AN: I'm baaaaaaack.
Hi, guys. =) So, this is the fourth installment in the Declan Prentiss series, and to be quite honest, I enjoyed writing this one more than the rest. I don't know why, this one just resonated with me.
I've been super freaking excited about posting this since I came up with the idea for it. =D I tell you, this series has pretty much taken over my life. And I love it, so I hope you guys do too! This one is the longest so far, having reached an astounding eighteen pages in OpenOffice. I don't know what else to say other than I love this story. Maybe it's the fact that... Wait for it... Declan gets a love interest! =D AND we meet JJ and Will's baby girl, who in this story is one! (I think I based her off of my own niece, who just turned one. I miss her so, so much, so I wouldn't be surprised if she was the reason I came up with the idea of JJ and Will having a baby girl. Meh. Either way, she's adorable.)
This one is from Rossi's point of view just because a) It was the POV that worked best, all things considered, b) I think his character is fantastic, and c) I have a weird kind of crush on him. So, I won't bother you with any more idle chatter. Please enjoy story #4 in the Declan Prentiss universe!
Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.
There were days when David Rossi wished he didn't always have to be right. They were few and far between, but when they came, they came with a vengeance. He'd received a call from the headmaster of Declan's school that morning and was asked to come in for a one on one meeting. He'd been listed as an official contact, and while Emily was out of town on a consulting job, he'd been the one they'd called when Declan got into a fight with another student.
All things considered, he should have seen it coming. Declan had been in the middle of the media firestorm that was unleashed when some repulsive blogger leaked the news that Declan was not Emily's son by birth, but the son of an Irish terrorist who'd been responsible for several murders and bombings. (He hadn't even needed to tell Garcia that this person needed to be buried; as soon as she learned of the leak, her fingers had got to work on her keyboards. Rossi imagined that he could hear the invisible person screaming in alarm as their credit history, mortgage, car payments, credit cards and any and all forms of income were deemed fraudulent by the IRS and put under immediate investigation.)
But, the damage had been done, and for the last week, while she was needed out of town on a consultation, Emily had been growing more alarmed with reports of people related to his victims attacking Declan for what his father had done. Hotch and Morgan had taken to driving by the school on their breaks to check in on Declan, but so far they hadn't been able to witness anything concrete.
This fight didn't surprise the veteran profiler as much as he knew it would sadden Emily. She'd been so proud that Declan had been doing well with his anger management, but Rossi had a gut feeling that there was more to this than just someone accusing him of being a terrorist like his father. The headmaster had given Rossi a run down of the injuries Declan had inflicted, a concussion, a broken nose, some sprained appendages, and that much rage left him only one believable explanation: Somehow, the other student had gotten Emily involved in the fight, and was now lying on a hospital bed with a mild concussion because of it.
Everyone on the team knew Declan idolized and protected his mom at all costs, even with the subtle introduction of Dave into their family unit. She was all he had, all he had known of safety and stability since he was baby, and after finding pictures on the internet that had been leaked of the injuries Doyle had inflicted on her, his protectiveness had tripled. (Damn Internet.) To that day, he had a rule that guns weren't allowed past the weapons' safe in the living room, and stakes of any kind other than meat were not allowed in the house or near his mom.
Emily was the one trigger that even Hotch avoided when he was training with the kid, after seeing Morgan ask in an offhanded way, 'C'mon, Declan. Don't you want to learn how to protect your mom?' That proved to be a very bad choice of words. The kid had flipped, and the judo expert had wound up with a black eye and two broken ribs from defending against the then fourteen year old. That had been a year and a half before, and people still avoided it like the plague.
Rossi knocked on the headmaster's door, already able to hear Declan's voice through the wood grain. The door opened and he found himself looking at the headmaster, a very portly gentleman by the name of Daniels something or other. (Emily had picked the school. She'd found out about his half truth about his old friend being the son of a drug runner, and once she'd learned that he'd followed his father's path for a time, she'd decided that another school would be best for Declan. And that Rossi would be sleeping on the couch for a week).
"Mr. Rossi, please come in.", Daniels (was that his name? Maybe Brook? He had no idea, Emily had done the interview for the place.) welcomed, leading Dave into the office.
"Agent Rossi, actually.", he heard Declan mutter, giving Dave a guilty look while he sat down.
The headmaster looked surprised, then nodded as he sat behind his desk. "Agent Rossi, then. I assume you know why I needed to call you here. Young Declan was a part of an altercation with another student, and caused extreme bodily harm to said student. I must, of course, take the approriate disciplinary measure-"
Rossi didn't hear half of the words coming out of his mouth as he surveyed the damage done to Declan. The boy had what looked like road rash across the side of his face, and his lip had been cut open and was bleeding rather badly. It looked like he was favoring his left ankle, and from the wince he had when he sat up straight, Dave would bet he'd hurt his back.
"Why haven't his injuries been looked after?", Dave asked, completely interrupting the man's rant towards why Declan deserved a suspension. The headmaster looked startled at the edge in Rossi's voice.
"We're waiting for one of Declan's friends to return with the nurse. Now, Mr. Ros-"
"Agent Rossi.", both Declan and Dave corrected simultaneously. The two shared a grin, then Declan winced as his lip stretched. Dave put his hand on his son's shoulder, then faced the headmaster.
"How about this: You give him detention for a week, I deal with the parents of the boy he was fighting with, and when his mother gets back from her business trip with the FBI, we let her handle Declan's disciplinary actions.", Dave suggested, stressing that Declan was fighting with someone, not that he started the fight. He knew that already, Declan had inherited Emily's temper and wouldn't start a fight unless someone had seriously provoked him.
Declan's face went pale at the news that his mom would be handling his discipline, and when the headmaster saw this, he agreed to wait until Emily's return to deal with the matter of Declan's discipline. (Dave wasn't a profiler for nothing, and he was beginning to get mildly concerned about this man. He'd have to talk to Emily and Garcia about getting a background check. Something about him just wasn't sitting right with the profiler side of him.)
"Very well. Shall I call in the parents or would you prefer to arrange a meeting on your own?", the headmaster asked.
"After Declan's injuries are taken care of and I've taken him home to rest, I'll set up a meeting with them.", Dave decided. A moment later, the door opened and a girl around Declan's age walked in. Declan seemed to shrink even further into his seat when her eyes found him, and, completely ignoring the two adults in the room, she walked over and kneeled in front of Declan. Her long brown hair was tied back in a braid behind her, and Dave could see sandals underneath her uniform slacks.
