Erin didn't know why she felt nervous over Jason's return to the BAU, but she was, and even the children had picked up on her anxiousness, giving her extra hugs before they left for school with David. She had already told Helen that she would be running a little late that morning, and her assistant had seemed to know that Jason was the one for her lateness, as she offered to run the cases to Aaron before she arrived. Erin had demurred, knowing that she needed to face both men sooner rather than later, since they were her subordinates.

The drive in to work found her distracted as she tried to think about how she would react to seeing Jason once more. She knew that he had been through more than most agents went through, so she worried about his mental stability more so than she did the rest of Alpha team, since they had been able to bond and heal together, while Jason had been excluded from that healing process. Letting out a deep sigh, she stepped into the elevator and rode up to the sixth floor, trying to center herself as she stepped out of the elevator and into the corridor.

Unfortunately, she also almost immediately bumped into the one person she had been hoping to avoid, and she drew in a sharp breath when the man turned to look at her, his face shuttering instantly into a flat stare as he looked her up and down, one eyebrow quirking upwards when he took in her stomach. Twenty-four weeks saw her looking like she was much further along than she was, which she chalked up to it being her fourth pregnancy. "Hotch didn't lie when he said you were really pregnant, Erin."

"Jason. It's good to have you back with us. And yes, I am heading towards the end of my pregnancy, only fifteen weeks to go, God willing, and then I'll be holding my daughter in my arms. Have you talked to Steven at all while you were off?"

She knew that she was pressing her luck by mentioning his son, and his jaw tightened a little before he answered her. "I was not able to reach him, no. But it was good to spend so much time at my cabin. There is something to be said about the healing power of nature, and only having the birds for your companions. I heard that Dave Rossi is the father of your baby?"

Erin heard that for the jibe that it was, and she drew in a deep breath as she straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin a little. "That is correct. It didn't take you long to catch up on office gossip."

"One has to be on top of these things, Erin. I see that you haven't filled Benjamin's position yet, though we have a new technical analyst."

"Yes, I was leaving that decision up to Aaron, since he made such a brilliant choice to hire Ms. Garcia. You're headed to Seattle after the briefing, aren't you?" He nodded. "I've been hearing rumblings that there's an agent there who would like to join the BAU, so if you have the opportunity to work with her, do so. We can't have an open position for much longer, and I don't want to incur further acrimony with Aaron by just plugging someone in who might not be the best fit."

"It is so good to know that it only took you getting pregnant with a former subordinate's child while still married to your husband for you to start taking our feelings into consideration," he muttered, and she shrank away from him before allowing her jaw to stiffen once more. "If there's nothing else, I need to go be with my team and meet the analyst. Have a good day."

He turned and left her presence, and Erin allowed her nostrils to flare a little at the way he had just dismissed her. She knew that she shouldn't allow that to get beneath her skin, but it did. She knew that he still didn't respect her for the sheer fact that she had managed to rise to the role of section chief even after the minor scandal that had been attached to her name during the Amerithrax case. Still, she wouldn't allow his petty sexism to truly dampen her spirits, since she knew that it was going to be a good day. Heading to her office, she was surprised to see that Aaron was in there already, talking to Helen, and she squared her shoulders as went inside.

"Can I help you, Agent Hotchner?" she asked as she went over to Helen's desk, taking the smoothie that her assistant held out to her.

"I was just leaving her a message for you. You're cutting it close this morning."

"Yes, well, a late bout with morning sickness led to a change of clothes." He nodded sharply at that, and she gave him a brittle smile before taking a sip of the smoothie, finding the taste of strawberries very welcome that morning. "Now, what did you need to tell me?"

"I was wondering if you had the files for the Seattle case. I want to head out as soon as possible."

"Yes, give me two seconds." She went over to her door, unlocking it awkwardly as she fumbled with the keys and her drink. Finally, she got it open and they stepped inside. Erin went right over to her desk, setting everything on top of it before rummaging through her attaché case and pulling out the files he would need for the case. "Here you go."

Aaron took them from her hands and then looked down at her baby bump. "Haley doesn't look nearly as large as you do, and yet her doctor has ordered her on full bedrest. Are you certain that everything is okay?"

She took a deep breath before drinking more of her smoothie. "I am being well taken care of by David, and he is making certain that I follow every mandate that Doctor Brunner gives me. Thank you for asking." She touched her baby bump and took a deep breath. "We found out that we're having a little girl, but we still haven't decided on a name for her yet. I think that that is going to wait until I'm holding her for the first time, as I don't want to tempt Fate by naming her before she's here."

"Haley has insisted on making a short list of names for him. Or rather, she's been buying baby name books up the wazoo, and scouring through them for the perfect name. It's hard to tell her that all the ones she likes so far happen to be the names of unsubs that I've taken into custody."

"That's the better part of having a girl. There aren't that many bad names to worry about. Thank God I don't like Aileen or Susan." He gave her a small nod before reaching out and touching her shoulder lightly. "But, I should let you know that I don't take kindly to having rumors spread about me around the bullpen. Jason already knows about the fact that I'm living with David, and that he's the father of this baby. I've already been found lacking in his sight. You are the SAC, keep him in line, so that I don't have to."

Aaron's hand squeezed the ball of her shoulder tightly as he nodded sharply. "I will make a note of that, Erin. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a briefing to run, and I'll touch base with you when we're home from Seattle." She nodded and watched him go, wondering what she was going to do next with him.