Friday morning, Gracie brought up the package from Fein Music. Penelope opened it, taking out the invoice, then she taped the box back up. Thankfully, she had remembered to bring wrapping paper from home and she made quick work of turning the package into a present. Tying a bow on the top, she attached the card and set it by her purse.
The hours ticked by slowly as she fielded calls from her teams, waiting for the clock to turn over to five o'clock. Morgan was her last call of the day, and she tried not to rush him off the phone too soon.
"So, where are you headed to tonight, Mama?"
"Am I that obvious? I'm picking her up and taking her to our trattoria. So predictable, I know. I can't wait to see her face when I show her the cello. Oh, I hope she loves it."
"I'm certain she will. Have a good night, oh, and Hotch says Jessica will drop Jack off at the manse about six o'clock. Say happy birthday to Erin for us."
"I will. See you when you get back." As soon as she hung up, she powered down her system, then put her coat on. Picking up the present, she exited her office and made her way home. Parking in the drive, she waited for Erin to come out. She didn't have long to wait and soon her lover was coming out the door. Jack and Paul stood on the front porch and waved to them as they took off into the evening.
Throughout the meal, Erin kept eyeing the present. Finally, Penelope handed it over and she carefully unwrapped it, passing the card by completely. "Oh, my dove, what about the card?" she asked as Erin went to break the tape seal with her fingernail.
Erin sighed and picked the card up, reading the note Penelope had written. "Ah, my peacock. I love you, too. Now, may I open the box?" Penelope nodded and watched Erin tear off the tape and open the flaps on the box. A quizzical, puzzled look crossed her face as she pulled out the metronome and then the tuner. By the time she pulled out the rosin, her lips had formed a discontented moue. "Penelope?"
"Just wait and see," Penelope said as she paid the bill, tipping their waitress well. "Now, let's head home for cake and part two of the present."
Erin nodded and arm in arm they walked out to the car. Penelope turned on the CD player and smiled, waiting for Erin to recognize the songs playing. "Is this Elgar?" she asked, a smile spreading across her face.
"Yes it is."
"And is that Jacqueline du Pré playing the cello?"
"Right again, my dove. I thought you might enjoy listening to this on the way home." They lapsed into silence, letting the music was over them. Once Penelope had pulled into the garage, Erin leaned over and kissed her cheek softly.
"I hope you catch me if I fall when I see my gift. I think I just might faint if I'm right."
"I'll never forget to catch you. Come on, princess, it's time to head in." Penelope went around to the other door and helped Erin out of the car. Opening the door, they found themselves surrounded by Karen, Paul, and Jack. As one, they began to sing 'Happy Birthday' to her, leading them into the kitchen. On the counter, next to the cake, was Penelope's laptop and singing along were Annie and her husband, Declan.
"Happy birthday, Mum," she said, rubbing her stomach lightly. "Next year, we'll be able to visit you. She'll be here around February, and then we can come anytime."
"It's so good to see you, honey, even if you are so far away."
"You too, Mum. Well, we have to get going. My class begins in twenty minutes and Declan has to get to school as well. Love to you all." She got up and broke the connection and Karen passed around the cake. When their plates were finished, each of the three younger ones handed her a gift.
"Open mine first, Aunt Erin!" Jack said eagerly, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet.
"All right." She set the other two gifts on the island counter and held the small box in the palm of her hand. Carefully, she slipped her fingernail under the tape and opened it, peeling the paper off. She opened the lid and showed the others a delicate filigreed treble clef pin. "I love it Jack. Thank you so much." She hugged him close, then moved on to the next gift.
Paul blushed as she opened a boxed set of cello recordings by Yo Yo Ma. "It's mostly using the du Pré cello. I hope you like them."
"I'm certain I'll love them. You know I love listening to cello music."
"Awesome. Jack and I are going to marathon our game now. Is it okay if we sleep in the den tonight?"
"I suppose. Have fun."
"Thanks, Mom. Happy birthday." He and Jack left the room while Karen handed her gift to her mother. Opening it, she revealed lesson books on how to play the cello.
"But I have no need for this, do I?"
"Don't you?" Penelope asked as she held out her hand. "It's time to show you what's been hiding in the guest bedroom." Erin took the proffered hand and Penelope led her up the stairs, then unlocked the door. "Happy birthday, my dove."
Erin opened the door and gasped at what she saw. "Oh, Penelope. It's so beautiful," she whispered as she took a cautious step towards the instrument. "And it's mine?"
"All yours. It is more than time for you to begin pursuing your dream. Your first lesson is Thursday."
"How did you arrange this without my guessing?"
"Very carefully, let me tell you. Karen snuck it upstairs that day we went out to the art museum. So, do you enjoy it?"
"Oh yes, indeed. Though I would have been happy with just you for my birthday."
"That's part three of your gift, my love. Play me like a fine instrument, and make me sing. I've been looking forward to this part of our evening all day." Erin took her hand once more and they went into their bedroom. She stopped them in front of their bed.
"I never did finish our story, did I?" Penelope shook her head. "Well, let me pick up where I left off. The princess knew she had to have one night of happiness with her troubadour before she went back to her old life. She decided to stay up until her husband had passed out drunk at the table. Looking at her troubadour, she motioned with her head that she should follow her. She quickly went up the stairs to her tower, hoping to be followed.