"Jesus, Dex, what did you do this time?", she sighed, checking his wounds gently while her free hand searched through the medical kit she'd brought with her. She found the alcohol swabs she was looking for then said, "Wait, don't answer that. I don't think I want to know. You were fighting again, obviously. When will you learn, Dex? How many times am I going to have to patch you up after you fight with some moron who doesn't know the first thing about anything? You're better than that."
"He said my mom was a terrorist's whore, Ilaria! I couldn't just – OW!", Declan yelped when the alcohol swab came into contact with the road burn on the side of his face. Rossi felt a snarl form on his face, both at the pain of his son and at the little bastard who would dare call his Emily a whore. He glanced at the headmaster who was giving him a very nervous look. Apparently, he'd known about this. Though, Rossi considered, that did explain Declan's rage.
"Dex, you know as well as I do that Corey is a complete idiot who would say anything to get a rise out of you. He does this because he knows you'll react.", the girl – Ilaria, apparently. - sighed while putting her free hand on the uninjured side of Declan's face to keep it still while she cleaned the wound. "You know your mom's not anything even close to a whore, and anyone with half a brain and an internet connection knows all of the good Emily Prentiss and her team have done. Corey said that to get to you, and you let him!"
"I know he's an idiot, but she's my mom, 'Ari!", Declan fumed, then had his head tilted backwards by Ilaria as she cleaned the scrapes on his chin.
"I know, and you love her dearly. I know that, Dex, but for heaven's sake, think! Someday, you're going to go too far, and then your mom will lose her son. How do you think that will make her feel?", Ilaria asked.
"He said I was going to grow up to be like him, 'Ari.", Declan told her quietly, and Ilaria went deathly silent as the color drained from her face. "That I was going to turn out to be a terrorist like Doyle and wind up killing my family."
"Dex, you know that's not true. You are nothing like your biological father.", Iliaria insisted, brushing Declan's hair back so she could clean the scrapes on his forehead. "You love your mom and your dad and your family. You would do anything to protect them."
"But what if he's right, 'Ari? What if I do turn out like Doyle? What if I end up hurting my mom and dad?" Declan's scratched up face looked completely horrified at the thought.
"You won't." Ilaria took a hold of Declan's hand and looked at him. "I know you, Dex. You're too good a person to hurt someone you love, especially your mom. Corey's just pissed off that you've got two parents and a bunch of aunts and uncles who are in the FBI while all he has is his mom, an uncle who's the headmaster of a mediocre private school, and a father who was arrested by your dad for internet terrorism."
Dave's head was spinning with all the new information, and he saw Ilaria's venomous glance at the headmaster as she described this Corey kid's family situation. The glance made the headmaster turn an interesting shade of purple but he remained silent. That would explain why he was so eager to discipline Declan, Dave figured. Dave looked at the two teenagers and couldn't help but smile; Emily was going to freak out when she heard that Declan had a crush and hadn't told her.
Though, from the look on Declan's face, Rossi gathered he hadn't said anything to Ilaria about how he felt. There was a comparison to be made between he and Declan about not telling the people they cared about how they felt right away, but Dave decided to ignore it. He'd have to do some digging into his past cases to see who the father he'd arrested was, but he could always ask Garcia.
"I hope you're right.", Declan said quietly.
"You say that like it's a question." Ilaria smiled, pulling a smile from Declan. "You're a good guy, Dex. You're going to go so much further in life than Corey will because you're a good guy. Just don't doubt that, okay?"
"Okay, 'Ari." Christ, they had nicknames for each other. Dave couldn't stop smiling if he wanted to.
While Ilaria continued to patch up Declan's wounds, Dave did some quick thinking then ducked into the outer hallway to make a quick call to the team back at the office. He explained the situation, then said that they were all invited to dinner at his house that night. Emily wouldn't be there, but it would give him a chance to get to know his son's future girlfriend.
When the team learned of Declan potentially getting a girlfriend, Garcia let out a squeal of excitement, and he'd had to pull rank to make sure none of them called Emily and told her. Garcia was already dreaming of FBI themed weddings and where they would take their future niece in law for her bridal shower as Dave hung up the phone, leaving the team to make their arrangements with their families.
When he walked back in, the headmaster had almost turned green while Declan and Ilaria were laughing at something Declan had just finished saying. Declan looked up and smiled at his dad. "Everything okay, dad?", he asked. Dave would never, ever get tired of hearing that.
"Just fine, Dec. You ready to go? We've got to get ready.", Dave asked.
"Ready for what?", Declan asked.
"Your aunt JJ thought we might be getting a little lonely with your mom gone, so she thought we should have a barbecue tonight.", Dave explained. "It'd be a good way to unwind after the latest case, and I know you're getting sick of my cooking."
To his credit, Declan at least tried to hide the wince while Ilaria laughed beside him. Declan's face brightened when he remembered the rest of the his dad's statement. "Will everybody be there? Aunt JJ, Uncle Will, Aunt Penny, Uncle Morgan, Uncle Hotch, Uncle Spence, Jack, Lizzy and Henry?", Declan asked enthusiastically. Even two and a half years later, he still wasn't fully used to the idea that he had an entire family to spend time with now, so he got very excited every time he could see them all together.
"Everybody. Apparently, Jack has a new comic or something he wants to show you.", Dave answered, then turned to Ilaria. "There's always room for more, Ilaria, if you would like to join us."
Declan knew the minute he said it what he was up to, and a blush covered his face from ear to ear. Ilaria turned slightly red, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Are you sure? I don't want to interrupt anything.", she asked.
"'Ari, it'll be great!", Declan insisted. "You can meet my cousins Jack, Lizzy and Henry, and my aunts Penny and JJ, and all my uncles. And weren't you saying that your little brother wanted to meet a real FBI agent?"
"Well yeah, but Dex, this is your family.", Ilaria argued weakly.
"And you're my best friend, 'Ari. I want you to meet them.", Declan explained. The two locked stares for a moment and the romantic in Rossi decided to wake up and remind him that young love really was the damnedest thing. It also made him really, really miss Emily.
Ilaria turned to Dave and smiled nervously. "I'd love to join you guys for dinner, Mr. Rossi. Is it okay if I bring my folks or...?"
"Of course, we're always happy to get to know Declan's friends and their families.", Dave assured her, knowing that the Garcia was already half way through background checks on the entire family. "We should be ready around 6 so if you wanted to show up around then, that would be great."
