Erin rubbed her bump absently as she looked over the report that Aaron had just handed over to Helen. It was like he had known that she would be overwhelmingly angry at what had happened in the field, and she was. Agent Jareau had very nearly been fatally injured in the field, and she had already fielded a meeting with the Director, trying to explain that the stress of Foyet was starting to wear on the entire team. It seemed like he almost bought it, but she also knew that this would once more draw unnecessary attention to Alpha at a time when they could least afford it. Letting out a frustrated breath, Erin pushed away from her desk and walked over to her window, looking out at the people walking around outside.
"That's it, I have to get out of here for a little while," she said with a little more force than intended as she stalked over to her coat tree and slipped into her coat, tying the belt as best she could over her bump. This was the same coat David had bought for her when she was carrying Elise, and she was grateful that she could wear it once more. After dropping her phone into a pocket, Erin left her office and stopped in front of Helen's desk.
"Did I miss a meeting or appointment in your calendar, Erin?"
"No, I'm heading up onto the roof and walking around for a little while, since I'm too keyed up here, and I know that it's not good for the little one to have me be this stressed. I'm taking my cellphone, so if anything urgent comes up in the next thirty minutes, call me, and I'll head back down."
"Of course, Erin. But be careful up there. I'd hate for you to have an accident, as it would take a lot longer to get to you."
She gave her assistant a small smile before nodding. "I know. And I will." Nodding a little to Helen, she went out to the elevators and pressed the up button, hoping that no one would question why she was going up instead of down.
That was a fool's wish, though, as she watched Penelope come down the hall in her direction, and she drew in a deep breath as she willed the elevator to come all the quicker. "Oh, Chief Strauss! Are you headed out for the afternoon?"
"No, I'm just taking a short walking break to clear my head before I finish the workday."
Penelope looked like she was going to say something more when the doors slid open, and Erin stepped inside, pressing the button for the top floor before stepping to the back of the car in case there were others travelling upwards as well. Thankfully, she was alone until she reached the top floor, and she gave a tight nod to the people waiting for the elevator as she brushed past them and walked over to the stairwell, carefully climbing the two sets of steps until she reached the fire door, thankful to find it closed. She knew that smokers still used the roof to take their breaks, so as not to go through security again, so she was grateful to know that she was going to be alone.
Opening the door, she kicked the brick into place to prop the door open before heading into the middle of the roof and looking up into the blue sky, shivering a little as the cool wind whipped across the skin of her face. There was something so calming about that moment, and she closed her eyes as she breathed in the fresh air, wishing that there was a chair to sit on, because she would spend longer than twenty minutes outside.
"Kitten mentioned that she thought it was odd you were heading up instead of down on the elevator, so I came up to investigate."
Erin turned to look at her fiancé, giving him a tired smile as she beckoned him over to her side. "I wanted to get closer to the edge, but given my balance issues with the pregnancy, I decided that that was a bad idea. I just needed to get out of the office for a little bit, and this was the fastest way to do that. Care to join me in doing absolutely nothing for about fifteen minutes?"
"I would absolutely love to do just that, Erin." He stepped over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist as he pulled her back against his stomach. It was so easy to recline against him, listening to his calming breaths as they stared out at the sky. "Is this because of JJ?"
"You know me far too well. Though I suppose that's part of why I love you so much. And yes, I had to have a meeting with the Director this morning, which lasted far too long, and while I mollified him for the moment, I know that there's going to be more scrutiny on your team. Though you can tell Agent Morgan that I appreciate his delegating skills so that he doesn't have to interact with me quite so often."
"I can have a talk with him about insubordination."
Erin laughed as she turned in his arms, a sad smile curving across her lips as her baby bump pushed them away from each other. "I don't think that it would do any good, do you? I've heard about the way he talks to Aaron, and that's something that needs to be handled at the team level. I don't need another reason for the team to dislike me."
He nodded as he reached out and caressed her face. "If Penelope has her way, that won't be the case." She frowned as she looked up into his eyes. "She hasn't been outright defending you, but there are times when the others say something a little rude in regards to you, and before I can jump in and defend you, she's shutting it down with a look that I would swear she picked up from you, except she hasn't spent enough time with you to see that look in action."
Her smile turned warmer as she nodded in response. "That's sweet of her, though I have to imagine that the others don't take too kindly to said look."
He shrugged. "Eh, it stops them from commenting in the moment." Another bark of a laugh escaped her lips as she turned back around, waiting for him to take the hint and embrace her once more. It didn't take too long, and then he was doing just that, resting his chin on top of her head as they breathed deeply in tandem. "I don't know why we didn't come up here sooner. There is something so glorious about the peace that comes from the quiet."
"When we don't have to deal with smokers, yes. I don't mind your occasional cigar, but I would have issues if you decided to take up the habit on a regular basis." He chuckled a little before pushing aside her hair and pressing a soft kiss to the spot beneath her ear. "I don't want to leave this place, David, but I know that I have to get back to work."
"Well, we still have a few more minutes before we have to head back down. Just lean back against me, and we'll relax a little longer." She nodded as she lolled her had back against his shoulder, staring out at the sky once more as she allowed the peace of the sky to overwhelm her and settle her still racing mind.
