Aaron knew that Erin was still reeling from the news that she had to remain on bedrest until her sixteen-week scan, and then her condition would be reevaluated once more. It would be a long two weeks, he knew, since she was feeling so cooped up in the house, and he hated watching a certain lassitude fall over her as she spent more and more time in bed, not bothering to get up and change into clothes for most of the week. Even Jessica had commented on the fact that Erin seemed really down, and he knew that he had to do something that would perhaps get her into a better mindset.

"Where's your mind at, Hotch?"

He looked up to see that Dave was watching him intently, a thoughtful look on his face. "I was trying to think of something that might help pull Erin out of this funk that she's fallen into after having her bedrest extended by two weeks. I think she's becoming a little depressed, and I want to find a way to put the smile back on her lips. And I know, this is a huge change for her, because she's always been so busy up until now."

Dave nodded thoughtfully as he stroked his goatee, humming lightly beneath his breath. "What have you done to prepare for the baby?" he finally asked.

"Not too much, since we've just passed out of the window of highest risk. I think that we were both holding our breaths to make certain this pregnancy would stick."

Another nod before Dave adjusted how he was sitting, turning to focus completely on Aaron. "Well, something that might make her happier would be to start getting a few things for the baby. Have you chosen a room for the nursery?"

"Yes. We're turning the room next to our bedroom into the nursery for her. And before you say it, no, we don't know for certain that Erin is having a girl. We're just going with what her intuition is telling her. Which could be interesting in a few more weeks when we're able to find out the sex of our baby."

"Erin has always been good at knowing things, so I would have no doubt that you're having a little girl if that's what her heart is telling her. So, since you have a nursery in mind for her, I think that you should do a bit of shopping today. Head out an hour or two early and head to a baby store, pick out a crib, a cradle, and a rocking chair."

"Why those three things?" he asked as he leaned forward to look at his best friend intently.

"Because they'll provide a place for your daughter to sleep, and a place for Erin to cuddle her close to her heart and sing lullabies to her before she falls asleep. You need to give Erin hope that there is a brighter, better, future ahead of you all and that there is something that she needs to build on. With that first small step, you can hopefully get her to see that all the sacrifices will be worth it in the end, when she's holding your daughter."

Aaron nodded thoughtfully as he smiled at his best friend. "I think that you have a good point there."

"Thanks. That's what I did for Penelope, and it seemed to make a huge difference. Here, I'll even give you the name of the shop that I went to. It might be a little pricey, but use my name, and you should be able to get a good discount." Dave picked up a sheet of paper and hurriedly scrawled out a name and address for Aaron, handing it over with a flourish. "Now, get out of here and start building that future that Erin needs to see to start pulling herself out of this funk."

He gave a decisive nod and pushed away from his desk, slipping the piece of paper into his pocket before picking up his briefcase and letting out a short huff of breath. "I will call you later to let you know if this was a good idea or not. And Erin will probably call Penelope one way or the other as well."

"Would you expect anything less from our wives?" he asked with a chuckle, and Aaron shook his head. "Exactly. We know each other all too well." Aaron shrugged before striding from the office, letting Carri know that he was heading out for the afternoon and to hold all his calls. She nodded and gave him a sunny smile before he left the office and headed out to his car.

It didn't take too long to find the shop that Dave had written down for him, and he wasn't surprised to see that it was entirely swanky, as befitted a man in Dave's position. Still, Aaron knew that he would find quality pieces inside the store, and Erin was more than worth the extra expense, along with their child. Entering the shop, he breathed in the warm scent of wood, feeling a sense of rightness settle over his body as he walked deeper inside.

"May I help you, sir?"

He looked over to see a woman had approached him, a warm smile on her lips, and gave her a small nod. "I'm here to pick up three things for our baby, things that my best friend said that I needed to help my wife with the fact that she has to be on extended bedrest."

"And what would those three things be?"

"A crib, a cradle, and a rocking chair. Preferably all in the same wood or the same style. I'm afraid that this is all a little out of my wheelhouse."

"I understand completely. Let me show you a few options that we have available."

She led him around the shop, pointing out a few different sets that they had, but nothing really caught his eye until they had reached the very back of the shop and he was looking at a delicate, ornately carved rocking chair. "This is gorgeous."

