"Hey, I already called Jessica, but I am coming home with you this afternoon."
Erin looked up from the letter she was writing to a sheriff in a city where they had successfully caught a serial rapist thanks to David's profile, and frowned a little at Penelope. "I'm sorry?"
"You need some time with us, and Bruce has graciously agreed to watch the kiddos so that we can spend some time together, relaxing a little. You have looked so stressed out over these last few weeks, and I know that you have a very good reason to be, but you also need to find a way to let some of that go, so that you don't work yourself into a mental breakdown. And before you protest, I know that you are a strong, take no shit, woman, but even the strongest person can break when they've been holding on for too long. And while we're not going to head out for a spa afternoon or anything, I think that we can pretty well pamper ourselves in that huge bathroom that you have upstairs."
"I suppose that I could agree to that. Are you going to follow me home, then?"
"Yeah, even though I know where you live. Are you ready to head out now?"
Erin looked down at the letter and then back up to Penelope before giving her a small smile. "I suppose that this could wait until Monday to finish. Let me pack up my bag…"
"No, you're not going to take any work home this weekend. From the moment we step out of this office, you are not to think about work, or the Replicator, or anything that relates to the stressors in your life. It will be a total detox weekend, and we are all tasked with ensuring that happens."
Erin chuckled as she got to her feet and went over to her coat tree, grabbing her jacket and draping it over her arm before slinging her purse around her neck and following Penelope out of her office. "I'm being commandeered, Helen, and told that I am not allowed to even think of work until I arrive back in the office on Monday. Hold all my calls until then, and we'll go over everything that's accumulated over the weekend. You're free to head out as well, if you'd like."
"I have a little work to finish up here, and then I'll head out for the weekend. Enjoy yourself, Erin."
She nodded and led Penelope out into the hallway. It didn't surprise her that the queue for the elevator was short, since they were headed out at an odd time, though she was grateful for the fact that it meant she could slip out without being noticed by too many others. Erin knew that it was a bit paranoid, but she had started to view some of the people who were most vociferously against her appointment to Section Chief all those years ago with a bit of apprehension, wondering if they were working with John to gather information on her and pass it on. She knew that she had to quit dwelling on things like that, as she couldn't come out and ask plainly, but her brain refused to ignore it, unfortunately.
"Erin?"
She turned her head to look at Penelope, realizing with a start that she had completely checked out of the present to ruminate on her thoughts, and she gave the younger woman a small smile as she shook her head. "Sorry, I just lose myself more than I'd like these days. What were you going to say?"
"We've reached your car. If you'd like, I can drive you home and have someone else drive my car over."
"I'll be fine, I promise. I'll see you at home in a little bit." Penelope frowned as Erin unlocked her car, but she shooed her away with a little handwave. She let out a frustrated huff of breath as she stalked over to where her car was parked, and Erin hurriedly drove home, trying to keep her thoughts focused on the present. That seemed easy enough to do, as the sky was so clear and blue that she couldn't help but start to smile a little at the birds flying around. Pulling into her spot in the garage, Erin turned her car off and sat quietly there, knowing that she needed to regroup a little so that Jessica and her children wouldn't know that she was bothered by something.
Erin jumped suddenly, swallowing the sharp scream that threatened to escape her lips when she heard a soft knock on her car window, and she turned to see Penelope there, a stricken expression on her face. "You are so jumpy," the woman said as she got out of her car, and Erin nodded, pressing her lips together as she struggled to keep from crying. "And you're going to like what I have to say even less. That blue car that you mentioned the girls seeing? Where the nice man gave them their dolls?"
"Yes?" she asked shortly, her hand automatically slipping to her shoulder holster. That was another thing she hadn't told David, that she was wearing her service weapon all the time when he was out on a case, in order to make herself feel safer.
"It's parked about five houses down from here. I tried to get a look at who was behind the wheel, but they were wearing a hat and those aviator sunglasses, so I couldn't even begin to describe him, beyond the fact that I know it's a guy."
That was all Erin needed to hear from her friend before she started to go into fight or flight mode. "All right, I need you to head inside and make certain that the kids and Jessica are in the study. There's only one window in that room, and it's easy enough to barricade, if something should go wrong."
"Erin…"
"No, I am going to put a stop to this, I am going to get his license plate tag, and I am finally going to have enough evidence for the fucking Senate subcommittee so that they'll have to reopen the Replicator case and allow us full access to the resources at our disposal so that we can bring John down. I am under no illusion that this will end perfectly today, but it is time that I took action to move this cat and mouse game of his out into the open."
"And if he shoots you?"
"I don't think that he'll do that in broad daylight. No, John wants to wait until it's deep and dark, when he can inflict the most havoc. I know him, too well. But I still want you to take precautions, in case it's not John in that vehicle. Promise me, Penelope. Take them into the study and wait until either I return, or thirty minutes has passed."
"Erin!"
She shook her head before hugging Penelope tightly with one arm. "I will be fine. The only thing that matters is my family and their safety. Do you understand?"
Reluctantly, Penelope nodded, and Erin gave her a tight smile before she ran outside and down the drive, looking both ways on their quiet street to see if there was any traffic coming before she took off down the middle of the road in the direction they had both come from, knowing that John had to be parked there. Sure enough, five homes down, there was a familiar blue sedan idling, and Erin instinctively drew her weapon. She had barely gotten halfway to where John was parked before she saw the brake lights come to life, and Erin frowned as she pushed her body to run a little faster, wanting to get close enough to at least get the tag number, needing that new data to move the case forward once more. Unfortunately, John was too fast for her, and he pulled out of his parking spot before taking off down the road, waving his hand out the window mockingly as Erin planted her feet in the street, breathing heavily as she tried to keep from screaming in frustration.
