Erin's eyes were wide, her mouth opened slightly to ask Blake why she wasn't at the office, when Rossi came up behind her. "Who is it?" It took all David Rossi's years of training not to react violently towards the woman who he now was certain was trying to hurt the woman he loved. The betrayal stung even more, knowing she was a teammate, he trusted.

Blake was surprised to see Hotch and Morgan following behind Rossi, but she covered it well.

Blake awkwardly cleared her throat. "I was concerned about Erin, after we talked yesterday, I wanted to pop in on my lunch break."

"Alex... I..wish you would have called first-" Erin said.

Blake glanced from Hotch to Morgan and back again, her tone was borderline accusatory. "What are you guys doing here?"

"I asked Hotch to come by after someone left a plant on the back patio." Dave explained. "He asked Morgan to come along."

There was no harm in sharing that information, since Rossi and Strauss's relationship was already spreading across the bureau gossip wire. If they made Blake think they trusted her, she might get overconfident, slip up and make a mistake.

"Oh right," Blake nodded towards Morgan. "Do you think it's an obsessional crime?"

"I wanted to see the scene for myself before jumping to conclusions." Derek said, keeping his tone neutral. He still wasn't sold on the idea of Blake being Curtis's partner, either way he wasn't going to put anyone in the line of fire.

"We're briefing the team when we get back," Hotch explained. He didn't want to share anything vital with Blake; Hotch knew Strauss and Rossi were not going to want to entertain the person trying to gaslight Strauss.

"We were on our way out when you got here."

"Let's go, Hotch," Derek suggested. "I've seen all I need to see."

"You have new insights?" Blake asked, jumping on the chance to help solve the case. "What's your theory?"

"We need to brief the rest of the team." Hotch deflected, turning to Morgan. "Call Reid and J.J. tell them to meet us back at the BAU."

"You got it, Hotch." Derek said, brushing passed Alex.

Strauss, catching on to what Hotch and Derek were doing, pretended like she wasn't feeling well and was about to be sick. She pressed her hand to her mouth, "I'm sorry, Alex, I'm not up for company. Please, David, show our guests out." Erin said and darted into the bathroom.

If Dave hadn't known any better he would have believed her. More importantly, Blake bought it. Erin might have been giving the performance of a lifetime but she knew if she stayed in the room with Blake any longer, the bile rising up her throat would not be pretend.

"Do you think she's alright?" Blake asked from the front walkway.

Dave shrugged off her concern, "It's nothing chicken soup won't cure." Hotch clapped him on the shoulder and ducked out of the house. Dave closed the door behind them.

Hotch and Morgan got in Hotch's car and drove away. Only then, did Blake pull her creds from her pocket and show them to the security detail parked out front. She leaned against the squad car and spoke to the officers. "I'm Alex Blake, I'll be handling this assignment from now on."

"Under what authority?" The officer questioned, sharply.

"It came down from Director Fickler, of the FBI."

"I'll have to verify that-"

What nobody realized was that David Rossi saw all of this from the peephole.

"Oh hell no," Dave grabbed his phone, poised to dial the officer in charge.

Erin emerged from the bathroom a moment later. "What's going on?" She asked, touching him lightly on the back.

"If I'm not mistaken...Blake is trying to call off the security detail." Dave said, without moving from the peephole. "I can't tell for sure, but it looks like the officer isn't buying whatever she's selling. Call Hotch and fill him in." He said, passing her his phone.

Erin dialed the number and waited, "what's up?" Derek asked from the passenger seat as Hotch circled the neighborhood, looking for Blake. She should have been right behind them.

"Blake is trying to convince the security detail to leave." Erin explained, "She thought she could flash her credentials and they would bend over backwards-"

"I'm going to call her," Derek said.

"Why?" Erin asked, confused.

"I'll distract her," Derek explained, "let's see if she gets cocky. Stay on the line and I'll patch you in."

"Right."

Erin pulled the phone away from her face and put the call on mute.

"She's reaching for something," Dave said, from the door.

"Yeah, Blake…" Derek said, "We're gonna hit up the drive thru. What's your McDonald's order?"

From the peephole, Dave watched Blake turn away from the unmarked car, with her phone pressed to her face. She opened the door to her car and climbed in the driver's seat.

