I promised an update on something everyday until the premier but yesterday I was feeling terrible. My new diagnoses explains the symptoms but I didn't have the same medication so it was an odd day.

I do have updates for Cash, Signals, When, and Summer all in the next few days.

Luke and Penelope were sitting on one of the big couches in the living room in their sleep clothes from the night before. She was curled into his side. She finally wore herself out from crying and fell asleep. It had taken him nearly an hour to get her to even let him hold her, touch her, talk to her. He didn't blame her, but it was killing him that he was no longer the comforting embrace she went to. Now there were scars marring that for her. He could only punish himself so far before it became something else entirely. He was wide awake, absently stroking her hair, just grateful that she was able to calm down and recognize this pain wasn't new. She already went through it once, and she didn't have a renewed right to push him away, not when they'd come this far.

He was in such a daze that he wasn't aware the group arrived home until he heard the front door open. He should've heard the doors of the cars, noticed the hum of the engines, or the voices carrying on, but he wasn't in the right state of mind. When the group started filing in, he shook Penelope and quietly whispered to her to get up. She registered that there were many guests, and this wasn't her bed. She quickly wiped the sleep from her eyes before turning to Luke, silently asking if she had mascara running down her face. He shook his head. It was clear her eyes were puffy from crying. They'd know that much, but otherwise her makeup was in place. They both rose from the couch to greet them.

As the subdued crowd gathered around the room, they surveyed the two casually clothed people but were not planning on pushing anything. "Did you have fun?" Penelope asked as nicely as she could muster.

"It was fine," JJ said. "I'm surprised we didn't drink that much." She gave Penelope a look of pity, something Penelope never wanted from any of them. This is why they didn't need to know. That one look said it all.

"Yeah, so what's the plan for tomorrow?" Penelope asked them.

"We wanted to do a few water sports, but, if we book it two days in advance, it's cheaper. So I think we all just decided a lazy day on the beach and a barbeque." Matt smiled at her also with a hint of sadness at the end of his grin. Penelope felt the anger flare behind her eyes, but she pursed her lips, saying nothing.

"Right, we went out late tonight anyway and drank, so probably best if we don't do anything we need hand-eye coordination for," Emily added.

"I'm sleeping in. We woke up early, and then I drank, obviously. We'll have to meet you there later," Layla said.

"That's okay. We'll wait for you and take you down when you're ready," Penelope told her.

Savannah nodded. "Beach at noon and then food at three."

"We rented the picnic area just down from where we set up today when you joined us," Kristy added.

"Sounds like a plan. Uh, you all must be tired. Phil, let me take you to your room."

Penelope was going to walk towards the entrance, but Derek's voice stopped her. "I'll take him."

"Night, everyone." Phil said and then wheeled towards the room he'd used on previous visits. Derek followed him with his bag.

"The kids are all sleeping, and so is your mom," Luke told Spencer. "Amanda went to bed about a half hour ago," Luke informed them.

"Any problems?" Hotch asked.

"Apart from a territory fight over some various Monopoly properties, no." Luke nodded at him.

Derek walked back into the room, giving Penelope a glare, which made her jump to avoid any contact with any of these people right now. "Okay, ladies you're upstairs with us. We'll let you get to sleep." Penelope smiled towards Layla and Kelsey.

"Awesome. So done." Layla walked towards Luke and shoved her belongings on him.

He rolled his eyes, settling the bag and suitcase more comfortably. "Good night, everyone." He followed his sister.

Kelsey was right behind her, a duffel and another large tote over her shoulders. "Here, let me." Penelope stepped forward, attempting to grab the tote.

"No. Really, it's okay." Kelsey attempted to back away, chancing a glance at the less than friendly faces watching them. She'd be damned if they were going to think even less of her.

"No. It's fine, Kelsey. I can help you with your bag." Penelope gave her a tight smile that she didn't mean to seem rude, but she couldn't quite make happy either.

Kelsey nodded her assent, as Penelope slung the bag over her shoulder. "Um, good night." Kelsey said to the group, not wanting to be rude, and then quickly moving through the large living room and kitchen to the staircase.

Penelope cleared her throat before addressing the people in front of her. "Okay, well I'll see you in the morning, most likely afternoon. Whatever, tomorrow. See you then." She shuffled away almost to the kitchen.

"Are you okay?" Rossi questioned.

Penelope turned to him and then glanced at Derek, Will, and Hayden who were closest to him. She just gave them a half smile before spinning around and walking away.

After she was out of sight, Derek spoke. "What do we do here?" He knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to punch Alvez until he blurted out everything that he'd ever done to make Penelope cry the tears she'd obviously cried today.

