✦XO✦

London

Luke and Matt were sitting in their room of the company London branch office. Wrapping up everything from the meeting they had the day before. Luke was successful in renewing the contact but then again he had no doubt. Luke tossed his phone into one of his file making Matt look up from his desk. Luke had been trying to reach Penelope since early this morning to no avail. The last time he spoke to her was in the morning when she called him to say she was going to go see her sister. Her sister was pregnant and since the announcement had not seen her. Luke asked her to call him when she got there but she didnt. He was beginning to feel nervous.

"What got you knickers in a knot?" Matt said walking over to his desk and standing in front of it. A couple of trips ago, he heard someone say it in the office and had been waiting for the proper time to use it. He felt satisfied being able to use it now.

Luke looked up at him with a eyebrow raised. Matt had a huge satisfied smile making Luke chuckle. He picked up his phone one more time and dialed her number. When it went to voicemail he spoke ending the call "Penelope isn't answering my calls…" before Luke could speak further Matt slammed his hands on Luke desk. Luke jumped off his chair and looked at Matt bewildered.

"I told you silence before the storm." Matt smiled as he slapped down the desk a couple of times lightly. "Silence before the storm."

Luke ran his finger through his hair trying to calm himself down but it didn't help. "Stop it. This is no where related to that lipstick mark." Luke crossed his arm in front of him. He was really upset. Penelope wasn't answering her calls, making him nervous and giving Matt the ammo he needed. But somehow he was a bit afraid himself what if he was right. What if Penelope didn't have faith in him the way he hoped.

"Oh trust me buddy. She is probably sitting at home ignoring your phone calls because she thinks you are having an affair." Matt knew he was reaching but he wanted to stir up something in him. He didn't know Penelope and hadn't really seen her except for pictures Derek had. He didn't like that he was classifying her but it was all to make Luke feel something, anything. Luke smiled and joked around them but at home he knew he was cold as ice. He hadn't invited him to the wedding or his house after. Matt knew a lot about the current status of his marriage and felt horrible for both of them. Maybe this could stir up something in him or her to talk.

Luke placed his hands on his waist, "Ha! What you are an expert on women now?"

Matt crossed his arm in front of him. "Very much so."

Luke chuckled in anger, "you want to be a smart ass, I'll prove it to you." Luke began to unbutton his jacket.

Matt eyes widen, "What are you doing?" Luke removed his jacket and threw it on his chair and continued to remove the buttons from his shirt. "Dude I don't roll that way. I know it won't shock Penelope to know you are having an affair with a guy but I am taking no part in it."

Luke removed his hands from his shirt, pointing his finger at Matt "Would you just shut up." Luke grabbed his desk phone "Prentiss come in here now and bring your prefume." He barked.

"Dude Prentiss really!" Matt was surprise but liked that he was seeing smoke. He would move heaven and hell if this went south but somehow in his gut he knew it wouldn't.

Luke ignored him as Prentiss rushed in. She never heard Luke speak in that tone in a long time. Someone was really upsetting him. "What the.. what is going on?" She was going to curse but looking at Luke she decided to choose her words carefully.

Luke unbuttoned the last one and took it off. He stood there in a tank "Perfume." He looked at Prentiss as she tossed it to him. Luke spray every inch of the shirt. Prentiss reached her hand out to stop him but stopped. It was her favorite perfume, the only one she used. "I'll buy you another bottle." Luke said spraying.

"No need." Prentiss said quietly looking to Matt, who just shrugged his shoulders.

Luke placed the cap on and tossed it to Prentiss. "Now kiss the shirt anywhere you would your boyfriend." Luke tossed the shirt to her.

Prentiss looked between the two confused. "What?" She looked at Matt, who was now smiling moving back and forth, from ball to heel, like an amused child.

"Go on Prentiss, it's ok. Just kiss the shirt." Matt said pushing the shirt closer to her. Matt winked at her. It was his way of telling her to trust him. "Make two, one of the back of the shoulder and one in the front shoulder." Matt looked at Luke to agree.

"Hmm why the hell not, make two" Luke glared at Matt. Luke looked away from Prentiss as she straighten the shirt to kiss it. He picked up his phone and tried Penelope again but again it just rang until her voicemail. Luke placed his phone and he snapped his finger for Prentiss to throw his shirt back at him.

Luke walked over to his suitcase that stood near his desk. He planned to take a taxi to the airport right after he was done from there. He brought it to the tiny coffee table their had in the office and took out a clear shirt. He threw in the lipstick stained shirt and locked his suitcase.

"Would either one of you tell me what the F is going on?" Prentiss was confused and didn't like what she walked into. It was like a battle of wits. She would rather have them rolling on the floor fighting then this. She knew nothing could break their friendship but she could feel someone was going to get hurt.

