Disclaimer: In no way do I own Criminal Minds and I'm not making any profit off this story.
Summary: Rossi's dinner plans aren't exactly turning out the way he expected. Not even perfectly made Italian cuisine can distract him when a friend needs help, whether they want it or not.
Please R&R.
…
David Rossi was having trouble concentrating on his dinner.
It wasn't because he didn't like the food. He was dinning at Bella Mia a very famous and very expensive Italian restaurant that just happened to be his favorite. He had also ordered his favorite dish, which he normally would have devoured without a problem.
Nor was it his company, a lovely lady named Larisa that he had met during his book tour. She was beautiful, funny and bright, and unlike so many others, he found he rather enjoyed spending time with her.
No the issue he was having with his concentration sat a few tables away from them. His eyes roamed the occupants at the table but always returned to one in particular.
Penelope Garcia, his good friend and team member was out having dinner it seemed with her boyfriend's parents.
However Dave found the he didn't like what he saw. Penelope was in drab, dark clothing, so unlike her colorful, joyful style that he was used to. Not only that but she was sitting quietly, rather than acting like the life of the party. She only spoke when she was spoken to which was far too little for Dave's liking.
What was worse, which had Dave silently storming, was the fact that her so called boyfriend seemed almost embarrassed whenever Penelope would open her mouth to talk. He could hear parts of their conversation and noticed that Lynch's parents only seemed to chastise Penelope, making references to how amazing their son was and how he could have any woman he wanted.
And Penelope just took it.
That was not the Goddess he knew and he couldn't take much more of it. Penelope was one of the most amazing people he knew and he couldn't stand to see these…morons treat her as such.
"Dave," he was snapped from his brooding when he felt Larisa's hand on his arm "are you okay?"
Dave shook his head as he looked into her sparkling blue eyes "No," he gritted out "I'm sorry but I'm going to have to cut our date short."
Larisa's surprised look soon turned to one of annoyance "Really? In the middle of dinner you're going to end our date?"
Dave shrugged "There's something more important that I have to do."
Larisa huffed obviously not getting the response she wanted "I can't believe this. You've barely paid any attention to me since we've sat down and now you're just going to leave. Are you at least going to give me a ride home?"
Dave sighed, he knew what effect his answer was going to have on their relationship but considering the way she was acting now, perhaps it was for the best. "I can call you a cab…?"
"No thank you," she said pushing herself up from the table, then she walked away head held high, muttering angrily under her breath.
Dave watched her go and then his eyes returned to the other table. They caught two widened brown eyes staring back at him.
Penelope seemed to shrink more into her seat now that she knew Dave was there and had seen her humiliation.
However Dave didn't look away. Instead he continued to sit and slowly ate the rest of his dinner while he listened and watched Penelope's table.
…
"Oh Kevin dear, I almost forgot to tell you, Caroline and John are expecting their first child, isn't that wonderful?" Julia, Kevin's mother said, her grin wide.
Caroline was Kevin's older sister, and was just about as stuck up as her parents. Well in Penelope's opinion she was, she didn't understand how the sweet, quiet John could put up with his cruel wife.
"That is great news Mother," Kevin said "I'll have to remember to call and congratulate her.
"Well it's about time I get a grandbaby," Julia stated, her eyes narrowed as they landed on Penelope "I always hoped my Kevin," now she turned loving eyes on her son "would make that wish a reality sooner. You'd make such adorable babies Kevie."
Penelope bit her lip but quickly stopped knowing that Julia and Robert, Kevin's father, would label that as bad manners. However she couldn't help her fingers from fidgeting under the table. She always felt so uncomfortable around Kevin's parents and now knowing that Rossi was also sitting a few tables away was making her more nervous.
She could still feel the older profiler's eyes on her and shrunk still lower in her chair as Julia continued along the same topic.
"I don't suppose you two have thought about children yet?" Julia probed.
Penelope opened her mouth to respond but apparently Julia hadn't been finished.
"I mean I guess it wouldn't be a practical notion at this point anyways…" Penelope thought Julia was probably about to make a reference to the fact that she and Kevin weren't married yet but what she did say next left Penelope gaping at her "with your weight and all Penelope, it's well known that women who are overweight have more trouble during pregnancy."
Penelope managed to shut her mouth when Kevin elbowed her in the side, before Julia looked her way but she still couldn't believe the woman had said that to her, and apparently neither could Rossi. Penelope saw a flourish of movement out of the corner of her eye and looked over. A red faced David Rossi was marching towards them.
Penelope stood up too "I have to go to the washroom," she hurriedly said before quickly walking away from the table, she could hear muttered words of how rude she was being but she didn't stop.
She was hurt but she didn't want to be around for anything that Rossi was planning to say to Kevin's family.
She headed into the washroom and let out a sigh of relief when the door closed behind her. She walked into a stall and sat down, she didn't really need to use the washroom but she needed a moment to herself.
She put her head in her hands as Julie's words echoed in her head. She'd always known that Kevin's parents didn't believe she was good enough for their son, they had always nit-picked about different things wrong with her, but none of them had been so hurtful than the comment about her weight.
