"I'll take Sean back to his apartment, Erin, if the rest of you want to head to your hotel. I know that you all must be exhausted, since it took longer than I imagined to convince the police that this was part of one of our active, ongoing, cases."

"Are you certain, Aaron?"

He nodded. "We're no closer to finding Curtis this morning than we were when you arrived. Garcia is just starting to run searches specifically targeting him, so he knows that we have our eyes directed towards him, which will hopefully start to encourage him to make mistakes. And once he does start getting sloppy, that's when we'll strike and take him down. He will not leave this city without being in our custody, in one way or another."

Erin gave him a small nod in return, unsurprised when Aaron gave her another hug before pushing her into David's arms. "We'll see you back here in a few hours?"

"Yes. I know that the others are arriving here in twenty minutes to start going over what we know and what the police know about this latest case. I do not want to hear that you're back at the precinct until at least two, since you need a few hours sleep in a bed. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Aaron," she muttered, listening to him chuckle a little as he guided his brother over to a waiting cab. Once they were safely inside, David and Alex brought her over to the SUV, and she was surprised to see her husband toss Alex the keys before getting in the back. "Darling?"

"It will take at least twenty minutes to get to the hotel. I'm going to take a quick catnap before meeting up with Morgan and coming right back to work with them."

She frowned, pressing her hand against the door of the car. "Aaron said that we were all supposed to get some rest."

"And I won't rest until I bring this bastard to justice. I got a good nap on the jet, and the short time to the hotel will be enough to recharge my battery. You, though? You need the sleep, and I know that Alex will take watch over you. I even give you my permission to sleep in the same bed."

Erin rolled her eyes a little as they climbed into the car, Alex trying to swallow her giggles as she turned the vehicle on. Try though she might, during the drive she fell asleep again, only waking up when the car turned off, and David was shaking her shoulder. "Stay safe, David."

"I will. And I know that Alex will keep you safe. I'll expect you back at the precinct around two. Call me to let us know that you're on your way."

"And to make certain that John hasn't struck?" He nodded unashamedly, and she felt her lower lip wobble a little as she leaned in and pressed a fierce, heated, kiss to his lips. "I love you, David."

"I love you, too, Erin. Now go, head up and get some good sleep in Alex's room."

"Why Alex's room?" she asked as she stepped away from him, cocking her head to one side.

"John's less likely to consider the fact that you're bunking with her for a few hours. Every move that we make from here on out has to be one that will keep him guessing and on his toes. One thing he forgot, once we were all focused in on him, is that not only is our team going to be following this, but I know that Sam will also have the Red Cell team ready in a heartbeat to back us up, if necessary. Would you want thirteen of the best and brightest focused on bringing you down?"

She shook her head as she took hold of Alex's outstretched hand, allowing her to pull her closer to her side. "You have a very good point there, David. We'll see you in a few hours." Erin watched him lope over to where Agent Morgan was waiting for him, wanting to keep her eye on him until he was in the vehicle and pulling away. "Are you going to sleep?"

"Yes, because I am exhausted. I don't know how you still on your feet, since it seems like you've been going for so long without truly being able to rest."

She shrugged as they entered the hotel, picking up the keys to their rooms at the front desk before riding up to the fifth floor. "I just haven't allowed my brain to think about that. Lexie, can I tell you something?"

"Of course," she replied as they stepped out into the hallway. It didn't escape her notice that her friend looked both ways down the hall, checking for John, before she brought her down to her room, quickly letting them in. "Erin?"

"I'm terrified. I was scared before, but now that we're here in the city, now that we've spoken with Sean and the police, everything seems that much more real, and I don't want to think about what might come next. I don't want to lose anyone, but I just have this heavy feeling of doom hanging over my head right now."

Alex nodded as they slipped off their shoes, and Erin waited for her to speak as she slipped out of her suit coat, setting it in the chair close to the bed before stretching out on it, still watching her friend. "I would be surprised if you weren't terrified, Erin. Because John has been running a campaign of fear for ten months, and that would get to even the strongest person. The fact that you're not permanently drunk to escape that fear is a testament to your strength."

She gave her friend a small smile, watching as Alex locked the door with both locks before moving the other chair in the room beneath the doorknob, hooking it in such a way so that someone would not be able to break in from the outside. Then she was coming over to the bed and joining her there. "I don't feel strong."

"Then let us tell you the different ways in which you're strong. I'm certain that I could call Jessica and she would be able to tell you things that I don't know about you that give your spine the steel to stand up to an unsub and unflinchingly stare down death. I don't think that I could do that, even with all the training that I've had. And you're looking for all the different ways to keep everyone else safe, even at the expense of your own safety."

Alex stretched out on the bed, making herself more comfortable before turning to look at Erin, a soft, open, look on her face. "What changed, Lexie? Suddenly, you're so open with me, and I, I don't want to get my hopes up, but I feel like this is the beginning of a new chapter for us."

She nodded. "I know that I was thawing towards you in the weeks leading up to now, but seeing the way that you immediately jumped into defending Sean, as if he was your brother in law, told me just how much you've changed in the years between us. And I am more than ready to put a line under the past between us, and to use this day as our fresh start. The sins of our past are just that, past, and we will find a way to navigate this new phase of our friendship. Now, close your eyes, and get some sleep. We'll talk more on the jet home?"

Erin gave her a small nod as she let out a small yawn, burying her head a little deeper in the pillow as she allowed her eyes to close, feeling Alex's gaze on her the entire way down into sleep.