In the morning, Penelope woke up first. Sometime in the night, she had turned and spooned into Erin. Erin's hand had snaked up under her shirt and was splayed out across Penelope's chest. She relished the touch and didn't want to move or break the spell. The ringing of the alarm popped the bubble and she felt Erin come to wakefulness. She stretched against Penelope, then turned to shut off the alarm. "I know you're awake, Penelope. We need to get a move on the day," she said as she sat up.
Penelope groaned and sat up, stretching. Erin had already made it to the bathroom, leaving Penelope alone in the bed. She used the opportunity to check under Erin's pillow, confirming her thoughts. She did keep a gun there, and Penelope smiled as she set the pillow back down. Then she crawled out of bed and went to the closet. She pulled out the first outfit her hand touched and grabbed matching undergarments from the dresser drawer. Erin emerged from the bathroom moments later and she went in. Stepping into the tub, she shucked off her pajamas, tossing them in the basket. Then she turned on the water, letting it hit her back first. She washed her hair and body quickly, then stepped out.
Wrapping a towel around her body, she blow dried her hair, then put it up in a French braid. After she'd dressed, she put on her makeup. Her face was still a bit tender where David had hit her, though the swelling had gone down considerably since yesterday. Smiling at her reflection, she turned and left the room. Erin had breakfast ready and was just bagging their lunches when she went into the kitchen.
"Another day begins," she said as she took a seat at the table. Erin nodded and sat next to her. There was an awkward hesitancy about their movements as they reached for the same thing at the same time. Penelope found herself tongue-tied and blushing like a schoolgirl with her first crush.
"This is ridiculous," Erin muttered. "I'm not sixteen any longer." She leaned forward and kissed Penelope passionately. She relished the taste of honey on her lips and darted her tongue out to get a better taste. Erin hummed in pleasure, placing her hands on Penelope's thighs to brace herself.
"Well, good morning to me," Penelope purred when they broke the kiss. Erin's cheeks were flushed and they were both breathing heavily. They finished eating and gathered up their belongings. Erin locked the door and then held out her hand. Penelope took it, threading her fingers with Erin's. Penelope drove to the coffee shop and they walked in together, unconsciously bumping in to each other. The barista caught Penelope's eye and smiled. She couldn't help but grin back.
"The usual, ladies?" she asked when they made it up to the register. They nodded and Penelope paid while Erin waited for their tea. Another girl handed over their cups and they turned to leave. Penelope ignored the look she got from an older man, instead wrapping her arm around Erin's waist and smiling widely at him as they went past.
"Fucking dykes," he said a bit loudly, and Erin stopped, whirling around to glare at him.
"Excuse me?" she asked icily, raising her eyebrow at him.
"You-you heard me," he stammered, still posturing as a tough guy, but withering beneath her glare.
"I don't think I did. You see, if you did say what I think you said, then you would have to be privy to our bedroom situation and I've never seen you before in my life, let alone invited you into my home. Penelope, have you seen this man before?"
Penelope quickly shook her head, trying not to burst out laughing at the sight of the man turning redder and redder in embarrassment. "No, can't say that I have, Erin."
"Just as I thought. Come on, let's get going." She turned back around and stalked from the shop. Penelope followed after her, a dazed smile on her face. As she got behind the wheel, Erin leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"That juvenile display back there. I should have just ignored him, his opinions don't matter anyway."
"Oh, Erin, I'm actually kind of turned on right now. The way you stood up to him for us was trés hot. I could never have done something like that. I love that about you."
"Really?"
"Uh-huh. I wish I had that brazen courage you have."
"Thanks." The rest of the drive was silent and they arrived at work running a little behind. Together, they walked into the building, going through Mike's security line. He smiled and made small talk with them.
"Aren't you running a little late today, ladies?" They nodded and Penelope giggled a little. "What?"
"You ever need someone to deliver a verbal smack down, she's your woman." Just then, her phone buzzed. "Crap, new case to be briefed. Here, take the keys, just in case." Penelope handed the car keys over to Erin, then ran over to the elevator bank. Thankfully, one was still being filled and she got on, pressing her floor number.
Reid met her at the elevator. "Grab your go bag; I'll brief you on the plane."
"What? I don't get a choice in this now?"
"No. Rossi pressed for you to come along this time. Hotch didn't think it necessary, but somehow got overruled. Call her as soon as we land. I have a bad feeling about them separating the two of you like this."
