It had been a thoroughly long and horrible week and it was only Monday. The only thing she had to look forward to was Edward's sweet embrace. The recent budget meeting had not gone well, and though she'd agreed to a cap on her salary and reduced benefits, she'd still had to cut one person from the BAU. In the end, she'd decided on the tech girl, Gina. Hell's bells, she couldn't even remember the woman's last name.

When she got to her car, she noticed Dr. Reid was still in the building, since she'd had to park next to his jalopy that morning. All of a sudden, Erin felt as if someone were staring at her. Looking around, she saw no one in the near-deserted car park and she shook her head. It was so easy to spook oneself, doing the job we do, she thought as she dug her keys out of her purse.

"Dammit!" she swore as she dropped her purse, spilling its contents everywhere. She knelt on the ground and began to pick up her scattered belongings, never noticing the shadow of movement until it was upon her. She looked up as a rough hand grabbed her shoulder and suppressed a scream as she caught sight of the knife in the masked man's other hand. "What do you want?" she asked fearfully, hating the tremor in her voice.

He shook his head as he backhanded her and the force of the blow knocked her head into the rim of her tire. Dazedly, she heard the tearing of cloth and felt the cool October air on her suddenly bare skin. Erin tried to push him off her, tried to get away, but her head hurt so, and she felt like she couldn't get a good footing on anything around her.

He brought the knife up against the artery of her neck and she stilled, knowing if he were to cut her there, she'd bleed out before anyone could find her. "This is what uppity bitches like you deserve, to be brought down a peg or two," the man hissed out as he raped her. She refused to give in to her tears, unwilling to let him have such power over her. Instead, she stared into his eyes, her face contorted into a rictus of pain as he abused her unwilling body.

The attack seemed to last for hours, but the rational portion of Erin's brain knew that was merely the dilation of time. The last thing she remembered before passing out was the terrible feel of cold steel ripping the soft skin of her stomach.

She woke up sometime later to the sound of voices coming near her. Erin went to sit up, only to moan lowly as an excruciating pain ripped through her body. "Did you hear that, Reid?" she heard Ms. Garcia ask and was mortified when her eyes filled up with tears. Erin finally managed to get upright and frantically pulled the ruins of her clothing about her, trying to shiled her body from them.

"Who's there?" Dr. Reid asked as he came around to the other side of his car. She heard him suck in a low breath and turned her face away, not wanting to show him her humiliation. "Garcia, come here, quickly."

The other woman's shoes came into view and Erin tried to scrunch herself up into a tighter ball, hissing in pain. "Oh, honey, who did this to you?" the younger woman asked as she sank to her knees next to Erin. "Reid, get security to call 911, we'll need an ambulance here. And then get a forensics team down here so they can gather evidence. Our team will handle the investigation."

"Okay." Erin could hear the question in his voice and shuddered. It shouldn't hurt her heart so, that he thought her beneath this level of compassion from Ms. Garcia.

"Get going, now," she hissed wrapping her arms around Erin's shoulders and pulling her against her chest. "Honey, I promise I won't leave you. Do you know who did this?"

Erin shook her head slowly, the very action shooting needles of pain through her brain. "I can do this alone, Ms. Garcia. You don't need to worry about me." The words sounded feeble to her own ears and she found herself relaxing against the other woman as she rubbed her shoulder gently.

The paramedics came at the same time Agent Hotchner and his team appeared on the scene. Erin felt so exposed and she unconsciously turned into Ms. Garcia, trying to hide from their smug, pitying gazes. "Thank you," she heard Ms. Garcia say as she wrapped something warm around her shoulders, helping her to stand. She felt her legs wobble and then the paramedic was lifting her up, carrying her over to the waiting ambulance.

Ms. Garcia climbed in the back with them and sat next to the young man. "Erin, you should lie down. You were bleeding back there."

Erin found herself heeding Ms. Garcia's suggestion and she stared up at the roof of the vehicle as they started on their way. She heard Ms. Garcia gasp as the blanket was peeled away, baring her flesh to all there. "What is it?"

