shipped off the Kansas." Erin said softly, already falling further into her memories than she ever wanted to go.
"But you already knew that-"
"Yeah. I got back to the room…I locked my gun in the drawer, changed my clothes and fell asleep."
"Something woke you up."
"I thought…" she froze, her hands began to shake. Her experience with The Replicator came to the forefront of her mind. "I thought David forgot his key."
"You got up and you answered the door. When the door opened, what did you see?"
"He looked like a frog," Erin choked out. "He held up a paper bag and shoved his way in."
"What happened next?"
"I couldn't get to my gun. Someone shoved me down...down and up."
"What do you mean? Strauss, tell me what you saw," Derek demanded.
"Someone knocked me down, I was laying on the floor. My hands were tied…"
She could hear the voice echoing in her head. "The bitch should be knocked out, by now."
Her wrists ached, she could feel her captor's hands pinning her to the hotel carpet.
"Strauss, look up." Derek demanded.
"It's dark-I..I can't see anything. They're on top of me."
"The Replicator?"
"No."
"Look UP." He pushed, "Look up and tell me what you see."
In her head, she pictured the unsub on top of her, pinning her down. The shadow from the street light fell into the room. She could barely make out the profile of the person on top of her. Long hair brushed her face, a slight scent of perfume filled her nostrils.
"Perfume…Chanel... Erin whispered. "Long hair…"
"Keep going…"
"The voice. I know that voice…I tried to get up," She remembered pushing against her captor's grip.
She heard something, the sound of plastic ripping. Sharp pain in her wrist as the unsub branded her with broken glass.
"Are you done yet?" Curtis sneered.
"Yeah, I'm done.." The other person got up, dragging Erin with them. Erin turned slightly, the second Unsub reached into their shirt and unwittingly moved closer to the window after shoving Erin into a chair.
"Slim build, long hair and the unsub is a woman."
"How do you know?"
"She reached into the collar of her shirt. Like she was adjusting her bra."
"You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength."
– Marcus Aurelius