This story came to me around the time that Paget announced that she was leaving the show. Rjwritergirl was tossing around reasons that Will and JJ wedding to be a cover for something else, then she suggested the twist on the season finale. That started the wheels turning. Not sure what kind of storyline the PTB are going to give Em for her departure, but at least they can't kill her. Any way, I have noticed that of all the seasons, this has the most Dave/Em pairings of all other combined. Heck, even their mannerisms are the same, and their wardrobe is seriously coordinating. They are sharing something, but what? That said, I would like to think that Dave is not going to let Em get away again.

Song prompt: "All I Have" by Beth Nielsen Chapman

All I Have

"So you called me here to join you for dinner," Dave remarked with a sly smile. With expertise, he twirled the spaghetti around his fork.

Em picked up her wine glass and took a sip of the robust bouquet. "Do I need a reason to ask you out?" she returned evenly. "We always go out after a case."

"Yes, we do," he agreed before putting the bite in his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully. "But you have something on your mind."

"A friend can't ask a friend out to eat?" Em traced a finger tip along the rim of the glass.

"I didn't say that, Emily. But I thought we were more than friends," he returned. His hand reached out and covered hers.

A tingle of electricity went thru Em's arm. "We are…I mean, after all we've gone thru…"

Dave raised an eyebrow in mock surprise. "And us secretly dating for the past few months hasn't changed our status at all?"

Em blushed. "Okay, you have me there, but…"

"But what, Em," he prompted. "Go ahead and spit it out."

Pulling her hand away, she straightened her posture. "I…the only people who know what I'm about to tell you is Erin Strauss and the FBI Director…"

It didn't take an expert profiler to figure out that Em was about to drop a huge bomb of some type, and what ever it was, it was going to change them…again.

Dave laid his fork down. "You're not dying, are you?" he asked sardonically.

Em chuckled, but there was no humour in her tone. "No. Nothing that major. But it is going to affect the team."

"I can handle it." But Dave braced himself for the worst.

"I'm leaving the BAU."

Dave froze as the realization of what she said began to dawn on him. "What?"

"I'm leaving the BAU," she repeated.

For the first time in his life, Dave Rossi was speechless. "When did you decide this?"

"A couple of weeks ago," she admitted. "I was talking with Mother, and she found out that she is…sick."

"How sick?" Dave asked. He had met Elizabeth Prentiss a few times, and he genuinely liked the woman who was the mother of the woman and partner he loved.

Em took a deep breath as tears filled her eyes. "It's MS. It's in the second stage…"

"Already?" Dave was shocked. "I thought it took years…"

"Sometimes. Mother didn't know that she had been ill for quite a while. Every doctor she saw summed it up to being overtired, stressed, or Epstein-Barr." Em's hand shook as she took a sip of the wine that now tasted bitter on her tongue.

"When did she find out?" Dave's tone was sympathetic.

"Over Christmas. She tripped going up the stairs and wretched her knee. She thought she had caught her foot on the carpet, but in all actuality, she lost her balance."

"So, you are going to take care of her?"

Em nodded. "I have to. Since Daddy died last year, and now that she has to resign her post, she doesn't have anyone. I owe her this much to help out while I can."

"You're moving in with her?" Dave wondered. He had been in Em's townhouse a few times and knew that the stairs were going to pose a big problem to the Ambassador.

"No. She's moving in with me. I'm buying a house and she's going to stay until…" her voice choked up with emotion.

"And that is why you're leaving the FBI?"

Em shook her head. "Not the FBI," she corrected. "Just the BAU. Strauss pulled some strings so that I could teach at the academy. Seems that they need teachers for Arabic. Tons of chatter has been going on since Bin Laden."

"So, I'm never going to see you again," Dave observed regretfully.

"We'll see each other. Heck, I'll just be down the road; you can pop your head in and say 'hi'. Besides, I'm still going to hang with Pen and JJ," she pointed out.

"But what about us? I thought we were…'hanging'?" Dave wondered.

"We are." Em was confused.

"As in 'serious' hanging," he emphasized serious.

"We're dating undercover and in violation of the fraternization policy," she pointed out matter of fact. "We won't have to if I leave."

"But then with work and your mother…this might be our last dinner."

"We'll make time," she remarked hesitantly. "The team isn't always out in the field, and I'll have weekends off…"

"What if I wanted to change your mind?" Dave asked out of the blue. "About staying in my life?"

Em bit her lip. "How…?"

Dave shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know…maybe move in together…"

"Oh, that would work out well," Em countered with a dry laugh. "Sergio and Mudgie in the same house? And my mother?"

"It could work," he protested.

"With a miracle or two. Besides, you would get tired of us."

"Then let's get married."

Em's eyes widened. "Married?" she croaked.

"Why not? We know each other well, and we're partners. Plus, we've been dating for a while. Let's take it to the next step."

Em considered his proposal for a minute, then she began to laugh.

Dave was flummoxed by her reaction. "What? What's funny?"

"You. For a moment, I thought you were serious." Her body shook with giggles. "Us getting married…that's funny."

"I mean it, Em."

"Of course, you do." Dave's hand flexed under the table. Em stopped laughing as she realized the change in Dave's demeanor. "I'm sorry, Dave. I know you mean well, but you don't want to marry me." He didn't miss the tinge of sadness that was hidden in her voice.

"You don't want to get married…or be married to me?"

She sighed. "I don't know. I used to dream about getting married in a church to my Prince Charming…but…" She picked up the wine glass and swirled the liquid. "Too much has happened in the past couple of years to make me marriage material." Her eyes briefly held his before breaking away to stare at the centerpiece on the table.

Dave hesitated. Em's words were saying one thing, but her eyes said something else. He was confused, but he wasn't going to fight about it...there. Picking up the serviette, he wiped his mouth. "It was a silly idea. And now that you're buying a house and moving your mother in…" He gave a short snort. "And...our animals would probably not get along."

"It was nice of you to ask." Her eyes were kind. "Who knows, you might get a better partner after I leave, and forget all about me," she joked. But her laugh was hollow.

Dave picked up his fork. "So, when do you start at the academy?" he politely changed the subject.

Visibly relieved to be talking about something else, Em quickly explained her new job, Dave was only half listening. There had to be a way to get her to stay in his life. He had proposed, but she hadn't turned him down…completely. He had seen that gleam of excitement when he popped the question. Then the wall had gone up. He had lost her once before by not speaking up and fighting for her. This time, he was going to go balls to the wall to make sure that he didn't become a footnote in her life.

While she talked, Dave's mind raced to begin his strategy of getting Emily Prentiss to marry him. He had the drive and desire, but he was going to need the team to help execute the rest of the plan. It was going to be a helluva fight to win the woman of his dreams.

But then, Dave Rossi liked a good fight.