"Who is coming over to our house this late at night, Mom?" Tabitha asked when the sound of the doorbell caught all their attention. Erin shrugged a little, wondering if she should head upstairs for her service weapon. "Well, I'll go see who it is and send them away, if necessary. They could have woken the kiddos!"

Erin tried to chuckle supportively, but she still felt a bit uneasy at the idea that someone had decided it was a good idea to come over to their home at nearly nine. Especially since David was out on a case at the moment, and unable to help her protect their family if it were someone with ill intent at their door. Sighing, she looked down at the puzzle she and Tabitha were working in the study, knowing that they would probably have to get back at it the next evening, if their uninvited guest was going to insist on staying. Hearing footsteps behind her once more, Erin turned in her seat and looked in the doorway, seeing Tabitha there, a deep frown on her lips. "What is it, dear?"

"It's Uncle Aaron's girlfriend, and she seems rather agitated. I showed her into the living room before I came to get you, because there's something weird going on. I'll check on Cat and Leelee before I head to bed to read for a little bit. I have the feeling that we won't be able to get any more progress on our puzzle tonight. Love you, Mom." Tabitha scurried over to her side and gave her a tight hug before zooming out of the room.

Letting out a little sigh, Erin placed one last piece before getting to her feet and making her way into the living room. She had no idea why Beth had chosen to come over so late, but it couldn't be anything good. A part of her was tempted to pull out her phone and text Aaron, to let him know what was going on, but she also didn't want to leave Beth alone for too long, not knowing her purpose. Squaring her shoulders, Erin entered the living room, only to find the other woman standing near the fireplace mantle and looking at the pictures lined up there, studying them intently. "Tabitha said that you have something that you wanted to talk about?" she asked as softly and gently as she could.

Still, the other woman jumped at the sound of her voice, turning suddenly to look at her, unable to hide the glare that was in her eyes. Erin cocked up an eyebrow at that sight, only to see that the woman's face quickly contorted into a placid smile as she glided over to the sofa and elegantly took a seat, smoothing her skirt down her thighs as she continued to stare at Erin. She knew that it was a power play, and she took it in stride as she continued to stare at Beth, knowing that she could not be the first person to break, as that would be ceding ground in this little power struggle that she had found herself in. It was gratifying to see Beth look away first, and she swallowed her chuckle as she swept over to her favourite chair and took a seat, regarding Beth as regally as she could.

"Yes, I've been thinking about things since the birthday party, and I wanted to discuss what I saw there that afternoon. I know that you and Aaron are close, despite your being engaged to his best friend. And yes, he's told me all about this messy little situation that is now five years old and too adorable to actually be your daughter."

Erin bristled at the implication in Beth's words, but chose not to respond to the jibe in kind. "Yes, we managed to create a lovely daughter from our mistake. And while Elise loves her Uncle Aaron, she considers David her father. But how do you think that this private family matter would concern you, when your relationship with Aaron is so new?"

From the way that Beth's eyes narrowed, Erin knew that she had hit a sore spot, and she had to swallow her smirk as she waited for Beth to respond. "Because I do foresee us having a lasting relationship, and I want to make it clear that I will not tolerate anything or anyone coming between us, especially when this relationship is still so new. I saw how he talked with you at the party, and I hear how often your name drops from his mouth. I don't get to spend much time with Jack yet, since I'm still a new factor in Aaron's life, and he wants to shield his son from being hurt, should we break up, but I would imagine that your name is bandied about just as much by him, too. So, I'll only say this once. Aaron is mine, I haven't found so great a guy in ages, and I am loathe to give him up."

Erin was quite surprised at how insecure Beth sounded, since she had appeared so confident at the birthday party, but she was still hurt by the demand to just cut herself off from her found family. "I will assure you that there is nothing between Aaron and myself. He's like a younger brother to me now, and I would never think twice about accepting him into my bed, since I have David."

"You say that now, but what if something happens to him? Then you'll be running back…"

"No. I won't. Aaron and Jessica are family, and I am content on keeping it that way. Especially with five children to raise, now."

"Mommy?"

Erin looked up suddenly to see Elise peering in the doorway, tears rolling down her cheeks. Her heart lurched a little as she nodded, opening her arms to her daughter and beckoning her over with her hand. Beth stared at Elise, and Erin gave her a quick glare as she bundled her daughter close to her chest. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"I had a bad dream. Can I sleep with you tonight, since Papa is gone?"

"Of course, darling. I just have to see my friend to the door, okay?" Elise nodded, and Erin held her close as she rose to her feet, staring Beth down until she, too, got up. "It is quite late, and it will take me some time to get Elise back down to sleep, so we will table this discussion for quite some time. And I won't be discussing this with Aaron, as it would be beneath both of us to do so."

Beth nodded as they went out to the front door, looking like she wanted to say more, but Erin gave a small shake of her head as she closed the door and locked it behind her. It didn't take long to carry Elise upstairs and into her bedroom, and she set her daughter down on the bed before she hurriedly changed into pyjamas, knowing that there wasn't really time to go through her usual routine, as she wanted to comfort Elise for a little while. Turning, she found that Elise was curled up on her side of the bed, and she smiled sweetly at her daughter as she crawled into bed next to Elise, pulling her tightly to her chest as she began to sing a soft lullaby to her daughter, all the while wondering what she would do about the Beth situation, should it change into something much larger than what it was at the current moment.