Reid breathed out a sigh of relief as he watched Rossi leave for the day. He knew that his day of reckoning was coming, and he did not relish the tongue lashing he was sure to receive from the man when he realized just what was wrong with Erin.

Looking back down at his work, he continued with the report, trying to focus on that, not on the pregnancy. The baby. His baby. This certainly had never been in the cards for him, he wasn't certain that having a child would be a good idea. Not after losing Maeve, after losing every possible chance at happiness.

"Hey, Reid, care to talk?" He looked up at Blake, shrugging a little as he scrunched up his mouth. "Come on, something is going on here. First Erin takes you to her office for some bullshit meeting, then Dave pulls you up to his office while Penelope rushes out of here. Since it all revolves around you, you need to spill."

"Drop it, Blake." They both looked up at Hotch, and the look he gave Reid told him everything he needed to know. "I need to see you in my office, now."

"First Strauss, and now you. What is going on here?"

"That is none of your concern, Alex. It is between just Reid and myself. Now, if you would follow me, we have to talk."

Reid nodded, knowing in that moment that Hotch knew exactly what Erin's situation was. He stood up and began to follow after his boss, smiling a little at Blake, who just shook her head. Thrusting his hands into his pockets, he went into Hotch's office and let him close the door behind them. "How did you find out?"

"Erin told me. You can thank whichever deity you believe in that I kept up on my law license and can draw up the papers that will absolve you of any responsibility to the child. She isn't even going to seek child support." Hotch frowned at him, shaking his head in disgust.

"Don't judge me."

"It's hard not to when you treat someone like dirt. You slept with her, you got her pregnant, and it is your duty to treat her with integrity. And you have not done that in this case."

Reid's cheeks burned as he looked down at Hotch's desk. "It was just one night, it didn't mean anything more than trying to work off some steam. It is not my fault that she lied and got knocked up." He knew he was using his anger as a buffer to keep him from thinking about the fact that Erin didn't want them in his life. What he hadn't expected was the way Hotch reacted.

"You stupid son of a bitch." Looking up, he met his boss's angry gaze. "You are throwing away one of the most precious gifts you could ever be given. Get out of my sight, and take the rest of the week off. Think about your actions."

Reid realized that he had made a major misstep by acting angry, since Hotch was really angry with him now. "You can't do that to me."

"I can, and I have. Get out, now! And do not think about telling Blake this news. She is the last person that needs to know this."

He shrugged as he stood up and stalked from his boss's office, slamming the door behind him. Blake and Morgan looked up at him in surprise and he glared at them as he stalked over to his desk, picking up his messenger bag and then stomping over to the elevators. "Hey, kid, what's up?" Morgan asked as he jogged up to him.

"I got suspended for the rest of the week. Watch out, Hotch is on the warpath." Angrily, he ground his finger into the down button, wanting to get away from them all. "Screw this, I'm just going to take the stairs." Pushing past Morgan, he stomped over to the stairwell and began to head down to the parking garage.

Behind him, he could hear his friend following, his steps heavy on the stairs. "Kid, what is up with you?" he asked as he caught up with him at the bottom.

"I can't tell you. I'm not allowed to tell anyone what is going on." Some of the anger drained from his body as he turned and looked at Morgan. "Hotch seems to think that I am turning my back on something that I am going to want in a few years. I don't think he has any idea what is going on in my head right now. Suffice it to say, they don't want me, and they can go screw themselves." Pushing past Derek, he exited into the garage and stalked over to his car.

Derek was hot at his heels and stopped him from getting in his car. "You shouldn't drive when you're this angry. You could get into an accident. How would I break that news to your mother?"

Reid shrugged, but allowed Derek to lead him over to his truck. "I'm going to be a father," he whispered lowly as his friend started the truck up.

"What? With who?"

"Strauss. We had a one night stand, and she ended up pregnant. I knew, in the back of my head, that something like that could happen, but I didn't think it would. She told me today, and as you can see, I did not react well. You can't tell anyone, Derek. Seriously."

"What did you do to her?"

"Why do you think that I did something to her?"

"Because Hotch wouldn't suspend you if you hadn't done something to her."

Reid shrugged looking out the window. "I may have told her to get an abortion, that I didn't want anything to do with it. She became quite angry when I told her that."

"Any woman would, Reid."

"She's having Hotch draw up papers that dissolve me of all my parental rights." The reality of the situation finally hit him, and he frowned. "She doesn't want me in their life. My child is going to walk around without the knowledge of who their father is."

"It's starting to sink in, isn't it, Pretty Boy?"

Reid nodded absently, a tight feeling spreading across his chest. "A little. I messed up, didn't I?" Derek nodded and he sighed, shaking his head. "I have no idea exactly how to fix this mess I've created. And she's not going to let me off the hook very easily. Plus, I have Hotch, Rossi, and Penelope to contend with."

"You really do know how to step in it, Junior. I do not envy you in the slightest. Blake will have your back no matter what you do, though."

"And how about you? Do you have my back?"

"I am not going to be put in the middle here. Penelope is still my best friend, and Erin has become a friend, as well, since she spends a lot of time with Baby Girl and Dave. You are also my friend, and I feel sympathy for you, I really do. I can't choose sides in this situation. I'm sorry."

"I know, I just, where do I start? I know I acted badly, and that she's not going to want anything to do with me, but…"

"But you want to be a part of this child's life. I don't know what to tell you, Reid. Just, start slowly, woo her, try to befriend her. Look out for her, look after her. I'll see if I can get some hints from Garcia as to what Erin likes and you can go from there."

"Thanks, Derek. I'm lucky to have a friend like you."