There had been a lull in cases since they had almost caught the Replicator in Philadelphia. It had been good for Erin and JJ, since there had been less stress, and Derek only hoped that the rest of May would prove to be just as quiet. While they were on the downward slope of the pregnancy, he knew that it would be better for the baby's survival, each day that he spent protected in Erin's womb. That was why he was up later than her, watching her, and stroking her baby bump softly. He wanted to soak in quiet moments like this, when they didn't have to think about the outside world at all.

He had almost calmed his brain enough to fall asleep when their phones began to ring. It was unusual enough for his to go off close to midnight, but hers ringing, too, meant that there was definitely something going on. As Erin began to stir, Derek picked up their phones, dropping hers onto her chest before answering his call. "There had better be a very good reason you're calling, JJ."

"There's movement on the Replicator case. Hotch's brother has been implicated in killing his girlfriend, and there are some reports of tainted wine from his bar also killing some patrons. Hotch is trying to convince the police that Sean is being set up, using the previous case in Philadelphia as proof. Still, he wants us there as soon as possible. The jet will be taking off in thirty minutes. Does Erin have a go bag?"

"She's not coming."

"The Director is calling her right now to tell her that she has to go. Believe me, I understand why you don't want her to go, Will doesn't want me to go, either. In this case, I think that he's right, but I'm not about to let my team be down a person in the field. We'll look after each other, I promise you that. But you need to get moving, now. The jet isn't going to wait all night."

Derek let out a long, frustrated, breath as he nodded. "I get it, I just hate it. We need to get dressed, and Erin will need to eat something before we head out. Push the takeoff for another twenty minutes. Okay?"

"Okay, but Hotch won't be happy."

"It's the middle of the night. None of us are going to be at our best, and we won't be able to do anything until the morning, anyway. We'll see you soon." He ended the call with JJ before turning to look at his wife. She was still on the phone with the Director, making noises of agreement. She gave him an apprehensive look before reaching out for him with her free hand. He picked it up in an instant, squeezing softly as she waited for her call to wrap up as well.

"If I lose this baby, Ron, it's on your head. We'll be at the airfield as soon as humanly possible, but there are things that I'll need to do first, since I don't even have a go bag. Goodbye."

From the way Erin stabbed at the end call circle on her screen, he knew that she was just as upset as he was with this decision, and he let go of her hand to stroke her face gently. "JJ said that she was going to look out for you, since Will doesn't want her to go, either. There's bad juju going on here, and I hate that we're all caught up in it."

She nodded before leaning over and kissing him. "I hate it, too. Would, would you mind putting together a bag for me while I get dressed? It takes me so much longer these days, and time truly is of the essence here."

Derek kissed her once more before slipping out of the bed. "I can easily do that for you, darling." He went over to their closet and began to get dresser, shucking off his pyjama pants. In the background, he heard her leave the bedroom, knowing that she was either sick or had to pee. Using that extra time to his advantage, he dressed as quickly as he could before choosing an outfit for her and then grabbing a small suitcase and setting it on the dresser next to their closet. Since he wasn't certain how long they'd be in New York, he made certain to pack extra underwear and another bra before adding pyjamas. That task done, he turned back to the closet and chose clothes that would match well together, along with a warm cardigan that Erin loved to wear at home.

"Don't forget an extra pair of shoes. If we have to do a lot of walking, I'm going to want to swap out each day, especially as my ankles are starting to ache. That will only get worse as the pregnancy continues, but I can only do so much."

He nodded as he pulled out three pairs of shoes, tossing one set on the bed before settling the others in the case and then closing it. "All right, we're ready to go here. I'll run the case down to your car, and then we can have a quick breakfast."

"No, we'll grab something on the way. We don't want to push back leaving any more than we might have to. It won't be the healthiest option, but we have to make due with what's on hand." He nodded as he watched her finish dressing. "I really don't have a good feeling about this, Derek. Is it normal to feel this much dread?"

"Sometimes, yes. There are just cases that get beneath our skin, and since we've been hunting this madman for months, it just compounds everything." Erin nodded as she took a deep breath and stepped into the shoes he'd chosen for her. "Are you certain you don't want me to make you something before we head out?"

Shaking her head, Erin made for the door, and he followed after her, carrying her bag. His was in the trunk already, so that was one less thing to worry about, and soon enough they were underway. While he drove to the closest fast food joint, he listened to Erin call her children, as if she knew that they'd still be up. The conversations were brief, and he felt his heart crack a little more each time Erin swallowed back a sob. He placed their order and then she was off the phone, reaching out for his hand. They held hands until after they had received their order, and then he was underway once more, eating while he drove.

