Where had I gone wrong, to not have this fierce loyalty? I'd almost broken down when Ms. Garcia had begun to cry. That woman wore her heart on her sleeve, but I'd learned early in my career not to show how much emotions moved me. One couldn't get to my position by being caring.
After the inquiry was over, I walked through the BAU bullpen. There were only a handful of agents milling around, at this late hour, and most of them avoided my gaze. I noticed Ms. Garcia's light was still on and stopped in front of her door, a strange hesitancy filling my body.
I raised my hand to knock on the door when it opened, and we stood face to face. Her eyes were still red-rimmed from crying. "Chief Strauss, what can I do for you?" she asked. I couldn't answer her, I didn't have an answer for her. She tilted her head, assessing me. "Did Rossi send you to me?"
I nodded, not knowing what else to do at this point, and she sighed resignedly, pulling me into her office. She locked the door behind us and I frowned. "Ms. Garcia?"
"We do not want to be walked in on, Erin," she said lowly as she closed the distance between us. I opened my mouth to ask what she meant when her lips were on mine. It was a soft, passionate kiss, and I felt my body lean in towards hers. She reached up and unclipped my hair, burying her fingers in it, pulling me closer.
I moaned lowly as she released my lips, kissing down my neck to suck at the pulse point. My hands fluttered around her shoulders, not certain of what I should do. She guided me over to the couch and I sat heavily, my breathing already unsteady. Her nimble fingers made short work of the buttons on my jacket and blouse, and I shrugged out of them, letting them fall around my waist.
A quiet voice in the back of my mind told me I shouldn't be doing this, not here, not with her, but I buried that small sound of common sense. Nothing made sense in a world where there was someone so evil as to want to kill a child simply because his father refused to be a coward.
"Penelope," I said lowly as she kissed down my neck to skirt around the edge of my bra, effectively silencing the voice. I pushed her sweater off her shoulders and tugged at the zipper of her dress, pulling it down. She shrugged out of the dress and let it pool around her hips as she eased me onto my back, still kissing the tops of my breasts. "Please."
Penelope's lips stilled and she looked up at me, her eyes clouded with passion. "Please?" I nodded and she smiled gently, reaching behind me to unhook my bra. After she'd pulled it from my body, she cupped my breasts, thumbing my already hard nipples. I whimpered as my hips moved restlessly beneath her and she kissed me once more, swallowing the soft sounds of pleasure I was making. I unclasped her bra and tugged it off before running my hands along her silky skin.
Is this what my husband feels, I thought as I tenderly touched her breasts, running my thumbs over her nipples. She released my mouth and looked at me once more. There was a great and terrible beauty about her passion, and I closed my eyes, surrendering my body to her. "Oh, Erin," I heard her whisper sweetly as her nimble fingers unzipped my skirt, then pulled it and my panties down my legs, baring me to her gaze.
I blushed as I imagined the sight she saw. An older body, soft and sagging in places that had once been firm, the stretch marks of three children making silvery scars along my abdomen. I was completely vulnerable to her, a position I'd not been in with anyone in such a long time, and I began to cry.
My eyes were still closed, not wanting to see her amusement at my sorrow. But then I felt her fingers benevolently wipe the tears from my cheeks. I dared enough to open my eyes and saw she was crying as well. I reached up and repeated the kind gesture and she nuzzled her face into my hand. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pulled her down on me, craving the feel of flesh on flesh. We both sighed as one and I kissed her as my hands pushed the dress off her, suddenly needing her to be as vulnerable to me as I was to her.
Our hands touched as we both went to tug down her panties at the same time. She kissed my lips once more as she wriggled out of the last article of clothing separating us. Uncertainly, I ran my hands down her body, laying one on the mound between her legs. She was so incredibly warm and wet and as I ran my fingers along her slit, she shuddered against me, burying her face in my neck. I smiled as I realized it was my touch that had caused that reaction in her and repeated the touch.
Penelope moaned against my neck, sucking and licking at the pulse point. I arched up into her as her wonderfully agile fingers slid between my folds to find my clitoris. "Oh god, Penelope!" I cried out as I felt my body tighten around her fingers, the orgasm washing over me in waves. Once more I wrapped my arms around her, not wanting to let go of this sweet moment, and she slid an arm underneath me, cradling me gently to her.
Though I tried to fight it, I could feel my eyes grow heavy from exhaustion and I blinked rapidly to try and stay awake. "Sleep, Erin. You're safe here with me. The Oracle always protects her supplicants," she tenderly said as she kissed my forehead. I felt my eyes tear up, and she kissed those away as well. Finally, I succumbed to sleep, my arms tight around her, not willing to let this moment go so easily.
I woke up alone, covered by a soft knitted blanket. Looking to my right, I saw her watching me, still naked, still vulnerable, still inhumanly gorgeous. My heart lurched in my chest for some unfathomable reason, and I bit my lip, breaking eye contact. Then I saw our clothes, neatly folded and on her desk, waiting for us.
"Do you want your armor on once more, Erin?"
I thought for a moment and then sat up, letting the blanket fall. I didn't have words for what I wanted to say, wanted to ask, so I opened my arms. She stood and made her way over to me, benevolence and compassion radiating off her in waves. It was too much, my heart felt like it was going to break, and as she sat, I turned to her.
Leaning forward, I kissed her. Without hesitation, she returned the kiss and I pulled her down with me as I reclined on the couch. I was eager to lose myself in the feel of her hands and lips once more. She obliged me, running her hands up and down my body as she kissed down my neck to first nip at the hollow of my throat before moving lower. I gasped sharply when she kissed my nipples in turn before drawing one into her too warm, too wet, too hungry mouth. I was suddenly afraid of this exquisite pleasure she was drawing forth from my body and I writhed beneath her mouth and hands, wanting to get away and yet draw so much closer to her.