Penelope nodded and went right up to her office, taking her bag from the corner and then locking her door once again. Reid was watching her office, smiling when he saw her reemerge. She went to his side and together, they made their way to the airfield. "I hope you don't mind, but I'll be bunking with you for the length of our stay. We both feel it prudent I do so, should I be out on the field."
"I agree, completely. Like I said, I will do anything to keep you safe." He touched her shoulder and smiled at her. "You're my friend, Penelope. Wait, why would it matter out on the field where you stayed? Strauss' husband will be back here." Sudden awareness lit his features. "I'll kill him, I will. I can't believe he would do something like this and think he could get away with it. He must be insane."
She touched him, stopping his words. "Reid, they can make things difficult for me and her. Just keep your cool and stay by me while we're gone. Please do this for me." She watched his shoulders slump and then he nodded. "Thank you."
As they flew down to Georgia, Aaron filled her in on the case. "We'll be going to the home first and getting you set up. It's a standard kidnapping case; the child's been gone for three hours. I don't need to tell you the statistics on cases like these."
"If it's so standard, why are we going?" she asked lowly.
"This is the eighth child to have been kidnapped in as many weeks. There's always a relatively minor ransom demanded and once it is paid, the child is found in the park, unharmed. Parents were getting leery of letting their children outside when the unsub changed his routine. We need to stop him." She nodded. "And don't worry, Penelope. I'll keep my eye on you. I don't know why Dave wants you here with us, but if anything should happen, let me know."
"Thank you. Oh, I will need to make a call when we land. Can Reid hang back by me while I do so?" Aaron nodded and she smiled at him relaxing into the seat. "I really am blessed with wonderful friends," she whispered as she stared out the window.
When the plane touched down, Aaron led Dave away from the plane, asking him some questions about the case. The rest of the team followed after them while Penelope hung a few feet back, Reid at her side. She pulled out her cell and dialed Erin's office number.
"Strauss here."
"Erin, it's me. Listen, Rossi dragged me onto a case, so I'm stuck in Georgia for who knows how long. Anyway, Reid mentioned that the intention to separate us might not be to harm me, but you. Kevin knows where we live and could very easily lead Christopher to you. Please, be safe. I want to come home to you."
"I will, my sweet peacock. Watch your back down there in Georgia."
"I will, I promise. Talk to you later." She hung up and slipped the phone back in her pocket. "Reid, what kind of bird do I remind you of?"
Without skipping a beat, he replied, "A peacock."
"Why?"
"Well, the obvious reason why would be the way you dress. Being so colorful, you attract attention, demanding that people look at you. But there's more to it than that. In Buddhist mythology, they are associated with compassion and love, and when I think of you, that's what I think of."
"Reid, that's so sweet, thank you." She linked arms with him and they caught up with the rest of the team. Aaron motioned them over to his SUV and she got in the passenger seat, locking the door and then buckling up. He took the lead and Morgan followed them out to the house. After introducing everyone, Aaron had her set up in the living room.
"The unsub, if he follows the script he was previously using, will call tonight with the ransom demand. I'll stay here with Penelope and Reid, the rest of you can go to the police station and link up with the lead detective and see what information they have that could help us." He gave Rossi a cold look, daring him to protest.
Rossi sharply nodded, smirking at Penelope as he led the others out. She shivered and stepped closer to Reid, who put his arm protectively around her. Morgan's mouth tightened as he saw the looks exchanged, and he cracked his knuckles. Penelope shook her head slightly and he relaxed, following after the others.
Penelope could feel the wife staring at the bruises on her chest, and she pulled her shirt closed, looking down at the floor. "So, I'll set up a trap and trace on the phone line and then we wait, right?" Hotch nodded and she pulled out her laptop, getting to work. After a few minutes, a steaming mug of tea appeared in front of her.
"You look like you could use this," the woman said, smiling gently. "I'm Susan."
"Thank you. I'm Penelope." She sat up and grabbed onto the mug, warming her hands.
"So, do you really think this will help catch this person?"
"As long as they're not using a disposable cell phone, it should. There are still limits to what I can do, much to my chagrin." She sipped the tea, smiling as she saw the gold stars in the bottom of the mug. "What else can I do for you?"
"Oh, nothing. It's just, there's nothing to do but wait. Would you mind if I stayed here with you? Paul's been wonderful, but he still hasn't really connected with Maggie yet. She loves her father so, and hasn't exactly made her preference a secret."
