The next morning, Penelope woke up before their alarm, excitement coursing through her veins. Unable to wait for Erin to wake up on her own, she shook Erin's shoulder until she peeked up at her through one eye. "Today's the day, my dove. Our children will be home!" She bounced out of bed and went over to the closet, pulling out her Alice blue dress. "Time's a wasting."
"Honey, they're not coming home until 12:30 at the earliest. We have a little time, seeing as how it's only quarter to seven." She threw back the covers and sat up, stretching. "Pull out my purple skirt and cream silk blouse, will you?" Penelope nodded and get them out, holding the hangers with her dress hanger.
"Now, we shower."
"If we shower together, my love, we could end up being late."
"I promise, no hanky-panky. The sooner we get out of the house, the sooner we can get them home, or so it will seem," Erin nodded, as if knowing it was a battle she'd end up losing. Penelope grinned and went up to her, tugging her out of bed. An hour later, they were dressed and Erin ran down to fix them breakfast.
Paul was in the den, playing a game online. "Morning, Penny. Today's the day, huh?" She nodded. "I can't wait to have them home. You'll let me help out until I leave, right?" Again, she nodded. "Great. You'll be home about two, then. I'll go make sure the car seats are in right while you eat." He paused his game and left the room, a smile on his face.
"Penelope, breakfast is ready," Erin called out and she went into the kitchen.
"Whatever the team is planning, Paul's in on it."
"How can you be sure?" Erin asked as she set the plates down on the island, sitting on a stool next to Penelope.
"He has the same look in his eyes that you do when you're trying to keep a surprise from me. Guess it runs in the family." She ate quickly as she watched Erin pick at her food. "What's wrong?"
"What if something's changed during the night and they can't come home?" As Penelope watched, her eyes filled with tears and she reached out to wipe them away.
"We've created strong children, Erin, I don't think they'll have regressed. Think of how far they've come already."
Erin nodded, clasping Penelope's hand lightly. "I know, I just worry too much at times. Our children are lucky to have a mother like you."
"And a mother like you." They finished and put their dished in the sink. As they were making their way to the garage, Paul met them, holding out a duffle bag.
"Here're clothes for Alan and Elinor to come home in. Karen picked them out last night. I'll see you when you get home." He hugged them tightly, kissing his mother's cheek.
"See you in a few hours, Paul." Penelope smiled and took the bag from Paul's hand.
The drive was longer today, or so it seemed to Penelope. They managed to get every light red and Penelope ached to be with her children. Erin parked on the ground floor of the parking garage, and opened the back door, unhooking one carrier from the seat. Penelope followed suit, setting the bag inside. A sense of anticipation filled her body and she looked at Erin, a joyous smile on her face.
Slowly, Erin returned the gesture, catching the spirit of her partner. They began to whistle a tune that Erin was learning to play, a spring in their steps. On the way up, Penelope clasped Erin's free hand, wanting to be in close contact with her.
The twins were awake and fussing when they stepped in the door and Penelope went over to pick up Alan, opening her blouse as she walked to the incubator. As she bent to pick him up, she smiled down into his face. "Shh, little one. Mommy's here and you'll be fed in just a moment." She sat down and held him to her breast. He suckled strongly, his hand kneading her flesh. Erin was rocking Elinor, trying to get her to calm down as she waited to be fed.
"Here, let me burp him." Erin switched babies and Penelope let Elinor latch on to her other breast. She rocked back and forth, staring down into her sweet child's face. "They're beautiful, aren't they, Penny?"
"Yes, they are." Elinor fell asleep on her chest and Penelope stroked her face lightly. The hours passed quickly and she was just finishing up their second feeding when the doctor came in.
"Good afternoon, ladies. Are we ready to take the babies home?"
"Yes, Sir."
"All right, let me check their vitals one more time and make a notation of it in their charts." He took Elinor from Erin's arms and went over to the scale, weighing her. "She's up another three ounces, that's good." He finished the notations and handed her to Erin, taking Alan from Penelope next. "And he's up another five. Everything looks wonderful with them, ladies, and I'm glad to sign their release papers."
"Perfect," Erin replied, smiling down on Elinor.
"Whenever you're ready to leave, you may." He left the room and Penelope sighed.
"What did Karen pack for them to wear?" she asked Erin. Her lover got up and handed Elinor to her and rooted through the bag.
She pulled out two matching outfits, one in green and one in yellow. "These are absolutely darling. I wonder when she got them?"
"I don't know. What do you think, yellow for Ellie?" Erin nodded and laid the outfit on her lap, taking Alan from her arm. Penelope quickly undressed her daughter and gave her a bath before putting her in the outfit. She watched Erin follow suit with their son and then they placed them in the car seats. "Are you ready, Erin?"