"Nothing, Erin."

"Don't lie to me, Ms. Garcia!" she snapped, bitter tears springing to her eyes. "I know he cut me. How bad is it?"

"It's not that the wound is bad," the other woman replied as she took hold of her hand. "It's the message he left."

"Oh." Erin felt all her defenses crumble in that moment and she clenched Penelope's hand tightly. The drive dragged on and by the time they arrived, she was exhausted. The ER doctor tried to shoo Penelope away as she examined the wounds on Erin's stomach, but she was having none of that.

"I said I wouldn't leave her, and I won't. Does she need surgery to close those gashes?"

"No," the doctor replied, taking a step back.

"Then I stay." She positioned herself at Erin's head and smoothed her hair. "Honey, did he hit your forehead?"

"No, I think that's where I hit the rim of my tire. My head still hurts a bit from it."

"We'll need to do a CT scan on your head, then, and make sure there's nothing going on there. You can come with us, but you can't be in that room, Ma'am."

Penelope nodded and helped Erin into a sterile gown before they wheeled her down to CT. "I'll be out here in this other room, watching and waiting. Don't be afraid, Erin. You're not alone."

Erin carefully nodded and then felt Penelope touch her face gently. "Thank you, Penelope." As the assistant helped her onto the cold bed, she shuddered. How was she going to tell Edward what had happened? He'd want to do something, fix it somehow, and there was no fixing this. Tears tracked down her cheeks, wetting her hair, and for some strange reason she found herself needing to hear Penelope's soothing voice once more.

They wheeled her back down to a private room and she found Penelope sitting in a chair, holding on to both their purses, a sad smile on her lips. "Erin, you're back! I just talked to Hotch. He needs to have someone take pictures of your wounds and have a nurse administer the rape kit. Do you want Emily to take the pictures, or JJ?"

Erin thought for a moment. "Neither, I want you to take the pictures. Please?" She hated the pleading in her voice and waited for Penelope to answer her question.

"If that's what you want, Erin. I'll be right back." Penelope gently touched her face once more before leaving the room for a minute. She returned, holding tightly to a camera, a nurse on her heels. "May I remove the gown, Erin?" The tenderness in Penelope's voice brought her close to tears once more as she nodded.

With infinite care, Penelope took the gown off, setting it to one side as she quickly took the necessary pictures. After the nurse had collected all the evidence from her body, she dressed the wounds on her stomach. With that accomplished, Penelope redressed Erin and took the final pictures of Erin's face. "Will you give the camera to Agent Hotchner, please?" Penelope asked the nurse before she left, handing it over. "Honey, do you need me to call anyone for you? They're not going to release you until tomorrow afternoon. You probably have a concussion, and they want to keep an eye on it."

"Would you call my husband, Edward? Don't, don't let him know about the attack, just tell him that I fell at work and need to be here for observation." She pulled the thin blanket up under her arms and turned to look at the wall, listening as Penelope made the call.

The door to her room opened once more and she flipped over to face the door. Dr. Reid was standing there, his hands in his pockets. "Ah, Chief Strauss, I've been sent in to take your statement. Do you feel up to talking to me now?" She nodded once and he pulled out a small pad of paper. "Okay, so, what happened this evening?"

"I went out to my car to go home. I felt eyes on me, but saw no one around and then managed to drop my purse, spilling everything. That's when he attacked." She stopped, blinking hard. Penelope reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing tightly. Dr. Reid rolled his eyes slightly at the tender touch and Erin felt herself stiffen. "How much detail do you need of what came next?"

"As much as you can give me," he said coldly.

"Reid! Be gentle. You know better than to be like this." Penelope rubbed her thumb over the back of Erin's hand, trying to soothe her.

"It's okay, Penelope. I've never been the kindest to your team. This doesn't faze me."

"But it should! Just because you have to make tough decisions we don't understand doesn't mean he can treat you as less than. You matter to Edward." Penelope swiped at her cheeks and glared at Dr. Reid. "Be nice."

