Erin felt her stomach twist up into knots as she arrived in the office the morning following Agent Jareau's transfer to the State Department. She had deliberately worked late in an attempt to perhaps see her before she left, to let her know that they were both caught up by the cogs that controlled the government machine. Still, she had been so absorbed in the busywork of organizing her files that she had missed the moment when she had dropped off her exit interview. She had read it on the way home, while David drove, and what the younger woman had written on the pages tore at Erin's heart. But now, she was back in the office and feeling like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Helen gave her an encouraging smile as she strode past her desk, and Erin nodded in return as she made her way into her inner office.
Letting out a long breath, she shrugged out of her coat before hanging it on the tree. Then Erin went over to her coffee maker and started a fresh pot, knowing that she would need the caffeine to keep her going that morning, as her sleep had been so troubled, to the point where she had finally curled up on the sofa so as not to disturb David with her tossing and turning. Rubbing her temple absently, Erin thought that she heard commotion coming from the outer office and turned to look at the door as it suddenly burst open. "You can't just barge in, Agent Prentiss! You need to be announced!" Helen cried out as Emily burst through the door, anger radiating off her body in waves as she slammed the door shut in Helen's face as she glared at Erin.
"Good morning, Agent Prentiss," she said evenly as the woman approached her, never losing the angry look on her face as she stopped directly in front of her. Erin made certain that she didn't flinch as Emily brought up her hand, only to poke her shoulder with one sharp finger. "What can I do for you this morning?"
"Is that really all you have to say for yourself, Chief Strauss? What can you do for me? For starters, you can call your contact at the State Department and get JJ back. Now!"
She shook her head sadly as she brushed past Emily to head for her desk, needing the safety of a buffer zone between them if they were to continue this discussion. Emily seemed to have other ideas, though, as she reached out and grabbed hold of Erin's wrist and tugged her around to look at her once more. "Kindly remove your hand from my wrist, Agent Prentiss. I would hate to get Agent Hotchner involved in this, but if you continue to make poor choices, then I am afraid that will have to be the answer." She kept her voice deliberately even, not wanting to exacerbate the situation further.
Emily tightened her grip for a few seconds before releasing her wrist, and Erin straightened her spine as straight as it would go before finishing the walk to her desk and indicating for Emily to take a seat in front of the desk. "I just cannot believe, after everything Rossi has tried to tell us about you, about how kind you are, how much you love your children, that you would do this to us! We were a family, and should never have been broken apart! But you are so good at destroying families, aren't you?"
Erin rapidly blinked as she fought to keep the tears inside her eyes, unwilling to be weak in front of Emily, knowing that she wouldn't understand why Erin was upset. "There are things from my past that I am not proud of, but I take comfort in knowing that David loves me. Now, I think that it is time for you to get to work, as we both have a lot to accomplish today." She held Emily's eye until the woman blinked first, glancing down into her lap before setting to her feet and leaving the room without a backwards glance.
As soon as her office door was closed, Erin buried her face in her hands and took a few shaky breaths, finding that her headache was fast turning into a migraine. Getting to her feet, she struggled to put on her coat before stepping back into the outer office, giving Helen a pained look. "Would you tell David that he has to catch a ride home with Aaron this evening, if the team doesn't go out on a case? I'm suddenly finding myself unwell."
Helen nodded in sympathy. "I tried to stop Agent Prentiss."
"I know you did, and I'm grateful for that. But her visit just made a lingering headache all the worse. There's fresh coffee brewing in my office that you're more than welcome to drink, I would hate for it to go to waste. If anything truly important comes my way, feel free to call my cellphone, all right?"
"Of course. Feel better."
She gave her a tight smile as she left the office and made her way over to the stairwell, keeping her steps quicky and light as she made her way to the ground floor and then out into the parking lot. She was barely away from the building when her phone rang, and she answered without thinking. "Hello, David."
"Stellina! Helen told me that you have a headache?"
"Yes, and I'm going to head over to Jessica's to take a short nap with Catherine before heading home for the day. Sometimes, things just get to be too much. I'll see you when you get home, and I love you."
"I love you, too, Erin. And it will be okay, with time. The team just needs a little bit of space to adjust to the new normal."
"I pray to God that you're right, David." After ending the call, she dropped the phone into her center console before continuing the drive to Jessica's place. While Elise and Jack would already be at school, she took comfort in the fact that she'd at least get to hold her baby shortly. To her surprise, Jessica met her at the door, tugging her gently inside before taking her coat and purse.
"Aaron called a few minutes ago to give me the head's up. Catherine's actually asleep right now, but if you want to head up to my room and stretch out on the bed, I'll bring her to you." Erin nodded as she promptly burst into tears, Jessica hugging her tight to her chest as she rubbed her back. "Hey, it will be all right. They'll soon understand that you only have so much control."
Erin nodded and sighed, clinging to Jessica as she tried to get control of her emotions. "I did not come here to bleed all over you."
"I know, but sometimes you just need the shoulder of a sort of sister to cry on. Come on, I'll take you up." Jessica slung her arm around Erin's waist, guiding her through the apartment until they were in the bedroom. "Do you want to talk a little before I get Catherine?"
"I don't talk."
"Neither does Aaron, but I still needle him until he opens up to me. I know that you have Dave, but I'm an impartial ear." The patient, loving, smile on Jessica's lips told Erin that she would brook no further argument, and she nodded slowly as she toed off her shoes and then stretched out on the bed, Jessica sitting at her side. "Well?"
"I just feel like I've made a series of missteps since Haley died, and in the process have acquired more and more enmity from the team. I still hope that Penelope doesn't think badly of me for allowing her best friend to be taken from them. I just wish that we could stop losing for a little while?"
"I totally understand that feeling, Erin." Jessica rubbed her arm tenderly, and for just a moment she wondered if the woman was thinking about Haley as she comforted Erin. "Try to sleep now, and I'll go get Catherine." Erin nodded, her eyes almost instantly closing. The last thing she was aware of, Jessica was caressing her cheek delicately before leaving the room as she slipped off to sleep.