Author's Note: I cannot in good conscience post this chapter without an author's note warning that it is very dark, and contains a rape scene. I hate where the story leads sometimes, and what with making Rossi a darker character in this piece, I played off some hints from his past and the things he wasn't proud of to bring him to this point. Really, I love him, this is just where the muses led.

Their weeks fell into an easy rhythm. The air of sadness that hung over Erin like a cloud had begun to fade away as easy smiles came to her face at some story Penelope told. And suddenly, she'd been with her a month. The bindings were gone, but neither mentioned Erin looking for somewhere else to stay. What she needed Penelope for now was more than just that, though neither said so aloud.

"I have to go get something from the store. I won't be gone for much more than half an hour," Penelope said, standing up after dinner one night. She pulled on her coat and slipped on her boots.

"Stay safe. The roads might be a little slippery."

"Oh, I won't be on the road. I just need to stop at the hardware store down the street. See you in a little while." She left and heard Erin lock the door behind her. Quickly, she went downstairs and walked to the hardware store. The air was a bit more brisk than she'd anticipated, so she walked a little more quickly. Once in the warmth of the building, she went up to the clerk. "I need a copy of a key made, please." She handed over her apartment key to the man and watched him cut a new key for her. This was a big step, but Penelope felt ready to take it. Ten minutes later, he was handing the new key over, and she paid him.

As she stepped back out into the cold, she felt her phone buzz against her leg. She pulled it out, but couldn't tell if anyone had called or not. When she looked up again, Rossi was standing in front of her, dressed in black. She gasped in surprise, taking a step back. Without looking, she texted Erin with their code number, hoping she would remember it. "What do you want?" She tried to sound brave, but her voice broke on the last word.

"To teach you the consequences of defiance, Penelope. You'll be coming with us tonight."

"Us?"

"Yes, us." Kevin stepped out of the shadows and grabbed her left arm, holding it in a painful grip. David took her other arm and they led her over to Rossi's car. He opened the back door and Kevin shoved her inside, sitting next to her. With the dark tinted windows, there'd be no way for her to signal to other drivers. She pulled her cell phone out once more, and Kevin tore it from her hand, along with her purse. "Don't want you to mace one of us after all," he said with a leer.

Penelope shrank into herself, trying to find some strength in her to overcome the panic and terror that were gripping her heart. Her breathing became more labored and she fought off the anxiety attack as best she could. "She's expecting me back in ten minutes. You won't get away with this."

"Oh, but I think we will. Kevin, call Erin and let Penelope talk to her. Tell her something came up, Kitten, and you'll be later than expected." Kevin did as told and held the phone up to Penelope's ear.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Erin. Listen, something came up, and I'll be later than I expected. Don't, don't wait for me, I don't know when I'll be home. Have Reid take you to the safe house before it gets too late."

"Penelope, what's wrong? You sent the code earlier. I don't believe you."

"I'll be fine, don't worry. Please, please don't worry."

"Baby, I l-" Kevin pulled the phone away from her, cutting off Erin's last words to her. As he stuck the phone back in his pocket, he leaned into her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"I've been waiting for this opportunity ever since you cost me my job, Penelope," he whispered in her ear before nipping it sharply. She pulled away from him, desperate to get away, yet knowing there was nowhere to go. She tried not to shudder as he ran his hand over her breasts, squeezing roughly. David cleared his throat and Kevin let go of her, sitting up.

David pulled into the drive of his house, parking in the garage. Kevin roughly took her arm again, pulling her from the car and frog-marching her into the house. They followed Rossi up the stairs and into his bedroom. As Kevin held her arms behind her back, David grabbed two sets of handcuffs from off his dresser. "Bring her over to the bed," he said, and Kevin dragged her resisting body across the room, pulling her onto the bed with him. Kevin held her in place as David unbuttoned her coat and roughly pulled it off one arm at a time. Then, he cuffed her arms to the bed, stretching them out until she cried out in pain.

Kevin slipped out from beneath her, grabbing her hip as he did. She flinched away and watched them whisper to one another. The terror was growing inside her once more and she tried to control her tears, not wanting to give them that small measure of power over her. David got on the bed, straddling her. He placed both hands on the collar of her shirt and tore at it, popping the buttons off. She bit her lip and tried to stifle the whimper that threatened to escape. He pulled out a knife and her eyes widened and she sucked in her breath. She fearfully watched him methodically cut the remains of her blouse from her body, then slip the blade underneath the straps of her bra, slicing through them. A single tear rolled down her cheek as he unhooked her bra and pulled it off her.

