Mick and Gina were sitting on their bed talking about nothing in particular when Gina blurted out, "Mick, I need to tell you something."
"Okay, Gina, what is it," he responded confused as to why his girlfriend was acting so strange.
"It's about my family," she said soothing is concern.
"Okay shoot," he said.
"When I was little my dad was my hero and because of that he was never wrong a day in his life. He always called me the pretty one and my sister the smart one, he was surprised when I did anything right so I used to think that since I was pretty that I couldn't be smart. All I wanted was for my dad to be proud of me so I used to cut myself so that I was ugly," she said pulling up the sleeve of her shirt to her elbow revealing thin, pale scars running across the inside of her elbow, her voice cracking the farther along in the story she went.
Before she could say anything he pulled her close to him and let he cry into his chest, after a moment of two she got her bearings back enough to finish the story and said, "Because if I was ugly then I could be smart. It used to hurt so much when I brought home my report card and my dad would see my all A grades and look so shocked and say something along the lines of 'wow you're not a stupid as you look' and I would run to my room crying and grab my knife and lock my door and cut again. I cut myself all the way through high school, and while my sister was my dad's pride and joy I always felt in adequate and stupid, and it hurt. I never once said anything to my dad and he never knew. My sister knew and still flashed around her grades like it didn't matter. Every time I go home and see my sister and her perfect family I feel like more of a failure. My dad doesn't even approve of me dating you." When she was in tears and clinging to him for dear life and he was holding her and rubbing her back whispering comforting words into her ear.
"Shush, love he is stupid if he doesn't see that you are beautiful, sexy, brilliant, confident, and can put a smile on anyone's face," Mick whispered, trying to comfort his distressed girlfriend, fearing she believed her father.
"Thanks, Mick," she said wiping her tears away with her hand and looking at the man she loved with a watery smile.
"Gina, I mean it; you are all of those things I said and so much more. You can bring me back from the hell we go to when we get inside UNSUB's heads, you can comfort a victim and make them see that they have a future, you believe that we all can be saved, and most of all you can be the pillar of strength that the entire team needs, and if your dad can't see that, too bad, you are amazing, and I love you, that's all we need, each other. Ok?" He said smiling down at the woman he loves.
"Okay, I just want to be loved and cherished, and if he can't see that, so be it, I don't need him right?" she said.
"Right, now get some sleep love, we have work in the morning," Mick said with a smile. The little blue ring box in the nightstand drawer could wait for a little bit, Gina wasn't going anywhere.