Both people need to care deeply about the other person, to put the other's needs before their own, and to make a daily commitment to that person to stick it out.

Alessandra Torre

Erin got out of bed, slowly and carefully, her pedicure had been dry for a while, but she didn't want to wake Dave. Sportscaster played quietly in the background, while her new husband snored dreamilly on his side of the bed. Just as her feet touched the rug on the hardwood floor, Dave reached for her in his sleep. 'Shit! When did he become so cuddly?' He was always cuddly, but she didn't notice until it became a problem. She glanced down at her new husband, she really didn't want to wake him up. Nobody had noticed before, but it was only three days until his birthday, Dave would have enough to deal with meeting with a serial killer and tracking down the victim's family. He needed a good night's sleep.

She got up, slowly, careful not to jostle the mattress. Mudgie trotted along beside her. She made her way to the bathroom, looking for the bottle of tylenol. It was always on the sink. Except tonight. She plumaged in the cabinets under the sink. Inside the drawers, even in the linen closet and still came up short. She kept a bottle in her desk at Quantico, but a headache wasn't worth the drive over there.

She sat down on the closed lid of the commode, think. Erin, think. Did they pack it in their suitcases? Did it somehow get lost between their house and their honeymoon? Why did she only have one bottle anyway? Dave kept several bottles of aspirin throughout the house and in his office. Could she take aspirin? She shook her head, dismissing the idea. A headache wasn't a big deal, she didn't want to put the twins at risk.

"Where'd you go?" Dave grumbled, when he didn't find his new bride in bed beside him.

Great, Dave was awake. 'Exactly what I was trying to avoid.'

"I didn't mean to wake you." Erin apologized, coming out of the bathroom.

"You didn't." He looked over at the alarm clock on the bedside table. "It's 4:30, I was getting up in a few minutes anyway." He said, then his face split into a yawn. "I'll go put on the coffee."

She pulled him back towards the bed. "You have class at 9:00." Erin countered gently. "You can go back to sleep and still be up in plenty of time."

He paused and weighed his options. "Okay, you win," he relented and crawled back in bed beside her.

"Are you still sold on Mia?" Dave asked, laying his palm against his wife's baby bump.

"I like it," Erin said. Laying her hand on top of his. "Your son needs a name."

"He'll have one," Dave said. "We could take the easy way out and call him Junior."

"Paul's first name is David." Erin said.

Dave sat up, holding his weight on his elbow. "Yeah," he shot her a look, "why is that?"

"David was my grandfather's name," she said simply. "It was fitting."

"Uh huh…" He teased. "You missed me."

"Maybe I did," she said and sat up.

"Does Mark know?" He asked, suddenly serious.

Erin shrugged, " why should he? Paul is still Mark's son, he's just... named after you."

"And your grandfather," he reminded her.

She gave a solemn nod, "and my grandfather."

"A solid name for a solid man," Dave boasted.

"Is it wrong that I wanted Paul to be like you?" She asked.

Dave shrugged, "Well, did you get your wish?"

She nodded. "He's smart, driven and funny."

"Then I repeat, it's a solid name for a solid man." Dave said, as the two of them fell back to sleep.

A sharp rap at the office door interrupted Erin's morning, she was coming off a weekend of newlywed bliss. There wasn't much that could ruin her mood. The only thing that could make her day better, is if the persistent throbbing between her eyes would go away. "Come in," she said. Shuffling through the paperwork on her desk.

Andy strode casually inside, she flinched slightly, the smell emanating off him was enough to kill a horse. His button down shirt was wrinkled, the tie hanging off his neck had seen better days. His rumpled suit jacket hung from his arm.

She stared at him, "Director Robinson." She couldn't keep the ice out of her tone, but she tried.

"Erin," he spread his hands wide. "Do you mind if I sit down?"

She nodded. "Have a seat."

He pulled up a chair in front of her desk. "I owe you a massive apology."

