It was a subdued flight home for Alex, and she was glad that Hotch had taken a seat next to her on the jet in order to keep the others away from her. She was not in the mood for talking to anyone, something that JJ and Hotch seemed to instinctively understand, though it looked like Morgan wanted to engage her in conversation. Sighing a little, Alex turned to gaze out the window of the jet, even though she couldn't see anything in the dark. There was a comfort in the inky color of the night sky that lent a balm to her wounded heart, though a part of her wished that she could call Louise and talk to her about the fact that an unsub she had made a connection with had taken his life in front of her.

"Not all cases end like that, Alex," Hotch said quietly, and she looked at him, giving him a sad look. "I know, you don't want to talk about it, and I'm not asking you to, I just want you to know that not all unsubs have tragic backstories like he did, you won't have to feel that tug of I should have been quicker, or kinder, or better after every case. Even if this one lingers in your mind. Okay?"

She gave him a small nod before whispering "Okay," in return before returning to looking out the window. There was a comfort to his words, and she was grateful for the fact that he hadn't forced her to speak, since she wasn't certain that she had words enough to explain just how adrift she felt in that moment. Alex wanted to hear from Louise that evening, but she knew that was highly unlikely, since she had received two calls so quickly. Allowing her shoulders to drop a little, she let out a long sigh as she tightened her hand in the collar of her shirt and hunched over a little in an effort to keep warm, even though she knew the chill she was feeling had nothing to do with the temperature on the plane. Feeling a warm hand on her shoulder, she looked up into JJ's face, seeing that she was giving her a supportive smile as she made her way to the galley. She returned the expression fleetingly before turning to the window again, needing the emptiness to help the feelings swirling around in her head.

"Do you think that we'll have to head out on another case?" she vaguely heard Morgan say, and she waited for Hotch's answer, hoping that it would be no.

Instead, Rossi was the one to answer, and she rolled her eyes a little at his flippant reply. "I think that we should just not even head up to the bullpen. If Erin can't see us, she can't ask us to turn around and head out once more. And if we all turn our phones off, she can't reach us!"

"She'll be able to reach you, Dave," Aaron said so quietly that Alex knew she wasn't supposed to overhear that little quip, so she tried to swallow the quick grin that spread across her lips. "I think that I can get Strauss to agree to let us have one night home in our own beds, after the Seattle case and then this. Some of us have sway with her, after all."

A little chuckle slipped out of her mouth, and Hotch gave her a small nod before he settled back in his seat once more, checking to make certain his seatbelt was fastened as the jet started its descent. "Is Rossi riding back to Quantico with you?" she asked as she sat up a little straighter in her seat, never comfortable with landings.

"He is, but you're free to join us. Though I'm sure that JJ wouldn't mind ferrying you back to the bullpen."

"I know, I just…"

"Still feel off kilter, and that's okay. Listen, as soon as we return, we're heading home. Okay? We're not going to think about work for an entire night, and we'll come back tomorrow ready to tackle the next case."

She nodded as the wheels touched down on the tarmac, and the moment they had come to a stop, she stood, ready to follow everyone out into the night. Morgan was the first one off the jet, and she frowned a little at that, until she saw that he was pulling their luggage out of the hold, handing it to them as they passed by. JJ touched her arm to get her attention, and she nodded a little before following her over to her car.

"So, I really do think that Rossi thinks we're all clueless as to his relationship with Strauss. We're profilers! You can't keep secrets like that hidden from us for too long."

Alex let out a strained chuckle as she nodded, thinking about her broken relationship with Erin and how she didn't want to be gossip fodder in the office. "I thought profilers weren't supposed to analyse members of their own team?" she asked.

"Technically, that's true, but we can't help doing it." A weird silence fell over the car as JJ continued the drive back, arriving at the same time as the others. They rode up the elevator together, and Alex tried to take deep, calming, breaths as it came to a stop on the sixth floor, hoping beyond hope that Erin had already headed home for the evening.

That was not to be, as she could see her familiar blonde head the moment the team entered the bullpen, and she listened to the others groan when they also caught sight of her. "Don't tell me there's another case already," Morgan spat out, and Erin nodded.

"There's always another case, but…you have to spend at least one night in your own beds, after the cases you've worked recently. Head home and come back refreshed tomorrow."

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Rossi said as he turned and headed back to the elevators, JJ and Reid close at his heels with murmured thanks on their lips. Which left her alone with the others, and she could feel Erin's eyes on her as she waited for the others to leave.

"Don't tell me you're staying, Hotch," she said as Morgan disappeared out into the hallway, and he nodded.

"I just have to start the reports, and then I can head home. Jack's already asleep, and Jessica said she was going to spend the night since we're returning so late. I'll see you in the morning." He nodded to both her and Erin before making his way over to the stairs, and then she was alone with the woman.

Squaring her shoulders, Alex tilted her head a little as she regarded Erin coolly, waiting for her to say what was on her mind. "I heard that you did well on this case, Alex."

