Unfortunately, Penelope played a central role in how their next case got rolling while most of the team had departed on Annual Leave.

It was slower than slow at the office. JJ came to her lair at one point to mope about not having as much time off as the other team members. Penelope was playing a Renaissance-period video game, where they explored distant lands and talked about writings, paintings and sculptures.

"What are you doing?" JJ asked incredulously as she saw two characters on Penelope's screen. One could clearly be PG herself: a curvy, buxom blonde wearing pink. The other was a man in a suit of armor and a very angular face.

"Hey. I've played this game with Sir Kneighf for like a year. And I would totally be in love with him if I wasn't deliriously happy dating a very handsome Italian."

"Italian, huh? How is that handsome Italian these days?"

"He's fabulous. We got to see each other more last week, with the team on cold cases prior to AL. I'm looking forward to spending even more time with him these next two weeks."

Penelope tried to convince JJ to find a guy like her David, or even Sir Kneighf.

"Not all of us are that lucky. But if one of them has a brother, uncle, grandfather… let me know."

Penelope laughed but tucked it in the back of her mind. JJ deserved a good guy in her life.

Before too long, the words "ALL WORK NO PLAY" appeared at different intervals on all of her screens. She knew something wasn't right and that it had started with her.

Soon enough, without each other knowing, each person on the team either received a mysterious package or had cryptic things happen to them starting the first Sunday evening of their leave. Annual Leave was immediately truncated as they started putting the pieces together on Monday for what would turn into their next case. All team members headed back to Quantico from AL to offer up the piece of the puzzle they had received. They grasped to see how their pieces might fit with each others.

In the end, the case finally resolved. The victim was found alive and the Unsub killed himself. Even so, the case in it's entirety was not necessarily a happy experience for Penelope.

As soon as it was over, Penelope beelined for David's house. She was grateful everyone ended up safe. But inside, she was still feeling terribly anxious about her ginormous mistake. It was hard for her to get over that it was her fault that the case got a foothold on the team - and got out of hand - in the first place.

She had never shown up at David's home during the week. It wasn't that she didn't know she was welcome; she knew she was. It wasn't that she didn't know where else to go; she could've gone to Derek or JJ, or just gone to her own apartment.

However, she simply didn't want to go anywhere else. She craved his understanding and support. She needed his comfort.

Since he wasn't expecting her, she rang the doorbell instead of letting herself in the front door. Quickly, she heard Mudgie's paws approach and then the softer footsteps of her lover. David opened the door.

"Penelope! Bella! What are you doing here!" His excitement turned quickly to concern. "…Wait. What's wrong?" He saw her tear-stained cheeks and knew something wasn't right. Then he remembered his manners. "Come in, come in!"

He took her hand. She stood frozen in place. He eventually pulled her through the doorway. He helped her off with her jacket and walked them to the living room.

She was mumbling and he couldn't make anything out. He sat her down on the couch.

Dave knelt in front of her. He waited to meet her gaze, but her eyes were fixated on her hands. She wouldn't look at him.

"I'm going to make you a cup of tea. He squeezed her hands and stood there a minute. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and hustled to the kitchen.

When David returned with her tea, Penelope looked slightly calmer. She had stopped the constant muttering of nonsense at least. He sat her tea down on the table in front of her and walked around to sit down at her side. He put his arm behind her, atop the back of the sofa. He waited.

"David, I goofed up, I really goofed up," she rattled. "I was so mortified, David. I had to tell the whole team it was my fault. I had to admit to all of them I did this. That I made them all vulnerable."

He rubbed her arm that was closest to him, hoping it was comforting. He handed her the tea. "How did you make the team vulnerable, Penelope?"

She grumbled. "Ugh. It was slow! You know, like the week before! They were all out on leave. I was playing an online game, but with my own personal laptop." Penelope sighed heavily and lowered her voice. "But I was using the wireless internet at the office. The unsub got into the network through my laptop… the Unsub is the," Penelope started.

"Cara, I invented the concept of the Unsub," he gave her a small smile.

