Rossi made it home late that night. He had promised Taylor that he would pick her up in the morning. He dropped his bag on the couch and immediately headed to his room. He sighed and slipped into bed, laying on his back to avoid laying on his wound. His shoulder ached, but it could have been so much worse. He closed his eyes and easily fell asleep.
He awoke the next morning to the familiar screech of his alarm clock. He groaned and shut it off.
It didn't take him long to get ready for the day. Hotch had given the team the day off to recuperate. He wasn't even worried about his shoulder. It just meant that he had the whole day to spend with his daughter.
He took a quick shower, dressed casually, and was out the door before nine thirty.
He arrived at Aaron's house. He stepped up to the door and knocked a few times. The door opened to reveal Jack.
The young boy was around Taylor's age.
Rossi came over one day with his daughter. He needed to pick something up for work and figured that he could let Taylor get used to Aaron's house. She would be spending a lot of time there anyways.
Hotch opened the door, stepping aside to let the two in. "Jack! Uncle Dave's here! And he brought a friend!" He called over his shoulder, figuring his son was in his room.
He lead his guests into the living room. Jack's footsteps could be heard coming down. Soon the small boy had his arms wrapped around Dave.
"Uncle Dave!" He grinned. Rossi turned around and smiled down at the boy.
"Hey kiddo." He said as he scooped the kid up into his arms. He held him up in the air, the boy giggling with glee. He pulled him in for a quick hug before setting him on the ground. He kneeled in front of Jack, blocking the boys view of his daughter. "Jack, there's someone I want you to meet."
Jack nodded, craning his neck in a failed effort to peek around Dave. He looked up at his dad, confused, before focusing back on Dave. "Who?" He asked quietly.
Dave looked over his shoulder and held his hand out for Taylor. She grabbed onto him and slowly walked over to Jack. "This is Taylor, she's going to be here when your dad and I are out of town."
Jack looked from Dave, to Taylor. He hesitated for a second before nodding, a small smile on his face. "Hi, I'm Jack, do you like soccer?"
Taylor's eyes lit up and she started nodding like a madman.
"Dad, can we go outside to play soccer?" He looked up at Aaron, who nodded.
"Let me know if you need help setting the goals up."
Jack nodded with excitement, "Come on!" He said as he headed towards the back door.
Taylor looked at Rossi.
He chuckled quietly and nodded. "Go have fun kiddo, we'll be here if you need us."
She nodded and quickly followed Jack into the backyard.
Aaron headed up to his office with Rossi about a step behind. "That was easier than I thought." He chuckled as he grabbed the file. He handed it over to his friend. Neither of them were completely sure how the pair would react.
Dave nodded. "She always was outgoing."
"Uncle Dave!" The young boy chorused, ready to jump into Rossi's arms.
Dave wasn't prepared for the sudden impact and winced, carrying the boy inside. He shut the door behind them and was about to set him down, when Aaron stepped into the hallway.
Aaron sighed, "Jack, I told you to be careful with Uncle Dave."
Jack turned to see his father and wriggled out of Dave's arms. "Sorry." He apologized quietly.
Dave had instinctively grabbed his wound. He shook his head. "It's okay kiddo, no harm done."
"Your breakfast is on the table." Aaron physically turned his son around and nudged him towards the kitchen, watching as the boy left to eat. "Sorry about that. You okay?" He looked over at his friend worriedly.
It's scary to think about how much of your body the vest actually doesn't cover. When you're on the job, the thought never really runs through your mind, until you actually get hit.
Rossi was at Hotch's side as they both continued to shoot at the unsub who had taken a failed attempt at cover.
Rossi didn't even notice his wound until the unsub had run out of ammo and stepped out of his hiding spot with a knife. The unsub didn't last much longer after that.
Dave holstered his weapon and turned to Hotch. Adrenaline had been firing through his veins for the past ten minutes. He hadn't even noticed the blood that soaked his shirt.
"Dave."
He turned around to see Hotch looking at his shoulder. "What?" He asked before following his gaze.
Hotch was by his side and led him to the waiting ambulance. Both of them knew it wasn't serious, but it was still a scare.
It only took about five minutes to patch it up, then Dave was on his way.
He walked back over to his team, pulling the vest from his body. "Could've been worse."
Hotch sighed and nudged his good shoulder. "A lot worse, Dave." He shook his head and looked at everyone around him. "Come on, let's get out of here. Wheels up in thirty."
"Could've been worse." Rossi teased and shrugged. He laughed quietly, watching Hotch roll his eyes. "Where's Taylor?"
