Penelope found herself unable to focus on her game, as she kept glancing up at the ceiling, wondering what Alex and James were up to in their rooms. She didn't want to disturb either of them, since she knew that they were both dealing with the pain of the end of their relationship. Still, she was surprised when the doorbell rang, and she set aside her laptop and rose to her feet, padding slowly over to the front door.

"Hi, dear," Erin said softly as she entered the house, wrapping her up in a soft hug. "Alex told me that James served her divorce papers today, and she wanted to talk."

"Oh," she whispered, feeling so dejected in that moment. She had no idea why Alex had reached out to Erin, rather than talk to her, and the hurt that had been growing in her chest began to grow. Erin seemed to know that that was true, since she held Penelope closer as she rubbed her back softly. "Why?"

"Because I think that I'm a little more removed from the situation than you are. I'm more impartial, you see, and so I'm safer to talk to. It's nothing against you."

She tried to nod, but found that that move only dislodged the tears that were trembling on the edge of her eyes, and she broke down sobbing. Erin clucked in her ear lightly as she led her into the living room, pulling her down to the sofa and holding her close as she hummed beneath her breath as she tried to soothe Penelope. "I guess that I just assumed that we would talk about things that were bothering us when they happened. I thought that as we grew closer, things would become easier between us. And here we are, you ready to talk to her about her upcoming divorce, and me on the outside, wishing that she trusted me enough to let me in. And I understand what you said about her wanting a removed person to talk to, but that doesn't stop the hurt!"

She could hear the slight whinge in her voice, but Erin just held her close as she rocked her back and forth, murmuring lowly into her hair as she stroked her back. "Darling, darling, you have to understand that not everything is about you all the time, even though it will affect you in the long run. You gave her space before, and she came back to you, and that is what you need to do now."

Penelope tried to nod, but instead found herself nuzzling her face into the crook of Erin's neck, trying to calm down, but feeling like she was just crying all the harder. Finally, she heard footsteps behind them, and she glanced up to see that Alex had come downstairs. She was looking at them as if she couldn't believe that she was co-opting her time with Erin. "I thought that you might be here already, Erin. I think that I want to head to Common Grounds, just in case James overhears anything."

Somehow, she knew that Alex was trying to spare her feelings, but Penelope couldn't help but feel hurt by the suggestion. Pulling away from Erin, Penelope got to her feet and brushed past Alex, trying to ignore the feeling of the woman's fingers brushing against her arm. Her body betrayed her, leaning in to that gentle touch, and they sighed in unison as she remained silent on her way over to the stairs. Penelope was still crying when she reached the door of her room, and as she turned the doorknob, she heard the downstairs door close firmly, shuddering at the sound.

"I take it that she left?"

Turning her head, Penelope saw that James had opened his door and was looking out at her, something akin to pity contorting his features. "Yeah. She called Erin and they went out to her favorite coffee shop to talk. I guess they didn't want us to overhear anything." She couldn't keep the bitter tone from her voice, and he nodded sympathetically, gesturing towards his room. She nodded and followed him inside, sitting heavily on the end of his bed as he took a seat on top of the trunk under the window.

"My soon to be ex-wife can have tunnel vision, sometimes. But you have that same problem, don't you?"

It was a direct, probing, question, and she blushed a little as she nodded. "And I am thoroughly jealous of the fact that she's out there, with Erin and not me right now."

"At least you know that Erin is thoroughly smitten with Dave, right?" Again, she nodded. "I didn't have that kind of knowledge, and had to watch my wife fall deeper and deeper in love with you over the last few months."

"She hasn't said that she loves me."

James chuckled as he shook his head. "She's a linguist, she'll probably say it in ways that you might not recognize. Or she might not say them at all, instead, showing you the depth of her feelings. There are times when her dearth of words can be maddening, and you feel like she is as distant as the sun, but then she looks at you, and you just feel the light of her feelings shining from her face." He let out a short huff. "I've seen her look at you like you were her moon, and while it is lovely to see that look, it is also quite painful."

She nodded as she flopped back on the mattress, staring up at the ceiling. "So you're telling me that I have no right to be jealous of this friendship."

"Exactly. For better or for worse, she is thoroughly in love with you, and I don't think that there is anything in this world that can separate you from her heart. Do you mind if I join you on the bed?" She shook her head and then smiled as the mattress dipped beneath his weight. Glancing over, she watched him fold his hands over his heart as he stared up at the ceiling. "I think the mistake I made was fleeing after Ethan's death. It felt like the right choice at the time, since home reminded me too much of him and how he had suffered at the end. But it put a lot of emotional distance between us as well, and it was so easy to pretend like everything was all right."

"That's what seems to kill a lot of the relationships in my team, honestly. All the time apart from their loved ones, it just seems to drive a wedge between people, despite their best efforts. That is the one thing I'm going to be glad about – at least when we're apart, I can still talk to her, even if I have to keep it professional."

"Oh, so you won't ask Lexie to talk dirty to her over speakerphone?" he teased, and she blushed deeply as she shook her head furiously. "I couldn't believe that you said that to Erin, when she first told me about it."

"In my defense, I had no idea we were on speaker, or that it was Erin who had called! Usually, it's Derek who's asking me for information!"

"I heard that, too. Still, I think that you gave her quite a laugh, once she got over the shock of being addressed like that."

"Maybe. It was a bad case, though, James. I mean, I've seen just about everything, even though I hate seeing the crime scene photos, but this was so, so, bad. That was when I learned how hard it is to chisel through a sternum to tear out someone's heart."

Their eyes met, and she could tell that he knew what was required for that, and she shrugged a little as she reached out for his hand, squeezing it tightly as she tried to regain control of her emotions. "There are some truly sick people out there," he finally replied, and she nodded, letting out a long breath. "So, to change the mood of the room, do you want to hear some miracle stories from my time in the ER?" It was so easy to nod quickly, and he smiled before launching into the first story, instantly trying to lighten her mood. And she was glad that they had managed to bury the hatchet between them so that they could remain friends enough where he could comfort her at a time like this.