A sharp knocking on Penelope's door startled her out of her computer game, and she paused it, listening to see if it was just a fluke, or if someone was really there. Seconds later, that sharp knocking came once more, and she set aside her controller as she stood up from the couch and made her way over to the door.

Peeking out through the peephole, she frowned a little. All she could see was a bent head, blonde hair fanning out a little. She knew it wasn't JJ, she hadn't ever had hair that short, and none of her other friends were blonde at the moment. She wasn't going to open the door, since she was still so leery of who could be lurking in darkened halls. And then, the head lifted and she was looking into the eyes of a ghost.

A surprised gasp tore its way out of her lungs, and she unlocked the doors with suddenly shaky fingers. It took too long for her to wrench the door open, but the violence of the motion did not seem to be lost on the woman standing there. "Penelope," she whimpered, her eyes filled with tears.

"Come inside," she replied, reaching out to touch Erin's arm. It was still a shock to her system when she encountered solid flesh instead of passing on through, disrupting the illusion. "You're alive."

"I am."

Those two words were filled with a world of emotion, and before she knew what she was doing, Penelope was enfolding her in a tender, loving, embrace. This seemed to be the catalyst that she needed to let her tears flow, and soon her shoulder was soaked. Somehow, she managed to get them over to the couch, not bothering to flip the deadbolt on the door. "Why are you here?"

The words came out a little more cavalier than she had intended, and Erin stiffened a little in her arms. "Yours was the first place that I could think of. David tossed me out of his life, out of his house, earlier today. I suppose that I should have let someone know that I had gone into hiding, but there wasn't time, and then after I had gotten in contact with my children, my handler suggested that perhaps I take my personal safety a little more seriously than I was, and I wasn't allowed any more contact with the outside world."

As the words poured out of Erin's mouth, Penelope found herself crying, and she began to rub the woman's back in soft circles, trying to soothe her. "Did Rossi say anything to you?"

Erin shook her head before burying her head in the crook of Penelope's neck. "He just looked at me as if I was nothing. As if I had betrayed him by not telling him anything. I have nowhere to go, now. I have nothing." Her lips brushed against her neck as she spoke, and Penelope shuddered a little at how bleak she sounded.

"Stay with me, then." The words rolled off her lips so easily, and Erin sighed deeply as she snuggled in close. "I won't turn you away."

"Thank you," she whispered, not letting go of her as they lapsed into silence. Soon, though, she felt Erin's body grow heavy in her arms and knew that the woman had fallen asleep on her. Carefully, Penelope maneuvered her so that she was stretched out on the couch, slipping off the older woman's shoes before dropping a light blanket over her. She had to stop herself from bending down and placing a tender kiss on Erin's forehead, though. There were some things that she knew just weren't seemly.

Sighing deeply, she picked up her cellphone and made her way to the bathroom, intent on calling Rossi and reaming him out. Before she could even look up his number, however, he was calling her, and she answered shortly. "Hello."

"I take it she's already made it over to your place, then, Kitten. Have you offered her sanctuary?"

His voice sounded tired, and tried not to smile bitterly at the thought that he might be regretting acting so hastily. "I have. I'll be out of the office tomorrow, taking care of her, since she has nothing left in her life. Why would you do this to her?"

"She couldn't bother to tell me she was alive, and I moved on."

"Erin still loves you." She didn't know why she told him that, she wasn't certain if it were true or not. But she wanted to needle him a little, to not let him off the hook for abandoning his beloved so easily.

"I don't love her any longer." The words were short and sharp and full of bitter regret, and she knew that he was lying. She couldn't push him, though, and so she nodded, waiting for him to continue. "Will, will you please take good care of her?"

"Of course. One of us, at least, still loves her." Without saying goodbye, she hung up on him and promptly turned her phone off. She knew that he could call her on one of her other phones, but she also hoped that he would take the hint and leave them alone. Letting out a deep sigh, she left the bathroom and rejoined Erin. The woman was still asleep, her left arm hanging off the couch.

Going to her side, Penelope sat down on the floor and picked up her hand, intent on just settling it on her chest while she still slept, until her fingers brushed against the familiar feel of scar tissue. Looking down at Erin's wrist, she saw the pale white outline of an infinity symbol. "He marked you?" she murmured, and without thinking, she brought the wrist to her lips and kissed the scar.

Erin frowned in her sleep and turned on her side, pulling her arm along with. The blanket slipped onto the floor, and Penelope hurriedly covered her back up, wanting the woman to be comfortable, even in sleep. The older woman snuggled down into the couch, and a sad smile spread across Penelope's face as she smoothed hair back from her face.

"What am I going to do with you, Erin Strauss? I have no idea how to fix this, how to make everything right. I know that you still love Rossi, that you're heartbroken, and I don't want you to be hurt by him. Not when I love you."

The older woman groaned a little in her sleep, her arm flopping out once more, and Penelope clasped it, threading their fingers together as she continued to watch her own, real life, phoenix sleep her sorrows away.