The Rossi/JJ-Alphabet-Series
A/N: This series of one-shots & drabbles is dedicated to ilovetvalot/Tracia! You're doing a great job with everything on here and over on FB and you deserve some special JJ/Rossi treats.
Here's how I'm planning to do this series: Each chapter will contain a one-shot/drabble using one part of the human body as a prompt (i.e. this chapter: a = ankle). I'll try to get through the whole alphabet, though I might use some letters more than once. I've already made a list with anatomic features of the human body (male + female), but there are still a few letters I couldn't think of any prompt. These are: D, G, J, O, Q, X, Y, Z. If anybody could help me out with these, I'd be eternally grateful, if not, I might just skip these letters.
All of the stories will center around the JJ/Rossi pairing and will probably stand alone. I'll mark any stories that will interlink. The ratings will go from K through M, but I'll make sure to mark anything that goes beyond a T with a clear warning.
All right, enough said, on with the first story.
Enjoy, and let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: CM and its characters don't belong to me, I'm not making money with it, I'm just playing around.
A = Ankle
Ever since her highschool and college soccer days, JJ knew how much a sprained ankle could hurt. She had managed quite a few of those injuries over the course of those years. Since she'd joined the Bureau, however, she'd luckily been spared and had almost forgotten how painful ankle injuries could be.
Until an hour ago. What had possessed her to go for a run in the dark after returning home from work she'd never know.
She should have known better, especially in her field of work, how dangerous it could be for a young woman to be out in the dark by herself. Even if she knew how to defend herself. Luckily for her that wasn't needed tonight.
But while she was already on her way back home, she managed to trip over something she couldn't make out exactly. Slipping away with her left foot, she could literally count the milliseconds until the expected sharp pain pierced her foot and her butt landed on the floor. She cursed loudly and tried to get up again right away, only her foot had other ideas.
She could feel her ankle swell up and knew she wouldn't be able to walk home by herself.
"Damn it!" she hissed sharply, angry with herself.
Spending the upcoming weekend on her couch had not been what she'd had in mind. Henry was spending the whole week with his father in New Orleans, so JJ had actually planned to make the most of her free time by cleaning the house, treat herself to a shopping trip to the mall and other things a single woman could come up with.
As if on cue, her cell phone began to rang while she still thought of the easiest way to get off the cold concrete of the street.
She didn't even have to check the display to know it was Rossi, and her heart suddenly felt a lot lighter, not to mention that it also started to beat a lot faster. He was the only one who had that kind of effect on her.
Over the course of the last few months, ever since she and Will had split, he had developed a kind of sixth sense when it came to her being in trouble or having a problem, be it a flat tire on her car in the middle of a dark country road or a credit card that refused to work properly while she didn't have enough cash with her at a gas station. He'd always call exactly when she needed him.
"I swear, your sixth sense is getting creepy," she answered the phone without an initial greeting.
She could hear Dave's amused chuckle on the other end of the line.
"You're in trouble again?"
"I... uh... am in a little predicament here, so to speak," she replied slowly.
"What happened this time?" he wanted to know.
"Well, I went out for a run-"
"What?" Dave interrupted her immediately. "Now? In the dark? It's after nine!"
"Yes, now!" JJ answered defiantly upon hearing his disapproval. "I'm a big girl, I can look out for myself."
"Apparently not, or you wouldn't be in whatever predicament you currently are," Dave retorted. "Start talking, and do it fast! Where are you? What's going on?"
"I slipped, probably on a wet leaf or something, and I kinda twisted my left ankle a bit."
"What does 'a bit' mean, Jen?" Dave bit out impatiently, already grabbing his car keys and getting out of the house.
"A bit as in I'm having trouble getting up from the floor because my foot hurts like hell."
"What else hurts?"
"Nothing. I'm fine otherwise."
"Damn it, woman, I swear you're gonna be the death of me one day!" Dave cussed heavily into the phone. "I hope you have your gun with you."
"I do, Rossi, no need to get bitchy."
"Stay on alert, babe. You never know who's walking around the streets at this time of the night. Where are you?"
JJ told him where to find her and was not-so-secretly glad that he was coming. If there was anyone she'd want to see tonight, then it was him. Even if he was in overprotective alpha-male mode again.
"I'm on my way, Jen. Just stay put and be careful. I'll be there in ten minutes."
.~.~.
When he arrived at the place of JJ's misfortune, he let out a relieved breath when he saw her sitting on the sidewalk, seemingly safe and sound except for the injury on her foot. He practically jumped out of his SUV and ran over to her, kneeling down in front of her.
"You okay?" He asked softly.
"Yeah, it's just my ankle." And my pride, she added silently.
He checked her out from head to toe anyway, just to make sure and calm his nerves, before tending to her foot. Carefully taking off her shoe, he laid a soothing hand on her shoulder when she winced with pain. Her foot felt almost twice as big as normal due to the swelling, but at least it didn't seem broken from what he could feel.
"All right, let's get you up." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up with him, holding her close for a few more seconds just to make sure she was okay, and he couldn't stop himself from dropping a small kiss on the corner of her mouth.
"What were you thinking going out alone in the middle of the night?" He scolded her gently.
He knew he could never really be angry with her, despite the fact that she almost gave him a heart attack, but his over-protectiveness always broke out immensely when it came to her.
