Erin frowned, feeling like everything was going to hell far faster than she had thought possible. Penelope had unexpectedly been called to Canada to help the team out on the case, and she found that her heart was even higher in her throat threatening to choke her. The feeling of dread that had hung over this case refused to go away, even after she had received the sonogram pictures at her first scan. She knew that it wasn't normal to receive them these days, since things were becoming more digital. All she wanted was to be able to show her fiancé the evidence of their child, but it felt like he would never come home from this case.

Elise gave her a small smile from her booster seat as she ate, and Erin smiled at her sadly. "Are you missing your brother and sisters?"

Her daughter nodded. "They're at Mister Alan's, right?"

"That's right, darling. It's their time with their father. Did you have a good day in daycare?"

"Yeah! We got to paint, and I'll be able to bring my picture home tomorrow. I really like painting."

"Then we'll have to do some this weekend, once your siblings are home. Would you like that?" Elise nodded before shoving a piece of broccoli in her mouth and chewing noisily. Erin arched an eyebrow at her daughter, and Elise shrugged a little before chewing more quietly as she continued to eat. "I'm hoping that Papa will be home soon. I miss him."

"I miss Papa, too. Will he catch the bunsub?"

"It's unsub, darling, and he will catch him, because that's what Papa and Uncle Aaron are good at, along with the rest of their team. Unsubs never win, because good always defeats evil." Erin knew that she was simplifying things for her daughter, that there were times when evil men won in the short term, but eventually, eventually, they fell. But her daughter wasn't old enough to understand that distinction yet, even though she and David had vowed not to baby their daughter, instead talking to her like she was an adult, even if they scaled things down for her knowledge level. They continued on with their conversation as they ate, and then Erin was putting the dishes in the washer before carefully scooping Elise up into her arms and carrying her upstairs on her hip, bringing her into the bathroom and setting her down on the floor. "Wait right here, and I'll be back with your pyjamas, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy." Elise gave her a wide smile that melted Erin's heart, and she smiled back before slipping out of the bathroom and heading to Elise's bedroom, grabbing a pair of pyjamas before going back, finding that Elise had taken off all her clothes, setting them in a pile by the toilet in an effort to be neat. "Can I have bubbles?"

"Of course, darling." Erin sat on the edge of the tub and turned the water on, letting it get to an appropriate temperature before adding the bubble bath and lifting Elise into the tub, watching her play in the shallow water for a little while, knowing that she loved bath time. Finally, though, she knew that she had to get her out, and Erin reached her hand into the water and pulled the plug, allowing the water to drain away as she grabbed Elise's towel and wrapped it around her body, quickly drying her off before lifting her out of the tub and drying off her feet. "Let's brush our teeth now."

Elise nodded as she climbed her stepstool, grabbing her toothbrush and sticking it beneath the faucet as Erin turned on the water. Together, they cleaned their teeth before Erin brought her into the bedroom, having her climb into bed while she chose a book to read to her. "I love you, Mommy."

"I love you, too, Leelee. Sleep well, my precious girl." Leaning over, Erin pressed a soft kiss to her daughter's forehead before flipping on her nightlight and making her way over to the door, watching her daughter curl up around her stuffed bear as she snuggled down into the mattress. Letting out a little sigh, Erin turned off the lights and closed the door almost all the way before making her way downstairs and into the study. Heading over to her wingback chair, Erin curled up in it as she picked up the book she was currently reading, losing herself in the text.

"Not even a welcome home for your beloved?"

Frowning a little, she replaced the bookmark, and set it on the table as she looked upwards. "David! You didn't call!"

"I did, stellina, you just left your phone in the kitchen." She blushed as she nodded, suddenly remembering that little fact. Holding out her arms, she allowed her fiancé to pull her up into a tight hug, seeing a deep well of sadness in his eyes. "I was tempted to bring Kitten home for a nightcap, but she insisted that she just wanted to go home and sleep away the taint of this case. And I don't blame her. It was truly awful."

Erin nodded, thinking about what she had seen in the preliminary reports that Aaron had been sending to her email. "I know only a little bit of it, I'll know more in the morning when you start to file your reports from the trip. But I think that I know a way to help you wash away the disgusting feeling of this case."

He cocked his head to one side, and Erin gave him an enigmatic smile as she took hold of his hand and brought him into the kitchen, slipping the envelope that contained the proof of their baby out of her purse and handing it over to him. The frown on David's face deepened a little as he slid the pictures out, only for his eyes to widen in shock, his mouth dropping open in shock as he looked from the sonogram pictures to her stomach to her face a few times. "Erin?"

"Papa?" she queried back, feeling tears sting her eyes as he dropped the pictures onto the counter before wrapping her up in a tight hug, lifting her off her feet as he swung them around a few times. "I found out that I was pregnant during that anthrax case, but my doctor confirmed it today. I still have to go to the Director, but I want to wait three more weeks, to be officially out of the first trimester. But I am hopeful, so hopeful, that this little one will want to stay. Already, it's been an easier pregnancy, even if I am more tired."

He set her back down on the ground before cupping her face and kissing her deeply. "I will do anything that I need to, in order to make this pregnancy continue to be smooth and easy for you. I know how much hell you went through with Elise, and our next baby shouldn't be that difficult."

She nodded, tears rolling down her eyes as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest as she took a few dep breaths. "Aaron already knows, I told him while we went to see Elise during the anthrax case, because I wanted him to know just how much I needed you to be safe out there. That I didn't know how I'd be able to handle a high risk pregnancy without you. That he had to protect you as much as he possibly could."

He nodded as he pressed his hand against her head, holding her close as he nodded. "I completely understand, Erin. Oh, god, I'm going to be a father again."

"You are, darling," she murmured, holding him close as she sent up a prayer that this was the start of something better for her family and their team.