***SPOILERS FOR THE SEASON SEVEN FINALE*** This fic follows on from there so if you havent seen it and dont want spoilers...put this fic in the pile to read when you have seen it! thanks x
So here it is, the standard response to the events of the Season 7 finale! Oh come on, it was bound to happen right? I'm just surprised there hasnt been a tidal wave of fics now that Rossi/Strauss are pretty much official! Anyhoo this is my version of what happened after the wedding at the end of the ep. This chapter can stand alone, but I will be adding more, each part will be one shot but following their...thing...hopefully to tide me over til Season 8 where I pray there will be more to feed from!
Anyway enough rambling! Hope you like! drop a review when ya done, I do love 'em!
Sighing heavily David closed his front door with a flick of his wrist. Closing in to midnight and the final guests had just left, one would barely believe that Spencer Reid was a pain to get rid of at the end of a party, he was like a small child all hyper on sugar.
In the end Morgan had dragged him away, the two of them appeared to have been the last to leave along with Emily, Dave had heard something about going on to a club. He'd have to ask about that the next time they were in the office, Reid in a club was usually something he liked to hear about.
Turning on his heel Dave headed back through his house, his back yard resembled something of a wrecking ball hit but it was worth it. The party had been fantastic, JJ and Will had the perfect night, and everyone enjoyed themselves. He was happy he could do that for his team, he loved them all in their own little ways.
Glancing around he noted the half empty champagne flutes dotted around, the general disarray on the tables and in that moment he was glad he had people coming to clean this whole thing up in the morning, just the thought of doing it himself gave him a headache.
He saw her out of the corner of his eye, she'd been stood by the arbor, hidden by the darkness but as she walked back across the grass the lights started to bounce off her again.
"I was hoping you were still here." His voice was low as he met her halfway across the makeshift dance floor that he hoped hadnt totally ruined his lawn.
She shrugged, her arms folded across her chest as she looked around herself. "Its still a beautiful night."
The music still played softly around them, though much quieter it was a perfect setting.
"You glad you came?" He asked, reaching out his hands he locked them around her waist, pulling her flush against him.
Erin nodded, relaxing in his grip as they began to sway softly to the music. "Thank you for inviting me."
"I want my team to see the other side of you Erin."
"Its not easy David."
"No but you are doing it." His grip around her tightened as she slid one arm around his shoulder and across his back. "You supported them in the field yesterday, you let them lead, granted on a short leash but you gave them space. To them thats as good as climbing on a roof and waving your BAU support banner."
Her laugh reverberated through him, he loved to feel that, he loved that when she was with him she wasnt Chief Strauss, even if every once in a while he loved her to take that Strauss control into the bedroom, it was always fun. When she was with him she was just Erin, she was fun, she was deeply sexual and he loved that she gave him hell but in an entirely different way to in the office. He'd not had this much fun with a woman since his twenties.
Erin Strauss was a challenge, she always challenged him. She was strong and ballsy and he loved that, but he also loved to see the cracks, her flaws, all the little quirks that made her who she was.
"I'll admit that its nice, not being public enemy number one, what did you say to them to get them to be so nice to me?"
"Nothing. Your actions yesterday were enough Erin, you worked with them, you were part of that team and they respond to that. Good people know good people Erin, and you...under that mask you keep in your desk drawer sometimes, are a good person."
"Are you a good person Agent Rossi?"
His groan was enough of a response, as she spoke she pressed herself harder against him, he knew what that meant, the game was on.
"Not when I'm with you Erin Strauss, you make me wanna do bad things."
"What kinda bad things?" She asked teasingly, his hands had already started their journey up her waist.
"Stay the night and you'll find out."
"We dont do that David."
"Do what?" He asked, his mouth had already dropped to her neck, just below her ear.
"We dont have sleepovers at each other's homes. We do hotels."
"As hot and sexy as that is, a thousand fantasies have been born from the thought of Erin Strauss in my bed."
"Its Sunday, its a school night." Her retort was delivered with a straight face, even if she did lean into him as she said it.
"The director gave us Monday off, that includes you Madam Section Chief, I checked."
