Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.

Helen Keller

The doorbell rang and Dave got to his feet, "It's not over yet."

Erin stood and followed Dave to the door, a united front to the end because there was no other option. "Let me get it," Erin said, glancing at him, fear lumped in her throat.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded, resolutely. "I need to come off strong."

"You are strong." He squeezed her hand tightly, and took a step away from the door.

Her hand trembled as she gripped the cold brass door handle. The swing of the door would decide her fate. All that stood between her and prison, was a wooden door. "Agent Cruz," Erin said icicles could have frozen on her tongue. Nodding towards her former colleague, She stuck her hand out, palm towards him. "Can I see the warrant?"

"Yes ma'am." He handed over the piece of paper. She scanned it quickly, the judge signed off on the whole house being searched. "We'll make this quick." Cruz said, angling towards the threshold.

"What are you looking for?" Dave blocked the doorway, establishing dominance.

"It's in the warrant Rossi." Cruz said sharply. "You're welcome to read it," he said smoothly.

"I know, but I want to hear you say it." Dave's eyes narrowed on Cruz, he couldn't go along with this without making it clear who was in charge, no matter what the warrant said. Plus, he enjoyed watching the other man sweat. Cruz stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans and rocked back once on his heels, why did Rossi have to screw with him so hard? He wasn't the rookie anymore. In his most robotic-official tone, Cruz said, "The Department wants me to seize all paperwork and electronic devices that could have been used to misappropriate funds."

"How long is this going to take?" Rossi returned and studied his watch, "I have a meeting with my publisher in an hour."

"We'll be as efficient as we can Agent Rossi."

Dave turned slightly away from the doorway, "We're leaving in 20 minutes."

"If it's any consolation, we don't need to search the children's rooms."

Dave felt Erin's hand on his arm, leading him away from the doorway. "I think my teenagers will appreciate that," she said. She couldn't bring herself to fake a smile, "come inside."

Cruz stepped through the door, ignoring Dave. "it's better if you stay out of the way." For the first time, Dave noticed a team of flunkies behind Cruz. At least 10 unnamed agents filed through the house, the team split up into different sections of the house.

"They're just trying to intimidate us," Dave said quietly, it was the only thing he could say to comfort her. They hung back in the living room, watching the Feds blow through their house. "They think there's safety in numbers and Cruz thinks I won't screw with him if he's leading a team." Dave said, from the corner of his mouth.

"Do you think this is funny?" Erin asked sharply, he could see a glimpse of the section chief he was used to.

"Of course I don't, but if we have to be in this situation, I'm going to make it as uncomfortable for Cruz as I can. I'm just playing with his head, a little."

Erin nodded, staring down at the warrant. How could they do this? The words blurred as she read, blinking back her tears. "I didn't do this. David, I don't know why they're here!"

"I know." He grabbed her hand, watching two agents enter their bedroom. "Really, Cruz?" Dave called out, "I could give you our computers. Take better control of your team," he demanded.

Cruz turned towards the two agents, "Guys," he said sharply. "Get the bureau computers and get the hell out of there."

"Where's your safe?" A young rookie in an FBI jacket asked, coming off the staircase. A cardboard box tucked under his arm.

"What safe, Agent?" Dave asked, his eyes laser focused on the kid. Barely out of the Academy, this was probably his most interesting assignment to date. Dave couldn't resist hazing him, just a little.

"Agent Rossi, I-uh-" the kid tripped over his words. "I saw a safe, upstairs and we need to look in it."

"You saw my safe?" Dave repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, Sir." The kid nodded like an eager puppy.

"Would you put a safe in an upstairs bedroom?" Rossi asked.

"Yes, Sir. I probably would."

Dave shook his head, "No, you wouldn't."

"Sir?"

"The safe is too heavy. It would collapse the floors if there were a fire. I know you're trying to move up, Kid. But pay attention in my class every once in a while and you might make it there faster." Dave said, with a grin. He looked down at the kid's name tag. "Tell Cruz to go easy on you, Agent Reynolds."

