Penelope smiled as she stopped in front of Aaron's door, raising her fist to knock firmly. This time, she didn't hear Jack run for the door, and she frowned a little, wondering if something had happened between when she had gotten Aaron's text and now. Drawing in a deep breath, she began to fumble with her purse to grab her phone when the door opened to reveal Aaron, and she let out that breath in a little groan of surprise. "I, I thought that Jack would get the door," she stammered out as he beckoned her inside.

"There was a slight problem," he said as she toed out of her heels, losing a few inches to him. Looking up into his face, she noticed the stubble on his chin, telling her that he hadn't bothered shaving that day. It gave him a rugged sort of look, but she wasn't entirely certain that she liked it. Aaron shuffled in place, giving her a sheepish look, and she smiled as she handed over the bottle of wine for him to open. "I lost track of time and burnt what we were going to have for supper, so Jessica and Jack ran out for Thai food."

"That happens to the best of us," she replied as they went into the kitchen, and she took a seat at the table as she watched him pull out his wine key and quickly tug the cork out of the bottle before pouring it into three glasses. "What were we supposed to eat?"

"I had made stuffed chicken breasts, using a recipe from my grandmother. It's an easy thing, so don't worry that I went too far out of my way for tonight," he teased, and she nodded as she gave him a wide smile. He returned the expression as he brought two glasses over to her side, taking a seat in the chair next to her.

Penelope took hold of the glass he held out to her, their fingers brushing, and she shivered a little at the gentle touch. As she let out a soft sigh, she leaned in towards him, feeling drawn to him. He closed the small distance between them, brushing his lips against hers in a quick kiss as the door to the apartment opened. They pulled back from each other, and Penelope knew that she was blushing deeply as she picked up her wine and took an almost frantic gulp as she heard Jack tumble into the apartment. "Aunt Penelope! We're finally back with food! I hope you like chicken pad Thai, since that's what we got."

Jack ran into the kitchen, hugging her tightly before taking a seat at the table, across from them. Aaron got up and grabbed plates out of the cupboard, setting them on the table as Jessica joined them, her hands full. "We also got spring rolls and gyoza. And of course, there are Jack's cookies for dessert, but I have the feeling that we'll eat those while we're watching the movies. It's good to see you again, Penelope." Jessica gave her a friendly smile as she set the bags on the table before leaning in and hugging her quickly, brushing her cheek against Penelope's. "Jack has been looking forward to this all day."

"I'm glad that he has something to look forward to," she replied as she helped Jessica set the containers of food out on the table, removing the lids and handing them to Aaron as Jessica handed out chopsticks for them to use. She wasn't surprised to see that Aaron had also thought enough to grab a serving spoon for the pad Thai, and she gave him a small wink as he took his seat next to her once more. They were soon eating, and she found herself engaged in a great conversation with Jessica as Aaron and Jack talked about what they were going to do tomorrow.

"If you two want to get the movies set up, Penelope and I will clean up in here," Jessica said as the meal came to a close. Penelope gave her a questioning look, and the woman shook her head a little. Taking a shallow breath, Penelope rose to her feet, gathering up the leftovers as Jack and Aaron made their way out to the living room. "So, I just wanted to tell you that I know you have feelings for Aaron. And I know that you've been trying to keep them under wraps for longer than you want to admit. Haley told me that you were able to let him keep tabs on Jack while they were in WitSec, and I always found that the sweetest gesture. And I know that Aaron still loves Haley, but I want him to be able to feel free enough to move on, and I'd rather it be with you, since Jack clearly adores you. Though I think that the over the top Christmas gifts have helped in that regard."

Once more, she blushed, and Jessica reached out to rub her shoulder lightly. "I only go over the top because I don't have children of my own. And I'm not likely to have any, since I was shot."

"Oh!" All mirth fled from Jessica's face as she crossed over to her side and wrapped her in a tight hug. "I didn't know that that had affected your fertility."

"Yeah. Lucky me, huh?" Her eyes filled with tears, and Jessica rubbed her back a little before pulling away. "I never thought that I'd have children, but it was still nice to dream."

"Uh huh," Jessica murmured as she let her go. "Well, it's nice to have surrogate children as well. Because sometimes you just don't find yourself in the position to have them, no matter how many times you told your sister that you were going to raise your children together."

"Oh my god, Jess, that's so tragic!" she exclaimed. "Listen, I extended this offer to Aaron, and I want you to know, too, that if you need to talk, at any time, my ear is always open to you. You have my number, right?" she asked as she picked up the plate of cookies and gazed at the woman.

"I'll get it from you before we leave tonight," she murmured, and Penelope nodded as they went into the living room. Jack was sitting next to Aaron, and she gave them a soft smile as she took a seat next to Jack, grateful that that allowed her to sit next to Jessica as the movie started to play. Snagging two cookies off the plate, she held it out to the others before setting it on the coffee table and settling back on the sofa. Jack cuddled in close to her as the movie started, and she found the weight of his body a comforting thing as she watched. It had been so long since she had read the books, that the movie was almost like a fuzzy memory to her, though that feeling was soon gone as she watched.

Penelope found herself tearing up as they neared the end of the first movie, knowing what was coming, and yet still not wanting to see it on screen. She heard Jessica start to quietly cry, and it was in that moment she realized it had a deeper meaning for her, since the depiction of the sister bond between Lucy and Susan seemed to be striking a deep chord with the woman. Disentangling herself from Jack's embrace, she leaned over and wrapped her arm around Jessica's shoulders, allowing her to press her head against her chest as they finished out the movie like that.

The second movie wasn't quite as emotional, but she found herself dragging her fingers through Jessica's curly hair, soothing both of them as the movie wound out. Just like Aaron thought, Jack had fallen asleep with about thirty minutes left to the movie, and Aaron got up to take him to bed, which left her and Jessica to finish it up. By the time Aaron rejoined them, they were cleaning up the cookies and straightening the couch, though Jessica took the plate from her hand and disappeared into the kitchen, giving them some privacy. "This was really nice, Aaron," she said quietly as they drifted together, as if drawn to each other.

"It was. I'm glad that you've been willing to stay with us, it's really helped Jack transition back to living with me, and I've found myself growing fonder of you in these last few weeks." She nodded a little as she hummed lowly, catching her lower lip between her teeth as she continued to look into his eyes. "This isn't fair to you, you know. There's no way that we can…"

"Strauss said that as long as we came right to her, she could make something work. But I want to see how things progress first, because maybe we wouldn't be compatible. And you're still grieving Haley, so taking things slow will be better for us. I'm willing to wait, for something that's right." He nodded slightly before dipping his head and kissing her softly. "I'll see you at work on Monday?"

"Yes."

She gave him another quick peck on the cheek before making her way over to the door, stepping into her shoes as she waited for Jessica to join her. "Are you ready to head out?" she asked as Jessica shrugged into her jacket.

"Yeah. I wrote my number down on a scrap of paper for you, too," she replied as they left the apartment. Penelope smiled softly at her as they got into the elevator. "I figured that it would be easier than trying to give it to you outside in the cold."

"True. So, I know that Aaron is returning to work Monday. If you need any help, don't hesitate to call my office number." Jessica nodded, and Penelope slipped her hand into her purse to grab one of her cards. "Here, this will help you out. And I'll text you tonight once I'm home so that you have my personal number, too."

"Sounds good," Jessica said as she handed over her number, and Penelope hoped that this would be the start of a long friendship between them.