"I don't know," JJ said looking just as lost.

"Well, that's just the thing, none of us know. We don't know what happened," Will said as he rubbed a hand over his wife's back.

"I think I have a pretty good idea." Derek bit back, but he didn't mean to snap at Will, which they all knew.

"Luke is our friend, and, if Garcia is okay sleeping in his bed, then we can't be mad at him for something he didn't even do to us," Matt said to the group.

"Matt's not wrong. We don't know why they feel like they feel. And didn't you say that he said Penelope broke his heart? There's obviously more to this than what we can see." Emily was trying to be reasonable, not only for her friend's sake, but for her team's. They still had to work together when they were gone from this place and back at their jobs.

Hotch wasn't in charge anymore, but he certainly had the same thought as Emily. He didn't want any of them in danger out in the field just because they'd lost trust in each other. "It's true. We know very little, and we shouldn't jump to conclusions."

"I'm sure if Garcia needs us, she will come to us." Spencer earned a glare from both JJ and Morgan. "I know she hasn't, but that's exactly it. She had support, and she relied on that, probably because we didn't have anything left over to give at the time. But we're here now," he explained.

"He's not wrong. All we need to do is make it clear that they can be open with us. Both of them," Tara agreed.

"Okay, children. Everyone off to bed. We have a vacation to enjoy this week." Hayden smiled at the group as they dispersed.

JJ and Derek lingered behind. "Is that what we should do?" Derek asked her.

"I mean, I guess." JJ was aware that it made sense to respect their privacy and wait for them.

"I just don't like this. If that girl had something to do with this, if Luke..." Derek trailed off.

"I know it looks that way, but it's Luke. It just doesn't make sense." JJ crossed her arms while she contemplated.

"Anyone can make a mistake, JJ," Derek told her.

"Well in that case, it was a mistake, and maybe that's why it's not a simple solution?" She huffed. "We're not going to figure it out right now. Penelope is uncomfortable with this girl, and Alvez is uncomfortable but more concerned about P, but they both want to work it out. They both love each other."

"You're right. I'm trying my damndest not to jump to conclusions here, but I'm fighting the instinct to go up there and beat it out of him. Might be killing two birds anyway." Derek put his hands on his hips. "We need to get to the bottom of this. I'm not going to watch Penelope cry everyday of vacation. I'm just not."

"We'll have to try and get something out of Layla. She seems easier to crack." JJ smiled at the thought of the rambunctious girl they'd met and instantly liked.

"Yeah, but he's her brother. Besides, she brought Kelsey, so obviously she doesn't mind disrupting the flow," Derek noted.

"She likes Penelope a lot, and Penelope likes her. I don't think she intentionally wanted to hurt her. If Luke has a history with this girl, Layla must think it's insignificant compared to what him and Garcia have. Maybe she did it because of that, wanted to spur them to make it right."

"Possibly, and my Baby Girl apparently broke his heart too, so maybe Kelsey was the revenge? Maybe they both strayed? That doesn't sound right either." Derek shook his head.

"No, but, I mean, they could've broken up, and she was the rebound, and Garcia had a rebound too?" JJ still wanted to figure it out.

"Yeah, but that would mean they were already broken up. Well, the stress of this past year could do it to anybody. Savannah and I have never fought so much."

"Will and me too. So that might be it. The stress, and no support from us, no place to run, they take solace in other people and bam suddenly everything becomes more complicated."

"Makes sense. Also makes sense why it's hard to just jump back in if you want to. It's tough to forget something you're not supposed to even be mad at," Derek agreed.

JJ put her hand to her forehead. "We're just spinning our wheels down here. Let's go to bed."

Derek nodded and followed JJ up the steps, neither of them feeling good about the situation.

….

Luke was in the kitchen with Phil. They had made a small lunch for the ladies who were still upstairs. Despite having a late night, neither man was really that good at sleeping in. Luke purposely waited until the entire group was gone from the house before heading down and finding Phil watching television in the main room. Phil had said good mornings and goodbyes to the group, but that was all he had to report. No one tried to pump him for information. That was good news to Luke, but he also knew that they weren't stupid. Phil wasn't going to crack.

"You two still don't want to confide in your friends?" Phil asked as he watched Luke dump out some chips in a bowl.

"I don't care either way. I like my privacy, and I like having her all to myself and not worrying about what other people think, but we couldn't hide it forever. I always knew that. Penelope never wanted the pity and, quite frankly, neither did I. I don't know how it's going to play out now. If we don't work our issues out soon, they're not going to let it go."

"I don't know them all that well, but I don't think they're ever going to let it go until they get their answers," Phil told him disbelievingly.

