"Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans."

John Lennon

While Erin was on the phone in the kitchen, Dave got out of bed and flicked the lock on the bedroom door. He couldn't risk getting caught. He went to the closet and pushed his jackets aside, revealing a safe mounted to the wall. He punched in the code and pulled out a small velvet box and an envelope putting both in his pocket. Then, hurried to unlock the bedroom door. David loved Erin and he was playing for keeps this time. Once he slid his ring on her hand, she wasn't going anywhere. Now, they needed to take the next step. He knew he couldn't do it alone. He sat down at his desk and ran his hand through his hair, he blew out a breath. He had some apologies to make...He picked up his phone and dialed Penelope's number. She was most forgiving and she would set the tone for the rest of the team. She answered the call on the third ring.

"Agent Rossi?" She answered in a clipped tone, the attitude was forced and he knew it.

"Did you get the flowers?" He offered the olive branch.

"Received and appreciated…Sir." Penelope whispered. "I suppose you're forgiven." She glanced at the bouquet of sunflowers and daisies that graced her kitchen counter. "But I reserve the right to never touch your scotch again."

Dave grinned at her forgiving nature. "Thank you, Penelope. I think I can live with that. I shouldn't have snapped at you last night."

"No, but I should have been more careful. Consider yourself forgiven"

"Can I ask one more favor?"

"I don't understand why I'm so monitored," Erin said, with her cell phone tucked between her cheek and her shoulder. She stood at the counter, slicing pears for a fruit salad. "Mary, I feel like I'm under a microscope and I don't think you call your other patients on a weekend."

"You are under a microscope," Mary admitted. "I'm your doctor, it's my job to make sure you and your babies are healthy. I was going through your file today and I think it would be best if you came in for a visit."

"Why?" Erin rolled her eyes and slid the diced pears off the cutting board into a bowl. "I'm not anxious anymore," Erin dismissed her, "I think you're wasting your time." And mine she added mentally. She yanked the pull tab on a can of fruit cocktail and poured it in the bowl and laid the chef's knife in the sink.

"Erin-" Mary pressed her, "with your bleeding incident and the trends in your blood pressure, it wouldn't hurt you to come in."

"The placenta moved-you told me it was safe to resume normal activity."

"It did, but-"

Erin cut her off, "then I don't see the problem here." She said, in a tone reserved for insolent federal agents. "I'll see you next week."

"I'll be here all day, if you change your mind." The line went dead and Erin went back to making breakfast.

"We're fine, right?" She kept her hand on her belly, feeling her children wiggle under her hand. "Everyone is overreacting." She said and opened the door to the refrigerator. She grabbed a carton of eggs and put them on the counter. As Dave came out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.

"What did Mary say?" He asked, concern laced his tone.

"That she's crazy." Erin rolled her eyes again, "she wants me to come in and review my file."

"And?" A line appeared between his brows. "What time do we leave?"

"I'm not going." Crossing her arms, she dared Dave to challenge her.

"Why not?" He reached around her and started cracking eggs into a bowl.

"My appointment is in 10 days. I'll go then." She went back to the refrigerator and pulled out some diced bell peppers and added them to the skillet simmering on the stove. "Mary never tells me anything nice. If I wanted someone to tell me I was gaining too much weight, I'd ask for your opinion." She said, stirring the peppers in the skillet.

Dave came up behind her, with the bowl of eggs. "I think your doctor has at least 5 other patients and she could have called any of them on a Saturday morning. She called you and I think you should pay attention to that. I think she's right to be concerned. Hell, Erin, I'm worried about how the stress of the investigation is affecting them."

"I'm not stressed and neither are they." Erin deflected, keeping a protective hand on her bump.

Liar, Dave knew better than to say it out loud. They were both stretched to their limits, as a couple. He couldn't imagine what the anxiety was doing to their unborn children.

"Both of you are overreacting." Erin said, She laid both hands across her bump, "me and the twins say we're not going. Three brains, three votes. You and my OB are outnumbered."

Dave fixed her with a hard look. "I see your point Erin, motherly instinct trumps my concern. But two weeks ago you were completely terrified. I think you owe it to yourself and our babies to do what the doctor says."

"What are you saying?" She snapped, "are you saying I'm a bad mother because I don't jump through hoops every time someone in a white coat tells me to?" Her blood boiled and David Rossi was lucky she put the knife in the sink.

"I didn't say that! I just think you should listen-" Dave reached for her but it was too late. Erin wasn't listening to him and Dave wondered if selective hearing was a side-effect of pregnancy.

"Let me tell you something, Dave I'm finally feeling secure in this pregnancy and I refuse to let you or my overprotective OB, take that feeling away from me. Cook your own damn breakfast! Or better yet, Mary can cook it for you, since you want to see her so badly. I need some air." The spatula she was holding clattered to the floor and she left the kitchen. She needed to get away from him, she didn't want to hurt him. She didn't want to fight with him, it took too much effort.

