She woke sometime later in a sterile hospital room. Looking around, she saw her hat and shoes on a chair next to her bedside. Lifting the blanket, she was relieved to see they had not cut her dress off.
"I told them it was just shock," Emily said. Penelope sat up and looked over at her. "You'd just shot and killed your murderous ex-boyfriend. Morgan was frantic when he couldn't get you to wake up."
"And Erin?"
"She's resting in the room next to you. The doctor thinks she has a mild concussion, but she'll live. We got to her before they could do anything to her. I mean, other than tearing her dress. Do you want to go see her now?"
Penelope nodded and swung her legs off the bed. "Will you hand me my shoes?" Emily went to the other side of the bed and helped her put the shoes on. Standing up, she grabbed her hat and clutch and followed Emily down the hall. Opening the door, she stepped inside the dark room. "You left her alone?" Penelope cried brokenly, going to Erin's side.
"I had to. Hotch had to go back to the Bureau and explain to Director Shepperd why one of his agents was shot tonight. Then, he has to call the director of the NSA and explain why one of their agents was killed tonight. Don't worry, you and Reid have been cleared of any wrong doing, though you'll still have to give a statement at some point. Morgan and Reid are waiting for Rossi to come out of surgery. Once he's stable, they've been charged with moving him to a secure facility."
"Oh." Penelope took a seat next to Erin, grabbing ahold of her hand.
"So, you're probably not going to want to leave her side. Do you want me to go grab you something from your apartment?"
"That would be lovely, Emily, thank you." Penelope fished the keys out of her clutch and handed them to Emily. She left the room, and Penelope scooted the chair closer to the bed, resting her head on Erin's hand. "I thought I'd lost you," she whispered, her eyes filling with tears once more.
"You can't get rid of me that easily," Erin quietly said. Penelope looked up into her lover's eyes and saw the sad smile there. "You came for me."
"Of course I did. I love you. Many waters cannot quench love."
"Neither can the floods drown it." Penelope nodded and leaned forward to kiss Erin's hand. The door opened, and both women turned to see who was coming in. Penelope smiled in recognition.
"Hello, Dr. Waite."
"Hi. It's good to see you up and about, though you gave the nurse a fright when she found your room empty. And you're awake now, Erin. How are you feeling?"
"My head hurts."
"That's to be expected. You were whacked on the head pretty good. That'll be a nasty bruise on your forehead come the morning, but other than that, you looked good when you came in. We'll be keeping you for a few more hours for observation, and as long as nothing changes, you'll be released in the morning."
"Very good, Dr. Waite. Thank you for taking care of us once more."
"It was my pleasure, Ms. Garcia. The nurse will be by in about three hours to check her vitals. Get as much sleep as you can." He left the room and Erin looked over at Penelope.
"I don't think there's enough room here to join me, but I don't want you to leave my side."
"I won't, ever again. We can have a proper lie-in tomorrow." Penelope yawned and put her head back down on the bed. She smiled when she felt Erin bury her fingers in her hair, sighing lightly at the touch before giving in to sleep.
In the morning, she woke up to the sound of voices. Hearing Aaron, she kept her eyes closed, wanting to hear what he was saying to Erin. "…Shepperd doesn't know about your relationship, I managed to leave that detail out of my report. But it's going to come out at the trial. I know Dave will use it against you in order to discredit the two of you. Penelope, sit up, I know you're awake. You need to hear this, too." She did as ordered and looked at Erin, and then Hotch.
"Director Shepperd is not going to be happy when he finds out."
"That would be an understatement, Penelope. He's already pissed about the bad press the FBI is getting in the news. The trial is going to be a circus; I hope you're prepared for that. Emily left your clothes in that bag by the window. I'll see you Monday, Penelope?"
She nodded and watched him leave the room. "He was telling us to tell Shepperd ourselves, wasn't he?"
"I believe so, Penny. Come, sit next to me, I need to feel your arms around me." Penelope carefully climbed onto the bed, snuggling close to Erin. "So much for a happy birthday for you. I'm sorry."
