As Erin had predicted, the turnout for Christopher's funeral was quite small. No one really wanted to celebrate the life of a man who had tried to have his own wife murdered. Many who showed up only did so to honor Erin and the children. Paul had decided to sit in the very front of the room, as far away from his mother as possible.
After the service, an older man approached Erin, Penelope, and Karen. "Mrs. Strauss, it's always sad to meet under terms like these. I honestly wish I could say your husband was a fine man who will be sorely missed by many. Something to ease your heart and mind at a time like this, however, is he left no will. The estate is yours, no strings attached."
"Everything?"
"Yes, everything."
"Thank you, Mr. Keith. That does ease my heart. Is there anything I need to sign to make this official?"
"No. If you'd like, I can begin the process of removing his name from the titles for your home and vehicles, along with from your bank accounts."
Erin nodded. "It's so wonderful to have you here at a time like this."
"Anything for you, Mrs. Strauss." He shook her hand and then blended into the crowd.
"Who was that, Mother?"
"Robert Keith, our financial advisor. He's been managing our assets since your father and I were married. Your father's family has used him since the late sixties."
"Did Father have a lot of assets?"
"Oh, yes. If worse comes to worse, I would never have to work another day in my life, and neither would Penelope."
"What?" Penelope asked incredulously.
"That's right, you could totally be a kept woman," Erin replied with a smile. "Karen, go get Paul so we can go out to supper."
Karen nodded and moved over to her brother, who was sullenly watching them. Penelope watched Karen put her hand on his shoulder only for him to wrench out of the light touch, stomping over towards them. "Where are we going?" he asked petulantly, not looking at either of them.
"The first open restaurant we come across," Erin replied, stalking off. Penelope quickly followed her, Karen and Paul at their heels.
"Are you coming home tonight?" Paul asked once they were under way.
"I haven't decided yet."
"What? Can't tear yourself away from your fat ass dyke girlfriend?"
Penelope felt as if she'd been slapped and silent tears rolled down her cheeks. Erin stopped the car on a dime, threw it in park and turned around to look at her son. Then she reached out and slapped him across the face. "You will never treat her with such disrespect again. Do you hear me?" He nodded. "I'm sorry?"
"Yes, Ma'am," he replied angrily, not looking at any of them.
"Now, apologize to her."
"I'm sorry."
Penelope nodded and turned back around, wiping at her eyes. Karen stuck her hand over the seat, handing Penelope her handkerchief. Erin started driving once more, passing by everything open and then she was out in the suburbs. Slowly, Penelope began to recognize where they were and knew Erin was going home.
"Get out Paul," she said through clenched teeth. "You can fend for yourself tonight. We'll be here tomorrow."
He got out of the car and slammed the door, stomping up to the front door. He glared at them before going inside, and Erin waited until she saw a light flip on before leaving herself. She drove straight over to their place and got out.
"Thank you for letting us use your car, Karen. We'll call if we need anything." Karen nodded and hugged her mother, whispering something in her ear. Then she went over to Penelope.
"She loved him once, and I think she'd going to be having a breakdown soon. You can't just shut those feeling off sometimes."
"I know. Oh, how I know that far too well, Karen. At least we'll break down together."
Karen hugged her tightly. "Thank you, Penelope." She turned and got in her car, driving off into the night.
Erin wrapped an arm around Penelope's waist. "Do you want to get something to eat?"
"No, let's just eat in. I'm not terribly hungry to begin with," Penelope answered.
Together, they went up to their apartment and Erin went into the kitchen, putting a pot of pasta and a kettle of water on the stove to boil. Penelope rummaged through her tea stash until she found the rose petal tea. She threw two bags into the teapot and then pulled out a jar of pasta sauce to heat. While they waited for everything to cook, Erin set the table, beckoning Penelope to join her. "I really must apologize for my son. I had no idea he had grown so out of control. It's only been six months since I left Christopher. I didn't realize people could change so very quickly." Penelope snorted. "What?"
