The door opened and Hotch led Morgan, Reid, and Prentiss in. Erin held her hands in her lap tightly, so as not to commit another rash act. Morgan met her eye steadily, a grudging look of admiration in his expression. Erin heard Penelope draw in a deep breath and she turned to her, holding out her hand, which Penelope grasped so hard it hurt.
"You wanted to see me?" Penelope asked coolly, though Erin saw the wobble in her lips and knew she might breakdown at any moment. "I do hope your jaw is okay, Derek."
"It will heal. Until then, the pain will remind me just how stupid I've been." He tried to smile and winced instead, rubbing his jaw absently. "I'm sorry, Baby Girl."
"Sorry isn't going to cover it this time, Sugar. You turned my family against me when I was still trying to deal with the fact that you were dead to me for thirty-six hours and then suddenly alive again. You called me a whore, for God's sake! And then, all three of you trot in here like nothing happened and expect me to move on from here. Newsflash, it doesn't work that way, at least not for me! And yes, I ended up in the arms of someone you despise, but she was the one who took care of me when I got the news. Not ever Anderson could bother to tell me what happened."
Erin watched her swipe furiously at her eyes with her free hand, refusing to let go of Erin's hand for even a moment. "If you don't calm down, you'll make yourself sick, Penny," she said lowly, rubbing her thumb across the back of the other woman's hand.
Penelope nodded and took a few deep breaths, switching how she held Erin's hand in the process by threading her fingers with Erin's. "And then you walked in on us and found me guilty without even asking what was going on. I'm not a whore and neither is she. I'll thank you to keep that in mind when you think of us." She tilted her head and stared at them, her tone suddenly hard and challenging. "Together."
This was news to Erin, and she tightened her grip on Penelope's hand, unsure of how she felt on being so publicly claimed as another person's. Penelope looked at her and smiled slightly, and that was all it took for Erin to relax, suddenly feeling less overwhelmed.
"I fixed your picture," Reid said, not looking at them. "I was just so angry; it felt like you were betraying JJ, the way Morgan made it sound. I didn't think, and that's normally all I do. I should have waited to reserve judgment until I knew everything. As profilers, that's how we do things. Hotch remembered that, and so did Rossi. I-I'm glad that Chief Strauss got to you in time, Garcia. At least now I have the chance to apologize."
Penelope smirked a little and Hotch caught the look in her eye, one Erin didn't quite understand. "Don't, Garcia. We've heard that song come from your lips too many times. Reid, how could you open yourself up like that?"
"I feel like I'm missing something here, Agent Hotchner. Whatever are you talking about?" Erin asked, genuinely confused.
"See, Hotch, she feels left out. I have to bring her up to speed." She looked at Erin and bit her lip as she smiled. "But then again, maybe I'll spare you my voice right now. The charcoal is making me feel all grunky. It's just a silly song that I love, but they hate, since they think I sang it way too much in their presence." She looked back at Hotch. "It was only a summer."
"Okay, can we cut the crap here? Bad things happened, we jumped to conclusions, more bad things happened, and now we want forgiveness. Will you grant us absolution or tell us our penance so we can move on?" Emily interjected, a look of frustration on her face. The grip on Erin's hand tightened once more, and she knew Emily's words had upset Penelope.
"Of course I'll grant you absolution, I just can't look at the three of you in the same way anymore and I don't know how long it will be before I can trust you again. Now, please leave, I'd like to rest." She didn't let go of Erin's hand as she dismissed the others, so Erin remained seated next to her.
Once the others had gone, Penelope collapsed back onto the bed, curling on her side to look at Erin. A gentle smile curved across Erin's lips as tears began to pool in Penelope's eyes. "You did good, Penny."
"I tried to be you. Hard on the outside, tender on the inside. It's kinda rough."
"You develop a callout after a while. And then it gets harder to be tender."
"I don't believe that, Erin. I've seen your heart." Penelope yawned. "If I go to sleep, will you be here when I wake up?"
"It depends. Do you want me to be here?"
"Yes. More than anything in this world. I hate hospitals and never want to wake up alone in one again. I'm sorry."
"There's nothing to be sorry for. However, I want to get something to eat in a little bit. Would that be all right?"
Penelope nodded slowly and Erin watched her eyes flutter a bit before closing as her breathing evened out. As soon as Erin was certain she was asleep, she disentangled her hand and stood up, smoothing her skirt. It was at that moment she realized that she had left her purse in her office. "Damn," she muttered under her breath. Sighing, she sat back down in the chair, watching Penelope sleep peacefully.
