"Talk dirty to me, Ms. Garcia."
Penelope blanched before pulling away the phone to look at the caller id. Unknown name, unknown number, stared back at her and she frowned, putting it back to her ear once more. "This isn't funny, you know. Why would you want to hurt me like this?" she said hotly before hanging up, not wanting to hear any answer that voice might give. It didn't take long for the tears to come, they'd been at the forefront ever since Strauss had died.

Sighing, she stood and went over to her window, staring out at the street below her. She had found herself missing the woman immensely, something that surprised her a great deal. Penelope had never really given much thought to her until the last year they had spent together, really working in tandem. She had found out the whip smart sense of humor Erin had buried beneath the persona of quiet authority, the quick smile she had when something pleased her, the intelligence that she possessed, all those things told her how much she had missed out by not reaching out to the woman before.

A deep sadness swept over her, and she turned from the window, moving over to her rows of pictures. There was only one of Erin there, from JJ's wedding, and she smiled as she picked up the frame, rubbing her thumb over her face. "Why did you have to leave us, Sugar? Dave doesn't know what to do with himself now that you're gone. My father figure is lost and I have no clue how to guide him back to us. I don't have any words for him, or for you."

Sighing, she set the picture aside and sank down on the couch, hugging her legs tightly. The ringing of her phone unnerved her once more, and she picked it up, only to stare at it. Penelope's brain struggled to recognize that it was Emily's number there on the screen and she answered. "Hey, Em."

"Hey, yourself. What took you so long to answer?"

"I just got a weird call from someone playing a horribly cruel practical joke. But it sounded just like her, just like Erin!"

Emily made a soft tsking sound and Penelope shrugged. "That seems a little out there, PG."

"Well, there was that one episode of the Twilight Zone, where the grandmother would call her grandson from beyond the veil. It's totally possible."

"And yet, if it were, why would she be calling you and not Rossi? Or one of her children? I'm sorry to say this, but they were much closer to her than you were. It would be fitting if they got a call from her, if she were reaching out from beyond the grave."

She nodded and sighed lightly. "I know. I just want to hold on to some shred of hope that says she's alive. Like you were alive. I mean, it's been done before. They've faked deaths until the unsub was for sure and for certain incapacitated. Should I give up on that fragile hope? I didn't see her body after all, and it was a closed casket funeral. Just like yours."

Penelope knew that she was grasping at straws, but it was all she had to hold onto at the moment. Over the line, she heard the disconsolate sound of sympathy that her friend made, and she let herself cry, unable to hold the tears in any longer. "Honey, not everyone comes back from the dead. No matter how much we want that to be true."

"But why her? Why not Blake, who came back to the fold when Curtis never could? Why not Gideon or Rossi, who also worked the case, and let the mistake happen? Why her, after everything she had done to overcome her demons and to make amends? It's not fair!" She swiped at her eyes. "And before you tell me that life's not always fair, let me tell you that I know that. But she deserved more than fair!"

"Oh, Garcia. I don't have words for you, then. Just, try and keep your chin up. They depend on your sunny disposition at work to pull them out of their doldrums. And Dave, especially, is going to need you now more than ever. From everything you told me, he was deeply in love with her, and this can't be easy on him. That's two loves his lost in the space of a year."

"That's right, Carolyn," she breathed out, clutching the fabric of her blouse between her fingers. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for talking me down off the ledge, so to speak. I'll talk to you later." Hanging up before Emily could say anything in return, she turned her phone off and then hurriedly pulled out her back up phone and also turned it off.

Moving over to her dresser like a ghost, she pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. She changed slowly, thinking about Dave and what he must be going through, losing two women so close to him so quickly. And such different circumstances to their passing. More tears came to the forefront and she collapsed on the bed, hugging her extra pillow tightly to her chest. It hurt to think of his sorrow and she cried herself to sleep.

In the morning, she saw that she had missed a number of calls, mostly from Emily, but one from Derek, as well. Knowing she couldn't avoid him for too long, she quickly dialed his number and waited for him to pick up. "You're finally calling me back, Baby Girl? What, did you have a late night last night?"

"Nothing so interesting as that. It was just a really rough night. I miss Erin."

"We all do, honey. More than I think we thought we would. What time are you planning on rolling in today?"

"Probably in about an hour or so. I still have to shower and make coffee. May I hide out in your office for a little bit? I still feel a little off kilter."

"Of course, sweetness. See you soon." They air kissed and she hung up, going into the kitchen and starting a pot of coffee before padding into the bathroom and taking a quick shower. As she dried off, she thought about what she would wear. There was nothing that really spoke about the sorrows of her heart, and so she pulled out her favorite white and navy polka-dotted dress, throwing a sweater over her arm before picking up her purse and phones, heading out to face the day and whatever it would bring.