"I'm still going in."
"Of course you are, but you can afford to be a little late."
How could she resist that? How could she possibly resist him? If she was honest with herself that was part of the reason she stayed past all the other guests. Sure it was almost midnight and she did have every intention of going into the office tomorrow. The Director may have given them the day off but she had much to prove right now, she needed to be back in that office, doing the job she loved, despite what it may have cost her through the years.
"You're a thoroughly bad influence on me David Rossi."
"Good, but dont you come all innocent with me Erin, you know exactly where I wanted tonight to lead. I know you want it too, otherwise you wouldnt be wearing THAT dress below this wrap."
It was true, she knew what she wanted when she came here tonight. The presence of his team was an obstacle they would overcome, in fact they were unwitting players in this game. Neither would deny that it was hot, to spend the whole night so close to each other and yet be so far apart. The looks became longer as the night wore on, it was a challenge, acting like they were just colleagues, all the while mentally undressing the other, the thoughts of the night to come rampant in their minds.
And she'd worn the dress. To a casual observer it was a pretty standard dress, relatively plain, made more glamourous by the wrap she'd chosen to team it with. To them though, the dress was different, it held a meaning and a power, it was the start of everything afterall. But that was an entirely different story.
"Mmmm come on Erin," His hands teased her waist, travelling higher until they reached just below her breasts, "you know you wanna stay. You know you wanna get wrapped up in my arms, in my sheets, in my bed.."
She trembled in his arms, just the sound of his voice was enough to make her melt, but his hands, oh his hands, even through the soft material of her dress they made her skin burn. Never had she wanted anyone more.
Sliding her hands down from his shoulders and across his chest, she slipped them underneath his jacket and around his back. He knew what was going to happen next, Erin always ran her hands down his back, her fingertips down his spine, right before she was going to kiss him...hard.
When her lips met his, he was ready for them. David responded to her kiss with all the passion she evoked in him, and damn that was a lot of passion. The way she felt in his arms, the way she tasted when she kissed him like this, it was as if she was pouring herself into him, she demanded, she controlled and she surrendered, all in one action.
Drawing back a little her eyes met his, she knew he could see it, her desire for him was all over her eyes, just like it always was.
"Take me to bed David." She said the words with such a straight face, the Strauss face. God he loved it when she did that, Erin Strauss had always been sexy, he'd always thought of her as sexy, always wanted her, but the section chief in her was such a god damn turn on.
"Theres just one thing I have to do first." David spoke softly and yet firmly. Reaching up his right hand he removed the clip from her hair, it was lovely when it was up, but when it was down it was so sexy, the woman had to know she had powers.
"Did you mean what you said earlier?" Her words were strained, she was still breathless as they both collapsed on his bed. She wouldnt admit it but he was right, it was so damn good to be in his bed, there was something intensely intimate about it and quite possibly they'd just topped the best they'd ever had together.
"You'll have to be more specific." David responded with equal difficulty, he lay on his back, beside her, breathing deeply in an effort to regain a normal heart rate. Oh the things she could do to him.
"The part where you said, I was part of the team yesterday."
David turned his head towards her, she was looking at the ceiling, her chest still heaving as she slowly came down from the high. "You were there werent you, you worked on the case just the same as us, that makes you part of the team."
She laughed a little, he could see her raise her eyebrows. "Your team is like the elite club in high school, everybody wants to be in, hardly anybody gets in. I must consider myself honoured."
Smiling David turned on his side towards her, leaning up a little on his elbow to look down at her. God she was beautiful, even all hot and sweaty after a round of mind blowing sex, she was stunning. "Ya know, technically it is your team. You are the section chief Erin, we're really just your little game pieces, waiting to be shuffled."
"If I ever treated your team like that you'd be the first one to batter down my door to tear me a new one, and you know it."
He did know it. He also knew that she never would. Just because she could play the political ball game with absolute precision and an expert hand, didnt mean she liked it. She loved her job that much she would never deny and she did enjoy politics, she just hated when the powers that be used people like the BAU's agents as pawn pieces in a political game, sacrifice them without a second thought. What the BAU didnt understand was that ninety-nine per cent of the time she used her political skills to keep them safe.
