Fortress Around Their Hearts

By

Mrsrossino4

Hi kids! Thanks to my new online friend ilovetvalot I have been asked to step in and write another submission for challenge #9. My pairing is Emily/Rossi and the prompt is ER. I think I am one of five people on the planet who never saw an episode of the TV show, so I am basing my setting in an actual ER. So sit back, grab your favorite beverage, and enjoy.

David Rossi could do nothing but sit in stunned silence at the news delivered by JJ and Hotch. He knew Emily had been severely injured, but somehow he never considered it was serious enough to kill her. He, along with the rest of the team sat in the waiting room of the Emergency Department too stunned to say anything. All Rossi could think about was the fact he never got to say goodbye to her.

When he had first come out of retirement, Emily was one of the first members of the team that actually impressed him. Her drive, ambition and honesty had found a place in his previously hardened heart. He and Emily had grown close and had developed a true friendship. She often confided in the older agent, and he was happy to serve as a mentor to her. He saw so much promise in Emily Prentiss, but now that was gone. Ian Doyle had robbed him of his friend. No, Ian Doyle robbed him of the chance to tell his friend how he truly felt. Now there was only the thought of what could have been if he had only gotten the courage to tell her how he really felt.

It was hard to think that Emily, being escorted out of the hospital by total strangers for her own personal safety (as well as the safety of her team members) would never see her adopted family again. She hated the fact they all would believe her dead, most of all her mentor and friend David Rossi. He was the one person she regretted lying to the most. She had pleased with JJ and Hotch to at least allow Dave to be kept in the loop, but they both had insisted this was for the best. Emily longed to see her friend once more, to hug him goodbye and confess her true feelings to him. Now she would never get the chance; not as long as Ian Doyle remained at large.

As she got into the dark sedan and headed for the airport, the agent driving turned on the radio and settled on an easy listening station. The song playing was Fortress Around Your Heart by Sting. How appropriate considering present circumstances. Emily knew the only way she could survive the separation from Dave was to build a fortress around her heart. She always seemed to have bad luck in finding love, and this proved it. Just as she was about to tell her mentor how she truly felt, they get ripped apart by an unsavory portion of her past. Now Dave will never know how much he means to her.

Rossi left the Emergency Department angry, hurt and confused. He had asked JJ and Hotch to see the body, but they said it was already transported to the funeral home. That was too fast, in his opinion. Also, they told him the funeral would be closed casket. Why? Something just did not add up here. He trusted JJ and Hotch with his life, but he could not shake the feeling something was being left out on purpose.

As he got into his SUV, Rossi fiddled with the radio and came across an easy listening station. He recognized the artist as Sting, who was not a bad musician. He was more into jazz, but Sting did have enough of a jazz element to his music to be of interest. The lyrics to this specific song playing ironically fit how Rossi was feeling. He had softened his heart for one person for the first time in ages, and it bit him in the ass. Determined not to allow that to happen again, he ruefully chuckled as he decided to take the singer's advice and build a fortress around his heart.

Several weeks later, JJ is hurrying to meet someone at a non-descript sidewalk café in Europe. Everyone is moving along at a leisurely pace enjoying the beautiful weather. She comes upon a dark-haired woman with large sunglasses at a table and sits across from her.

"I've brought you enough money and a new set of identification documents so you can be comfortable in your new life". An envelope is slid across the table.

"Thank you for everything, JJ. I know it must be hard for you to cover this up".

The blonde nodded. "The team hasn't been the same since it happened, especially Dave. He doesn't say anything, but you can tell it affected him deeply. I'm afraid he might eventually figure out the truth".

"I guess we'll just have to cross that bridge if and when we come to it".

David Rossi was sitting in his office, but could not concentrate on his files. After analyzing the entire situation with Emily, he has concluded this is a great deal more than his friends are telling him. It honestly pissed him off they were not confiding in him. Well, if they can't trust him, then he'll have to go rogue to find out the truth. He sighed and picked up the phone.

"Hi, it's Dave. Yes, I think it's time we meet and discuss what can be done to return Agent Jareau to the BAU".

It might be a dirty trick, but it was worth it to discover the truth.

Finis

I hope you enjoyed this story. Please feel free to leave a review or comment. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but flaming and hatred is not. And yes, I do get a lot of inspiration from music.