"You do," she said, eyeing him suspiciously. "You can start with that incident with my daughter." She held her cell phone under the desk and activated the voice recorder. Virginia was a one-party state. As long as she was part of the conversation, recording the conversation was legal. She sat the phone on her desk and listened to him speak.

"I was hammered." He hung his head, staring at the beige industrial carpet. "I was hammered and...a lot of other things." He looked up, but still couldn't look her in the eye.

"And I am supposed to forgive you just like that?" She asked, glaring at him. "She's my child Andy. What in the world would possess you to even let that thought enter your mind? I can forgive you for a lot of things, but putting my daughter in danger is not one of them."

"Erin, I was not myself. It was the alcohol and the…" he paused, he didn't want to admit that his occasional indulgence had spiraled out of control. "I was high and I am under a lot of pressure-"

"You were high?" Erin repeated, completely dumbfounded that the director of the FBI had been so careless.

"I am sure, if anyone can understand that, it's you." Her former friend had the gall to throw in her face.

Strauss snarled back at him, "I understand what it is like to have a problem with alcohol, but I don't care how intoxicated I was, I would have never done what you did. The alcohol may have lowered your inhibition, but if it wasn't in your character, that is a line you would not have crossed, even if you were three sheets to the wind."

"You're right, Erin and I'm so sorry. I thought I had things under control-"

"Clearly you didn't-" Erin replied harshly.

She watched him, fiddling with his shirt cuffs, eyes downcast. His face was pale, but his pupils were wild, when he looked up at her again.

"Director Robinson," Erin snapped, "what the hell are you on?"

His head jerked up, he shoved his sleeve up past his elbow. Ugly red streaks marred his complexion. "Heroin." He answered. "I'm stepping down, effective immediately."

"Are you getting help?" She asked, with ice water in her veins. What the hell was going on?

He nodded, "I called the EAP. Harriet and I…" he trailed off, how much did she need to know? "Erin I've been lying to everyone. Harriet isn't sick. She's left me."

Erin nodded her head. "In time, Director Robinson, I may forgive you, but trust me, I will never forget. My advice to you, is to follow the EAP before you further ruin your life or the lives of others. Maybe once you get your act together and become the man I once knew and trusted, we can salvage something from the ashes of you trying to destroy my family but until then, unless it is work related, I will kindly ask you to stay away from me."

"Wait, Erin." He held up his hand. "I want you to take over for me-"

"No." Erin said, without thinking. "I don't want to do a single thing for you, Andy. At this point, I wouldn't spit on you if you were on fire."

"Erin, I know lying to Rossi was wrong and I'm sorry-"

"Wrong!" She repeated, getting out of her seat. Her chair slammed against the bookshelf behind her. "You almost cost me my family! This isn't some minor infraction, Andy. You had me investigated, taken into custody in front of my children. My home was raided! Why the hell would I do anything for you?"

"Because you want to make history," Andy snapped, "because there's no one else that believes in you the way that I do. You won't get another chance like this again."

"Yours, isn't the legacy I'd like to follow." She said and pointed to the door. "You can see yourself out."

"Erin, I didn't frame you- nothing that happened with the DOJ was my fault."

"Then who did?" She snapped.

"I don't-"

"Cut the crap, Andy- if you didn't frame me then who did?"

"I'm telling you, I don't know for sure. I can't prove it-"

"So you have an idea?" She pressed.

"Linda Barnes was on the shortlist to replace me, she's the Assistant Director but you were ahead of her. I gave her access to everything you had. I wanted to make sure she was able to take over as Section Chief."

"Wait a minute," Erin held up her hands. "Barnes was a Section Chief before she was your Assistant Director."

"Not for the top performing team in The Bureau. She worked White Collar, I wanted to know if she could handle the BAU's workload."

"So you gave her access to my encrypted files, without telling me?" Erin asked, raising her eyebrow.

Andy nodded. "She wasn't supposed to have access to everything."

"But she had my reports?"

"And your budgets…" He admitted. "I should have told you-"

Erin couldn't help it, she exploded. "What's the point in using an encryption if everyone has access to the key?" She fumed, her hands shook with rage. "You could have given me a heads up."

