"Did you hear back from anyone?" Erin asked, hoping that she sounded placid and calm, even as she felt like she was coming apart at the seams over the gifts that their daughters had received. It had been hard to act normal and unbothered as they had gone about the rest of their day, as she didn't want anyone to feel like there was too much wrong with the fact that a madman who was stalking them had gotten close enough to touch them. Still, Karen seemed to pick up on her unease, since she had been very touchy-feely until she had gone to bed, claiming that she had to get some important reading done before she went to sleep.

David gave her a wry smile as he took a seat next to her, handing over a rather large glass of red wine, which she instinctively clutched close to her chest as she stared at the fireplace, watching the flames dance and dart about as she waited for him to answer. "You do know that avoiding looking at me won't allow you to avoid the discussion that we're going to have."

She shrugged a little as she brought the glass to her lips and took a small sip. There was something almost too bitter about the taste of wine that evening, and Erin shuddered as she set the glass aside and drew one knee up to her chest so that she could hug it tightly, feeling close to tears. "Well, I did ask you a question, darling. Did anyone get back to you?"

"Penelope said that the dolls were adorable, and how nice it was that someone had made them look so similar to you and Alex. Aaron said that he'll talk with us tomorrow at work, before we brief the case. But it's been radio silence from Alex, which surprises me."

She nodded as she pressed her lips together in a tight line, trying to will away the tears that were quickly clogging her throat. She knew that if she started to cry, to show her terror, that she might never be able to be calm again, and she needed to be calm, and collected, and calculated, in order to track John down and gather enough evidence in order to bring him to justice. "David!" she squealed in surprise when she felt his hand come to rest on her shoulder, and she quickly turned her head to look at him.

"I lost you there for a moment, stellina. You need to stop holding everything so close to the vest and let me in. This is no time to be stoic about this, or to act like nothing is wrong. I understand wanting to put on a good front for the children, but this is me. The man you love. Talk to me."

"I can't!" she suddenly exclaimed, turning away from the fire to stare into his face. In moments, she was shaking uncontrollably, but still unable to cry, feeling like there was a tightness in her chest that no amount of deep breathing could get rid of.

"You're having a panic attack," he said soothingly as he scooted over to her, picking up one of her trembling hands and gently massaging it in an effort to get her to calm down. "Listen to the sound of my voice, and focus on that. There's nothing wrong right now that we can't fix together. We are going to regroup with Hotch and Penelope tomorrow and try to figure out if we can get any more clues as to who is stalking us. I know that you want to appear strong all the time, because you feel that showing your vulnerability makes you weak, but that is the farthest thing from the truth. You are the strongest woman in my life, and you have raised strong young women who look to you as an example of how to live. But you have to show them, too, that it is okay to be frightened, and to allow your loved ones to support you when the fight is too large.

"I know that we've fought through so many obstacles and grown close, but I also realise that you still have secrets that you want to hold close to your soul, like your love for Alex." She looked into his eyes, giving him a pained smile as she fought through the panic, and he reached up his free hand to caress her cheek. "I know, Erin. It was clear back during the Amerithrax case just how close you two had been, once. And it's probably what's coloring your perceptions recently. But even Alex knows that you don't need to be the pillar of strength for everyone, that you have to allow us to help share this burden. All right?"

She nodded, finally starting to feel like the pressure in her chest was dissipating. "I've never been one to rely on others, not after the Amerithrax debacle. And this, this does scare me. But I can't cry, David. If I start, I don't think I'll ever stop, so I have to stay stoic until we find who is behind this. Please, tell me that you understand that?"

Her husband let go of her hand so that he could fully cup her face with his hands, leaning in and kissing her forehead lightly before pressing a few feather light kisses to her eyes, nose, and cheeks. A soft sigh slipped from her lips before he finally captured her lips in the most tender of embraces. "I do, Erin, but I want you to know that it will be all right if you do break down around us. Because we're going to catch you if you do fall. That's what friends and lovers do."

"I'll try to remember that, David."

He gave her a little smile before getting to his feet and holding out his hand to her, which she instantly clasped, allowing him to pull her to her feet before he tugged her flush against his body. "Now, do you want to head up to bed with me?"

"I would love nothing more than that," she replied as he started to lead her over to the staircase. Almost halfway up, Erin heard a door open upstairs, and she looked up to see Karen step nearer to the stairs, tears wet on her cheeks. "Meet me in our bedroom, darling," she murmured as she stepped out of his embrace and jogged up the stairs until she was in front of her oldest daughter. "Don't worry about me, dear heart."

"Mommy, I have to. I know that those dolls are not a nice gift, and that you're trying to put on a brave face for the girls, but I know your face, and how you're lying to us, because you want to keep us safe. I'm not a little girl anymore, you don't have to sugarcoat the truth for me."

"Oh, Kare bear, my darling, come here," she whispered as she opened her arms, Karen hugging her tightly as she burst into tears once more. "I don't know who or what is behind this, but Papa Dave and I are going to figure it out, I promise. I just need to appear strong for the babies, okay?"

"O-okay," her daughter replied. "I know, you probably want to spend some alone time with Papa, but…would you sing me to sleep, like you used to do when I was younger? Please?"

"Of course, Karen." Reaching up, she stroked her daughter's hair lightly before guiding her back into her room, knowing that her husband would wait up for her, since he knew that taking care of her children would always come first. And this precious time with Karen would also help her to find her balance once more as she tried not to think about how Alex would react when she saw her the next day.