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"I told you ten miles ago…"

"Emily, please, not now." David Rossi cringed as he heard his college sigh audibly behind him, as he poked his head underneath the hood of their government issued SUV. Hell, he had known she was right about the highway detour but he just couldn't let her know it, could he? And this mess was his damn pride's fault.

Crossing her arms over her chest and looking around at the deserted highway, Emily longed for even one car to pass by, just one… even if it had a serial killer in it, she'd take that over being stranded in the rural Virginia countryside with her usually sane team member. It would seem he'd taken leave of his senses the past 72 hours.

David slammed the hood down and pulled a handkerchief from his from his jacket pocket. He had no idea what was wrong with the truck, and he wasn't about to admit it. "We need a mechanic." He said matter-of-factly, without looking at her.

"Oh, no, really?" Emily replied sarcastically, knowing full well he had no idea what he was doing with the newer model engine. Maybe, maybe he would have been able to fix it if it were some ancient model he were used to fixing up, something only she and Hotch knew about.

David bit his tongue, a smart remark inches from being lashed at his friend. Unfortunately with his cell out of range, and hers dead, they had but one option left, and he would rather sleep in the SUV while it started to snow than to face it, but he had to think of Emily… She was maybe a hundred and ten pounds soaking wet, there was no way she'd survive a cold Virginia night, and he should know, having spent the latter part of his childhood living here.

"We have an hour, hour and half maybe before dark. We have about three miles to the nearest stop." David finally faced the source of all the under-breath comments and sighs. "Grab what you need out of the car. Let's walk."

Emily gave him an incredulous look as he very seriously gathered his laptop under his arm and slammed the car door shut.

"I can't believe you're serious." She muttered, annoyed. Grabbing her small purse and the only light sweater she'd brought, she too slammed the door on her side of the SUV and glared at road ahead. "What happens after dark?"

"Let's just say it'll be too cold to tell." Still annoyed at their predicament and Emily's 'I told you so' demeanor, David began walking forward on the well-worn paved highway.

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"So where are we going, anyways?" Emily asked after about a mile of complete silence, in which time she had gone through at least five stages of anger with Rossi and was now too cold to care about anything other than trusting his sense of direction.

David stopped his weary walking, and turned around to look at Emily. Seeing her shivering under her sweater made him feel remorse for his earlier bout of pride in taking her directions away from the detour. Somehow, he knew, if they hadn't taken his "Short cut" they might've broken down in the middle of town, been in cell range to get help from the team and would happily be having dinner and a beer right now by a cozy fireplace.

"I have an aunt who lives not far from here." Dave removed his jacket and put it around her shoulders. "Unfortunately."

"W-why is that u-unfortunate? Isn't that… f-fortunate?" Emily was too cold to argue that he should wear the jacket, and the way his hands had brushed the top of her shoulders made a shot of warmth spread through her.

"Like me, you have clearly worked too many Holidays to remember today's date. It's Christmas Eve. Which means the whole damn motley crew will be there. I have successfully avoided the holiday's with my family for nearly 10 years, so, no, this is not fortunate, this is some sick karma." David's voice became increasingly bitter.

"D-Dave…" Emily's questioning voice made him stop his resumed walking. "You love your mother, why did you stop visiting for the Holidays?"

Exasperatedly lifting his head to the sky and noticing the first snow flake's now beginning to fall,Dave turned around again with a masterfully displayed blank face. "I never said I stopped visiting my mother. I just don't enjoy the Holiday hoopla. I send presents for everyone, I have my publicist send cards – I just…. Don't like the noise." He made an attempt at a convincing hand gesture and fake smile.

"I don't buy it, but okay." Emily shook her head at this confusing force of a man and walked past him, puzzled more than ever.

That's because you're a better profiler than me, Em. Dave allowed a brief smile as he shook his head at her, and resumed walking behind her. The way his jacket overwhelmed her small frame made his heart melt. Didn't she eat enough?

"Em, it's right up there, see the mailbox? There's a dirt road into their property. Only another half mile or so…" He put an arm around her shoulders and guided her body off the frontage road they'd followed away from the highway.

Em… Her rarely used nickname resounded in her ears, his arm around her shoulders sheltering what the jacket couldn't of the cold, and the snowflakes now falling steadily in his salt-and-pepper hair were making her want to giggle. Maybe she was already in the advance d stages of hypothermia?

What she did know, was watching David Rossi in the unnatural habitat of his family, and at the holidays no less, was going to be the profiler experiment the likes of which her dreams were made of.

"What are you smiling about?" Dave shot her an evaluating look, not trusting that elusive smile to mean anything good, but loving the way it looked on her nonetheless.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just a little excited to meet your family." At the look of horrified humiliation on David's face, she audibly giggled, ducking her head into the crook of his arm to hide her glee.

"A profilers nightmare." He grimaced, relishing her laugh.

"Or a profilers dream." She pointed out, carefully mimicking his steps through the now sloshy combination of mud and snow.

David joined her laughter at that last comment, and at once all of the earlier tension between them seemed to lift into the air and be carried away by the crisp Christmas breeze.

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Hope you enjoyed =) I was giggling to myself as I wrote this. Writing at least two more chapters today.

~CriminallyCecy