Penelope woke with a start, her arm aching from the angle it had been kept in all night. Bright morning sunshine shone in the window, and she was able to see Arnold sitting in a chair, facing at the door. He was sleeping, she thought, and she tried to sit up without screaming in pain at the way it jostled her arm.

Still, he slept on, and she pulled the phone out from the blankets, disappointed to see that the battery had died sometime in the night. Just as she tucked it back into her bra, her bladder decided that she had to pee, right now, and she winced a little. "Arnold?" she asked loudly, hoping he was a light sleeper.

Her captor came to quickly and looked in her direction. She plastered on a fake smile and was grateful when he smiled back. "What is it?"

"I have to use the bathroom. Could you undo the handcuffs so that I may?" She tried to ask as sweetly as she could, so as not to arouse his suspicions, and he nodded. Ambling over to her, he fished the key out of his pocket and let her loose. Lowering her arm, she rubbed it gently as she stumbled over to the other room, shutting the door.

It was only as she took a look around that she knew why he had been so quick to let her go. There was no window in the bathroom, and she felt her heart sink a little as she lowered her panties and began to pee. Tapping her foot anxiously, she willed her body to continue going, not wanting to go back out there once more. She didn't want to think that they might be on the move again, and that she would have no way for the others to track her.

Finally, though, she had to stand and right her clothes, washing her hands before stepping back into the other room of the cabin. "Are you feeling all right?" Arnold asked in concern, and she went to nod, only to realize that this could be her only chance.

"No. My stomach is really upset and my arm aches. Could I go back to sleep for a little bit, uncuffed this time?"

He nodded absently and she curled up on the bed, facing the wall as she hugged herself tight. I wish Erin was here, holding me, rubbing my arms, making me feel better. I miss her, she thought, struggling not to cry.

Penelope must have fallen asleep once more, because the next thing she knew was the commotion of a raid. She knew enough not to sit up, instead curling up into a tight ball as the sounds of gunfire rang out around her. "Baby Girl, are you okay?"

She turned to look up into Derek's face, breaking into tears at the sight. "I think so. Arnold didn't hurt me, not really. He just had to handcuff me to the bed, so I wouldn't escape. Can we go home to Erin?"
"I can do you one better, Sugar," he replied as he helped her to sit up, pulling her into a tight hug. "We flew her out here to Albuquerque, knowing she wouldn't be able to stay home and wait for us to rescue you. I think she nearly decked Hotch when he told her she wasn't coming along on this mission."

A bright smile spread over her face as she pushed away from him. "I would have paid good money to see that, you know."

"I know. Oh, and she was brought her by some woman that used to work for WitSec, and the minute the woman entered the building, she laid one on the other Marshal, really surprised her. Erin seemed to know what was going to happen, but not to who. Get me the story behind that one, okay?"

She nodded and Derek helped her to stand and led her from the cabin. Arnold was bleeding profusely from a shoulder wound, but he still looked okay, which settled her heart a little. Everyone from the team was there, along with a number of people she didn't recognize. A tall, thin, man approached her, an easy smile on his face.

"You must be Penelope. I was told to bring you home in one piece, and I am glad that I am able to do that. Otherwise, I think that your fiancé would have found very creative ways to make me suffer."

"That would be my Erin."

"And you missed the best part, Baby Girl. She actually stamped her foot when Marshall refused to let her come along. It was pretty adorable."

"That's part of why I love her, Der." The bright Southwestern sun made her squint and Derek handed her the sunglasses she had left behind in her purse. "Thank you. Is everything clear here so that we can head back to the office?"

The marshal nodded and held out his arm. Trustingly, she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow and let him lead her over to a waiting car. "I'm Marshall Mann, by the way. Agent Parmalee is riding with Arnold to the hospital. He'll be under constant surveillance until he is out of the hospital and then he'll be transferred to a federal prison. We'll be taking care of things in house in this case, especially given his obvious violent tendencies."

She nodded as she buckled her seatbelt, curling up in the seat as he drove. "Do you think anyone would think less of me if I told my team I wasn't going out on the road with them? I don't want to be away from my Erin any longer than I have to be."

"No, you're not really trained for this, being a technical analyst. You shouldn't be put in dangerous situations. They'll understand." He smiled over at her and she nodded a little. "So, is your Erin also a matchmaker?"

"Why would you ask that?"

"She was brought here by an old colleague of ours, and the minute Eleanor came in the door, she made a beeline for my best friend, kissing her senseless. I never realized there were those feelings there in her, though it sort of explains why she left with no goodbye. She and Mary weren't exactly the best of friends."

Penelope giggled a little, wondering what mischief her lover had gotten into. It seemed like she had finally started rubbing off on her, and she sighed aloud. "No, Erin usually isn't a matchmaker. There must have been something there that she saw and was able to point out."

"Ah, I see." She shrugged as she watched him drive. "Did you have feelings for this woman?"

A faint blush spread across his face as he shook his head. "No, not any longer."

"Ooh, there's a story there."

"Yeah, and her name is Abigail. She didn't like that I was such close friends with Mary and asked me to put some distance between us. I did, it hurt, but we're moving on. If she finds happiness with Eleanor, I'm not going to begrudge her that."

She felt her heart crack a little for this stoic man who couldn't admit that he was in love with two women and nodded as she turned her focus back out the window, watching the miles between her and her lover shrink with every passing moment.