"I don't think that I'll be able to look at dolls in the same way ever again," Penelope said to Jessica as took a seat at the table. Aaron had asked that she have supper with them, since he was going to be late coming home. Jessica had instantly made a place for her, and that made her feel so welcome. "I understand why she did what she did, but I just can't begin to fathom the depths that some people will go to in order to preserve their delusion."

"Will her father face any prosecution?"

"Most likely not, though he'll probably be stripped of his medical license. This was one of the times that I hate statute of limitations. Because certain people deserve to face the music for their crimes." She let out a frustrated breath before looking at Jessica. "I say this a lot with my job, but people can really suck."

"Haley told me the same thing, and she never got to see it from your perspective. I can only imagine what it does to your heart." She reached across the table and covered Penelope's hand with her own. "I'd offer you wine or beer, but I'm assuming that you'll want to leave for home soon."

"Yeah, probably. I mean, Aaron will be home late, and I'm not exactly certain that Jack should be seeing my first thing in the morning this soon in our relationship? I know, it's been a few months now, but he just lost his mother, and I don't want to send him weird signals."

"You have the best heart, Penelope." Jessica stood and began to clear the dessert plates from in front of them. "And I think that Jack will understand that you're not trying to take Haley's place. He's just so little that memories of his mother are going to fade more quickly. Aaron has promised that he'll try to keep Haley's memory alive here, but we're not living in a vacuum. Life moves on, and so we have to as well, or else risk never growing."

She turned to look at Penelope, her eyes glittering in the light, and Penelope pursed her lips together as she struggled to keep from crying herself. "We're both sentimental people, aren't we?"

"I get that feeling, yeah. Here, let me walk you to the door."

Penelope nodded as she stood, following after Jessica. As she stepped into her shoes, Jessica handed her her coat and she slipped her arms into the sleeves as she smiled softly at the woman. "I really have to thank you, Jess. You should not be accepting me this easily into Jack's life, and yours. I mean, Haley was your sister."

"And you listened to her last words, so we're connected in a way that transcends petty differences." Before she could say anything else, Jessica was leaning in and hugging her tightly, her breathing shaky in Penelope's ear. "She hated his job, and it is such bitter irony that your team would be there with her when the job took her life. But you are like a family, even if I don't like admitting that."

"It's understandable, Jess." She rubbed her back lightly before pulling away from her and grabbing her purse. "I know that I've told you this before, just like I've told Strauss, and Derek, and Jayje, but if you ever need to talk, my ear is open to you. I don't mind listening."

"I'll keep that in mind. It might take a while, since, well, I like you, but liking and trusting are two different things. I really like you, but my trust level isn't as high as my like level, if that makes sense."

"Completely." She hugged Jessica once more before opening the door and heading towards her car. As she started to drive, she passed Aaron on his way home, and she gave him a small wave, a little sad at having just missed him. Still, she didn't turn around, knowing that he needed to spend time decompressing without her by his side.

Her phone began to ring, and she touched her Bluetooth to answer. "So, we just missed each other."

"We did. I would have stayed, but I think that Jess had seen enough of my face for one night. We had a bit of a heart to heart, and I think that I got a better handle on who she is and how she's feeling. I don't blame her for those feelings, but I understand where she's coming from."

"We're all struggling with losing Haley. So, since you want to give me a little space, does a coffee date on Sunday sound good? We can take Jack to the park, too."

She sighed with pleasure at that idea. "I think that you know how to get right to my heart, darling. You can pick me up around ten on Sunday?"

"It's a date. I'll also probably talk to you tomorrow night, after I get Jack to bed. I just need a little time to think about what happened on this case. It was so weird, and unsettling, and I think that it will haunt me for a while to come."

"I feel that way, too. Sleep well tonight, Aaron, and I'll await your call tomorrow."

"Sounds good, Penny."

They ended the call, and she let out a soft breath before turning onto her street. Finally, she reached her home, and she parked in her normal spot before heading into her apartment building and tapping her foot lightly on the floor of the elevator as she rode it up to her floor. She was just inserting her key in the lock when her phone rang once more, and she brought it to her ear without checking the display. "Is everything all right? We just ended our call, honey!"

There was a brief pause, and she frowned as she stepped into her apartment, slipping off her shoes as she waited for an answer. "I think that I am not the person you think I am, Ms Garcia."

