"She has a preferred type of tea, Ma'am."
Erin looked up from the file she had been staring at, not having enough time to brush away the few tears that lingered on her eyelashes. Ms Garcia didn't comment on that sight, though, instead giving her a tiny, gentle, smile as she took a seat in front of her desk. "I'm sorry?" she asked before clearing her throat in an effort to get rid of the lingering tears.
"Agent Blake. She prefers to drink Harney and Sons tea. I haven't sussed out what her favorite blend is yet, since I've only interacted with her twice now, but I thought that that was something you might want to know."
Erin pursed her lips as she struggled not to glower at the younger woman. "Why would you think that would be important to me, Ms Garcia?"
The woman blinked a few times, but her smile never faltered, and Erin had to give her credit for that, since she knew that she could be intimidating at times. "May I speak freely?" She nodded, and watched Ms Garcia take a deep breath before she looked up into her eyes. "You know about my history, what I did before I was recruited to the FBI. Well, before the team left, I couldn't help but notice that there was some tension between you and Agent Blake. So I did a little digging, since that's what I'm good at, and found out a little of the history between you. And then, earlier tonight, you again tried to reach out to her. I know that the whole making amends thing is so difficult, because it requires you to swallow your pride and hope that the other person will accept that olive branch."
"That it does, Ms Garcia."
"Please, call me Penelope, or Garcia, or something informal. I mean, we danced together at Jayje's wedding, I think you're allowed to be informal with me now."
Erin dipped her chin a little. "We all danced with each other that night."
"I vaguely remember that, yes. I may have drank your entire portion of alcohol, though, in order to forget that Kevin brought his new girlfriend to said wedding, and that makes some recollections hazy. But this isn't about me, and I am totally derailing the conversation, I'm sorry. You need a way to soften Blake's attitude towards you, and since the forthright approach isn't working like you'd like, you need a different plan of attack."
She let out a little chuckle as she swiped beneath her eyes, feeling free enough to do that around…Penelope. "I didn't want our dirty laundry to be aired for all and sundry. I'm certain that in your digging you discovered the root of her very valid animosity towards me?" Penelope nodded. "It's not something I'm proud of, but I didn't support her. And she paid a heavy price. Maybe if I had tried harder before now, there wouldn't be this animosity between us, but it's there. So, do you truly think that I could perhaps soften things between us with something as simple as tea?"
"I really do. I'll even make it easy for you."
"How's that?"
Penelope's small smile morphed into a Cheshire grin as she leaned forward and took hold of her hand, squeezing it tightly. "I will text you when the team is about to land, so that you can put that perfect cup of tea on her desk, ready for her to take it home. I'll also let you know what time she usually arrives, if you want to switch things up a little. I'd start with a neutral blend, like Earl Grey, and move on from there. And if you don't like tea, I'll take the extras."
There really was something about the idea that Penelope was planting in her head that Erin found comforting, and she gave the woman a small nod. "I suppose that that might just work, Penelope. But I have to ask. Why would you want to help me? I've never been the nicest to you or your team."
She tried not to wince when Penelope's hand tightened around hers, as if the other woman was afraid that Erin would pull it away. "Because I watched as you clawed and pulled your way back up from your disease. You are far stronger than you realise, and it was so inspiring to see you step up and be the leader that you were born to be during the bank heist case. I don't want to see something like this derail that progress, Erin. Sorry, Ma'am."
Erin blinked back tears as she nodded, returning the affectionate squeeze to Penelope's hand before letting out a huff of breath. "I'd forgotten what it's like to have a friendly face at work. And don't even try to bring up David. What we share is more complicated than friendship."
"You love him, that's not so complicated." Another, more watery, chuckle slipped from between her lips as she nodded. "And don't worry, I won't spill your little secret. The two of you deserve your privacy and space. I just want to be involved in the wedding, when it happens."
"I'm glad someone is so certain that this is going to last. I'm just taking it one day at a time."
"All right, you be the in the moment woman, and I'll be the optimistic, rose colored glasses, girl who encourages you in the background." A wide yawn split her lips, and Erin felt herself copy the expression. "And that, that tells me that I need to get out of here and get some real sleep. I know, there are always more cases to solve, but…do you think you could text Hotch and have him ground the team for a day? This jetlag is a real bitch."
"Oh, that's right, you and Agent Morgan are just back from London. Of course, I'll see what I can do, but I can also have Mister Lynch cover you tomorrow. Either way, take a rest day." Penelope smiled, giving her hand one last squeeze before she got to her feet and went over to the door. "Oh, and thank you. I appreciate the advice."
"You're most welcome, Erin. Have a good evening."
Erin nodded absently as she watched the woman leave, a slight bounce to her step. There was something so nice about the entire conversation that Erin felt like she was beaming, even though her face was still composed in a light smile. As soon as she heard the door to her outer office close, Erin picked up her phone and dialed Aaron's office. "Erin? What are you still doing here?"
"I had some paperwork to finish, and there are still some proprieties that should be observed. But the reason I'm calling is I have a request for you to pass on to your team. Make it sound like it came from you, please. I want you all to take tomorrow off, to rest and recuperate. Especially since Agent Morgan and Ms Garcia literally stepped off the plane and right into a new case. I need my best team at their best."
"You don't need to tell me twice, Erin. Thank you."
"You're welcome. I'll see you all the day after tomorrow." She hung up before he could say goodbye, and then she took a deep breath as she turned to her computer and brought up Google, seeing if there was anywhere that she could buy Harney and Sons tea locally. Frowning a little at her inability to find a shop near her, she added an assortment of blends to her cart along with a rather expensive loose leaf giftset and checked out, choosing expedited shipping so that the package would arrive more quickly. "I just hope that you're right, Penelope," she whispered as she turned off her computer and then packed up her things to head over to David's house.
As she stepped into the elevator, her phone buzzed against her leg, and she pulled it out to see that she had new messages from David and Penelope. Looking up as the doors closed, she saw Alex watching her, and she couldn't help but raise her hand and wave at her a little, knowing that she wouldn't get a wave in return. Still, it was almost comforting to see that Alex wasn't glaring at her in response, and she sighed as the doors slid closed and she started down.
It was easy to answer David's text, letting him know that she was on her way home and would be there within the half hour. Penelope's took a little longer to answer, as she decided to add her to her contact list, so that she would be certain to know it was her, rather than guessing from contextual clues. I ordered the tea, yes, and it will be here Monday. Until then, I'll just stop at my coffee shop and get her something until it arrives. But how did you get my personal number? No, wait, let me guess. You looked it up?
It didn't take long for Penelope to answer her. Guilty as charged. I hope you don't mind, but I like keeping that information for all of us close at hand. I've had too many people close to me end up missing to not be able to contact anyone at a moment's notice. Have a good evening with Rossi, and don't let our Italian Stallion wear you out too much!
Erin rolled her eyes a little, finally understanding what Aaron had meant when he had written in Penelope's evaluations that she meant well, but could be a little much when it came to personal boundaries with her team. Still, there was something endearing about knowing that there was at least one person at the office who cared about her as a friend, and she knew that David would be so happy to hear that she had taken his advice and allowed herself to be vulnerable. It still wasn't completely comfortable, but she knew that it might come with time. And hopefully, so too would her relationship with Alex. But that might only come with time, so she had to remain patient and allow the process to play out as naturally as it could.