The rest of the day seemed to drag on, and Penelope kept watching the clock for the time when she could head out and start setting up for the meeting, waiting for Erin to appear so that they could talk and she could find out what about Alex Blake bothered her so much. Though, based on the few times she'd had to interact with that woman on the phone, she could tell that she was abrasive, she knew that, and she didn't care. Which grated on Penelope's nerves, especially since she had tried so hard to be nice to her, after her little misstep earlier that morning.
Finally, the clock read half past four, and she logged out of her system, texting Kevin to let him know that it was now his turn to field calls from her team before packing up her bag and then making her way down to the elevators. There were a few people milling about, and she listened in on snatches of conversations, focusing in on a voice when she heard mention of Erin and Alex's names. "I don't know how long the Alpha team will be able to have Blake with them. I remember the last time she was with us, and Strauss and she did not get along at all. Though given what happened, I don't blame Blake for holding on to a grudge. I definitely would have done the same."
Penelope frowned, fighting to keep from whirling around and lambasting whoever was talking. That would result in a reprimand, she knew, and Erin would not be happy with her. So she took a few deep breaths as the elevator doors opened, and she stepped inside, pressing the button for the ground floor before scooting to the back of the car and pulling out her personal phone, texting Erin to let her know that she was heading out, and therefore be available to talk whenever Erin was ready.
She didn't get a response before she started driving, and Penelope slipped the phone back into her pocket before she set out down the road. Normally, she'd listen to music to help occupy her thoughts, but there was too much buzzing around in her head to do that that afternoon. So there seemed to be bad blood between Erin and Alex, more so that she knew about, and she wondered what had happened to create the animosity between them. Knowing who Erin had been when she first started with the BAU, Penelope knew that she could be abrasive, brash, calculating, but if she had been a man, none of those traits would have been seen as a negative.
Pulling into a parking spot, she sat behind the wheel and took a few breaths before heading inside the building. Using her key, she unlocked their room and began to brew the coffee before setting up the chairs in their usual circle. The work didn't take too long, and then she was sitting down and pulling out her phone to check for any messages. Noticing none, she sighed, texted Erin that she was there now, and then started to play one of her games to pass the time.
The sound of voices approaching the room caught her attention some time later, and she exited out of the game before shoving the phone into her bra and watching the door anxiously. The people who came in were not who she wanted to see, but she still smiled and waved, watching them get coffee. Finally, though, Erin slinked into the room, a tight look on her face as she scurried over to Penelope's side and sank into the seat next to her. "I'm sorry, I couldn't get away until now."
"That's fine, we can just stay here and talk, or you could catch a ride with me back to my place or a restaurant. All I know is that we need to talk about our Blake issue."
Erin nodded as she settled back in the chair, letting out a deep breath. "I wish that she wasn't our mutual issue. I was perfectly fine with her just being my issue. She's going to think I'm making people choose sides, again, and all I truly want is for there to be peace between us."
"I totally get that," Penelope murmured as the room filled up with their regulars, and she welcomed everyone who was telling her how well Erin had run things while she was in London, and that she had been missed. "Thanks, everyone, for being so lovely to Erin in my absence. Now, who would like to speak first this week?"
Monica raised her hand, and Penelope nodded at her, listening to her talk about how much she missed her son, more so this past week than in weeks past. As she continued talking, Penelope heard Erin start to sniffle a little, and she rummaged around in her pocket to find a handkerchief, slipping it over to her surreptitiously. From the corner of her eye, she watched Erin dab at her eyes before twisting the fabric between her fingers as she continued to listen to Monica's story.
Penelope was half expecting Erin to speak up once Monica was finished, but she didn't, allowing Douglas to pick up on the thread Monica had developed, sharing his own feelings of loss in the last week. The rest of the meeting continued smoothly, though Erin never spoke, seeming to draw in on herself the longer things went on. Penelope met Margaret's eye towards the end of the meeting, and the woman nodded, wrapping things up before taking care of the snacks and coffee, allowing Penelope to turn her focus onto Erin completely.
"All right, you were a little too quiet tonight. What is hurting you?"
"I was just thinking about how Alex and I are in the same position now, having both lost our sons, and there's no way that I can commiserate with her, since she seems determined to hold me at arm's length and not accept my amends for the way I wronged her during the Amerithrax case."
Penelope cocked her head to one side, unfamiliar with that case. "What happened?"
"I threw her and another team member under the bus when it looked like I was going to be taking the blame for their faulty profiling. Alex thought that she would retaliate by spreading the rumour that the only reason I was up for a promotion was due to my sleeping with our supervisor." All the pieces tumbled into place, and Penelope let out a little gasp as she leaned in and took hold of Erin's hand, staring into her eyes. "We were such close friends, and it only took one bad case to drive a wedge between us, and now when I want to try and fix things, I can't. It's been too long."
She nodded as she scooted her chair closer to Erin, allowing the woman to rest her head on Penelope's shoulder as she sobbed quietly. Thankfully, Margaret seemed to know to stay away from them, quietly picking up the chairs and putting them away as she waited for Erin to get control of herself once more. Margaret gave her a small wave before she closed the door, leaving them alone. "Erin, honey, you've not really explained what happened, just that you may or may not have thrown a few people under the bus. What was this case about?"
Erin took a deep breath before moving closer to Penelope, her hand curling in the fabric of her blouse. "I keep forgetting that you're so young, that you haven't been with the BAU for as long as some of the others, who remember what that case was like. This was before I became Section Chief, and Alex and I were both anxious to be promoted, to show our worth as agents first, women second. Her Ethan was already gone by the time this case fell into our laps, but I was still a mum with three young babies to take care of. And this case was so bad. Someone was mailing anthrax to elected officials, and we were tasked with finding them. We didn't have the resources like you do today, which made our work that much more difficult. So, when Alex and John told me that they had a solid lead, I took it to our supervisor."
"And it wasn't a solid lead, was it?" she asked, raking her fingers through Erin's hair.
"No. As the leader of our trio, I should have been the one to fall on my sword, to be reprimanded, but I needed my job, my children needed a secure future, so I informed our supervisor that while I had had misgivings about the profile, Alex and John had overruled me, demanding that I tell him of their findings. And then, they were let go and I had secured my promotion, though not without scandal. Alex landed on her feet, she went back to teaching, but I have no idea what happened to John. It was like he fell off the face of the earth. So, I completely understand if you don't want to continue a friendship with someone like me. I, I'm not a nice person."
Penelope felt her heart crack with those words, and she sat up a little, gently pushing Erin away from her so that she could look into her eyes. Erin wouldn't look at her, so she cupped the woman's chin and lifted her face so that they would have some form of eye contact as she spoke next. "You told me an honest story about a terrible thing you did in your past. You didn't have to paint yourself in such a bad light, which tells me that you're not the person you were back then. And given how much Rossi loves you, and you love him, I think you know that, too. Alex is just a stressor for you, and you can't see yourself for who you are now that she's back. And honestly? If she's refusing the olive branches you're holding out, well, that says much more about her than it does you."
Erin shrugged a little, and Penelope arched an eyebrow at her. "I don't think I'm ready to make that assessment, Penny." She was about to say something when Erin's phone rang, and she pulled it out of her pocket, giving her a sad smile. "That's David. I don't mind if you listen, but I really need to take this." Penelope nodded and watched Erin answer, seeing the tired, sad, smile that spread across her lips as she started to talk to her lover. And a part of her knew that she would work twice as hard to see a reconciliation between Alex and Erin, as she knew that would be the only way to help Erin to heal completely.