"Love doesn't make the world go 'round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile."

Franklin P. Jones

"Hotch is calling an emergency meeting with Fickler when we get home." Dave laid his phone back on the nightstand. "He's pissed, said he won't take another case, no matter what Fickler says."

"Aaron won't have to worry about that. I'm sure John will want to reopen the case," Erin sighed, she tossed the sheets back on the bed. The more they worked on it, the closer they came to solving it, at the same time…the three weeks when they weren't investigating were so much easier. When she didn't have to think about it, every second of every day. "Still, we're no closer now than we were when we started."

"If you need to go home…." Amanda offered, uncharacteristically understanding. "We can reschedule tomorrow's event."

"No," he waved her off with his hand. If it were more serious, he would have hurried home. "For now, this is just a fear tactic."

"I think we should leave," Erin cut in. She was suddenly all business, "We need to get back to the Bureau, get the hotel security tapes and have the package processed by forensics-" She grabbed her phone, ready to make the call to the New Jersey field office. She dialed the number, holding the phone to her face. "This is Erin Strauss, I'm the Section Chief of the BAU…"

Dave kept pacing, wearing a hole in the worn green carpet. He was doing a halfway decent job at tuning Erin and Amanda out. Why now? He and Erin were finally in a good place, she came to New Jersey to support him, they didn't need another obstacle in their relationship….He wanted to stay objective, but the idea that someone would hint about threatening Carlo, before he was even born, sent Dave's blood boiling, heart pounding against his breastbone, the side of his neck throbbed. His hands clenched, nails biting into the palms.

'"David?"

'When I find them… An image flashed through his head of all the things he'd be happy to do to the person stalking them.

"David," Erin tried again, zipping her duffle bag.

His head snapped up, tearing his eyes away from the ugly carpet."What!" He barked.

She grabbed the keys to the rental car and picked up her purse. Her hackles rose at his tone."You deserve to be pissed off, but you don't get to aim it at me," she said, keeping her tone level.

He blanched and sat down on the foot of the bed. "Sorry," His eyes dropped back to the floor. "Where's Amanda?" He asked, glancing around the room.

"She went back to her room." Erin answered, laying her hand on his arm. "Are you okay?" She asked, compassion shone in her eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"I can take the lead-" Physically, the package was innocuous, emotionally? Well… the cut up ultrasound print out hit its mark. Erin knew the sender got what they wanted.

"I'm alright," he said, without confidence. His brows knitted, eyes unfocused staring at the floor. "I just can't wrap my head around this…." He scrubbed his hand across his forehead. "They're taunting us, but why this way? It could have been anything…a photo of us together, anything like that-" His voice trailed off. Staring at the table across the room, he wanted to keep fidgeting with the picture, putting the pieces together until everything made sense, but he couldn't drag himself to the table.

"I know…" She wanted to blame Blake; but it didn't seem right. Any time they saw each other at the office, Blake acted like nothing happened. She had nothing to hide. Either Alex fooled the FBI's psych eval. Or, she was innocent. Erin sat down beside him, keeping her hand on his arm. "Is there anyone else who would know about the baby?" She asked, racking her brain for answers.

"Just the team," Dave shook his head, "the kids, the Bureau, Richard's security team, every single person at the signing." He ticked off the list with his fingers. "It's not like we can hide it."

"That's not a short list. The only thing we know for sure is, whoever sent that package, wants to see you unravel," She grabbed her phone, pulling up the security footage at her townhouse. So far, everything looked okay. Then she panned over to the continuous feed from Dave's house. All was quiet.

"That's not what's bugging me." He rested his elbows on his knees, keeping his head in his hands. "They're targeting our kid, he's not even here yet and he's a target-" What kind of life was that going to be? Dave knew right then that he'd leave the Bureau and move his family off the grid if it would keep them safe. That still didn't seem like enough. "I can't stop it-I can't-" The words wouldn't come out, no matter how many times they crossed his mind, he wouldn't, couldn't say it out loud. "I can't do anything about this-"

"But you are stopping it." She stood up, pulling him into her arms. His head laid against her chest, his arms around her waist. "You're stopping it,"

He pulled in a ragged breath, anchoring himself to her.

"Every time you take a case. Whenever you help put an unsub away, you're making the world safer for your son. You'll catch this one, too." She assured him, playing with his hair.

"It's not that simple-" he argued, frustration leaked into his tone.

"Yes it is." She cut him off. "You know how to deal with an unsub- that's all this is."

He pulled back, just enough to look her in the eye. Hoping her gaze would hold the answers to his problems. "What happens if I can't?"

"Then we keep going, we'll keep fighting until it's over."

"Will you forgive me?" He mumbled into her chest, taking a shuddering breath against the cotton fabric of her shirt.

"I won't have to." They were going to catch the sonofabitch, or die trying. "We're okay, David."

"I just.. Erin, I can't…" He bit his lip as his worst fear threatened to slip out.

