They'd been on back to back cases and Aaron had barely spent any time at home with Erin and Jack. What little interaction there had been seemed strained as she snapped at him over stupid little things. Even Jack had picked up the peevish attitude and he'd been sent to bed early the night before Aaron left again.

The jet landed late February fourteenth, and Aaron fingered the ring box in his pocket, staring out the window. "Are you going to ask her tonight?" Morgan asked, squeezing Emily's hand.

"Yes. But guys, don't make a big deal of it. It's not like this is our first time on the merry-go-round."

"Oh, we wouldn't embarrass Princess Buttercup, Hotch. She still has claws, even more so now these past two weeks. I'd say it was PMS, but it's lasted too long," Emily replied teasingly.

"Of course it's not PMS. You can't have that when you're pregnant." Every head in the plane whipped around to stare at Reid. "Come on! JJ, Rossi, Hotch, you three have all experienced pregnancies in some capacity. You honestly haven't noticed the changes in her body?"

"No. We thought she couldn't have another child."

"She's not that old, Hotch. And she's about eight weeks along."

Aaron blushed faintly. "How do you know that?"

"Christmas? You guys conceived on Christmas?" JJ giggled slightly. "What, did she tie a bow around her body and say 'I'm yours'?"

"Sort of." He was bothered by the gentle teasing in her voice as he thought about how long it had taken his Erin to get to that point. Morgan picked up on his distress and shook his head at JJ.

"What is it, Hotch?" he asked as they got off the plane, heading for the SUVs that would take them back to Quantico. Emily lightly smacked Morgan's arm, frowning deeply. "Ow! What the hell, Em?"

"You nitwit! It was probably a big deal for them to be intimate. Do you not remember her reaction to your manhandling of her a few weeks ago?"

Morgan fell silent, contemplating what Emily said. As the other members of their team got in the first vehicle, he stopped, staring at Hotch. A sudden awareness filled his eyes, and Hotch knew he'd put the pieces of Erin's past together. "She was his type. Oh god, Hotch, she was the unsub's eighteenth victim. No wonder Baby Girl is so protective of her. Did he torture her like the other woman?"

"He didn't need to. He let Jesse's death do that for him." Aaron looked at both of them, certain he was wearing his serious, grave, expression. "Please, don't let on that you know. It was difficult enough for her to tell me. She'd be mortified if you said something, even in sympathy."

They nodded and he let go of the breath he'd been holding as he waited for their response. Morgan drove back to the Academy and Aaron didn't even bother going up to the bullpen. "I'll see you later," he called out. "Enjoy the rest of the week off." He jogged over to his car and threw his bag in the back seat.

Once home, he crept up to their room, knowing Jack was spending the night at the Rossi's so he didn't have to be too quiet. Opening the bedroom door, he could see her silhouette on the bed. Aaron turned on the nightstand lamp and let the gentle light flood over her. Erin was wearing the sheer negligee he'd gotten her at Christmas and everything about her screamed wanton desire.

Aaron noticed the way the teddy clung to her curves, accenting her glorious breasts and the gentle well of her stomach. "Reid's right," he breathed out lowly as he stripped. He set the ring box next to the lube as he crawled into bed. Placing feather light kisses on her face, he waited for her to wake up.

"Aaron, you're home." She sat up and wrapped her arms around him, nuzzling her face into his neck. "I tried to wait up for you."

"We had an equipment delay in Corte Madera. I came home as soon as I could. Happy Valentine's Day." He kissed her and felt her tongue tap against his lips. He obliged her, enjoying the feel of their dueling tongues as he ran his hands down to cup her breasts. Erin was unbelievably responsive to him and Aaron felt himself react in kind.

Kissing his way down the column of her neck, he slowly drew the negligee down off her body. As Aaron latched onto one pert, erect, nipple, he slipped a hand between her thighs. She was hot and slick already, and he looked up at her. "Rin, did you use the other lube?"

"Yes," she panted out. "I wanted to be ready whenever you came home. What's a little discomfort when I have you in my arms?" Erin pulled him back down to her breasts and he kissed each nipple in turn before entering her. He smiled as she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him in deeper, showing him what pleased her. Aaron lazily thrust in and out of her writhing body, building up the pleasure in her. "Aaron!" she screamed as the first wave of the orgasm washed over her. Her muscles tightening around his shaft brought him along over the edge with her, and he carefully collapsed on top of her, taking care not to land directly on her stomach.

Aaron turned on his side, running his fingers through her hair as they fought to catch their breath. "Erin, I brought you a gift home for today."

She unconsciously touched her stomach. "I have a gift for you, too."

"May I go first?" She nodded and sat up against the headboard, waiting for him. He reached over and grabbed the ring box before slipping off the bed and kneeling by her side. "Erin, I've found myself unable to live without you. You are my life, meine Schatze. Will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife and the mother of my children?" With one hand, he held out the ring and with the other, he covered her stomach gently.

Her eyes glistened with tears as she took the box from his hand and opened it. "Oh Aaron, yes." She slipped the diamond solitaire onto her finger and leaned over to kiss him, tugging him back up onto the bed. "I wish my gift were here already, but it won't be finished until September, most likely."

"When did you know?"

"I didn't take the test until you called this afternoon, saying you were going to be home soon. Though I'd been wondering for the last two weeks. But how did you figure it out? I don't look that different yet."

"Reid actually put the pieces together and told me. Well, us, I should say."

"Who else knows?"

"My team."

"Which means the entire BAU will know that SSA Hotchner knocked up Section Chief Strauss by tomorrow. I love you, Aaron, but your team does not know how to keep secrets." She cuddled close to him, tracing the scars on his chest and stomach. "If we have a girl, I'd like to name her Vanessa."

"Is that what you would have named Georgia?"

"Yes. I was obsessed with Camelot and Vanessa Redgrave in high school. Erik wouldn't let me recycle the name with either of our girls. I was thinking that Vanessa Haley Hotchner had a beautiful sound to it. If she's a girl. If we have a boy, you could name him."

Aaron caressed her stomach lightly. "I think you've come up with the perfect name, Rin." He scooted down and rested his head on her stomach.

"What do you hear? She whispered, running her hand through his hair.

"The song of hope for tomorrow." She tugged sharply on his hair. "Ow! Okay, that sounded more romantic than your stomach gurgling." He turned his head and kissed her stomach lightly before tracing delicate patterns on her skin.

"I'm sorry, I've just been so out of sorts lately, trying to comprehend this. A baby, at my age. I want this so badly for you and Jack, but there are so many risks. What if, what if she's not perfect?" The hand in his hair began to absently tug and he looked up into her tear-filled eyes.

"Erin, any child of our will be perfect, and we will love them no matter what special needs they might have." Her tears began rolling down her face, and he reached up to brush them away. "I love you, Erin, My Erin."

"I love you, my Aaron. Kiss me?"

"Of course."

"Quickly."

"Ah, Erin." He brought his lips up to hers, capturing them in a searing, passionate, kiss.