"Do you need any help setting up the laptop?" Alex asked as she hung clothes up in the small closet they had in their hotel room.

"No, I should be fine, Alexandra. But if you want to put my clothes away, you could do that." The woman nodded and she went back to her work. Thankfully, the bed and breakfast offered free Wi-Fi, and she knew that she would be utilizing that feature extensively. "So, I think I want to hack into the Post Office's databases and find out where the payments for that box are coming from."

"Isn't that illegal?"

"Sort of. But in this case, it's for a good cause!"

Alex tsked lightly. "You'll do Erin no good if you're behind bars, Pen. Right?" Reluctantly, she nodded and Alex quickly came over to her side, hugging her tightly. "I have what may be an obvious question, but have you tried tracking down the dead man?"

"Yeah, and that was a no go."

"How about his family? Did he have a wife or kids? Could they have property in the area?"

Penelope slowly turned her head so that she looked at Alex, her mouth dropping open. "I never did that. Usually, I would, since Derek or Reid always ask me if I had dug any further. I can't believe I failed her twice." She burst into tears, and Alex bundled her up into another tight hug, letting her sob against her chest. "I'm so stupid."

"No, you are not. Penelope, you were overwhelmed with concern. Sometimes, when it is not personally connected to us, it's easier to be objective. You were terrified that John was going to hurt one of us, and then he did. Now, you're terrified that Gideon will finish the job before we get there. It's okay to be terrified."

Penelope shrugged and then sighed as Alex kissed the top of her head. "You should have had children."

"No, I shouldn't have. I am terrible with children. You're just easy to comfort. Now, dry your eyes and get those fingers to tapping."

She nodded and let go of Alex, turning back to the laptop and delving into the life of the dead Steve Mieras. While there was no mention of his children owning property in the area, there was a section of land deeded to his wife, in her maiden name. Highlighting the address, she pasted it into Google Maps and gasped in shock.

"This is pretty secluded, wouldn't you say?" she asked, beckoning Alex over. The woman rested her chin softly atop her head and looked at the screen. Penelope tried not to notice how the perfume she was wearing tickled her nostrils, or the feel of her breasts pressing against her upper back.

"Yes, I would say so." Penelope nodded and turned into Alex, once more closing her arms around the woman's waist and pressing her face tightly to her chest as she struggled to remember to breathe. "Pen?"

"I'm just a little overwhelmed," she murmured against Alex, trying to calm the beating of her heart. She wasn't quite certain if it was from relief or terror or excitement that her heart was racing so quickly, though she quickly shoved the idea that it could be desire from her brain. "We're this close, and yet we're still so far away."

Alex pulled away a little, lifting her chin so that she would look into her eyes. "Every step closer we get to Erin is a step that brings her closer to home. All right?" Penelope nodded and closed her eyes, anticipating the feel of Alex's lips brushing against hers. Without meaning to, she deepened the kiss, closing her arms around Alex's neck and holding her close as the embrace lingered on.

Finally, they broke apart and she tried not to breathe heavily as she looked away from the older woman. "I am so sorry, Alexandra. I don't know what came over me." Turning, she buried her face in her hands and breathed in and out, trying to calm the pounding of her heart.

And then, she felt a soft, elegant, hand spread out across her back as she was pulled closer to a soft chest. "You're fine, Penelope. Remember, James said that it would be okay if we kissed occasionally, so that we could get into character. You kiss really well, by the way."

This made Penelope giggle softly as she nodded. Try as she might, though, she couldn't help thinking about how wonderful Alex smelled, how amazing her breasts felt against her face. "Thanks, so do you," she finally managed to squeak out before pushing away from the woman and standing up, stalking over to the window and staring out.

As a weird, tense, silence fell over the room, she began to hear the unsteady way that Alex was breathing, and knew that her breaths were just as ragged. Her nerves, already on alert, caused gooseflesh to break out along her arms as she sensed Alex drawing closer to her once more, her arms wrapping around her waist as her chin came to rest on her shoulder. "I love him, I truly do. But there are feelings in my heart that I can't explain. Which is why James gave me permission to be a little freer in my dealings with you. I think he understands more than I do, which would be par for the course, honestly."

"What makes you say that?" she asked gently as she turned in Alex's arms, letting her head come to rest on her shoulder.

"He's always been able to read me. He knew that I was in love with him before I did. And I think that he knows that I, that I'm questioning our relationship, now that I can get away and see him so often. I don't understand how feelings can change so much…"

Penelope nodded as she nuzzled her face against the soft fabric of Alex's dress. "That's the funny thing about feelings, they twist and turn into something that you're not certain of when you least expect it. I love Erin, Alexandra. And I have no idea when that occurred. It's not that I'm in love with her, but there is this deep well of affection that has been uncovered from the moment that I knew she was alive."

Alex gently pushed her away and looked into her eyes, her hand cupping her cheek gently. "I do understand, because it is so like you to want to defend and love. It's one of the things that has endeared you to me over the short time we've worked together." They drew close together once more, and Penelope kissed her again. It was soft and perfect, everything that she had found lacking in her relationship with Sam. And the feelings that were being stirred up were quickly overwhelming her, bathing her in confusion.

"I, I should take a shower now," she stammered out after she'd broken their kiss. "Not that I don't want to go further here, but…I won't ask you to break your vows. I couldn't do that to you." Reaching up, she plucked the headband from Alex's hair before running her fingers through the thick tresses. "I'm sorry that we're both not free."

"So am I," Alex whispered before disentangling herself from Penelope. The loss of body heat was so stark that she shivered as she stepped away from Alex to head into the bathroom. As she closed the door, she couldn't help but stare as Alex began to shed her clothes and she sighed lightly as she forced herself to close the door before Alex had stripped completely, not wanting to gaze on something that she couldn't have.