"Uhh…" Blake paused and stuck her key in the ignition. "Are we meeting back at the BAU? I'll grab something on the way."

"So, you're not feeling those golden arches, huh?" Derek asked, just as he normally would.

"I'll pass." Blake threw her car in reverse and pulled away from the townhouse.

"Alright, see you at the office," Derek said and ended the call.

Dave waited a beat to see if Blake turned around, when the driveway remained clear, he spoke. "Well, this sucks. I couldn't hear what she was saying, but it didn't look like she was on our side."

Just then, David's phone rang in Erin's hand. She passed it to him and he said, "either, these guys like their job, or they're smarter than they get credit for," he said, answering the phone. He waited a beat, while the security team asked for clarification of their assignment.

"No." Dave said sharply, "You don't report to anyone but me or Strauss, got it? I don't give a damn who flashes what at you, I'm your boss until I tell you otherwise." He ended the call and shoved the phone in his pocket.

"If this goes on, we'll have to look into private security." She said, "the director isn't going to clean out the coffers for us."

"Don't worry about it," Dave said, shaking his head. "I'll have new guys here in 20 minutes, if it comes to that. You'll have better security than the Pope. Come to think of it, that might not be a bad idea." If they went the private route, there would be less chance of their security being fooled by FBI creds. He flipped through his mental rolodex, he knew a few guys who were trained by the secret service. They would point him in the right direction. "I'll make a few calls and see about getting someone out here."

Erin sighed, "I hate that we're even thinking about it. I didn't want to believe it, but I saw her-David, we trusted her." She said, throwing her hands up in frustration. "I should have seen this coming, my God, you were in the field with her." If Blake was capable of assisting a serial killer, what was she willing to do to her teammates? Erin didn't want to think about what could have happened. "How could she do this?"

"Stop!" He commanded, with his hands on her shoulders. "This is on her, you can't beat yourself up over it."

"I know. I keep thinking about what could have happened-"

"Well don't, Erin we'll get her."

"How do you plan on doing that, from here?" She argued, crossing her arms. She was scared and there was nothing she could do about it. That was the worst kind of fear.

He looked her in the eye and rested his hands on her shoulders, not tight but enough so she knew not to move. "We'll do what we always do, gather the evidence, build a profile and make the arrest. For now, we're not going to worry about it."

"David, I hate this. We're trapped in my house," she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close.

"We're protected," he said lightly.

"There's round-the-clock security posted outside on all sides of the house. I can't see my children, I'm not protected, I'm imprisoned," She argued. Laying her head against his shoulder, breathing in his cologne.

"Where exactly do you want to go?"

"I need to make an OB appointment, we need groceries." She said, mentally building a list of places she would rather be. "I'm not thrilled with the idea of being followed everywhere I go."

"We have plenty of food for tonight, don't worry about it." He said, pulling back. "The important thing is that we're all safe. The kids are protected, your mom is safe."

"One big happy family," Erin whispered. "Wait, why did you mention my mother? David Rossi," She fixed him with a look. "What are you not telling me?"

"Your mom called, awhile ago. She's staying with Pete and the kids-"

"When you get divorced, you never think about how it's going to affect the in-laws." Erin said, dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, my dad never got over my divorce from Carolyn," Dave agreed and rolled his eyes.

Erin went to the kitchen and pulled the chicken pot pie from the refrigerator. "Take our security detail some dinner," she said, spooning pie into tupperware containers. The sooner they ran out, the sooner she could go to the store.

"Save some for us," he grouched as she put the bowls in the microwave.

Erin closed the microwave, started it and said, "They're keeping us safe, the least we can do is share the rations."

He shrugged, there's a diner around the corner. "We can drive over there and pick something up."

"So we're sneaking out now? Dodging the security detail?" She asked, she couldn't make up her mind. She wanted to leave, only because she knew she couldn't.

"We could have something delivered," he said easily.

She handed him the bowls of food and sets of silverware. "Go feed the Calvary, I'll order something." She didn't worry about a restaurant poisoning her, the person who wanted her dead knew where she lived...and...everything else about her. She was probably safer out in public.

Dave grabbed bottles of water from the refrigerator. "What else could they need?"

"I'm just trying to be nice," she said with a shrug. "It's really the least we can do."

"On a stakeout, it's really the car that suffers." He said, opening the front door and closing it behind him.

