Erin felt herself groan a little as she sat up a little straighter, cracking her back to try and relieve some of the tension she was carrying there. She knew that Aaron had given Agent Greenaway a two week ultimatum to have her psych evaluation done, and that she hadn't done so, instead not bothering to show up for work the day of her supposed return, forcing him to stay behind and try to track her down. She knew how he felt, she wanted answers as well, but knew that they were both unlikely to get what they wanted.

And now the case in Texas was almost finished, and there was still no real answer from Agent Greenaway, which meant that she would be on the hunt for a new agent to replace her on the team. That was not a task that she relished, but since Jason had approved of Agent Greenaway and it had ended up in disaster, she knew that she would have to make the next choice. There was no way that they could afford another PR disaster, not when she had come dangerously close to having to disband Alpha and split them amongst the other teams and departments.

"She's gone."

Erin looked up from her computer screen, realizing that she had been staring at it without seeing anything as she had lost herself in thought. "I see. Did she explain herself, at least?"

"After a fashion, yes." He took a seat in front of her desk and picked up the photograph of her children, staring at Elise's face for a few long moments before returning the frame to her desk. She had to fight the urge to right it, knowing that he would comment on her fastidiousness if she did so. "She also turned in her badge and gun, so we don't have to hound her for that. But there's no way that I can call the Dayton police and inform them of my suppositions, since that won't stand up in court. My time as a prosecutor tells me as much."

"And being unable to bring her to justice eats at you."

"Just as the lie that you're telling to everyone is eating at you."

She frowned, knowing then that the tentative détente they had formed over the course of the last two weeks was over. "I haven't lied, Aaron."

"Oh, really? When you first were telling me about the pregnancy, it was Alan's baby. And then, when that didn't work out for you, she suddenly became Dave's baby. Somewhere, obviously, there is a lie there, and one day, the truth will come out."

Erin felt the blood leave her face as she shook her head slowly. "I think that you're wrong, Aaron. I think that the truth is something that you don't want to hear right now, because you were enamored with the idea of fathering two children at once." He narrowed his eyes, and Erin took a deep breath as she pressed ahead. "I know that you don't want to think about the fact that I was sleeping with three men around the same time. But it would lend you a better excuse for hating me. After all, it was just something casual for me. Both times."

Aaron's face tightened a little before he shook his head. "And now you're lying again, this time to both of us. I heard you start to sob when I left the hotel room that morning. I think that's what made me so angry with myself. I hurt you, I hurt Haley, I hurt myself. There is no excuse for what we did that night, but my mother always raised me to be kinder than I was that morning. I was just so disgusted with my actions that I had nothing left to give you."

"I wouldn't have asked for anything, Aaron. I had never even looked at another man that way until the alcohol affected our systems." The truth was easy to tell him while they were being open and honest with each other, as if they would never have a moment in time like this again. "We allowed our basest instincts to take over, and now we know ourselves a little better. In the end, we were also both honest with our spouses, though Haley was quick to forgive you, whereas Alan was quick to move on."

"You landed on your feet, Erin."

"I was lucky that David even accepted my call. And I have been blessed by our relationship." She blinked back quick tears as she looked away from Aaron, taking a few deep breaths. "I wish that you could understand everything, but I don't think that you ever will. I'm just glad that this hasn't affected your friendship with David all that much."

"I can compartmentalize, when I have to. I'll be informing Director Shepperd of the defection come the morning. And I think that, if possible, we should wait to fill the position Agent Greenaway has left on the team. I'm starting to think that Alpha has a curse placed on it, and I'd like to have the chance to just let things settle."

She nodded, knowing that that would not be likely, since the Director would want to fill the position as quickly as possible. The BAU was a prestige department, even with the current scandals that had occurred. "I will see what I can do to make that happen."

Aaron gave her a look before getting to his feet, giving her a tight nod before stalking from her office with no further word. Letting out a long breath, she looked back at her computer screen and decided that she would just finish everything the next day, it was already late enough and she was missing her children fiercely. Shaking her head a little, she powered down her computer before grabbing her purse, deciding to leave everything work related at work, since she wasn't that far behind, and she would need something to distract herself from the dread of waiting to be called up to Director Shepperd's office and explain to him how she had once more allowed Alpha to go off the rails and bring the FBI under further scrutiny.

Turning off the lights in her office, she locked her door before heading out to the elevators, waiting for one to arrive. While she stood there, her phone buzzed against her thigh, and she pulled it out of her purse, smiling to see David's name on the screen. As she answered, she stepped into the elevator and brought the phone to her ear. "Are you on your way home?"

"Finally, yes. I still have some work to do, but I can finish that up tomorrow before I'm inevitably called up to the Director's office to explain why one of my former agents decided to not go to her mandatory psych evaluation and instead just quit with no notice. Is it wrong that I just want to come home and drink until I fall asleep?"

"Yes, Erin, because that's not healthy. I will, however, have a glass of red wine waiting for you in the living room, along with your reheated supper so that we can watch something mind numbing on the television while you eat."

"Have I told you that I love you?"

"Not since last night, so I was starting to wonder."

She laughed at the way he teased her, wondering how things could be so easy between them. Elise had brought them together, but she had never expected to find this peace with him, not when they had butted heads so often when he was last with the FBI. "Well, I do. You can be certain of that. But I am really hoping that it was lasagna tonight?"

"It was! I had the feeling that you needed comfort food, just based on how the beginning of the week started out. Now, hurry home. Elise has been missing her mommy something fierce."

"Then pray my wheels have wings and that I hit all the lights green. I will see you all soon." They said their goodbyes, and Erin let out a happy sigh as she slipped it back into her purse, wishing that she could just teleport home and be with her family immediately.