"Erin, have you taken a close look at yourself in the mirror lately? You positively glow at the most random of moments, and you're smiling much more often now. I feel like I'm watching a rare and prized orchid blossom before my eyes." Penelope saw she was blushing and reached out for her hand. "If I wanted to be really corny, I could say that you light up my life."
Erin began to laugh, and Penelope joined in, pleased to hear her be jovial after such a difficult day. "I hope you don't mind, but I would like to stay at the house tomorrow night. I want to exorcise all the bad memories from there as soon as possible."
As Penelope stirred the sauce, she thought about Erin's words. This was potentially a very big step in their relationship, and she didn't want to take a misstep. "No, that would be nice, actually. I've never gotten a proper tour of the manse. Ow!" She rubbed her arm and looked at Erin in mock hurt. "What was that for?"
"My home is not a manse. Yes, it's larger than normal homes, but, oh, never mind. It is a manse."
Penelope held out her arm. "And you're going to kiss my arm and make it better, right?"
Erin arched her eyebrow. "Really?" Penelope nodded. "Fine." She leaned forward and kissed Penelope's upper arm. "Now, I think the food is ready. We should eat before this leads us somewhere else," she whispered as she tweaked Penelope's nose. She plated the pasta while Erin poured the water into the teapot. Then they sat at the table. Penelope picked at her food, not really hungry, still bothered by Paul's words. His casual bigotry hurt much more than anything they had encountered before.
Erin pressed a mug of tea into her hands, kissing her cheek lightly. "He's a kid, and he's hurt and sad about his father. But I know his words hurt you more because he's my kid. And I love you. He'll always be my son, no matter what, but I don't want to lose you because of him."
Penelope felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her heart. Nodding, she dug into her food, her appetite slowly returning. When they were finished, they put the dishes in the washer and then went into the living room. Erin curled up next to Penelope on the couch, putting her head on her shoulder. "I'm just going to bring my go bag in with me tomorrow. Are we going to leave our things there?"
"I don't know. Do you want to spend time at the house?"
"Kind of. It was your home for so long, after all."
"But now my home is wherever you are." Penelope tried to stifle a giggle, but failed. "Oh, god, now I'm the corny one. You're rubbing off on me, my sweet peacock."
"Good." Penelope bent down and kissed the top of Erin's head. "You need more levity in your life, and I'm glad to provide it."
Their day began oddly, and Penelope hoped it would get better as it went on. The barista at their coffee shop came around and hugged both of them, which shocked her and Erin. "What's going on?" Penelope asked hesitantly, taking a sip of her tea.
"Didn't you watch the news at all since this weekend? You guys and your team were all over it, talking about how you saved Erin from her violent, off-balance husband and his gang of government goons. You are seriously the biggest story on the airwaves right now."
Penelope looked over at Erin, who had turned white at Kelly's words. "Are they saying anything else?"
"Like about your relationship? No, there's been no mention of that . Would that be a problem?"
"Sort of. Thanks for the tea, Kelly. See you later." She slipped her arm through Erin's and they walked slowly out to the car. "Are we going to even have jobs when we get there today?" she asked as she got in, buckling her belt.
"Well, we haven't exactly been discreet, Penelope."
"What do you mean? Up until Friday, Reid was the only one who knew about us. I'm sure Mike suspected something, but knew enough not to say anything. Do you think we should talk to Director Shepperd today?"
"I honestly don't know, and I wish I did. Maybe we should wait and see what happens today."
"All right." Penelope settled back in her seat, watching the scenery pass by. Once they were inside, Mike pulled them aside. "Mike, is everything okay?"
"Director Shepperd told me to pull the two of you away from the others once you'd come in for the day. SSA Hotchner is meeting you both up in the conference room of the BAU. I think it had to do with what happened over the weekend, but I'm not sure. This is the first day back for all of your team, Penelope. I was really sorry to hear Agent Rossi was caught up in all this, though. He seemed like such a nice guy."
