JJ couldn't help but notice the way the Erin tensed up every time that she walked past the bullpen and saw their new team member. And she couldn't help but feel the same tension creep into her body, since there was something so standoffish about the woman, something that didn't make JJ want to get to know her better. Which was ridiculous, because she was probably perfectly nice, but it was hard to forget Erin's reaction.

And then, one morning while Derek and Penelope were still in London, JJ walked into the bathroom and heard the sounds of broken cries. It was heartbreaking, listening to the mystery woman, and JJ felt herself welling up in sympathy. Letting out a discreet cough, she made her way over the first stall and quickly peed before slipping back out and washing her hands.

The last stall door opened, and JJ looked up in the mirror to see Erin there. "Oh, I didn't know it was you," she stammered out, wanting to offer the woman an out.

"I knew it was you, I recognized the shoes. Please, don't tell anyone that you heard me crying. I still have to face them. I need to present a strong façade."

"Is it Blake?" she asked without preamble.

"A little, yes. There were things that happened in the past that I can't change, and it seems like we're never going to be able to bury the hatchet. Amends aren't always accepted."

There was a faraway look in Erin's eyes, and JJ felt compelled to turn around and reach out to her, resting her arm lightly on her upper arm. From the way her muscle flinched beneath JJ's touch, she knew that she was still tender and raw, and that saddened her a bit. "I've accepted your amends, but I probably wouldn't be at this place had we not worked together in Afghanistan. It takes time to change perspectives, you know."

"I do. I've experienced that first hand with my children. It's hard to keep on the straight and narrow when you have a million different issues tugging at your mind. But you don't want to hear about my problems. Is there anything that I can do for you? You never asked for maternity leave, and…?"

A pained look crossed JJ's face as she shook her head. "No, I'm fine, don't worry about me. I'll try to get the others to go a little easier on you, too. Okay?"

"All right," Erin responded, a troubled look on her face as she wiped the last traces of tears off her cheeks. Walking past JJ, Erin reached out and patted her arm lightly before slipping out of the bathroom. JJ gave her a few minutes lead time, and then exited herself, making her way back to the bullpen.

Blake gave her a look as she passed by her desk, and JJ just smiled, trying not to give anything away as she sailed up to Hotch's office. It was still weird to not have Garcia and Morgan there, since she found herself wanting to talk to her friend about a million times a day, but there was only one more week until they returned, and she could fill Garcia in on everything that had happened since she had gone to work with Emily.

Knocking gently on her boss's door, she waited for him to invite her in. "The door's open!" he called out, and she quickly stepped behind the door and over to his desk, taking a seat in front of his desk. "What can I do for you today, Jen?"

She shrugged a little, wondering how to ask the question on her mind. "Did you know about Strauss?" she finally blurted out, unable to hold the question in any longer.

Hotch looked up from his paperwork and gave her a long, searching, look. "I have no idea what you mean," he finally responded before lowering his gaze once more.

"I rather think that you do, and that sort of answers my question. Go easier on her, would you?"

Before he could answer, she stood and strode out of the room, feeling an overwhelming surge of anxiety sweep over her heart. JJ wasn't quite certain if it stemmed from Erin's question about her baby, as if she had expected her to talk about it, as if she had brought her pregnancy to fruition, or if it stemmed from the fact that Hotch had been keeping two secrets – one that she knew about, the other that she hadn't. Knowing that she had to work off some of the building stress, she hurried over to her desk and dropped off her phone before heading down to the locker room.

After quickly changing into her workout clothes, she made her way to the gym and found an open treadmill. Though she hadn't brought her iPod to listen to, JJ found that having the opportunity to be alone with her thoughts was actually much more beneficial. The largest thing that occupied her mind was Erin's reactions to her. There was something so sweet about her concern, and yet it troubled her for some reason.

"But why would she think that I gave birth? She was there when I lost the baby," she murmured aloud as she picked up her speed. "I mean, it was quite obvious that I lost the pregnancy, wasn't it?"

A sharp ache began to throb in the back of her head, and JJ reached up to rub at it absently as she continued to run. It was clear that her brain was getting overworked by that line of thought, and she sighed before switching her train of thought. Looking at her wedding ring, she thought about how its weight still felt odd on her hand. Ever since their marriage, Will had been acting weird. And it wasn't all the time, only when she caught him off guard. And it wasn't anything that she could really put her finger on, either. She just caught these glimpses of someone different, someone that she didn't know, at times.

A part of her wanted to just come out and ask him what was up, while the larger part of her heart understood what it was like to be through a traumatic event and have everyone around you expect you to be normal. That was the same thing that she was dealing with, and she was finding herself more snappish than normal. She knew that eventually, she might have to talk to someone, to let her feelings out, if Hotch found out about her time in the Middle East, but that might never happen. A small part of her wished that it never would, since she wanted to be strong like Emily, to be able to put things in a little box and lock it away on a high shelf in her heart, never to be opened again.

Finally feeling out of breath, but still discombobulated, she stomped over to the punching bags, picking up a set of gloves and shoved her hands in them, starting to jab and strike at the bag, releasing her emotions through her fists.

"Whoa there, Jen, you look like you want to gut that poor punching bag. What did it ever do to you?"

Gasping for air, she paused and turned her head to look at Rossi. He still looked cool as a cucumber in his jeans and suit coat, which for some reason made her irritable. "It existed. It lives for us to beat the crap out of it."

He chuckled lowly as he tossed her a towel. As JJ wiped the sweat from her face and upper chest, Rossi reached out and stilled the bag, a smile still spread across his lips. "I suppose there is some truth in that. I just wanted to let you know that we have a case, and we're headed out to Nevada in the morning, after we brief the case."

"Thanks for the head's up," she replied as she raised her arms above her head, trying to pull some oxygen into her lungs. "I'll see you in the morning."

"If I'm late, make certain you ask a lot of probing questions, okay?"

JJ knew exactly what he was implying, and yet her cheeks still turned a bright red as she nodded. "Will do, Sir. Have a good night."

"Oh, I will definitely make it one," he replied as he turned to leave the gym. As he walked away, JJ listened to him whistle a jaunty tune. She knew exactly what his good mood meant, and while she wished that she didn't, she was glad that Erin was able to find some happiness in the day.