"Eating breakfast." Hotch motioned with his head towards the kitchen before he turned on his heels.
Dave followed Hotch into the kitchen. Jack must have mentioned something to Taylor, because she was standing in the middle of the kitchen.
"Hey kiddo." He grinned and took a knee to meet her height. He opened his arms for her, which she happily fell in to.
She pulled away from the hug after a minute and looked him up and down. "What's wrong?" She asked quietly.
His brow knit together in confusion. "What do you mean?"
She shook her head. Her eyes continued to trace over him, trying to find anything visibly wrong. "You didn't pick me up." She poked his good shoulder before meeting his eyes once more. She looked at him with worry now. "Dave?" She voiced her concern quietly.
"I'm okay kiddo, I'm okay." He cupped her cheek, his thumb tracing back and forth against her skin. "Just a little battle scar is all." Never before had he been profiled by a seven year old. Maybe she was spending too much time with the team.
She tilted her head. "Where?"
He pointed to his shoulder. "It's nothing T, don't worry about me."
She shook her head. "Show me."
He raised an eyebrow, but nodded and began to roll up his sleeve until the gauze that covered it could be visible. There was only a small spot of red that stained the white cotton, but nothing too alarming.
She looked at it, then back up at him. She shook her head. "We're going home." She announced.
Rossi chuckled and stood up, rolling his sleeve back down. "Sweetie, I just got here. I figured you could finish eating, maybe play soccer with Jack."
She shook her head, her mind made up. "We're going home so you can rest." She walked over to Hotch and gave him a quick hug, quietly thanking him for the food while she was at it, before she headed up the stairs to grab her bag.
Dave and Aaron both exchanged a glance. Never before had this seven year old taken charge.
Aaron laughed softly. He shrugged, watching as she came back down with her bag. "I guess I'll see you at work."
She went straight up to Dave and wrapped her hand in his. "I guess so." Dave chuckled, allowing her to lead him out.
Dave unlocked the front door and pushed it open, expecting Taylor to run in like usual. She didn't. She waited for him to go in first.
He shut the door behind them and looked down at her, watching as she set her bag next to his and headed straight for the kitchen. "Didn't you just eat?"
Taylor pulled her small stool from the cabinet and set it up next to the island.
Dave had bought that for her once she said she wanted to learn how to cook. Since then they've been cooking meals together whenever he was home.
Dave continued to cook Taylor's meals while she set her room up. It wasn't until she was fully settled and moved in that she decided she wanted to learn how to cook.
It was just like any other day. She was sitting up at the island, watching as he worked in the kitchen perfectly. "Dave?" She asked quietly, not wanting to distract him from his work.
Dave looked over his shoulder. "Yeah, what's up kiddo?"
She shrugged. "How long did it take you to learn how to cook like this?"
He smiled and took the pot off the burner. "A long time. Why? Thinking of learning yourself?"
She shrugged again, leaning up on the counter. "Maybe...Would you teach me?"
He plated up their meals and nodded. "Of course. What do you want to learn?"
"Everything!"
She worked quickly, hopping off the stool and grabbing a few things every so often.
Every time Dave tried to ask a question about what she was doing, she either wouldn't answer or would just look at him.
In his opinion, it was adorable and funny too. He watched as she worked, making a simple breakfast of toast and bacon. When she was finished, she put away her stool and set the plate in front of him.
"Wow, this all looks delicious." He smiled at her. He took a seat at the island, and picked her up, despite the pain in his arm. He set her in his lap and kissed her cheek. "I love this, but Taylor you really didn't have to."
She nodded. "Yes I did, I need to return the favor."
He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Favor?"
"You saved me. It's my turn now." She pronounced happily before wiggling out of his grip and stepping back down to the floor. "When you finish, come to the living room." She nodded.
His heart melted as she walked away, proud of the small meal she had accomplished. She walked confidently and soon vanished into the living room. Lord knows what she had planned next.
He finished up his food and set the plate in the sink before following her orders and heading to the living room. What he saw was not what he expected, but then again, he wasn't even sure what he had been expecting in the first place.
A blanket fort was set up over several chairs. In about a ten minute period, Taylor seemed to have gathered all of the blankets and pillows from around the whole house and piled them into this room.
He smiled as he looked at the gigantic collection of blankets and hidden pillows. His daughter poked her head out from one of the many hanging blankets. "Well?" She asked happily, a wide smile on her face as she looked around at her creation. "Do you like it?"
"I love it. Why don't you give me a tour of your fort." He looked down at her, her bubbly personality absolutely contagious.
"Oh it's not a fort."
"Oh?"
"It's a mansion! Come on in!"