She rolled her eyes. "Of course you did."

"Anyway, Gideon was so mad at me, David. He called me stupid in front of everyone. Then told me I had a responsibility to the team," her sobs almost overtook her again. "Like I don't know I have a responsibility to the team! The team is my family!"

"And the death glares he gave me during the entire case… they were awful," she broke down in full-on tears.

David sighed, more for Penelope than for himself. He wanted to somehow convey to her that he was unhappy. "It sounds like Jason was lashing out at you, Cara. He does that."
"It was all my fault. I gave the Unsub all the access, *all* the information, he needed to find everyone." She sighed. "We were working the case. Then unsub got mad and shot Elle… and she almost died. It was so awful, David." She folded herself into his arms.

He just held her until her sobs subsided some.

"Didn't you have anyone who would support you, Cara? Anyone on the team?"

"Well JJ didn't totally disown me, but Morgan groaned at me in front of everyone. Reid came and hung out with me later… but that was mostly because he needed help Googling something," she pouted.

"You work with someone who needs help with Google?" David tried to lighten her mood.

"Yeah. He's smart in lots of other ways. He's just old-school. I'm sure he prefers encyclopedias and scholarly articles instead of the internet."

"I'm just saying… even I know how to use Google," Dave chuckled. He reached down to her in his arms and kissed her temple.

"It's endearing," she protested.

David continued to try and reassure her.

"Listen. I have a lot to learn about 'all things IT'… so I'm not exactly sure how it worked that you feel this is all your fault… but tell me what happened at the end. The case must be over otherwise you wouldn't be here."

"Yeah," she was still pouting. "We got the victim back, she'll be okay physically. And at the end of the case, Hotch said thank you to everyone and made a point to include me. So that was pretty nice."

"Well there you go, Cara. Jason is an ass - we've already established this. And Aaron is your boss. Done and done."

Penelope huffed and picked up her teacup. Once she finished, David took it for her.

"Look at me, I'm a complete mess," Penelope said sadly.

Penelope was still in the clothes she had worn to work a couple of days ago. She had on a black tee with a rainbow-colored peace sign. Her skirt was multi-colored. Her hair was crimped, with the top pulled up in a high-ponytail. There were bright neon red streaks flowing down the back of her hair.

"I think you look adorable," David offered.

"I've been in these clothes for like two and a half days, David. I'm anything but adorable right now."

David's mind worked on muscle memory. Between being married three times and having cases go sideways himself, he knew Penelope would benefit from a hot shower and change of clothes. She needed to wash off this case. Her basic needs would continue to help her keep calm.

"How about this, Bella… let's get you upstairs and into the shower. I'll find you something clean to wear and we can just relax for the evening."

At the sound of David's idea, Penelope's entire body unwound. She realized it was the calmest she had felt for days. And she realized she was tired.

"That sounds really nice," she whispered.

David took her hand and they went upstairs. He opened up the master ensuite and laid out fresh towels for her.

"Oh and here," David dug in a drawer and produced some hotel shampoos, conditioners and bodywashes. "So at least you won't have to smell like this old man."

She mumbled something under her breath but David didn't catch it.

"What did you say, Bella?"

"I don't mind the smell of this man," she paused, reaching out to squeeze his hand. "You're not old."

David dipped his head, the corners of his mouth upturned, and cleared his throat. "Well, I'll let you be."

He closed the ensuite door and listened as the shower turned on. Digging through his drawers, he found a stretchy undershirt and a pair of boxers he thought would work. He opened the door and reached in to lay them on the counter.

"Cara, I'm going to put these here. They're just underclothes; we'll find you something to go home in."

Back to his bedroom, Dave sat in an armchair in the corner of the master. He picked up a book. He had no intention of reading it, not when there was a gorgeous woman in his shower. He would much-rather spend his mental energy picturing being with her. Joining her was a fleeting thought, but he let it pass. He needed to let her regain her equilibrium.

Penelope came out after her shower. The kinks were gone from her hair and her face was naturally flush from the shower's heat. Her make up was all gone. Just as well, Dave thought, she didn't need it anyway.