"Sometimes, you can't judge a present by its wrappings," Erin said softly. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we should probably get up there. Thank you for looking out for us all this time."
"It was my pleasure, Ma'am." He nodded at them and they walked over to the elevators. Together, they rode up to the BAU, trying not to stand so close to each other. Stepping out, Penelope felt all eyes turn to them. Some looked on in admiration, while others looked at them in open hostility. Unconsciously, she drew closer to Erin, trying to keep herself from grabbing hold of her hand.
Erin sailed through the room, her head held high, and Penelope tried to copy her demeanor and found it easy to slip on the façade of aloofness. She led the way into the conference room and found Aaron there, waiting for them, a perturbed look on his face. "Agent Hotchner, you wanted to see us?"
"Sit, please," he said as he shut and locked the door. He turned back to face them, frowning slightly as he took a seat as well. "Penelope, Erin, your lives are about to become open books to me. I need you to be absolutely honest in answering my questions, whatever they are."
"What is going on, Hotch?"
"I'm the lead prosecutor for the US Government versus David Rossi."
"And they didn't find that a conflict of interest?" Erin asked sharply.
"I have my orders from Director Shepperd to do this. I'm sorry."
"It's okay. You'll just know me a lot better than anyone else besides Erin. When does our interrogation begin?"
"I'd like to begin tonight, if possible. We begin jury selection on Monday."
"That's certainly fast"
"They want this out of the media eye as soon as possible. The FBI is really getting some heat over not being able to protect their own."
"I see. Well, feel free to come home with us after work for dinner. We can discuss this further then," Erin said steadily. "I don't believe you know where I live, so you'll have to follow us. We leave at five." Aaron nodded and looked at them once more, a sad smile on his face.
"This is not going to end well."
"I never expected it to, Aaron. But the gossip columns are going to have a field day with us."
"They already are. Keep a low profile, ladies. Scandal is the last thing we need right now."
They nodded and stood. Aaron left the room first, closing the door behind him. "You should go," Penelope said lowly.
"I should." Instead, she took a step closer to Penelope and cupped her face gently. "I don't want you to worry about this, my love. Whatever happens, happens to both of us, okay?"
Penelope nodded and hugged her close, drawing in a shuddery breath. "I love you, my dove."
"I love you too, my peacock." Erin kissed her cheek and then let go of her. Penelope watched her slip aloofness about herself once more and step out of the room. She waited a minute before she left as well.
Penelope went to her office, slipping inside unseen. For the first time in months, she was able to leave her door unlocked, and it felt good to not have to worry about him or what stunts he might pull. She booted up her systems and then checked her email. She had a lot of inter-office mail, most congratulating her on saving Reid's life, though a few joked about how she'd had to save Strauss in the process. Celebrity felt weird to her, and she hoped the notoriety would die down once the trial was over.
Her teams on the field had no idea what was happening back home and she did not fill them in, not wanting to explain what was going on. The day went slowly, as a number of people stopped in to see if she was handling everything all right. She felt herself get more frustrated as the day went on and drew Erin's cloak of coldness about herself like a shield.
Finally, five o'clock came around and Aaron stopped in. "Are you ready to head out?"
"Just have to get my systems shut down here." She quickly grabbed her things, slinging her go bag over her shoulder as the screens went black. "All right, let's go." Once more, she drew every eye in the bullpen, and she felt her back straighten and her chin come up, unaware just how much she looked like Erin in that moment.
She didn't relax until she was out in the parking lot, and could see Erin waiting for her. She smiled and waved at her, quickening her pace. Aaron matched her pace to keep up with her. "Are you on this level of the parking garage?" she asked.
"Yes, a little further down."