"Hey, we still have tonight and tomorrow, my dove. All I care about is that you're safe and in my arms. Hopefully, you'll be released soon, though I don't know how we're going to get home. Esther's still in the FBI parking garage."
"I'm your ride," Reid said as he stepped inside their room. "I went and had Mike drive Esther to your apartment building earlier, so you don't have to worry about that." He moved over to their side "How are you feeling?" he asked, looking at Erin.
"I still have a bit of a headache, Dr. Reid, but I can live with that."
"How did David come out?" Penelope asked.
"His left arm will most likely remain partially paralyzed. I seem to have hit a nerve in it that controls movement. I'd do it again in an instant if it would save you."
"What has he been charged with, Dr. Reid?"
"Kidnapping, two counts of attempted murder of federal agents, rape, attempted rape, and infliction of great bodily harm, last I heard."
"Oh, god, Hotch was right. This is going to be a circus," Penelope muttered as she buried her head in her hands.
"He brought it on himself, Penny. We'll get through this, together."
Just then the doctor came in and looked at Erin's charts. "Good morning, Ms. Strauss. Your vitals are fine, and see no reason to keep you here any longer. If you'll stop by the nurse's station, they'll have your discharge papers ready. Take care this weekend, don't do anything too strenuous." She smiled at them and left the room.
"I'll wait for you outside," Reid said, leaving the room.
Penelope went over to the window and pulled out their clothes. She handed Erin her things and then sat on the bed. "Could you untie me a second? I can't quite reach the bow." She felt the dress loosen around her and she stood, slipping it off her body. She gently folded the garment and placed it in their bag. Then she pulled on her polka dotted dress and quickly zipped it. When she turned, Erin was buttoning her blouse. Penelope watched her finish while she put her shoes on, switching the heels out for the flats Emily had grabbed.
"Ready to go, my peacock?"
"Yes." Penelope took her outstretched hand and they left the room together. Reid led them over to the nurse's station and Erin was quickly released and they went out to the waiting SUV. They opted for the middle seats, and Reid started to drive to Penelope's apartment. "Wait! What about Paul?" she asked, turning towards Erin.
"We'll call him as soon as we get home. I want to be in a safe space when I talk to him." Erin reached out her hand and Penelope took it, squeezing tightly. She caught Reid's eye in the rearview mirror and smiled at him. She saw him smile back and sighed in relief. It was good to know that he still supported them, had supported them for so long.
"Would you come up with us, Spencer, before you head home? Please?"
"Of course, Penelope." He got out of the car and followed them up to the apartment. Penelope was relieved to see Emily had put their phones on the chargers. She tossed Erin's to her and watched her disappear into the bathroom.
"If you'd like, there's a bottle of wine in the kitchen; open it and we'll share a glass before you leave." She picked up her phone and flipped through the contacts until she got to Karen's number. She clicked on it, bringing the phone to her ear.
"Hello?"
"Karen, this is Penelope. I don't know if you've seen the news yet."
"Oh, my god, that was you guys? Is Mother okay?"
"She's fine. We're at my apartment, but I have some bad news to deliver."
"The bastard's dead, isn't he? Did you take care of our mutual problem?"
"No, it wasn't me. My boss, Aaron, had the pleasure of removing him from this planet. But your mother, well, we need you here right now. We'll have to make funeral arrangements and deal with the estate. Annie should get back here, too, if she can. He was your father, after all."
"Of course. You take care of her, I'll talk to Annie. I don't believe her semester has quite begun yet. I'll see you in a few hours."
"Ok – wait, how do you know where we live?"
"You're not the only one who can use a computer. Later."
Penelope hung up and accepted a glass from Reid. "You know, I never thanked you for saving my life."
"And you passed out before I could thank you for saving mine." He smiled at her. "We're even in that regard."