"She didn't have to wait long in her room when there came a soft tapping at her door. Opening it, she found her troubadour standing there and she let her in, leading her over to the bed. The princess took the lead, surprising even herself. Leaning forward, she kissed her troubadour, releasing her glorious red hair, letting it spill across her shoulders." As Erin said this, she pulled out the clip that held Penelope's hair up. Penelope sighed in pleasure as Erin ran her fingers through her hair.
Impatiently, Penelope leaned forward and kissed Erin. Erin responded by deepening the kiss and making short work of Penelope's dress, letting it fall to the floor. With one finger push, Penelope found herself falling back on the bed, looking up at her lover. "The princess, surprised by her troubadour's willingness, quickly shed her own garments and joined her on the bed. Whilst the troubadour tried to insist on being the first to bring pleasure, the princess would hear nothing of it, wanting to feel for herself what it was like to bring another person the release she so often had to give herself."
Erin stopped speaking and looked down at Penelope, a warm smile on her face. Slowly, she peeled the clothes from her body, letting them fall to the floor. Once she was naked, she climbed in next to Penelope, straddling her hips. Taking hold of her hands, she pulled Penelope into a seated position, kissing her as she pushed her back against the headboard. Penelope grabbed onto the lip of the bed as Erin let her hands slip down her body, teasing her nipples into stiff peaks.
Penelope whimpered as Erin's hands crept lower, shivering as she stroked her center. She used her wonderfully nimble fingers to seek out her clitoris and Penelope felt herself tighten around Erin's hand as she climaxed. Erin didn't let up, kissing down Penelope's neck and chest only to pass by her aching breasts. "Erin," she moaned, tangling her fingers in her lover's hair and trying to tug her back up. Erin arched an eyebrow at her and shook her head, continuing to kiss further down Penelope's body.
She never knew the crease of her knee was sensitive to stimulation until the moment Erin ran her tongue along it. "Don't stop, Erin, oh god, please, don't stop." She felt Erin chuckle against her skin as she kissed up her other leg, stopping only to hover above her center. Gently, Penelope tugged Erin down and sighed when she felt Erin's tongue in her, skillfully bringing her to another climax. As she relaxed into the mattress, Erin crawled up to lay against her, throwing her leg over Penelope's. "What did the troubadour do after the princess had given her such great pleasure?" she breathlessly asked.
"The troubadour reciprocated, bringing the princess as much pleasure as she possibly could," Erin replied in a voice just as breathless.
"I was hoping that would be the answer," Penelope replied, gently turning Erin onto her back…
In the morning, Penelope woke up to Erin kissing her. "I don't think I told you last night how I love you so."
"You didn't need to, my dove. You showed me, very well I might add, how much love in your heart there is. Now, before we let the day intrude on us, would you tell me how the story ends?"
"Certainly," Erin answered as Penelope curled up against her, laying her head on her chest. "When the princess woke up the next morning, her heard ached for what she knew could never be. The troubadour, awakened by her crying, sat up and wrapped loving arms around the princess, easing her sorrow. The troubadour tried to convince the princess to run away from her lonely life and come with them as they traveled about the kingdom. No matter what the troubadour said, the princess knew she couldn't escape her husband, the prince. With heavy hearts, they parted company, hoping beyond hope they could one day be together.
"Months passed, and the princess's longing for her troubadour only grew. Soon, the prince took notice of the change in her behavior and began to treat her all the more cruelly. One day, the princess made a mistake and compared the prince to her troubadour. In a fit of rage, the prince cut off the princess's long blonde hair, stripped off her royal robes, and cast her out into the night. For a long time, the princess wandered the countryside, searching for her love. Finally, she fell ill and some kindly nuns took her into their cloister, nursing her back to health. Her recovery took a long time, as the fever had weakened her hungry body.
"And then one day she heard familiar music. One of the sisters helped her out to the courtyard of the cloister. There, she saw her troubadour, playing sweetly on her lute. Their eyes met and instantly they knew one another despite the changes in appearance. The princess fell to her knees and the troubadour thrust the lute at one of the other members of the troupe as she rushed to her beloved's side. Taking the princess in her arms, the troubadour helped her to stand, leading her over to the group and vowing never to let her go again. The princess made the same vow and as soon as the princess was completely recovered, she joined the troubadour's band of merry souls, eternally grateful to be with the love of her life. And they lived happily ever after." Erin leaned down and kissed Penelope's forehead softly.
"I want you to tell that story to our children, or a story like it." She drew patterns on Erin's stomach with her finger as she began to cry.
"What's wrong, Penny?"
"I feel selfish for wanting to have children with you. That part of your life was over when Paul was born, and here I am, wanting you to go through the whole thing once more."
"It's a natural desire, my peacock, and one we'll fulfill. Have you thought about who you want to be the father?"
"I'd kind of like Reid to be our donor. I know there is quite a large genetic risk we take by asking him to do so, but, still and all, he'd be my first choice." She nuzzled Erin's neck, nipping delicately at the skin.
"Which of us will carry the babies?"
"I will. You've had that pleasure three times already." Penelope looked up into her lover's eyes and saw that Erin was keeping something from her. "What aren't you telling me?"
"We have a consultation with a fertility doctor Monday at 5:30. I sort of arranged it as a birthday gift to myself." Erin looked away from her, and Penelope waited for her to continue. "It's just, I've been taking Clomid for the last few weeks to up the number of eggs in my ovaries."
"Then we'll harvest the eggs from you, fertilize them, and implant them in me. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy, right?"
"I love the way you think, my love," Erin replied, kissing her sweetly as she rolled her onto her back.