"All right, we'll head out first. Just keep Esther in your sights and everything will be fine," she said as she threw her bag in the back. Erin started the car and waited for Aaron to get out of the way before backing up. Slowly, she drove down the ramp, checking to make sure he was following them. As soon as she was on the road, Erin opened the throttle, as if daring him to keep up with her.
Every light in the house was on when she pulled into the drive. Penelope recognized Karen's car and smiled. It would be nice to see her again so soon. She opened her door and stepped out, grabbing her bag. Erin came around to her side, and they walked arm in arm into the house. Erin went around to the front door and let Hotch in.
"Put your bag in the bedroom, Darling," she said when she came back to Penelope's side.
"Okay." She went upstairs and opened the bedroom door. Every trace of Christopher was gone, as far as she could tell.
"I thought you and Mother deserved a gift tonight. I've put all his things in the spare bedroom across the hall. I didn't know what Mother would want to do with them." Penelope turned to find Karen standing in the doorway, smiling. "I've also decided I'll be commuting to college starting this semester. If we're going to be a family, we have to be together at some point. Annie can't, obviously, but this might help smooth things over with Paul, as well. If he sees me accepting the two of you together, it might soften his heart a little."
Penelope took a deep breath, trying to keep from crying. "Thank you, Karen." She set her bag down next to the bed and then went over to the door. She was not surprised when Karen hugged her quickly.
"So, who's the hunk you brought home? I saw him at your apartment last week, too."
"Hotch? He's my boss. He's also the one that shot your father."
"Why'd he come over?"
"He's going to be prosecuting David Rossi. Your mother and I are going to be debriefed by him tonight, so there are no surprises during the trial. He'll do everything in his power to make sure that monster is put away for a very long time."
"Then I like him already. Is he married?"
"No, widowed, but he's too old."
"He's what, forty five? My friends at Georgetown have stepmother's our age, and it seems to work okay for them."
"That may be, but I still don't think it would work out."
"We'll have to see, won't we?" Penelope recognized that smile on her face, having seen it on Erin's face numerous times when she knew she'd get her way in the end. They walked down to the main floor and she followed Karen in to the dining room.
"I thought you'd gotten lost up there," Erin teased as Penelope took a seat next to her. Karen sat next to Hotch, who seemed surprised by the action. Paul was at the end of the table, as far away as he possibly could get. Moments later, they were served by an older man, who didn't say a word to anyone but Paul, who smiled at him.
"You have servants?" Penelope asked lowly after she saw Karen engage Hotch in conversation.
"No, we have servants, if you want to keep them. I've grown accustomed to cooking with you, and would like to continue that."
"So would I," Penelope replied with a smile. "Though, if we have a maid, I wouldn't mind keeping her."
Erin rolled her eyes slightly. "Of course we can do that." Then she smiled at her. Penelope felt herself blush and focused on her food, knowing Aaron's eyes were on her. It would only get worse from here, she knew. Then there was the trial to think of. Most of what they told Aaron would be fair game. And Rossi knew that, too.
When they'd finished, Erin stood and ushered them into the library. Rather forcefully, she shut the door in Karen's face. Penelope heard her noise of annoyance and smiled. Karen had really taken to Hotch. "So, Aaron, what do you need to know?" she asked as she took a seat on the sofa in front of an ornate fireplace. Penelope sat next to her, while Hotch took the high backed chair.
"The first thing you can tell me is when you broke the fraternization policy," he replied, his face an unreadable mask.
Penelope looked at Erin and found her face set in the same mask that Aaron wore. "Would you like the day I moved in with Penelope, or the day we were first intimate?" she coolly asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Both."
"I moved in with her on January twentieth of this year. We were intimate a few weeks later."
"And why did you choose Penelope? Was it because you knew you could manipulate her into doing what you wanted? Did you play on her pity, entrapping her in something she was not prepared for?" His eyes narrowed, and he asked, "Did you know all along that you would get her raped?"
"Hotch, stop! None of it went down like that. You know it's not her fault I got raped," Penelope interjected, a frown on her face.