It was too much, too much, and as she ran her fingers along my center, I screamed sharply into her shoulder, desperate to muffle my cry of passion. "Le petit morte, indeed," I sobbed as she did not let up, ramping my body up to another shattering orgasm. She ran her fingers through my sweat dampened hair, kissing my face sweetly.
All notion of time seemed to stop as she kissed a path of fire down my body. My legs fell apart limply as she tugged them up over her shoulders and then bent forward, kissing my core. "Penelope!" I keened as I felt her tongue dance around my clitoris, doing things to me I'd never experienced before. "Oh, god," I panted as her fingers joined her tongue, driving me on closer and closer to the sky. All I was able to focus on were her fingers and tongue, no longer able to feel the rest of my body.
Abruptly, she stifled my scream with her fingers, and I could taste myself on her, and unthinkingly, I sucked on them. This elicited a whimper from her and I felt emboldened. Sitting up, I straddled her body and kissed her, pushing her back on the couch. It was like she had unleashed an animal in me and I fervently kissed down her body to suckle on one of her nipples. She buried her hands in my hair and held me there as I rooted hungrily at her breast. My fingers slipped between her folds, seeking to give the same pleasure I had just received.
I felt her orgasm build around my hand, her muscles tightening, drawing me in. "Erin!" she cried out suddenly, tugging sharply on my hair. I released her nipple and kissed back up to her mouth, claiming her lips once more. I collapsed on top of her, pulling the blanket over us as I felt sleep steal upon me once more.
The next time I woke, she was dressed and putting the finishing touches on her makeup. "What time is it?"
Penelope looked at me, a sad smile on her lips. "About five. Rossi's here already, even though there's not a case to attend to. There goes your chance at discretion."
She was closed off to me, the tenderness of yesterday gone with the light of day. Strangely hurt, I drew my walls back up around me as I tried to salvage my pride. I drew myself up straight, wrapping the blanket around my body to hide myself away. "You should have woken me earlier, then. Now, hand me my clothes."
She blanched and nodded, standing up and bringing my outfit to me. I stood and dropped the blanket, pride making my spine ram-rod straight. She blushed, but did not look away from me. I stepped into my panties first, then slipped my bra on. As the layers hid my body from sight, I felt myself close off, my feelings under control once more.
Her eyes were so sad as she handed me her makeup kit. I was relieved when she stepped behind me, only to feel cracks appear in my façade as she brushed my hair. It was here the tenderness of yesterday shone through as she carefully untangled the snarls from my hair. With deft movements, she clipped it up, pulling it away from my face. She stepped back in front of me and took the makeup from my unresisting hands and then proceeded to paint my face, saving my lips for last.
"There, now you're ready to do battle once more."
"Thank you, Ms. Garcia."
"No problem, Chief Strauss." She opened her door and I stepped out, right into David Rossi. He smirked at me, at us, knowingly and I fought the urge to slap the lecherous grin off his face.
"Good morning, Erin, Kitten. Oh, Erin, your husband called. He was worried that you didn't come home last night. You should let him know you were otherwise occupied. I never expected you to accept Kitten's easy love."
I heard Penelope draw in a sharp breath and rose to defend her. "It's a hard world we live in, David. Sometimes we have to learn to be easy, and to accept the visions the Oracle sends." I narrowed my eyes. "But you wouldn't know that, having used up three wives and scores of other women. You will leave Ms. Garcia alone from now on and tell no one about your exploits, or I will make life difficult for you in every possible way. Do I make myself clear?"
"As crystal, Erin."
"Wonderful. Ms. Garcia, if you'll come with me, please." I strode off, not bothering to see if she was following me, knowing she was at my heels.
"You didn't have to defend me, Ma'am," she said quietly as I unlocked my office door. I opened it, gesturing for her to enter. She brushed past me and into my office and I followed her in, closing the door behind me.
"Yes, I did, Penelope," I replied, using her given name so that she'd look at me. I wasn't disappointed in her. "I'm not known for my tenderness, I know you call me a bitch when I leave the room. And I'm fine with that, or at least I was, until Foyet and this damned inquiry." I sat behind my desk, reclining in my chair.
Penelope sat across from me, something akin to understanding showing on her face. "Then the Dragon Lady has a soul. Are those your children?" she asked, pointing to the family portrait behind my head.
"Yes." I handed her the photograph and watched as she stroked my smiling face lovingly. Unbidden, truth began to pour forth from my throat. "I never spoke to Rossi before I came to see you last night. I was drawn by something else, something I cannot explain. I'm sorry for lying to you."
She looked up at me and I watched the tension drain from her body. "You sought me out?" she asked, a sweet smile spreading across her face. I nodded hesitantly, a small smile forming on my lips. "Your hidden heart is so beautiful, Erin."
She stood up and walked over to my side, kneeling next to me. Unexpectedly, she wrapped her arms around me, embracing me. I leaned into the touch, resting my head on top of hers.
"I only wish it was half as beautiful as yours," I whispered, the truth still escaping from me. Penelope kissed my cheek softly and then stood.
"You are always welcome in my office anytime you need comforting, Erin. How is it that you can see the beauty in what I give, while Rossi can only sully it?"
"Perhaps because I know how hard it is to find some modicum of loving in this world." I stood up next to her, and then kissed her forehead. "Now, attend to your work, and if he bothers you in any way, let me know. I promise, I will take care of him."
"Thank you, my orchid." I looked at her and smiled genuinely. "Though I know only you and I shall hear that." She kissed me once more and then left me alone with my thoughts. But for once, my mind was still, the thoughts of the day not yet intruding on the peace of mind she had given me.