"Not everyone, just Barnes-"

"That's not the point! Is this being investigated?"

Andy shrugged, "I can't prove it. Frankly, Erin I don't care who did it, as long as you're not in jail."

"So I can't count on you to have my back?" She asked, she already knew the answer.

"I'm sorry-" He said, hanging his head. He turned on his heel and walked out.

The door slammed behind him. Erin picked up her phone, stopped the recording and called her husband. She couldn't sit back and do nothing.

"What are we going to do with that?" Dave asked, pointing to her phone.

"I'm taking it to the DOJ, right now." Erin said, grabbing her purse. "You said, wherever I went, you were coming with me…" She said, eying him.

"I don't think this is a good idea-" Dave said, "How do you know you can trust Robinson?"

"You're the one who said, when the director of the FBI tells you something, you tend to believe him."

"That was back when I thought he wasn't cracked out of his mind-" Dave argued and pulled out his phone. "I think we should talk to Stan, before we march into the DOJ, guns blazing."

She nodded, "You're right. We'll talk to him and go from there." She looked at him and sat down behind her desk. "I just want this over with."

"Me too." He admitted, coming to stand behind her, rubbing her neck.

"I guess you need to get back to work," Erin whispered as his skillful hands moved up her neck.

"I have a class in an hour." He released her shoulders and kissed her hair.

"I have a meeting with Aaron, too." She said.

"About what?" He asked, his curiosity piqued. He circled the desk and sat back down.

"My replacement. I need someone to take over when I go on maternity leave. It's not fair to leave it all on Aaron."

He nodded, "good luck with that." He knew how obsessive and detail oriented both Hotch and Erin were. Nobody was going to be good enough for them. "If you need a tie-breaker, give me a call." He offered, pulling out his phone. He dialed his lawyer's personal number and waited. After a beat, the voicemail kicked on. Dave left a message, explaining their situation and hung up the phone.

"I guess this is where we wait," she said getting to her feet. She grabbed her briefcase from underneath her desk. "I have to go." She went around the desk, towards the door.

"Hey, wait a minute-" Dave said, affronted, "Did you forget something?"

She dropped her hand from the doorknob and turned around. Dave didn't miss the sudden redness on her cheeks. "Sorry! You're not usually in here when I leave."

"Well." He crossed the space between them and put his hands on her shoulders. "If you remember, my office is next door to Hotch. I can walk you over there."

She stood up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. "Okay, but wait a second." She went back to her desk and pulled a tissue from the box. "Wouldn't want your students to make fun of you." She teased, wiping her lipstick off his cheek.

"Oh imagine my embarrassment," he deadpanned as she pulled away.

"We can't let anyone get the wrong idea," Erin teased.

"Oh yeah, we would be the scandal of the century. A teacher at the academy married the Section chief." Dave said, rolling his eyes.

She glanced down at his watch, "We really do have to leave now." She said, crossing the room and opening the door. "You're going to be late."

He shrugged, "So? My students have to show up for credit, but I'm on salary. They can have an extra five minutes to text each other from across the room while I walk with my wife to her appointment." He said as they walked down the hall.

"Very benevolent of you." she said pressing the button for the elevator.

"Get going," Erin said as the elevator opened.

"I'm going." Dave said, mounting the steps to his office. "I need my briefcase."

"Well, I have a few minutes before my meeting, so I'm borrowing your office." She said, climbing the stairs.

He opened the office door, "Technically your name is on the door." He said, raising his eyebrow.

"Good point," she gasped. Suddenly breathless, she kept her hand pressed against her chest as she stepped off the last step.

Dave unlocked the door and held it open."Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Fine." She stepped inside the office and sat down on the sofa long enough to catch her breath.

He watched her for a moment until his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, an unknown number flashed across the screen.

He slid the screen and put the call on speaker. "This is Dave Rossi."

The caller's voice was smooth, but the smoker's cough gave him away. "This is Tommy Yates."

