The lights on the airport runway were glowing bright as the plane carrying the BAU team approached Baltimore-Washington International airport. Preparing to make its final decent, the plane's landing gear dropped, and the noise was enough to wake Erin out of sleep. She glanced over at the seat next to her and saw David feverishly typing on his laptop.

David noticed Erin was stirring and grabbed her hand with a smile.

"We're home." David said to her. "Did you sleep well?"

"I think so, how long was I out for?" Erin asked.

"It was pretty much the entire flight. We were having a nice conversation, and the next thing I knew, you weren't responding anymore. You must have needed the sleep, and you looked so peaceful, I didn't have the heart to wake you."

"Thanks, but now I am going to be awake all night. I guess I can get a head start on the case report I'll need to submit."

"I have a lot I need to do too. While you were sleeping, I was making a list of things I needed to get done, and it just kept growing. We've only been away for five days. I can't believe I have this much to do," David said, turning his laptop toward her so Erin could see.

The plane came to a stop on the runway and Erin heard the hatch door open. She pulled her suitcase down from the overhead and began walking toward the exit.

"Well, I guess I should leave you to get started then. Will you call me?"

"That's a silly question. Of course I'll call you. I'm also going to walk you to your car, so give me that suitcase."

"Thanks," Erin said, a twinge of sadness in her voice. She had a feeling that she'd be seeing less of David outside of work now that they were home.

As David and Erin walked to her car, he dragged her suitcase behind him with one hand, and reached for her hand with the other.

"I am glad you decided to come with us. I enjoyed getting to spend this time with you."

"I do enjoy the field work every now and then. Spending so much time in the office starts to weigh on me after a while, so I try to mix it up when I can."

David and Erin reached her car and she opened the trunk so he could put her suitcase inside. Slamming the lid closed, he walked around to the driver's door where Erin was standing. He grabbed her hand and gently pushed her back so she was leaning against the car. Pressing his body against hers, their eyes met, and beyond the endless sea of blue he saw in hers, there was something more. The expression she wore was one he had not seen before, and it intrigued him.

"What are you thinking about?" David asked

"How much I don't want you to go," she replied.

"I'll see you soon."

With that, he captured her mouth with his, biting her lower lip gently. Erin deepened their kiss and began running her hands through his hair. David was thinking about taking her right there in her car, but he came to his senses and finally broke the kiss.

"Okay, before I lose all control, I should go."

"Thank you for walking with me. See you back at the office on Monday."

"Yes, you will, but I'll be talking to you before then."

"Promise?"

"Yes, I promise."

David blew her another kiss before he turned and walked back toward the plane to collect his luggage.

"I hope so," Erin said as she watched him walk away.

After David was no longer in sight, Erin got into her car to begin the drive back to her home in Manassas. If the traffic was light, it would take her a bit more than an hour, and she couldn't wait to get there. She was thankful that it was after 7, which meant the Friday rush hour traffic would be over. Chances were good that she could be showered and in her own bed by 9.

The drive passed uneventfully, and Erin glanced at the blue glow of the clock on the dashboard as she pulled into her driveway. It read 8:56. Pulling the car into the garage and putting it in park, Erin let out a deep sigh before turning off the engine.

"Nine o'clock on a Friday, and nowhere to go," she said.

Erin got out of the car and walked around to the trunk to retrieve her suitcase. Opening the door to her home, she took in the dark and quiet surroundings and was hit with a sense of loneliness.

Realizing that she had nothing pressing to do that evening and nowhere to go, Erin took a long shower, crawled into bed and fell into a deep sleep.

The weekend passed quickly, and as Erin walked into the BAU on Monday, she was hoping to not have to see or talk to David Rossi. Her instincts had been right, and he hadn't called her once for the remainder of the weekend. She wasn't in the mood to hear his apologies or excuses.

Heading up the stairs to her office, she ran into Agent Hotchner coming the opposite way.

"Good morning, Aaron. Did you have a nice weekend?"

"Yes, I did, and good morning to you as well; as good of a morning as you can have on a Monday."

"Aaron, can you do me a favor? If you see David, please tell him I'll be tied up most of the day and won't have time to speak with him, okay?"

"Um, sure, if that's what you want. Is something wrong?"

"No, I just have a lot to catch up on and don't have time for small talk today."

With that, Erin continued up the stairs to her office. Aaron didn't know what to say, so he just watched her walk off. Hearing the voices of the rest of the team, he continued the opposite way down the stairs to join them. Reaching the group and seeing Morgan first, Aaron just shook his head.

"What's going on with Erin? She looks pissed," Derek said

"I think something happened between her and Rossi this weekend. She wouldn't tell me. She just said to tell Dave she didn't want to talk to him today."

"That's not good. When Erin Strauss is on the warpath, it is not a fun time," Derek replied.

Just then, the two men heard footsteps behind them. They turned to see David walking up to join their conversation. The look on his face said it all. He knew he screwed up, and he knew he was in trouble.

"Okay, you're going to tell me what happened, and you're going to tell me now," Aaron said. "Whatever you did, Erin is not amused. She told me to tell you she had no interest in seeing or speaking with you today."

"I know, and I probably deserve it. I told her on the way home from New York that I would call her over the weekend and I didn't. I just got caught up in everything I had to do and it just slipped my mind."

"Wait, calling your girlfriend, at least I think that's what she is, just slipped your mind?" Derek asked incredulously. "My man, you deserve whatever punishment she gives you."

"I don't know why she's taking it so seriously. It was only a couple days."

"Because when you're in love with someone, you expect them to reciprocate. She wants to know that she's on your mind," Derek said. "Come on, Dave, don't tell me you don't know how this love thing works."

"I don't know if that's what it is. I told her that I just wanted to enjoy each other. I don't want to put labels on it or feel pressure to take it to the next level."

"This is where I exit the conversation," Aaron said. "I think my coffee cup needs a refill."

"Thanks for leaving me to school this guy on the ways of a woman," Derek said sarcastically.

Turning back to David, he continued, "I think you need to have a talk with Erin about your feelings. It seems to me, given her current emotional state, that she is on a different wavelength than you."

"I suppose I should go try to apologize," David surmised.

"I'd tread lightly if I were you. She made it pretty clear to Hotch that she was not interested in seeing your face anytime soon," Derek warned.

"I have been dealing with Erin Strauss's mood swings since you were in kindergarten. Trust me, I can handle her," David said before turning toward the stairs that led to Erin's office.

"Good luck. I think you're going to need it," Derek teased.

David climbed the staircase and walked down the hall toward Erin's office. He noticed her door was ajar, and was just about to knock when he heard her on the phone.

"Senator Brannigan, it's nice to hear from you. To what do I owe the pleasure of your call?" Erin said, her voice dripping with sugary sweetness.

"Ross Brannigan?" David thought to himself. "What does that jackass want?"