Did I ever mention this is "slightly" AU ;-)?
A night like this – Two
10 hours earlier
Rossi swore silently, asking himself what exactly he had done to deserve this. Okay, his day had started badly, had turned for the worse and was now about to become a complete disaster. Doubting the delicious food of this well-known restaurant would compensate him for the torture he was about to experience, he did his best to concentrate on the menu and his charming, young dinner partner, though it was hard to concentrate on the young girl after his eyes had detected her.
For an unbiased mind the sight of her well-formed ass visibly dressed dressed in a G-string and white linen pants that had just passed his table was a reason to cheer and to think about a way to get rid off both in the shortest amount of time. For him it was a reason to escape. To run as fast as he could, because the female miracle wearing it was a) not his date and b) his former and future boss.
Realizing he still had a chance to run and hide, if he was about to tell his young dinner guest that he knew a better place to eat. He put on his million dollar smile, but then he another person who admittedly didn't look as great as Erin Strauss, caught the rest of his attention and made him stay where he was. He narrowed his eyes and decided to wait until he knew why on earth he had to end up in the same Italian restaurant as his two long term nemesis.
"Dave!" the girl (what was her name again? Ah, right, Stacy!) said with a smile. "Are you all right?" Blue eyes, white teeth and red lip stick. God, he was too old for that.
"Just fine... Stacy... have you found something on the menu?"
As he greeted her, he couldn't help but to smile. She looked – as always – like a million dollars while he looked as if they had just kicked him out of Woolworth. Her face was tanned, her moves gracious and, though he knew she wasn't as blond as her hair color could make one believe, she appeared fresher and younger than he remembered her.
"You'll never grow old for me, nor fade, nor die..." he quoted softly, as he kissed her cheek.
"Prince Charming – as always," she returned with a smile and took the seat on the opposite table.
"No, just Shakespeare and honesty."
"I'm glad you came," she said warmly, watching him for a while.
"Well, after you went to all this trouble to hunt me down, I couldn't decline your invitation. It doesn't happen often a person finds me when I don't want to he found."
Her smile brightened, "Maybe my investigating skills are not as bad as people say."
"You bribed the guy who bought my cabin, didn't you?" he asked dryly.
"Of course... I'm effective," she said amused.
"You really owe me dinner for that."
"And as always the pleasure is on my side, Jason."
"Are you sure, you feel fine?" Stacy asked for the third time, after he hadn't answered her question about his latest book.
"I'm fine," Rossi coughed. "I just thought I saw someone I know..."
"Ahhh... I see," she turned to see whom he was talking about, faced him again with a supposed to be wicked smile on her face. "An ex-wife... an ex-lover?"
"Nooo," he brawled. "Nothing like that. Heaven help me..." he laughed, nervously. " I think we need some wine now!"
"So," Gideon said slowly, placing his wine glass back on the table., "Before we start to talk about the inevitable... how are Max and the kids?"
Erin's face lost its smile, "The kids are fine... all grown up, studying, making their own mistakes and Max is on vacation with his little Miss Perfect."
"I didn't know," he said, visibly affected and reached out to squeeze her hand. "I had no idea."
"It's okay," she shrugged, avoiding his eyes. "I still have to get used to closed tubes of toothpaste and a floor without dirty socks, but I'm doing fine and the silence around the house isn't as annoying as I had imagined it when he left."
"At least you look, as if you're doing great. Haiti?" he asked, admiring her tanned skin.
"Maui," she answered. "And you? How's the wild life without obligations and responsibility?"
"I have responsibility, Erin." he paused. "For myself." She scoffed and shook her head. "I can't do my job anymore... too much has happened and let's be honest, I screwed it up when this young girl killed herself."
"That wasn't your responsibility," she reminded him for what had to be the 20th time ever since he had told her, he would leave the BAU, the FBI and everything else that was connected to his professional life.
"And it wasn't Hotchner's responsibility either," he eyed her closely, "I know what you did and honestly, Honey, you screwed that one up!"