Dave's blood ran cold but he recovered quickly. He took the phone off speaker and held it to his ear. Erin watched him closely. "You're early."

"Go on," she mouthed, urging him towards the door with her hand.

"Not by much," Yates said, in a gravelly voice. "Come see me."

"I can't," Dave said, pressing the button for the elevator. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. Yates never broke his pattern. "I have a class to teach."

"I see...you have priorities now. Something is more important than giving some grief stricken family their closure."

That did it. Dave lost control of his temper, his words spewed out like fire. "Are you going to give me the list this time? Or are you dragging this out until you die so you always have a visitor?"

"I haven't decided yet," Yates snapped back. He glanced at the clock over the phone booth. "Meet me. One hour. In prison." He threw the phone back on it's cradle.

Dave stuffed his phone in his pocket and climbed inside his car. He started the engine and said, "Siri, call Erin."

"Calling 'Aaron Hotchner," Siri intoned.

"Well, I guess that works too," Dave growled.

He answered on the second ring. "Yeah, Dave? What's up?"

"Can you find someone to cover my class?"

"Morgan's here. I can ask him. Is everything okay?"

Dave put the car in reverse and pulled out of the parking garage. "I gotta go to the prison."

"Tommy Yates?" Hotch guessed.

Dave nodded, "He's early. I don't like this, not one bit."

Hotch went down to the bullpen, "Morgan, can you take over Rossi's class?"

Derek looked up from his paperwork, "When does it start?"

Hotch checked his watch. "In 7 minutes."

"A heads-up would have been nice," Derek grouched, gathering his files. "I'm already late."

"He had to go to the prison," Hotch explained.

"Don't worry," Reid chimed in, "I'm sure the students will forgive you."

"Nuh huh, Pretty Boy, just for that you're coming with me."

Reid stood up from his desk, "Okay!"

"Actually, there's only room in the budget for one." Hotch said, "You guys can flip for it." He offered with a shrug.

"Reid can go," Derek said, sitting back down. Reid slung his satchel over his shoulder and took off at a run to make it to The Academy.

Hotch looked down at his watch, Agent Cooper would be arriving soon for an interview. Somebody had to replace Dave in the field. Cooper was a solid choice and he made a point to mention that he could use a change of pace in his resume.

Hotch hurried up the steps back to the bullpen, when his phone rang.

"Aaron Hotchner."

"Yeah, Hotch I'm going to be late." Cooper grumbled into the phone, he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, waiting for traffic to let up. "Don't let the Chief eat me alive."

Hotch stepped into his office and closed the door. "I always thought she liked to play with her food first. How long do you think you're going to be?"

Cooper chuckled, "Probably 10-15 minutes."

Hotch hung up the phone and went over to Dave's office. He heard Erin talking to Dave before he left. Hotch knocked lightly on the door, something felt different. The lights were off and no one answered his knock. He knocked again, she wouldn't have gone back to her office to risk being late for their meeting with Cooper.

He pushed the door open slightly, "Erin?"

"Don't turn on that light," she said, from the sofa. With her hands pressed against both sides of her head.

From the dim sunlight coming through the window, he could see her laying on the couch.

"Are you okay?"

"Headache." She said, moving her hand to her forehead.

"Did you... take something?"

"Aspirin. Didn't help," she groaned, sitting up. What the hell were those spots in her vision? "Why are there two of you?" She asked, still holding her head. "I can't afford to be sick. I just need a minute before the meeting."

Hotch crossed the room in a flash and knelt down to her level. "You have double vision?" He asked, even though it was obvious.

She groaned, "There's at least two of you in front of me."

"Let me see your hands." He said gently and reached for her. He took her hand and pulled at her wedding ring, it didn't budge. Even in the semi darkness he could tell that her hands were more than a little puffy.

"I saw this with Hailey," he said, his voice laced with concern. He stood up and went around to Dave's desk. Dave was over fifty and a heart attack survivor, he had a blood pressure cuff somewhere. Hotch rifled through the drawers until he found what he was looking for. Lucky for him, it was digital. He didn't know the rates for a pregnant woman, but Reid did. Hotch grabbed his phone again and dialed Reid, he would step away from the class for five minutes.

