A/N: This story is written for the Chit Chat on Author's Corner Fanfic Challenge 2010 – Round 2.

Pairing: Rossi/Prentiss

Prompt: 28 Days Later (Movie Title)

The story is set shortly after the events in Demonology.

This was truly a challenge for me, as I'm quite new to writing on the whole and have never even tried writing any pairing except the one I'm comfortable with (M/G). That this turned into a four-chapter story totally surprised me.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Criminal Minds. I'm just playing a little :)


CHAPTER 1 : 7 Days Later

When he had chosen to do everything he could to help Emily Prentiss find the man who had murdered her friend, going so far as to challenge their Unit Chief, David Rossi told himself that he was just being a good colleague.

He told himself that it was for the good of the team that he had disobeyed Hotch and taken Prentiss to visit Matthew Benton's parents. For if any member of the team was troubled, it affected their whole dynamic, and they couldn't afford that.

He told himself that he was only disappointed that she eschewed his offer of a ride in favor of walking because he was worried about her getting home in the cold, snowy night.

He told himself these things over and over. Of course, he was completely lying to himself, but hey, no one had to know, right?

One thing was certainly true however. When he had done all those things for her, regardless of justification, he had never expected what happened after the events of that disturbing non-case were over.


Seven days later, after he had left Emily to walk alone in the snow-filled night, Rossi answered a knock at the door of his Little Creek home to find her standing on his doorstep.

"Prentiss?" His surprise was evident in his tone, and in the fact that he made her name into a question, though he could clearly see it was her. He hadn't even known that she knew how to get to his home. "How … "

Emily didn't let him finish. "Garcia … and GPS." She grinned at him almost bashfully as she shifted her weight nervously from one jeans-clad leg to the other.

"Ah … right." He was still a little too bemused to be articulate, despite being a man to whom words came easily.

When he didn't say anything else, Emily spoke again.

"Um … Rossi? Can I come in? It's sorta cold out here."

"What? Oh! Oh, sorry Prentiss." The minor paralysis that seemed to have overtaken him was broken. "Yes, come in. Please."

He stepped back to allow her into the room and then closed the door behind her. When Emily shrugged out of her coat, he moved to take it and hang it on the rack next to the door. As she took in her surroundings, Rossi took her in. Along with the well-fitting dark jeans, she wore black low-heeled boots and a kelly-green sweater that made her eyes look even darker. It clung lovingly to parts of her anatomy that he had absolutely no business thinking about, far less ogling.

Snap out of it man! He admonished himself silently. Unless you want to totally sell yourself out. You're acting as if you've forgotten she's a profiler, and a good one at that.

Having taken in the cozy front room, with its heavy wooden furniture, blazing fireplace complete with sleeping hunting dog on a mat before it, Emily turned back to Rossi.

"This is a wonderful room. It suits you."

"Thank you." He couldn't think of anything else to say. That her presence in his home was distracting him was patently clear, but the question of why exactly she was there made it infinitely worse. And she was clearly nervous herself, still shifting from one foot to the other edgily and looking everywhere but straight at him.

"Prentiss … Emily," he began, but before he could say another word, she had taken two steps closer to him. Then to his utter shock, Emily Prentiss, his colleague and star of his every fantasy for a long time now, brought both her hands up to grasp his face, closed her eyes and pressed her mouth against his own, kissing him hard.

There was no possible chance that he would be capable of not responding to her. Lifting his hands to rest lightly at her waist, he kissed her back. He moved to deepen the kiss and felt immeasurably gratified when Emily opened her mouth under his and met his questing tongue eagerly with her own.

Why? The silent question intruded on what was fast becoming the best kiss of his life. Rossi tried his damnedest to ignore it and concentrate instead on the feel of Emily in his arms kissing him senseless. It wasn't to be. The stupid question became a litany running through his head – whywhywhywhywhy – and it could no longer be ignored.

Reluctantly he broke the kiss, lifting his face away from hers gently. Still holding her, he waited until she opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Emily, Cara, what is it? What's caused this?"

Both his tone and look were tender, and strangely, Emily felt no embarrassment over what she had done. Still, she moved out of his arms and took a couple of steps away from him, turning to the fireplace and wrapping her arms around her middle. She was silent for a short while. He waited.

"I'm still so damn angry with both of them!" The exclamation, when it came, was harsh and resounded with pain.

He understood immediately. "Hotch and Morgan."

"Yeah." She answered without turning around.

"You feel like they didn't support you. Didn't have your back when they should have – from the very beginning when you first went to Hotch."

She nodded wordlessly. It still amazed her how this man could apparently see right through her.

"Yes. It doesn't matter how irrational that thinking is. I still feel it."

He walked over to her and wrapped his arms loosely around her. When he spoke, it was in the same tender tone he had used before.

"Not that I'm not extremely flattered, Cara, but I don't think that's the best reason in the world for this is it?"

"No, I guess not."

"Want to talk instead?"

"I'm sorry Rossi. I think I should go." She slipped out of his arms for a second time and turned to face him, a question in her expressive eyes. Once again, he knew.

"Yes, Emily. We're okay."

She smiled a grateful smile at him and left as silently as she had arrived.


A/N: So totally out of my element here! Would really appreciate knowing what you think.