"So, your husband is not Maggie's father?"
"No, I just said that. What's wrong?"
"It's probably nothing, but it could be important, excuse me." Penelope stood up and walked over to Hotch. "We could have a problem here, Hotch. I don't think this is like the other seven, beyond what we know."
"Why would you say that?"
"Well, you said his m.o. changed with this one. The others were all taken from outside, Maggie went missing from her home. Also, Susan's husband is not Maggie's father. What if all the previous abductions were just a distraction? Could this have been his endgame all along?"
Aaron looked at her, and she could see the gears shifting in his head. "If so, he already had eight hours on us. All right, you run with that angle. Find out everything you can on the ex-husband while we wait for the call, if it even comes."
She nodded and went back to the couch. "What's Maggie's father's name?" she asked.
"William Hinds. Why?"
"I'm just running every possible angle to bring your daughter home safe, Susan. Now, is there anything in his past that caused you to get full custody of Maggie?"
"Nothing bad. His job has him travel a lot internationally, and we decided it would be better for Maggie to live with me. This last year was really tough on him, though, since he was home more. I tried to let her see him as much as possible, but Paul didn't like that. He's always thought that Will should have taken the promotion that would have kept him here permanently."
Penelope nodded sympathetically as she hacked into Will's bank accounts. In the last week, he'd closed down his savings account, withdrawing close to eight million dollars. She also noticed in the previous weeks he'd wired large sums of money to an off-shore bank account. She couldn't trace where the money had ended up, their defenses were much better than what she had time to work with, so she looked into other aspects of his life – like the fact he'd cashed in his life insurance policy. Everything pointed to his taking Maggie, but she couldn't find a reason why he would do that.
Casting her net wider, she began to look at his social networking profiles, to see if he mentioned something about going on a trip with his daughter. While there was nothing like that mentioned, she did notice that he'd changed his job history. Convinced he had taken Maggie, she began to look up international flights from Atlanta. From there, she narrowed down the search parameters to flights to countries that had no extradition treaties with the United States. There were ten throughout the day, four of which had already left, with two more leaving within the hour.
Hurriedly, she pulled out her cell phone and called the head of the TSA at Atlanta. "This is Penelope Garcia, technical analyst for the FBI, and I need the passenger lists for the following ten flights." She read off the list of flight numbers and gave the man her credentials and work email. It was a tense ten minutes, but then the data was in her inbox and she opened the PDFs, scanning the flights for William or Maggie's name. Neither was there, and she felt her shoulders slump.
"Did you find something?" Susan asked as she refilled her mug.
"No. Which is good. There are just a few more hours until the call will come and we'll be able to trace him and find out where he is." She sat back in the sofa and held onto her cup, staring into the golden liquid. Something still didn't sit right about this case, but she couldn't put her finger on what. She felt Reid sit down next to her and she leaned against him. "Waiting for a call is so draining."
"I know. This reminds me of that case we worked a few years ago, when Gideon was still with us. The twins, remember?"
"Yeah, that was a weird case. You're right, this does have that vibe. But I can't figure out what I'm missing here." Penelope sighed, biting her lip. "I'm worried about her."
"She'll be fine, I'm sure she will be. But give her a call later. You deserve peace of mind."
She smiled and drank the tea, watching the clock anxiously. At 5:30, her phone rang and she saw it was Erin. "Hello?"
"Hi. I thought you might like to know I made it home safe. I'll probably head out for groceries in about half an hour. Do you want me to pick up anything while I'm out?"
"I need more jasmine tea. Other than that, I can't think of anything. How'd your day go?"
"It went well. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. Has he left you alone?"
"Yeah. I rode with Hotch and Reid. We're waiting at the house while the rest of the team is with the police. The unsub will call in about two hours with the ransom demand. From the sounds of things, we'll be on our way home tomorrow. I wish…"
"I know. I should probably let you go now, you've work to do. I love you."
"I love you, too." Penelope hung up and saw Reid looking at her. "What?"
"Be careful. The two of you are playing with fire. If you were to get caught, the repercussions would be horrible. I don't want to see either of you end up hurt."
"We're broken people, Reid, whose pieces happen to fit together."
"Ah, so you and she are children of the earth."
"What?"
"The Origin of Love?" She shook her head. "The Greek philosopher Plato?" Again, she shook her head. "Okay, so Plato was holding a symposium to Eros and a bunch of people gave speeches in honor of him. One, by Aristophanes, was about how we were separated from our true loves and why we fall in love with who we do. Being women, you're children of the earth."
