There was a small moment where Penelope was confused, feeling a soft hand stroking her hair and back lovingly, and she thought that perhaps Alex had come upstairs after her, deciding to be a little more open with her affection, now that James was so angry at them both. Turning her head a little, she saw that it was Erin sitting on the bed, her back pressed against the headboard as she hummed lightly. "We knew this was coming, darling, but it still hurt you worse than you expected, didn't it?"

Nodding, Penelope repositioned herself so that she could rest her head in Erin's lap, wanting to feel close to her friend as she tried to breathe evenly in an effort to calm her sorrow. "He was cruel. I was expecting anger, I was not expecting cruelty. And I know that I'm the other woman, that I've inserted myself in a place where I have no business, but I love her. I want her to be happy, and I've made her so sad. Talk to me, Erin, tell me something that will make me feel a little settled, that will make me feel a little better about…everything?"

Erin chuckled a little as she dragged her fingers through Penelope's hair, the movements soothing her slightly. "Tabitha is going to be the death of me, I swear. She has a new girlfriend, and I like her, she's sweet, and funny, and reminds me a lot of you. But Tabitha has a…strong personality. She gets that from me, and Harriet doesn't have your backbone, so I know that my baby is going to use that to her advantage. But a part of me is hoping that this relationship is the one that sticks, because I adore her already."

"That's really sweet," she murmured as she let out a deep sigh. "I don't know how I managed to fuck everything up so quickly. Did you see the look on Alex's face when James stormed out? I thought she was going to collapse for a moment. And that's all my fault, I should have tried to deescalate things with James, rather than just lighting into him like I did. I cannot believe I did that!"

"James came home with a chip on his shoulder, Penelope. But there probably was a better way to handle that conflict, yes. We all have to learn those things, though." She nodded as she let out a heartfelt sigh, cuddling closer to Erin, trying to curl her body around Erin's in an effort to feel closer to the woman. "You can't disappear into me, Penny. And you are going to have to face Alex and James at some point, even though we don't know when that will be."

"I know. I love her, and I destroyed her life. How can I ever think that she could possibly care for me after this?"

Erin gently pushed at her shoulder, helping her to sit up before she once more started to card her fingers through Penelope's hair and then started to braid it into twin plaits on either side of her head. "I think that you can assume that she cares for you, since she defended you to him. If she didn't care for you, she wouldn't have spoken up at all."

"I guess."

Leaning forward, Erin rested her chin on Penelope's shoulder as her arms locked around her waist, holding her close. "Don't guess, know. I've known Lexie for longer than you have, and I know a few of her quirks. She most definitely cares for you. And don't forget that I walked in on the two of you making out like horny teenagers. There is definitely an attraction there that goes beyond just the superficial."

"But what if she doesn't want me once things between her and James are over? What if the only thing that attracted her to me was the thrill, the danger, of being caught? My heart is on the line, and now that things have come to such an awful head, I'm starting to worry about if I was wise."

"Oh, my darling girl, new love is never wise. It's only when we've been able to be with someone for a few years that we start to see how to be wise." Erin clucked her tongue lowly as she pulled away from Penelope and reclined against the headboard of the bed they were sharing. "That is one of the things that I want to impart to David. My love for him runs so deep, and I want to be completely physical with him once more, but if I push myself, I know that I won't be able to do that act ever again. And I really loved making love to him."

"There are always ways to be more physical without the sex aspect. Maybe the two of you could go to the botanical gardens and hold hands while you walk the grounds? I know, that must seem so stupid, but…"

"But it's kind of perfect. Jason left my hands alone, except to tie my wrists above my head before he…" She took a deep breath. "I just don't know if you will be home tomorrow or not."

"He can take a vacation day, Erin. This is more important, in the long run. Call him!"

Erin frowned at her as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and allowed her finger to hover over the screen. "What if he laughs?"

"I don't think that that man would laugh at you, Erin. He loves you much too much to be that cruel." Penelope reached out and patted her knee gently. "Please, make my heart happy in at least one respect. Call him and ask him out on a date."

Erin nodded as she smiled, unlocking her phone and tapping away at the screen before bringing the phone up to her ear. As she listened, Penelope leaned over and grabbed two rubber bands to tie around the end of her plaits. "Hi, honey. I know, it's my fault. No, you're being too kind." A silly smile slipped quickly across her face. "And I love you, too. Listen, Penelope wanted me to call and ask you something, so you can blame her for this. Would you like to go to the botanical garden with me tomorrow? We'll be in public, so I think I'll feel a little more at ease with you in that environment, and I want to hold your hand."

There was a long pause, and she wondered what Dave was saying to her. "Well?" she whispered, holding up her hands to Erin. The woman shook her head a little, sticking up her index finger before twitching it at her. Rolling her eyes a little, she allowed her shoulders to slump as she waited to hear the woman's voice once more.

"You didn't have to do that, David. We could have postponed this, or you could have taken a vacation day." There was another pause. "That's true, Alex has seemed a little rundown, too, when she's home. All right, I'll expect to see you here at nine tomorrow morning. I love you, so much, David." Kissing into the phone, Erin then hung up and gave Penelope a pleased little smile. "Okay, you were right, he would move heaven and earth for me. The team is grounded for a week, ostensibly to catch up on paperwork, but it will allow him to work from home for a day, and spend time with me."

"Well, that's all well and good for you, but I'll still have to go in," she teased, watching Erin blush as she tucked her chin into her chest. "All right, the only way I can allow this to happen is if you take a few pictures throughout your morning together and send them to me. Nothing too steamy, I don't need to see your hands together, but just of things that make you happy as you go along. Okay?"

"Okay," Erin said with a smile, giving her a tiny wink as she relaxed a little. "Now, what are we going to do for supper? I don't really feel like cooking after that whole debacle."

"Does Thai food sound good? I know that Alex likes it, and it sounds like it will just be the three of us tonight…"

"That will be fine, I'm sure. And I'll pay, since I finally have access to money once more!" Penelope knew that she couldn't object, so she nodded and clambered off the bed, waiting for Erin by the door so that they could order food and maybe start to lift some of the heaviness that was surrounding them.