It had been a long two weeks of custodials for Alpha Team, and Erin had endured the small glares and whispered words behind her back from them as they all awaited Agent Hotchner's return. Erin had spoken with Haley a few times, glad to know that she was, indeed, happy with the fact that Aaron might be shifting to a different position in the Bureau, if not to the private sector all together, depending on how their meeting went that morning. And then, she was headed out to Milwaukee, taking Aaron's spot on the team for one case to get a feel for how they worked together, to see who she would choose to replace Aaron.

Clearing her throat a little, she unlocked Aaron's office door and entered, glancing over at Jason's office to see if he had shown up yet, frowning a little when she saw that the lights were still off. He should have arrived by now, since the team would be heading out on the case as soon as she had finished speaking with Aaron. After all, she had seen Agent Jareau and Penelope gathering in the conference room already, preparing for the briefing that would happen while she was otherwise engaged. Letting out a long breath, she took a seat on the sofa and smoothed her skirt down her thighs as she waited for Aaron to make his appearance.

"Who unlocked my door?"

Her head shot up as she affixed a flat mask on her face in order not to antagonize the man before their conversation even started. "I did, Aaron. Please, have a seat."

Aaron frowned as he set his things on his desk before leaning against it as he crossed his arms over his chest. She knew that it was a defensive move, but still, she tried not to let that antagonize her as she took a deep breath, waiting for him to say something. To her shock, his next words were more measured than she had expected. "I take it that this is in regards to my transfer request?"

"It is. Have you considered, where, specifically that you'd like to be transferred to?"

"I thought that I would have my choice of positions."

She let out a soft breath as she smiled a little at him. "I will certainly take into consideration where you'd like to go. Though White Collar Crimes is always looking for agents of your calibre, and that would allow you to be home at the same time every day. That would make Haley happy."

"Since when does my wife's happiness factor into your decisions, Erin?"

"Since I've had to be away from my own daughter more than I'd like as a result of the recklessness that certain teams engage in."

He looked ready to say something in rebuttal when a knock came at the open office door. Turning her head, she was surprised to see Emily Prentiss standing there, a tense look on her face. Erin felt herself frown as she tried to work out why she would be there, when she should be in the briefing, only for the woman to start to speak to Aaron. "I just wanted to take a moment to tell you that I'm glad you're coming back to the BAU, sir. This team needs you, more than you might realise."

There was a finality to her words that Erin didn't particularly understand, and she could tell that Aaron was perturbed as well. "Are you going somewhere, Emily?"

"I'm taking the entrance exam for the foreign service. And before you try to talk me out of it, well, Garcia got to me first and tried to convince me to stay. If she can't persuade someone, no one can. It was a pleasure working with you. Ma'am." Emily gave Erin a small nod before turning and leaving the office, leaving in her wake the faint scent of a familiar perfume and the feeling that everything was rapidly spinning out of control. Not that she could let that show. Aaron would pounce on that hint of vulnerability and use it to his advantage in a heartbeat.

"Well, that certainly makes things interesting. Are you still planning on going out in the field with the team? I can step in for one case, that wouldn't affect my transfer request. And do you even have any field work experience?"

She knew that he was needling her, and yet she couldn't hold herself back from snapping at him. "If I have to hold the team's hand for one case, then so be it. I have every faith in my capabilities to lead them just as well as you and Jason, if not better." He gave her a bitter smile, and she tightened her lips into a thin line as she rose to her feet and straightened her sweater as she regarded him carefully. "Think very carefully about your future, Aaron. There is still time for me to change the decision that I want to make."

As she turned to leave, Aaron took one last shot at her. "Make certain you watch your back. You wouldn't want to leave Elise motherless."

Her spine stiffened at the cheap blow, but left the office without a retort, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing that his jibe had gotten beneath her skin. Glancing at her watch, she saw that time was running out, and she hurried to her office, giving Helen a strained smile as she grabbed the overnight bag that David had helped her pack last night. "I know that your fiancé has probably already told you this, but stay safe out there, Erin. We'd all miss you if something went awry."

"I will do my best, Helen. I'm just upset that it's taken this many victims for the police department to call us in. We could have potentially taken care of this much sooner, with fewer deaths." Helen gave her an understanding nod as they went out into the hall and over to the elevators. "Where are you going?"

"You need someone to drive you to the airfield, since Alpha has already left. Don't worry, I contacted the pilot, he knows not to leave without you. But you're going to be two members down, since Agent Gideon never showed up this morning." Erin frowned as she nodded, stepping into the elevator with her assistant. "I'll be holding down the fort here as best I can, though I can only do so much. Is there anything specific that you'd like me to focus on?"

"Making certain that Agents Hotchner and Prentiss do not cause any trouble for the BAU while I handle this case. I have this feeling in my gut that is telling me that something is going to go horribly wrong over the course of this case."

"I can most certainly do that, ma'am." The rest of the ride down to the main level was spent discussing a few other things that would need Helen's attention while she was gone, and still, that feeling of impending doom continued to swim around in her stomach, as if she knew that this was not the end of things, but merely the beginning of a long, drawn out, battle between herself and Alpha team.