"There's also a song about it," Susan piped in, smiling at them.
"Really?"
"Yes. Rufus Wainwright sings it, but I think it came from a movie, first. You should really look up his version, though. It's lovely." She held out the teapot. "More tea, Penelope?"
Penelope nodded and held out her cup. Susan filled it and held the teapot out to Reid. "No, I'm fine, thank you." He clasped his hands around his knees and stared at the phone. As the call time came closer, Aaron and Paul came into the living room. Aaron sat on the sofa, while Paul stood behind Susan, his hand on her shoulder. Eight o'clock came and went with no call from the unsub. The parents held on to each other a little tighter, their faces losing color. Penelope tried to keep her face a neutral mask, hoping still that she was wrong about who the unsub was.
"This is to be expected," Aaron said at quarter past eight. "He changed his m.o., so it stands to reason that he would call at a different time as well."
Another hour passed and Penelope got up and paces the room, trying not to watch the telephone. She could see Reid tap his fingers against his leg in an impatient cadence. As time passed, they all began to watch the clock. At midnight, Hotch sent the parents to bed, and they curled up on the chairs and sofa in the living room.
Penelope drifted off into an uneasy sleep. Without Erin next to her, she felt exposed, even though she was safe with Reid and Hotch. She woke up first the next morning and stretched, working the kinks out of her back. She picked up her go bag and went into the bathroom, quickly changing and washing her face. She covered up the bruise with makeup, pleased that it was starting to lighten. Rossi's ring would probably leave a scar, though, she thought as she touched the raised ridge gently. Sighing, she put on her lipstick and exited the room, ready to face the day.
Hotch was on the phone when she went back into the living room. "You meet us here and we'll revise the profile. See you in thirty." He looked up at her, his eyes weary. "I want to run with your theory today. You may have been right all along."
She nodded and put her bag back by the others. Then she set to work on her computer, picking up where she'd left off on William Hinds. She looked further into his assets, taking down his address as she knew they would be going out there later that day. She also discovered Hinds owned a boat, with a slip at the local marina rented for the next seven years. She put that address down as well, thinking it a viable option to explore.
She heard their voices behind her, and she tried to drown out Rossi's. "What do you have for us, Mama?" Morgan asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.
She turned slightly to look at him. "Two possible locations to check out. This is his home, it's about twenty minutes from here. This is where his boat is docked; it's about forty five minutes from here."
"Good work, Penelope. Okay, Morgan, you're with me and we'll head to Hinds' home. Rossi, you take Prentiss to the marina. Reid, you stay here with Penelope, just in case a ransom call should come in. Let's move out."
Penelope watched them leave, happy that she got to stay behind. Shortly after they'd left, Susan came downstairs. "Where'd Agent Hotchner go?" she asked.
"He and the others went to check out a few leads on your daughter's abduction. They'll be back in a few hours."
"May I fix you two breakfast?" Penelope looked to Reid, who nodded. "Great. I'll call you when it's ready."
Penelope sank back into the couch, yawning. She was still exhausted, her night on the couch not very restful. Reid sat next to her, resting his head against hers. "So, Strauss? Really?"
"Uh-huh. Kind of crazy, I know. But she's really sweet and I don't know, she trusted me enough to let me in to her private hell. I wouldn't want to wish anyone dead, but Christopher really tests that resolve. He deserves to be hit hard by the karma stick."
"You've been seeing her for how long now?"
"We've been living together for about six weeks now, ever since I brought her home from the hospital. Reid, this is going to sound really weird, but what's it like to make love to a woman? Before this, I've only been with guys, and she feels so different from you lot. It's not like we've gone beyond kissing yet, but is everything the same?"
Reid turned bright red and looked down at the floor. "I don't really have that much experience, Penelope. Just go about it how you like to be pleased. Make it about her, not about you. As long as you act out of love, everything will be fine."
"Thanks, Reid. I know it's probably not the most comfortable mental picture I've left you with, but I'd rather ask you than Morgan."
"What are you going to tell the rest of the team? If you are serious about this relationship, you'll have to tell eventually. It's not going to be easy, you realize. It's almost like you're sleeping with the enemy. Not that I feel that way, having seen her with you, but they are going to have some very difficult questions for you to answer."
"What if we didn't go public?" she asked, looking at him. "What if it just stayed between the three of us?"