"Oh! Well! At least I didn't say anything too embarrassing to you this time?" she asked as she closed and locked her door, awkwardly taking off her coat as she continued to speak. "What can I do for you?"

There was another pause, and she licked her lips a little as she went over to the sofa and took a seat, curling her legs up beneath her as she grabbed the blanket with her free hand and spread it across her lap. "You said that if I ever needed to talk, that I could talk to you."

"Yes, my ear is always open. What's wrong?"

"This goes no further than us. Mark got full custody of our children."

"What the fuck?"

"My sentiments exactly, though perhaps with not such crude language. He claimed that my work load and the fact that he thinks I drink a little more than what he considers to be healthy are stumbling blocks to my fitness as a parent. The judge agreed with him, and I get to have supervised visitation with my children, because he thinks that divorcing me on my birthday wasn't enough humiliation."

Penelope's heart broke for the woman, and she wondered what had caused her to open up like this. Knowing that they were in a delicate place, she tried to reply as diplomatically as possible. "Do you mind if I speak crudely once more?"

"No."

That one word seemed full of tears, and Penelope felt her jaw stiffen in anger. "Your ex-husband is a bastard, and you're better off without him. And if you want me to, I can destroy his credit and his social media presence, and whatever else you would want me to. It's not fair that he's destroyed your reputation in a court of law, because that sticks with you. Believe me, I know."

"You won't do that, Penelope, because you are a good person at heart, and can't destroy other people, at least not now. Even when you worked as the Black Queen, you were not malicious. But I appreciate the offer."

"Well, what can I do for you? I'm free tomorrow if you want to have lunch, or head to a movie. Sometimes I find that I feel better when I can just veg out mindlessly with a friend. Not that we're friends, but we're friendly, and that means something. Yes?"

"Yes. And seeing a movie would be nice. This time, it will be my treat."

"I won't argue with that, ma'am. Now, do you need to talk some more? Because I have the evening in front of me, and if you don't mind being on speaker for about five minutes while I change, you can let it all out."

There was a low, watery, chuckle on the other end of the line, and Penelope smiled as she stood and made her way into the bedroom, almost knowing that Erin would agree to talk to her. "I just feel like a fool, I guess. I mean, I knew that there had been issues with our relationship for a while, but I didn't think that it would end like this. I didn't see when love turned to hate."

"It can happen on the edge of a dime sometimes," she said as she set her phone on her dresser, unzipping her dress and hanging it up before slipping out of her bra and pulling out a nightie to wear. "How do your children feel about this new arrangement?"

"They don't understand. They know that I've had my bobbles lately, but that I was recovering from that. And now, I can't see them without a nanny? They don't understand that, either. I can't believe I wasted so many years of love on him."

"Love is never wasted, I think. We just become different people over the years, and unless the love changes with us, it's bound to die. And now your heart can be open to find love once more." She tried to ignore Erin's sniffles, even as the lump in her own throat grew. "So you're alone right now?"

"Yes?"

She took a deep breath, knowing that this had the potential to blow up in her face, but wanting to offer anyway. "Well, rather than wallowing in your too empty house, you could come over and hang out with me? I could make popcorn, we could demolish a bottle of wine, and we could watch so bad they're good movies until you fall asleep, and then we could head out for brunch tomorrow. You don't have to, I'm certain that you have other friends, closer friends, that you could do the same with, but my offer still stands."

"I'll have to take a taxi to your place."

"That's fine, there's no judgement coming from me. Just, I want you to feel safe and not alone. So, will I see you soon, then?"

The brief pause sounded a little more positive to her ear, and she felt a worried smile start to spread across her face as she waited. "You are just as persistent with the people in your life as with the data you gather. Aaron was exactly right when he mentioned that in his reviews of you. I will see you shortly, yes. Just give me your address."

Penelope swallowed a pleased squeal before rattling off her address for Erin. "Thank you for agreeing to this. This is how I work best, taking care of my friends. I'll have the wine and popcorn ready for when you get here, and you can pick a movie from my collection. Oh, and bring comfy jammies. Sleepovers always call for comfy jammies." Before Erin could get another word in, Penelope ended the call, getting to her feet and starting preparations ready for her arrival.