Erin stared at the pregnancy tests in her hands, not really believing what they were telling her. She was three years older than she had been when she had ended up pregnant with Elise. She had thought that she was entering menopause, since her periods had been so spotty. And while she knew that David would support her no matter what, she wasn't entirely certain that she was ready for another high-risk pregnancy. Taking a deep breath, Erin flushed the toilet and slipped out of the stall, heading over to the sink and dropping the tests into her pocket before washing her hands and taking a look at her reflection. There was no way that she could tell David this news now, not when the team was so desperately searching for the person who had released anthrax into the city.

Shaking her head a little, Erin took one last look at her reflection before heading back to her office, needing a few moments to regroup before she went and touched base with Aaron to see where the team was on the case. She also knew that she would have to brave the horde that had descended upon the bullpen once it was confirmed that they were dealing with anthrax, and that unsettled her stomach even more. Helen caught her eye as she entered her office, and she went to shake her head only for her assistant to frown. "What?"

"Agent Hotchner is in your office, waiting for you, ma'am. He seems frustrated."

Erin nodded as she unconsciously touched her torso. "I understand that feeling well. I'm pretty frustrated with this case, too, and my inability to call and check in on my children. At least I know that Elise is safe, since she's here." She let out a deep breath. "There's also something that I need to talk with you about, when I'm finished with Aaron."

Helen nodded, giving her a tremulous smile that Erin returned before making her way into the inner office. Aaron was standing by her desk, looking at the family pictures that she had carefully lining her desk, reminding her of why she continued to do the job she did. "Helen said that you had come to see me, Aaron. Is everything going well with the case?"

He looked up at her and gave her a curt nod. "It is, I just…I want to call home and see how Haley and Jack are doing. Just like JJ wants to call Henry, and you probably want to call your children. At least…"

"At least we know that Elise is all right."

Aaron nodded as he came over to her side, resting his hand on her shoulder as they looked at each other. For some reason, Erin felt like she was going to cry, and she looked away from him as she let out a shaky breath. "Do you think that we could go and see her? I just need to see that one of my children is all right."

Erin glanced at her watch, seeing that it was just after nap time, and then back up at Aaron. "That would be fine. I sort of need to hold my little girl close to my heart right now." He nodded a little before hurriedly leaning in and giving her the briefest hug she had ever experienced, as if he didn't want anyone to accidentally see a tender moment between the two. Still, she was grateful for touch, since she didn't know when she'd be able to hold David close like that. "All right, let's head down to the daycare."

He nodded as he followed her back out the door, and Erin gave a short smile to Helen before heading for the stairs, knowing that would be the easiest way to avoid the hoopla that was surrounding the bullpen. "The stairs? Really?"

"You run your ass off in the field, Aaron. I need some way to remain healthy. Plus, this way I stand a larger chance of not running into the General. Since I was shut out of this op, I don't want to accidentally tangle with anyone outside our department, since then I might be brought into something that I really don't want to be a part of." He chuckled, and Erin shrugged as she continued her downward descent, finally stopping on the second floor and waiting for him to catch up to her.

His heavy breathing told her that perhaps he wasn't in as good as shape as he thought he was, and she chuckled as she opened the door. "I guess I'll have to take the stairs more often," Aaron said lowly as he came up next to her, and Erin nodded as they finished the short journey to the daycare room.

The worker at the front desk smiled as he gave them visitor stickers, and Erin wrote her name on hers before placing it on her chest and stepping behind the desk, Aaron close behind her. "Unka Aaron!"

She looked to see their daughter get up and run over to their sides, throwing her arms around his legs before looking up at him expectantly. Aaron was quick to lift Elise up into his arms, and then she was hugging his neck tightly as they went over to the table she had gotten up from. "Have you been coloring, Leelee?" she murmured as she sank to her knees next to the table.

"Uh huh. I'm making a picture for Papa. Will he be home tonight?"

"I hope so, darling. But we just wanted to come down and see you for a little bit. Would you like Uncle Aaron to read a story to you?"

"Yes!" Elise got up from the table and ran over to the book nook, and Erin turned her gaze on Aaron, knowing that she had to tell him now, so that he would know to look out for David in the field on this case.

"Before she comes back, I need you to know. I'm pregnant again, and before you ask, yes, it's David's child. I just found out, before I knew that you were in my office, and now I'm a little more terrified than I would ever admit to anyone but you. You saw what Elise did to me, and I can only imagine that this pregnancy will be harder. Please, take care of him out there, all of you, because I am going to need him by my side for these next nine months."

To her shock, Aaron nodded and took a seat next to her on the floor as Elise ran back up to them, carrying a good number of books. "I'm afraid I'm only going to have time for one story, princess."

Elise started to pout, but Erin shook her head as she pulled her daughter down into her lap. "Uncle Aaron is working a case right now, darling, and so he only can read one with us. I'll stay and read a second before I have to go back to work as well. All right?"

"Fine," Elise said sharply, sounding so much like Erin in that moment that both she and Aaron had to hold in their laughter, though they did both raise their eyebrows at each other as Aaron opened the top book and began to read to Elise, his strong voice soothing Erin immensely as she listened to the story he told.