The kid beamed, suddenly starstruck and followed Cruz to the kitchen.

"Was he your student?" Erin whispered.

"Nope. Never seen him before in my life." Dave said, with a mischievous grin. "But he's gonna drive Cruz nuts on the way back to Quantico."

Three agents came down the staircase each holding boxes of paperwork. "Upstairs is done, Boss."

"We're almost done down here too." Cruz said He spoke to the couple, standing in front of him. "I need one of you to come with me to open the safe. The other can stay here."

Dave knew one of them should go, and felt it should be him, he could feel the slight tremor in Erin's hand as she stood by his side, holding his arm. Still he hesitated, torn, he didn't want to leave her alone but he also didn't want the agents poking around in their personal items.

"Go David", she commanded in her best Strauss voice. Listening to her, one would never know how distraught she felt. Dave's chest swelled with pride. They were innocent. He knew it and he knew Cruz knew it. The Bureau would see soon enough and life would return to normal. He watched Erin walk over the sofa, head held high, before he walked out of the room with Cruz.

"So, did you do it?" Erin stood up to face the voice behind her.

"Excuse me?" Erin asked sharply, eyeing the woman in front of her.

"Did. You. Do. It?" Erin quickly realized that the woman in front of her was Cruz's second in command.

"Agent Thomas," Erin said, "I think we both know the answer to that."

Agent Thomas' burned a hole in Erin's forehead, "I think it doesn't matter, either way." She said cooly. And Erin got a glimpse of who she used to be, Agent Thomas was young. Maybe in her 30s cold, calculated and ambitious.

Erin leaned in slightly and glared at the other woman, "a piece of advice, Agent; it's a long climb to the top and a fast fall."

"I hope your landing doesn't hurt."

Agent Cruz filed back into the living room, with Dave on his heels. "Well"? Erin crossed her arms over her chest. "Did you find anything?" She asked, the picture of authority.

Cruz shook his head, "Nothing we needed," he returned smoothly.

"So you're finished now?" She asked, with barbs on her tongue. "You're done, tearing through our house."

Cruz cleared his throat, "Erin," his eyes bore a hole in hers. "I don't know if you've noticed but, you're not in charge here."

Shots Fired.

"Neither of you are in charge." Cruz continued on his diatribe, glaring at both Dave and Erin. "I have a warrant that says I can poke through your garbage if I want to. You're lucky that I'm the agent in charge of this investigation. Anyone else would tear the roof off this place, for shits and grins."

Dave glanced down at his watch, "we appreciate your candor, Agent Cruz." Dave said smoothly, without warmth. "Thank you for not combing through our laundry,"

"Actually," Cruz held up his hand, "we went through the laundry in the bedroom."

"Why?" Erin asked, enraged that their privacy had been invaded. "What point are you trying to prove?"

"I'm in charge."

"Look, Cruz, do you have everything you need or what?" Dave asked, annoyed at Cruz's lack of discipline.

Cruz nodded once. "For now." He said coldly, "be home tomorrow. I'm sending an agent to go through your personal devices."

"Take them with you," Erin said.

"No." Cruz shook his head, proving his point, again. "I'll send a technical analyst to go through them here."

"When?" Erin asked, "I have appointments, we can't sit here and wait."

"Tomorrow." Cruz returned softly and walked out the door.

Dave closed the door behind him. "Smug bastard," he grumbled. "How did you refrain from killing him in Afghanistan?"

"If I remember correctly, they took my gun."

Dave shook his head, "Cruz is right about one thing, we're not in charge anymore. I turned in my badge." He said, sitting down on the sofa.

"Better to give it up than have it seized." She said, hating herself, his reputation in The Bureau was tainted forever. No matter what the Justice Department found, Dave was still going to be known as the man who stood by his thieving girlfriend; and she would go down as the woman who destroyed the reputation of a highly respected federal agent. She took a seat in the armchair, across the room. As far away from him as possible.

