"Let's get back to the apartment and help Jason get settled," Erin said, placing a hand on Penelope's shoulder.
"Would you mind terribly if I rode to the apartment with Gideon while you go on ahead of us?"
"No, that would be fine. I'll start supper while I'm waiting." Heedless of who remained in the courtroom, she leaned forward and kissed Penelope's cheek softly. "I'll see you at home."
"All right, my dove." It was freeing to not have to hide anymore, even if their outing was not under the most ideal of circumstances. "Are you ready to go, Gideon?"
"If you are. We'll need to stop by my hotel for my bags, though."
"Not a problem. Lead the way, o captain." She threaded her arm through his and they walked out the doors of the courthouse. The media were still present in full force, and the reporters eagerly thrust microphones in their faces trying to get a sound bite. Gideon shielded her from them, pushing through the throng of people to escape into the parking lot across the street. He opened the door for her, helping her into the truck. He got in and drove to his hotel.
"You aren't going to be out anything, are you? I wouldn't want you to feel obligated to use our apartment."
"I got in so early they didn't have a room available, so I just left my bags there. I'll only be out what it will cost me to tip the valet for keeping them safe."
"Good." She waited in the vehicle while he went in and claimed his things. He came out five minutes later and tossed his bags in the back of the truck, then got back in. "My apartment is actually kind of close to here, just follow my directions." She got him there in about fifteen minutes, and directed him to park in the lot behind the building, next to Erin's car. As soon as she was out of the truck, she grabbed one of his bags and he followed her up to the apartment.
"Do I smell chicken parmigiana?" Gideon asked as she unlocked the door.
"Probably. It's what we decided on having for supper this morning. Will that be a problem?"
"No, I love Italian."
"So do we." She stepped into the apartment. "It smells wonderful in here, Erin," she called out as she set her purse down of the coffee table.
"Supper will be ready in about twenty minutes," she said as she joined them in the living room. "So, what have you been up to, Jason? Besides publishing another book, that is." She sat next to Penelope on the couch, crossing her legs primly.
"Wait, you're still publishing? How come I haven't seen anything with your name on it?"
"I went back to using a pseudonym I had been using earlier in my career. Erin, I'm surprised you remembered it."
"Though I'm no Dr. Reid, I do have a rather good memory. Your book caught my eye when it bumped Rossi's out of the number one position on the New York Times bestseller list." She looked over at him "It's quite good, too."
"When did?" Penelope interrupted.
"I downloaded it onto the Nook."
"Oh. Right." She pulled out her key ring from her purse. "Here's the key to the apartment," she said as she pulled off her key. "And where have you been all these years?"
"I had a hard time putting down roots anywhere after Giles, so I travelled, seeing all the sights I had missed in the course of our work, trying to find the beauty in them once more. I finally found peace in a small village called Tustin. It's the perfect place to write, especially in the winter. I have a little cabin in the woods, overlooking a lake. There's a church camp across said lake, and I've had to rescue a few of their more intrepid canoers on occasion. And how long have you two been together?"
"Seven months now," Penelope quickly answered, "but we've been living together for eight."
Their easy conversation was interrupted by the door buzzer going off. Penelope stood and pressed the intercom button. "This is Director Shepperd. Let me in, please." Penelope unlocked the door for him, and took a deep breath, steadying herself by holding on to the wall. She could almost feel the blood drain from her face as her hands turned as cold as ice.
Minutes later, there was a knocking on their door. She looked out the peephole and saw Director Shepperd, looking slightly frustrated. Squaring her shoulders, she let him in. "Welcome to our home, Director."
"Thank you," he replied as he brushed past her, taking a seat on the sofa. As she watched, he set his briefcase on the coffee table and opened it, taking out a sheaf of papers. "Erin, out of all the agents with the Bureau, I never thought I'd have to go through this with you. Is what Ms. Mohr said true? Are you having an intimate relationship with Ms. Garcia?"
"Yes, I am."
"Why didn't you come to me right away?"
"I was worried what Christopher would do, and rightfully so. And then, there was no good time to tell you."
"If you had told me about this, I would have been able to transfer you quietly. I'm sorry, this is the only option I have to give you." He handed the papers to her and she looked them over.
"You're offering me early retirement?" she asked as the oven beeped. Gideon got to his feet and disappeared into the kitchen, pulling out the food and setting it on the counter to cool. Penelope turned her focus back to Erin and Shepperd, wondering what would happen next.
"It will save face for both of us. Do you have any questions about the terms of your retirement package?"
"No, it looks straight forward enough. Thank you."
"My pleasure, Erin. As for you, Ms. Garcia," he focused his gaze on her, and she struggled not to shiver. "Two weeks suspension, unpaid, effective once the trial is finished. You are too valuable an asset to lose; otherwise I would have had to offer you the same out as Erin." She nodded in response, sinking down in the chair Gideon had just left. "As soon as you sign these, Erin, I'll be out of your hair." Erin pulled out a pen and signed with a flourish.
He took the papers back and stuck them in his briefcase. "Ladies, I wish you all the best in life, and that the jury convicts David Rossi."
"Thank you again, Director Shepperd," Erin said as she led him to the door.
"Supper's ready and on the table," Gideon said once the door was closed. Penelope got up and trailed behind Erin into the kitchen.