Dave could see she was on the verge of tears and felt like a heel knowing, he was responsible for her being upset. It wasn't his intention, but the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. He sighed and turned off the stove. Breakfast could wait, he took his coat from the closet and went to find his fiancee. He knew she was probably outside, but he had to check the house, just in case. She wasn't in any of the downstairs rooms. He knew she wouldn't try to climb the stairs and he hadn't heard the front door, so by process of elimination, she had to be in the backyard. Dave didn't see her at first, but he finally spotted her sitting in her favorite spot, on a bench, under a huge Weeping Willow tree. There she was, sitting holding on to Mudgie's neck, who must have followed her out, sensing she was upset. It broke Dave's heart as he approached, to hear her say, in a watery voice. "I'm trying to do everything right." She laid her head in his fur and continued crying.

"Hey!" Dave hurried across the lawn. "Come back inside. It's freezing out here."

She looked up at him, totally miserable. "I'm sick of this," she barely held back her frustration. Her voice trembled. "Women have been having babies for centuries without medical intervention. I wanted one day without worrying." She didn't expect him to rush in and fix her problem. She simply wanted him to understand. "Am I asking for too much?"

"Of course not." He brushed the dried leaves off the bench and sat down beside her. He put his arm around her shoulder, holding her close. "I wanted that too…" They deserved a day to celebrate and he was determined to give that to her.

"We're almost out of the woods," he said.

She shook her head and leaned against his shoulder. "I don't want to do this anymore." She confessed, tears fell on his cotton shirt. Her fists clenched at her sides. " Every time I get comfortable, something traumatic happens. I'd rather not know anymore." She snapped, in self-pity and anger.

Dave sighed deeply and held her tight. Suddenly, he was at a loss for words. He searched his brain for something poetic to say that would ease her worry. "We're in the home stretch. Pretty soon we'll bring our babies home." It was a lame attempt and he knew it.

"What happens then?" Her throat throbbed with suppressed emotion. "I don't know if I'm ready to be 'mommy' again, David."

"We're about 5 months too late for that." He reached out and patted her growing bump. God, how he wanted to fix things. He would have given anything to be able to comfort her. There was nothing he could do or say to make the situation better. Erin was so far in her head, with anxiety. Even if he could say the right things, he wasn't sure she would listen.

"Trust me," she said harshly. "I'm well aware of how terrible that sounds." Tears of frustration slipped down her cheeks. "My kids are teenagers. I thought I was done with having babies," her hand cradled her belly."Now, I can't stand the thought of losing them." She paused, to gather her thoughts." Sometimes I count the Sundays we have left until they're viable." Viable was a nice way of saying, their twins would be helped in the NICU. Viable was the bare minimum. Erin would move Heaven and Earth to give their babies a fighting chance at reaching the 25 week threshold, but bare minimum wasn't good enough.

Curious, he tilted his head toward her and let his hand cover hers. "How many do we have left?"

"Worst case scenario? Three weeks." She knew that she and Dave would crawl through broken glass, if it meant their children would stay inside past 35 weeks.

"I think we can handle that," Dave said softly. Listen Erin, you might not believe this yet, but I'm bringing everyone home." He said it with so much conviction, that she believed him.

She looked up at him with tears leaking from her bright eyes. "How do you know?" What she wouldn't give to have a crystal ball to be able to see their future. "I'm tired of worrying all the time. I feel like we have the same conversations over and over again!" Eventually, Dave would get tired of her complaining or, worst case scenario, he would

He let out a breath. "You're right," he agreed. He hated watching her worry. Panic and fear consumed her and he couldn't take it away forever. "but our stress hasn't changed." He would never say it out loud, but he was sure things would get worse before they got better. His dearly departed Nono used to say, 'The only way out, is through.' Dammit if the old man wasn't right.

"It's doubled." She slowly let out a breath and swiped her hand across her cheeks."How are you so calm all the time? Every time we turn around something bad is happening." One thing about Erin Strauss, she was a creature of habit and her habit kept getting disrupted.

"I'm not riddled with pregnancy hormones." He said offhandedly. He shrugged off his coat and draped it across her shoulders.

"Excuse me?" Erin jerked away from him. For a second, he saw some of her pre-pregnancy spark return. He loved that spark, the verbal sparring matches...the sex. He couldn't wait to see her mother their babies, but he had a selfish streak a mile long. He wasn't ashamed to admit that he hoped that spark he was initially attracted to, returned soon.

"Sweetheart, I'm kidding." He said, smoothly, "Come back here and I'll give you a serious answer."

She put her head back on his shoulder. "Okay, give me your most serious answer. I can use all the help I can get."

