Penelope couldn't shake the heavy feeling of dread that had started to fill her bones the moment they were all together in the briefing room that they had been allowed to take over while they were trying to solve the Replicator case. She couldn't quite put her finger on where that feeling was coming from, but it refused to go away. So she found herself retreating into herself, allowing the bustle of the rest of her team swallow her up as she tried to dismiss her feelings. And she was quickly becoming frustrated with the fact that she couldn't seem to find where Curtis was. It didn't matter how large a city New York was, she still felt like she should have been able to find some hint of him, since he was stalking their team and all.
Erin rested her hand on Penelope's shoulder, causing her to startle a little before looking up into her face. "You need to get out of here for a little bit. Let's go grab lunch."
"I'll eat when we've found Curtis," she said, hating how short her voice sounded. Erin curled her fingers around her shoulder, squeezing softly until Penelope looked up at her. "Erin?"
"I'm just as frustrated and anxious as you are, dear. Which is why I need to get out of here, but I don't want to go alone. Please."
That was what broke her heart, and she nodded as she got to her feet, looking around the room. "What about Rossi?"
"He's busy, doing his best to find John. They all are, and I know you are, too, but I need my friend who knows my struggle." Penelope nodded as she took hold of Erin's hand, threading their fingers together as they made their way from the room. Hotch gave them a small nod, and Penelope smiled in return before letting Erin lead her from the building. "I was looking up places to go, since I don't want to get too far away from our base of operations, and there's a delicious sounding Mediterranean place just two blocks away."
"That sounds good," Penelope replied, tightening her grip on Erin's hand as they walked along. She could tell that they were both hyper vigilante of every person they passed on the street, and she hated that their paranoia was so high, but she knew that it was entirely necessary. Finally, they arrived, and she wasn't surprised when Erin asked for a table as far away from the doors as possible, nor was she shocked when Erin took the seat that afforded her a line of sight of the front doors. "Oh, they have a lot of vegetarian food on the menu!"
"That's why I chose it, Penny. I knew that that was important to you." The tender consideration caused her heart to melt a little more for her friend, and she let out a deep sigh as she settled on something that sounded absolutely delicious. Their meal didn't take too long, and then they were heading back to the precinct, some of the tension having drained from them over the course of their meal. She knew that it wouldn't entirely dissipate until they caught Curtis, but at least she felt like she could breathe once more.
Before they went inside, Penelope stopped Erin on the street and pulled her into a tight hug. "I know, you probably don't want to show your soft side to them, but I just, you matter to me. And I just have this feeling…"
"Don't breathe it to life, Penelope. I have that same feeling, I think, and I am trying desperately not to give it strength. We are going to find John, no matter what." Erin pulled away a little and pressed her lips to Penelope's cheek before looking up into her face. There were tears making her eyes sparkle, and she felt her heart clench as she rapidly blinked to keep from crying herself.
"All right, I'll lock that thought away, tight in my heart. As long as you promise me something."
"Anything."
"Keep my spare phone in your bra. It's where I keep it, just in case I need it for any reason. And if you happen to get separated from us, well, I'd feel better if I had a direct connection to you." They went into the building, and Penelope detoured them into the bathroom. Checking to make certain there was no one else there, she reached into her bra and pulled out her spare phone. "It will definitely smell of my perfume, but is that such a bad thing?" she asked as she handed it over.
"No, not at all," Erin murmured as she pressed the phone to her chest. "Thank you for this. It does make me feel a little more at ease." They shared a small smile before Erin slipped the phone into her own blouse, turning away so that she could adjust where it rested. "It doesn't show, does it?"
"No. I think the only way someone would know is if they got to second base with you, and the only person who will get that close will wait until you're alone together, and then it won't really matter, since he'll protect you with every fibre of his being."
"How well you know my David," Erin softly said as she turned and smiled at Penelope. "Thank you. You really are a sweet woman."
"And you are a ferociously kind woman, Erin Strauss. I hate what it took to get you to open up to me, and the group, but I am so glad that you trusted me in your moment of extremity." Again, she had to blink back tears as she took a few deep breaths. "Now, we should probably get back to the others, or else they might think we're skipping out on them."
"Of course." Erin elbowed her gently before heading towards the door. "We're going to have to have lunch with Lexie when we get home. Because now that I have both of you in my life, I'm not letting either of you go."
The smile on Penelope's face widened as she nodded. Together, they made their way back to the room they were based in, and she was happy to see Erin head right over to Rossi and whisper something in his ear. Then he was turning to glance at her, and she blushed deeply before scurrying over to her laptop and starting to look through the searches that she had left running during their lunch. The rest of the day passed quickly, and then she heard a bit of commotion behind her. Getting up, she turned to see that Erin and Rossi were talking lowly, only for JJ to tease them. A deep blush stole across Rossi's face before Erin winked at him and sashayed from the room.
"I guess that's my cue to leave. I'll be back shortly."
Penelope felt a frown slip across her features, and he shrugged as he came over to her side. "She wants a little time alone in her room, Kitten. I can't say that I blame her for that, after all the time that she's spent with one of us guarding her. I imagine that she feels like she's trapped in a fishbowl."
"But that's only for her own good! We're so close to catching Curtis, why would she take a risk like this now?"
"Because she's stubborn and deserves the chance to feel two hours of normality. You and Alex are free to go to the hotel at eight. All right?"
She knew that he was trying to mollify her, and it did help a little, but she was still bothered by the fact that Erin would be alone for so long. "At least inform security that she'll be there alone. Please?"
"Yes, Kitten. You know, you're more protective of my partner than I am. I don't know what that says about me."
"It says that I've come too close to losing people I love at the hands of an unsub, and I'm not about to actually lose someone. Keep her safe, if it's the last thing you do."
"That was always the plan, Penelope." And then he surprised her by pulling her in a tight hug. "You've been a great friend to Erin, and I won't forget that, ever." Then he kissed her cheek softly before heading over to where Erin was waiting for him. Penelope listened to JJ call out something mildly suggestive, but she couldn't focus on the words being said as a wave of apprehension and fear washed over her. Erin gave her a small smile before waving at her and then taking hold of Rossi's hand as they left the building. Penelope fell back into her chair as she tried to will away the feeling that she would never see Erin again from her mind as she opened a new tab on her browser and called up the GPS tracking on her spare phone, watching as Rossi drove Erin back to the hotel. Still, even with that reassurance, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to go terribly wrong, and there was no way that she would be able to fix it.