The truth was that she did want to have children; it was Kevin that was against the idea. Whenever they had talked about it, Kevin's response to having kids had always been negative and that was one of the more important reasons that Penelope hadn't been pushing Kevin to take their relationship to the next level.
But the truth of Julie's words stung her deeply, her body type was not ideal for her to have children and though she didn't spend much time thinking about stuff like that, it still hurt to be reminded that she wasn't the perfect goddess she liked to think of herself as.
Penelope held back the tears that threatened to escape; there would be no denying that she had gone to the bathroom to cry if she let them fall, which would no doubt be embarrassing for her and Kevin.
Getting herself under control she stood up, opened the door and almost walked into Rossi.
She gasped in surprise and took a step back, she hadn't heard him come in. "Sir?" she said her eyes widening "what are you doing, this is the woman's…"
Rossi cut her off "How could you let them talk to you like that?"
Penelope frowned and pushed past Rossi, walking over to the sink "I don't know that you're talking about."
Rossi almost growled as he grabbed Penelope's arm and pulled her back to him forcefully, she whirled around to face him "Don't play dumb Penelope," he said through gritted teeth "the goddess I know would run a person's credit score into the ground if someone even dared talk to her like that."
Penelope tried to pull away from him but Rossi's grip only tightened.
"Let go of me!" Penelope hissed.
Rossi searched for the answer in her eyes "Not until you tell me why you let them talk to you like that? It doesn't make any sense; you don't deserve to be treated like that."
Penelope eyes flew to the ground; she was now fighting a losing battle with the tears she had been trying to suppress earlier. "Rossi please…" Penelope said, she knew her voice sounded pitiful "just leave it alone."
His grip loosened and instead his hand came up to her chin, lifting it so that she was looking at him again "Kitten, please just explain, why would such a beautiful, smart, amazing woman like you put up with such crap from two people who obviously have no sense?"
Penelope's words were whispered when she finally answered "For Kevin…"
Rossi shook his head "For a man who won't even stand up for you. Sweetheart you could do so much better. No man should treat their girl the way Lynch is treating you right now, especially in front of his parents. My mother would smack me if I ever treated a woman like that in front of her."
Penelope couldn't stop the tears that ran down her cheeks. She sobbed as she felt her mascara start to run and Rossi pulled her closer to him.
"What is it?" he asked.
Penelope mumbled something into his chest that was hard to make out but the parts he did get made his blood boil. Kevin had certainly done a number on Penelope; he couldn't believe he hadn't seen it before.
"Don't you dare say that," Rossi said and Penelope looked up at him in surprise, she could feel the anger vibrating through him "you don't deserve to be treated like that and you could most definitely find someone better than him. Whatever lies he's been brainwashing you with need to be pushed from your mind, Kevin Lynch, and his parents do not deserve to kiss the ground you walk on."
Penelope stared at him through disbelieving eyes as he wrapped one arm around her waist and then wiped the tears from her cheeks. "You're coming home with me Penelope."
"What?" Penelope gaped at him "I can't, what about Kevin?"
Rossi shook his head "You don't worry about him Kitten; he's no longer going to be your problem anymore."
He was surprised that she didn't protest more but he guessed, even though her self-doubt, she knew that she didn't want Kevin anymore.
Rossi led her out of the bathroom and down the hall where they met Kevin. He gaped at them when he saw how close they were.
"Penelope, what are you doing?!" he hissed "are you trying to embarrass me?"
Before Penelope could answer Rossi replied with a smirk "Is it working?"
Kevin stuttered "What the hell man?" he finally forced out "Penelope get away from him and come with me before my parents see."
Penelope stepped out of Rossi arms but didn't go far, she glared at Kevin. Rossi's words had finally sunk in and she knew that she had to ditch Kevin. She was ashamed of herself for putting up with him for so long.
Kevin didn't seem to notice Penelope's tense posture as he grabbed her arm, he frowned "God you look horrible, your makeup is messed up, my mother was just stating a fact, you didn't need to go and cry over it."
Penelope could feel Rossi tensing beside her and knew that if Kevin didn't shut up, he was about to get his ass beat.
Penelope pulled her hand from Kevin's grasp "I'm leaving," she said sternly "Dave's going to give me a ride home, I just need to get my purse and jacket."
Kevin's eyes widened "You've got to be kidding me? Right in the middle of dinner, with my parents! That's incredibly rude."
"Well you're parents have been nothing but rude the entire night so I guess that will make us even," Penelope replied making her way towards the table, Kevin and Rossi following closely behind.
Kevin grabbed her arm again before she could reach the table, he pulled her back "Penny don't do this, it will be the last straw for my mother, she'll be adamant that we no longer see each other if you leave right now."
Penelope started to laugh and Kevin gawked at her, not understanding.
"I thought it was implied that we would no longer be seeing each other. I'm breaking up with you Kevin. I'm not going to have dinner with you or your horrible parents, and I don't want to see you again unless it's a work thing or for a second when you come to pick up your crap from my apartment."
Kevin was left standing stock-still as Penelope strode up to the table grabbed her purse and jacket, told Kevin's parents how unpleasant it was to see them again and then allowed Rossi to walk her out on his arm.