Feeling Erin's hand on her shoulder, she turned to look at her. "He's only asking what Rossi's lawyer will be sure to ask. And they will ask the questions like that, in order to trip us up. We need to be prepared for that, which is why Aaron is here." She looked into his eyes. "To answer your questions, Penelope helped me when no one else would, we chose each other. I did not manipulate her into anything. She had never pitied me, so there was no way to entrap her. And if I had known what Kevin Lynch and David Rossi were planning, I would have walked away from her in a heartbeat, even if it meant breaking my own heart in the process."
Hotch fixed his gaze on Penelope. "And you. What were you hoping to gain from having a relationship with Section Chief Strauss?"
"Nothing. Why would I expect to gain something from her?"
"I'll ask the questions here, Ms. Garcia. Surely there must be something in it for you, since she is the one who destroyed your team. Did you entangle her deliberately in hopes of getting her fired, of seeing her humiliated?"
"What? No. That never crossed my mind. I would never, I love her." Penelope broke off, bursting into tears and curling up into Erin's side. Erin pulled her close, letting her cry on her shoulder.
"This is going to be the problem if they call you to the stand, Penelope. Your heart is tender and they'll go for your jugular – in this case, your love for Erin. I can object to most of the scurrilous questions, but if you let them get to you, the jury will focus on you and not him. We can't have that; the focus must remain on what he did to terrorize the both of you." He got up and took a seat next to her on the couch and rubbed her shoulder gently. "Try not to let them get to you, Penelope. They don't matter to you, she does. And as long as you can come home to her, you are blessed. Do not let them destroy you in this way. You've lost too much to him already."
Penelope nodded slightly, squaring her shoulders as she sat up. "I'm sorry."
"There's nothing to be sorry for. If all the world had as tender a heart as you do, it would be a far better place. Are you willing to continue, or do you want to just answer some straight forward questions?"
"I think it best if you just ask a few fact finding questions for now," Erin replied, taking Penelope's hand in hers.
He nodded and sat back on the sofa. "So, the two of you have been together for approximately six months. Did either of you ever discuss what might have happened if Director Shepperd found out?"
"I talked with Reid a little about that. He seemed really concerned about us not getting hurt because we didn't say anything."
"He has a point. One of you will lose your job, once this becomes public knowledge. I hope you are prepared for that inevitability." They nodded and he continued. "Is there anything I should know about that his team will know from him?"
There was a brief moment of silence while they thought, then each shook their head. "If either of us thinks of anything, we'll call you. Thank you, Aaron," Erin said as they stood. He shook her hand and squeezed Penelope's shoulder gently before leaving the room.
Penelope sat back down heavily and sighed. "I'm going to fuck this up for us somehow. I just know I am." Erin sat down next to her, and Penelope leaned into her, putting her head on Erin's shoulder.
"You won't. Whatever happens, happens. We have each other and can get through anything; we should have learned this by now." Erin reached into her pocket and drew out a shiny silver key. "I had this made during my lunch hour today."
Penelope took the key from Erin and held it close to her chest. "Have I told you that I love you?"
"Not yet today. So, my daughter likes Aaron."
"She was kind of obvious, wasn't she? What do you think? Should we or shouldn't we encourage her in this? I don't know how that would work out in the long run."
"Are our bedfellows any stranger than theirs would be? The heart can't pick where it leads, it can only choose to follow or escape. If you could go back and change this, would you?"
"And miss out on the most perfect thing ever in my life? No, never."
"Neither would I." Erin stood and held out her hand. Penelope took it and stood up as well. "The night is still young."
"That it is. Shall we adjourn to the bedroom?"
