"Thank you for agreeing to take Elise out trick or treating with Jack, Aaron. I hope that you don't mind this last-minute change of plans."
He shook his head as he took hold of Elise's hand. "No, this is fine. And I know that Jack likes this neighborhood, because the people tend to give out the better candy here."
Erin laughed lightly as she nodded. "We do have a lot of generous neighbours." Crouching down, she looked into Elise's face, reaching out to stroke her cheek softly. "Be good for Uncle Aaron, and be careful with your broken arm. I love you, darling."
"Love you, too, Mommy." Elise leaned in and kissed her cheek before looking up at Aaron. "Let's go! I want all the candy!"
Another laugh dropped from Erin's lips as she rose to her feet, rolling her eyes a little at the cheek of their daughter. "May you get all that you can carry, my sweet girl. I'll see you back here in a few hours."
Aaron nodded before heading out the door. It was hard watching them leave without her or David, but she knew that it was for the best, since Catherine was sick, and their older children were all out at parties that evening. Closing the door behind them, Erin let out a long sigh before turning and making her way back into the living room, smiling sadly to see how Catherine was curled up in a tight ball, her head resting on David's lap. "Are they off then?" David whispered, and she nodded as she made her way over to the sofa and sank down onto the floor and reached out to rub Catherine's back in slow, long, movements.
"Yes. Elise is focused on getting a lot of candy, and knowing Aaron, he will make certain that happens. I wish that we could hand out candy tonight, but I know that our focus needs to be on watching over our Cathy."
He nodded before reaching out and rubbing her good shoulder. "I overheard Alex asking Reid for a little more information about Elise."
"And?"
"And she was kind about it, which surprised me. I think that there might be a little thawing there, which I know you've wanted to happen for so long."
Her shoulders slumped a little as she nodded in relief. "That is. I just wish that it hadn't taken me bleeding all over her for these first cracks to appear."
"I'm sorry?" he asked as his hand stilled. "Erin?"
She looked up into his eyes, giving him a strained smile. "She came to see me last week, and we got into a rather heated discussion. I laid myself bare before her with no expectation of anything, knowing that she didn't have to listen, even though she was the one who came to me. I just, I really do hope that we can start to come back together again. I miss my friend, and I want to share this new life I made with her."
David nodded as Erin rested her head against his leg, turning her gaze onto Catherine. Her face was still flushed with a fever, and Erin sighed before reaching up and raking her fingers through her hair as Erin watched her sleep. "I want you to find your peace, Erin, but I also want you to protect your heart. You shouldn't have to keep opening up wounds of your past in order to make yourself feel worthy of her forgiveness. Okay?"
"I know that you're right," she replied lowly, about to go more in depth when a strange, dull, thumping sounded on their door. She knew that she hadn't left the porch light on, so there shouldn't have been any trick or treaters getting angry about there being no candy available. "Do you want me to go see what that was?"
David shook his head as he gently moved Catherine's head off his lap, carefully getting to his feet, his hand automatically coming to rest on his holster. "No. I'll go make certain that everything is all right."
Erin wasn't quite certain why her husband was so jumpy, but she knew that he had good instincts. As he left the room, Erin got up and took his place, breathing in his scent as she tenderly settled Catherine's head in her lap, stroking her hair in an effort to soothe herself as she waited for David to return. It only took a few minutes, but it felt like longer, and then he was returning to her side, carrying a shoebox sized box, a deep frown on his lips. "What is it, David?"
"This was the only thing on the porch, and it has your name on it. I don't recognize the handwriting, though. Do you?"
He handed the box to her, and she felt herself frown a little as she looked at the envelope tied to the box with twine. Her name was scrawled there, in an untidy hand, and she shook her head a little as she pulled the card off the box, slipping her nail beneath the seal to break it. Inside was a single sheet of paper, and Erin unfolded it with a bit of trepidation. The same handwriting filled the page, and she read through the rambling threat with more and more unease until she reached the part where it said that even her children might not come out of this unscathed, though the writer was careful not to mention exactly what that situation was. "This has to be some sort of cruel joke," she said tonelessly as she handed the letter over to him.
As David read the letter, Erin opened the box, quickly swallowing the scream that threatened to spill from her lips so that she wouldn't wake Catherine up. Inside there was a taxidermied bird with a knife plunged into its breast. Looking closer, she saw a picture of herself and David pinned there with said knife, and she shuddered as she passed the box over to him with trembling hands. "Stellina."
"I know. And I'm bringing that in to the office tomorrow to have Agent Anderson start to run a forensic investigation on it. Because even if it is a cruel prank, I want to find out who thought that it would be a good idea to intimidate us so."
He nodded as he closed the box, setting it on the coffee table before leaning down and kissing her. Erin sighed against his lips, wishing that she could allow him to sweep her up to their bedroom, but Elise would be returning at any time, and so she knew that she had to control herself. "It's more than just a stupid kid, this definitely has an air of malice about it."
"I feel the same way." She glanced down at Catherine. "I think that I'm going to carry her upstairs to bed with me. I just, I don't want to stay up any later. When Elise gets home, you could have her join us for the night?"
"Of course, Erin." He picked Catherine up so that Erin could stand, and then he handed over their daughter. Catherine snuggled in close to Erin instinctively, and she sighed as David closed his arms around them in a tender embrace before he gently pushed her towards the door. Carefully, she climbed the stairs and went into their room, setting Catherine down in the middle of the bed before stripping down and changing into pyjamas. Once she was ready for bed, Erin climbed in next to her daughter and curled her body around hers, uneasily falling asleep, thoughts of the strange box and letter rambling through her mind.