Erin absently picked at an invisible piece of lint on Elise's christening gown. She didn't know why she was so nervous about this, but there was a sense of unease about that morning, even though there was no one who could possibly interrupt this ceremony. The only people she had told from work were Penelope and Helen, since they had both insisted that they wanted to know and be there to support her and Elise, and she knew that neither would say anything, especially since she had impressed upon Penelope that no one else was to know about the christening.

Taking a deep breath, she cradled Elise closer to her chest as she waited for the service to come to an end, knowing that there would still be a fifteen minute wait for the rest of the congregants to leave before their ceremony would start. Finally, it was time to receive the final blessing, and she stood with David and her children to repeat the now familiar words. As everyone filed out of the sanctuary, she sat back down and discreetly covered her chest in order to feed Elise, who had started to get fussy. "Do you think that she'll be finished in time for the christening to start?" Tabitha asked as she plopped down next to them, resting her head on Erin's shoulder as she played with the fabric of her skirt.

"That is the hope, especially since she usually only eats for ten minutes at a time." Erin leaned her head to rest against Tabitha's as she rubbed Elise's back in gentle circles. "I know that this is supposed to be your father's week with you, so I'm glad that he relented to have you join us, since this was the only date that would work with the priest."

"Karen told Dad that it was important that we be here for our sister. Even if he doesn't like to be reminded of her existence." Erin sighed as she nodded, wishing that she had been able to better smooth things over with Alan. He had seemed so calm when announcing their divorce, but it was clear that there were more issues than what he had let on, from the way that things had so quickly deteriorated between them. "But we're trying to get him to come around, slowly and surely. Karen says that's the way to go about things, since it's easier to get your way with small deeds."

"Your sister is very smart," Erin murmured as Elise let go of her nipple. Righting her clothing once more, Erin removed her from beneath the cloth before settling her baby onto her shoulder and burping her, smiling a little at the delicate belch she let out. It seemed that everything about this baby she and Aaron had created was delicate and ladylike, and that made her love Elise all the fiercer. She just wished that her hair had lightened after her birth, rather than darkening to a brunette so deep it was almost black, just like Aaron's hair. But she had Erin's eyes and facial features, which was enough to help lend credence to the idea that David was her biological father.

"All right, Erin, if you want to follow me up to the front, it looks like everyone's cleared out." She looked up into David's face and gave him a small nod as she whisked the cloth across Elise's face, removing the remaining traces of milk before getting to her feet and following him down the aisle, the children and their guests following close behind. "She fits into that christening gown so well. I still wish we knew who gave it to us, so that we could thank them."

"I do, too," she murmured as she gazed down into Elise's face. There was something so lovely about having her there, close to her heart, and she loathed the fact that she would have to return to work in three weeks, since that was when her maternity leave ran out. "I want to stay with her forever, but I know that I have to get back to work."

"I know, but that was why I convinced my agent to let me push back the book tour for a few months. That way, we don't have to put her in daycare right away. Or hire a nanny."

"I never had a nanny for the older kids, I don't want to have one now," she replied hotly, listening to Penelope and Helen chuckle behind them. Turning her head to give them a look, her attention was caught by a blonde figure in the back of the church. She frowned as she tried to focus on the face of the woman, only to gasp a little when she recognized her as Haley Hotchner. "Here, David, hold Elise for a moment." She delicately pushed her baby into his arms before taking hold of Penelope's upper arm and roughly pulling her over to the side of the dais.

"What's wrong, ma'am?" she asked, giving her a hurt, confused, look.

"I thought I made you promise not to tell anyone about the christening," Erin hissed as she stared into Penelope's eyes. They were quickly swimming with tears, which was the last thing she wanted, but she didn't know if she could dial back her ire in that moment. "I wanted this to be a private affair between my family and the few friends that I asked to be here."

"I didn't say a word, I promise!"

"Then why is Haley Hotchner here?"

Penelope glanced back to look at the woman and shook her head. "I swear to God, Erin, I did not tell a soul. I knew how much this privacy meant to you."

"Mom, she's right, she didn't tell anyone. I did. A nice lady called the other day while you were napping with Elise, and asked if the christening had happened yet. I thought it was one of your work friends, so I thought nothing about telling her that it was happening today. Don't be mad at Penelope, it's not her fault."

Her shoulders sagged as she nodded, ruffling Karen's hair lightly before turning her eyes back to Penelope. "I'm so sorry, Penelope. I'm just a little jumpy about certain things still, even after all these months."

"It's all right, Erin. I get it, I wasn't the most tight lipped when we first met, so it is hard to trust me. Though I wouldn't say no to a hug as a way to cement that apology?"

Erin let out a little laugh through her nose as she nodded, allowing the younger woman to pull her into a tight embrace before leading her back to David's side. She knew that she would have to explain why she had reacted so strongly to Karen, probably as soon as they were home, but she would worry about that when it came, knowing that she had to focus on the christening ceremony. David gave her a quizzical look, and she shook her head a little as she took Elise back from his arms and cuddled her close to her chest as she allowed him to slip his arm around her waist to hold her against his chest. "Is everything all right?" he whispered in her ear, and she gave him a sharp nod.

"It will be, I just overreacted to something that I shouldn't have. And I can't even blame the hormones on this one, since I'm not pregnant. I'll tell you more once we're home." He kissed the side of her head as his hand squeezed her side, and Erin let out a soft sigh as she watched the priest approach them, knowing that this moment would live on in her heart forever.