Half an hour passed and a soft knocking startled Erin from her reverie. "Come in," she softly replied. The door opened slowly and Emily stepped it, not looking at Penelope.
"Hotch sent me here to deliver your purse and car. I parking in the ramp across the street, here are your keys." Emily looked into Erin's eyes. "My mother tried to get me to work on my impulsiveness. It didn't work then, it hasn't worked now. Could you let her know that I am sorry? You seem to be the only one she'll listen to right now."
"I make no promises, Agent Prentiss. I cannot speak for someone else, that would not be right. But thank you for bringing this to me." She dismissed Emily with a flick of her wrist, turning her back to watch Penelope sleep. Moments later, she heard the door close again, and she bent to kiss Penelope's forehead. "I'll be right back, I promise."
Erin got up and made her way out, finding the nurse's station as quickly as she could. "Excuse me, where's the cafeteria from here?"
"Up one floor and then down at the end of the hall."
"Thank you. And if Penelope Garcia, the patient in room 4b, wakes up before I return, will one of you tell her where I am?"
The nurse smiled at her and nodded. "Of course."
Erin breathed a sigh of relief and followed the nurse's instructions. The line was short, and Erin got the most appetizing looking item on the menu, which was to say the one thing that looked halfway palatable. She added a banana to the greasy sandwich to try and make the meal somewhat healthy. Picking up the bag and cup of tea, she made her way back down to the ER and Penelope. Toeing the door open, she was relieved to see Penelope was still sleeping and hadn't moved since she'd left.
She sat back down in the chair and ate quickly, choking down the vile sandwich, glad she had bought the banana. You couldn't do anything to a banana, she reasoned. After she'd finished eating, she threw her trash away and rested her feet against Penelope's bed and wrapped her arms around her knees.
Erin lost track of how much time had passed until a doctor came in to check on Penelope. "She won't be released until morning, you should go home and sleep," he said kindly.
"She doesn't want to wake up alone, and I promised her I would be here. So, if it's all the same to you, I'll stay." She looked up at him, as if daring him to contradict her. He nodded and patted her shoulder, leaving the room. Moments later, he came back with a thin blanket, handing it to her.
"It's not much, but it might make your vigil more comfortable. Do try to get some sleep." He flipped the lights off and shut the door, closing out the noise of the hall. Erin wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and tried to find a comfortable position. Finally, she bent over the bed, pillowing her head on one arm and clasping Penelope's hand with the other. She was soon asleep.
In the morning, she was woken up by the feel of someone running their fingers through her hair. Groggily, she sat up and wiped her eyes free of gunk. "You stayed," Penelope said quietly, smiling wistfully.
"I did," she replied, smiling back. "And as soon as they let you out, we're going to get some decent food. The food in the cafeteria is complete and utter pap."
"Well, this is a hospital, Erin. Were you really expecting gourmet fare?"
"No, but I was hoping for something of substance." She sat up taller and stretched, catching Penelope's eye in the process. The look of hunger there caused her to blush and look away, clasping her hands demurely in her lap.
Penelope laughed throatily and reached out the squeeze Erin's hand. "If I'd known that was all it took to make you blush, I'd've tried it a long time ago." Erin arched her eyebrow. "What? You're humanly gorgeous when you're flustered."
Erin just shook her head. "I don't think I've ever been described like that before."
"Oh, so you're more accustomed to being called a goddess?"
"What? No. Besides, isn't that what your team calls you?" she retorted, feeling her flush travel down her neck and chest at the words Penelope had said. There was no substance there, anyway. She was in no more ways a goddess then she was the Queen of Sheba.
"We're all goddesses, Erin. Or at least, we should be to the one meant only for us. But you, you have the bearing of one; it's in the way you walk, the way you talk, the way you order us about. To be able to see the human beauty beneath the façade is such a comforting thing. I know your heart and I'll keep it hidden, if that's what you want."
She took a deep breath, trying to process what Penelope was saying. She felt suddenly exposed. "Are you certain they haven't been training you in how to profile?" she asked, dismayed at the quaver in her voice.
"It's not profiling when you make yourself this easy to read."
Just then, another doctor bustled in, interrupting whatever else Penelope had been about to say. They pulled away from each other and looked up at the doctor. "Well young lady, your vitals are strong after giving us such a scare. Though I'm not sure I want to release you until you've spoken with a psychologist."
