"All right, do you mind if we talk?"

Derek watched Erin stiffen a little at those words, and he kicked himself for the way he had phrased that question. "About what?" she asked softly, her hands instantly cradling her stomach.

"Nothing dire, I promise! I was just taking a small inventory of the house, and noticed some things that need updating and fixing. How long have you and your ex been separated?"

Erin's shoulders slumped a little as she patted the spot next to her on the sofa, placing a marker in her book before setting it aside so that she could focus on him. "About four years at this point? Maybe five? I've been so long without him that I can't really remember."

"I hope that you don't forget me."

She swatted his chest before leaning over and resting her head on his shoulder. "I hope that I never have reason to forget you. Now, this list that you've curated, what's on it?"

"Well, my first project will be creating the nursery in the bedroom closest to ours. Would you like to wait until we know if we're having a boy or a girl before I start that?"

"No, I had neutral nurseries for all three of our children. Is there anything you'd like to see in the nursery?"

"A rocking chair, a comfortable settee for us both to sit on, and a beautiful crib. An heirloom piece that we can pass down to our grandchildren, since this will probably be the last baby that you have. Pastel colours to decorate the walls, and pictures of all our loved ones."

She sighed a little at those words, and he knew that he had made the right choice with those words. "I do love the idea of that, Der."

Derek grinned as he went to settle his arm around her shoulders. "After the nursery, I want to retile the kitchen. There are a few loose ones, and I'd hate for you to trip and fall over something so small. The living room floors need to be refinished. We need to think about redoing the windows, since they look tired. I can do a lot of these projects on my own, when I'm home, but I'd like to get started on them before our baby arrives."

Erin nodded, drawing in a breath to answer him, when his phone vibrated against his thigh. Frowning a little, he pulled it out to see Hotch's name on screen. "Why is he calling so early on a Saturday?" she murmured, and Derek shrugged before accepting the call.

"Yeah, Hotch?"

"I hope that you know I wouldn't be calling on a Saturday morning unless it was truly important."

"Of course, though Erin might have a choice word or two for you." She frowned at him, and shook his head before gently squeezing the ball of her shoulder. "Seriously, we were just going to potter around the house today, so you weren't interrupting any firm plans. What's wrong?"

"Reid's girlfriend is missing, and given the nature of cases that we're seeing, targeting us, I think that the quicker we get a handle on this, the better. How soon can you get to the BAU?"

He looked at his watch before answering. "I should be there in twenty five minutes, depending on traffic. Though I'll try to hurry."

"See you soon, then."

They hung up without saying goodbye, and then he was letting out a long breath. "Something's wrong."

It wasn't a question, but still Derek nodded. "Reid's girlfriend is missing. I don't know much about her, Blake knows the most, but we were all so happy that he had met someone. I need to go in."

"Derek, you know that you can't have this case. You need to let the local leos know what's going on. We'll be overstepping our limits if you go running off half-cocked into a dangerous situation. I hate to sound cold and mean, but we already have a fraught relationship with the police here. I don't want to see any of you formally reprimanded over what might be a wild goose chase."

He knew there was wisdom in her words, that she was drawing on her experience as a Section Chief, but he also knew how much Reid needed them to work this case, since he was part of their work family. "Could you look the other way this time? Be my wife rather than my boss's boss?"

"I will give you the grace of the weekend. If this lingers on until Monday, I will have to read Director Shepperd into things, and have him make the final decision. Okay?"

Derek nodded before leaning in and kissing her temple. "Okay. And call Tabitha to come over and spend the weekend here. I don't know when I'll be home, and I'd feel better if you weren't alone."

Erin cocked her head to one side as her eyes narrowed. "What are you not telling me, darling?"

He had never heard that word used like a sword before, and he shivered a little before answering. "Nothing."

"Please, don't lie to me. Why do I need Tabitha here?"

Derek sighed as he licked his lips, trying to think of a nice way to present his feelings. "Hotch think that this might be related to the unsub who's replicating our previous cases," he blurted out, unable to find a pleasant way to tell her. She blanched a little, and he hated to see the fear briefly appear in her eyes before she slammed her placid mask in place.

"Oh."

Derek nodded before pressing another kiss to her temple. "Yeah. So, will you call Tabitha, please?"

"Yes." He sighed in relief, letting his shoulders slump a little as he pulled her tightly to his chest. "I love you. I hate this, but I love you."

"I love you, too." They both got to their feet and she walked him through the kitchen and into the hall that led to the garage. He slipped into his jacket and then turned to face his wife. "I know that you know how to take care of yourself, and that your service weapon is always close at hand, but please lock the door behind me, and keep things locked until Tabitha gets here."

