"Erin? What has your attention this morning?"

She looked up from Jessica's manuscript and gave Ron a sheepish smile as she set the page aside. "Sorry, Jessica wants David to give this to his publishers, and I was thoroughly nosy, asking for my own copy to read. I love to see my friends thrive, and this has the potential to do just that, if we can get her the right editor and agent. What can I do for you?"

Taking a good look at her boss, she saw that he had an extremely large stack of files in his arms, and Erin felt herself blanch at the sight, wondering what she needed to do with all that extra work. "I know, this looks like a lot. But I want to assure you that it's not what you might think it is. Since Agent Prentiss left us for Interpol, there is an obvious hole in the team that we need to fill, and I'd like to do that sooner, rather than later. Since you will have to work closely with the replacement, I thought that you might like to create a shortlist for me from this stack of candidates."

She nodded as he set the pile of folders on the corner of her desk. "And when would you like me to have this completed by?"

Ron gave her a small smile as he shrugged. "I would like it done soon, since I'd like to have the replacement in place and working with the team while Agent Morgan and Ms. Garcia are in London, working with Interpol."

That was another bombshell she wasn't prepared for, and Erin narrowed her eyes as she looked up at him. "I'm sorry, would you please care to run that by me again?"

"I take it that you haven't read your emails this morning." She shook her head. "Clyde Easter would like to work with Agent Morgan, due to his expertise in explosives, and Ms. Garcia, due to her computer skills. Those skills are going to be in high demand, thanks to London hosting the Olympics. It's all explained in greater detail in the email, which I forwarded to you. It seems that your formidable reputation precedes you, since Easter decided that it would be better if he asked me, rather than you, for their assistance."

Nodding absently, Erin thought about what that would mean for her team, since she wasn't certain how well they would cope with being two members down, especially since Penelope seemed to do the work of three people, what with her amazing skills. "And I suppose that once again, I am not allowed to protest against the loss of two vital team members?"

"I wish that I could tell you that you could try, but the publicity of having our BAU agents work with Interpol is too much good press to pass up, according to the Senate subcommittee that oversees your budget. And I don't have to stress how much that goodwill can mean when you're looking to increase the budget that they are so adamant you don't need."

She sighed, knowing that Ron was correct, but still hating the idea of what was going to happen. "And how long are they going to be gone?"

"The entirety of the games, along with a week on the other end. They'll be home before September ends, I promise."

"I will hold you to that, Ron," she muttered as she rested her chin in the palm of her hand. "At least this way Penelope will be able to experience a little bit of England. I know that she has been effectively banned from the country, due to her rather…unorthodox skillset."

Ron laughed as he nodded. "Easter has also promised that if things go well during her time there, he'll pave the way for her to be able to visit England whenever she wants. And I think that I can use my contacts to help lift that ban on our end of things as well."

She nodded as she looked at the stack of files in front of her once more. "I'm certain that she'll adore you forever if you can make that happen, Ron. Now, I suppose that I should start to look through these files to find our next profiler. Do you have an idea of how many candidates you'd like me to narrow the short list to?"

"Preferably eight to ten candidates, though if you only find four that you think are viable, I can work with that as well. Have a good time!"

She smiled stiffly as she nodded, watching him leave her office. She wasn't looking forward to this new job, but knew that it had to be accomplished, otherwise, she probably would not have any say in who was chosen for the position. As soon as she was certain that he was gone, Erin allowed her shoulders to slump, knowing that this was going to be so much work. There were at least seventy files there, which made sense, since they were an elite unit in the FBI, but it was still disheartening.

"What's wrong now, stellina?"

Looking up at David, she gestured towards the stack of files on her desk and let out a disgusted sigh. "Ron wants me to make a shortlist of the applicants for Emily's position. I have to narrow that stack down between eight and ten best fit candidates. And he wants it done as soon as possible. It just seems like an impossible task?"

He nodded as he came around to her side of the desk, taking a seat as he reached out to rub her shoulder. "You could ask for help?"

"From who? Helen? She has enough work already."

"No, Erin, from me! And from Hotch. We could invite him over for supper, and after Jessica runs Jack home, we can settle in for a long evening of whittling away at that stack. And before you know it, we'll be finished."

"You make it sound so easy."

"Because it can be." He pulled out his phone and made a quick call. "Yeah, Hotch, join us in Erin's office. We have a little proposition for you."

She rolled her eyes before leaning back in her chair and staring at her husband. "He's going to say no."

"Then it will just be the two of us," he quickly replied, and she shook her head a little as a soft silence fell over the office. It was only a few moments later that Aaron joined them, and she let out another sigh when he came right over to their sides. "That didn't take you too long."

"It sounded important on the phone. What's up?"

"Ron has tasked me with making a shortlist. And conveniently left me with seventy or so candidates to sort through. David would like to know if you'd care to join us this evening in helping narrow down this stack to the needed eight to ten candidates?"

He seemed to consider it for a few seconds, and Erin prepared herself to be turned down, which would be completely all right, since it wasn't his job to get this finished. And then, he gave her a small smile before nodding. "I think that I can handle that. Beth and I didn't have any plans for this evening, so I am free for the night."

"Well, you don't have to tell us twice. I'll grab the folders if you want to get ready to head home, Erin. We'll meet you there?"

"Sounds like you have everything all planned, Dave," Aaron replied as he patted her husband on the back. "I'll get my things together, too." As he left the room, Erin rose to her feet and began to pack up her things, knowing that the sooner they got started with the task, the sooner she could hand her results in to Ron.