David bent and licked the track of the tear and she shuddered beneath his touch. Laughingly, he said, "Oh, we're only getting started here, Kitten. The night is young." He motioned Kevin forward with a flick of his head. As David moved down to work on her skirt, Kevin began manipulating her breasts, pulling sharply on the nipples. She winced in pain as he kept twisting, intent on causing the most agony to her. She stiffened as she felt the cold steel of the knife slip between her skin and panties, praying he wouldn't cut her.

David fondled her while Kevin began to bite at her breasts, raising welts on her delicate skin. She closed her eyes as she heard a belt fall to the floor. "Make her look," he snapped when he noticed her eyes were closed. Kevin grabbed her chin and squeezed until she gasped and opened her eyes. David grinned wickedly as he wrenched her legs open, positioning himself between them. Without warning, he thrust into her and she screamed in pain.

"That's right, scream for us, Penelope," Kevin whispered in her ear, rubbing his erection through his pants. He went back to her breasts, bending down and biting on them once more, drawing blood this time. She tried to will herself away from where she was, but was unable to bring any happy memories to the forefront. David took his time, seeming to savor her pain. Finally, he climaxed in her and pulled out, looking down on her in disgust.

"Your turn, Kevin."

They switched places, and Kevin hurriedly entered her. She felt him climax in the first few thrusts and she almost sighed in relief until he locked eyes with her. "Don't forget I know your body, Penelope," he said lowly. He lowered his hand to her vulva and slipped his fingers between her folds, teasing her clitoris unmercifully. Traitorously, her body began to respond to his caresses, tightening around his flaccid penis. She felt him harden again and he thrust in and out of her slowly, taking his time.

His smile was what finally drove the unholy pleasure from her all too responsive body. She wept as he raped her, unable to keep her tears inside any longer. Rossi continued to abuse her body, intent on causing her the most pain possible. Once Kevin was finished, they switched places again, and Penelope could feel the black void of unconsciousness coming to claim her. She jumped willingly into that void, eager to be away from this place of horror. Her relief did not last long, however, as David slapped her face hard three times, rousing her from the blackness. "You don't get to escape from us like that, Kitten," he said cruelly as she stared at the ceiling, praying this nightmare would end soon, that they would achieve their goal, whatever it was.

Finally, they left her alone, and she tried to curl up as best she could, to protect herself from their prying eyes. She fell into a light, troubled, sleep, only to be awakened after an unknown amount of time had passed by the sharp sting of hands and fists on her stomach. Opening her eyes, she saw them leering down at her. She could feel herself tensing up in preparation for another assault. She didn't have to wait long, and Rossi was thrusting into her again.

She found she had no more tears left to cry and endured the continuing assault as best she could. She fell silent, unable even to gather up the emotion necessary to whimper or cry out against the cruelty. Rossi looked down at her as he climaxed and she stared blankly back up at him. His face contorted into a mask of rage as he realized she had finally slipped away from them.

He climbed off her and looked over at Kevin. "Grab her coat. We're done here."

"But I didn't get another chance at her," he whined as he did as he was told.

"Tough," Rossi spat out as he unhooked her arms from the corners of the bed. As soon as she was free, she curled up into a tight ball, listening to the movements in the room. She felt the warm wool of her coat against her skin. "Here, put this on. It's time to deliver you back to Erin. If this doesn't knock some sense into one of you, then nothing will. And don't bother going to the police. Do you really think they'd believe you, especially after Mr. Lynch here plants evidence on your computer that says you like it rough?"

Penelope didn't move, not trusting her legs to hold her up. Roughly, David grabbed her arm and pulled her off the bed. She fell heavily to her knees, and he took her arms, shoving them through the sleeves. He yanked her up and buttoned the coat, covering her body from their eyes. Her head hung low as they dragged her from the house and back into the garage. They managed to get her dead weight into the car and again, Kevin rode in the back with her.

