"You're a bit mopey today, Penelope," Anderson said as they went into the break room together. She shrugged a little as she filled her mug to the brim with coffee before drifting over to the table and picking up a cookie, nibbling on it as she waited for the man to ask her for more information. He was good at trying to get the best gossip, and she let out a soft sigh as she took a seat in the chair closest to her before indicating for him to do the same. "That doesn't bode well. Is there trouble in paradise?"

"I honestly don't know. We got in a bit of an argument over the fact that I knew some important information before he found it out, and he's furious that I was read into the situation at all. It's not like I chose to be placed in that position, it's just that it was more prudent that I know beforehand. We hashed it out, but I still feel, and Jessica agrees with me, that there's a storm brewing, and it bothers me more than I care to admit."

He nodded in sympathy before reaching out and rubbing her hand a few times to comfort her. "You should probably talk about that more in depth before things fester."

She rolled her eyes a little as she smiled at him. "I've tried, but he insists that it's water under the bridge, and I don't want to push harder, for fear that I'll tip the boat over for the want of rocking it?"

"Well, then, you'll just have to chip away at the stony façade of his until you are able to get to the bottom of things. After all, we don't want the power couple of the BAU to break up."

Penelope let out a loud laugh, shaking her head as she picked up another cookie and took a rough bite before chasing it down with a sip of coffee. "We're a power couple now?"

"Well, yeah. It's not like either of you are very secretive when it comes to your relationship, and since you're so good at the computer, and he's the leader of the most prestigious of the individual units in our overall unit, well, that all adds up to a power couple. The only way things could get juicier for our department would be if one of your until started dating Chief Strauss!"

Penelope choked on a crumb of her cookie as her eyes widened in shock. Anderson gave her an odd look, and then the blood drained from his face when Erin's familiar cough caught his attention. "I can assure you that there will be none of that in the near future, or ever, Agent Anderson. The rules are a little more hard and fast for me, if I even were to want to date someone in my department." He nodded frantically as he pushed his chair away from the table and popped to his feet, brushing past the woman and nearly tripping over the corner of the doorway in his haste to get away from the situation he had created. "He has to be careful with what he says, otherwise it might be overheard by the wrong pair of ears. I was wondering if you had a few minutes before you had to call one of your team with search results?"

She nodded as she stood up, brushing the remaining crumbs off her skirt as she went over to Erin's side. "What do you need?" she asked as they went out into the hallway and over to her office. Eri didn't say anything until they were behind the closed door of her office and seated in the chairs in front of her desk.

"It's been a little while since I've asked you to join us on a supervised date. But this time, I get all three of my babies, and well, since it went so well last time, would you be willing to join me once more? The last two meetings, where it's just been myself, one of my children, and Dawn, have not gone as I would have liked them. I know, it's a lot to ask of you, especially since your time is so precious, but…"

"Erin, there's no need to be so hesitant about requesting my time. I enjoyed Tabitha's company so much, which lends me to believe that I'll like Karen and Bruce just as much. Give me a time and a place, and I'll be there."

The woman's face relaxed a little as she nodded, reaching out to touch Penelope's hand hesitantly. She waited, allowing Erin to make the first contact, since she knew that it took a lot for the woman to be so vulnerable with anyone, but once Erin's fingers were curling around her hand, Penelope quickly finished the clasp, holding on tightly as she stared into the woman's eyes. "I keep forgetting how easy this is with you. I wish that I could afford to be that easy, though I am grateful that I have you to remind me that there are kind people in this world."

To her surprise, a few tears began to fall down Erin's face, and she slowly reached up her free hand to swipe them away as they sighed in unison. "Well, given what you've been through here, I don't blame you for reacting the way you've reacted at times." She went to lean in for a hug, only to smell the faint whiff of wine on her breath. "Erin?"

"I know. You don't have to say it."