He put down the book he had been pretending to read. He rose and went to her. "Hey there! You look more relaxed. How do you feel?"

She put her arms around his neck and hugged him close. "I do feel better, thank you. That was a stellar idea… Do you think we could lay down?"

They crawled into the King size bed in the middle of the room. He made sure she was comfortable before he laid down next to her, on his side. He put a hand on her middle protectively.

"You know what this means… you really should bring over a few changes of clothes and your own shower stuff… so you can smell as beautiful as you usually do," he kissed her cheek.

She looked at him and smiled.

As they laid in bed, resting, sharing small kisses, David wanted to ask at least one more question.

"Bella… do you want me to talk to Jason about how he treated you this week?"

Penelope's answer was immediate. "No, no, David. Please. It really was my error. I can't blame him for being upset with me."

David wasn't sure about that. If this had any lasting effects on Penelope, he most certainly would be discussing it with Jason. But he would let it go for now.

He abdicated that task for the time being and snuggled close, burying his face in her hair on the pillow. He took some deep breaths when he believed genius struck him.

"Here's another idea… I have to go out of town for a couple of days for book stuff and I was going to leave in time to be back for our date on Saturday. …Why don't you come with me? We'll make a long weekend out of it."

"Are you sure? You would want me along?"

"Now Bella… this isn't a repeat of us going out to dinner, okay?"

Penelope looked away and Dave moved her chin with a finger.

"This is me wanting to spend time with you. Because I love you," David said then lowered his voice. "This is me taking my girl out of town. This is us doing a normal couple thing. This is me thinking that it would be really good to go away and reset."

"You mean you want me to forget this week."

"You sure you're not a profiler too?" Dave winked.

Penelope rolled her eyes. "Quite sure. Only 'profiler-adjacent'…"

David scooted closer to her and held her tighter.

"I'm quite-happy you're adjacent to THIS profiler…" he went to kiss her and she laughed, pushing him away.

He laughed then managed to coax a real kiss out of her. "So what do you say?"

She sighed. "I'll ask if I can get the time off. It's the next couple days? And the weekend?"

"Yep."

"And where are we headed?"

"Well I have book signings in Norfolk on Thursday evening and Friday afternoon, and a television interview Friday morning. But then we could go to Virginia Beach for the weekend, if you'd like."

Penelope looked him, smiling and shaking her head. "David Rossi. You want me to attend your book signings with you? Aren't people going to think I'm a stalker?"

"Well, no… I imagine, if it's okay, I'd introduce you as my girlfriend…" David spoke slowly. He was a little concerned about the look on Penelope's face. "Bella… you're looking at me like I have two heads or something."

"You want to introduce me as your girlfriend?"

"Do you not like the word? We can use a different word… Partner? Companion? Sweetheart?" David wondered what Penelope was thinking. "Is it the word or the thought of putting a word to us?"

Penelope searched David's face, particularly his eyes. All she saw was complete sincerity. She knew she needed to make a decision - to believe or not and stick with it. She was tired of being afraid, tired of this game of cat-and-mouse she was playing with herself.

"Bella… do you want to be my girlfriend? My whatever? Because I want you to be."

He encouraged her to turn on her side to face him. He caressed her face with one hand, moving to her shoulder then to caress her arm.

"Talk to me," David implored.

"Yes, of course. I'm sorry. I'm just a little stunned. I don't know why I keep on being stunned." Penelope shook her head a bit and took a deep breath. "I would love for you to introduce me as your girlfriend… this makes you my boyfriend, then? How do you feel about that?"

"I think I can handle that," his smile grew wide and bright. "I'm not so old the term offends me. Is that okay with you?"

"More than," she cooed. She took a deep breath. "There's just part of me that finds this hard to believe."

"Would you please try really hard? Because I want this, I want you," David whispered as he reached forward and caught her lips with his.

Penelope nodded assertively. "Absolutely. I want you, too. I would love to go away with you for the weekend."