"Yes, darling. And let Doctor Reid know that I am praying for a good outcome." Derek gave her a warm smile before kissing her softly, wrapping her up in his arms. It was difficult to let her go, because he was worried about her, but he knew that he was needed at work, too. "Go, before you won't be able to leave. I'll text to let you know when Tabitha arrives."

Erin pulled away from his arms and took a deep, steadying breath that he copied, feeling more centered for it. "And I'll try to keep in contact as much as I can." She nodded and stepped even further back, allowing him to feel better about leaving her. Squaring his shoulders, Derek made his way into the garage and climbed into his truck. As the garage door opened, he looked over to watch Erin give him a small wave before she closed the house door. In his head, he saw her lock the door, and he tried to put her out of his mind as he drove.

Derek was surprised to make better time than anticipated, and he pulled into his parking spot before heading up to the bullpen. The others were already there, and he gave JJ a tiny look of concern as she rubbed her stomach absently. He wondered if Hotch knew that she was pregnant, since that had been such a sticking point with her first pregnancy. She gave him a little frown, and he shrugged as they joined Hotch and Reid by his desk.

"What do we know so far?" he asked as he leaned on the desk, taking in how disheveled Reid looked. Blake looked concerned as she reached out to pat Reid's shoulder, and Derek wondered at how motherly it looked.

"Maeve is gone, and I don't know what to do. We always contact each other at the same proscribed time, and she hasn't received my call. Hotch agrees with me, there's something wrong, and we're going to find her."

They all nodded, though he noticed that Rossi was giving him a rather black look when their eyes met. He knew that they would have to air things out, sooner or later, because it wasn't good to have fractures on the team. Especially at a time like this. "So, what's the plan?"

Hotch took over for Reid, and they all listened attentively before heading out to work the case. Derek was glad that Hotch had decided he would go with Reid and him in the field, since there would mean there would be less tension overall, and he could focus on the case at hand. "I don't know what I'll do without her. Even though we've never met in person, I know that we're meant to be together. I love her."

"I understand," he replied, thinking about what he would be feeling if Erin was the one who was missing. He didn't know if he'd be as calm and seemingly put together as Reid was at that moment, and he shuddered a little to think about Erin being gone. As Hotch continued to drive, Derek felt his phone vibrate, and he pulled it out to see Erin had sent him a text.

Tabitha is here now, and we're going to bake something. We haven't decided on what yet, so if you happen to know something that Doctor Reid would like, let me know, and we'll do our best to make it. Stay safe out there. Seconds later, a picture of Erin and Tabitha showed up on his screen, and he smiled sadly as he ran his thumb over his wife's face.

"Kid, this might seem like a weird question, but I want to keep your mind with us and not thinking about the worst case scenario. What's your favourite baked good?"

There was a short pause, though Hotch did give him an appreciative nod and smile, which Derek returned. "Peanut butter blossoms. Why?"

"Just wondering. I'm partial to chocolate crinkles and peach pie. What about you, Hotch?"

"Haley used to make these amazing lemon bars. They were always something I looked forward to after a particularly difficult case."

"Those do sound good," Derek replied as he tapped away at his phone, telling Erin what Reid had said, along with his and Hotch's favourites, too. Not even thirty seconds later, he had a reply to which he had to swallow his laugh. I said we'd maybe make Doctor Reid's favourite, not your or Aaron's. We'll have to see what we can get finished. You're lucky you're cute.

And I am blessed with an amazingly patient and empathetic wife, he replied, knowing that that would elicit an eyeroll from her.

The picture that she sent him moments later told him everything he needed to know, and he smiled as he saved the picture to his phone before slipping it into his pocket and focusing on the mood of the vehicle. He could tell that Reid was spiraling faster than he'd liked. "So, when we find her, are you going to introduce us all to her? Or keep her a secret to yourself?"

"It all depends on how you react to her, I suppose. I think that I'd like you all to know her. I think that you'd like her."

"Is she smart like you?"

Derek looked in the rearview mirror, seeing Reid nod. "She's a doctor, too. Neurobiology."

"So what you're saying is that your children will be smarter than our children," he replied with a little laugh. Hotch chuckled at that, too, and he managed to catch a ghost of a smile pass across Reid's lips. "You're not denying it!"

"I don't know how to answer that, since intelligence is both nature and nurture. I'm certain that your baby will be smart, since Erin is quite intelligent. She has her doctorate, after all." Hotch and Derek exchanged a look, before he met Reid's eye once more. "Have you never looked at the diploma's on her wall? Her psychology background is probably what helps with her leading our team and the others."

"I never thought to ask," he murmured, and Reid shrugged a little. "I guess that's something we can discuss when this is over, since we have to focus on you and finding Maeve right now." He smiled a little at Reid as he nodded, knowing that there were still hidden depths to his wife that he would take great pleasure in uncovering.