"What is it?" She tightened her arms around him, rubbing circles on his back. "It's alright, talk to me."

He took another ragged breath as decades worth of grief filled his chest. He squeezed his eyes closed against the brimming tears. "I can't lose another child."

She pulled in a breath, "David…"

"I know…" he pulled back, taking her hands. "It's just a picture, but the implication-"

"It's a valid fear, Dave and I can't begin to imagine the pain you're carrying around, but the two of us aren't going to let that happen if we can help it."

"Damn right, we're not." He said, swiping his hand across his face. His eyes were red and puffy, "I'm his father, I'm supposed to-there are certain things that dads are supposed to do."

"You're protecting him," she insisted, gently running her thumb over his hand. "You're protecting me, the kids… you're doing all you can to keep everyone safe. You're fulfilling your role."

He sucked in another breath, "Okay…good."

"I'd tell you, if I thought you were dropping the ball," she said, smiling. "That's a promise."

"I'm holding you to it."

"You're right about the package." Dave kept his eyes on the windshield, watching the cars in front of them. "We're going to use the crowd to our advantage," He turned the vehicle into the parking lot of the bookstore. "Be on the lookout for anyone who looks like they don't belong."

"It's a bookstore…" Erin said, eyes narrowed in confusion. "Doesn't everyone look a little out of place?"

"Yes, but this will be different." He said, They'll be focusing intently on us, more so than the rest of the crowd, they won't have their phones out. They might have a notepad, but they probably won't be taking notes."

"I got it, I'll hang out near the back of the crowd-"

"I'll take the front." He put the car in park then laid his hand on top of hers across the middle console.

Dave scanned the crowd, answering questions as he did so. There were more people now than the last two signings put together. People crushed together in their chairs and those who didn't buy a ticket, stood in the back of the room, pressing against each other, craning their necks for a better view of the stage. Finding someone paying too much attention was akin to looking for a needle in a needle-stack. He wasn't even completely sure what he was looking for. He would know it when he saw it…. Dave smiled, making eye contact with Erin, standing at the back of the room.

"We have time for one more question before the signing,"

"Did you forget about me?" The abrupt baritone voice caught his attention.

"Jason?" Dave stepped off the dais at the end of the reading. "What are you doing here?" He extended his hand to his former partner. "I didn't know you would be here-"

Gideon shifted slightly, smiling but cautious. "I saw your name on the sign outside and decided to drop in."

"Well, it's good to see you. How long has it been?"

"Uh…" Gideon thought for a moment, "your retirement party, 1998."

"Has it really been that long?" Surely they'd met up sometime after that, but he couldn't remember. Time really did fly by. "What brings you to Cherry Hill New Jersey? Are you on a case?"

"No, no." Gideon waved off that question. "I left the Bureau as you were coming in-"

Dave's eyes went wide at this new piece of information. Then again, he didn't care enough to ask why Gideon left the BAU to start with. "I thought you were reassigned…."

"No." Gideon shook his head. "I'm now a permanent resident at Lake Manassas, had a place built there; and I teach a wilderness survival class at the community college."

"Great."

"The Little Creek cabin is all yours…"

Dave already knew that.

"It looks like you're living the high-life," Gideon gestured around the store. "How's fame treating you?"

"Can't complain," Dave's chest filled with pride. "I'm a family-man now."

"That makes two of us." Jason smiled proudly, "Stephen and I are on a road trip." He gestured to the young man beside him. "We're passing through on the way to Canada."

"Stephen," Dave clapped the young man on the back. "How's your trip been so far?"

"Pretty good," Stephen shifted awkwardly and smiled. "Better when I drive-"

"Hey!" Jason shot back, "I'm not that bad-"

"He still hits all the potholes?" Dave asked, flashing a conspiratorial smile.

Stephen grinned at his father's good natured frustration. "Every single one."

"Dave, you'll never believe who else I saw," Gideon practically bounced on his toes. "Strauss is here and Dave I swear, she's out to here." His face scrunched in disapproval. "How in the Hell did that happen?" He grew more demonstrative by the minute. His hands cut through the air, illustrating his surprise. "She's nearly 50 for Pete's sake. I heard she got divorced. What kind of man would sleep with that she-devil at this point in life? Jesus Christ, Dave just how fucked up would someone have to be to go that far-"

"Dad!"

"Stephen, you don't understand the level of fucked up this is-"

"Cut it out, Gid." Dave's jaw clenched, his hands involuntarily curled at his sides.

"Seriously, David if she's allowed to keep procreating then I'm concerned for the rest of humanity- you know cockroaches eat their young."

"Jesus, Dad- you can't say things like that-"

Dave's jaw twitched, "You should listen to your son and watch your mouth, Gideon."

"Wonderful to see you too, Jason." Erin said, gliding over to Dave's side, just in time before he publicly rearranged Gideon's face. She grabbed Dave's hand, linking their fingers. "I overheard you and David discussing our new addition," she said coldly.

