The day had been uneventful, Erin thought as she closed down her computer and picked up her purse. Aside from Dave trying to break into her sanctuary at noon. Helen, her ever faithful assistant, had had Aaron come down and escort him out and then Penelope had brought them lunch. It had been a welcome relief.
"Have a good night, Chief Strauss!" Helen called out as she left the office.
"You too, Helen," she replied, turning back to wave at her. She met Penelope at the elevators and they rode down together. "How was the rest of your afternoon?"
"It went. JJ isn't talking to me."
"But she's your best friend."
"Correction, my best friend is Derek. She's the mother of my godchild." They stepped inside the elevator and rode down to the parking garage. "I'm just going to follow you home, then." Before Erin could protest, she leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.
"We can't do this," she murmured as they walked towards their cars.
"Do what? In case you haven't noticed in the eight years we've worked together, I tend to be very demonstrative with my affection. You're a friend who is in need of comfort. If I wanted you, I'd be shoving my tongue down your throat. Has that happened yet?" Erin shook her head. "Then there's nothing to worry about."
"I suppose." She tried to ignore the pounding of her heart, the signals her body was giving out, as she slid behind the wheel of her car. Taking a deep breath, she pulled out and slowly drove home. After pulling into her garage, she turned off the car and buried her face in her hands. "God help me, I want her. This has to be some sort of rebound infatuation," she murmured, hoping her prayer would be answered with some sense of what to do, and soon.
Getting out, she went inside and made her way to the front door. Penelope was standing on the porch, looking around at the flowers and hanging baskets there. "I love the flowers, Erin. This reminds me of home."
Again, she felt herself blush and motioned Penelope inside. "Gardens are something I can control. Aaron once said that I need to have control in my life, and he was quite right. After all, look at what throwing caution to the wind did for me."
"You gained a friend. That's not nothing, right?"
The brilliant smile warmed Erin's heart and she nodded. "Of course you're right, Penelope. A friend is not nothing." She made her way over to the answering machine and noticed that the light was blinking. There were three new messages, and she listened to her ex-husband ask her if he could have Samantha for longer, seeing as how his mother wasn't doing well. She pulled out her cell and quickly texted him, letting him know that would be fine. The other two were from Dave and Jennifer and she quickly rushed through them, deleting them off the machine.
"If they keep harassing you, I will take matters into my own hands. I won't stand for this."
"I'll be fine, Penny. I promise." She just arched an eyebrow at her. "Really. Now, let me show you to the guest room and you can put your bag down." She led her upstairs and opened the door across the hall from her bedroom. "Here you go."
Penelope set her bag on the bed and then turned to look at her. "May I have an official tour?"
"I guess." The woman grinned and grabbed hold of her hand. "Come on." She led her to the bathroom. "Feel free to use any of the bath products, my girls won't mind."
"All right." Her hand was so warm, and Erin adjusted how their hands were entwined, not wanting to feel like she was being overwhelmed. Even though she was.
"And this is my bedroom." They stepped inside, and Erin slipped her feet out of her heels, losing several inches to the other woman. "Would you mind if I changed into something a little more comfortable?"
"Go right ahead." Penelope sat on the bed, not taking the subtle hint to leave, and Erin took a deep breath. Opening her closet, she pulled out a thin summer sweater and quickly shrugged out of the blouse she'd borrowed. Tugging the sweater on, she moved over to her dresser and took out a pair of jeans. Erin decided to pull them on under the skirt, remembering at the last moment she wasn't wearing any panties. Once they were zipped, she let the skirt pool on the floor before picking both articles of clothing up and handing them to Penelope.
"Or do you want me to wash them?"
"No, you only wore them for a few hours." Erin sat next to her on the bed and then flopped back, staring up at the ceiling. "What is it?"
"A severe case of 'I just want to curl up on this bed and sleep for days since I can't drink any fucking alcohol and numb this whole episode from my life'. But that is not very proactive, is it?"
Penelope shook her head before reclining next to her. "But if it would make your heart feel better, maybe you should do just that. Fall asleep right now and wake up in the morning refreshed and renewed."
"Maybe," she replied as she felt Penelope's hand run down her arm and clasp her hand once more. Erin turned onto her side and looked at her friend. "You do realize I'm just looking for a friend right now. I need time to heal from this betrayal, Penny, even if there is the desire here." She lifted the woman's hand to her heart and softly covered it.
"And I'd rather have a relationship start with the firm foundation of friendship." A warm, understanding, smile spread across her lips and Erin released the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. "Besides, we need to make sure you're not doing the rebound bounce."
