Penelope stared at the pictures on her desk. It was all she had left of Emily, and she found she couldn't tear her eyes away from her friend. Sure, they had found her replacement quick enough, even though Strauss had been on their side in voicing her opinion that they should wait to find someone else to fill the void Emily left. Hell, she had even suggested that Anderson join their team, which would have been perfect, he'd worked with them for eight years now, and knew the routine. But no, they just had to bring Sasha in. They just had to pick the one person who looked like Emily at first glance, what with her fall of long dark hair.

Sighing, she pushed back from her desk and stepped out into the bullpen. Everyone had gone home for the evening, or so it seemed, and she stared at the space where Emily's desk was. Now it was hers, Sasha's, and it just felt wrong. Everything felt so wrong. First Kevin had made it quite clear that he had moved on, and in less than three months. Then, Emily had left, claiming the pressure was too much for her to bear. But she went to fucking Interpol, Interpol! Where the pressure was about a million times worse than what they dealt with, and on a smaller budget.

Burying her head in her hands, she turned and leaned against the railing, unable to look into her memories any longer. "Penelope?"

She looked up into the concerned face of her boss. "Hi, Hotch. What are you still doing here? Shouldn't you be out with Beth?"

A quick flash of hurt passed over his face and she reached out, resting her hand on his upper arm. "We…broke up last week."

"What? Why? You guys seemed so perfect together."

"We just didn't mesh well. We got into an awful fight about how much time I spend here, with you all. I guess, in the end, she turned out to be like Haley, unable to deal with what I do. I was really falling for her."

Penelope sighed in tandem with him and reached up to pat his cheek. "The heart moves on without us realizing it, and then something happens to pop the bubble around us. I still haven't moved on from Kevin. I don't know if I ever will." She looked away from him to stare at the pocket on his suit coat. "I miss having someone to hold me when I have a nightmare."

"What about Morgan?" he asked gently, leading her into his office.

"He's my best friend, not potential lover material, unfortunately. You'd think, what with the chemistry we have, that we'd work out perfectly. Tried it, once, and it ended in disaster. I'm small and he's, well, God blessed him." They sat down on his low sofa and she wrapped her arms around herself. "And that's probably more than you ever wanted to know about either of us. I'm sorry. The filter isn't working too well these days, either."

His arm came to rest around her shoulders and she felt a sad smile spread across her face as she leaned into his body. "One of the things I've always admired about you, Penelope, is your honesty and frankness."

"Why couldn't Beth see that you are such a prince?" she murmured lowly, only to feel his lips touch the crown of her head. "I miss Emily."

"We all do. Sasha hasn't had the time to fit into our groove yet."

"I don't think she ever will with me. I want Emily back. Why did I never notice how much pressure she was under? I should have seen this, what with being so close to her. This was all my fault."

"No, it wasn't, Penelope. She talked to me, a little, when she was having bad days, and this still blindsided me. I think she was looking for an escape and when Easter provided it for her, she jumped with arms wide open." He sighed and began to stroke her hair absently. She liked the heavy weight of his hand there and unconsciously nuzzled into the touch. Tears began to prickle her eyes and she tried in vain to blink them back. "It's okay to cry, Penelope."

"Okay." She had barely gotten the word out before beginning to softly cry. He rubbed her shoulder and arm, not saying anything as she released her frustration and sorrow. A few minutes passed and finally, she felt somewhat better. "Thank you."

"Would you like to go out for a cup of coffee? Or perhaps a stiff drink or two?"

She pulled away to look up into his eyes. They were stormy and unreadable, and she found herself nodding. "A stiff drink sounds wonderful right now. Shall we?"

He stood and helped her up. "Do you have to grab your purse?" She nodded and together they walked over to her office. Aaron waited by her door while she grabbed her purse and then rejoined him. She smiled as she slipped her hand into the crook of the elbow he held out and they walked out to the elevators.