"Well, if we got back together and told them we sorted it out, maybe they'd let it go eventually." Luke shrugged.

"But Penelope still needs time," Phil said knowingly. "Look, man, I know it's frustrating, but keep your eyes on the prize. Does it matter if they know, if you still get her in the end?"

Luke let a small smile creep across his face. "No, I suppose you're right. I'll try to keep that in mind."

"Remember, I'm the smart one in this partnership."

"How could I forget?"

They heard the telling footsteps on the stairs getting closer and pretty soon Layla made her presence known. "Hey, losers. What are you doing? Cleaning each other's buttholes?" She had a messy ponytail at the top of her head and a long t-shirt on. She walked up to the fridge and pulled out a carton of orange juice, drinking from it.

"Lay, don't other people need to drink that?" Kelsey was behind her.

Layla handed her the carton so she could drink from it as well. "Not if we finish it." She started grabbing at the chips that Luke had put out.

Penelope came down the stairs. She was the only one dressed of the three women. Although, dressed might be an overstatement for the beach dress she was wearing. "I'm assuming the rest of the family is off at the beach?" She moved to the fridge to get an untainted juice, unsealing it and pouring it into a glass.

"Yup, it seems they all decided to get out of here pretty quickly this morning. I'm assuming to start building a profile together." Luke raised his eyes at her.

"Spencer took Momma Reid down there too?" Penelope wondered.

"Yup, they rented the gazebo and tables so even the non-beach-goers are comfy down there," Luke informed her, coming near her to give her a kiss on the cheek.

She glanced around at the other three people. They barely noticed their interaction. Penelope knew these people had seen their affection before, but they also knew what had happened between them, so it still felt uneasy.

"So are we heading down there?" Layla asked.

"Sure, if everyone wants to," Luke told her, running his nails lightly over Penelope's arm.

"Are they at the last gazebo off the path?" Phil questioned as he wheeled himself over.

"Yup, no problem for you. Get your sunglasses out," Luke answered and grabbed a chip off of the plate Penelope made for herself.

"Uh, if me being here is an issue. I can keep myself busy downtown," Kelsey told the group.

Layla rolled her eyes and hopped up on a stool. "Don't be a dumbass."

Kelsey gave a small smile to Penelope before sitting next to Layla. "It's fine. If you don't come, they'll just ask me even more questions." Penelope finally relaxed into Luke's touch. He was still looming over her. If she told him she needed space, he'd give it to her, but, if not, his plan was to stay even closer to her than he was before.

"As soon as everyone is ready, we'll head down," Luke said to them, but he didn't look away from Penelope as he did so.

Kelsey glanced at Layla, who rolled her eyes again and stuffed some of a hummus wrap in her mouth.

"I'm going to grab my stuff." Phil whistled at Lou, who followed him through the living room towards his room.

"Guess we'll shower and be down in a bit," Layla said, throwing more wraps on her plate and a handful of chips before disappearing up the stairs with Kelsey who was carrying the carton of juice.

"You okay, Baby?" Luke asked Penelope, wrapping his arms around her.

She sighed tiredly, before spinning around in his arms to face him. "Yeah, it's just so weird, and I'm not looking forward to all the inquisitive faces today."

He breathed her in, forgetting what a bad idea that was. "I'm right here. I won't leave you to deal with this alone."

"I wish I could believe that as much as I used to." She put her hands on his obliques, grabbing his shirt in her hands.

"I wish I could make you believe it again." He leaned in, putting his lips on her forehead but not actually leaving a kiss there.

"How did you forgive me?" she asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

"It's not that it was easy. It's just that I knew I'd rather have you than not. Whatever we did to each other, it wasn't intentional. We were lost and hurt." She peered up at him, and he brought his hands up to her face, holding her there so she would look into his eyes. "Don't worry. You'll get there. This is us. We can do anything we want to do."

She nodded, leaning into him, her head bobbing against his chin. "Okay, I believe you." She felt him breathe what she could only describe as a sigh of relief.

He pulled back. "Is this what you're wearing?" He then pushed her closer towards the counter and brought his body flush against hers. "I love this dress, and you know you're driving me crazy. Sweetheart, are you doing that on purpose?" His lips were inches from hers.

She bit her bottom lip and nodded coyly. She leaned towards him, about to initiate their first kiss in months, until she heard paws clinking on the wooden floors quickly coming their way, followed by a bark and a yell from Phil.

Luke put his forehead against hers. "We need to train you better, Lou," Luke said to the dog as he wagged his tail near their legs.

Penelope gently pushed Luke away, giving him an apologetic look, "Maybe Lou knows something we don't."

Luke whined but released her. "Let's get our stuff and head out."

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