Penelope woke up with a groan of pleasure, turning to find her Erin curled up close to her side, her head resting on her shoulder. There was something so trusting about the way her posture, and Penelope wished that they could stay like this for hours. Taking a glance over at the clock, she knew that the alarm would be going off in about ten minutes, so she snuggled closer to her lover in order to relish the last of this time spent together. She had almost fallen back asleep by the time the alarm rang, and then Erin was stirring in her arms, coming to wakefulness slowly as her arm reached out to smack at the device, ending the loud beep before looking at Penelope.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, Erin. Are you going to be seeing me later today?"
Erin shook her head a little as she sat up, stretching and nodding her head back and forth to work out the morning kinks. Penelope felt like she could watch her for eternity, which Erin seemed to recognize, as she slowed her movements a touch, making them a little more sensual than necessary. "I wish, but there's some school function that I have to attend with Alan, and it would be better if I didn't go there smelling like delicious gin. I'm sorry."
"There's nothing to be sorry for. I'll just have to look forward to our call tomorrow. Would you rather have it be in the morning or afternoon?"
She grinned a little as Erin scooted over and draped her body over Penelope's. "I'd rather it be in the afternoon. I took a look at when the meeting is going to be, and it looks like I'll have a working lunch, starting at eleven, lasting until two. If you call after then, like half past, then you can pull me out of my funk. Also, since it's my week with the children, we won't be able to have a date. Could we make plans for next Saturday?"
"Of course, Erin. I'll put you in my calendar as soon as we get downstairs. I do hope that you'll be spending some time at Persephone in the next two weeks, though. I think that I'd miss your face too much if you weren't around for twelve whole days."
A low chuckle dropped from Erin's lips as she nodded. "Of course you'll see me before then. I don't think that I could go twelve whole days without seeing your face, either." She caressed Penelope's cheek before giving her a soft kiss. "And now, I need to start getting ready for my day. Unfortunately, the BAU does not wait for anyone. Mondays really are the worst day for my job."
"I wish that I could make it easier for you."
"You did by letting me wake up in your arms, darling Penelope." Erin gave her another kiss before slipping off the bed and going over to the closet. "What color blouse should I wear today?"
"Purple. Purple is a great color on you, and it also happens to be my favorite. So even though it's going to be a rough day, you can look at your shirt and know that I'm with you, even if only in spirit." The smile that lit up Erin's face was breathtaking to behold, and Penelope felt her heart lurch in her chest at it. "I wish that I worked with you," she breathed out.
"No, you don't. If we worked together, we couldn't be together. There are quite strict fraternization rules that I totally looked over when I slept with David. Which is why I was suspended for those two weeks. And given how much I care for you, I don't think I could keep everything under wraps, and then we'd probably both be fired. Can you imagine the scandal that would follow that? No. You stay the owner of your family bar, and I'll remain Section Chief at the BAU, and we will eventually get to the point where we live together and maybe even get married. That might be a few years in the future, but that is the future I want to work towards."
"I love the future that you see for us. It will take me a little while to wrap my mind around the thought of living with another person, since I've always been a bit of a free spirit, but if you're patient with me, perhaps we can make that vision of yours a reality sooner than I would think." She climbed out of bed and went over to Erin's side, kissing her cheek softly before tousling her hair. From the look her lover gave her, Penelope knew that she did not like that move, and she chuckled a little before drawing her hand back.
"I only like that when we're in bed together." Penelope nodded. "But yes, it will take time, but as long as we're willing to work at things, our future will be bright indeed. Now, I need to use the bathroom and put my makeup on. This time, will you make breakfast and coffee for us?"
"I would love to do that for us." Penelope gave her a quick kiss before slipping her dress off the hanger Erin had placed it on last night. "And thanks for doing a load of wash just so I could wear fresh underwear home."
"I had some to do myself, so it wasn't an inconvenience." Erin gave her a warm smile before slipping past her and heading into the master bathroom. Once the door was closed, Penelope picked up her fresh underwear and slipped into them, feeling extremely loved in that moment, even if Erin wasn't ready to say those words. Once she was dressed, Penelope went out to the other bathroom, quickly washing her face and finger brushing her teeth before using the comb laying on the countertop to somewhat tame her hair until she could get home and properly shower.
Once she felt refreshed, Penelope headed down to the kitchen and started to make omelettes for them both, feeling in the mood for that this morning. She was just folding them when Erin entered the kitchen, her perfume tickling Penelope's nose. "That looks delicious," her lover said as she hooked an arm around her waist, and Penelope let out a little sigh of pleasure before leaning back against her. "A woman could grow accustomed to this level of care very quickly."
"A woman could grow accustomed to providing it, as long as it's all reversed every once in a while. But I think that that discussion should be had in two or three months? I don't want to just jump into living with you, because I want to make certain that this relationship lasts. You're my better place to be, but I still need a little firmer foundation?"
"Of course, darling. I don't want to jump into anything, either. I was just so overjoyed that the children took to you so well, especially Karen. I thought she would be the hardest to win over, and yet it seems like she took the lead and helped Bruce and Tabitha be a little more welcoming. Oh, I am so glad that I walked into your bar a few months ago. It has brought me such happiness in some very dark months of my life." Erin kissed her cheek softly before letting go of her and pouring their coffee into mugs and taking a seat at the table.
"And I am so glad that you found my bar. I never expected to fall quite so hard for a pretty blonde, but it happened, and I am that much better for it. Now, we should eat, because I think that you need to be heading to work, unfortunately." Erin glanced at her watch and nodded, a slight frown marring her face. "I know, I don't want this magical weekend to end, either, but all good thingsā¦"
"I know, darling. But we both have tomorrow afternoon to look forward to." Erin smiled and winked at her before tucking into the food in front of her. "And don't worry, I won't make you hire a cab this morning. There will be more than enough time for me to drop you off. Because I will gladly take as much time with you as I can." Penelope nodded, copying Erin and digging into her omelette, knowing that they were so close to mornings like this being a permanent part of their reality, and she couldn't wait to see where it led next.