Erin watched Penelope bite her lip in an effort not to cry. "I'll make certain she sees one of our psychologists before I clear her for work," she said, nodding at Penelope, who smiled radiantly.
The doctor looked at both of them, pursing his lips slightly. Erin raised her chin and stared him down. "Fine. As long as she is not alone today, I'll release her into your custody. If anything happens to her…"
"Nothing will happen to her. I'll make certain of that this time." He nodded and signed off on her chart and then handed over her release papers. "Thank you, doctor."
He made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat and left the room. Penelope sat up and swung her legs off the side of the bed. She stood up and wobbled a little, catching herself on Erin's shoulder. "Can we go now?" she asked, looking down at Erin.
"Of course, you were released." Erin stood and held out her arm for Penelope. Penelope took it, looking at Erin with unabashed adoration. "So, I was thinking of this great café we could stop at on the way home."
"Right now, as long as I'm with you, I'll be happy," Penelope said lowly, not taking her eyes off Erin. The intensity of her gaze threw Erin for a moment and hesitantly, she nodded.
Together, they exited the hospital and waited for the light to change so they could cross over to the other side. "So, Agent Prentiss forgot to inform me which level she's left my car on. Where do you think she would park?" she asked as they crossed.
"Knowing Emily, she probably went all the way to the top, just to make it a hassle."
"Wonderful. Here's hoping she at least locked the doors. Clarice is my baby."
"You named your car?"
"Yes," Erin replied, blushing. "A juvenile habit that's stuck with me throughout my life, I'm afraid."
"It's not juvenile. My car's named Esther." Penelope snuggled closer to Erin as they got in the elevator with a number of other people. "And before her, I had Nolan. He didn't last too long, though." They were the only ones to ride all the way to the top, and Erin was relieved to see her car in one piece directly across from the elevator. "Wow, is that an Aston Martin?"
"Yes. She's a DB AR1 roadster. I used the money from the divorce to buy her."
"I like the way you think, Babe." Erin knew the term of endearment had just slipped from Penelope's tongue because that's the kind of person she was, but it still warmed her heart. She opened the door for Penelope and then got in herself, starting her car. "Now, about this café. Can we get the order to go?" There was something unspoken to the request, but Erin knew she couldn't deny Penelope anything at the moment.
"Whatever you want, Penny." The drive was quick, though Erin could feel Penelope's eyes on her the entire time. Once, she looked over at the other woman and was rewarded with a beautiful smile that she couldn't help returning. At the café, neither reached out for the other, but she noticed Penelope stood as close as she possibly could to her. When it came time to order, Erin slipped her arm around Penelope's waist and paid for their food.
The bags were up fifteen minutes later and Penelope carried them out to the car, setting them in the back. "Hey, look, she put my go bag back here," she said. "Wonder what she was thinking about that?"
"Who knows? But I'll bet your cell phone is in there if you want to check your messages."
Penelope turned in the seat and opened the bag. "You're right, it was sitting right on top of my clothes. I doubt I have any messages, though." She put her phone in her pocket and smiled at Erin. "So, I get to see your house. How many have been able to claim that privilege?"
"You'll be the second, after David. He's been a dear frenemy for many years now." Penelope giggled and Erin looked at her. "What?"
"I just never expected you to use slang so easily and so well. There are many surprises to you."
"You don't even know the half of it," she replied, pulling into her garage. "Welcome to my home."
They got out and Penelope grabbed her bag while Erin took the food. "Lead on my fearless leader." She held out her hand and Erin took it, threading their fingers together. "A girl could get used to this treatment," Penelope said as she stepped inside the house, setting her bag on the kitchen floor.
"There are glasses in the cupboard next to the sink. Grab whatever you'd like to drink from the fridge," Erin said as she stepped out of her shoes. She turned and grabbed plates from another cupboard, putting them on the table. She was startled by Penelope's hand on her back moments later. "Yes?"
"I just wanted to make sure this is real. That I'm not just dreaming myself into a story book fantasy where I have complete control over the outcome of this."
"And what exactly is this, Penelope?"
"I haven't figured that out yet. I was kind of hoping we could figure it out together." Penelope looked into Erin's eyes, looking for something Erin knew she could give her. She nodded and leaned forward, kissing Penelope tenderly, yearning for the sweet touching of flesh the other woman provided. And she knew that in the end they'd figure everything out, that this was meant to be. She was home.