"Yes, well, I have to prove my worth to the team."

"You did that when you were given this position." Erin licked her lips a few times as her eyes nervously darted around Alex's form and she steeled herself for the next words from her lips. "Listen, before you left, I was trying to tell you that I am glad you're here."

"Well, that makes two of us, Erin."

Erin nodded before taking another deep breath. "I, I also wanted to try and give verbal amends for what happened. While you might not believe this, politics is the part of this job that I like the least, and I never imagined that you would end up in the crossfire during the Amerithrax case."

She snorted a little as she shook her head. "That's a very politic way to say that you cut my rope, Erin. You left me out to dry, and I nearly lost everything, including my reputation."

"No, I saw to it that your reputation would remain intact. It was just that someone…"

"Someone had to take the fall, I know. And now you're trying to assuage your guilt by offering up these amends. I don't need them, Erin. I got here on my own merits, and you can watch from the sidelines."

Erin gave her a small nod before turning and almost fleeing the bullpen. Alex didn't want to think about the fact that she had seen tears already starting to roll down her cheeks. Moments later, Morgan was striding up to her, a pensive look on his face. "So, you and Strauss? There a history there we should know about?"

"In another life," she replied shortly before turning and making her way over to her desk, not wanting to interact with anyone else that evening. Her entire day had been shit, and she just wanted to check her work email, type up her report, and head home to sleep. Thankfully, Morgan seemed to get the hint, since he gave her a sharp nod before exiting the bullpen once more. With him gone, Alex buried her face in her hands and took a long breath, holding on to it for a few seconds before letting it out in a deep sigh. In the silence that surrounded her, Alex heard soft footsteps approaching her from behind and she stiffened her shoulders in preparation for whoever wanted her attention.

Turing her head slightly, Alex found herself looking up into Garcia's drawn face. Taking another long breath, she waited for the younger woman to speak, not wanting to give her the upper hand by breaking first. "Hi."

"Hello," she replied softly.

"Can we start over?" Alex pursed her lips a little as she inclined her head a little in agreement. The smile on Penelope's face grew a little as she opened her mouth to speak once more. "My name is Penelope Garcia and I do not do well with change. At all."

"I don't think that anyone does."

Garcia shrugged before barreling on. "Yes, well, I think that it's worse for me. I've never been good at it, and losing Emily so recently has thrown me for a loop. That, and being jetlagged. Here."

The younger woman handed over a coffee tumbler, and Alex picked it up, smiling at the Union Jack that decorated it. "This is nice."

"Nice, huh?"

She blushed to realise the verbiage she had just used, and shrugged. "This is kind and thoughtful."

"Well, I heard that you live in the District, and I know from Reid that that is not an easy commute. Do you drink coffee?"

"Are you kidding? I drink anything with caffeine."

This time, Garcia grinned at her. "Perfect! We have a tea of the month club starting next month."

"Proper tea?" she found herself teasing, and Garcia nodded eagerly.

"Yes! Do you have a preferred flavor?" she asked as she sank down onto the corner of Alex's desk. For some reason, Alex found herself not as tired as she had felt when she took a seat at her desk, and she took a deep breath as she shook her head. "Good! So, we'll all find out what we like together. I found that I really liked Lady Grey for breakfast when I was in England with Emily. Though she still drinks coffee like it's going out of style in the mornings. And she takes it as black as the soul of Satan. I don't know how she can do that!"

Alex laughed as she leaned back in her chair. "Let me guess, you are one of those people that drown their coffee in sugar and cream and sprinkles?" Garcia nodded, her grin never wavering. "I guess I'm more like Emily, then. I take a little sugar and a splash of milk in my coffee, but still like it darker than beige."

"I'll remember that for when I go on a coffee run. Um, how was your first case? Der called me while he was waiting on Reid to finish packing, and he mentioned that you had made a connection with the unsub before he…made his final choice. I, I was with someone in their final moments of life, too, once, and I know that it can be heartbreaking to feel so powerless."

The empathy in her voice took Alex aback and she took a shaky breath as she nodded. "I was prepared for him to be shot by Morgan. I was prepared to be shot myself, since I had holstered my weapon. I was not prepared for the level of despair I saw in his face, and the peace that was there in that split second before he pulled the trigger. I think that it will take a long time before I can move on fully from that moment."

"Well, if you ever need an ear to listen to you, I'm here. And I know, Jayje has probably told you that I've made a few slips and told some truths that weren't mine to tell, but I've gotten better at that, I promise. And I don't deep dive into my family. I promise. Even if I did give Derek your mobile number. Though I just pulled that from your personnel file. I'll leave you alone now, since you're probably exhausted, and want to get home." Somehow, Alex wasn't surprised when Garcia reached out and stroked her shoulder tenderly, since she had the feeling that the woman was one of those touchy feely people. Giving her a small nod, Alex turned her attention back to her monitor and logged into her account, wanting to get through her email as quickly as possible, suddenly eager to be home and able to sleep in her own bed.