He pressed a kiss to her hair and waited for the answer to come to him. He thought about James and all the things he missed with him. He knew God wouldn't be so cruel to put him through that particular brand of Hell again. Suddenly, he knew what to say. "I have faith." He said simply. "I know there's someone out there, that's bigger than me. I'm not any less worried about you today, than I was the night of the car accident." He confessed, "But...I know if we do everything right. Eventually, we'll reap our reward." His hand caressed her stomach, feeling their children move. "We'll be their parents." He finished his motivational speech. "I can't wait for it."

"Are you sure you're ready for 4am feedings and a million diaper changes?" Erin asked, sweetly.

"Lucky for you, I'm a night-person, with a strong stomach." He shrugged in nonchalance.

She glared at him, raising one perfectly arch eyebrow "So..I get to push them out and you'll take care of the rest? Is that the deal you're making?"

"You put everything in and I'll take care of what comes out."

"Yeah right," Erin rolled her eyes skyward. "Promises, promises."

"Oh, you don't believe me?" He laid his hand over his heart in mock pain, "Erin, you wound me."

"Sweetheart, you haven't mastered the school pick up line."

He shrugged in nonchalance, "What can I say? I'm a dad-in-progress."

She held his face in her hands, pecking him on the lips. "You're a great bonus dad...I know we didn't get here the most traditional way, but I couldn't have picked a better father for my kids."

He wrapped her in a hug, "I don't know where all of these emotions came from, Erin but I like it." He said, laying his cheek against her hair.

"Hormones," she mumbled against his shoulder.

He laughed, "Oh I see, you can say it."

"When I say it, it's true."

"Come back inside and get dressed." He said and stood up, reaching for her hand.

"Why would I get dressed?" She furrowed her brow, "I'm not going to that appointment."

"Nope." He popped the 'p' on the end of the word. "We're going somewhere else."

"Where?"

"Don't ask questions. I'm giving you your day." He took her hand and led them back to the house.

"I have a question," She said over the sound of crunching leaves as they walked through the backyard. Her right hand absently played with her engagement ring.

"I thought I advised against that," he said dryly.

"What do you think about booking a Justice of The Peace?" He stopped dead in his tracks…"Sorry, Sweetheart. A shotgun wedding is crazy enough, I refuse to get married in the courthouse too."

"Your most recent marriage was performed by an Elvis impersonator. I hardly think a Justice of the Peace is a low point for you."

"That's not what I mean, Erin. It's our wedding and I don't want to rush it. I didn't get to give you the grand proposal because I was impatient, but the wedding needs to be special."

"But I don't need a grand proposal. I only need to take your last name. You told me once that it didn't matter how or why we ended up together... and you were right.I know it's not the right time. It looks bad, politically but…" Her thoughts trailed off. "I want you to have all of the legal authority if something happens to me."

He brushed off her last statement, "everything is going to be fine. Come inside and pack a bag," he held her hand as they stepped onto the back porch.

"David… I don't really think that is a good idea. We can't run away from our problems. It's the government. They know you could go anywhere. They probably have our passports flagged."

He shook his head, "Sweetheart, you can leave your passport at home." He held the door open and they walked inside the house. "You know me, I don't run unless something is chasing me."

"So, you're not telling me where we're going?"

"Oh...You'll find out when we get there."

She shook her head, David Rossi was the king of grand, romantic gestures. Anticipation bubbled in her throat, what could he possibly be planning in a time like this? They were being investigated by the DOJ, they could be arrested at any time. "Dave, I don't think this is a good time for romance," Erin said. "We can make it quick and have a ceremony later."

Before Dave could respond, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and took the call. "Yeah, Stan?" He bit out, addressing his attorney. As Dave moved towards the bedroom, Erin felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. What the hell was Dave keeping from her? She moved to follow him, but her phone rang before she had the chance. On autopilot, she answered the call. Without looking at the caller ID.

"This is Erin Strauss," She said curtly.

"Chief Strauss, we need you to come in," Andy Robinson responded.

Her hackles rose, "Why?"

"We need to discuss what we found on your devices." The director volleyed back.

"Can it wait?" She turned around to look for Dave, who was still in the bedroom.

"I don't think so...The Ethics Committee is holding a meeting in 3 hours."

"On a Saturday? Andy, I think you have your dates mixed up…" The government didn't function on a weekend. The men on the Ethics Committee couldn't be pulled away from their golf clubs and whiskey sours long enough to investigate her.

Andy blew out a breath, "They're under the wire now. The DOJ have been investigating you and Rossi for the last 28 days. They have a month to complete the investigation, or throw it out."

Erin tried to swallow past the knot in her throat, she held the phone between her ear and her shoulder. Crossing her arms over her chest, dodging the proverbial missiles headed her way. "The Department is grasping at straws." She said, squaring her shoulders. "You didn't find anything on my devices," She said cooly.

