Rossi knew there was something on Penelope's mind.

She had been rather cool to him nearly all week and that was unusual for a woman who professed to be in love for the first real time in her life. Rossi had finally taken it upon himself to move their long-time friendship to the next level by leaving a surprise for her in her office. A scattering of rose petals and a note inviting her to dinner was his way of getting her attention – rather than asking her outright for a date he opted to woo her. The job of doing so was hard because she tended to believe the playboy reputation he had come to the BAU with. Sure, she had known him long enough to know it wasn' t true of him now, but he still had to convince her he was serious when it came to his feelings for her. His friendship with her had changed him, for the better. So during that first "real date" dinner he had told her how he felt and presented her with a pearl heart shaped ring to signify his commitment. It was just a month later that Rossi had overheard Penelope telling Emily that she was in love for the first time ever. That whatever had gone wrong in all her prior relationships had been "fixed" by Rossi and his gentle strength.

He had been in love with her from the moment he saw her, but it hadn't taken long for him to realise that despite her outward strength and attitude, she had endured the worst that a man could lay on a woman and it had left her cynical of love and wary of men. Just when Rossi might have thought he was winning her over sure but slow, she had been attacked by a guy who thought she had been onto his Angel of Mercy deal. Rossi had sat by her side day and night and willed her to recover. The aftermath had proven to be hard. He had watched her withdraw to the point of almost being afraid of men – especially those that happened to be large, carried a gun, and could cause her harm. Sadly, that included him. While Penelope valued their friendship and openly talked to him about things she was enduring pot attack, Rossi knew that there was no way she would feel about him what he felt about her. He had to once again be patient and wait her demons out. And his patience had won out. She had accepted his invitation to dinner and accepted his ring. He was in heaven. He had thought that she was too. So what was going on with her?

He intended to find out.