Erin has almost gotten back into the routine that she had established before she had given birth to Elise, only for Max Ryan to show up and throw a spanner into the whole works. She had known that as soon as he had gotten involved, everything would go to hell, and it seemed that that was exactly what had happened. She had been willing to give the team some leeway after the prison interview that had not gone as planned, even when the parents of an unrelated child had called to complain about finding the FBI on their doorstep late at night, when they had no true reason for being there. She had read the case file that Aaron had put together before that call and understood what had happened, even if she hadn't liked it.

But that had been a month ago, and while Elise brought her such joy, it seemed like Alpha team was only going to bring her grief. Sighing, she looked at the new picture of their family that David had taken, Karen holding Elise as they all smiled for the camera, and shook her head. There were days when she just didn't know what to do with Aaron and Jason. The others were doing so well, even Doctor Reid was starting to feel like he truly belonged in the FBI, and didn't quite look so much like a child playacting with the adults. And Agent Greenaway was able to give back to Jason everything that he dished out, or so she gathered from reading between the lines of the reports that Aaron wrote about the cases they closed.

Which all circled back to this current case and how everything was quickly going to hell. Agent Greenaway had already called her office once, informing Erin that she didn't appreciate being treated like she was little more than an overglorified secretary and that she was tired of not having her thoughts and opinions listened to. By the end of call, she was ready to storm up to Philadelphia herself and take control of the case, even if her fieldwork experience was woefully lacking. Instead, she took a deep breath and looked up Aaron's mobile number in her contacts and dialed it, hoping that he wouldn't be openly hostile when he picked up the phone, that she could keep her own ire in check long enough to have a decent conversation with the man.

"We're in the middle of a case, Erin," he answered with no preamble, and she bristled at the tone he took. "Please tell me that this is something important?"

"I have been hearing some rather disconcerting things about Max Ryan not taking direction from you. He does know that he is no longer with the BAU, and that he was only asked to participate as a courtesy?" Her voice was cold, and she knew that would only further cement her reputation as the Ice Queen when he relayed the conversation to Jason. Still, it was that or bite his head off, and she thought better to be thought cold than angry and bitter.

"Everything is fine, Erin. We don't need you to check up on us like we're toddlers."

She blew out a long breath through her nose as she pinched the bridge, trying to keep from just snapping back something that would get them nowhere. "I am just asking that you consider everyone on your team while dealing with Max. I remember what it was like to work with him, and while you might still harbor feelings of hero worship for the man, there was no love lost between us, or any of his other female coworkers. So, just keep that in mind as you work this case. You, Aaron, are the section chief, and as such, you set the tone for the team. Do your job and lead them, do not allow Max Ryan to lead you around by a string tied around your balls."

Erin didn't know what possessed her to say such a crude thing, but she knew that she had lost her point by doing so, and she buried her face in her hand as she awaited his reply. "I highly doubt that that's what's happening here, Erin, but I'll be certain to keep that in mind. Now, if there's nothing else, I really need to get back to the case."

"You do that, Aaron," she bit out, hanging up before he could say another word and then bringing her other hand up to her face, rubbing it harshly in an effort to completely forget about that conversation. She had hoped that their relationship might start to get on a better footing, but that little conversation proved that they were far away from that lofty goal. "Helen! I need you to run and get me something sweet from somewhere. Please!" she called out through her open door before getting up from her desk and stalking over to her sofa, closing the door with a loud thud before collapsing on the comfortable surface and hurriedly dialing their home number, knowing that even if he didn't answer her, he'd call back when he was available.

"Erin! Is everything all right?" he answered on the fourth ring, sounding slightly out of breath, which told her that he had been upstairs in the nursery with Elise. "Stellina?"

"I…I just allowed Aaron to get beneath my skin and said something crass that I shouldn't have, and now I feel like we're ten paces back from where we were just a few weeks ago. I had thought that we were getting somewhere, since he was talking to me like before I fell pregnant. And then today."

"What happened?"

"Max Ryan happened. Agent Greenaway contacted me with some concerns, and I thought that I should take those concerns to Aaron, since he would be more prone to listen to me than to one of his agents. He was defensive from the moment he answered my call, and I dished that attitude right back out to him before finally telling him that he was allowing Ryan to lead him around by a string tied to his balls."

David chuckled loudly, causing Erin to roll her eyes and let out her second huff of breath that morning. "Oh to have been there to see Aaron's face when you told him that! You could always blame it on lack of sleep, since Elise is doing her best to start teething early."

"There is that, but that would never fly. I need to be in better control of my emotions, especially if I'm supposed to be a good leader. And that's all that I want, David. I know that the Director is keeping a closer eye on Alpha team, since Jason is not well, no matter how much he tries to pretend like he is, and Agent Greenaway is still rough around the edges for all her eagerness. Right now the team works well together, but it would only take one small incident to change everything about that careful balance. And since I have Elise to think about, I can't have another worry on my plate."

"That's why I'm here, Erin. To help take care of you and our family. You know, I'm proud of you."

"Why?"

"You called me to talk rather than shutting down and burying those feelings inside. I know that you're good at that, since you're a lone wolf. Just like Jason and myself. I've been trying to learn how to reach out since I left the BAU, but you drew into yourself. That was the one thing that Aaron told me about you when we talked, how you were so solitary and aloof."

"Yes, well, you and Helen are the only two people that I trust enough to let in and see the true me. Thank you."

"For what?"

"For understanding me, and just letting me talk it out. And you're right about Elise teething. I can feel one of her molars starting to come in, and thank God its that, rather than an incisor. Breastfeeding becomes that much more painful when a baby has teeth to bite with." She massaged her upper chest a little before sighing. "Are you bringing her to the café so that we can have lunch together while I feed her? I still can't believe that I slept in so late and didn't have time to pump."

"That is still the plan. I will see you in three hours."

"Until then, I love you."

"I love you, too," he replied, and she sighed a little as they ended their conversation, feeling all the better for having confided in David. This was what she had hoped would be her life with Alan, but she was finding it with the person she had least expected to have a relationship with. Yet God, despite her sin, had seen fit to give her what her heart needed to heal after the disaster she had nearly made of her life, and she was most grateful for that consideration.