Erin tossed the dish towel over her shoulder and wiped her hands, biting back an aggravated huff at the noise that spilled into the house from the backyard.

Music thumped obnoxiously, filling the house with noise. Every once in a while, someone would laugh, high pitched and loud. While bottles clinked on the stucco patio and the smell of cigars and charcoal smoke hung in the air.

When the team returned, with steaks and sides from the grocery store, they also brought a cooler full of beer and wine coolers, which was better than letting them drink the last of David's scotch, but what was supposed to be a quiet, respectable party had turned into something that Erin didn't expect when she agreed to entertain.

Dave was in the living room, flipping through the sport's channels, with Hotch. She didn't want to come off as a shrew so she stood at the kitchen sink, with Carlo strapped to her chest. "Shh…" she stroked his hair lovingly as he wiggled against her. "Mommy's here…" She stuck the last plate in the dishwasher, closed the door and pressed the button, filling the room with more mechanical noise. The electric kettle on the counter clicked off. Erin pulled two mugs from the cabinet andsat them out the bar, in front of her mother-in-law. She added tea bags and spoonfuls of sugar into the mugs before adding the water.

"Are you okay?" Carmelina asked, wrapping her hands around the mug of tea that Erin pushed towards her. She sat at the counter, after helping Erin clean the kitchen. "I'm so sorry about what happened earlier. I never…" she paused, studying her tea. She stirred it with a spoon and watched the ripples. There was nothing she could say that would make things better. "Erin, I'm…"

"You're what?" Erin pulled up a chair at the bar across from Carmelina, giving her the space necessary to formulate a decent apology. "Are you sorry that you wrote it? Or you're sorry that I found it?"

"Both," Carmelina reached across the black marble countertop and grabbed Erin's hand, begging her to truly hear her. "I shouldn't have written those things, because they weren't true. I was angry-"

"You made that very clear, but I don't understand why you didn't say something to me."

Carmelina took a breath and slowly let it out, she deserved that. "I wish you would have waited for David and I to get back-"

"So do I, but that doesn't change anything. It doesn't make me a bad mother."

"Of course you're not. I'm sorry that I made you feel that way."

The music outside thumped louder, rattling the cups on the countertop. "Dammit!" Erin patted Carlo's back as he squalled against her chest.

"Aren't you going to do anything about the racket happening outside?" Carmelina gave her a look that said, if you don't do it, I will. "You have a new baby, they need to keep the noise down."

Erin shook her head, she should have taken Carlo upstairs hours ago, but she didn't want to be a buzzkill, even though nobody in the house seemed interested in him anymore. She kept one hand underneath Carlo and grabbed a bottle of Coke from the refrigerator for Dave in the other. He would put a stop to it if she asked, if not for her, then for Carlo.

She nearly plowed into Hotch as he walked into the kitchen, two empty beer bottles in his hand, two was his personal stopping point. "Sorry!" He reached out to steady her and dropped his empties into the trash can.

"Is David alive in there?" Erin asked, as Carlo fussed when the music lowered then suddenly reached a dizzying level. Usually, Dave would have said something to the team by now, she peered out the glass door through the corner of her eye as Derek twirled Penelope towards the door, her glasses catching the light. High pitched, giddy laughter floated in the air over the music.

"He asked me to yell at them." Hotch glanced out the glass door that led to the backyard, the members of his team were all half-drunk. Beer bottles laid scattered on the patio, he slid the door open enough to step outside. This was not what he had in mind either. He grabbed the remote off the patio table and pointed it at the stereo; bringing the volume back down to a reasonable level. "Knock it off."

"Loosen up!" J.J. cackled, throwing her head back with a laugh. She took another pull off her beer, "Jesus, Hotch, we're not on the clock. Do you even know how to have a good time?"

"Is there a good time, happening?" Hotch deadpanned, before stepping back into the house. He turned back to Erin and Carmelina, "where's your vacuum?"

"In the laundry room," Erin pointed in that direction, to the room off the kitchen. "Did Dave ask you to do that?"

"No," he pulled out the bag and opened the door that led to the garage, stuffing the bag in the big can. "There's confetti all over the living room. Dave can't do it," Hotch closed the door leading to the garage and washed his hands in the sink. "I'll do it. When does your trash go out?"

Erin checked the calendar on the refrigerator. "Tonight."