"Reid here." Spencer said, stepping into the hallway. He was getting creamed by the students. Nobody was paying attention to him, they were more interested in their phones.

"Reid," Hotch couldn't keep the anxiety out of his voice. "Pop quiz. Blood pressure. How high is too high for a pregnant woman?"

"Is it Strauss?" Reid asked, equally curious and concerned.

"Yeah."

"She's over 40 and pregnant with twins. Any swelling? Headaches?"

"Both." Hotch answered, kneeling in front of Erin again. He put the blood pressure cuff over her arm.

"If it's higher than 120 over 80, call 911."

"Thanks Reid." Hotch said, putting his phone away. He turned his attention back to Erin. "I think we should call Dave."

"No, he's going to the prison. Let him handle Yates."

Hotch looked at the monitor on the blood pressure cuff and frowned at the results. "I can drive you or I can call an ambulance."

Erin shook her head, "I don't have time for this."

Hotch hurried back to his office and grabbed a Gatorade from the refrigerator. Hailey lived on Gatorade when she was pregnant with Jack and he kept buying it out of habit. He rushed back into Dave's office and cracked the seal on the bottle. "Have a drink. I'll see if we can get a doctor from the Infirmary."

He handed her the bottle and went around to Dave's desk. He dialed the infirmary and waited. When the answering machine kicked on, he threw the phone back on the hook. He stuck his head out the office door, "Morgan."

Derek stood up from his desk. "Yeah?"

Hotch pulled out his keys and threw them at Derek, "Get my car as close to the front door as you can." An ambulance was probably the better option, but Erin's reputation didn't need the fanfare. He could get her to the hospital discreetly, Cooper would just have to wait. He went back inside Dave's office, "Erin, we're going to the Emergency Room."

"Don't you know by now, I don't take orders from you, Aaron?" Her retort didn't hold nearly enough heat for him to take her seriously.

"Yeah, I know you don't," he said. "Let me help you." He reached for her hands and helped her off the couch.

Derek stuck his head in the door, "Hotch, the engine's running out front."

"Good."

"Are you sure we shouldn't call an ambulance?" Derek asked.

"No!" Erin protested, holding her hand up. "I'm fine, this isn't necessary." She said, gasping for breath with each word. "I can do it."

Hotch tightened his arm around her waist. "I'm sure you can, but Dave would kill me if I didn't help you down the stairs."

"I wouldn't want to piss him off either," Derek said as he pushed the office door open.

Derek walked down the steps backwards, keeping his hand towards Erin in case she missed a step, with Hotch following behind her. It was a slow and arduous process, each step felt like a marathon. The LED lights were hot and blinding, the pain in her head intensified ten folds.

"Aaron, please don't call my husband." Erin begged, as they slowly moved towards the parking garage. Hotch's arm held most of Erin's weight. "He doesn't need another thing on his plate. Not now, when he's dealing with Yates."

Finally, Hotch's car shone like a beacon. He opened the passenger side door and helped Erin inside.

"You can call him yourself, once you've seen a doctor." He said, putting the car in gear.

Dave was halfway to the prison when it dawned on him, Yates could be screwing with him. He pulled over and picked up his phone, dialling the prison. He was met with a recording. There are no visitors until further notice due to a flu outbreak. Please call again later.

"Dammit!" Dave tossed his phone on the dashboard when it rang again.

Unknown number flashed across the hands free system. He stabbed the screen.

"You were screwing with me!" Dave spat.

"I just wanted to see what you would put first. Me, or your sick pregnant wife."

Dave's blood ran cold, what the hell was he talking about?

"Don't worry Dave, I was just messing you. Congratulations by the way, I saw the announcement in the paper."

"Erin's not sick." Dave fired back, "You're wrong about that."

"She's pregnant and over 40. I took an educated guess." Yates said smoothly. "Now I know you have better things to do. Thanks for passing my test."