"So, you get to be my kept woman for two weeks, once the trial is over," Erin remarked with a wicked grin.
"I do, don't I?" Penelope replied, grinning back.
"Okay, that is just too odd."
"Morgan said much the same when he found out about us and our banter. But we're two birds of a feather." As they ate, they caught Gideon up on what he'd missed. "So, the apartment is yours for as long as you need it, Gideon. If any calls come for us, just direct them to our cell phones. The numbers are on the fridge."
She and Erin picked up their purses and left the apartment. Once outside, she took Erin's hand in hers, holding on proudly. "We don't have to hide any longer, my peacock. I never thought it would be so freeing."
"I feel like I want to climb a mountain and shout out 'I love Erin'!"
"That's called making a joyful noise. But I'm not too certain about the mountain. Maybe we could take a day trip to New York City and ride up to the top of the Empire State Building and shout it out there."
"That would be fun, too. We could do a Christmas trip and see the city all lit up. Oh, can we do that? Please?"
"Of course. You'll just have to get the time off from work."
"Speaking of that," Penelope said as they got in the car, "do you want to move completely back into the manse during my time off? It doesn't make sense to keep two places."
"Are you all right with that? I don't want you to feel like you're losing yourself, Penny."
"I've gained you, my dove. This part of my life is over. It's time to move forward with you." Penelope heard Erin sniffle and turned to look at her. "Did I say the wrong thing?"
"No, you said the most perfect thing in the world. I know I've asked this before, but what did I ever do to deserve you?"
"You let your walls come down to let me in." The rest of the drive was completed in contented silence. Erin pulled into the garage and they walked into the house hand in hand. Paul was watching TV in the den and they joined him.
"How did things go today, Mom?" he asked during a commercial.
"Well, Rossi's lawyer made both of us cry on the stand, I've retired from my job, Penelope's moving in here permanently during her two week suspension, and the jury is sympathetic to our side. So, a typical day made up of good and bad."
"Wait, what? Why'd you retire?" he asked, looking at them.
"It was either that or be fired. My boss found out about our relationship today and it forced him into a corner. I'm sure Rossi's lawyer has released the news of our 'illicit affair' to the media by now, and it would look very bad if I got to keep my job despite the fraternization rule. This gives Director Sheppard the ability to save face and I get a pretty swanky pension."
"Okay." His brow furrowed slightly. "So, you're moving in forever?" he asked Penelope.
"That, or as long as your mother will have me. Are you going to be okay with this happening?"
"Yeah, I suppose. You seem kinda cool from your blog and all. Will you need any help moving? We have a long weekend coming up next week, and I haven't made any plans yet. I could probably get a few of my friends to help as well."
"That would be wonderful, Paul. It's a couple flights of stairs, though. No elevator."
"Good practice for cross-country season. I think John's father has a truck we could borrow, too."
"Awesome! There's another worry off my back. So, closing arguments will begin tomorrow, I assume, since Emily was Hotch's last witness."
"Penelope, Ms. Mohr could always recall you with more questions. She asked for that option, remember?"
"What else could she ask me?"
"I don't know. Just be prepared for that. Other than that, yes, the closing arguments will begin." Erin sighed. "At least Jason seems to think we have a good chance at winning."
Penelope tried to hide her yawn, but Erin caught her and yawned as well. "Sorry, it's been an exhausting day. I am heading to bed now, and in doing so, fully acknowledge that this might just make me old."
Paul laughed. "No, it just makes you tired. There's no way you're old yet. That's five years down the line."
Penelope stuck her tongue out at him as she stood and left the room. As she climbed the stairs, she heard Erin' light step behind her and she stopped to let her catch up. Together they went into the bedroom and Erin tossed her a silky nightgown. "What, no happy fun time tonight?"
"Not for me, no."
"Okay, I so cannot wait for our cycles to get in sync. I would have thought after eight months together we would have some semblance of a similar cycle." She sighed and stripped off her clothes, pulling the nightgown on. She watched as Erin changed, then she climbed into bed, snuggling into the downy mattress. Erin joined her, turning to face her as she reached out to brush a piece of hair away from her face.
"I just realized there are no other shoes to drop, my peacock. That is, unless you have a secret husband out there I don't know anything about."
"No, no more skeletons in my closet. My life is an open book to you." She bit her lip. "Is there anything I should know about you that I don't?"
Erin tapped her finger against her lips. "Let me think, there was that circus I ran away with when I was fifteen. I left a trail of broken hearts from here to California and back." She tried to hide her smile, but failed and Penelope leaned forward to kiss her.
"Tell me another story, my dove. I want to fall asleep to the sound of your voice."
Erin held up her arm and Penelope nestled in close to her, wrapping Erin's arm around her waist. "Once upon a time there was a lonely princess locked up in a high tower. Her husband, the prince, wanted to keep her all to himself and so never let her out of the cage he had devised. One day, a troupe of troubadours came to the castle and her husband allowed her to come down and watch them perform. There was one, a redhead, who caught the princess's eye and she felt an immediate spark between them. At dinner that evening, she arranged it so that they sat next to each other. Throughout the meal, their hands touched unconsciously and the princess felt a strange desire build up in her…"