Here you go boys and girls so sorry for the delay, hope you enjoy this offering.
Tony parked his car then walked into the restaurant and looked for Sam, spotting him at one of the back tables he made his way over to him.
"Sam. How are you?" he asks after sitting down.
"I'm good, fantastic as a matter of fact."
"You sound happy, what's going on?"
"I asked you to meet me because I'm moving, leaving the country and I'm not telling anyone where, for their protection." He left his reasons unsaid then reached for his glass of water.
Tony said nothing just nodded his head in understanding.
"I got an offer to a start branch of our company. Fresh start I need get away Tony, too many memories here. I leave in a week."
"I'm happy for you Sam, it will do you good."
"I think so."
Tony sighs then asks the one question that needs to be asked. "What about your mother?"
"I talked her into going on a cruise, I told her it was a gift for her because she has been taking such good care of me. I booked a month long tour. She leaves a few days before me. I'll be long gone by the time she gets back. She doesn't know, I'm abandoning ship just like by siblings did, flying the coop, running away."
"I get it."
"I need you to do me a favor, please."
"If I can, you know I will."
Sam reaches into his pocket then pulls out an envelope. "Can you give this to her,? Please." Tony frowns looking at it. "I promise you it is not a letter begging her to follow me, or asking her to take me back. I just wanted her to know that I'm sorry that I hurt her. And I hope she finds happiness in the future." Tony takes the envelope slipping it into his own pocket. They talk and finish their meal with a promise to keep in touch via email.
Sitting in his home with Molly on his lap Tony can't shake the feeling that trouble is coming soon, it's a feeling of dread that just won't go away. Things have been going well for him and his friends. He had just gotten back from going to a wedding in Tennessee, it was nice to be back and see his old friends. Miss Sally as the bride made all the difference she looked so happy, as did George.
He goes to the arcade with Jimmy and Tim to play skee-ball of all things. Good eye had coordination, the best part is Victoria was reaping the benefits with a large stuffed animal collection. It was a good way to unwind and relax without talking shop. So he knew they were fine. He talked to Gibbs all the time and her knew he was fine, he would have heard if Ducky was ill, and he knew that the girls were fine as well. Still something just would stop nagging at him.
"She won't go." Hotch tells Cruz once they had finished their weekly meeting
Cruz's office had received a report about Penelope and how she helped translate for an accident with a deaf girl and her mother. They wanted to give her an award at their yearly awards dinner.
"Why, it's good press for the Bureau, what she did helped save a life and she should be recognized for helping when no one else was able to."
"She said and I quote. "You order me to go to this dinner, I'll make sure that I have dental surgery that morning so that I'm all swollen and look like crap. I still have an impacted wisdom tooth that needs to be removed. I don't want, nor do I need any awards."
"I take it she'd do it too."
"Absolutely, I have an inkling of the kind of clothes she would wear too. Better just leave everything alone, bow out gracefully tell them she will be away at a conference."
"How is she really doing Aaron?"
"She is almost the same as before she can't do any of the audio for us, and she wrote a program for us as real time talk to text for her computer, from any of our cells. It's almost like the one on the market now but this one is better and faster. When she types back we hear a voice. No one has any complaints about her work."
"I wonder were she finds the time? I was talking to the head of cold cases. He mentioned that their in-boxes are always full every morning, replies asking for information. Looking for clues and suspects, sometimes just a phone number. One agent with too much time on his hands asked for the recipe for brownies. When he came in he found the recipe on his desk along with a pan of brownies."
" Sounds like her." Hotch smiled slightly before he continues. "I didn't know, she leaves when we do I've seen drive off in that big caddy of hers. I'll talk to her."
His first stop after dropping off things in his office is coffee. A working lunch with Cruz is just that, work and lunch but he needed the coffee boost. Seeing Penelope making herself a cup of tea he makes sure to stomp on the floor hard, the members of the unit came to realize that by stamping your feet, it alerted her that someone was near her.
She turns and looks at him giving him a half smile then picking up his coffee cup she fills it for him.
"What is it?" He signs to her, after observing her demeanor. Having taken a class with Reid and Rossi, it was becoming second nature to know how to talk and sign when ever she was around.
It took time but with practice with Reid, she was able to talk in a somewhat normal volume. So she did with the team and some of the other members of the unit. "Tony, I just had lunch with him, he just came back from Tennessee, he went to a wedding. You remember Miss Sally and George?"
When she sees him nod his head once she continues.
"They got married, he said she was a lovely bride. Anyway it slipped his mind that he had a letter from Sam for me. He left the day after he got the letter. He just got back after staying two weeks.
"May I read it?" He asks. She takes the letter out of her pocket and hands it to him.
~~ Penelope~~
I'm going out of the country, I was asked to start a new branch office for my company. It's a good move for me, that is neither here nor there. I'm not going to say where I'm going and please don't look for me. What you don't know can't hurt you right?
I writing to you because I want to apologize to you for being a coward and not standing up to my mother. Something I have come to realize I should have done years ago. Just like my father and siblings had done. So I've decided to jump ship so to speak, I sent her on a month long cruise. Telling her it was my way of saying thank you. When she returns she will find a letter at her home. Telling her good-bye and congratulations for driving the last of her children away. A coward I know, but for me it is the best solution.
I guess I felt sorry for her she had no one left in her life after chasing everyone or should I say bulling everyone away. I never really thought that she would become so jealous of you and our marriage, so full of hate. I will be forever ashamed that I let her do this to us. By destroying our marriage and love, she destroyed a part of both of us. And part of herself she just doesn't know that yet.
If I had to guess one of your team members would probably say that what we had wasn't strong enough to last. Maybe they would be right, or it could be that I was just tired of shoveling sand against the tide, protecting myself against my mother and her next suicide attempt. It was far past time I let the chips fall where they may.
It is my hope that you will forgive me in time. You were always the stronger of the two of us, if you ever find love again it is my wish that he is stronger than you, you need to be cared for and protected like very few woman are, but all should be. I did love you dearly Penelope but it just wasn't enough, I wasn't strong enough, for you.
If I could have one wish it would be for you to find the happiness that you deserve in life and to be able to share your life with some one that fills you with joy, laughter and love.
~~Sam~~
"He still loves you." Hotch tells her, as he returns the letter.
"I know, but it's not enough. It shouldn't have to be a competition. Maybe I didn't love him enough either. Doesn't matter, what's done is done." she tells him.
"I know it's a horrible time to ask, Jack did something to his laptop and he has a big report lost on it."
"Come for dinner I'll cook fish and chip with mushy peas."
"I thought you didn't eat fish." he says to her.
A small smile appears on her lips. "Once in a while. I think Jack will like it."
She was glad she made extra between Aaron and Jack they ate three pounds of fish and a pile of chips they hardly touched the mushy peas, she assumed it was purely a cultural thing. But it felt good to be cooking for someone again even if it is only for one night.
Having been unable to get in touch with her son in over two weeks, Margret got off the ship in the next port. Dragging her one bag she made her way to the airport and booked a flight back.
She didn't care about the price she wanted to know why her son wasn't answering her calls. After his divorce from a woman she thought wasn't worthy of him, Margret had made sure she called and fussed over him. She wanted him to forget all about that woman, any woman for the time being until she thought the right time had come and then she would find the perfect woman for him.
She went to home first to drop off her bags and to change into something warmer. Seeing a letter on the small table where she keeps the telephone, she sits down in the nearest chair.
Recognizing her son's writing she rips open the back of the envelope.
Mother,