Matt held Prentiss hand and pulled her close to whisper in her ear as Luke had his back to them wearing his shirt. "Trust me." Prentiss nodded at him but with a horrible feeling in her gut. He step away from her "Luke here doesn't believe that Penelope is mad at him. She isn't answering any of his calls." Matt walked over to Luke desk and picked up his phone. He typed Luke password 'Scarlett' into the phone and went directly to his call log. The picture of Scarlet on Luke wallpaper making his heart squeeze. It had been a while since he seen her face. Collecting himself "hmm 17 unanswered calls and you still want to believe she isn't mad at you." Matt shook his head as he placed the phone down.

Luke chuckled pushing Prentiss to speak up "why is she mad at you Luke and what does this have to do with that shirt." Both of them stayed quiet. Luke glared at Matt as he smirked back. It finally hit her, "No no no." She went and sat on the chair in front of her. "Are you guys really this stupid. Luke if you don't want her in your life then just tell her."

Luke looked taken back "What? No!" Luke ran his hand over his face as he walked towards his desk. "Your friend over there thinks Penelope is mad at me because she think I am having an affair."

"Well did you talk to her about it." Prentiss said easing up. She never met Penelope but she heard enough of her from Derek to know she didn't deserve whatever these idiots had planned.

"Yeah I tried…" Prentiss held her head as he continued. "I asked her how to clean off stains like that when.." Luke stopped talking when Matt busted out in laughter.

"I am sorry.. please continue." Matt tried suppressing his laugh. Luke had driven himself so much into his work he became like a robot, unknown to human emotion. He forgot how to talk to people outside of the work environment. But slowly he saw a crack forming in his metal robotic armor as Luke picked up the phone to call Penelope again.

"18." Matt said.

"She cut her finger while making dinner and I felt bad for yelling at her for being so careless. So I didn't have it in me to ask her after." Luke felt horrible. His voice never got that loud with her before even when he was upset.

Matt didn't smile but was screaming on the inside 'was that concern?'

Prentiss didn't like this at all. "Are you sure she isn't mad, 18 is a lot of missed calls." she asked concerned.

"You don't know Penelope." Luke barked.

"Don't yell at us. Who fault is it. You never once invited us to your house to introduce her." Matt said slightly upset with his best friend. Regardless however their relationship was, he expected him to at least introduce her to them.

Luke looked down knowing Matt was right. It wasn't like he and Penelope had a bad relationship that he had to hide it. She was a great person and he would love to introduce her to them. He just didn't know what stopped him. He looked up trying to convince them. "Look, she trust me and that is why she didn't say anything that night or yesterday about the shirt. I know her and if she was mad or didn't like anything she would make it known." Luke smiled as he remembered when Penelope first walked into their house. How she went a mile a minute telling him how horrible his chooses were, from the paint to the table deco. "I know, when she sees this shirt, she won't say anything again because she trust me. She knows I would never step outside the line of marriage."

Prentiss rubbed her palms on her pants. "I hope you are right but I don't like any of this. I don't want you to go forward with this but I know you both so.. whatever." Prentiss left with a heavy heart. Hoping no one gets hurt.

Matt walked over to his desk, smiling, as he saw Luke pick up his phone. She didn't ask again. Luke knew it wasn't because of the lipstick mark but something else. Luke was getting nervous as well as angry. He didn't even have her sister or father number to call. He never found the need to store it on his phone. If he ever spoke to them it was always from Penelope phone. He finished his work and grabbed everything he needed before heading out to the airport. Matt and Prentiss were planning to come home after two days. They wanted to go shopping for their loved ones. He hugged Matt and Prentiss good bye before heading towards the elevator. He called her one more time as he waited for the elevator but no answer. Luke usual stopped at a shop along the way to grab Penelope a little gift but this time he was to angry at her to even think about it. This was bringing back bad memories. He said a silent prayer his mom told him to recite when he was scared as he sat on his seat in the airplane.

The plane was landing when he felt the vibration of his phone. There was missed call and a voicemail from Penelope. He quickly sat up and listened to the voice mail.

Hey Luke,

I am sorry I was so excited to see my sister that I forgot my phone at home in a rush. Anyways, you are probably on your way back. I know you will be exhausted when you get home so I will leave dinner for you in the microwave, please don't get lazy and forget to eat it. Have a safe flight.

Luke finally felt at ease. He threw his head back and closed his eyes as the plane landed at the airport. He called for a taxi and arrived home to see the porch light on. He never felt this happy to be home. He unlocked the door and walked into his room. He found Penelope laying there with a book on her chest. She was probably exhausted. She sounded exhausted on the voicemail too. He lifted the book off her chest making her turn to face his side of the bed. He placed the blanket over her before going to sit on his side of the bed. He took of his shoes and laid down facing her. He stared at her as she slept finally feeling relaxed to see her in front of him. "You're safe." he whispered. He wasn't worried that Penelope was mad at him over the lip stain when she didn't answer his calls. He was worried something happened to her. He lost his whole family in two separate road accidents. Going through therapy helped him with the grieving process but the fear was still in him. He never let Penelope drive at night afraid he might loss her to an accident. When she didn't answer that morning fear took over but chose to stay calm, hoping and praying for the best. He placed his hand on her before exhaustion took him over.

✦XO✦