"I know, I know," she admitted quickly, swallowing her words with a big sip of cold white wine. "Hotchner has his job back and I'm trying to given them another chance. Satisfied?"
"Good," he said, indeed satisfied. "So, now that we've established that I won't come back... who will replace me?"
"As if you would care..." she said in a voice that alerted him. Leaning back against the rest of her chair, she swirled the wine in her glass and waited for him to show interest.
"Come on, Erin... don't make this a game."
"Why not?"
"Because I can see in your eyes, you're dying to tell me who'll replace me."
She scoffed. "Don't profile me, Jason. It won't work."
"Why not? It's easy to profile you."
"It's not," she denied upset.
"It is. You're an open book for me."
"Read me..." she offered generously, her eyes encouraging him.
Challenged by her reluctance to talk he leaned back as well, took his glass by its shaft, and pierced her with his eyes.
"Not really?" he asked, as if he was reading her mind, without believing what his told him.
"It won't work to tease me like that... spill out a name, if you can find it on my mind."
Actually, he couldn't. Erin Strauss was the master of poker face. In their days at the academy, she had always stripped him naked, every time they had played poker and not much had changed since then. But even if the name wasn't written all over her face, she could only have called him to tell him that someone they both knew – and despised – could be his successor and there was just one name on the list that could fit this profile.
"Don't tell me, it's Mr. Big Payday prices, private consulting and bestselling author Dave Rossi."
She emptied her glass with one last sip and gave him an annoyed glance.
"Was I that obvious?"
"Yes," he lied. "How? When?"
"Oh, he didn't call himself... the Director called me and he was called by... I guess the President himself, I have no idea, but it's true. Rossi is coming back to the BAU."
"The President is a fan of Rossi?" Gideon asked amused.
"Maybe he's just annoyed with him, I don't care, but I do care that he's about to come back into my unit."
"I see..." A smile formed around his lips and enlightened his eyes. "That's why Hotchner's job isn't in danger... you would rather spend a year in hell, before you allow Rossi to take over the team and piss at your leg."
"Oh please..." annoyed he was right again, she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I want more wine."
"Voila..." he refilled her glass and his and watched her. "Did Rossi say why he wants to come back?"
"No... the Director said, Rossi offered his help, because the BAU has a man down. A completely selfless act." She rolled her eyes. "Please, give me a bucket. The last time he did something completely selfless was when he gave Megan Hunter a bucket before she could vomit on the leather seats in his brand new car!"
Gideon laughed and after a few seconds she joined him, realizing how childish she sounded.
"I think I remember that one... great party... We really had some great times when we were younger..."
Her laughter reached his ear and distracted him from his conversation with Tracy... Stacy. Not that Stacy had much to say, she was mostly asking him questions he had heard before, and continued to admire him and his achievements.
God, she really thought being a profiler was a great way to spend his time. But how could he tell her, without scaring her to death that being a profiler meant to visit deep, dark places where no hope survived longer than a flower in a fire? He had to give up the job, because he had started to question himself and now he was about to take it back, because he couldn't stand the doubts anymore.
Just like the man at the table across the room, only that Jason Gideon who was rumored to be wreck, was having the time of his life with a woman who... damn, she looked great in that black, tie waist, sleeveless blouse...
He had heard through the grapevine her useless, boring husband had left for his secretary, and obviously she was doing fine without him. Maybe now that Gideon had left the FBI, he and she... Rossi grinned amused. He suddenly remembered a certain secret party back at the Academy. Damn, they had fun when they were younger.
"Dave!"
"Yes, Tra... Stacy?"
"Are you sure, she isn't your ex-wife?"
"Of course... I know my wives."
"Yes, but why are you staring at her like this?" He swallowed, asking himself why her big, blue eyes couldn't move him.
"Well... how's your fish?"
"Would you care to dance with me?" Erin asked dreamily, after they had finished the dessert. They had emptied one bottle of wine and were heavily working on getting the next one done.
"I suck at dancing, Erin," Gideon answered wearily.