Penelope was startled to hear girlish giggles come from the direction of Erin's office, and she turned her head to see her and Dave stumble down the hallway over to where they were. "Erin? Rossi?"

She looked up, a deep blush staining her cheeks. "Oh, I didn't realize that anyone else was still here. We were just…"

"Heading home for the weekend." Erin squeaked and moved away from her lover, absently rubbing her hip. "Sorry, honey."

"No, you're not. I don't know why I ever agreed to pick up where we left off." Penelope let out a giggle of her own and Erin smiled at her. "Men. You give them an opening, and they just push their way in the door. How are you doing?"

The real concern in her voice warmed Penelope's heart and she shrugged. "I don't know. Hotch and I are headed out for drinks. I know you can't drink alcohol, but would you like to come with us?"

"Drowning our miseries?"

"Something like that. I really would like it if you came, though." Penelope was surprised at her own boldness, her willingness to spend time with their boss.

"I suppose I have time for one soda. Davie, you don't mind, do you?"

"No, we have all of tomorrow and Sunday to play."

"Thank you!" She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek quickly before stepping closer to Penelope once more. The doors on the elevator opened, and they stepped inside it. The men fell into a conversation about work, which left Erin and Penelope free to talk. "I still can't believe your Mr. Lynch got married already. Is he that desperate to have children?"

"I don't really know. I guess what I knew of him was only what he showed me. I guess I dodged a bullet there." She laughed mirthlessly, and Erin frowned at her.

"You shouldn't joke about what happened to you, Penelope. You could have died. I know it's been years since it happened, but it is still my worst nightmare come to life. I've yet to lose an agent, praise God, and I hope that I never do." She reached out and clasped Penelope's hand, squeezing tightly.

Penelope found herself speechless at the sweet concern in the other woman's voice, and so all she could do was nod. The doors of the elevator opened and they stepped out. "Hotch, Erin and I are going to take my car. You ride with Rossi." He nodded and they parted ways. She led Erin over to Esther and got behind the wheel.

She followed the men to a nearby lounge and parked next to Dave. Erin got out and reached for her lover's hand, then holding out her other one to Penelope. She clasped it tightly and they went in. The place was nearly empty, which was surprising, given that is was a Friday night, and they claimed a booth near the door.

Erin sat next to Penelope, leaving the men across from them. "What does everyone want to drink?" Dave asked.

"I'll have an Irish car bomb," Penelope replied, and he just shook his head.

"I'll just have a beer," was Aaron's answer.

"And you know my favorite soda, Dave." He nodded and moved off, putting their order in at the bar. "I wish I could have done more to delay adding Sasha to the group. I can tell from your case reports that things are not going well. Is there anything that I can do?"

"I don't think there is at this point, Erin. She's a part of us now, for better or for worse. It's just thrown off our family dynamic so much. Since the bank incident, you've taken the spot of mother to Dave's father."

"Ah, so I'm the evil stepmother. I'm surprised I haven't heard Lady Tremaine being bandied about behind my back." Penelope could tell she was smiling by the way she said the words and she gently pushed her shoulder. "What? Am I wrong?"

"Yes. You're not evil, Erin." She sighed and Aaron looked across the table at her. "What? And I suppose I'm the naïve kid sister who needs to be protected from everything."

"No, I'd say you're the sweet, kind, loving, daughter who wants to heal everyone's hurts." She was startled by Erin's soft words and turned to look at her. "What? You think I don't pay attention to how you act, how you react? I need to know everything about every member of my teams." Penelope reached out and covered the other woman's hand with hers. "Even this gesture goes to show how lovely a heart you have."

"We are going to be great friends, aren't we?" she asked as Dave handed around their drinks. She sipped, shuddering a bit at the bitter taste of alcohol.

"Perhaps, in time." They both sighed in unison and stared at the men. "Dave, tell them the joke you told me earlier."

He began the joke and Penelope relaxed back against the booth wall, feeling content to listen to him.