"That's what I figured," he said.

"David, I promise I didn't do this." She needed him to believe her, without question. "If I was going to steal money, I'd put it in my own account. Who do they think I am? Robin Hood?"

"Eh," he settled back on the sofa. "I've been kicking around the idea of retirement."

"No you haven't." She said, shaking her head.

He shrugged, "I didn't want to be forced out, but I told you before that I don't mind being the dad in the pickup line."

"You shouldn't have to be," Erin said, trying and failing to swallow the lump in her throat. "David, I'm so sorry." She got up and went to their room, it wasn't late. She wasn't tired, she craved normalcy. Thank God, with all that was going on, she wasn't craving alcohol, at least not yet. But, the longer this dragged on… Would she slip? The possibility hung over her head like a guillotine. Erin stood looking at herself in the mirror. Her reflection showed a beaten woman. She couldn't bear another conversation about Andy, the warrant, payroll. None of it. Her career was over, everything she'd spent her life building, was crumbling underneath her. And she didn't want to talk about it. How could she face Dave? He'd already sacrificed too much for her: His team, his home and now a lifetime career. She wouldn't do this to him. He believed in her, but she couldn't let him lose anything else. Without thinking, she grabbed a duffle bag from the closet.

"What are you doing?" Dave crossed his arms across his chest and leaned against the door frame.

She turned and tried to ignore him, his voice broke. "You can't run away from this."

"Why wouldn't you want me to leave? I'm about to face the biggest shitstorm of my life. I'll go to prison, my kids will know that their mother is a thief and I can't drag you down with me," She said. She bit the inside of her cheek to hold back tears and threw a pile of socks in the bag. "David, you've sacrificed too much already for our relationship. You don't see your team anymore. They were your family before me and I hope they'll be around after."

"After what? Where do you plan on going?"

"I don't know," her hands trembled in anger. "Camp Cupcake most likely. Or maybe I'll get a massage and have a nice, relaxing getaway at Club Fed!" She exploded, barely holding back her tears.

"Alright," he stalked into the room, "first of all, you're not Martha Stewart. If anything, you're the opposite of Bernie Maddoff." He put his hands on her shoulders. "Secondly, you're not going anywhere that I can't go with you."

"You can't guarantee that! Look at this mess!" she gestured to the bedroom, someone had thrown their pillows on the floor. Baskets of clean laundry were turned over, clean clothes strung from one end of the room to the other which Mudgie was now laying on top of. Erin wanted to curl up and die.

"I'll take care of the mess," Dave said. "What are they going to find on the computers?" Dave asked, studying her face. Her eyes were bloodshot and she trembled in his arms.

"Nothing! David, I told you. I didn't do this!" She pulled away from him and stalked out of the room. Leaving the duffle bag abandoned on the floor.

"I believe you," he said, he had to jog to catch up to her in the kitchen. She flung open the cabinets, rifling through them. Suddenly, she was on the hunt. For what, he didn't know.

"For the love of God, Erin, stop making me chase you around the house. Let's talk about this."

"Stop making me defend myself."She said, perched on the countertop with her back towards the backsplash, shoes abandoned on the floor; She grabbed a box of Frosted Flakes next to her and stuck her hand in the box. "I don't want to talk about the investigation anymore. I'm telling you, I didn't do it."

"Aren't we a little past looting the cereal box for the prize inside?" He asked and grabbed a bowl from the cabinet next to her.

"It's my last meal as a law abiding citizen," Erin said, miserably chewing a handful of cereal.

"Want some milk?" He reached into the refrigerator and offered her the half gallon.

"Nope." She took another handful, ignoring the bowl he slid beside her. "I'm not sure if they have milk in prison. They might," she shrugged, "I'm pregnant, so they might give me milk. If not, I should get used to dry cereal."

"Are you okay?" He knew the answer, how could she be?

"No." She bit out, emotionally numb and pissed off. "I'm not okay. Nothing is okay anymore. Don't ask me that," she exploded.