"Dave, I'm not sure if I should offer my congratulations or my condolences," Gideon said, a smug grin spread across his face as he eyed her up and down.

"From you?" Erin feigned confusion, returning his glare of disapproval. "I'm sure neither one would be appreciated," she returned, in a tone dripping in ice and sarcasm. "It's nice to see that some things don't change. You're still the same, fat, miserable, old man you've always been. Now I think-"

"You're free to go," Dave said, picking up where Erin left off. Glaring holes into Gideon's face. If looks could kill, Jason Gideon would be reduced to nothing more than a pile of ashes in the middle of the bookstore.

"Guys, I uh…" Stephen said, watching his dad walking towards the door. "I'm really sorry about him. I don't know what his problem is- I can't take him anywhere."

"It's alright, Stephen." Dave said, "Thanks for stopping by. Try to enjoy the rest of your trip."

"Congratulations-" Stephen threw over his shoulder, jogging to catch up with Gideon.

"It's alright, Honey." Erin said, once both men were out of earshot. "Jason Gideon's opinion of me means about as much to me as the hard water stains on the inside of my toilet tank."

"I know…" He watched them walk away. "Has he always been such a prick?"

"Really, David. If I don't care, then you shouldn't care," Erin rubbed his shoulder affectionately. "Now go sign some books so we can go home."

"Do you want some ice for your wrist?" Erin grabbed her wallet from her purse, ready to walk inside the gas station.

"Eh-" He shrugged, "I'm alright." He stepped out of the car and grabbed the handle of the gas pump.

"Are you sure? You're a little puffy-"

"I'm alright. If my biggest complaint is that my wrist hurts from signing autographs for 12 hours a day, I think I'm doing alright." He said, unscrewing the gas cap with his non-dominant hand.

"I saw that," she said pointedly, from the window of the passenger seat.

Dammit. "Can you pretend you didn't?"

"That's not about to happen, David. Either you take some Tylenol or I'm driving." She said, closing the car door, stepping into the balmy summer air, the warm night night brushed over her face. "What else do you want from inside?"

"Coffee and a… maybe a Snickers bar."

She shoved her wallet into the back pocket of her jeans. "Headache?"

"Ya know, I think I liked it better when you didn't notice all my… quirks." He said, shaking his head, amused.

A soft smile lit her face, "that's too bad."

10 minutes later, Dave poured two tylenol into his palm, "It was weird running into Gideon today."

She pulled on her seatbelt then twisted the lid off Dave's bottle of water. "It's nice to know that he's still a miserable old blowhard. His insults weren't even creative."

Dave spoke through the corner of his mouth, as he put the car in gear. "He's a dick, Erin just say it."

"You're not wrong,"

"Say it," He goaded her, grinning from ear to ear.

"No."

"Why?"

"It's crude," she answered delicately.

"I've heard you say worse-"

"No you haven't! I'm a lady." She'd gone to charm school and everything.

He chuckled low in his throat, his eyes sparkled with mischief. "Honey, I beg to differ."

"When?" She asked, affronted.

"July, 20th 1995 it was a hot, Monday morning. You called me a, and I quote: 'A selfish, self-righteous son of a bitching bastard.' To my face." He would never forget her literal epic meltdown in the BAU bunker. When the temperature rose higher by the minute and the A/C couldn't keep up.

"Well…" she cleared her throat. As they pulled onto the interstate. "What had you done before that? I'm sure I had a good reason-"

"Not really-"

"Well?" She shot back, She unwrapped his Snicker's bar and took a frustrated bite.

"Remind me. What did you do to deserve it?"

"Took your parking spot-"

"Right…" she dragged out the word as the memory dawned on her. "I'll remind you that I fought for that spot in the parking garage for three months-"

"I'd bought my first brand new car the day before. I wanted to protect the paint job-"

"It was my spot."

He dropped one shoulder, the picture of nonchalance. "I borrowed it."

She talked with her hands, exasperated, waving the Snickers around, peanut flecks flying around the car. "I was 3 weeks shy of my due-date with Cassie, you could have had it after I left!"

He had her right where he wanted her, biting back a smirk, "but I'd bought my silver BMW, that weekend."

"Ugh! I was right." She slid further into her seat, crossing her arms. Her chin jutted out, stubbornly. "You did deserve your dog-cussing and Jason is a dick."

He laughed, maneuvering the car into the correct lane. "That's my lady."

"Asshole," she grumbled, messing with the knobs on the rental car's air-conditioner. The chocolate in her hand was starting to melt. "I love you."

"Ti amo, mio tesoro," and boy, did he…. He glanced over, brows knitted in suspicion. "Are you eating my candy bar?"

She peeled the wrapper back and took another bite. "You took my parking space."

"If I hadn't," his tone turned soft and thoughtful. "We might not be here now."

She pulled a candy bar from the bag near her feet, peeled the wrapper back and gave it to him. "It was worth it."