"Remind me why we agreed to take your car home?"
"Because if Rossi thinks you're still in the building, he won't come looking for us."
"Oh, yes, that's right. Let's head to Sunshine Terrace for lunch. I am ravenous."
"That does sound yummy." Penelope pulled into traffic and was soon parking in the lot of the restaurant. "Shall we?"
Erin took the hand she held out and they walked inside. She didn't let go of Penelope's hand until they were seated in a secluded booth. "My life is a complete and utter disaster, Penelope. I should have listened to the unspoken rule of AA, no relationship until a year sober."
"You followed your heart. How long had it been since you did that? I would have jumped at the chance to be happy after everything you went through. And then the bastard tore your heart out and stomped it into the ground."
"Something like that, yeah." Erin tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and rolled her eyes. "When you put it like that, it sounds kind of pathetic that I would let someone do that to me."
"Uh, no. He's the slimy bastard who broke your heart even after knowing that your husband cheated on you before he left you. God, I just want to punch the Italian rat jackass in the nose. And break it, hopefully. After I ruin his credit. I am more pissed now than I was last night."
Angry tears clouded the other woman's eyes and Erin reached across the table for her hand. She clasped it tightly until the tears had gone. "While I would like nothing more than to see you punch him, it wouldn't do any good. It wouldn't fix my heart."
"What would fix your heart?"
"I don't know. At this point, I think I'm done with men. They've done nothing but hurt me."
"Does that mean you're going to play for the other team?"
"You mean, am I going to be a lesbian now? I don't know. It's not really a choice, you're born gay or straight. But, I've always been somewhere in the middle of the Kinsey scale. Desiring both men and women. I want to find someone who won't break my heart this time, be it man or woman."
"Maybe we can go looking together. I still haven't moved on from Kevin. We can go out to coffee shops, clubs, art galleries, and I can scout out someone perfect for you and you can do the same for me."
They finished eating and Erin settled the bill. As they walked back out to the car, she held Penelope's hand again, the touch becoming quite natural to her. "You know, I could go for watching some movies this afternoon," she said as she got in the passenger seat of Penelope's car.
"That sounds lovely. Between my Netflix account and my personal collection, we should be able to find some things that we agree on. I have a few sappy romantic movies." Penelope smiled at her as their phones rang. Shaking her head, Erin pulled hers out and saw that Dave was trying to call her. She sent him straight to voicemail and from the corner of her eye, watched Penelope do the same. "Rossi?"
"Uh huh. Jennifer?"
"Yep. They do not let up, do they?" Erin shook her head slightly and settled back in the seat as Penelope drove them to her home. It felt good to climb the three sets of stairs, and she felt some of her anger melt away at the physical exertion. "Welcome to my home. You are one of the few who have been invited inside." She unlocked the door and stepped inside.
"This is lovely, Penelope." And really, it was. So different from her personal aesthetic, quirky and bold, just like the woman standing before her. "Thank you for bringing me here."
"You're welcome. Can I get you anything?"
"A glass of water would be nice." She sat on the couch, looking around the room at everything that marked who Penelope was. A canister of Super 8 film caught her eye and she picked it up, looking at the label.
"That's from my very first play at school. I was kind of terrible but cute. You don't want to watch that now, you want to see something professional. So, what strikes your fancy?"
"The Proposal?"
"Sounds like the perfect start to our afternoon." Penelope dug through her DVDs and pulled it out, loading it into the player. "Do you want popcorn now or later?"
"Later. I'm still full from lunch." Penelope nodded and pressed the play button on the remote before sitting next to Erin. She curled up into the woman, wanting the comfort she knew Penelope would offer. The other woman's arm came down around her shoulders, her thumb rubbing against her arm absently as they watched the movie.
When it had finished, she sat up and stretched. "What next?"
"You pick something. I have to use the bathroom."
"Through the closed door there." She nodded and stood, making her way over to the room. After she'd peed, she washed her hands and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked awful, like death warmed over, and this brought fresh tears to her eyes.
Erin was about to go back out when she heard someone pound on the outer door. Her breath caught in her throat, and she listened carefully as Penelope got up and called out, "Who is it?"
The barrier of the door muffled the low voices, but she recognized the rumble of Dave and heard a higher pitched voice that she assumed was Agent Jareau. "She's not here!" Penelope cried out loudly minutes later. "And I'd like you to leave now. Do not make me call Hotch."
"What did she tell you?"