"Yes, I think I am." She picked up Elinor's car seat and Penelope picked up Alan. The nurses were all gathered around the door, smiling and congratulating them on their home going. Penelope received so many hugs from the people who had cared for her children during their time in the NICU, she felt her eye begin to well up. On the elevator ride down, the fellow riders all cooed to the babies, remarking on how small they were.
Penelope was a bit overwhelmed when they got to the car and she carefully set the car seat in the base, locking it in. Then she went over to Erin and hugged her close for a moment. "I didn't realize all the commotion would discombobulate me so."
"We'll be home soon enough, and everything will seem to be on more even ground," Erin replied, kissing her cheek softly. They got in the car and drove home. As they parked, Penelope looked around for her colleague's vehicles, finding it odd that they'd be so focused on when they brought the twins home and then not being there. She unbuckled Alan from the car seat and picked him up, cradling him close to her chest.
Erin shouldered the bag and then took Elinor out, holding her against her chest as she went to the door and opened it. Silence greeted them as they entered the kitchen, and Erin let the bag drop onto the counter. "Paul?" Penelope called out, wondering where he'd gone.
"Does this feel odd to you as well?" Erin asked, standing close to Penelope. She nodded in response and bit her lip. "Let's go check out the den. Maybe Paul's in the middle of one of his games. You know he doesn't hear us if he's fully immersed." They went to the den and as Erin put her hand on the doorknob, they heard the rustle of feet. Smiling at Penelope, she pulled the door open and they saw the team.
"Surprise!" The team all smiled at them as they said the word, gathering around. Penelope looked around the room and noticed three laptops had been set up at different spots in the den. On one, Elle and her family waved at them. Annie and her husband were on another, smiling and crying. The last one showed Gideon, who looked so happy for them. Penelope showed off Alan to their virtual guests.
"He's so beautiful, Penelope. I can't wait to meet them at the wedding," Elle said, touching the screen on her side.
"And I can't wait to see you again." She waved to Elle once more before they left to get back to their day. She moved over to the screen where Derek and Reid were talking to Gideon.
He looked at her and smiled. "And this is Alan? I think he'll live up to his name, seeing the stock he comes from."
"Thanks, Gideon." She handed the baby to Reid and looked at her former mentor. "Are you all set for October?"
"Just about. It'll be nice to be there for two weeks. I've missed D.C. and the people there. I just found out the annual retreat is going to be at the camp across the lake one of the weekends you'll be there. They shouldn't bother you too much, since it's a women's group from the Baptist churches in the tri-state area."
"That's fine. I don't think we'll be leaving very often, anyway." He chuckled slightly at the comment and she blushed at how much she'd revealed. "We won't have to worry about snow, will we?"
"Maybe. This is Michigan after all, though it usually doesn't stick in October."
"Even more reason to stay inside in front of the fireplace, Baby Girl." Morgan pulled her close to him, kissing her cheek lightly.
"He is right, Penelope. The cold nights make for the perfect opportunity to snuggle." Penelope heard someone faintly knocking in the background. "I have to go now. I'll talk to you later." She waved to him and watched the connection wink out.
"So, I wonder who his girlfriend is?"
"And I wonder when we'll get to meet her." Morgan tacked onto Penelope's question. She shrugged and hugged her best friend. "It's good to see you so happy. After everything that happened, I was worried you wouldn't be able to find the joy in life anymore. Why did we never notice how beautiful her heart is?"
"She would never show weakness to her subordinates. To her, that included beauty. I really miss her at the office."
"I do, too, surprisingly. The new Section Chief is nice, but he's so mercurial." She nodded and broke the embrace, looking around the room.
"Where's JJ and Will?" she asked, noticing their absence.
"Kathryn decided today would be good for her appearance. She went into labor two hours before the party. We're visiting them tomorrow."
"I have to ask, did you guys plan on having queen names for your girls?" Reid looked too excited about his query and Penelope knew he was gearing up for a long explanation to the historical namesakes of the girls.
"No, we didn't plan it. I just like the name Elinor. She is not named after Eleanor of Aquitaine, their names are spelt differently."
"But she is still our little princess," Morgan said, stroking the baby's cheek gently before taking her from Erin. "They'll both be just as spoiled by us as you've spoiled Henry and Jack."
Penelope nodded and looked around at their friends. Erin wrapped her arm around her waist and rested her head on Penelope's shoulder. It was so good to feel loved by all their friends and family. She never wanted this love to end.