"I thought you'd never ask." Both laughed and went upstairs arm in arm. Erin opened the door and led Penelope inside. "Tonight, we make this room ours," she said huskily as she turned to face Penelope. Penelope nodded and set her key on the bedside table, never taking her eyes off Erin. Slowly, they came together and Erin wrapped her arms around her waist. Penelope hummed in pleasure as Erin kissed her. She deepened the kiss, letting Erin's tongue slip inside her mouth to tease her.
Somehow, they made it over to the bed, and Penelope sat down, pulling Erin with her. Erin straddled her, making short work of the buttons on Penelope's dress. Penelope reached up to unzip Erin, only to find her hands batted away. "You first tonight," she whispered in her ear and she shivered at the touch of fabric against her skin. Erin nuzzled her face into Penelope's shoulder, and she gasped in pained pleasure as she felt Erin mark her territory, sighing as she flicked the spot delicately with her tongue. As Erin continued down her neck and chest, Penelope shrugged her arms out of the dress, arching up into Erin's touches.
She thought she'd go mad when Erin kissed along the outline of her bra, her hands digging into the covers. Finally, Erin unclasped the bra, pulling it off and throwing it aside. "Erin," Penelope moaned as her thumbs teased her nipples to stiff points, and she tried to tug her head down to her chest. Erin finally obliged her and she screamed sharply at the exquisite pleasure her mouth was giving. When she felt Erin's fingers snake beneath her panties to stroke her folds, she orgasmed.
Erin looked up at her, a grin on her face. "You really were wound up," she said breathlessly as she tugged off Penelope's panties. Her legs slipped open and Erin knelt between them and wriggled her tongue in between her folds until she found Penelope's clitoris. She felt every nerve in her body sing at the electric touch and it wasn't long before she climaxed again, screaming Erin's name.
Erin sprawled on the bed next to Penelope, a contented smile on her face. "You know, you make the cutest mewling sounds in the back of your throat when you're about to orgasm." Penelope could feel herself blush and listened as Erin laughed in joy. "It's one of the things I love about you, all these little sounds you make. Like the purr of pleasure that comes from you when I rub my thumbs over your nipples." She demonstrated the movement and, though Penelope tried to stop it, that damned purr erupted from her throat.
"Well, you make noises I find irresistible as well."
"Such as?" Erin asked in challenge, arching an eyebrow.
"Let me show you." Penelope rolled onto her side and faced Erin. Her hair was disheveled and a charming smile danced about her face. Penelope reached out and tugged the zipper down her back slowly. Running her hands up Erin's side, she watched her bite her lip, trying to keep from moaning. Penelope slipped her hand behind Erin's back, deftly unhooking her bra, then pulling both the top of the dress and the bra from her body. She cupped her breasts and teased the nipples with delicate touches until Erin was arching up into her hands, a keening moan erupting from her lips.
"There it is, that's the sound I love to hear you make, well, other than my name," she said softly as she pulled the dress off Erin, looking at her body. "Turn over on your stomach, please, and trust me." Erin did so, pillowing her head on her crossed arms. Penelope let out a deep breath, hoping Erin would not freak out with her next move.
She straddled Erin's legs and bent over her back. Gently, she stroked the small scars that lined her back, then she bent further and kissed each scar, mapping out her back in her memory. Before she'd gone halfway, she felt Erin's body shake as she began to cry. Penelope did not pick up her pace, instead lingering over the past pain her lover had endured. She also found herself crying, her tears splashing down on Erin. As she reached the last scar, just above the swell of Erin's backside, her tears had turned into copious weeping.
Erin turned and reached up to her, pulling her down flush against her body. Penelope turned her face into Erin's neck, still sobbing. "Oh, my peacock," Erin sighed, holding her close.
"I just wish I could erase every hurt he's caused you over the years, my dove," she whispered.
"But you are, by loving me. I don't think I could ask for more at this point." Her eyes fluttered closed as she yawned and snuggled all the tighter to Penelope. Shortly after, she was asleep, her sweet breath washing over Penelope's face. Penelope sighed and drifted off to sleep herself, a sad smile on her face.