"I'll tell my parents.", Ilaria replied, a full blown smile on her face now.
"Great. Come on, Declan. Lets get you home so I can take a look and make sure nothing serious is injured, then we need to go grocery shopping." Declan looked appropriately horrified at the thought, and Dave sympathized. He was hell to grocery shop with and he knew it.
"Oh, is there anything you'd like us to bring? My mom makes a great tuna casserole.", Ilaria offered.
"She's right, it's pretty awesome, dad.", Declan agreed.
"Sure, if she wouldn't mind, that'd be great. If not, just bring yourselves and we'll take care of the rest.", Dave answered, then grabbed his son's collar gently. "Now come on, Rambo. Let's let the headmaster get back to his job, and let your lovely friend get back to class. Ilaria, it was very nice meeting you."
"And you, Mr. Rossi. See you tonight, Dex. Get some rest, okay?", Ilaria asked, walking out the door of the office with them. None of them noticed the amazed expression on the headmaster's face as they left.
Dave and Declan walked Ilaria back to her class (Declan had insisted; He and Emily had raised a gentleman, after all. It was only because of this that Dave decided to cut his kid some slack and not point out that Declan hadn't once corrected Ilaria when she called his dad, 'Mr. Rossi'.), then walked out to where the SUV was parked. Declan slid into his passenger seat as Rossi got into the driver's seat, and the two were quiet for a moment. Dave pulled away from the school, then said casually to Declan,
"Ilaria seems nice."
Declan blushed clear to the roots of his hair and avoided eye contact with his dad as they drove. "She is. She was the first friend I made when I started going to school here." Making a connection with a pretty girl on his first day of classes. Dave had to viciously fight off a proud smirk and he knew Emily would get a kick of out that; genetics be damned, Declan Prentiss was David Rossi's kid alright.
"What's her last name?"
"Bianchi."
"Italian.", Dave noted with approval. Another Prentiss with a thing for Italians. Emily would also get a kick out of that.
"Third generation through her dad. Her mom's Spanish American.", Declan answered. "Dad, what are you planning?"
"Me, planning? Whatever gave you that idea?", Dave asked, trying for innocent. From the unimpressed look on Declan's face, he was failing, and miserably.
"The fact that you came here because I gave a kid a concussion and we wound up leaving after almost giving my headmaster a heart attack and inviting Ilaria to an impromptu barbecue, which, just fyi, I know wasn't Aunt JJ's idea.", Declan explained. Dave now knew for certainty that a) His kid was spending far too much time around Hotch. He wasn't even sixteen yet; he shouldn't have been able to make an argument that coherent. And b) His kid was destined to be the next director of the FBI.
Mentally cackling at the look there would be on Strauss' face when Declan Prentiss, the son of Emily Prentiss and David Rossi, her most hated rival outside of Aaron Hotchner, took over the job she'd coveted since her first day as Section Chief, Dave smiled sheepishly. "What? I'm not allowed to take an interest in who my kid is spending time with?"
"Dad." That was Emily's tone all over, and Rossi knew he was toast. "You got called here in the middle of a case because I threw some kid against a wall after he called my mom a whore. You're telling me you're just going to let that go and throw a barbecue so you, uncle Hotch, and Aunt Penny can profile and security check Ilaria's family over steak and potatoes?"
"I'm not letting it go.", Dave corrected, glad his son had slipped up and given him an advantage. "I'm waiting until your mother gets home so we can deal with it together as a family. You know how she feels about you fighting, Declan. And I'd be prepared for a brow beating from your Aunt JJ and Aunt Penelope too, if I were you."
Declan went pale again as he remembered that his mom was going to be pissed right off with him for his latest scrap. He gulped, then banging his head against the headrest of his chair. "I'm doomed. Dad, mom is gonna kill me!"
"Your mother won't kill you, Declan. Ground you from now 'til you're thirty, maybe, but not kill you. And all the more reason for me to meet Ilaria and give her my approval.", Dave explained.
"How could that possibly help me?", Declan asked.
"If I approve of her influence in your life, I might be able to swing some leeway with your mom so you can actually see the outside world once a week for something other than school and soccer practice." It was a long shot, but it never hurt to hope.
Declan let out a groan, slumping against his seat in silent defeat. Rossi smirked, counting it as a win for him against the tides of teenager-dom, and drove to the house he, Declan and Emily had been living in for the past year. Officially, they weren't together; Declan and Emily were just living with him because she'd received post cards from Ian Doyle in prison and she wanted to make sure she had backup in case something ever did happen.
Officially, no one else on the team had the room, what with Reid still officially living in his one bedroom apartment and not Hotch's house, and Garcia and Kevin were living together even though they'd split up a year and a half before. Morgan had his one bedroom apartment with barely enough room for he and Clooney, and JJ had Will, Henry and their year old daughter Elizabeth in her and Will's three bedroom house with the obscenely large backyard, as well as a German Sheppard puppy named Lex running around. (Both the name and the puppy itself were courtesy of Reid after Henry had told him how badly he wanted a puppy. Lex had been nameless when he was being kept at Hotch's house before being given to Henry, and he'd chewed up the genius' Superman action figure. Reid named him after Superman's nemesis, and Hotch had laughed for what seemed like forever as the genius gave the puppy mistrustful looks every time he saw him. Oddly enough, Lex was one of the few who seemed immune to the Reid Effect.)
So, it only made sense that Emily and Declan live with him, since he had an entire house sitting empty with only him in it. Personally, Rossi thought the bureau didn't believe that anymore than Declan had when they'd sworn up and down that they weren't together during the first few months of Dave's presence in their lives, but they let them get away with it and Strauss turned a blind eye so as far as Dave was concerned, it was a good day to be alive.
"Hey, dad?", Declan asked quietly while his dad pulled into the drive way.
"Yeah, kid?", Dave replied, shutting off the ignition.
"Do you think mom will like Ilaria?" Dave smiled. He'd asked his sister the same question about Emily when he'd gone to visit the week before Emily and Declan moved in with him.
"Declan, your mom loves you, so if Ilaria makes you happy, I know she'll love her too.", Dave promised, he and his son getting out of the car. "Now, tell me more about this girl. Does she have any siblings?"
"A younger brother named Gian, and two older sisters, Adelle and Calandra. Adelle is at Columbia for business management right now, and Calandra just got married last year. Gian's about Jack's age.", Declan explained, he and Rossi walking into the house.
"And what do her parents do?", Rossi asked, going into full profiler mode. Declan stifled a sigh and hung up his coat.