"Oh, no you're a great dancer... I can tell."
"You have a bad memory."
"My memory is excellent as your feet are..." she grinned and one second later, he knew why.
"Is it your foot that has just started caressing my upper thigh?" he asked lowly.
"Yes..." she smiled, sipping her wine.
"Dangerous territory..."
"Not, if you ask me to dance."
She really had to much to drink and since he could only chose now between getting horny and stepping on her feet, he decided to ask her to dance, before he did something he didn't want to be hold accountable for. Not that he didn't like or didn't want her. He remembered their days at the academy too well, not to want her. There was just no way in hell, he would risk their twenty year old friendship for a quick fuck on the backseat of his car. Their cheerful, easy academy days were over and today sex had another importance for him. If he had sex with a woman these days, he certainly hoped she would stay longer than just for breakfast.
He cleared his throat.
"You made your point. Get up and dance with me."
She smiled happily when he pulled her with him on the dance floor and swirled her skillfully into his arms. They glided easily over the dance floor, moving elegantly between other dancing couples. The music was soft, promising romance and tenderness.
"Are you sure, you want to leave civilization for the rest of your life?" Erin asked, after a few minutes of comfortable silence between them. "The office isn't the same without you... I miss the guy who invites me for lunch and makes me pay in the end."
He laughed, "Oh come on... I'm not out of this world... You found me once, you can find me again."
"Believe me, I will... Maybe just because I need someone who helps me not to kill our latest addition."
"I'm sure you'll kick his ass and let me him know who the boss is... you're good in kicking asses."
"Right now I want to kick yours," she said. "Please, rethink your decision, Jason," Erin begged, but he simply shook his head.
"Not a good idea with those high heels of yours... maybe we should just continue to... Holy shit."
He stopped dead for a second, recovered quickly and turned her quickly so that he covered her, before a certain someone could continue to stare at her.
"What's wrong?" she asked puzzled, a little dizzy from the alcohol and the quick swirling movement.
"He's here."
"Who?"
"He."
"Max?"
"No... he," Gideon pointed out.
"Rossi?" she asked, losing her color.
"Yes. At the table in the corner. With a teenage bride."
"Not really..." her nails dug into his shirt.
"We can go, if you want to."
"Turn me, I want to see her... has he still this ugly beard?"
"Erin..."
"What? I'm just curious..."
"He's already been staring enough at you..."
"He saw me... us?" she asked. The color was returning to her face and her cheeks were flushed now.
"Yes... so, if we sneak out of here now, we can pretend it never happened."
"And what if I don't want that?" she crooked left eyebrow. Knowing the wicked glitter in her eyes, he knew it was about time to go... if not too late. Way too late. She pushed herself a little closer against him and sneaked her arms around his neck.
"Heaven, no... You've played this game at the Academy with him and I was the one who ended up punched by him while you were the one he screwed on the beach."
"Well, better than the other way round... and," she added seductively. "It was not a real beach... just a beach party. It was just a lot of sand and a water hole."
"Details... the two of you fucked and I was bleeding."
"I was drunk!" she defended herself. "And today he wouldn't dare to punch you."
"Maybe not..." he tried himself to force his hands up to hers so that he could remove them from his neck, but his body didn't obey. The effect of the wine became slowly evident and somehow he didn't mind her body leaning against his.
"I'm not sure this is a perfect idea..." he said lowly.
"Is he still watching?" she asked, ignoring his weak objection.
"I'm sure he is..."
By now his hands were tenderly moving up and down her back. Though he knew Rossi was watching them as they were dancing it didn't really matter. He enjoyed holding her and thought about completely ignoring Rossi for the rest of the evening. Her hands that slowly came to rest on his ass, cupping it with soft pressure intensified the wish to forget the world around him.
"I'm serious, Erin. That's dangerous territory..." He meant it. He was only human and he wasn't dead yet. He had always been more than aware of her physical attributes and he had no idea how long he could control his body, before it took over.
