Patron Saint of Lost Causes

chapter 19: breakable

Have you ever thought about what protects our hearts

Just a cage of rib bones and other various parts
So it's fairly simple to cut right through the mess
And to stop the muscle that makes us confess

And we are so fragile
And our cracking bones make noise
And we are just
Breakable, breakable, breakable girls and boys

--"Breakable" by Ingrid Michaelson

Penelope bit back a yawn as she closed her sticker-covered macbook and rested her chin in her hands. It was too damn early to be awake, much less already in the dining hall, but Dave had promised her the biggest, sugariest drink he could get from the Honeybean if she met him early, and that was an offer too good to pass up. And besides, she'd felt so useless in the past few days. This was the first thing she could do to be moderately helpful.

She took off her pink glasses and rubbed her eyes, momentarily grateful that it was too early to bother with makeup. The dining hall smelled like maple syrup and bacon, but students were just beginning to filter in for breakfast, leaving the cavernous space unsettling in its quiet.

She yawned abruptly, startling herself when her jaw popped. "Jesus, Pen, what was that?" Derek asked as he dropped his backpack on the back of the chair next to her.

"Don't make fun of me, I'm tired," she complained.

JJ sat down on her other side. "What did you have to do so early this morning?"

"An important mission," Penelope said. "Where's the baby?"

Derek nodded towards the door. "He and Hotch are coming," he said. "I don't think the kid slept at all last night. But he was in his own bed, so that's progress, I guess."

Penelope twisted around to get a better look. "Oh, no, from the looks of it I don't think either of them slept," she said. "Yikes on bikes."

"Maybe don't mention it though," JJ said, scrunching her nose in a wince. "I don't think Spencer or Hotch would be happy to hear that. They're doing their best."

Penelope bit back her thoughts as Hotch set down his backpack. Privately she thought he looked like a Tim Burton character with those dark circles under his eyes, but JJ was probably right. Most likely Hotch didn't want to hear her refer to him as Edward Scissorhands.

"How did you beat us over here?" Hotch asked, frowning at her.

"I had an important mission," she said. "Do you guys want to get in line? It's pancake day, you know how fast those go."

"Where's Alex?" Spencer asked anxiously.

"Probably trying to get Prentiss moving," Derek said. "I don't think Emily would be on time for anything if Alex didn't drag her along."

"What'd you say about me?" Emily asked, suddenly leaning over his shoulder.

Derek jumped. "Nothing," he said.

"Thought so," Emily said, raising a mock-warning eyebrow at him. "You're right, though. Guess who forgot to set her alarm?"

"Again," Alex said dryly. Her long hair hung loose around her shoulders; Penelope could see her hair ribbon dangling out of her blazer pocket. Spencer sidled up to her and leaned against her hip. "You'd sleep through all your classes if it wasn't for me."

"I'm a night owl!"

"You're nocturnal, that's what you are," Alex said. She brushed Spencer's hair back from his forehead. His sunburn was beginning to fade and peel, rough and white around his nose and mouth. "Hi, darling. Did you get some sleep?" Spencer shrugged, hiding his face in her side.