"Her dad is a senior software developer for some big IT company downtown, and her mom is an English lit teacher."
"And what does Ilaria want to do with her life?", David asked, writing up a list of things he'd need to buy for the barbecue.
"Dad.", Declan warned, sitting at the dining room table.
"Son.", David returned. Declan rolled his eyes and Rossi knew it, but didn't comment. "So?"
Declan released yet another long suffering sigh that Rossi knew was mostly for show. "She wants to be like aunt JJ, a communications liaison. Not to the FBI, but to big corporations and stuff like that."
"Good occupation.", Dave agreed. "Does she know you like her?"
Dave was pretty sure that if Declan blushed any more, he might have to take his son to the hospital. "No. I haven't told her yet.", Declan admitted.
"And may I ask why not?", Dave asked. "It's obvious she likes you too."
"Dad... My biological father was a terrorist who tried to kill mom.", Declan said softly. "I know you guys have got most of them but chances are, there are still people out there trying to kill me. That's a lot to ask someone to live with. And if the day ever comes where he does get out of jail..." He didn't need to finish that thought for Dave to understand; if Ian Doyle ever got out of prison, he'd go after his son the first chance he got, and to hell with whoever stood in his way. "It's bad enough I'm putting mom and you in danger, but I can't ask 'Ari to put herself at risk like that."
"Declan, listen to me. I will only say this once, and this does not leave you and I.", Dave told him seriously. Declan looked at him. "Ian Doyle was not a father; he was a monster who tried to destroy something that he should have killed to protect. You."
"But, dad-"
"No, Declan. I won't lie to you, the day may come when he does escape from prison, but I promise you right now, the only way he will get to you and your mother is over my dead body. And even then, he'll have to go through Hotch and Morgan and Reid and JJ, and hell, even Garcia if he wants to get to you and your mom.", Dave promised and he knew it was true. "You cannot let that monster keep you from what would make you happy. Ilaria is a nice girl; I'm not saying you need to marry her, but going out a couple times would be good for you."
"Do you think mom would be okay with it?", Declan asked.
"I would give her a head's up and talk to her about it when she gets back, but I don't see her objecting to it.", Dave considered. He put both hands on his son's shoulders and steered him towards the bathroom. "Now, get in there and get washed up. I meant it when I said I wanted to make sure nothing was injured or broken before we went shopping, so get a move on."
Declan smiled and rolled his eyes, then walked into the bathroom with a barely noticeable limp. Dave left him to his own devices for a few minutes while he got together some first aid equipment. He knew Declan would have told him if anything seriously hurt, but he was like his mother in the way that he didn't like to burden other people with his problems.
By the time Declan's injuries had been patched up, along with a bandage going around his ankle, and grocery shopping had managed to be completed without an argument between father and son (it had almost happened when they'd been deciding on what kind of cheese to get; Declan liked Swiss while Dave liked marble. They decided to compromise and get Emily's favorite, cheddar.), it was nearing five o'clock. Dave and Declan had just finished hauling in all the groceries when a loud knock sounded at the door.
"Dec, can you get that while I put this away?", Dave asked, putting food away in the appropriate cupboards. Declan hobbled to the door and when he opened it, called back,
"Dad, uncle Morgan and aunt Penny are here, and I think I see uncle Hotch's car coming down the street now."
"Of course they show up when the hard work is done... Show 'em in, Dec, and wait 'til Hotch, Jack and Reid get here.", Dave answered, listening to Garcia chatting with Declan in the entry way.
"Hey, Rossi.", Morgan greeted, walking into the kitchen.
"Hey, where's Clooney?", Rossi asked, knowing that Derek wouldn't leave his dog at his house if he was going to a barbecue.
"I let him out in the back before Garcia and I came in here. You need any help?", Morgan offered.
"Yeah, you want to start cutting up peppers? Emily always makes this weird salad whenever we have barbecues. Dec loves it and after today, I was gonna try to make it for him. Might cheer him up.", Rossi answered, tossing Morgan a red and green pepper.
"Yeah, what was that about anyway? You said Declan got into a fight at school?" Morgan asked, slicing the peppers down the middle. (Garcia had begun giving him cooking lessons after she'd gone over for dinner at his house and saw the pile of take out containers by his back door. She'd pushed and pushed until he was able to come up with a three course meal, much to the astonishment of the team.)
"Some kid was getting on his case about the Doyle thing.", Rossi sighed.
"Okay, and?" Derek Morgan knew Declan could have a vicious temper better than anybody, but he knew of only one trigger that would send the boy into a rage.
"A kid at Dec's school said that Emily was a terrorist's whore.", David said quietly, and Morgan hastily put the knife down so he didn't cut his fingers off in shock.
"Is the kid still breathing? Don't tell me we're gonna have to arrest my nephew, man. It would break my baby girl's heart.", Morgan asked seriously. He'd seen first hand the damage Declan could do to a full grown man when he wanted to cause pain; he didn't want to think of what he'd have done to another kid, and for something as terrible as calling his mom a whore.
"A concussion, some scratches and he'll probably need a couple visits to a therapist before going to school again, but otherwise he's gonna be okay.", Dave assured him.
"Who's handling the case?"
"As of right now, no formal charges have been made but I'm going to have a meeting with the kid's parent once Emily gets back."
"Isn't she back next week? And how's the consult going anyway?"
"Well, from what she said when I talked to her last night. She's going to be pissed right off when I tell her that Dec's been fighting, and that the uncle of the kid Dec was fighting with is the headmaster of the school, and the brother of a man I apparently put in jail."
"That could get messy.", Derek cringed.
"You're telling me. If I can't talk the mom down, I'm going to petition that the proceedings exclude them, Emily and myself entirely so we don't get slapped with any charges of interference."
"I'll call some of my friends in blue, get them to take a look. Thank God he turns sixteen in a couple months otherwise this could cause serious trouble for his future record.", Morgan sighed.
"I'm counting my blessings, believe me. I was thinking of asking JJ to start doing some yoga with him."
"I'm sure she would, but what good would that do?"
"Might help him get his temper under control. I know he loves his mom, but people say stupid stuff all the time. As much as we'd like to make them shut up and make them hurt for saying it, sometimes we just can't. I want him to learn that violence, no matter how preferable, is never the answer.", Rossi explained. "I was hoping the yoga or whatever she and Emily do at the gym every Saturday might help him get a handle on his temper."
