"Did you want me to leave before Strauss gets here?" Penelope asked as she looked up from where she was playing cars with Jack. Ever since Haley had been murdered by Foyet, she had been floundering for a way to help Hotch, to pick up some of the burden of everyday life, so that he didn't have so much on his plate. She knew that an inquest was going to happen, their Section Chief had already informed her of that when she had requested all the files and paperwork associated with the Reaper and what had happened, but she didn't know what the outcome of everything would be. They had all made their missteps in the case, she knew that much, and she just hoped that Chief Strauss would be somewhat forgiving of them, given the outcome of the case.

"I really don't care what she thinks, Garcia. You've been a friend to me and Jack these last few months, when he was in WitSec with Haley, and if she tries to make this into something lurid, I'll stand up for you."

She nodded a little as she reached out and wrapped her hand around his wrist, wanting to let him know that she understood, that she would always be there for him. Even if he didn't know that she had had a crush on him ever since the Fisher King case, when he had stood up for her against the words that Gideon had thrown at her. She had known then, that even though he was married, she would always have a tender place in her heart for him, no matter that nothing could ever happen between them. So, she had nourished their friendship, growing it slowly so that it would last. She had settled for a relationship with Kevin, knowing that he was a pale substitute for Hotch.

"Daddy? When's Mommy coming home?"

They both turned their attention to him, and Penelope felt her eyes well up with tears as Aaron took a seat next to his son and pulled him into a warm hug. Just as he was about to start speaking, someone knocked at the door, and she knew that it was Strauss. Giving him a small nod, she got up from her chair and went to the door, peeping through the hole to make certain that it was the woman in question. It was her, and Penelope took a moment to admire how she looked, professional, and yet with some warmth that was lacking in the office. Taking in a deep breath, she unlocked the door and then opened it, hoping that the smile on her face was genuine and not scared.

"I was not expecting to see you here, Ms Garcia," she said coolly as she swept into the apartment, shrugging out of her jacket and handing it to her.

"Yes, well, Jessica has been handling a lot of the estate details, so I thought that I would help Hotch out by bringing by breakfast for the next few day, at least until after the funeral. I know that you've been asked to have us stand down until after the inquest, so this was an easy decision to make. I can assure you, everything has been completely proper."

The woman relaxed a little, giving her a small nod as she made her way over to the table and took a seat across from Jack and Hotch. "How are you doing?" she asked, sounding completely sincere, and Penelope was touched to see the look of concern on her face.

"Thanks to Jessica and Penelope, we're holding it together, as best as we can. Say hello to Mrs Strauss, Jack."

"Hello, Mrs Strauss," the boy lisped out, and Penelope watched as the woman seemed to melt affectionately at that greeting. She remembered that she had three children of her own, and that likely impacted how she was reacting to Jack.

"If you two want to talk, I can take Jack to the park and we can give you some privacy."

Strauss looked up at her, and Penelope felt pinned by her gaze, as if she could read her thoughts. For a moment, she was certain that Strauss was going to shoot back some flippant reply, but then there was a moment when the mask slipped, and Penelope saw that she was struggling, just like they were, to comprehend what had happened to Haley. Then, she blinked, and the mask was back in place, and a cool nod was all the answer she received. "That might be nice, Penelope, thank you."

"All right, we'll be back in thirty minutes, and I'll bring back coffee and sandwiches for us all."

Strauss looked like she was about to disagree, but Hotch preempted her by speaking first. "That would be great, because I think that we're going to have to discuss the inquest when you return, in order to get all the details ironed out. I'd imagine that the Director doesn't want us grounded for too long, after all." Strauss nodded, and Penelope gave her a small smile before holding her hand out to Jack. He slipped off his chair and took hold of it, allowing her to lead him over to the door and put his shoes on before they slipped on their jackets and headed out.

"Aunt Penelope, why did the bad man hurt Mommy?"

She paused at the bottom of the steps, crouching down so that she was almost at eyelevel with him. "There are bad people in this world who like to hurt others, and there are a lot of reasons for why they do it. In your mommy's case, it was because the bad man wanted to hurt your daddy as much as he could, because he could. And your daddy knew that if you didn't work the case with him, then the bad man would have hurt you as well. He did everything he could to protect you and get to your mommy on time. We just couldn't make it work. I am so sorry." There were tears clogging her throat as she wrapped him into a tight hug, trying not to hurt him as she struggled to keep from crying.

"Oh," Jack replied before closing his arms around her neck. She took this as her cue to carry him, and once they were outside, she turned towards the park, knowing that it wouldn't be that long a walk. As she watched Jack play on the swing set, she pulled her personal cellphone out of her pocket and took a few pictures of him before ordering coffee and sandwiches to be delivered to the apartment in thirty minutes. Jack finally seemed to get tired, right around the time she wanted to head home, and he ran up to her, taking hold of her hand. "I want to go home now, Aunt Penelope. I'm getting hungry."

"Well, that's perfect, since I ordered food to be delivered right around the time that we get back." She gave him a warm smile as she got to her feet and they walked back to the apartment. She tried to keep him focused with her conversation, but felt like she wasn't getting anywhere, as he gave her monotone answers.

Finally, they were back, and she met the delivery people at the stoop, paying them before taking hold of the bags and drink tray while Jack opened the door for her. It was a quiet trip up the elevator, and then she was using her foot to knock on the door, not wanting to jostle or spill anything in her hands. Surprisingly, Strauss answered the door, and she gave the older woman a relieved smile. "I hope you don't mind, but I called our usual coffee shop and ordered from there, since they knew your typical order. I didn't want to get something you didn't like, after all."

"That was very kind of you, Ms Garcia."

"Penelope, please, while we're here. I don't like to feel like I'm at work when I'm off the clock," she replied offhandedly as she brought the bags over to the table. Jack took a seat next to his father, giving her a wide smile, and Penelope smiled back as she went into the kitchen and got him a glass of juice to go with his food. By the time she returned to the table, Strauss and Hotch were once more talking lowly, and she felt a little awkward to take a seat across from Jack, not wanting to interrupt the conversation.

"All right, Penelope, as I was saying to Aaron earlier, I want to start the inquest tomorrow. I know that that is late notice, but since you gave me all the information I needed, and ensured that it was organized so coherently, a lot of the questions that I will be asking are a matter of routine. I will apologise if I seem brusque in the interview, but I must appear impartial to everyone gathered so that no other questions are raised."

"I completely understand, ma'am," she replied as she unwrapped her sandwich, picking up half and taking a bite before sipping at her coffee. "I will call Morgan, JJ and Emily to let them know, if you want to call Rossi and Reid, Hotch."

"I think that I can handle that." He gave her a warm smile, one that caused butterflies to dance in her stomach, and she fought hard to keep the blush from staining her cheeks, since Strauss was sitting right next to her, watching everything. "Did you enjoy the park, Jack?"

As Jack nodded and began to tell Hotch all about what he had done there, Penelope glanced over at Strauss and found that there was an almost gentle smile on her lips. It was a notable change from her usual demeanor, and Penelope made a soft, pleased, sound in the back of her throat, catching the woman's attention, As her gaze darted over to Penelope, she made certain to keep a soft, open, expression on her face, to let Strauss know that everything was all right, and that she wouldn't say anything about what she had witnessed here today. The fleeting smile she received in return warmed her heart, while also sending a fresh cloud of butterflies dancing around in her stomach, and she hoped that this would signal the start of a sweet friendship between them.