He shrugged and didn't look at Erin as he continued. "What happened next?"

"He tore at my clothes and raped me, holding a knife to my neck, against the artery. When he'd finished, he carved my stomach with said knife."

"Did he say anything to you during the attack?"

"Yes, that I deserved what was happening to me." She sighed. "And before you ask, no, I did not recognize his voice."

"Did he have any distinguishable features?"

"No, he wore a mask and gloves."

"And do you have anyone at the BAU who wouldn't want to hurt you?"

She heard Penelope gasp and shook her head carefully. "David Rossi and Aaron Hotchner. They are honorable men. Would that I could say the same for you." Erin looked into Penelope's eyes and saw the encouraging smile on her face. "If you have nothing further, I wish to rest now."

"Yes, Ma'am." He left the room, shutting the door with a little more force than necessary,

"Erin, I'm so sorry he treated you like that." Penelope smoothed her hair back from her face. "Edward said to tell you he loves you."

"Why do you even care, Penelope?" She touched her stomach, wincing as she did so.

"You need someone to care for you. That's more than enough for me. May I?" Penelope pulled out a comb from her purse and smiled. Erin nodded slightly and scooted forward, letting the other woman sit behind her. The gently pulling motion tugged at her heart and she felt the first sobs tear out of her throat as she covered her mouth with her hand. "Honey?"

"Did I, did I bring this on myself because I'm such a bitch to everyone?" It was a pitiful question, one she never thought she'd ask. Carefully, Penelope wrapped her arms around her waist, resting her head on her shoulder.

"Oh, Erin, no. No one deserves to be raped and scarred." Erin turned, her stomach screaming in agony as she did so, to throw her arms around Penelope, sobbing on her shoulder. The woman rubbed her back, murmuring sweet words of encouragement in her ear as she cried. "Do you want me to stay the night?"

"Yes, please." Her voice sounded so broken, so lost, to her own ears and this called forth a fresh bout of weeping. "Why aren't I strong enough to do this alone?" she whispered.

"It's okay to need someone once in a while, especially now. Do you have any nightly rituals I could help you with? That might ease your heart a little."

"Yes. Edward and I are reading through the Bible. We were going to start the book of Ruth tonight. But you don't have to help me with that. I can't impose me beliefs on you." She was thoroughly babbling now, a trait she hated in others as much as she did in herself.

"It's okay, I was raised Methodist, for my parents hippy ways." She pulled out an iPad from her bag and let her fingers dance over the screen. "Do you want to lean back against me while I read? It would be more comfortable for you."

Erin did so and curled up as best she could against Penelope, listening to the familiar story of Ruth pour forth from the other woman's lips. There was something about the way she read Ruth's plea to Naomi, as if she were speaking directly to Erin. "Oh, Penelope," she sighed as she nodded off, feeling her eyes grow heavy as the adrenaline gave way to exhaustion. Before she fell asleep, she felt Penelope kiss her forehead softly.

She woke up in a panic the next morning and felt someone touch her shoulder gently. Blindly, she fell into open arms, the horror of the previous evening flooding her brain. "Shh, Erin, you're okay. No one can hurt you here. The nurse said they'd be by with breakfast in about fifteen minutes."

Erin pulled back slightly to look into Penelope's soft brown eyes. "You stayed."

"I promised I would." Slowly, the other woman ran her thumb beneath Erin's eyes, whisking away the tears there. "Your vitals were strong, so they should be releasing you in a few hours. I sent JJ to get you some clothes. I figured you were about a size six. I know you wear a lot of muted colors, everyone in the BAU does, but I told her to get something pretty and colorful." She smiled sweetly at Erin, squeezing her hand.

"You didn't have to do all this, Ms. Garcia."

"Last night, it was Penelope. I prefer that, or Penny, or Ruth, if you so wish. I can't just close the curtain between us so easily. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Erin looked away from her, overcome by emotion. "Though why you'd want to be friends with someone like me…"

"Everyone needs compassion, Erin. Did you see the bouquet of flowers Edward sent you?" She looked to where Penelope was pointing and smiled when she saw the pink tulips. "He has great taste."