"Dress it up any way you want Erin, you're a part of this team now. I happen to know that Garcia, in particular enjoyed working with you, she said you're much more 'chilled' these days. She also appreciates the disappearence of the permanent frown. I think I'll take the credit for that."
"On what grounds can you take credit for that?" Erin turned her head to face him, his grin made her want to smile, but right now she was busy enjoying the game.
"On the grounds that only a matter of hours before that case broke, you were in my arms, in ecstasy, and screaming my name."
David enjoyed the victory as the blush crept across her face, she tried to hide it, turned her head away from his but he was too quick for her. As he manouvered towards her he caught her lips in a sweet kiss, the passion took its place on the back burner and allowed this kiss to just...linger.
It was always that way, the first kiss they shared after they both came down from the highs of passion, it was always slow. It was worrying.
Sometimes Erin worried. She worried that their 'fling' was spiralling out of control. Her need for him hadnt dwindled over time, it had only gotten stronger. Was it supposed to get stronger? She found herself needing him, his lips, his hands. She found herself missing him when they both left the hotel rooms that had played stage to this performance they had going on.
And when he kissed her like this, it was intimate, just like being in his bed right now. It wasnt about sex and getting off, it was tender, it was caring.
"I messed up yesterday."
"Messed up how?" David narrowed his eyes at her words, moving to lay beside her he gave her his full attention.
"When I sent in that medic. I followed the director's orders without argument, you and Aaron Hotchner told me it was a bad idea and I didnt listen. That person died because I took an order."
"Exactly, you took an order Erin. It was not your fault that he died. If Aaron and I thought, really thought that it was the wrong decision we would have pushed it! We wouldnt have let you do it. None of us knew that was going to happen, you cant punish yourself for this Erin! Thats the field, you do the best you can to get the job done but sometimes things dont go like you want them to."
Erin sighed, shaking her head a little. She didnt normally do this with him, discuss her or her feelings. In fact she'd only done it once or twice before. It always left her feeling vulnerable, open, and she didnt like that.
David would always try and tell her that it was ok to be like that sometimes, she was slowly adjusting to it but thats not who she had been for so long. Changing was always hard.
"For the record I thought you were fantastic yesterday."
"No you dont."
"Yes I do. Erin you walked in there and you had the situation locked. You were at the top of the chain of command and everyone knew it. At the same time you didnt throw it around, you took a step back and you let the team work, stepped in when you needed to and withdrew when you knew that we had it."
"I trust your judgement." Erin said the words not only to him, but it was also a little to herself. The old Erin Strauss would never have said that. She was a big enough person to admit that a few years ago she would have labelled that team as unstable, renegade, rogue even.
Overtime that had changed, working with them in the field had proven it to her. Yes sometimes she disaproved of their methods, but at the end of the day they got the job done.
"Good. I trust your judgement too, so lets have no more talk of you being anything other than brilliant Agent Strauss. Particularly right now, cos' my god were you brilliant just now."
His words seemed to work and her face broke out in a smile, just to be sure he punctuated his statement with a kiss. His efforts were rewarded when she once again relaxed. David was used to this, he had Erin Strauss profiled down to a tee. Not that he would ever tell her that, she would hate it if he ever played her like that. Still, he knew her better than she knew herself. One minute she could be as relaxed as she was right now, and mere seconds later she would be wound up so tight it took extreme measures to get through to her.
Extreme measures that only David Rossi seemed capable of.
He heard her breathing even out. A smile crossed his face as he realised she was now sleeping in his arms. He would enjoy this, if he could stay awake just a little while longer.
Watching Erin sleep was one of his favourite things. It didnt happen often, in fact it was so rare it was almost endangered. To him it was a privilege to watch. All the armor she put on everyday just drifted right off her, in sleep she was so peaceful, the section chief was a distant entity who wouldnt make another appearence until she put on that mask again.
Thankfully she could only put on that mask when she was awake. Right now as she slept, she couldnt control anything, she couldnt control the situation. The stress of that control just lifted away from her, now she could really relax.
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