"Penelope, you can't keep something like this a secret. Pretty soon, Emily's going to ask why you're smiling all the time and Morgan's asking why you can't go out for drinks with the team. Are you really going to be able to lie to them?
Slowly, Penelope shook her head. "No, but I have to keep it under wraps for the present time. At least until the divorce is final. If he were to catch wind of this, there's no telling what he'd do, to either of us. Her safety is the most important thing in the world, Spencer. I couldn't bear to lose her to the hands of that madman."
"I understand. And I'll be there for you when you do tell everyone." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her.
Paul blearily appeared in the living room. "I think breakfast is almost ready. I could smell it up in our bedroom," he said with a yawn, just as Susan came back into the living room. They got up off the couch and followed her into the kitchen. Once they were seated at the table, Susan reached out and grabbed Penelope's hand. As she watched, Paul took Reid's and Susan's hand in his and so she took hold of Reid's. "Oh, Lord, we ask that you keep the FBI agents safe as they look for our sweet Maggie. May she come home to us safe and sound. Thank you for everything You are going to do with this day. In Thy name we pray. Amen."
"Amen," Penelope echoed, looking up from her plate. Susan squeezed her hand gently, then let go. She passed around plates of food and Penelope took a little from each one. They ate in silence, a sad air hanging over them all. Once they'd finished, Penelope helped Susan clean up the remains.
"Tell me, honestly, what's the likelihood that I'll see my Maggie again?"
Penelope sighed, holding the dish towel limply. "I don't know. This isn't my side of the job usually. I just look up the information for them and they're the ones who figure things out. My team is good and they'll do whatever they can to bring her home."
"But?"
"But, there is the chance that he's taken her out of the country. If he gets to a country where he can be free from extradition, then our hands are tied."
"You sound as if you know who he is."
"I think I do. I think it was your ex-husband. I haven't figured out why he would do something like this, but this is the only thing that makes sense. I'm sorry, it's not an easy answer to hear."
Susan looked at her and tried to smile through her tears. "I always felt something like this would happen. Will was never content with the custody agreement; he always wanted to spend more time with Maggie. He just wasn't willing to give up his job."
Penelope finished drying the dishes and said, "We don't know yet what's going on. Keep your faith alive." She walked out into the living room and checked her email. She found another letter from Kevin, which she moved to his folder, and a note from Erin. She opened it and smiled to read her words of encouragement.
Reid joined her on the couch a few minutes later. "It sucks to wait. I always feel so helpless."
"I feel that way quite often. Some of the things I've seen…" She sighed. "As long as we bring Maggie home safe, that's all that matters." She sank back against the seat, watching the minutes tick by. Finally, Aaron and Morgan returned, looking perturbed. "What did you find at the house?" she asked, looking up at them.
"Nothing good. Most of their clothes are gone, along with a few of her toys. The housekeeper said that Hinds had told her they were going on a trip and not to expect them back for a couple of weeks. I'm sorry, Penelope. I should have listened to you."
"It's okay, Hotch. I'm not a trained profiler."
"No, but you are intelligent and have good judgment." He set his hand on her shoulder and she looked into his eyes. "I'm glad you came along, we might not have come upon this until much later if you were back at Quantico. I know this is not what Rossi had in mind when he insisted you come with us, but too bad for him."
She smiled and nodded. "There are always hidden blessings to the most horrible of situations."
"The boat's gone," Prentiss said as she and Rossi came in the door. "The owner of the marina said he noticed it out yesterday morning, but thought nothing of it at the time."
"By now, they're in international waters. We can't touch them now," Hotch said, looking incredibly weary as he ran a hand through his hair. "Please call Paul and Susan in here."
Prentiss went and found them, having them sit on the sofa that she and Reid had just vacated. "You can't bring her home, can you?" Susan asked, looking at Penelope bleakly.
"I'm sorry, it doesn't look good. We do know your ex-husband has her, and that he's taken his boat out. We can ask the Coast Guard to keep a look out for his boat, but as long as he remains in international waters, we can't touch him," Hotch said.
Susan burst into tears, and Paul wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close to him. "Thank you for everything," he said, dismissing them with his tone. Reid picked up his and Penelope's go bags while she grabbed the laptop. She followed Hotch out, Reid at her side, and got in their SUV. It was a silent ride to the airfield, and once on the jet, no one seemed eager to say anything. Penelope stared out the window, watching as the clouds grew darker the farther north they travelled.