"Just come in and we can talk about it." Andy brushed her off.

"Andy!" Erin barked before he could hang up.

"What?" He ground out.

She swallowed tightly and paused. Her words came out almost in a whisper. "You do believe me...don't you?"

"Of course I do." He responded, without warmth. Then he hung up the phone.

"Some friend," she mumbled to the empty room. Andy couldn't be bothered to lie convincingly. "With friends like that, who needs enemies."

From the bedroom, Dave had his own problems. Stan Carter, his attorney of 30 years, suddenly had an opinion. "Stan, I'm telling you, I don't care what you have to do. Fix my damn will."

"Dave," Stan cautioned, "I've seen you through three divorces, I don't think this is a good idea. Especially since your lady-love is being investigated. I don't like how this looks for either of you. She's already on your life insurance. Let that be good enough for now."

Dave's temper flared, "I don't give a shit about the optics."

"Look, I know you don't care about the politics, but I have to advise against this right now. Think with your head, instead of your heart for five minutes." Stan said sharply. "If you got married today, I'm worried the DOJ will consider Spousal Privilege. She'll look guilty."

"I'll take your advice into consideration," Dave said, "Thank you." The call ended. Before he could set the phone down, Paige's name came across the screen.

"Hey," He greeted his step-daughter on the first ring.

"Papa-" Paige's voice was tense, a knot formed in Dave's throat. She never called him Papa before.

"What's wrong?" He stood up and pulled on his shoes, on reflex he grabbed his keys off the dresser.

"We were on our way home and I stopped for gas, I tried to use the emergency card." The teenager swallowed, trying to push back her fear. "The card wouldn't work and I don't know what to do!" Overwhelmed, Paige squared her shoulders and tried to hold back her emotions. She'd never had this problem before. She even went inside the store, before calling Dave. The teller took the card and handed her the receipt and glared at her. She felt like a criminal.

"It's okay, Paige." Dave said gently, "I'm coming to put gas in the car." his gut clenched, that credit card was paid in full every month. Paige had enough money at her disposal to fill a fleet of cars. Something wasn't right.

" I didn't want to bother you-but I tried to call my dad and he didn't answer." Paige said, she was borderline hyperventilating.

"Send me your location," Dave said, keeping his tone calm and gentle. "I'm coming to help you. Can you park the car in the parking lot?"

"Uh huh…"

"Good," He encouraged her, "Are your brother and sister with you?" He knew the answer, but he wanted to distract her. He ducked into the closet and unlocked the safe.

Paige nodded even though Dave couldn't see her. "Yeah."

Deep in his gut, Dave knew something was very, very wrong. Too many years as a Profiler taught him the hard way, that three teenagers, alone at a gas station could be trouble. He pulled some cash out of the safe and secured the door. "Good. Park the car in the lot and lock the doors. Don't get out of the car."

"Do you think they'll call the cops?" Paige asked. She wasn't the only woman in the family to come up with the worst case scenario.

"No, Paige." Dave rolled his eyes. "Just stay in the car."

"Change of plans," Erin said, walking into the bedroom. "Shh!" Dave put his finger to his lips. He walked into the closet and pulled on a sports coat. He kept his phone in his hand and dialed Penelope's number. "Can you find my kids?" Dave asked, when she answered immediately. "They ran out of gas somewhere and-"

"Your kids?" Erin snapped, "What the hell is going on?"

Dave sat down the phone and held up both hands.

"You need an exact location-" Garcia read his mind and he could hear her clicking away on her computer. "I found their car. It's parked at a gas station, 10 minutes from your house."

The knot in his gut loosened slightly. At least they were in the neighborhood.

"Thank you, Penelope! If every worried parent had one of you, the BAU wouldn't be necessary."

Penelope blushed, "The highest compliment has been received and very much appreciated, Sir, but there's something else…" she paused, "Try as I might, I can't find a nice, positive way to bring this up."

"Hang on, Garcia." Dave said and muted the call as Erin went to the closet and pulled out a dress.

"If you're getting dressed, be quick." Dave said.

"There's been a change of plans." Erin tried again, to get his attention. "The Ethics Committee is holding a meeting and I have to be there." Erin said, pulling her hair into a basic french twist.

"I'll drive." Dave said and turned his attention back to Penelope.

"What's your news, Garcia?"

"Sir...I set an alarm for anything new happening in the investigation of Chief Strauss."

A muscle in his jaw clenched. "What did you find?"

Erin put down her lipstick and turned her attention to Garcia. "What's wrong, Penelope?"

Penelope twitched, there wasn't a nice, happy way to phrase it. "Your bank accounts are frozen. All of them. Even yours, Agent Rossi."