Erin came out, her eyes red and puffy. Ignoring Reid, she wrapped her arms around Penelope and sobbed into her shoulder. "This, this is going to be harder than I thought. Christopher's turned him completely against me, against us." Penelope led her over to the couch and motioned for Reid to bring Erin's glass of wine over.
Penelope pressed in into her hand and stroked her hair gently. "We always knew it would be a long road with him. He has to come around, eventually."
"Dr. Reid, I'm sorry, usually I'm a better hostess than this," she said as she straightened her back and wiped her eyes clear of tears.
"It's all right, I understand. You've been through quite a lot in the last twelve hours," he replied, taking a seat in one of the chairs. "So, where do you go from here?"
"To tell or not to tell Director Shepperd, that is our dilemma."
"Well, whatever your decision, I'll be there for you both, one hundred percent." He was interrupted by the buzzer, and Penelope went over and pressed the button.
"Hello?"
"Baby Girl, will you let us in?"
She looked over at Erin, who nodded. "I guess we'll make this party at Penelope and Erin's," she replied before letting them come up. A few minutes later, there was a knocking on her door and she opened it, letting Morgan, Emily, and Hotch in. Emily was holding a copy of the morning paper and Hotch held a bouquet of flowers.
"Getting our drink on early today?" Morgan gently chided, kissing her cheek as he entered the apartment.
"Hey, when you have a night like ours, Sugar, well, it's five o'clock somewhere," she tartly replied, shutting the door behind them. "Please, sit. Can I get anyone anything?" she asked as she took the flowers from Aaron.
"Is there any more wine?" he asked, wiping his hands on his pants.
"Of course there's more wine. I'll be right back." She could feel their eyes on her and Erin as they went into the kitchen. She put the flowers in a vase while Erin poured three more glasses of wine. Penelope took two of the glasses, handing them to Hotch and Morgan, while Erin handed the other one to Emily. She watched Erin regally sit in her chair and Penelope sat on the floor in front of her, reclining against her legs. "So, your Saturday is so slow that you just happened to drop by?"
"No, Penelope. We made the front page of the newspaper, above the fold," Emily said, handing over the paper. Penelope unfolded it and saw a picture of the warehouse, her team in front of it, surrounded by police and ambulances.
"I had no idea," she whispered as she skimmed the story, leaning into Erin's light touch on her shoulder. "They have our names and everything."
"Reporters are good at finding out information, my love. It's part of their job," Erin replied as she read over Penelope's shoulder. "Oh, I hope Paul doesn't read this. He hates me enough already. He'll think the reporters only took my distorted side of the story down."
"If you don't mind my saying so, Ma'am, if he hates you because of the truth, he needs a good talking to," Emily said. "Any of us would be more than willing to vouch for you."
Penelope felt Erin's hand slide back and forth over her shoulder, and she reached up to still the hand, squeezing lightly. "Why would you do that for me?"
"Because Penelope loves you. And if she loves you, there must be something good about you that we've overlooked. Sometimes, even we get blinded by our prejudices." Emily looked at her hands, blushing slightly. "It's obvious, too, that you love her. I, for one, could never begrudge anyone that."
Penelope felt her eyes tear up and she leaned back her head to look up at Erin. She was crying as well, and Penelope reached up to wipe the tears away. The rest of the room seemed to fade away as she smiled up at Erin, watching her lean down to kiss her forehead. She sighed loudly, some of the heaviness in her heart departing. She vaguely heard Reid clear his throat, and they sprang apart, blushing slightly.
"You're being buzzed again," he said and Penelope stood up, going over to the box.
"Yes?"
"It's Karen. Will you let me up?"
"Of course." Penelope let her in and waited for her knock. "I thought you were going to be a few hours?"
"I'm a bad judge of time. Mother!" Erin stood and Karen went to her, wrapping her in a hug.
The others got up and made for the door. "You need time together as a family," Aaron said as he hugged her gently. "We'll see you Monday." She shut the door behind them, then joined Erin and Karen on the couch.
