The drive over to Erin's house passed by in a blur as Penelope thought about everything that Grant had told her. She didn't want to make things awkward for Erin, so she decided, by the time she pulled into the woman's drive, that she would ignore what he had told her about Erin's feelings, and instead focus on Erin and what she needed from her in that moment. Taking a deep breath, she got out of her car, picked up her go bag, and walked up to the porch, raising her hand to knock on the door.

She had barely gotten a single rap in before the door was yanked open, and then she was looking into Erin's bleary face, knowing in that instant that she had taken a few more drinks before Penelope had arrived. "Hi. I got her as quickly as I could, but Anderson waylaid me in the elevator, and I couldn't escape the conversation. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, you're here now." To her immense shock, Erin tugged her into a far too affectionate hug, and she tried not to stiffen, to reject the woman, as she hesitantly returned the embrace, resting her head on Erin's shoulder as she breathed in the strong scent of alcohol. "I, I did make us coffee, but whiskey goes so well with coffee that I couldn't help but add a little to my first cup?"

"That probably wasn't the wisest decision to make," Penelope said as she pulled away from Erin in order to close the door and then looked at the woman. Her blouse was wrinkled, a few extra buttons undone that hinted at the generous cleavage beneath the garment, and Penelope swallowed thickly as she tried to control her carnal reaction to the sight. "All right, let's head into the kitchen first, and I'll pour us appropriate cups of coffee. All right?"

Erin nodded and groaned a little before touching her forehead with her fingers. If she was already getting a hangover headache, Penelope could only imagine how she might feel in the morning. "Umm, I should not do that."

"That's also why you shouldn't drink to excess," Penelope muttered as she pulled out two clean mugs and picked up the carafe of coffee, breathing in the scent of it deeply to make certain that Erin hadn't doctored the brew itself. Finding it just coffee, Penelope filled their mugs before indicating towards the door with her head. "All right, where do you want to talk? In the living room?"

"My bedroom? I have the feeling that despite the caffeine in the coffee that I won't be able to stay awake for very long."

Penelope nodded as she followed Erin upstairs, joining her in the master bedroom before setting their mugs on the nightstands that sat on either side of the bed. "I'm going to change into pyjamas, and when I get back, we'll start talking."

Erin gave her a small smile as she carefully dipped her chin downwards in agreement. "I'll try to get changed, too, then," she said quietly, and Penelope smiled a little before turning on her heel and making her way out to the bathroom. It didn't take her long to change and she slung her dress over the shower so that it wouldn't wrinkle too badly before rejoining Erin in the bedroom. The woman was only partially dressed by the time Penelope got back, and she tried very hard not to stare at the woman's bare chest as Erin pulled the thin camisole over her head and smoothed it into place. "Hey."

"Let's get you in bed, Erin," she said as she went over to her friend's side and brought her to the bed, pulling back the covers before helping her to sit. "All right, why did you fight with Alan tonight?" she asked as she got into bed, resting her back against the headboard. Erin copied her movement before reaching out and grabbing hold of her hand, threading their fingers together as she stared down into her lap. "Erin?"

"He thinks that I've managed to manipulate Dawn into being kind to me, and that she's allowing me too many liberties with the children. He thinks that my drinking problem is getting worse, since there's no one in the house to monitor me. Things just got so overwhelming that I lashed out at him, trying to find the moral higher ground, even though I had none. He then picked at my weakest spot until all the ugliness that hides in the hidden corners of me poured forth, and he could feel triumphant in being better than me. I hung up on him, and then set about drinking. Until I reached out to you. I'm still drunk."

"I know. You smell like a gin distillery." Erin let out a little chuckle before bursting into tears and burying her face in her free hand as she shoulders shook with the force of her cries. "Oh, Erin."

"He thinks I'm falling…"

There was a long pause, as if Erin couldn't bring herself to finish that thought, even as alcohol had loosened her lips so much already. "We all fall at some point in our lives, you know. What matters is who you have to land on when you reach the bottom."

"I don't think that I have reached the bottom yet, honestly. I feel more at war with myself now then when I divorced him. He couldn't help but throw our friendship in my face, saying that I don't deserve such a good person in my life when I destroy everything that I touch. Is, is he right? Am I destroying you?"

Those last words were spoken so softly that Penelope had to strain to hear them, even though she was seated so close to Erin. Her heart broke when she finally comprehended what she had been asked, and Penelope shook her head vehemently as she tightened her hold on Erin's hand. "Erin, if you were destroying me, I wouldn't be so fierce in my defense of you. You are fast becoming one of my closest friends, even if Jayje will probably hold the best friend spot for forever, and I love being able to have this closeness with you, because I know that you don't allow just anyone in to see your true heart."

Erin turned her head to look up into Penelope's eyes, and gave her a small nod. The moment their eyes met, Penelope thought about what Grant had said about her feelings for Penelope. There was something shimmering between them, and while she didn't want to break this tender, nebulous, moment, she also didn't want to take advantage of Erin in a moment when she was already in a compromised headspace. Still, she didn't pull away when Erin leaned in, instead turning her face and allowing the woman to kiss her cheek in a sloppy buss. "I'm just so grateful for you, Penny. I wouldn't have this extra time with my children if it weren't for you. And I almost fucked that up tonight by arguing with Alan. He's not worth my anger, not when I have my babies to focus on, and you."

Penelope pursed her lips together tightly as she nodded, allowing Erin to scoot a little closer to her before she rested her cheek on her shoulder. There was no good way to reach out and run her fingers through Erin's hair, so she contented herself with running her thumb back and forth over the back of Erin's hand. "Can I be honest with you? Even if you probably won't remember this in the morning?"

"Of course."

"Aaron thinks that I'm over at another friend's house. I couldn't tell him that I was choosing you over him, again. But we're going to spend all of tomorrow together, after I make you breakfast, and he has to learn how to be okay with my spending time with you. I never thought that he would be possessive like this, but I think that he's jealous of this relationship that we have. When in reality, this is one of the best friendships that I've made in a long time, because you're helping me to find my backbone when it comes to standing up for my friends, especially when they're not as popular with others. Please, don't allow him to drive a wedge between us, because I have the feeling that he'll try that tack next, since I'm being so stubborn."

Erin nodded before snuggling in closer, letting go of Penelope's hand so that she could turn slightly and wrap her arm around Penelope's waist. "Stubborn is good, as long as you don't all that stubbornness to turn into obstinacy. Then you end up with a problem like mine. I, I need to sleep now. I'm sorry. The headache is getting too bad."

"I understand, Erin," she murmured as the woman shimmied around on the bed until she was stretched out on the mattress. Her arm never left Penelope's waist, though, and she tried not to frown at that. There was no way that she could easily slip out and into the guest room when Erin was fully asleep. And that meant it was just one more aspect of her friendship with Erin that she would have to keep from her partner, as she didn't want him to get the wrong impression of what was happening between her and Erin. "Sleep well, dumpling," she murmured before also getting into a more comfortable position and allowing herself to drift off to sleep, wondering just when she could be fully honest with everyone about this situation she found herself in.