"I think that we need to talk."

Erin froze as the pen she was holding clattered from her hands and fell to the table, ink blotting the piece of paper she had been writing on. Her stomach flip flopped a number of times in quick succession as she felt her heart sink low in her chest. And she couldn't help but think that it was so odd that her hands had instantly turned to ice, when she was known as the Ice Queen. "David?"

"Oh god, stellina, no, no, it's nothing serious. I'm so sorry." He rushed over to her side and crouched down in front of her, looking up into her face as she nodded a little, unable to keep her tears in check as she leaned forward, resting her forehead against his as they took a deep breath in tandem. "Sometimes, I really don't think before I speak. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Gently, he pulled her to her feet and led her over to the sofa, handily tugging her down next to him before pressing her head against his chest. "It's been a rough few months, David, and I guess that I didn't react well to that. There are a few lingering doubts in my mind that your words just triggered in me."

"I understand," he murmured as he pressed his lips against her head and she scooted closer to him as she listened to his heart beat. They sat together for a few moments, and Erin was grateful for the quiet, since it allowed her to get control of her emotions before they could continue on with what David had wanted to discuss.

Finally, she took a deep breath before sitting up and looking into his face. "All right, what do we need to talk about, darling?"

"You're going to be slightly angry with me, as I have done this behind your back. And while I feel a tad bit guilty about this, I know that it was done for the greater good."

Erin frowned as she spread her hand out on his chest, patting it a few times in rapid succession before answering him. "What have you done?"

"We've faced so much change and adversity as a team lately that I knew I had to do something to change the mood in the team. I didn't want to say anything to you until it was almost a done deal, since I have the feeling that you'll react poorly."

"Just tell me, David," she bit out.

David nodded. "I managed to use my weight as a famous author in order to arrange for JJ to rejoin our team. We've been working on this ever since Emily died, and she's been taking the profiling classes, since she had more time with her current work load. By the time she fully returns to the team next week, she'll be able to seamlessly slip into Emily's role."

Erin frowned as she dug her fingers into the fabric of his shirt. "And this won't affect my job? I hate how heartless that makes me sound, but the Director of the State Department made it quite clear that my job depended on her acquiescing to her appointment over there."

"No, it won't affect you at all. I made certain that was quite clear when I was talking with people, as it wasn't fair that you were backed into that corner in the first place. I wish that you had come to me when you were first pressured into that, because I might have been able to persuade the Director to leave it alone. I hope that you're not too upset with what I've done. I just thought, after all we've lost in the last two years, we needed something to bring back equilibrium to our team."

She let out a deep sigh as she shook her head. "I suppose that I can't be angry when you put it that way, David. Though it might have been nice to have a head's up about it?"

"I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up until I had something concrete to tell them. That happened shortly after we closed the human trafficking case with Andi Swann."

"I don't want to be reminded of that case, David. It shouldn't have taken Agent Anderson slipping up for me to find out that you had nearly died out there."

He gave her a sheepish smile as he rubbed her arm gently. "She didn't fire a single shot at me, Morgan took care of her before that became an issue."

"Yes, well, according to Agent Anderson…"

"Grant likes to blow things up to exponential proportions," he murmured before kissing her temple. "And besides, we needed the extra body returning to us, since Ashley decided that she liked working with Andi better than our team."

"That wasn't the reason why she decided to join Andi's team, and you know it. The work that Andi does fits who Ashley is as a person better." David chuckled as he nodded. "All right, so when is Jennifer rejoining us?"'

"Monday. I haven't told the rest of the team, since I thought I should inform you first."

"And I'm assuming that the Director also knows that she's returning on Monday?"

"Yes, I told him before I left the office today." Erin smacked his chest lightly. "I know, you should have been the first person I told, but everything fell together all at once, and then she was getting the green light to return. Though…"

"Yes, darling?" she asked as she rubbed her cheek against the fabric of his shirt, waiting for his answer.

"The Director looked a little too relieved to know that Jen was returning to our team. As if he knows something that we're not going to like when we finally figure out what's going on."

Erin shuddered a little. "I certainly hope that that's not true, David. We don't need more bad news right now. I'd like to go a few months, maybe a year, without having one of you in mortal danger."

"We're good at that, though."

"Too good. We keep tempting Fate, and I just have this sick feeling that we're going to see that luck run out again. I really don't want that to be true." Erin pulled away from him to gaze into his eyes, feeling tears begin to pool in the corners of her eyes the longer she stared at him. "Take me to bed? I think that I've allowed myself to get too tired, which is why I'm reacting so emotionally."

David nodded as he helped them to their feet. "Surely you're not too tired for other things that happen in the bedroom, Erin. I think that that might be the perfect way to help lighten your mood."

"You are so lucky that I love you so much," she whispered as she took hold of his hand and followed him upstairs to their bedroom. "Will you undress me, David?"

"You only had to ask, stellina." She let out a pleased little sound as he brought her over to the bed before slipping his hands up her arms and then down to the buttons of her blouse, slowly pushing each from their hole before tugging the halves of her blouse apart to reveal her skin to his heated gaze. "You do realise that once I start this most pleasant task, we'll take things all the way?"

"That was precisely why I asked you to undress me, darling. Because I need to feel your skin against mine tonight." He nodded before lowering his head to kiss her gently, and Erin gave herself over to the kiss and the pleasure that she knew he would bring her.