"…up, Erin." She pulled away from whoever was shaking her and turned, encountering the leather of her sofa. Moaning a little, she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Did you spend the night here?"
Erin looked up into Penelope's eyes, confusion furrowing her brow. "What are you doing in my house?" she snarled.
"You never went home. You're still in your office." Penelope's open face became a closed off mask at the harsh tone Erin used, and she tried not to wince at the reaction. Sitting up, she rubbed her wrist absently, trying to encourage blood flow to come back.
"Oh. Did you bring me coffee?"
"Yes." A tiny smile darted across the woman's face as she handed the cup over. Erin took it from her hand, trying to ignore the soft spark that flared between them as their fingers brushed. "And I brought cookies. Oatmeal raisin, so at least we can pretend they're a healthy breakfast. I made them last night. I hope you like them." Penelope's smile grew shy, and Erin fought not to smile back at her. It wouldn't do to encourage the woman after all.
"Thank you," she whispered, taking one of the cookies from the tin and nibbling at it. "Oh, god, why didn't Helen wake me up? My back aches." The words tumbled out of her lips before she could stop them, and Penelope nodded sympathetically.
"I know how you feel. I've fallen asleep in my office, too, waiting on results from my searches. Do you have a fresh outfit to change into?"
Erin shook her head, her neck feeling so stiff. "No. I brought my spare outfit home last week, so that I could wash it and pick out something fresh." Sighing, she reached up and rubbed her neck, trying to work out that kink.
"Here, sit down on the floor in front of me," she offered as she lowered herself onto the couch. Erin hesitated a moment before complying, sitting crossed leg in front of the woman. She started a little when she felt Penelope's fingers quickly wind up her hair before pushing a bobby pin through to hold it up.
Unbidden, a low groan tumbled from her lips as strong thumbs worked out the knot at the base of her neck. Erin's head lolled forward, her chin resting on her chest as those nimble fingers continued to work on her neck before slipping down her back. She tensed once more, though, when she felt Penelope tug her blouse out of the waistband of her skirt and slide her hands up underneath it. "Penelope?" she asked, her voice slightly sharp.
"My skin was catching on the silk of your blouse. I didn't want to snag it." The quick response calmed her a little and she nodded a little as the woman once more began to massage her back. It felt heavenly, and she groaned with pleasure once more, louder that time. "You have so much tension built up, Erin. I need to be able to get at the small of your back. Do you want to get up on the couch and stretch out for me?"
She nodded and carefully got to her feet, her knees wobbling a little as she fought to balance herself. She and Penelope switched places, and once more, she felt Penelope's hands against her bare skin, the heels of her hands digging into the small of her back and working out the hard knot there. The warmth of relaxation spread throughout her body, and she moaned a little as the tips of Penelope's fingers brushed against the swell of her breast. "Don't stop," she whispered when the woman's hand stilled.
"A-all right," she said haltingly, resuming her work on Erin's lower back "There, I think I got all the kinks out. How do you feel?"
The question broke through the haze of her relaxation, and she sat up, rolling her shoulders a little. "Wonderful. I haven't felt this weightless in months."
Penelope gave her a small smile before handing her her coffee cup. "I'm just glad that I could help." There was a faint blush staining her cheeks, and Erin wondered what could have elicited that response in the woman. She'd had massages before, the women giving them had always had slight finger slips, there was nothing sexual about it. Frowning, she sipped at her now lukewarm coffee and stared at Penelope, watching her wall herself off from her.
"Penelope." The woman shook her head as she unpacked her laptop and took a seat next to her on the couch. "What is your problem?"
The question came out a bit more harshly than she had intended it, and Penelope flinched a little as she shrugged. "I overstepped my place," she finally whispered, staring at her computer screen.
"No, you didn't. I'm not offended." Whiskey brown eyes darted over to look at her lips, and she tried to smile a little, wanting to set the woman's heart at ease for some reason.
"Really?"
"Really." A true smile spread across Penelope's face as she looked up at Erin and she had to fight not to let the woman know just how beautiful she thought her smile was. Which was a thoroughly absurd thought, given the nature of their relationship as boss-employee. Breaking eye contact with her, she sipped at her coffee before letting out a deep sigh. "So, did you do any work on the case last night?" she asked, trying to calm the rapid beating of her heart.
"A little. I found out that there really is no connection between you and the others implicated. Well, besides the fact that Jordan once worked under you. I'm at a loss as to what motive could be behind this."
Erin tapped her fingers against her mouth as she picked up her tablet and read through the blind items in the paper once more. "I don't recognize this writing style at all, either."
"That's the point of blind items, really. They use the vaguest of terms possible while still painting a clear enough picture for the reader to know exactly who is being discussed. Who is being destroyed. I used to think that Hollywood blind items were fun, but I don't anymore."
Penelope let out a soft sigh, and Erin couldn't stop her hand from covering the other woman's, squeezing softly. The tender gesture surprised her and Penelope, but then she was squeezing back, her thumb rubbing against the back of her hand. "I'm sorry I snapped at you yesterday. I just get overwhelmed at times," she whispered as she scrolled through the data.
"I can only imagine what you were feeling. I know that you didn't exactly ask for this assignment. I, I'll try to stay out of your hair."
Erin tightened her hold on Penelope's hand at those words, feeling a sudden sense of panic at the idea of being left alone, yet again. "If that's what you want." She prayed that her voice didn't sound as weak aloud as it did in her ears.
"I thought it would be what you wanted," was the quick reply, and she gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head. "Has anyone ever chosen to stay with you?"
"No," she whispered, finding it hard to lie to Penelope.
"Then that is their tremendous loss. Could we be friends? I know, I've never done anything to exactly inspire trust in me, but I would like to extend that olive branch to you."
She took a few deep breaths as she thought about the proposition set before her. "My friends haven't been the most loyal, as you can see from these secrets revealed about me. I need to know that I can trust someone in my life," she finally said, looking over at Penelope.
"I think I can be that for you. If you let me."
Erin went to tell her to prove it when Helen opened the door, peeking her head inside. "Excuse me, Erin, but Agent Morgan is demanding to come down and see Ms. Garcia. I think there's been another blind item released, because he is spouting off some seriously crazy nonsense about you seducing her."
She felt the blood drain from her face as she hurriedly went to the newspaper's website, clicking through to their blind items. "Oh, god," she heard Penelope whisper as she read the vile words written about them, and Erin tried to pull her hand away, feeling like she needed to flee. "Would you tell Derek that he needs to realize that there is no basis to these lies, and that I will meet him for lunch for a more in depth explanation? We need to be alone."
"Erin?"
"Please, do as she asks," she murmured, not looking at either of them. From the corner of her eye, she saw Helen nod before she left them, closing the door with a soft click. "And now I've dragged you into this mess. I can handle the rest of this on my own, Penelope. You don't deserve to be dragged through the proverbial mud."
Standing, she finally pulled her hand away from Penelope's and made her way over to the window, staring out at the scenery. The first tears began to slip down her cheeks, and she wondered when she had gotten so weak as to cry twice in two days in front of a subordinate. And then, Penelope was at her side, her arms wrapping around her waist as she pulled her into a soft hug. "I'm not going to leave you. Friends don't abandon each other in their times of need."
Erin struggled to keep from turning in Penelope's arms, to keep from accepting the hug, but the embrace lingered until she final slumped a little, all fight leaving her body. "It seems that I was the target all along," she whispered as she allowed Penelope to turn her and pull her head down onto the woman's shoulder. And then, she let herself sob.