"He is a good kid though, Rossi.", Morgan told him. "And while you are right, if I heard someone call my mom a whore, I'd probably want to lose it on him too. And do you really think you're going to be able to get a teenage boy out of bed before noon on a Saturday morning?"
"I won't, but Emily will.", Dave laughed. Declan was a good kid, but he had a stubborn streak a mile long and twice as wide. If he didn't want to do it, there was only one way you could get him to; his mother. Emily was more or less his kryptonite. If his mom asked him to do something, no matter how much he hated it, like eating spinach or weeding out the garden while she was at work, he would gripe and complain and bitch the entire way, but he would do it.
"Mom will what?", Declan asked, walking in with Garcia, Hotch, Jack and Reid. The black Labrador that Hotch and Reid bought Jack when he turned nine bounded into the room and straight to Derek, who kneeled down to pet the over active dog.
"Be home sometime next week, she just sent me a text telling me the consult is taking a little longer than expected.", Rossi covered, smiling at his son. He eyed the package in his son's hand, then looked at Garcia. "Garcia, what did you buy my kid?"
"Never fret, oh Mighty Boss Man. I was walking through the mall with Derek before we came over here and saw something our young UFC champ here might make use of instead of venting his frustrations on other students.", Garcia answered, giving Declan a narrowed look. Declan looked sufficiently humbled, then showed his dad the boxing bag Garcia had bought him.
"And where exactly were you thinking of hanging that?", Rossi asked, his eye brow arching and getting ready to say there was no way in hell Declan was drilling into his ceilings.
"I was thinking of hanging it from the oak tree in the backyard." Declan shrugged. "I'm gonna fill it up with old clothes or something so I can practice my punches."
"Dec.", Rossi warned.
"What? I can't hide behind you and mom forever, dad.", Declan denied. "I'm not saying I'm gonna go around getting into fights with everybody who looks at me the wrong way, but I need to be able to defend myself."
"Just remember, Declan. Not everybody has been trained by a judo expert and a pugilist.", Hotch warned. Between his boxing and Morgan's judo, the kid had a wide range of physical abilities he could use to really hurt somebody. "You were trained to keep yourself and your family safe, not to abuse what you've learned to hurt others."
"I know, uncle Hotch.", Declan agreed. Rossi tuned out the conversation in favor of trying to remember the proper way of making the salad Declan loved. Emily had shown him more times than he could remember, but he couldn't think of it for the life of him. He glanced at the spice rack and something told him that paprika was involved, so he shrugged and reached for the spice.
"Rossi, what are you doing?", Penelope shrieked, taking the spice away from him. Rossi looked at her in alarm as she looked between the spice in her hand and the peppers on the counter. "Are you trying to make Emily's salad?"
"Yes?"
Garcia rolled her eyes. "Hopeless...", she sighed. "Leave the salad to me. Go with your kid, Hotch, Reid and Derek and set up the boxing bag, I'll take care of everything in here."
"But-", Dave started as the whirlwind that was Penelope Garcia blew around his kitchen and gathered ingredients Dave hadn't even known Emily owned from cupboards he didn't know were used. Garcia rounded on him.
"Boss Man, I love and respect you, but you are way out of your league here. Go, be a man, make fire, knock holes in things. Just leave the cooking to me." And with that, David Rossi, one of the greatest profilers in the known world, was kicked out of his own kitchen.
"What just happened?", Reid asked, looking at Hotch and seemed as confused as Rossi felt.
"I have no idea.", Hotch answered, shrugging. He turned to Jack, who was talking to Declan with the Lab, Brooks, between them. "Hey, Jack. You have the books you wanted to show Declan, right?"
"Yeah! Come on, Declan. I left them out in the car!", Jack agreed, then high jacked his older cousin out to the SUV. Hotch, Reid and Morgan turned to the still stunned looking David Rossi.
"Come on, Rossi. Whatever she's doing there, you do not want to get in her way.", Morgan advised, then led the three men out to the back yard, the container with the boxing bag under his arm. Clooney turned at the sound of his voice and Brooks ran over to the older dog, intent on playing. "Now, where do you want this to be?"
"Back in the store.", Rossi muttered dryly, pulling a smirk from Hotch. "I just know he's going to bust a knuckle or hurt his wrist with this."
"The practice would do him good though, Dave. He can't make it to the bureau facilities all the time, and when he gets older he'll just have less time. This could be a good outlet for him.", Hotch argued.
"Did you know that the idea that we get less time as we grow older is actually purely mental? The hours in the day don't get shorter or go by more quickly, it's just that adults have significantly more complicated tasks to complete than children do, resulting in higher brain activity and making it feel as though you've expended more effort than you really have. It's all a state of mind.", Reid explained while steadfastly avoiding the tools. The three Alpha males looked at him with surprised expressions, and Reid shrugged his shoulders. "What? I read it somewhere."
"Of course you did.", Morgan said with a joking roll of his eyes. "Alright, well. We can set this up after dinner. Rossi, you got the barbecue going yet?"
"No, Dec and I weren't home twenty minutes before you all showed up.", Rossi replied.
"I'm doing the grilling.", Hotch claimed, taking long strides up to the barbecue. Morgan looked like he wanted to protest, but after seeing Reid shaking his head in a, 'Don't do it' motion, he decided against it. Rossi just rolled his eyes and grabbed Reid to help him set up the picnic tables. Between the four of them, and later Declan and Jack, they managed to get the tables and barbecue set up. Just as they were debating on where to set up the sound system, Will and Henry wandered into the backyard. The dogs surrounded them, and Rossi waved at them in greeting.
"Hey, about time you showed up. Where's the missus?", Rossi asked as Reid handed Hotch the hammer he held and was pulled into a hug by his godson. In Will's arms was a little bundle of blue eyes and blond hair that went by the name of Elizabeth Meaghan LaMontagne. When the little girl, dressed in a bright pink baby tracksuit that just screamed 'Penelope Garcia's Goddaughter' with her blond hair she'd gotten from her mother tied back in a little pony tail, saw her godfather, she laughed and waved her hands. Reid, while Henry remained partially attached to his waist, smiled back at her, waving his hands excitedly. Jack ran over with Declan, and Will wordlessly handed the little girl over to Jack, who began talking to her and carrying her around as Declan and Henry followed.