"Good, I'll take it to the curb before I leave."

"Do you ever get tired of keeping them in line?" Erin asked.

He smiled, just slightly, gesturing towards the patio, "When that happens, I'll be out of a job."

Carmelina whistled low as Hotch walked out of the kitchen with the vacuum in hand. "Beth is a lucky woman."

Erin nodded, "He's a good egg… a professional pain in my ass, but an overall good person." Erin got up from her seat, the clothes from Dave's go-bag needed to be washed and they'd left their suitcases from the hospital in the laundry room. She ducked inside, Bridget and her five puppies were huddled together comfortably in a large box from Amazon. There were bowls of kibble and water against the wall beside the box. The washing machine and dryer were on the wall across from the box. Erin knelt down and rubbed Bridget's ears. "You guys look very peaceful."

Carlo started to fuss as the music from outside thumped loudly again. She stood up, balancing one hand underneath her baby. Then started the washer and added detergent with the other hand. "I wish Carlo and I had the same privilege." She felt like she'd been run off her feet since the team got back. Dave was doing the best he could to be a good host, but he could barely walk, which left her to take care of the house and everyone in it.

A minute later, the front door opened. "Mom?"

Erin opened the door to the laundry room at the sound of her name. "What are you guys doing home?" Her three children stood in the doorway, sunburnt and miserable.

Cassie, the newly minted 18 year old adult, checked the phone in her hand. "Dad said we had to take the bus from here tomorrow."

"You three look terrible," Erin shook her head, her youngest daughter looked like she'd taken the brunt of it. Her porcelain complexion was bright, painfully red and peeling. "Didn't your dad pack the sunblock for the waterpark?"

Cassie shook her head, "we used it-"

"Then we ran out," Allison winced, shivering as the A/C kicked on, blowing artificial wind on her skin. "Can I see the puppies?" Allison asked.

"Where's Dave?" Paul cut in, before Erin could answer Allison's question.

"He's in the living room, watching Sports Center. You can see the puppies after we've taken care of that sunburn."

"What's going on outside?" Cassie gestured towards the patio door.

"I'm not sure, but I'll handle it in a minute." Erin said, walking back into the laundry room. Usually, she'd make Allison come with her, but with Bridget and the puppies, there just wasn't enough space for more than one person at a time. "Are you hungry? There's ribs and a pile of burgers in the refrigerator."

"I could eat," Paul said. As the girls went into the living room, Carmelina started pulling leftovers from the refrigerator and making plates for the kids.

"Erin?" Dave called out, "Allison needs calamine and I don't know the rules on this one."

"I'm getting it." Erin answered, rifling through the basket of random things on the shelf above the washing machine.

"What?" Dave limped into the kitchen. He turned to Paul, "where's your mother?"

"Laundry Room." Paul answered, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder.

"You guys are old enough to wash your own clothes." Dave said, as the music lowered to a decent volume again. He looked around the spotless kitchen, eyeing the plate on the stove that was wrapped in foil. "Erin? Did you eat?"

"Shit!" Erin shoved the box of random medicines back onto the shelf. The calamine lotion was nowhere to be found. She closed her eyes, patting Carlo's back as he started to fuss. She wanted to take him upstairs and lock the door, but that wasn't possible at the moment.

She tossed Dave's empty duffle bag outside the laundry room door, out of her way.

"No, I didn't eat." Erin said, "but I will. Get off that leg," she called out.

"She's washing your clothes." Carmelina said, throwing a stern look toward the patio,"If you're looking for someone to yell at, you can start with the people outside!"

"You're mother's right, Dave." Erin said, walking back into the kitchen. "I'm not asking you to kill the party, but they need to bring the noise level down to a decent level and keep it there."

"What's the problem outside?" He stuck his head out the door, "can you guys keep it down, please? We're about to put the baby to bed."

"Sure, Rossi." Derek held up his beer in a toasting gesture, "no problem."

Dave slid the door closed, "Derek's going to make sure the music stays down."

"Derek only has so much control," Erin said, then turned her attention back to her children. "Take your plates upstairs, you can eat in your rooms tonight. I'll come up in a few minutes." She didn't trust that the party outside would stay under control and she wanted her children out of the way when it went south.

"Try vinegar for the sunburn," Carmelina ducked under the kitchen sink and pulled out a large spray bottle and a roll of paper towels, "it takes the sting out."

