"All right, spill," Jessica said as she sank down on the sofa next to Erin, handing her a glass of red wine, which she gratefully accepted. Catherine had easily gone to sleep, which was a surprise, and Jack and Elise were in pyjamas, chattering away in her bedroom, though she knew that they'd soon fall asleep in Elise's bed. She wanted these days to last forever for them, even though she knew that they were getting older and so it would have to change eventually. "Erin, you're wool gathering."
"Sorry, it's a combination of this case and the fact that I've been tasked with something impossible by Aaron."
Jessica frowned as she sipped at her wine. "What has he asked you to do?" she asked.
"To watch over Emily and find out if there's anything that she's hiding from the team. And I did my duty, but now I've been sworn to secrecy by the woman, and I can't help but feel like there's this creeping storm that we can't avoid bearing down upon us. And before you ask, I can't even tell you what Emily and I discussed, since she made certain that I knew enough to keep me quiet. I just have such misgivings about the next few months."
"Well, that's why you have me here, since I know that you still don't have a lot of close friends. You can tell me what you can, and we can work through what we can. Is there anything that you can tell me?"
Erin took a large sip of wine before worrying the stem of the glass between her hands as she breathed in deeply. "She's in trouble, and I have no idea how to help her, since she swears it's for our own good that she doesn't let us in."
"That sounds familiar, Erin."
She chuckled wryly as she shrugged. "Maybe I had other reasons for hiring her to replace Elle a few years ago. But she needs our support, as best we can give it, and I feel like I'm failing her as a leader because I don't know how to give her the support that she needs."
Jessica set her wine glass on the coffee table before reaching out and touching Erin's wrist lightly. "You are doing the best you can with the information given. Try not to beat yourself up over things that are far beyond your control."
"I'll try, I promise. Now, to lighten the mood of the room, would you please tell me some good news?"
"Of course. Celia is coming to the stable tomorrow, as Jack and Elise have both been asking to meet my girlfriend. I hope that you and Dave won't mind that?"
Erin shook her head as she took another drink. "No, we both trust you to use your judgement. And I am looking forward to meeting her as well. I don't think you've even shown me a picture yet!"
Jessica blushed a little as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and scooted closer to Erin, unlocking the device and tapping on the screen a few times before handing the phone to Erin. "That's my Celia. She's beautiful."
Erin nodded as she looked at the picture of the two women. "You look so happy here. And Celia doesn't mind how much time you spend with us? I know that it can be such a burden."
"You're family, and you come first, and she agrees with me completely."
"And I want you to expand your family, Jess. You know, if she gets along well with us all tomorrow, and maybe after a few more Saturdays at the stable, she would be more than welcome to be here on those nights when I'm working late and can't get back to the children. Or I can ask Karen and Bruce to step up to the plate a little more."
"They're still so young yet, Erin. I would rather have Celia come here, if you and David truly don't mind that. And it would be nice to include her into our growing circle of family. I know that things have been difficult for you lately."
"They've been difficult for us all. And I keep feeling guilty about allowing Agent Jareau to be poached from us. The new girl is good, but she's so young and it's hard to help her find a place to fit in when she doesn't truly have the experience to be a part of the BAU. Emily was supposed to be her mentor, but I have the feeling that she is overlooking that duty because of what's happening in her personal life. I don't want to have to put my foot down and say she has to transfer to a different unit, but I feel that I might have to do just that."
"She's still a cadet, right? I know that Aaron has mentioned her before."
Erin nodded as she handed Jessica's phone back to her. "She is, and she's brilliant, which is why David chose her to help on the first case." Sighing, she finished off her glass of wine before setting it aside. "She hasn't truly done anything to warrant transferring her, so I have to try and think of a diplomatic way to make it clear that it would be better if she got more experience elsewhere."
"And that is why I do not envy you your job at all, Erin. You know the decisions that need to be made and can usually make them judiciously. So, why the reticence with Agent Seaver?"
Erin shrugged as she shook her head. "I think that I see myself in her, honestly. And so I want her to succeed and thrive. I just wish that she had a friend like I had when I was that age. Alex and I were so close, even if it all came crashing down around our heads in the end."
"Care to share, since we're on the subject?"
"You are a tricksy friend, Jess." The woman nodded, a warm smile on her lips. "I suppose that I could tell you a little about her. We were best friends, and our break up was what led me to push everyone away, because I didn't want to hurt someone else as deeply as I had hurt her. I keep trying to think of ways to reach out and try to make amends, but the few times I've tried to get in contact, she's rebuffed me. I deserve it, what I did was vile, and I regret it so much, but there are times when I miss my best friend. Even though I have my new sister."
Erin was surprised to find that she still had tears to shed over Alex, but she accepted the handkerchief from her hand to swipe away those tears on her cheeks. "When you want to tell me more about what happened, my ear is open. Okay?"
"Okay. I think that I'm going to go change into pyjamas and then come back down here and watch a happy movie. Would you care to join me?"
"I think that that sounds absolutely perfect." They got up from the sofa together, and Erin headed up to her room, knowing that Jessica would go to the guest room to change, and though the feeling of impending doom hadn't quite cleared, she still felt a little better for opening up to her friend.