The others were all there by the time he pulled into a spot next to Reid, and he steeled himself for the verbal barrage that he was certain to face from Rossi. Erin, thankfully, was met at the car door by Blake, and they went onto the jet together, chattering away. That allowed him to slip out of the car and grab their bags, putting them into the hold of the plane before getting on board as well. Blake and Erin were ensconced on the sofa in the back, though there was room for him next to his wife, and he sank down onto it, fastening his belt as he waited for the pilot to take off.

Once they were underway, he looked around at the others, seeing that Reid and JJ were asleep, and Rossi was staring out a window pensively. Seeing that his wife was fast on her way to sleep on Blake's shoulder, he gave the woman a small nod before undoing his belt and making his way to where the man was seated, taking the chair opposite him. "Erin has a bad feeling about this case."

"She's not the only one. And I don't want either her or Jen out in the field, because I'm almost positive that nothing good will come from this. But I know that we all need to be here for Hotch, and do our best to clear Sean and catch this bastard. He's been taunting us for far too long."

He nodded in response, turning his head back to glance at his wife. "I don't want to think about anything bad happening to either woman, and their babies. Will was overprotective the last time we were in New York and JJ was pregnant."

"That is an understatement. And yeah, Jen should have told us that she was pregnant before going on that case, but she's stronger than you give her credit for. And Erin is stronger than we give her credit for, too. I mean, she did survive being with me, after all," he said with a self-deprecating chuckle. "But seriously, we both know how stubborn JJ and Erin are. If I hadn't known Erin from the time she was young enough to be Jen's mother, I could easily assume that they were mother and daughter."

Derek laughed a little at that, knowing that Rossi was right in saying that. "I never thought about it like that before, but you're right. I think ninety percent of our petty little fights are just because she wants to dig her heels in and not admit that maybe I'm right. I bet the same was true for you, too."

The older man nodded, a sad smile gracing his lips. "Yeah, but it always led to some really fun outcomes." Derek shook his head as he leaned back in his seat. "There is something so wonderful about being in the center of her universe. I was really stupid, wasn't I?"

"Foolish might be the better word for it, old man. She has fourteen weeks left on her pregnancy, same as Jayje. Things aren't quite so dire at this point in their pregnancy, but each day inside is better than a day outside, at this point."

"We counted the days, too," Rossi murmured, looking away from Derek to stare out the window again. "James ended up coming a week early, even as we took every precaution. A part of me is starting to think that that was part of the reason why I was so stupid when I reacted to Erin's news. I was terrified that things would end up so terribly, like James's birth did. I threw away something precious, didn't I?"

Derek nodded, not knowing how to truly answer the man without hurting him. "I'm just glad that she allowed me to step up and help her through this. But we can't allow our attention to be divided like this, especially since this looks like the Replicator. He is where our focus needs to be held, so that we can catch him and make certain that Erin and Blake are safe. I mean, they were the only two who were being followed by cars, so it makes sense that we assume this asshole is focusing on them. What doesn't make sense is why. Erin has made a few enemies in her past, but people like her are bound to do that, because a lot of people hate women in power. But add in Blake? That's when everything falls apart."

Rossi stroked his goatee as he nodded. "I am having that same issue, and I loved Erin as much as you love her. But we have to acknowledge that she has a certain acerbity that lends itself to hatred by people who don't know her like we do. So it leads me to wonder if we should spend some of our focus on their past. There are going to be some delicate questions asked, and we should probably do them, since we're the closest to Erin out of everyone. I just don't want her to get angry with you as a result."

"I have a thick skin, I can take it. But I can also funnel some of her anger on you, too," he said, chuckling a little. Rossi nodded, a smirk on his lips. "I don't think I would throw you under the bus, but I also don't want to bunk with Reid in case she gets too angry with me."

"What makes you think we won't be sharing a room?"

Derek arched an eyebrow upwards as he leaned forward. "You're a famous author. The only person you share a room with is Hotch when we're in the field, and even then, that's only when there are no suites available for you. And you can get away with it because you pay your own way. It's like one of the worst kept secrets on the team." That drew a laugh out of Rossi, and he nodded as he leaned back in his seat, yawning deeply. "I'm following you back to sleep, old man. God knows when we'll get it again." Derek closed his eyes, forcing himself to relax and fall back into sleep, craving every moment of it he could get before they hit the ground running.