A minute later, the music outside blared, then lowered. As if someone with half a brain and a handful of consideration, for the people inside the house, were trying to keep things under control. Then the music thumped again, this time at full volume.

Fed up, Erin stalked outside with Carlo still strapped to her chest. "I think it's time to wrap this up," she looked around at the people on the patio. Penelope Garcia was dozing drunkenly in a folding chair, Spencer Reid looked embarrassed, as he fumbled with the remote to bring the volume back down. Derek Morgan was trying to keep everyone in line, closest to the door, while Jenifer Jareau was the source of all the trouble. She leaned back in her chair, next to a cooler. A smug grin spread across her face, her eyes were bright with drunken bravado. Erin addressed the group, "my kids just got home and they have school in the morning. Everyone needs to leave."

J.J. stumbled over to the stereo and cranked the volume up as high as it would go. Erin covered Carlo's ears with her hands. Furious, and with Carlo screaming in her ear, Erin walked over to the stereo and yanked the cord from the wall, plunging the patio into deafening silence. "I'm not asking you to leave," she demanded, glaring daggers at Agent Jareau. Last Erin knew, David didn't even invite her, she just showed up and nobody asked her to leave. "Get out of my house."

"Lighten up, Strauss," J.J. slurred, bending over the cooler and scooping ice into a red solo cup. "You wouldn't know a good time if it smacked you in the face."

"Well," Erin kept her tone deliberately calm. She moved to cross her arms over her chest but held Carlo tighter against her body instead. "Do you need me to call someone for you? A cab? Would you like me to call Will?" Then her mind flashed to Henry, Agent Jareau couldn't hold her liquor and the little boy didn't need to see his mother like that. She thought about offering her the couch, but thought better of it.

J.J. took a long pull off her beer bottle and poured the rest into the cup. Then, flung it. On instinct, Erin stepped back, blocking Carlo with her body, leaving Derek in the splash zone. Ice and beer soaked the front of his chest. He sucked in a breath, shocked and cold, "What the fuck, J.J?"

"J.J!" The group yelled, all equally horrified with her sudden outburst.

"Get up!" Derek demanded, he grabbed her arm, gently but firmly. "You're leaving, right now!"

"Derek-" J.J. paled, with no excuses. She yanked out of his grip, "Let go of me!" He did, regretfully.

Erin was fuming, her eyes locked with Morgan's, they both knew that beer was meant for her.

"Do I need to call her a cab?" Erin held her cool, but just barely.

"I'll get her home, Strauss. Take the baby inside and we'll get out of here. I'll come back in the morning and take care of the cleanup." Derek promised once the wildness in J.J.'s eyes had calmed, he stepped away from them.

"Thank you, Derek," Erin said, sliding the door open. Carmelina and the kids stood at the counter, watching through the glass. Everyone expected Erin to react, but she didn't.

Reid once profiled J.J. as a mean-girl, maybe he was right? She was angry, bitterness and jealousy fueled her drinking, she would blame the alcohol on what happened next. "Begone, witch, you have no power here." Diving forward for the whiskey glass on the pavement, the nub of a cigar bobbing in the amber liquid as J.J. seized the glass with numb fingers.

Erin turned, shielding Carlo with her body but it was too late. The glass shattered on the patio, Erin's back dripped with whiskey and God only knew what else was in that glass.

"The big strong men of the BAU can't help you now," J.J. goaded her. "Now run and tell Rossi, go on!"

Erin was fuming, her blood boiled as she stalked inside and slid the door closed. "Get upstairs with your sisters," she barked, pointing towards the staircase.

"Aren't you going to do something?" Paul shouted, "She threw booze on my little brother!" Paul's fists were clenched at his sides.

"It didn't hit him," Erin took Carlo out of the carrier and passed him to Carmelina. "I turned. Now, go!"

"You can't let her get away with this, Mom."

"Upstairs," Erin spoke with clenched teeth. "Paul Micheal Strauss. Now."

"David Stephen!" Carmelina demanded, her voice shaking with rage,"Get in here and you take care of this." Her Italian accent went thicker as she spoke, "You get rid of that horrible woman, David, right now!"

"Who?" Dave hurried into the kitchen, limping his way into the room. "What the hell happened?"