"I promise you, he hates it," she whispered seductively and placed a kiss on the corner of his mouth.
He tasted the wine, the touch of her tongue left on his lower lip and his reluctance to join her game melted steadily. Right now, she made him feel younger, desirable and incredible dashing.
"You may get more than you bargained for," he warned her hoarsely and felt himself hardening at her thigh.
"I'm taking the risk... I make a bet that within 5 minutes he and his little Miss Sunshine will be on the dance floor as well. Just as he and Megan Hunter..."
"The Megan who vomited in his car?"
"Yes, nice girl... but she sucked at drinking. So..." she smiled again, intensifying the pressure of her hands on his ass. "Will you help me to piss him off so that we can enjoy the rest of our evening in peace?"
His eyes narrowed dangerously as his eyes followed the movements of her hands. God, was she drunk again? He remembered her formidable way of losing control every time she had consumed too much alcohol. Actually, he had once lost a bet when he said, she would never dance on a table top, even if she was drunk. Well, he had lost and Gideon had forced him to watch him and Erin making out in his car... he had had his revenge one week later, but the impression had been made on him and had left its scars. Today, it still made his blood boil to see them dancing like that.
So Gideon had left, because he was traumatized... Trauma my ass, Rossi thought. A trauma looked different to him... Gideon appeared as if he couldn't wait to nail Erin against the next wall... and she looked as if she really needed someone to nail her.
"Dave..."
"Yes..."
"Do you want to dance?"
"I knew it," she mumbled when she saw Rossi and his teenage bride entering the dance floor.
"Maybe that's the moment to leave," Gideon suggested, because he feared the unexpected turn of the evening could turn into the uneventful event, he had expected it to be when he had entered the restaurant.
"Not quite yet," she twinkled and leaned in to kiss him. He reacted instantly, pulling her even closer, proving if she went to behave like that, he wouldn't make it far from here. She had always been a sensual kisser, the one who made you promise with a flick of her tongue what awaited you, once she later would turn to other parts of your body. He groaned into her mouth, as she parted his lips with her tongue. Unfortunately, the feeling didn't last too long, because before he could give her the final sign to leave the dance floor, a pain, worse than he had experienced in a long time, let him forget how to breath. He felt as if someone had stabbed a knife right into his spine. He gasped, hit Erin's foot with his and his teeth ended in her lower lip. She yelled in pain and they broke apart.
"What the hell..." he turned to see who had crashed into him. His pain colored eyes met a pair of dark, amused ones.
"I'm sorry," Rossi apologized. "We stumbled over each other. I hope we didn't hurt you."
"Bastard," Erin hissed and touched her lip. It was slightly bleeding.
"Excuse me?" Rossi asked with a smile.
"I'm fine," she said and cleared her throat.
"It was all my fault," Stacy said quickly. "I should watch my feet."
"Don't worry," Gideon said, coughing, because he thought it could help his pain subsiding. The crash had definitely helped to let his desire die like a candle in a barrel filled with water.
"My, my..." Rossi continued. "That we have to crash into each other like this to meet again. How long has it been? Ten years? Twenty?"
"Not long enough," Erin answered, disgusted. "If you excuse me now... I have to clear my face from the blood."
"Let me help you!" Stacy offered friendly.
"No thanks!" Erin barked and then forced herself to lower her voice. They already had caught the attention of the other visitors and didn't need more of it. "I'm fine... really."
Without giving Rossi or the others another look she rushed away from the dance floor, grabbed her purse and vanished to the corner of the restaurant where she believed the Ladies Room. After making a detour in the kitchen she finally found the staircase downstairs. Frustrated with the way Rossi had crashed her promising evening, she dashed her purse on the table in front of the mirror and took a closer look at her face. The cut Jason's tooth had left was small and had stopped bleeding. Yet, she looked as if she had lost a boxing match.
"Fucking bastard!" she ranted and did her best to conceal her small wound. If Rossi thought, he had won this, he was wrong. This night wasn't over yet.
~tbc~