You need to get to the bullpen. Now.
Erin frowned at the text that popped up on her screen, suddenly grateful that Jessica had agreed to pick up Elise and watch her and Jack so that she could work late, as she had had to catch up on a backlog of paperwork while Alpha was in Boston, dealing with the Reaper. But they had caught him, and he was in jail, awaiting arraignment, so she didn't know what the emergency was. Letting out a deep sigh, she shoved herself away from the desk and stalked out of the office, wishing that Helen had stayed late, too, as she was always so good at getting Erin to at least wear a tiny smile when she was feeling off.
There weren't too many people still in the bullpen, so she was able to see where Alpha was gathered around Agent Prentiss' desk, and she hesitantly came up to David's side, wrapping her arm around his waist as she looked up at the television screen that everyone was watching intently. A soft gasp slipped out of her lips when she saw the headline there. Glancing up into her fiancé's face, she saw the tight, drawn, look there and knew that this was very bad. "You're going to catch him, right?" Penelope asked as she looked at each of them in turn. "He can't just disappear again."
"He can do just that, Kitten. He stayed under the radar for so many years, feeding off the fact that he had Shaunessy by the balls. This will be like that, only on speed. And there's nothing we can do until he starts to taunt Hotch."
She tightened her grip on David's waist as she watched the blood drain from Aaron's face before he stalked away from them, making his way up to his office. The only indication that she had to his mood was the fact that his door closed so quietly that no one could hear it above the normal din of the bullpen. From that one move alone, Erin knew that he was holding on to his emotions with every fibre of his soul so as not to react in front of his team. Penelope looked at them, her eyes wounded and hurting, and Erin gave her a tiny, pinched, smile. "And there's nothing we can do?" she asked plaintively, and Erin sighed as she waited to take her cue from David, since he was more familiar with the case than she was.
"When he had everything planned down to which prison he'd be taken to while awaiting arraignment, I think that it's safe to say we're going to have to wait on him. I don't like the idea any more than you do, but beyond keeping tabs on his name, I don't think that there's anything else we can do but wait, and chase down all the other bad guys out there. Hotch kept working on the profile of the Reaper, even when he knew that it was a fruitless endeavor. I think that we can also do much the same, don't you?"
Erin watched them all nod solemnly, and she rested her head on his chest when their eyes turned to her, narrowing a little. Taking a deep breath through her nose, Erin lifted her chin a little, making certain that she was wearing a cool, appraising, look as she turned her face from them and looked up at Aaron's office, seeing the light burning steadily there. "I'll go up and check on him, ma'am," Penelope murmured, stepping away from the group to climb the stairs and knock on his door before stepping inside.
"I need to make a note of what's happened for the Director, David. We'll need to leave soon, so that we can pick up Elise from the sitter, since Alan has the children this weekend." Patting his chest a little, Erin turned and left the bullpen, making keep her steps even and measured, knowing that she was employing the same tactic that Aaron had just moments ago used, and rolling her eyes a little as she entered her office once more.
Hearing footsteps behind her, Erin anticipated David joining her, her shoulders relaxing as she let her guard down and instinctively began to lean back, only to feel a distinctly not David form behind her. Whirling around, she gasped to find Agent Prentiss there, staring at her with a flat look on her face. "I should have announced myself, I'm sorry."
"Quite. What can I do for you, Agent Prentiss?"
The woman took a deep breath as she darted her eyes away from Erin to look at the bonsai tree on her coffee table. "I, I've heard rumors in the bullpen about your youngest child. And while I don't like playing politics and participating in mean gossip, I think that if the rumors have any small bit of truth to them, then you need to make certain that you're taking the proper precautions. Foyet is a real piece of work, and clearly far more devious than we thought him to be."
Erin nodded firmly, knowing that the woman was speaking out of concern for her child. "Thank you for that, Agent Prentiss. I will keep that in mind."
"And she has me, Emily. I won't allow anyone to harm my family. Anyone." Erin shivered a little at the cold tone in her fiancé's voice, knowing that he was subtly threatening Emily, and the other woman understood that as she shot Erin a frustrated look before letting out a huff of breath. "Now, if you don't mind, I've come to collect my fiancée so that we can pick up Elise. I'll see you on Monday."
Erin watched as he guided Emily from her office, using that time to save the file she was working on before packing up her bag and joining David, taking hold of his hand and threading their fingers together as she let out a long breath. "She was trying to be kind, in her own way. I know that she can't stand me, because of how I maneuvered her into this position, and while I can't blame her, I still try to be kind."
"I know, stellina. This case just took so much out of all of us, and I reacted a little more harshly than I probably should have. Who's watching Elise?"
"Jessica. Well, probably her and Haley, since I think that she's spending a lot of time over at the Hotchner house." He nodded before kissing her temple lightly. "I just feel like I have to have her spend time with Jack, even if they won't know the full truth of their relationship until they're old enough to understand. And maybe I should have told the truth from the very beginning, since that would have made this whole thing that much easier."
"Hindsight is always perfect, Erin. While we can't know for certain what would have happened, if we had told Aaron about Elise straight off, I do know that I wouldn't change a moment with you." Erin's heart melted a little as she nodded, allowing David to lead her over the elevator. "Because I love you, and I know that we wouldn't have this love if anything had been different." She nodded as she allowed him to kiss her temple softly before they stepped into the elevator, the first feelings of unease starting to tug at her brain as she thought about Emily's words and how she would protect her family, if it came to that.