Erin and Jessica had ended up talking about things Erin hadn't spoken about to anyone in a long time until all her children were home. She was about to send Jessica up to sleep when their cellphones rang. Frowning, Erin answered hers, seeing that David was calling her, and she tried not to listen to Jessica's conversation as she spoke. "David? Is Aaron calling Jessica just now?"

"Yeah, Emily's gone missing, and we're spending the night working here. Things went south pretty quickly, and I don't know when we're going to get caught up with the workload and figuring out how Emily is involved with this current case. I wish that we were home, so that I could go with you to the stable tomorrow."

"Don't worry about that, this is more important. I wish I wasn't right about Emily, but please try to find her and reel her in before she gets herself hurt. We both know that she's as stubborn as I am."

David chuckled a little at that statement. "No, you, stubborn? Oh, my Erin, you are the most biddable woman I've ever encountered."

"I can hear that sarcasm, David, and I want you to know that it is not appreciated."

"I'm sorry, Erin, I'm just trying to not worry."

She nodded as she wrapped an arm around her waist, letting out a deep sigh as she stared out the darkened window. "I get that, darling. Stay safe, and give me updates when you can. If you need to sleep, there's always the bed in the bunker, and Agent Seaver is free to use the sofa in my office, if need be. And make certain that you call a food order in, and bill it to the department. Okay?"

"Yes. I love you, Erin."

"I love you, too, David. I'll talk to you soon, hopefully."

The call disconnected and she turned to look at Jessica, seeing that she was wrapping up her own conversation with Aaron. "Well, it looks like you were right to be concerned about Emily. Did Dave tell you that they're planning to work through the night?"

"Yes. I'm glad that Emily has such a good group of people behind her, but I still worry about her. About the danger that the others could be in as a result of her running away. And…"

"There's more?"

She nodded. "I think she's in a trouble far greater than what David and Aaron know about, based on what she told me. I know that she didn't tell me much, but it was enough to worry me. I just hope that everything turns out well, because she is such a vital part of the team. I didn't want to admit that, since we haven't been on the best of terms since the truth came out about Elise, but despite her attitude towards me, she is good for the others. I would hate to see her not be a part of us any longer."

"It's that serious?"

Erin shrugged a little as she pulled her legs up to her chest and let out a long sigh. "I wish that I knew for certain, but other than my gut feeling, I can't say how serious it truly is. I should probably get to sleep, but I feel so keyed up that I'm not certain I can get to sleep."

"I know how you feel, because I get this same way when Aaron calls and tells me that plans have changed. I know that we are both thoroughly out of our teenage years, but do you want to head up to one of the bedrooms and talk ourselves to sleep?"

"That sounds like one of the best ideas I've heard in a long time," Erin replied as she stretched out her body and got up from the sofa. "We'll curl up in my room, since we have the California king bed, and I am too used to sleeping there."

Jessica giggled as she nodded, easily popping to her feet. "I suppose that I could say yes to that, since comfort sounds really good right about now. Do you want to bring up any snacks or anything to drink?"

She shook her head as she grabbed her phone, sticking it into her pocket before heading to the stairs. "Feel free to grab something for yourself, but I don't think I'll be able to eat anything until I know more about what's going on."

Jessica gave her a small smile before nodding. "All right, I'll be up in a few minutes, then, since I do want to snack on something to keep my mind off what might be happening. Though I'll bring up a little extra, just in case you change your mind."

Erin chuckled as she started up the stairs, suddenly knowing a little more what dynamic Jessica and Haley had shared. And a part of her was happy to know that the woman felt so comfortable with Erin that the sisterly teasing came so naturally to her, since it felt like some of their mutual grief over losing Haley was lessening a little at last. Before making her way into the master bedroom, Erin peeked in on her children in turn, tucking Catherine, Elise, and Jack in before heading over to see Karen, Bruce, and Tabitha. To her surprise, they were also sleeping already, and she smiled as she kissed their foreheads, relishing the sweet moment where she could also tuck them in, knowing that these times were fleetingly rare.

Blinking back tears, Erin made her way back to her bedroom and slipped out of her robe, hanging it onto the door of her closet before padding over to the bed and making herself comfortable there. As she waited for Jessica to return with her snacks, she plugged her phone onto the charger, knowing that she would answer it in a heartbeat if David called in the middle of the night. "I found a stash of homemade molasses cookies, so I brought the whole container up with me, along with two glasses of milk. I know you can't resist these, since you made them yourself!"

Erin shook her head a little as she reached her hands out for the glasses, knowing that she probably was going to end up drinking the milk at least. Soon, Jessica had made herself comfortable on the bed, copying Erin's pose by resting her back against the headboard and setting the container of cookies between them. "The children were all asleep, so I got to tuck them in. I haven't been able to do that for Bruce in years, and it felt so nice to do so. Do you want to bet that we'll find Jack in Elise's bed by the time we wake up in the morning?"

"I would say that that's an unfair bet. Somehow, they always end up in the same bed. Though we could make it an interesting bet and see if Catherine ends up with them, too. There have been a few times when I've found them all together, and I think it is the most adorable thing."

Erin nodded as she broke down and snagged a cookie. "It's odd how I have an entire second generation of kids to match my first. And I know, Jack is not my child, but he is Elise's brother, and I marvel sometimes at how God creates these convergences."

"I understand." Jessica nudged Erin's shoulder with her own as she took a sip of milk. "So, do you think they'll be this close as they get older? I hope so, because I see the wonderful bonds you've cultivated in your older children, and I want that for them. It's what Haley and I had, too, and there's something magic about these bonds."

"There really is," Erin responded as she nibbled at her cookie suddenly not quite as anxious as she had been over what David and Aaron were doing.