A Sentimental Man
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Summary: Character study of Rossi. Set in season 3, in an unspecific time after his first appearance in 3x06. Title taken from, but by no means based on, the song 'A Sentimental Man' from the Wicked soundtrack.
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"People do not seem to realise that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character" - Ralph Waldo Emerson.
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He quickly realises the team's significance to him within a few cases.
Being back after a significant period of time is overwhelming – often challenging – but he enjoys reliving the experience. The fact new positions such as 'media liaison officer' and 'technical analyst' are being created almost daily seems to constantly surprise him.
As distant and cold as he tries to keep himself at first – he knows the price you sometimes have to pay for maintaining anything more than a professional relationship with any individual – he finds himself endeared by certain habits of his fellow team members.
Take Reid for example. In any other profession, his incessant babbling of random facts and trivia might have been regarded as annoying, but here in the BAU it almost suits the place. And despite himself, he does genuinely find himself picking up pieces of new information, storing it away for later use. Oh, don't get him wrong, he hates himself for quoting it later on, knowing he has Reid to thank for that particular piece of information, but he still has to admire the young man for possessing the mind of a genius.
Then, there's Garcia, someone he is frequently bemused by. Because of her, he's almost afraid of phoning the office whenever they're on a case, unprepared for whatever witty greeting she has pre-prepared for such a call. But though she's a strange creature, he soon becomes accustomed to her vibrant and bubbly personality, and occasionally one of her remarks he finds amusing enough to let show on his face.
JJ is a very remarkable woman. Confident, calm, with the ability to aptly deal with the media in a professional manner, he is intrigued by her, by her very profession. She just doesn't let anything bother her, and her logical nature, and valuable input in discussions make her an altogether formidable agent, one he's looking forward to getting to know.
Derek Morgan is someone he's yet to make his mind up about. He's strong, both physically and emotionally, but there's a stubborn streak to him, and he's certainly not afraid of speaking his mind. Overall, he feels Morgan is definitely an alpha male, and he knows it, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, although it does make him feel wary.
Then there's Emily Prentiss, a strong, fierce, confident woman. He's come across her type before. She guards her secrets well, compartmentalises when she needs to, but other than that, he can't quite read her. But there's a loyal streak in her, and she, like Morgan, isn't afraid of speaking her mind, and he has to admire that quality.
Hotch, it goes without saying, is everything a man should be. Brave, fierce, strong, a good leader – maybe even the best – and above all else, a no-nonsense individual with frequent displays of charisma to rival his own. He has nothing but respect for the man - always has and always will.
Overall, this team is his fourth wife. He intends to honour his commitment to them for as long as he can, and that, if he's being honest, is more than what he promised his first three wives.
Behind the desk, as he pores over paperwork, he contemplates his decision to return.
Unfinished business.
That was the excuse he gave, but, really, aside from a few cold cases he needs to put out of his mind for good, the actual reason he has come back is out of some sort of sentimentality.
He missed the BAU.
In a way, he regards it as an old friend, who, though physically altered in appearance, deep down remains the same familiar constant in his life he doesn't intend to release again. Not willingly, anyway.
He hasn't missed the paperwork though, he'll admit. It seems the protocols regarding what details to include in the case reports have become much stricter than he remembers. Ten years ago, little minor details which never really amounted to anything in terms of evidence would have been left out of reports, and no one would've batted an eyelid, but these days every detail – even the tiniest ones – have to be included, which is fair enough, he supposes.
It does pay to know exactly where you screwed up, if the case in question had resolved in a failure of some kind.
Still, there's not much he has to catch up on. As a profiler, he can suss out the various relationships, the various dynamics between his team members, and he quietly makes notes, not so much to use as a point of reference for later, but rather to give him an excuse for observation.
He thinks the first time he actually starts to accept these swelling feelings of pride and respect is when Garcia is shot, and he's having to resort to yelling at her to get answers. He could do the honest thing, confess that though he's been back at work for a while now, it still takes him a while to adapt to the fact his team, though each individually gifted in some way, are not infallible. There are times when the UnSub shoots back and actually hits their target.
Terrifying moments like that, ironically enough, remind you what it means to be alive.
Oh, he's heard all the rumours about himself. It's mostly gossip, stemming from the fact he rarely finds a reason to smile, and that he buries himself in solemnity. But underneath it all, he suspects he's just a sentimental old fool really.
Had he been made of sterner stuff, he might've left the BAU back in the past where it belonged. There are certainly times when the methods of the new BAU team baffle him, and the advances in technology frequently bemuses him, but he learns to adapt. Occasionally, he catches Hotch staring at him, almost smiling, as if he is aware what a stuffy old man he really is, trying to pass himself off as the man he used to be – who, let's be clear, was a hell of a lot fitter than he is now – but still, he's trying.
He appears cold on the outside because that's how he's let himself become. Seeing too many of the same brutal cases over and over have a way of desensitising you, of stripping away the shock factor so that you almost adapt a cynical view of the world, causing you to constantly question every soul around you. He's not made a lot of friends since leaving the BAU all those years ago, and he never expected that to change.
But, combining Reid's incessant babbling of facts in his general direction, the look in his eyes showing much more than respect for him, and Prentiss' warm smile as well as her quick wit and her ability to match the pace of her co-workers with ease, and Morgan's snarky responses, which are at a complete mismatch with his warm, caring personality, and JJ's gentle humour and her ability to adapt to any given situation, and Garcia's bubbly comments, some of which go way above his head, and Hotch's strong, steadfast loyalty to his team, and his family, and he realises he has a hell of a team to work with.
They combine the very best traits of human nature, and in his place of work, it's more than a relief to realise however dark the world can be, there are millions of people like his team trying to make it a better place to live in.
Ten years ago, he remembers this place being so different. Sure, the same bonds of loyalty remained between the individual members, but it'd always felt forced, obligatory, part of the job.
And now...?
Well, now it feels like a sort of family, a family where each member goes above and beyond for the rest without even being asked. It takes a bit of getting used to at first, but when he finds himself fitting in, it amazes him that the rest of the team treat him like he's always been there, yet at the same time treating him with an air of respect he grows to appreciate.
He came back to settle some unfinished business, and stayed because, frankly, he can't see himself anywhere else now.
A/n: For the record, I'm Team Rossi all the way. I love Gideon of course, but Rossi will always be one of my favourites along with Reid and Prentiss ;) Thanks for all my reviews on my Ashley Seaver one-shot. Hopefully, you'll enjoy this character study too. :)