"It's not the middle of the night," JJ tried a weak attempt at defending herself, all the while knowing that he was right.
"Semantics, honey," Dave gave back and guided her into his car. "Do me a favor and don't argue with me on that right now. You won't stand a chance anyway."
They drove in silence for a few minutes until JJ noticed that wherever he was heading, it was not the direction to her house.
"Where do you think you're going, Rossi?" She asked suspiciously.
"To the ER," he replied matter-of-factly. "You have to get your ankle checked out by a doctor."
"Nu uh, I don't think so. I'm fine!" JJ retorted stubbornly. "I'll pack some ice on it and spend the weekend on my couch and on Monday I'll be as good as new."
"Humor me, Jen," was all Dave replied.
It turned out that JJ luckily hadn't suffered any major injury.
"You will have to keep any weight off your foot for the next few day, though," the doctor told her. "And you should walk on crutches for about a week or two, depending on how quickly the swelling goes back. Absolutely no running and no long walks for the next three weeks, and you should be okay by then."
"Damn!" was JJ's reaction. This meant being out of the field for the next few weeks.
"Just see it as a well-deserved break, babe," Dave tried to cheer her up while rolling her out of the hospital in a wheel chair.
"What, desk duty?" JJ bit back sarcastically.
.~.~.
Arriving back at JJ's house twenty minutes later, she had almost fallen asleep. Once she'd been settled in Dave's SUV, she felt all her energy drain from her body and she began to long for her couch, or even better, her bed.
Barely aware that the car had stopped, JJ only opened her eyes when she heard Dave's soft voice close to her ear.
"Jen, sweetheart. We're home."
He'd gone around the car and opened the door on her side.
All of a sudden, he was so close, his presence seemed almost overwhelming. Being half asleep didn't help her sort her thoughts and clear her head.
When he bent over her to help her unbuckle the seat belt, she realized she didn't really want to think at all. He was there and she was comfortable. Anything else could wait until the morning.
"Come on, honey, let's get you inside," Dave whispered gently. "I bet there's a nice, warm bed waiting for you."
Helping her out of the car – careful as to not put pressure on her foot – he acknowledged with satisfaction that her arms automatically wrapped around his neck. He quickly swept her into his arms and carried her inside. As soon as he'd placed her on the couch in the den, his arms felt empty, longing to have her back. Holding her was definitely something he could get used to. His fantasies had told him that a long time ago.
The growing attraction between them had been hard to miss and he was sure that JJ was just as aware of it as he was. He had now reached a point where it didn't make sense for him anymore to hold back and be content with just being her friend and he was sure that the upcoming weekend would be enlightening for both of them.
Quickly getting his ever-present overnight bag from his car, he then locked the doors and went back to JJ. Smiling lightly as he watched her curl up on the couch, he remembered her words she'd greeted him with on the phone earlier. It was true, he seemed to have developed a sixth sense when it came to her, though he would rather describe it as a deep connection between two souls.
He wondered if that would sound just as corny as it did in his head if he told her that out loud.
Kneeling down in front of the sofa, he gently began to wake her from her slumber. He would love to watch her sleep for a while, but he knew that she'd get a much better rest in her bed.
"Hey, Jen."
"Hmm." JJ didn't want to open her eyes. She was just about to fall into a deep pleasant sleep, and tried to ignore the disturbance.
"Just stay awake a few more minutes, sweetheart. Your bed is much more comfortable."
Dave's voice seemed to be far away and JJ had to bring up all her willpower to pry her eyes open.
Her heart almost stopped when she looked directly into his face only inches away from hers. She wasn't really sure if this was all just a dream or if it was truly happening, but for all she knew, she couldn't care less at the moment. If Dave Rossi was going to be there with her tonight - be it in a dream or for real – she was more than willing to give in.
Reaching out, she brought her arms around his neck again and buried her face in his shoulder. He smelled wonderful and she vaguely remembered that she hadn't had a shower after her run and he would probably not be able to say the same thing about her. She was too lazy and too tired to act on the thought, though. She'd apologize to him in the morning if he was still there and if it hadn't just been a dream.
She felt herself being lifted up again, and moments later made contact with the soft cushions on her bed.
"Pajamas, babe?" Dave muttered into her hair before he let go of her.
Seeing JJ shake her head, he reckoned that she could sleep in her running gear for one night. After taking off her shoes, he checked her foot once again to make sure the bandage was still in place and she was as comfortable with it as possible and then gently tucked her in and turned to leave.
"Don't go," JJ murmured softly, her clear blue eyes, heavy with sleep, staring directly into his.
She never looked more beautiful to him and he knew he'd be a fool if he turned down this offer.
Quickly toeing off his shoes, he took off his jeans and his jacket before climbing under the covers next to her.
They automatically gravitated towards one another, him reaching to pull her close, while JJ made herself comfortable in his arms. Dave carefully made sure not to trap her injured foot between his legs and tucked her safely against him to keep her warm. He knew that, come tomorrow, their lives would change – in a very good way.
There was a distinct feeling in the air that for the first time they were both doing everything right.
A/N²: Please don't forget to nominate all of your favorite stories for the ~*~ Profiler's Choice 2011 Fanfic Awards for the Criminal Minds Community ~*~ The nomination ballot and the rules are posted on Chit Chat on Author's Corner forum. (This serves also as a reminder to myself to complete my own ballot... will get to that sometime this week).