She pulled open the drawer next to the silverware and considered their dinner options even though her appetite was nil, she knew her Little Man would benefit from some solid food. "What are you thinking?" She asked, running her hand across her abdomen. A few minutes later, Dave stepped inside the house, paused and lightly closed the front door. It was obvious that Erin was in the middle of an important conversation. She leaned against the counter, with her back to him, with one hand pressed against her stomach, the other flipped through a stack of takeout menus.

"That smoothie this morning was pretty good," she said, unaware that she was being watched. "Your dad would do anything for you, I know he seems distant now, but give him time. He'll come around by the time you get here." She said, without looking up from the menu for the Chinese restaurant. "I'm thinking, sesame chicken. What do you think?"

Dave waited a beat then coughed lightly to announce himself.

"I'll have the Pad Thai if it's available," he turned the deadbolt and walked into the kitchen.

She turned around, eyes wide and dropped her hand from her abdomen. "I didn't hear you come in," She said quickly.

He reached around her and took the Chinese menu off the counter. "I'm glad you uhh... liked the smoothie." He wanted to talk to her about the rest of the conversation he overheard, but he couldn't. He never expected her to get pregnant and even if she did, it was a long shot that the baby would make it to term. Now, they were having a baby, sooner rather than later, but he couldn't bring himself to get too attached. Not yet.

"I don't care what you order as long as there's sesame chicken involved." She said, as he considered the menu.

He grabbed the phone from his pocket and made the call, Erin went to the living room and turned on the TV. Mindlessly, she flipped through the channels. It didn't matter what was on, she needed something to fill the void in the room.

She felt like she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, but she had a lot to make up for with their son. Just because she didn't know he was there, didn't mean she didn't love him. She just wanted him to know it, the same way her other children knew. She glanced up at the clock, the kids would be home from school and done with their homework by now. She got up from the couch and went back to the kitchen, Dave was sitting at the breakfast table with his I-pad.

"Can I use your phone?"

He slid it across the table, without looking up. "Your mom called twice while I was ordering food."

She grabbed the phone and went back to the living room, on second thought the patio was further away from David and things were suddenly awkward between them. She didn't want to make it worse. She flipped the switch for the porch light and went outside. Sitting down at the table, she looked at the phone.

There were several unread texts and two missed FaceTime calls from Vera. Apparently, she'd made it to Virginia and the kids wanted to talk to their mother. Erin returned the video call immediately.

Dave couldn't put his finger on it, but it seemed like Erin wanted to put as much space between them as possible while she called the kids. If he listened hard enough from his spot next to the patio doors, he could almost hear their conversation from the video call.

Any other night, he would have joined them, but he knew his presence wouldn't be welcome.

He understood that Erin wanted privacy, but still, something was off. When he walked back inside the house, she looked at him, like she had done something wrong. He never wanted her to feel guilty for trying to bond with their child, even if he wasn't willing to.

He continued perusing through Amazon: cribs, changing tables and baby clothes assaulted him on every page. How much stuff did one baby need? What size? Plastic bottles or glass? There were too many options. He closed the tab without buying anything, he needed to talk to Erin. She was a pro, she knew what they needed. He could handle the practical side of things. Buying stuff never broke his heart.

"Yes mother, of course he wants the baby." Erin repeated for the 5th time since Vera took over the conversation.

"Then why isn't-"

"What is the chase and how do I cut to it?" Erin asked, annoyed.

"I just want to know why he won't marry you-"

"Because I just got divorced-" Erin cut in, "I'm not ready to get married again-"

"So you're having a baby," Vera said sternly. "With three kids already and no wedding."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

Vera fixed her daughter with a look, even over the screen of her phone, Erin knew the verbal onslaught was coming. "Isn't it?" Vera asked, cooly.

Dave glanced out the glass of the french door. Erin had her back to him but from the set of her shoulders and the volume of her voice, she was arguing with her mother. He sat back in the chair and waited.

"It's not a bad thing, Mother, it's a choice I'm making-"

"So, you're raising your baby without a father-"

"He has a father-" Erin snapped, her voice raised, her mother had crossed an invisible line and she knew it. "David is a lot of things, but he loves this baby."

