It was only the rough way that Penelope cupped her breast that snapped Erin from the haze of her passion, and she pulled back from Penelope, confused anger rising up in her chest. Before she could really think about what she was doing, Erin raised her hand and went to slap Penelope, only for the younger woman to close her fingers around her wrist and squeeze painfully.

Erin wasn't about to let on just how much the grip hurt, so she drew herself up to her full height and stared down her nose at Penelope. That seemed to have no effect on her, though the grasp did loosen slightly. They continued to stare at each other, and somehow it only took a matter of minutes for Erin to let her shoulders slump as her defenses came tumbling down around her feet. Warm tears started to roll down her face, and that was the moment that Penelope fully released her before wrapping her arms around her waist in a tight, welcome, hug.

As Penelope hooked her chin over Erin's shoulder, the first ugly sob tore its way from her throat, and she gratefully allowed Penelope to bring her over to the couch and they sat heavily. Erin was hesitant to curl up against her, not really certain what was going on any longer. Things had shifted so dramatically in the space of a morning, and she wished that just for once in her life things were uncomplicated, that she could just have a peaceful life and not worry about the outside world.

Soft lips brushed against her temple, and she looked up to see that Penelope was crying, too, fat drops that spilled off her face to splash down on Erin's cheeks. A sad smile curved her lips upwards, and she reached up to caress Penelope's cheek. "I didn't come here to be cruel, and that is all I have been since I stepped foot inside. All I could focus on was my own selfish feelings, and how hurt I was that you hadn't trusted me. So I twisted all those feelings into the sharpest meanness I could muster, and used that against you."

"I haven't really given you cause to trust me or to be kind. Every time that we seem to get closer, I do something that throws up a wall between us. I would really have loved to have you as my friend…"

"Friend? Friends don't kiss each other like that."

There was a hesitant, teasing, tone to Penelope's voice, and Erin decided that she would try to answer just as lightly. "I rather think that you were the one to kiss me."

"That may be, but still. What's between us?"

Erin took a deep breath as she nuzzled her cheek against Penelope's shoulder. "Would you believe me if I said that I don't know? Because I really don't know. Though the one thing I am certain of is that I do not want to destroy whatever is between us right now. Things are only going to get more and more difficult for me, for us, from here on out, since it appears that the mole is focusing on me."

"Well, I suppose that you'll just have to tell me all your deepest, darkest, secrets." Penelope lightly chucked her beneath her chin to let her know that she was still teasing, and Erin smiled a little wider as she pushed away from Penelope so that she could sit up and look at the woman better. "Seriously, though, I do think that I am going to have to become quite intimately aware of you and your past, so that we can start becoming a little more proactive with regards to our malicious mole."

"I don't think that there's much else to say, really. You know the worst, the affair, and how I cut the rope on Alex. I'm certain that there are a few aspects that could still be touched upon, like my drinking, since I did put so many people at risk with some of the decisions I made while drunk at work. They could bring up the fact that it was Agent Morgan who brought me to rehab, since I wrote extensively about that in my journal, as well."

"Wait, what? That's how the mole got the information about you and Alex? From your personal journals?" Erin nodded as she crossed her legs into the lotus position, biting the corner of her lip as she watched Penelope's mind try to put together the pieces of what was before them. "I take it that you keep this journal on your work computer?"

"It's where I am the most, yes. Even if I write an entry on my tablet or phone, it's set to sync with my work computer, since I know that that server will always be in service." She let out a watery chuckle, and Penelope narrowed her eyes in confusion. "I sound like an egomaniac, Penelope, like there will be a reason for someone to want to read my diary when I'm dead and gone. I'm not David Rossi, no one will be interested in my life and times."

"You can't say that for certain, especially if a historian is ever doing a book on the history of the BAU. I mean, you have been connected to some very influential cases throughout the years, and if what we think is happening is true, well, you've been unpopular enough to garner two people trying to destroy you."

There was no malice in Penelope's voice, which made those words somewhat easier to hear, but they still stung a bit. There were at least two people in her orbit who truly hated her enough to do horrible things to her. She had thought that she had moved beyond the monster persona, but maybe there were some things that you just couldn't get past.

Penelope's hand touching her knee was the only thing that broke her from her introspection, and she looked up into sweet brown eyes, feeling the care shining from her like a beacon of hope. Letting out a little scoffing laugh, she leaned in and pressed her lips against Penelope's in a chaste kiss, sighing at the electric current that passed through her body as the kiss lingered on. "What was that for?" Penelope asked as they sat back.

"For caring, I suppose. I don't know what this is, you know. The affair with Alex was heady and brief, but I knew that I loved her." A wince from Penelope caused her to reach out and make contact with the woman once more, taking hold of her hand and threading their fingers together. "You'll have to hear these stories, though, if we're to have any sort of relationship when the dust settles. Even if it is just a friendship, we need to have total honesty. Yes?"

"Yes," Penelope breathed out as she gently extracted her hand from Erin's grasp and cupped her cheek, letting her thumb stroke back and forth as she continued to stare into Erin's eyes. "Though you might have to deal with my jealousy. It's one of my annoying traits."

Erin covered Penelope's hand on her cheek and nodded. "We all have at least one negative trait. Not one of us is perfect. Even if I like to think that I am." Penelope tried to swallow her giggle, but it still escaped her lips. "Truly, though, that was one of the things that led to my drinking problem. The need and drive to be perfect, to prove that I was worthy of being Section Chief, that I didn't get my job just because I'm a woman. It's a lot of pressure to put on yourself, and so I turned to a crutch."

"But you came back from that."

"Not willingly."

"But still, here you are, stronger than you were before, and with friends to stand beside you, this time. Helen, Alex, me, we're going to have your back, no matter what. I know that I didn't leave you feeling the greatest yesterday, that I should have thought about things before I blindly lashed out, but I can't go back in time and fix that. I can only just make things right, hopefully."

"We can try to make things right, yes. And I am going to need as many friends as possible by my side as we go through this hunt for the mole. Somehow, I think that this is just the calm before the storm."

Penelope nodded as they sighed in unison. "There is that feel in the air, isn't there?" Erin nodded. "So, do you want to go outside and walk around? I've never been invited to the cabin, so I'm kinda curious."

Erin nodded as she got up from the couch, holding her hand out to Penelope. She clasped it tightly, and she led them out the back door and onto the lawn. "I loved being here, you know. It's a sanctuary for my soul."

"I can see why," Penelope murmured as they walked down the pier. Reaching the end, Erin toed off her shoes and pulled Penelope to sit down next to her, resting her head on the woman's shoulder as she let her feet drag in the water, a sense of peace descending on her heart as a gentle silence filled the space between them.