"I've called Annie, telling her about Father. She wants you to call her, soon, so she can tell you why she's not coming home for the funeral. I know it's been less than a day, but we should begin planning it. The sooner it's done, the sooner we can move on."
"Do you have a preferred funeral director?" Penelope asked gently, looking steadily at Erin.
"No, though I've heard good things about Pedersen Funeral Home."
"Okay," she replied, picking up pen and paper to write information down. "Do you want the service held in a church or at the funeral home? Was he even religious?"
"No, and I don't expect many to come out and mourn him, given the ignominious manner in which he died. I just want it to be a simple service, and be done with him. I've already moved on."
"I'll call Pedersen, then. You and Karen talk." She quickly looked up the number for the funeral home and dialed it. When she had everything squared away, she rejoined Erin and her daughter. "We need to go down and finalize everything in person. I told him we'd be by in about half an hour. Would you come with us, Karen?"
"Actually, I'd like it if you stayed home while we finished up, Penelope."
She looked at Erin, trying to mask the hurt in her eyes. "Okay," she said simply, drawing into herself. She bit the inside of her lip to keep from crying and stood up, gathering the wine glasses from the coffee table. She walked into the kitchen and dumped out the remaining dregs of wine, then washed the glasses. After she'd set them on the counter to dry, she turned back to the living room and found them gone.
Giving in to her tears, she went into the bedroom and threw herself on the bed, crying herself to sleep. She woke sometime later to butterfly kisses being pressed all over her face. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked into Erin's.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, slinging her arm around Penelope's waist, drawing her flush against her body. "I hurt you. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just had to do this one thing on my own, to prove to myself I was strong enough." Penelope buried her face in Erin's shoulder, bursting into tears once more.
"I thought I'd done something wrong," she cried out softly through her tears.
"Shh, my peacock, shh. You didn't do anything wrong. We're both keyed up from last night, and that can make it easy to get hurt." She felt Erin's lips on her temple and lifted her face. Erin gently kissed her, wiping away her tears. Penelope deepened the kiss, bringing her hands up to fumble with the buttons on Erin's blouse. Penelope felt her make short work of the zipper on her dress, trying to tug it from her body. A sudden franticness overcame them, and each pulled the clothes off from the other. Finally, they were nude and Penelope broke their kiss to stare at Erin. "What?"
"You are so frakking beautiful."
"So are you." Penelope snorted. "You are. You have eyes the color of warm chocolate; the most sensuous lips that beg to be kissed, especially when you wear that bright red lipstick," she leant forward and kissed her quickly, "the most amazing breasts that respond to the lightest of my touches," she brushed her thumb against Penelope's nipple, laughing throatily when it tightened immediately. "See? Your curves call for me to run my hands over them, for me to touch them. You, my sweet peacock, are a Rubenesque goddess and I am but a humble supplicant at your temple. May I worship there once more?" she asked huskily.
Penelope nodded, not trusting herself to speak without crying once more. Erin turned her onto her back, straddling her body. She resumed giving her butterfly kisses, covering every inch of Penelope's body with light sweet busses. Penelope tried to hold her at her breasts, but Erin shook her head, moving down her body. Penelope felt her body begin to move under Erin's feather light touches as she keened in frustration. "Erin, please!" she finally moaned, opening her legs in invitation. Erin grinned puckishly at her, then ran her finger along Penelope's folds. Penelope lost herself in the feel of Erin's hands and lips, able only to focus on the sensation of pure pleasure.
As she recovered from her orgasm, she blinked, smiling, and looked up at Erin. "Thank you."
"No, thank you. If I had driven you away now, after all we've been through, I don't know what I'd do with myself."
"Oh, my dove, you'll always have my heart." She sat up and stretched. "Did you have anything to eat yet?" Erin shook her head. "I haven't either. Let's just order in today, then." Erin nodded, and they reluctantly got out of bed. Erin stuck to Penelope's side, never letting go of her hand. Penelope didn't mind, though. She didn't want to let go of Erin, either.