A soft laugh burst forth from her lips and she shook her head. "Can you read minds, as well?"
"No," Penelope replied. "I just know that rebound romances rarely work." She closed the distance between them, touching foreheads with her. A great yawn swept through Erin and she snuggled close to Penelope, craving the warmth she offered. "Sleep now, we'll talk some more when we wake up."
Erin nodded and let her eyes close heavily. Sleep was a welcome companion and she ran to its arms. When she woke up, she was still in Penelope's arms, and she fought not to arch into her. "What time is it?" she asked softly, seeing that Penelope was watching her.
"A little after eight. In the morning. We slept the whole night through."
"Really?"
Penelope nodded and sat up, helping her to sit up. "So, what do you have for breakfast?"
"Cereal. I don't eat much in the morning, and a box of cereal is more economical than throwing away perishables all the time." She looked over at her friend and smiled lazily. "I suppose we should get up and eat something."
"Yes." They got out of bed and Erin stepped into her bathroom, quickly peeing and then washing her hands and face. The kitchen was still empty when she got there, and so she pulled out two bowls and the box of cereal.
"I only drink whole milk, I hope that doesn't bother you," she said as she heard Penelope's footfalls behind her.
"That will be fine. I'll grab it from the fridge." Their breakfast was short, and Erin found herself smiling for no reason at all. "So, what do we do about our situation at work?"
"I really don't know. I might have to end up transferring out to another section in the BAU."
"That might not be a bad idea. The frat rules would be different then." Erin nodded. "Why would JJ do this to Will and Henry? I thought they were happy together. Out of all of us in the team, she always had the most stable relationship."
"Sometimes, when we appear happiest, we're really drowning. But I don't know why she would have chosen to cheat on Will. Has he ever stifled her, made her feel like she was a bad mother?"
"Not that I know of. When she was pregnant with Henry, he wanted her to go back to Quantico. I think he was really worried about her, seeing as how we had no idea what was going on. But truth be told, I didn't think he was in the wrong. If it had been her car that had the bomb under it, she would have miscarried."
Erin nodded and cleaned up their bowls. "I'm sorry, but I am going to be a bad hostess. I'm in the middle of A Game of Thrones and was planning on using this weekend to finish it."
"That's okay. I need to catch up on my email and blog. Can I borrow your laptop?"
"Certainly, just follow me into the living room." They made their way there and Erin handed over the device. As Penelope got settled on the couch, she grabbed her book from the coffee table and curled up next to her.
Erin managed to make it through about a hundred pages before growing restless. "What is it?"
"I'm bored. I want to go for a walk."
"All right." Penelope rested the computer on the coffee table and turned to look at her. "Around the block?"
Erin nodded and stood. "I think I have an extra pair of tennis shoes. If they're the right size, you can wear them."
"Eight wide?" She nodded and Penelope grinned. "Perfect!" Shaking her head, Erin went out to the coat closet and grabbed the shoes. Thrusting the extra pair at Penelope, she tugged hers on and tied the laces. "I'm ready."
"That was quick."
"Getting changed is the one thing I'm quick at. Well, that and stealing kisses." She leaned forward and pecked at Erin's cheek "Let's go, time's wasting."
Together, they went outside, and Erin tucked her keys in her pocket. She set a slow, leisurely pace, breathing in the smells of summer. As they went on, she reached out for Penelope's hand, wanting the contact. Penelope threaded their fingers together and she smiled dreamily.
By the time they got back to the house, Erin felt a little more at peace with leaving Dave. "What did I ever see in him?" she asked suddenly as she let them in the door.
"He is suave and charming."
"And he's slept with who knows how many women. Thank God I always insisted he wear a condom. Can you imagine how embarrassing it would have been if I have picked up an STI from him?" She rubbed her temple. "I think I'm going to cry again. I cannot believe I managed to fuck up my life this badly."
Penelope guided her into the living room, helping her to sit on the sofa. "Okay, tell me again where you are in your sobriety."
"I'm on day two hundred thirteen."
"Does that sound like someone who is currently fucking up their life? Because it sure doesn't to me. And you know what? Dave was so your rebound romance from your husband. Frak it, I am so doing this." Leaning forward, she kissed Erin passionately.
Erin felt herself returning the kiss before pulling away. Carefully, she placed her fingers against Penelope's lips. "Be that as it may, I still want to wait. Foundations, remember?" Penelope nodded and rested her head on Erin's shoulder.
"Foundations."