"Inside with Garcia. She knew the kids were out here and that Jack would want to see Lizzy.", Will answered, hearing his one year old daughter laughing as she sat all on her own beside Jack while Henry and Declan played with the dogs. The entire team had been in the hospital with Will and Henry when JJ went into labor with Elizabeth, and Jack had been the first to hold the newborn, somehow managing to get precedent over Will, Reid and Garcia (There may or may not have been several comments that Jack was taking after his dad at such a young age, but Hotch silenced them and instructed his son on how to hold the newborn without injuring her.).
From that day on, Jack had fallen head over heels for his baby cousin. When the kids were having a sleep over at Rossi's estate or out at the park together, Jack became something of a body guard to her, managing to be the only kid who could be more protective than Declan was of his mom. He barely left her side, and heaven help the person who made his baby cousin cry because otherwise, they would not survive the wrath of the nine year old Jack Hotchner. (Reid had seen one such a display and laughed himself sick as he told Hotch that his nine year old son had perfected his patented glare.)
JJ just laughed and remarked that she pitied any boys who thought they could get around Elizabeth's brother and cousins. Between Hotch's Alpha male personality and Reid's genius in Jack, JJ's protectiveness and Will's loyalty in Henry, and Emily's instinct and Rossi's traditionalism in Declan, there wasn't a boy alive who had a hope in hell of impressing their way past them. (Will, for his part, had had a silent sigh of relief, then almost fainted when Garcia said pish-posh, her goddaughter would be the belle of the ball wherever she went. They'd have to beat the boys off with a stick. Will, along with Reid, Hotch, Rossi, Morgan and – silently, at least – Declan, made a mental note of where such sticks could be easily acquired. Had Jack and Henry been old enough to understand/ agree, the common opinion was that they'd probably have done so.)
"Score one for JJ. How's the little lady's cold coming anyway?", Morgan asked. Lizzy had come down with a slight cold the weekend before when Reid and Hotch had been watching her and Henry, and Reid had just about lost his mind with worry. Hotch, who'd had experience taking care of sick kids from when Jack was Lizzy's age, hadn't been worried, knowing it was nothing serious. Reid did not share his view and had panicked over every sniffle, stifling his goddaughter to the point where Hotch needed to send him to the other room several times so he could check his niece's temperature without Reid panicking. The weekend slid by and when Will and JJ arrived that Monday morning to get the kids, Reid was a nervous wreck. JJ had hugged him and assured him that Lizzy had had a slight fever and runny nose, and that Henry had had the same thing when he was her age. It was common, she'd seen the doctor, and it would pass.
"Better, her fever's gone and she's just about gone back to her regular sleep schedule. You wouldn't know she'd even been sick if you'd seen her and Henry playing in the living room this morning.", Will answered. "You need any help with anything?"
"Yeah, we were just setting up the sound system. Come on, you can help me carry the speakers down from the storage.", Morgan answered then led Will inside. The speakers he mentioned weighed an approximate forty pounds each, and there were four of them, so even Morgan would need the help.
"So, hey, any word on Declan's friend?", Reid asked, untangling cables while Hotch worked on the speaker stands. (When David Rossi threw a party, he threw a party.)
"As far as I know, they'll be here at 6.", Rossi replied.
"Does Emily know he likes this girl?", Reid wondered.
"Nah, he decided to wait until Emily came home to talk to her about it. He was worried, the whole thing with Doyle.", Rossi explained. "Personally, I think he should just ask her out. She seemed like a nice kid, and it would be good for Dec to get out once in a while without the kids or soccer practice. It really can't hurt anything, and it's obvious he likes her."
"This from the man with three failed marriages.", Hotch snuck in, getting a foam container chucked at him from Rossi.
"Glass houses, Hotchner.", Rossi warned his best friend. "Besides, it worked out. I've got Emily and Declan at the end of the day, don't I?"
"We don't disagree, but do you think he's ready for a relationship, Rossi? I mean, sixteen year old boys aren't the most responsible creatures on the face of the Earth, and the same can be said for sixteen year old girls.", Reid asked.
"I think we can trust Declan, and besides, like I told him, he doesn't have to marry her but a couple of dates would be good for him. Besides, do you really think he's willing to risk the wrath of his feminist mother if he was to behave in an uncharismatic manner?", Rossi asked, receiving two dead stares from his teammates.
"Dave, he's your kid. You're telling me he won't have a slew of girls lined up when prom rolls around?", Hotch asked skeptically.
"As my son, he will have a healthy social life. So shut it and get those frames up, Hotch.", Rossi demanded, completely ending the conversation. Hotch grumbled and Reid just laughed. Behind them, the door to the back porch opened and JJ walked onto the porch with Ilaria and her family behind her.
"Guys, we've got company!", JJ announced, then kneeled down to apprehend Brooks and Lex before they could run at the visitors. Clooney and Mudgie, who trudged up to their respective owners, sat down on the porch with a sigh and looked on at the younger dogs with something of a tired expression. (And just seeing it made Reid consider the probability that animals really could take after their owners and mimic their facial expressions. The amount of times he'd seen that expression on Rossi's face... He shivered at the thought of Brooks mimicking one of Hotch's glares. It was scary enough on a human face, on a dog it would be terrifying.)
"Dec, Ilaria and her family are here!", Dave called, seeing his son had become buried in the trees lining the backyard with Henry following faithful behind him. Jack and Elizabeth were sitting on the porch, completely ignoring their cousins in favor of playing shadow puppets. Declan appeared, spotting Ilaria, then grinned and picked Henry up, then motioned for Jack to get Elizabeth so they could join the others. The four kids walked up to the group of adults and JJ and Reid each took one of the younger children, with Elizabeth clinging to Reid's sweater vest while Henry hung onto his mom's jean pant leg. "Ilaria, glad you and your family could make it. Welcome to our humble home."
"Mr. Rossi, it's an honor to meet all of you. I'm Michael, this is my wife Melerna, our son Gian, and you already know our daughter Ilaria.", Ilaria's dad greeted, shaking hands with Dave when he greeted them. "Ilaria and Declan are always talking about you."
"Call me Dave, and it's good to meet you as well. We're just finishing up here, but let me introduce you to everybody.", Rossi replied while Declan joined them on the porch. Ilaria looked at the state of him, with scratches covering his face and mud caking the bottom and knees of his jeans, then laughed, brushing some of the hair from his eyes.
"Dex, what in the world?", Ilaria laughed, seeming not to see Declan blush.
"I was playing with my cous-", Declan began to explain before being landed in the middle of a tackle from Jack. Both Declan and the youngest Hotchner went down onto the porch, and Ilaria watched in awe as a nine year old got Declan Prentiss in a headlock. Hotch smiled at his son as he pinned his older cousin, knowing that Declan could get out of it if he really wanted to.