All were silent on the snowy drive back to her apartment. Rossi idled outside her apartment building as Kevin dragged her to the stoop, leaving her purse next to her prone form. Then he buzzed her apartment before running back to the car. Weakly, she tried to stand, but felt her legs give out and she dropped back down to the ground, bruising her knees further. She rested her head against the cool, wet, stone and waited, knowing Erin would be coming down soon.

She heard voices minutes later and she looked up into Erin and Reid's concerned faces. Reid knelt down by her, seeing the bruises on her face. "Penelope, do you need me to call an ambulance, or get you to an urgent care center?" Violently, she shook her head, her eyes widening in terror.

Erin gently stroked her hair, tears spilling down onto her face. "Dr. Reid, please help me get her up into our apartment." He nodded and wrapped his arm around her waist, supporting her weight with his body. Haltingly they climbed the stairs and Erin hurried on ahead to open the apartment door. He helped Penelope to sit on the couch, gasping at the extent of her visible injuries.

"I'll kill them. Just tell me who they were and I will make certain they never see the light of day again."

Penelope smiled sadly at him. "That won't fix anything, Reid. But I love you for being willing to be my white knight," she whispered as she leaned against Erin, drawing strength from her presence. Erin saw the coat gap and the bare flesh beneath it and sighed.

"Dr. Reid, I do need you to do one more thing for us. Find a pharmacy that carries the Plan B contraceptive and bring us back a dosage."

"But she needs to…"

"No, she does not want that," Erin said sharply. "You saw how scared she looked when you mentioned medical intervention. I'm sorry; you just don't understand what it's like to be a woman in this position. The terror, the loss, the sorrow, the shame." She stopped speaking, her voice breaking. She took a deep breath and then spoke once more. "Please, just do as I asked."

He nodded, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "I'll be back in a few hours," he said lowly before getting up. Penelope watched Erin follow him to the door, locking it behind him.

Erin slowly approached her, not wanting to startle her, Penelope assumed. "Honey, which one did this to you?"

"David and Kevin. Oh, god, am I ever going to feel clean again?" she brokenly asked as she felt the tears she'd held back burst out of her. The sobs shook her shoulders and Erin opened her arms to her. She fell into them, burying her head in Erin's shoulder. Gently, Erin rubbed her back, letting her cry out all the pain in her soul. As the sobs lessened, Penelope allowed Erin to unbutton her coat, peeling it away from her body. Penelope looked into her eyes and found no pity there, only the heartbreaking look of complete understanding.

"Let's get you washed up," she softly said as she helped Penelope to her feet. They made it into the bathroom, and Erin had her sit on the toilet as she untied her boots and slipped them and her socks off her feet. Penelope felt like a child again as Erin drew a bath for her. As she sat down in the warm water, she felt Erin take a washcloth and gently wipe her breasts clean of the blood Kevin and David had spilt. She watched the water take on a pink tinge as she cleaned herself, trying to erase the feel of them in her body. It seemed as if she would never stop crying, now that she had started again. After twenty minutes in the water, Erin helped her to stand, letting the water drain.

Erin took a towel off the bar and delicately swiped it over Penelope's body, whisking the water away. Then she rummaged through the medicine cabinet and found the salve. Leading Penelope into the living room, she had her sit on a chair while she opened the jar. Dipping some of it out onto her finger, Erin carefully applied it to the wounds and welts that marred Penelope's chest and stomach. When the task was finished, she went into the bedroom and pulled out a nightgown from the dresser.

Penelope pulled it on, eager to shield her body from Erin's tender looks. Now, she understood the shame Erin had felt when she'd looked upon her. "I can't go to the police," she whispered.

"What did they threaten you with?"

"To make it look like I enjoy rough sex. Kevin could, too. He's nearly as good a hacker as I am. They wouldn't believe me, then. Why would they? I'd be labeled a liar and a whore and I might lose my job. Rossi's so well liked and respected. I wouldn't stand a chance against them."

"Penny," Erin breathed out, running her hand through her hair softly, picking out the snarls strand by strand. Penelope leaned into the soothing touch, resting against Erin. Soon, the rhythmic motions were lulling her to sleep, and she yawned. "Let's get you into bed," Erin said, helping her to her feet once more.

Erin turned to go, but Penelope held out her hand. "Please, don't go. I-I can't be alone right now." She nodded and climbed into bed next to Penelope, who wrapped her arms around Erin's waist. Erin kissed her forehead sweetly and she slipped off into an uneasy sleep.