Erin felt a pair of eyes watching her, and she looked up from her monitor to see Alex and Penelope sitting at her desk, mugs of tea in their hands. "Are you both trying to give me a heart attack?" she gasped out as brought her hand to her chest.

"Sorry, but you were so buried in whatever you're working on that I didn't want to interrupt you. I would have thought that the sound of us making tea would have gotten your attention, but it didn't. Here, Alex thought you might like a fresh cup of Earl Grey."

She took the mug that Penelope was holding out, taking a long sip from it before setting the mug aside and looking at the women. "What brings you here?"

"I think that I might have been looking at things from the wrong perspective, Erin. I don't think that Reid is part of this, at all. Reid was an attempt to get at Blake, and that means that you two are the ones in the most danger. I hate to think like that, but I know that I'm on to something. Not what I want to be on to, but now at least we'll have a plan of attack?"

Erin let her eyes slide from Penelope's face to Alex's, and she could read the apprehension there, as if she was afraid that Erin would react poorly. And truthfully, she did want to yell or throw something or hit something. But that would never do, she had to stay in control. So instead, she picked the mug back up and took another long drink from it, trying not to start crying from frustration. "And just what will this plan of attack entail?"

"Constant vigilance!"

Erin chuckled at that, shaking her head a little. "We're not all Mad Eye Moody here, Penelope. Though I am grateful for the momentary levity. It's been three months since anything happened, after all."

"Precisely. While we know that the Replicator is still copying our previous cases, there hasn't been another attack directed against any of us, and that, I believe, is purposeful. He wants us to be lulled into complacency, so that when he does strike at either you or Blake, we're not going to be ready for him. And that hold the possibility that I could lose one of you, and I don't think that I'm ready for that."

Erin nodded a little as she pressed the mug close to her chest, knowing that Penelope did have a point. Still, there wasn't any way to officially put more resources towards the Replicator, since the Director had insisted they not waste any more time or money on a case that didn't seem to have an end. "I don't mean to sound glib or flippant, but I have been desperately trying to act unconcerned about what the prolonged peace has meant. Because I don't want to think about what might happen to me. I want to think about protecting David, protecting Alex. As long as they're okay, I'll be okay."

"You're being fatalistic again."

She sighed as she looked at Penelope, giving her a small shrug. "I only have three things in my life that matter. David, my children, and my dear friends."

"Erin! Stop!"

She hadn't heard that sharpness in Alex's voice since the night of their argument, after she had let her friend take the fall for something that hadn't been entirely her fault. Meeting Penelope's eye, she gestured for her to leave with a sharp flick of her head, grateful when she did so without complaint. Once the door was closed, she turned her full attention to Alex, bracing herself for a haranguing. "What?"

"You cannot make amends with me by sacrificing your life. I won't let you do that. Even if that means we have to put you into WitSec until we find the Replicator."

"We don't have a good track record with WitSec," she whispered.

"I know. But I know that you would also do anything to make certain that you returned to your children, if we had to take that step. Do not make me force that issue, though. Please." Tears sparkled in her eyes, and Erin drew in a shaky breath as she reached across her desk, holding her hand out with her palm up. It only took a second for Alex to clasp it tightly, and she closed her eyes to keep from crying. "We're in a better place now then we were when I started back with the BAU. I don't want that progress to be cut short by some madman who thinks that we have something to pay for. We haven't done anything wrong."

"You might not have."

Alex's hand squeezed sharply, and Erin opened her eyes to stare at Alex once more. Her cheeks were wet, though she didn't appear to be openly crying, and Erin felt like her heart was going to shatter in that moment. "The sins of the past should stay in the past. These last seven months have taught me that. Erin, I know that we won't be as close as we were back then. You have Dave, James and I have worked past that small bump. But I want the opportunity to be a part of your wedding to Dave. I want to see your first grandchild be christened."

"Even though you don't believe?"

"Even though. Because I know how important faith is to you. So, promise me on Dave's life that you will not take any risks in the near future, that you will listen to Hotch if he tells you to lay low, that we will come out on the other side of this terrible case stronger and better."

There was a small beat of silence before she nodded. "I promise, I will not put myself in any unnecessary danger. That I will live so that you can be my matron of honor. If you want that position. Dammit, Lexie…"

"I know," she murmured as she rose to her feet, coming around to Erin's side without letting go of her hand. "You forget, I still remember how your heart works, even after all these years. Things might change, but our hearts usually stay the same. At least that's what they taught us in all our classes in the Academy." Erin nodded as Alex reached up and rubbed her shoulder softly. "A part of me wants to handcuff myself to you, to make certain that you keep your end of the deal, but I know that we would be at each other's throats in an hour."

"Probably. But James would be treated to one of those arguments. Do you remember that one we had in front of Jason and John?"

"I remember Jason pulling you away from me, and the way that you kicked against his shins to get him to release you. We were suspended for what, three days as a result?"

"Yes. That was certainly not my most shining moment. And I think part of it was a direct result of being at work and therefore not being able to react a little more organically."

Alex shook her head a little. "John was convinced that you were about to kill me. I told him that we've fought worse and still made up. If only I had remembered that, maybe things would have been so different. For both of us."

"Maybe. But I think that I needed to walk the path I did, in order to make me grow. Let's face it, I've been a bitch for far too long."

"When did you start drinking?"

Erin had wondered when Alex might ask that question, and she looked away from her as she took two deep breaths. "The day you were fired. I couldn't call my cowardice back, and you bore the brunt of a mistake we all three shared. I should have been the one to fall on that sword, even if it meant that life would have been so different."

"I wonder what happened to John?" Alex asked, clearly trying to turn the subject to something that wouldn't make her quite so sad, and Erin was grateful for her consideration. "I mean, you were easy to keep tabs on, since I knew where to look, but he just fell off the face of the earth."

"You kept tabs on me?" she tried to tease, giving Alex a quick smile, and the woman nodded. "Well, that doesn't make me feel so bad for keeping tabs on you, then. As for John? I have no idea. Perhaps he never wanted to be reminded of what happened, so he moved off the grid. I just wish that there was an opportunity to apologise to him as well. But I suppose that there are some people that I'll never be able to talk to again. I'm just glad that you and I were able to reconnect." A soft blush rose up in her cheeks as Alex nodded, and Erin sighed as she took a long drink of tea, wondering what the future would hold.