"See, Dec? I told you I could do it!", Jack told him triumphantly. Declan struggled for a minute, and when Ilaria started laughing, he seemed to decide he'd humored his cousin enough. Behind the curtain of dark blond hair that fell over Declan's face, Dave could see him roll his eyes.
"Oh really?", Declan asked, and before anyone could blink, he broke out of the hold, secured his cousin's arms safely behind his back, and had effectively neutralized Jack. "You got a long way to go before you can beat me, Jackie boy. Good try though."
Morgan laughed from the doorway where he and Garcia were watching the show. "That's my boy!", Morgan congratulated, receiving a swat on the arm from Garcia.
"Don't encourage them, Derek, they'll hurt themselves! Declan, let your cousin up right now!", Garcia ordered, her hands on her hips. Elizabeth heard her godmother's voice and let out a yell, instantly turning the fierce looking tech analyst into a pile of cuddles as she went to Reid and proceeded to dote on her goddaughter. Declan and Jack exchanged a look and got to their feet, with Jack winking at his baby cousin in a conspiratorial manner.
As Garcia continued to rain attention on both Elizabeth and Reid, Derek merely shook his head and smiled. "Only a year old and she's already saving them from trouble...", he sighed, then grabbed both boys as manual labor and led them to the back shed in Rossi's garage to help him take out tables for the food.
After JJ persuaded Garcia to release her daughter, Garcia and Hotch went about setting up dinner. With the picnic tables set in record time by Jack and Declan, Garcia pulled Reid away from the safety of Hotch's side and into the minefield that was the kitchen to help her carry out dishes of pasta and salad prepared by she and JJ while Hotch began grilling (while silently laughing at his significant other's obvious distress).
If Ilaria and her family thought anything was off, they didn't show it. Michael and Melerna got into an in depth conversation with Hotch and Rossi about their kids, all the while Declan and Ilaria occupied themselves with anything that wasn't talking to their parents (up to and including, on Ilaria's part, volunteering to join Henry in an exploration of the garden in heels and a knee length skirt. From the picnic table, Garcia applauded her determination to avoid the situation at hand.)
After food had been doled out, Henry given a bib and Elizabeth seated on her dad's lap because there was no way in hell she was letting herself be put in her high chair while everyone else sat at the table, the group began to eat. Reid was getting into a discussion with Gian and Jack about the super powers of Aquaman versus Nightwing (and even Reid could agree with their assessment that Aquaman was possibly the lamest superhero ever), while Hotch debated the merits of black and white movies with Rossi, Morgan, Melerna (who was a movie buff, as it turned out), with occasional input from Will.
No one was expecting it when the dogs, all of whom had been laying in the sun dozing on the porch, suddenly let out a torrent of barks, with Brooks and Clooney running to the back door while Lex and Mudgie returned to the sides of their respective families. (Lex was practically glued to Henry's side, and Mudgie somehow found a way of placing himself directly between Rossi and Declan.) When the dogs went silent then started jumping at the door whining, Rossi stood from the table and suddenly wished he hadn't insisted that everyone put their firearms in the weapons' safe in the living room.
A human figure appeared and unlocked the door, and when both Brooks and Clooney jumped up to greet them, Emily Prentiss' shocked shout was the response. Declan let out a cry of, 'Mom! You're home!' and without preamble ran towards where his mother was surrounded by two very excited dogs. Rossi grinned, the sight of Emily being a very welcome one, then watched Declan navigate his way through the dogs who were swarming Emily to wrap his arms around his mom.
"Hi Dec.", Emily greeted laughing, all while trying to avoid stepping on the paws of the dogs at her feet. She settled the bag on the porch and hugged her son, not hearing when Morgan and Hotch called the two dogs over. Dave dodged Brooks' running form and walked up the steps, instantly being hit with the smile of Emily Prentiss.
"You're home early.", Dave commented, pressing a kiss to her cheek while Declan refused to let go. She looked exhausted with tired lines around her eyes, and it looked like she hadn't been eating properly on her away case.
"I finished the consultation as fast as I possibly could.", Emily sighed. "Remind me to tell JJ that we are NEVER outsourcing to that PD ever again. I swear, I've seen slasher flicks with more subtlety than those people."
"You can tell me all about it later.", Rossi promised. "We have guests for dinner."
"I see that.", Emily laughed, letting Dave pick up her suitcase and store it inside the house. When Dave rejoined her, their hands linked and she smiled, her free arm around Declan. "What's the occasion? And is that my baby girl I see?"
Even at one, Elizabeth knew when she was being talked about and looked over to see Emily. Elizabeth started laughing, waving excitedly and babbling to her father all while bouncing up and down. Emily, Dave and Declan walked down onto the grass, and Rossi smiled.
"Emily, this is Declan's friend from school Ilaria, and her parents Michael and Melerna, and her younger brother Gian.", Dave introduced while Emily shook hands with the adults. "This wonderful woman is the one we've been telling you about all night. I'd like to introduce you to Emily Prentiss."
"Don't listen to him.", Emily sighed with a smile, then caught a shy look that passed between Declan and Ilaria. Dave watched as her eyes went wide and she shot him a look. He nodded.
"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Prentiss. You have a beautiful home.", Ilaria said to her, neither she nor Declan realizing that his mom had caught on to what every adult in the room already knew.
"Thank you, Ilaria. It's good to meet you too, Declan's told me so much about you." Or he soon would, if the look she gave her son was anything to judge by. Declan blushed, knowing he was in trouble for not telling his mom about Ilaria. Emily looked at the table and smiled. "It looks like you guys are having a party. Room for one more?"
"For you, always.", Morgan answered, scrunching over with Garcia so Emily could slide in between he and where Rossi had been sitting. Emily walked over with Declan, then stopped and tilted his head up so she could get a good look at his face, which before he'd been trying to keep covered with his hair.
"Declan what happened? Who did this?", Emily asked in alarm, her fingers ghosting over the wounds on her son's face. Declan looked down guiltily, then glanced at his dad.
"I got into a fight...", Declan admitted, completely avoiding eye contact with his mom. Emily's eyes went hard and she looked at him.
"Declan, you know how I feel about you fighting. Why would you do this?", Emily admonished, and Declan looked stricken by the disappointment that colored her voice.
"Mom, you didn't hear what he said!", Declan insisted.