"What about the last name? You certainly can't call this baby a Strauss, that's Peter's name-"

"Well, I hadn't thought about that," Erin admitted. Her hand twitched towards the button that would end the call, but her mother would just call back. It was better to get it over with.

"Now that you have," Vera glared at her daughter, "you need to make that choice."

"I suppose he'll be a Rossi-" Erin said, trying to salvage the conversation.

"But you don't know." Vera said pointedly, she knew exactly how to twist the knife and didn't mind doing so.

"We haven't discussed it-" There hadn't been time, Dave was barely used to the idea of having a baby. The surname was taking a back burner, for now."

"Frankly, Dear, this doesn't sound like love to me, for you or that baby."

"Well," Erin crossed her arms, leaving the phone propped against the carton of cigarettes. "He's here, isn't he? He's been here with me since we got to New York-"

"Except for the night you got hurt-"

"That wasn't his fault-" Erin said, trying her damndest to keep her tone neutral. She could handle the bureaucrats and the politicians, but her mother fought dirty.

"That's your opinion." Vera said, her tone was frigid.

"That's the truth, Mother. Look, you are going to have to cut David and me some slack. We just found out about the baby, not to mention, I just got home from the hospital because a mad man tried to kill me. So forgive us if we don't have the next eighteen years of our lives planned out." Erin knew she needed to relax and calm down. Her mother genuinely loved her grandchildren and that is where her questions and concerns were coming from. "Mother I'm sorry, I know you just want the best for your new grandchild but you have to stand down and give David and I a little time to figure it out."

"Time isn't a luxury the two of you have." Vera said, staring daggers at her daughter. "I don't think you understand the gravity of your situation-"

"My situation?" Erin countered, her tone was deadly calm as she stared at her mother, half in disbelief that they were even having this conversation. The other half of her was furious. "There's a crazy person trying to kill me. I know how this makes you look, but it's pretty low on my list of priorities."

"Frankly, Dear, my company's stock value crashed as soon as that press release went out-"

Erin rolled her eyes, her mother was the reigning queen of drama. If her stock 'crashed' it probably went up a few points. Erin thought sarcastically. "I can't imagine what the world will be like with a few less halloween costumes-"

"Pageant dresses," Vera corrected. "We dressed the whole Ms. America pageant in 2010. Now, we'll be lucky to keep the doors open-" she said dramatically. "Especially with the constant security, people aren't going to trust that their CEO can handle the demands of the company."

"Give it a rest, Mother. I'm acutely aware of how this looks. Your reputation isn't the only one on the line here. Eventually, I'm going to catch the person doing this and it will be over-"

"How the hell are you going to do that? You didn't even know you were pregnant until a week ago, now you're halfway through. How the hell are you going to catch a killer if you can't catch a missed period-"

"Stop it right there, Vera!" A voice thundered. Erin glanced up at Rossi standing behind her, propped against the doorframe, with a sack of takeout in his hand.

"Well, if it isn't Father Dearest or do you prefer Baby Daddy? Sperm donor has a nice ring to it-" Vera goaded him, because she could.

"Hold it right there, Cruella." Dave cut in, holding up his hand. He sat the bag on the table and kept his attention on Vera. His tone was calm, damn near pleasant, but he seethed inside. "It may not seem like it, to you, but Erin and I only want what is best for this child. I'm not a deadbeat father and I won't let you sit here and insinuate that I am. I can't believe the way you ….talk to your daughter. He flashed his future mother in law a smile and reached for the phone, "call us back when you can be civil." He said, ending the call.

Erin blew out a breath, "how much of that did you hear?"

"Enough," He pulled up a chair beside her and sat down. "You didn't deserve that."

"Neither did you." She reached for the bag of takeout and started plating their food on paper plates. She hadn't noticed the bugs before, but the waning sunlight and the humidity brought the bugs out in full force. "There's a citronella candle on the bookshelf, can you go get it?" She asked, swatting mosquitoes away.

"Of course," he stood up and went towards the door, pausing behind her. Gingerly, he laid his hand on her shoulder. "You can't believe the things she said."

"I don't." Erin lied and touched his hand. Her mother was probably right, but she would never say that out loud. "Thanks for standing up for me."

He moved closer and hugged her from behind. "M'dear, that's in the job description…" He planted a kiss just above her brow and went to get the candle.

To me, you are perfect.

"Love Actually"