"It's new, sir. And we do have an entire set of what you need, along with a changing table. I can offer you a good discount on the set, if you get all four pieces."

Somehow, he knew that it was the perfect set for Erin and their baby, and he nodded absently as he stroked the wood of the crib. "I think that I will take them. I'll probably have to have the pieces delivered, since there isn't room in my vehicle to carry all of this home. Though I would like to take at least one piece home today?"

"I'd suggest the cradle. The box that it comes in is small enough to fit in most vehicles. The instructions on how to construct it are included in the box, and are easy enough to follow. Our deliverers will put together the changing table and crib for you upon delivery. Now, let's get you rang up, and then I can have that cradle brought out to your car."

Aaron nodded quietly, feeling like he had been buffaloed into something that he wasn't entirely certain he had agreed to, but he had to admit that the set was entirely gorgeous, and would go well with the current decorating scheme that they had going in the nursery. Without trying to wince or gulp, he handed over his credit card and paid for the nursery set, knowing that it would be worth it, just for Erin's reaction. Once he had signed the receipt, Aaron followed the clerk back to the bedroom set and watched her easily pick up the box containing the cradle. "I can get that."

"I carry boxes like this every day, Mister Hotchner." He nodded, mollified a little, and they went outside to his car, and he opened the trunk for her to set the box inside. "The rest of the pieces will be delivered tomorrow afternoon. Thank you for shopping with us today."

Aaron gave her a small smile before getting behind the wheel of the car and heading home. Jessica was still there when he arrived, and his smile grew, since that meant he could sneak upstairs and assemble the cradle with Erin not noticing until he showed her. Or at least, that was the hope in his heart. As quietly as possible, he snuck into the house, carrying the box upstairs and into their bedroom, since that was where the cradle would reside.

After setting the box on the floor, he snuck back down to the garage and picked up the toolbox, checking to make certain all the things he could possibly need were inside before starting to head back up. He almost made it to the stairs when Jessica appeared at his side, an enigmatic smirk on her lips. "What?" he hissed.

"Secret plans?" He rolled his eyes a little. "Seriously, Aaron you're not as quiet as you think you are. Is everything okay?"

"Tell Erin everything is fine, and in about three hours, you can bring her up to our bedroom and see what I'm doing. I just hope that she likes it, because the rest is coming tomorrow."

Jessica's smile grew as she nodded, leaning in to kiss his cheek gently. "I'm sure, whatever it is, it will be perfect."

Aaron nodded as he continued up the stairs and settled on the floor next to the box. After opening it, the first thing he did was read through the instructions twice. They seemed to be pretty straightforward, and he vaguely remembered assembling Jack's crib, all those years ago, and it sort of looked the same. After settling in to work, he soon found a good rhythm and managed to have the whole thing assembled in the three hours that he had estimated, and was just finishing with the last screw when the bedroom door swung open.

"Aaron?"

Turning at the waist, he looked up into his wife's face and grinned. "I thought that we should start preparing for her arrival? Dave put a bug in my ear about furniture, since he knows that we're working on the nursery, and I hope that you like this?"

She carefully came over to his side and he helped her to take a seat in his lap. Reaching out, she ran her hand along the wood, a tender smile gracing her face when she looked up at him. "This is beautiful. We'll need to get a mattress for this, and a blanket. Oh, this is perfect!"

Leaning up, Erin kissed him deeply, and he chuckled a little against her lips before pulling away and cupping her face with one hand. "I'm glad that you like it, because the rest of the furniture for the nursery comes tomorrow."

"You're perfect," she whispered before hugging him tightly. He hugged her back before helping her to her feet and heading over to the bed, taking a seat next to her as they both looked up at Jessica. "What do you think, Jess?"

"I think that Aaron has wonderful taste in furniture. Now, I'm going to pick Jack up from school, to let you two have a little more time together." They nodded in unison, and as soon as Jessica had left the room, fell back on the bed, and Erin curled up close to his side as she sighed.

"Seriously, darling, thank you." She kissed him once more before letting her head drop onto the pillow as her hand spread out on his chest. Within moments, she was asleep, and Aaron contented himself with watching her sleep, hoping that this small gesture would be enough to start her feeling better about the extended bed rest.