"Remind me again why we're doing this?" Penelope asked as she adjusted her seatbelt.

"It's our last hurrah as a team, Baby Girl. Emily leaves for France in two weeks, so we have to make this time together count. Rossi suggested the use of his cabin again, since it's so secluded. Don't ask me what he and Hotch did to get Strauss to authorize the time off for all of us. I do not want to know."

Penelope leaned over and kissed his cheek lightly. "I know, I just don't like being cut off from all things tech for too long. You know Rossi doesn't have a Wi-Fi signal out here. Just think of everything I'm missing! New posts on Oh No They Didn't, streaming my favorite tv shows since I can never watch them live, and all that." She stared out into the rainy afternoon and tried to be happy for the weekend in front of her. She truly did want to spend time with Emily before she left, but she didn't want to admit that she was really leaving.

Everything was changing, and she hated change. First Will and JJ's wedding, which seriously curtailed girl's night out and now this. What was next, Strauss stepping down and becoming a permanent member of their team? If that happened, Penelope would declare her life officially over. Not that she hated the woman, but she would see the fact that she and Morgan were an item in a heartbeat and split them up.

It began to rain harder as they drove and then Penelope saw her, the person she'd been thinking of. She was standing next to her car, trying desperately to fix a flat tire, and there was something pathetically sweet about the way she knelt in the rain, thinking she could fix a bent rim. "Sugar Bear, you need to pull over and get her to agree to us taking her to a phone."

"Are you crazy? It's raining like cats and dogs out there. Strauss looks like she's doing just fine."

"Her rim is bent. There's no way she's going to be able to fix that. Please?" She knew she was pouting, but she didn't really care. One good deed might be enough to change opinions in the BAU, and that was what they desperately needed.

"Fine, but only for you, Penny." Checking the rearview mirror, he carefully backed up and parked in front of Strauss' Mercedes. Getting out, he took the umbrella from Penelope's outstretched hand and ran up to the woman. Penelope watched them in the mirror and smiled as she watched her boo convince the Ice Queen to come back to the SUV. It was odd to see the woman's shoulders slump in defeat, and the little gesture melted Penelope's heart a little towards her. Hurriedly, she spread out a blanket on the seat, knowing the woman must be freezing.

"How long have you been out in the rain, Ma'am?" she asked once the woman was settled, the blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

"Twenty, maybe thirty minutes. Yours is the first car that stopped to help me. Granted, you're also the only car that's passed by in that time, but still. I was on my way to see my daughter and this is the only road out there. It figures there would be no cell reception. But Agent Morgan said that you were going to Agent Rossi's cabin. I'll just use his phone to get a tow truck out here."

It was the most words she had heard from the woman, ever, and most of them were nice. "That's right. We're having a party for Emily, since she's leaving us so soon. Is your daughter doing anything special?"

"Yes, actually, she's going to be in her first play of the semester. She was cast as the lead in Blithe Spirit. I played the same role myself, once." Penelope knew the woman was smiling and she contorted her body so that she could look back at her. "I'm rather proud of her. But at this rate, I'll miss her first performance. I guess there's always next weekend."

"If you do, maybe I'll tag along," Penelope found herself saying before she could stop her tongue. "I always love seeing other actors."

"That's right, you were in that play last year. I remember seeing that with Annie. You were quite good." Penelope looked over at Derek and saw him smile a little. Strauss shivered and pulled the blanket up a little more around her chest, staring out the window.

"I do hope Rossi has the fire going. The rain makes everything so cold," she remarked as the sky darkened even more. A bright flash of lightning startled her and she gasped a little at the loud crack of thunder that followed it.

"And fires are great for cuddling in front of," Derek replied without thinking. They both heard the slight tsk from the back and he shook his head. "Even friends cuddle."

"I see." There was a little bit of censure in the woman's voice, but Penelope knew that was to be expected, given the position she held in the Bureau. "Then for now, that's all I'll consider you to be."

They both nodded and Penelope turned up the radio a little. This far out, it was only static and so she turned it back down again to hum under her breath. She was pleasantly surprised when Strauss joined in, adding the harmony to the song. If only Derek would had the other harmony, and then 'Hell on Heels' would be complete.

He seemed to pick up on her thoughts and shook his head, a bemused smile on his lips. The rest of the ride somehow settled into one of them starting a song to see if the other knew it enough to hum along. "No one will ever believe me if I tell them what happened," he muttered under his breath as he pulled into the three mile long driveway.

Derek parked behind JJ's car and he handed her the umbrella. "Come along, Erin," Penelope said, again without thinking, but the other woman didn't comment on the use of her name. Together, they went up to the door and she opened it, knowing she and Derek were expected. "We're here!"

"Hey, Kitten. I put you and Derek in the room at the top of the stairs. It has its own personal…" Rossi trailed off as he got a look at who she was with. "Erin. This is a surprise."

"Yes, well, I had a flat tire and it bent the rim. I'll just need to use your phone," she said as another rumble of thunder rolled across the sky. A bright bolt of lightning scared a yelp from Penelope and the house went dark. "Hopefully the phones still work."

Penelope pulled out her cellphone and called up the flashlight app. "Lead us to your phone, oh fearless leader," she intoned, earning a swat on the behind from Rossi. "Hey, there's only one man who can play grab-hands with me."

"I'm not hearing this," Erin sang out before gasping. "And I am perfectly happy without a man to play grab-hands with at the moment."

"Er, sorry, Ma'am. That was me," Emily said, sounding uber-embarrassed. "I thought you were Penelope there for a second."

"The phone, David."

"Yes, Erin." He led them over to where his phone was and he picked it up. "Dammit."

"Let me guess, no dial tone."

"Hear, listen for yourself." Erin took the phone from his hand and sighed as she listened. "In the morning, I'll run you in to town so you can get the car towed."

"Yes, well, at least Karl and his girlfriend will be able to see Annie's opening night." She sounded so sad that Penelope couldn't help but reach out and wrap an arm around her waist. Erin leaned into the touch a little and Penelope smiled. "I hope you have supper ready and waiting for us."

"It's on the table. Let me just get out the candles and another plate."

The door slammed open and they all jumped a little. "I hope your phones are working, Dave, because there is a huge tree down. It blocks then entire drive way."

"Well, I guess we're stuck here until we get power and phones back," Dave wryly said. "This makes our weekend all the more interesting."