"Who are the other flowers from?"

"Me. I wanted you to have something lovely to wake up to." Someone knocked on the door and Erin drew her hand back quickly, holding the blanket up close to her chest. The door opened, revealing an orderly with a tray of food. Once he'd set up everything, he left and Erin forced herself to relax once more.

"Afraid of my own shadow," she muttered lowly as she pulled the lid off the food. The smell nauseated her and she pushed the tray away. "I'm not hungry."

"You have to eat something, honey. They won't release you until you do. And we can stop for real food on the way home." Reluctantly, Erin nodded and picked at the scrambled eggs, managing to get down three bites before her stomach threatened to rebel. She sipped at the water they'd included and then broke the rest of the food into pieces, making it look like she'd eaten more than she had.

"May I come in?" They both looked towards the familiar voice and Penelope smiled brightly, nodding. "I tried to get you something loose fitting that wouldn't bother your stomach, Ma'am. This is going to sound so trite, but I hope you're feeling better this morning."

Erin cocked her head to one side, trying to get a read on Agent Jareau. The woman looked at her, biting her lip a little as she gave her a pained smile. "Thank you, Agent Jareau. I appreciate the sentiment."

She nodded and handed over the bag from Fiona before hurriedly escaping the room. Erin pulled out a long sleeved blouse and held it up to her chest. The soft pink color matched her skin tone well and she smiled as she stroked the soft silk. Then she took out a dark, dusky rose suede skirt, and felt as if she would cry once more. It didn't matter if Penelope had coerced the kindness from Agent Jareau. All that mattered was that she had something lovely to wear home.

"I told her colorful."

"This is perfect, Penny." Puzzled at the odd weight of the supposedly empty bag, Erin reached in once more and pulled out a matching bra and panty set. She blushed a little and set the clothes aside, reaching out for Penelope's hand. "I want to go home."

"That can be arranged." The doctor came in and made some notations on her chart. "Everything looks in order here. As soon as you're dressed, you're free to leave. I'll send a nurse by in twenty minutes to wheel you down to the front lobby." Erin nodded and swung her feet off the bed the moment he'd left.

It took nearly that long to get her dressed. Though Penelope had tried to shield her from the mirror, Erin still caught a glimpse of the awful word written on her stomach. "That will scar, won't it? Not deep enough to hurt me badly, and yet deep enough to destroy me."

"No, Erin. This wound, this scar, does not define you. Don't let him label you so." Quick tears sprang up in Penelope's eyes and she let them fall as she hugged Erin. She returned the embrace, wishing it were Edward's arms around her.

By the time they pulled into her driveway, she was exhausted and in pain. Handing Penelope the keys, she let the other woman open the door and lead her inside. The house was eerily silent and she suddenly realized why. "He's gone."

"What, Erin?"

"He had to go to Japan on business today. I'll be alone for the next two weeks."

"What about your kids?"

"Alexandra is studying at Bryn Mawr, Joseph is away at Michigan Tech, and Caroline is finishing high school at a boarding school in upstate New York. But it's okay, I can make it through this."

"Starting tomorrow, maybe. I won't let you be alone tonight. Honey, you went through a very serious trauma." Erin sighed and nodded, knowing Penelope wouldn't take no for an answer. "Wonderful. Let's go find something to make for lunch." The other woman took hold of her hand, tugging her along. She hurried to catch up and hesitantly wrapped an arm around Penelope's waist, smiling at her softly. It was easy to see why everyone loved the vivacious woman. She made it so easy to feel free and at home with her.

Penelope pulled her a little closer, smiling into her face. Erin felt her heart lift a little, knowing someone was there for her. "I believe I have pumpkin pie in the fridge."

"Homemade?"

"Of course, I wouldn't have it any other way." Her smile widened and they continued on into the kitchen, Penelope chattering away in her ear.