"That skinny blonde bitch threw booze on my brother!" Paul said, throwing an accusing hand towards the glass door.

Dave, who was a writer long before he was a parent, said, "Nice alliteration, what the hell happened here?"

"Watch your language, Paul Micheal." Erin said sternly. "I walked outside and asked them to turn it down and as I was coming back, she tossed a cup in my direction."

"J.J, did that?" Dave's eyes were wide with shock, but the wet stains on Erin's back were proof.

Erin nodded, pointing an accusing hand towards the backyard. Her voice rising as she spoke, "She's drunk and belligerent. I'm fine and it didn't hit Carlo, just get her ass out of my house and away from my children."

"Are you alright?" Dave put his hand on his shoulder.

"Not really," her voice rose again, "I'm exhausted, I'm hungry. I've spent the last three hours cleaning up after a bunch of people who couldn't give a damn about me or my family. They're treating your home like a flop-house and now when I try to stop it, I get to stink like whiskey." Her voice cracked on the last word, all she wanted was a hot meal and to enjoy her new baby on his first day home. She tried to be kind and diplomatic and all it got her was a headache and a screaming infant. "David. I'm done."

"Okay," he took her hand and pulled her forward, kissing her forehead. "I'll handle this."

As he thought about it, Dave's eyes went dark with sudden rage and betrayal. J.J.'s distrust and resentment towards Erin, was uncalled for. The longer he thought about it, the more he realized that she was right. He expected better from his friends.

"Go change." Carmelina directed, rocking Carlo in her arms. "I'll feed him a bottle."

Erin wrinkled her nose. She hated the smell of stale alcohol and how it permeated everything it came in contact with. It made her think of her father and the early years of her childhood, the things she worked hard to block out. She paused, halfway up the staircase with her hand on the railing, listening to Dave. She couldn't make out exactly what was being said, but certain phrases stuck out. 'Disrespect, my family, in our home.' She never thought she would be the kind of woman who wanted or needed a knight in shining armor, but now that she had one… she liked it. Hearing him defending her to the people he was closest to, it lit a fire in her belly. Now, she knew that their family would always come first, before the BAU, before the members of the team. Dave would choose their home and family first. If she ever gave him the choice, but she never would.

Once she was sure that Carmelina, Paul and Carlo were upstairs, she turned around on the staircase. She considered going out there and telling David not to be too hard on them, they were just having fun and all that other crap. Then decided, screw that, she'd had enough diplomacy for one day. He could handle himself. She turned around and walked upstairs, meeting Carmelina on the landing after she fed Carlo. Erin took Carlo back, dabbed vinegar on Allison, kissed the kids goodnight before finally going to her own room, while Dave was still outside, yelling. To the team's credit, it sounded like they were sitting back and taking the tongue lashing.

Erin pulled the cotton dress over her head, doused it in stainlifter to kill the smell and tossed it in the hamper before pulling on a pair of Dave's silk pajama pants and a tank top. Then she lifted Carlo out of the bassinet, Carmelina had fed him a bottle in the nursery. "Your daddy loves you so much." She said, as Dave's voice practically rattled the windows. "Do you hear him?" She asked, laying Carlo across her lap, with her back against the headboard. Aside from Dave's voice in the distance, the house was calm and so was Carlo. She lifted his knees, gently bending them towards his chest, until he broke wind. "Your daddy won't let anything bad happen to you, ever again," she promised, stripping him down to his diaper. She laid him across her chest and pulled the comforter up and over her legs. "I'm so glad you're finally here," she told him, running her index finger down his nose, a sleepy grin twisted across his face, her heart was full. Erin kept talking, just to fill the space in the empty room. Carlo was the perfect audience, he laid on her chest, nursing contently. His soft baby grunts added to the conversation at random intervals.

Dave walked into the house, sliding the door to the patio closed. The team had finally left, so he set the alarm and locked the doors. Will had come to pick up J.J. and they were on their way back to D.C. By the time he arrived, she had sobered up enough to realize what she'd done, but nobody was in the right headspace to apologize. He checked on Bridget and the puppies, then walked back into the kitchen. Erin's plate was still on the stove, covered in foil. He uncovered it, tossed the foil in the trash and warmed the steak in the microwave, then took it off the plate and cut it into bite sized pieces and put the plate on a tray, with a cup of ice water and limped his happy ass up the stairs to be with his family.