"Declan, there is no good reason for you to fight someone, regardless of what they say. You know that's not how problems are handled.", Emily told him, her voice strict.
"Mom, he said... He said that you were a terrorist's whore, okay? And I'm sorry, I know you hate me fighting but I couldn't let him get away with that!", Declan told her, and Emily's face fell. Dave's hand found the small of her back and moved in a slow circle, but otherwise he remained silent while Emily processed the information.
"Declan... Honey, I can see why that would upset you but you know that fighting isn't the way to solve a problem.", Emily told him gently. She loved her son, she really did, but sometimes his temper made him do rash things. This was the perfect example, regardless of what the other party had done to provoke him.
"I just hated hearing someone talk about you like that. If I ever heard someone talking about you or aunt JJ or Aunt Penny, Mom, I don't... I can't walk away from something like that.", Declan told her, and Emily suddenly knew that this would be one of the sticking points in her relationship with her son. While she would have preferred he walked away from confrontations like this, she knew he wouldn't because his instinct was to protect his family. She looked at Dave who gave her an even look back, then sighed.
"Alright, honey.", Emily sighed. "But I stand by my statement. Violence might be the easiest answer, but it is never the right one. There were other ways to handle this situation, and while I love you for wanting to protect me, you've got to realize that part of my job as mom is to protect you. That includes keeping you safe and teaching you when to walk away from fights. Not to walk in to them like some others would have you believe." The guilty look on Morgan's face spoke volumes.
"I know, mom.", Declan sighed. "So, just how much trouble am I in for this?"
Emily smirked. "I hope you enjoy tonight, because starting tomorrow morning, you are grounded, mister. You, dad and I are going into school first thing to talk to your headmaster and with the parents of the other student you were fighting with."
"Grounded! But he -", Declan asked, then stopped at the look his mom sent him, warning him not to finish that sentence. He sighed. "For how long?"
"For right now, a month. No friends over, no going out after school, no soccer practice.", Emily decided, speaking over the sound of horror her son let out. "Depending on how bad the fight was, it could be longer. And I hope to God you didn't use the judo Morgan taught you, or so help me, Declan, I will ground you so long there will be country songs written about it!"
As Declan tried to plea bargain his case to Emily's unsympathetic ear, Dave just smirked and put another cheese burger on the grill. When his son realized that he was fighting a lost battle, he sat down on one of the picnic tables to sulk, only to be joined moments later by Ilaria, who's expression just screamed, 'I told you so.'
Emily joined Dave by the grill, wrapping her arms around his waist then resting her forehead against his back. He swiveled and put a kiss to the crown of her head, then said, "You know he meant well. He loves you, Emily."
"I know. But I will teach him to get a hold of that temper if it's the last thing I do.", Emily answered. "How bad was it?"
"He didn't use the judo, just a couple punches and some wrestling techniques as far as I heard. So, not as bad as it could have been.", Dave explained. "He knew you would be disappointed in him, Em. I think that bothered him more than anything."
"He needs to learn better control. If he had gone too far... If anything ever happened to him, Dave, I don't know what I'd do. But he's got Doyle's damn temper...", Emily said quietly.
"Hey, don't think about that.", Dave told her gently. "He's alive, safe, and as of yet, has a clean criminal record. That's more than most fifteen year old boys can say."
"And he's got a pretty girl fussing over him. He really is your kid, Rossi.", Emily teased, seeing Ilaria physically forcing Declan to hold still while she made sure all the scratches on his face were clean.
"Oh, I don't know. He made said pretty Italian girl fall head over heels for him the first day she met him, so I think he's got some of his mom in there too.", Dave replied, making Emily blush. Now that they were together, he made no secret of the fact that he'd been smitten with Emily the day he'd walked in on she, Morgan and Reid profiling his then empty office.
"Have I ever thanked you?", Emily asked.
"For what, Em?"
"For loving me and Declan. You didn't need to, but -" Dave put a finger to her lips.
"Of course I needed to. I couldn't just love one half of you, Emily." She smiled warmly at him, and for some reason he'd prefer not to think about, a warm tingling feeling spread through his chest.
"Dave?", Emily asked right in his ear, going on to rest her head on his shoulders. The sound of her voice made Dave instantly relax. He sighed. It was a beautiful day, and Emily was home. Dave would not be persuaded to move for all the money in the world.
"Yeah, Em?" He flicked his head to the side, mentally keeping track of where everyone was. Declan was laughing, he and Ilaria playing with Jack, Henry and Elizabeth. Hotch and Reid were pretending to have a serious conversation all while clearly flirting. JJ, Will, Garcia and Morgan were discussing something with Ilaria's family, and the woman he loved was standing next to him. Life was good as far as David Rossi was -
"You're burning my cheese burger." Dave smelled the burning meat and cursed. Loudly, but in Italian because as smart as the children around him were, JJ and Garcia still prohibited swearing when they were in earshot.
Emily just laughed, kissed his cheek and left him to his work. He grimaced at the burned chunk of meat on his grill, but found he couldn't be bothered to be irritated. He just sighed, put another cheese burger on, and decided to interrupt Hotch and Reid's discussion. He threw the burger flipper at his best friend with an order for the unit chief to do the grilling while Rossi caught up with his wife, then ran and sat next to Declan and Emily at the picnic table.
AN: Aw, some EmilyRossi fluff at the end there. I couldn't resist. I'm a little iffy on making MorganGarcia an actual pairing in this series; I mean, I love them, but I don't think I can really do them justice if I make them established in this. I find they're one of those pairings that need to be discussed up front; there's no easy or subtle way to really hint at them. I could be wrong. Let me know what you think on the MorganGarcia issue. And of course the required HotchReid fluff because, as I've said, I am a hopeless addict.
If anyone can name the show that I borrowed, 'I'll ground you so long they'll write country songs about it!', you'll be my favorite person ever. And I don't actually know if there's any salad with peppers in it as the main ingredient I'd just been craving peppers for some reason when I was writing this.
Now, just a warning. I've already got the next installment written and waiting to be typed up, but I warn you now that it is really, really sad. I almost started crying when I was writing it in my Crime and State in History class last week. So yeah, consider yourselves warned.
I know I came up with her character and all, but I just don't see Declan and Ilaria lasting... We shall see. Though I may just be saying that to throw you off... ;) And does anyone else love Elizabeth? Because I do. =)
That's it, guys! Hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for taking the time to read this beast of mine, and as always, any questions, comments or concerns, please do let me know.
Much love, and good night, one and all,
Oracle. (L)