"Can I help?" he asked, at a loss.

"Don't ask me that either."

"Are you going to avoid me all night? He asked, standing near her feet, dangling from the counter.

She shrugged, "Probably."

"Can you do it on level ground?" He fired back, "you're going to give me a heart attack. I've always said you sat on a high horse, I didn't think you would take it literally."

"And you couldn't wait to knock me down a peg or two," she snapped. "This investigation doesn't bother you at all!" She screamed towards the ceiling.

"Because you're innocent."

"No," her voice was harsh, like gravel on a chalkboard. "It doesn't matter to you if I'm guilty. I'll go to prison and you'll have your heirs. It's a win-win situation for you. I gave you my heart and now-" her voice cracked, tears streamed down her cheek. "You have your way out. I knew it would end, but I didn't think I would end up behind bars."

"You think I want to get rid of you?" Dave asked, numbly, "Why can't you see that I believe in you?"

"What else is there?" She asked, her voice breaking. "I'm going to lose everything I care about. Even if I'm not convicted, we'll never escape the rumor mill! The only thing I'll be known for is trapping the infamous David Rossi into marriage." She hissed, sliding towards the edge of the counter. She was going to get down and then, she was going to get a hotel room. There were no laws that said she had to be home while her computer was searched.

"Stop this," Dave exploded, "we're not having this argument again! Nobody was trapped into anything. I asked you to marry me, you said yes. End of story." He said, reaching for her hand. "Let me help you down."

"Don't touch me!" She snapped, yanking her hand away from him, sending her off balance. Her center of gravity was already off. The back of her head smacked the edge of the counter. Her hands lunged forward to brace the fall. A shrill scream echoed through the kitchen, "No!"

Suddenly, faster than either of them thought was possible, Dave grabbed her hips, stopping her from falling.

"Sweet Jesus in short pants, Erin! You took 3 years off my life!" Dave said, with his heart in his throat. "Are you finished yelling at me?"

"Oww!" She groaned, trying to blink the stars out of her field of vision. Dave's face came in and out of focus. "Don't make this about you." Her stomach lurched, "I think I hit my head. Scratch that, I know I hit my head." She said, leaning into him to stop her world from spinning.

Dave gave a low whistle, "damn, I know that hurt," he said, a touch of pride in his voice. His woman was mean as a snake and tougher than nails, but the kitchen counter knocked her on her ass.

"Of course it hurt!" She moaned, her stomach lurched again and pain surged down her neck.

"Are you dizzy?" He kept his hand on her arm, holding her steady.

"Uh huh," she affirmed, squeezing her eyes shut. She reached up to touch the back of her head. "Is it bad?"

"Sit down," he said, guiding them to the floor. "Let me look."

"How am I supposed to get up?" She snapped. "I don't think you can contract a crane at this hour." She groaned, holding her head.

"I'll help you," he said, and helped her sit with her back against the wall.

"Who's gonna help you?" She deadpanned. "Clearly we're not as spry as we used to be."

"I'll have you know," he shot back. "I have the knees of a 30 year old." He pulled her close to him and inspected her head, gently separating the blonde strands with his fingers. He breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't find any blood. "You're lucky."

"How so?" She groaned, "The only luck we have is bad."

"Well, if you were bleeding I'd have to Super glue the cut closed."

She held up one hand, "that's where I draw the line."

"It worked for the Marines."

"It won't work for me."

She sat up and he moved to sit in front of her, he debated whether or not they should go to the ER.

"Who's the president?" He asked, watching her pupils in the light. He held her chin gently, watching her eyes move.

"Obama."

"Who did you vote for in the last election?"

"Obama. Was there another candidate?"

Dave shook his head, "we're not even going to discuss that. What's my middle name?"

"Stephen, with a Ph." She said, looking at the ceiling.

"Good." He nodded, satisfied with her answers.

"Do I get bonus points?" She asked as he released her.

He grinned, "smart ass. Do you know where you are?"