"All right, but may I least first hug you, and then give you a small spot of advice?" There was a brief pause before Erin gave a jerky nod. Letting go of her hand, Penelope leaned in and softly enfolded her in a gentle hug. Though she knew that Erin would prefer if she let go of her quickly, Penelope instead hung on to Erin for a full thirty seconds, finally feeling her melt into her body as her head came to rest against her shoulder, the first strangled sob escaping her lips the longer they embraced. Finally, she went to pull away, only for Erin to shake her head and hold her tighter. "All right, take as long as you need," she whispered, her hand spreading out on her back. "I don't know if that's fresh wine breath, or left over from last night, honey, but you have to know that you might have a problem. I know that you're stressed, what with everything that's going on in your life right now, but if Mark were to even get a whiff of this? I know that he'd do everything in his power to ensure that you never saw your kids again."

"I know," Erin whispered brokenly as she pulled away from Penelope and got to her feet, heading over to the table in her desk and grabbing a few tissues from the box and swiping at her face, cleaning away the tears. "It's all just spiraling out of control, and you're the only one who's noticed."

"No, Erin, I'm not the only one. Helen is concerned, too, and we just want the best for you. I know that you don't talk to people, that that's not you, but in this case, I think that you might need to reach out to someone other than myself. Let a good therapist listen to you. There are a few that I could recommend, if you want. Just promise me that you will think about this."

Their eyes met, and Penelope could read the raw pain in her expression before the blank mask that Erin normally wore slammed back into place. "I will think about it."

"And if you find yourself wanting to get lost in a bottle, call me, and get lost in me."

"I can't do that."

Penelope frowned as she jumped up and crossed the room, resting her hand on Erin's shoulder as she looked into the woman's eyes. "Why not?"

"Aaron already is uneasy about our friendship. If I used you as a crutch for my own failings, he would be even more uneasy about things. I couldn't help but overhear part of your conversation with Agent Anderson, and I don't want to be the cause of more discord in your relationship. Now, about my next opportunity to see my children is quite soon, it took me a few days to work up the courage to ask you."

"How soon?"

"Tomorrow evening. There's a concert that they all want to go to, and I agreed to take them, as long as you were provided with a ticket as well."

"What are we going to see?" she asked, knowing that she wouldn't tell Erin no.

"The Piano Guys."

Her jaw dropped before she let out a pleased little squeal. "No fucking way! You procured tickets for all six of us to see The Piano Guys?"

"Correction, Mark did. He's the one that has the contacts to allow for this on such short notice. And while I don't know how much, if anything, he paid for the seats, I know that they're good ones. So, I take it that this is a yes?"

"Yes! They're touring with Lindsay Sterling, and I never thought I'd have the opportunity to see them together, since tickets sold out so quickly! Thank you!" As she grinned at Erin, she wrapped her up in another tight hug, her feet tapping excitedly. "And this time, I don't have to worry about I wear, because it's a frakking Lindsay Sterling gig, and I won't look out of place. Um, weird question, though. We'll be out late, and given that you'll probably want to carpool once again, would you mind if I brought a small bag along and spent the night at your place?"

"As long as you bring your car to my house, it would look decidedly odd if we showed up in the same vehicle the next morning, since your relationship with Aaron is the worst kept secret in the BAU." Penelope nodded hurriedly before stepping away from Erin and picking up her hand, squeezing firmly as she let out a sigh. "You are too easy to please at times, dear."

That was the second time Erin had unthinkingly called her an endearment, and she knew enough not to comment on that, instead shrugging a little before replying. "I love what and who I love. People shouldn't be difficult to please, not when you know them well. And I have the feeling that you know me quite well, even though I don't know as much as I'd like about you. That will come with time, when you trust me enough to let me in more. And maybe you can regale me with stories on the way to the venue?"

"We'll have to see about that." Still, Erin was now smiling once more, and Penelope felt like she had done something good that morning. "Now, get back to your office before Aaron calls and says that I'm monopolizing too much of your time." Penelope nodded, squeezing Erin's hand warmly before exiting the office, feeling like she was walking on air.