"Nothing, Jayje. She didn't need to." There was a moment of silence, and then the door slammed shut. Erin eased the bathroom door open and peeked out. "How much of that did you hear, Erin?"
"Just the end." She met Penelope's eyes, and saw that she was crying once more. "Oh, Penelope, I'm costing you your friends."
"No, you're not. Come here." Penelope opened her arms and Erin stepped forward, welcoming the embrace. "JJ is the one who chose to cheat on Will, and potentially destroy her family, and to so very deeply hurt you. I'm sorry."
Erin felt the dam burst on her feelings and she let herself cry once more that day. "I shouldn't let them get to me like this, you know. I am an adult; I should be in better control of my feelings."
"And I should be the queen of France." They settled back on the sofa and Erin nestled into the sanctuary of Penelope's arms. "I have to tell Hotch about this, don't I?"
"Not if you don't want to. I have the feeling they're going to keep harassing me until I make an appearance. I am not ready to face them. Does that make me a coward?"
"No, it makes you smart. We'll face them in the morning. After all, it'll be Friday, and we'll have the weekend in front of us. I wish Emily were here to talk to, she'd be able to make more sense of this."
Erin nodded and felt Penelope run her fingers through her hair. "I miss my hair."
"Why did you cut it?"
"Dave liked it shorter. I cut it to please him."
"Then will you grow it out to please me?"
"You're not my lover."
"No, but I want to be your friend. Friends can ask things of their friends. And I'm asking you to grow out your hair so that you'll be happy. And if you want my opinion, it looked best when it was just touching the middle of your shoulder blades and you put it up in a French twist." Erin sighed and nodded. "See, you even think I'm right. So, will you?"
"I suppose, for you." The phone ringing shattered their momentary peace and Erin recognized her ring tone. "That's me." She leaned forward and grabbed her purse off the floor, pulling out the device. "It's Aaron. Hello?" she asked as she answered.
"Erin, why is Dave calling me at all hours asking where you are? Is everything okay?" He sounded concerned and she smiled.
"Everything is fine, Aaron. We just broke up last night, and he's taking it rather hard. It seems that being exclusive means two different things to us. I'm sorry that he's bothering you so much, please tell him that I will speak to him tomorrow during our lunch hour."
"Morgan mentioned something about you being with Penelope. Is she taking care of you?"
"She's making sure I don't fall off the wagon, if that's what you're driving at. It's day two hundred eleven. While I am craving, I am still strong."
"Glad to hear that, Erin. I'll see you in the morning. And if you don't mind, I'll join you on that lunch meeting."
"That might be for the best. Thank you." She hung up and set her phone on the coffee table. "So, since Aaron's going to be there at lunch tomorrow, will you join me as well? That way Dave and I each have a friend going into this?"
"Certainly. Now, let's watch Murder by Death."
"Ooh, Peter Falk! Good choice." She made herself comfortable in Penelope's arms, not questioning why she felt so comfortable there. As she watched, she felt her eyes grow heavy, and her head slipped down to rest on Penelope's chest. The soft, giving, flesh pillowed her and she breathed in the heady scent of her perfume.
"No going to sleep just yet, Erin. You need to eat supper when this movie is finished and then we can watch one more before we go to sleep. You should get back on a regular sleep cycle, otherwise you are in for a world of pain tomorrow."
She nodded before nuzzling her face against Penelope's chest. Erin could hear the woman's sharp intake of breath and fleetingly wondered if she was the cause of that. Once the movie had finished, they got up and went into the kitchen. "So, what's on the menu tonight?"
"Broccoli and rice with a cheese sauce. There's not much in the pantry, I wasn't expecting company." She smiled apologetically and pulled out a head of the vegetable, handing it over to her. "Here, cut this up."
Erin found a knife and after cutting the rubber band that bound the stalks together, she washed it and then cut it up into little florets, adding it to the water on the stove. Penelope had already added the rice, and she set a lid on top of the pot so that it could boil. While the other woman cubed up a chunk of cheese, Erin began to open cupboard doors, looking for the plates. After finding them, she set the table and then leaned against the counter, watching Penelope.
"Penelope, if I asked, would you spend the weekend with me at the house?" she asked suddenly.
"Of course. That's what friends do. In the morning, I'll pack up a weekend bag and follow you home after work. Oh, and I know we're not the same size, but I'll make something from my closet work for you."
Erin smiled at her kindness, her heart lifting at the easy friendship she found with the woman. "Thank you, Penelope."