"Kitchen floor of the Rossi mansion, Dale City, Virginia." She said and leaned into his shoulder. "Not prison," she sobbed against his jacket. Suddenly, clinging to him for dear life.

"Never prison," he affirmed, holding her tightly, "I'm calling my lawyer tomorrow."

He took a breath and released it slowly, could things get any worse? He knew better than to ask that question out loud.

"I'm going to assume you were hoping to find a stash in the kitchen cabinets," Dave said breaking the silence around them.

She nodded against his chest, "I knew I wouldn't find anything." She shrugged, "old habits never die, I guess."

"Well…" he paused, looking for the right thing to say, he didn't want to be like Mark. She was used to fighting about everything with him. "Nobody got hurt."

"Why are you taking this so well?" She asked, guilt ate at her, "I could have-" she stopped abruptly. She didn't want to think about what might have happened if Dave hadn't caught her.

"But you didn't." He held her close, "I told you, " he kissed the top of her head. We're a team."

"I'm glad they have you," Erin said, with her hand against her baby bump. He protected their children from her. What kind of mother took that kind of risk? For what? A drink! That was even worse.

His hand covered her's, "they have us both. Hey," he nudged her shoulder. "Let's go to bed and forget about this."

"Can't." she said, holding him closer. "Cruz fucked up our bedroom," she said miserably.

"It's not that bad," he tried to comfort her. He couldn't think of anything else to say. "At least they didn't crawl in our bed."

"They might as well have."

Suddenly ravenous, he reached up and grabbed the cereal off the counter, he took a handful and stuffed his face. "Want some?" He offered her the box. A beat passed as they passed the box of Frosted Flakes back and forth. Each lost in thought, wondering what would happen next.

"This feels like a low point in life," she said and helped herself to another handful.

He shrugged, "we have a whole mansion to be miserable in. That's better than some," He reminded her.

"I wish we hadn't picked the kitchen floor to be miserable in," she said, shifting slightly. Her leg had gone numb some time ago and her back hurt from sitting against the cabinet.

"Tell me about it," Dave flexed his knees, they popped and crackled, turns out his joints were older than he realized.

"We should go to bed," Erin said and allowed Dave to help her up. "We're out of cereal."

The morning came with a vengeance, sunlight poured through the windows blinding the couple laying in bed.

"Close the curtains," Erin groaned and yanked the blanket over her head. Her brain hammered against her skull, the sound of her own voice grated on her nerves.

She felt Dave's hand against the small of her back, "the curtains are closed," He said and pulled her close. "How's your head?"

"Hurts," she grumbled into the pillow. Ignoring how loud his phone buzzed from across the room. "I almost forgot how it feels to be hungover."

He glanced at the clock and climbed out of bed. 9:00am was too early for anything important. After all, he wasn't on duty anymore. At the very least, they should have been able to sleep in. Crossing the room, he went to the bathroom and came back a minute later.

"Here," he held his hand out to Erin. "Take this." He handed her half an anti-nausea pill and a tylenol.

"Are you trying to knock me out?" She asked and took the glass of water from his hand.

"Yes." He answered honestly, "sleep for now and I'll wake you up when the Tech leaves."

"You're a good husband," she said and swallowed the pills with appreciation.

"Years of practice," he quipped and picked up his phone and read the text, his suspicions confirmed. Whomever was going to comb through their computers, was standing outside.

"A pretty good dad too," she said.

He crossed the room again and kissed her bump. "Dad is my new favorite name." He ran his hand over the bump, wishing he had more time to spend with them. Reluctantly, he pulled away. "I won't be far," he said and kissed Erin's hair.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, Mudgie barked and Erin almost threw up. Shattering the tender moment.

"Good God," she groaned as the bell rang again, covering her face with her hand, "The next time Mackenzie leaves, she's taking that dog with her."

"Agreed." Dave pulled on a T-shirt and sweats. "He's a menace when she's gone." He said and took her laptop from the desk, before closing the bedroom door behind him.