Thank you to everyone who nominated me in the 2012 Profiles Choice Criminal Minds Awards as "Best New Author" found on the "Chit Chat on Authors Corner" forum.
I was so shocked to have received the PM I told everyone in my office who would listen, and now everyone is sure I'm a Criminal Minds freak, which of course I am.
If you would like to vote, simply send your ballot as a PM to "2012 Profilers Choice Awards" page. (Again found on the CCOAC forum) =D
Thank you again for voting!
Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds, because if I did, Rossi would have a make-out scene in every episode.
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Penelope knew instinctually that she was in trouble, and that asking where they were headed was a futile if not fatal attempt. She kept quiet and stared at the road ahead, waiting on the storm to either land in her lap or peacefully pass.
"What happened, Penelope? The Chief said it started in your apartment, and only yours and the one above it have any damage. In fact, he doesn't think it will be inhabitable for at least 6 months depending on repair time. Tell me what happened, Penelope."
He never used her whole first name unless he was serious. Dead serious. And after reading about his ventures in Romania, it was fairly safe to assume he was good at the killing part. A line from the file flashed in her mind. Subjects Rossi, Tate and Kenton, 1, infiltration successful, extraction of target substance and live targets obtained. Two POW's retrieved for interrogation, Seventeen fallen enemy, cleaners required.
"A… an electrical plug, sparked, and the curtain caught fire." Her thoughts were so riddled it was coming out in her speech, and she knew she sounded unsure.
David wasn't convinced, she sounded like she was lying. Hiding something, and he was determined to know what. Anger that she'd almost been injured coursed through his blood and threatened to burst out of his temple. It was all he could do not to punch the steering wheel, but he didn't want to frighten her with his outburst. He knew she didn't react well to anger or violence.
"The Chief said there was melted wax everywhere, Pen, are you sure it wasn't candles?"
"Candles? N..no.. It was the plug, it looked like a fourth of july sparkler for a moment, and then it looked like Christmas, the way it went all glowy…"
Leave it to Penelope Garcia to describe a house fire to look like sentimental holidays. David Rossi was becoming frustrated, and inwardly groaned at her beautifully innocent nature.
"Was that…" Rat "Was Kevin there? You had some candles lit? Like romantic, and something got knocked over?" Rossi was making himself even angrier, he did not want to hear about Penelope being with that incompetent excuse for a man.
"Kevin? No, …. Did you see him or something? I told you! It was the electrical plug-in thingy!" Now Penelope was becoming frustrated. What did Kevin have to do with anything?
David relaxed a miniscule amount and realized he was slightly embarrassed to have brought Kevin up. "I'm just trying to understand, Pen." He sighed at turned off the freeway.
Indignant boldness flaring up she finally asked, somewhat haughtily "So, where are you taking me, anyways?"
"To my home. You need someplace to stay and right now I'm keeping my eyes on you, because I'm afraid next a stove burner might make it's war against you."
Penelope had no words. She went back to staring at the road ahead. Painfully aware that she was still in her less-than-sexy night wear, clutching her laptop without shoes she became overwhelming self conscious. Hadn't she just been hoping to see him, only an hour ago, hadn't she wanted nothing more in the world than to be near him? To hold him, to make sure she never heard him cry again?
Oh my god… Did I will this to happen? Did I just somehow wish to the universe so badly for something that my apartment got ruined in the wish-coming-true making? Her eyes grew wider, and Rossi noticed without some personal affront.
"Pen, I'm not going to bite… I didn't want you to go to a hotel or anything… Though… I guess if you really prefer that to my company…" He couldn't look her in the eyes. If she truly would rather be in a strange hotel than a friend, a team member, someone who honest to God cared about her… it would hurt greater than he was ready to face right now. His nerves were on end, having broken every traffic law in the city to get to her apartment only an hour ago, fearing the worst… And his sister gave him crap for listening to police scanners when he couldn't sleep. Well, Nina, it's a good thing I do!
"No… I'm fine… Really… I can stay. Thank you… You didn't have to… I could have called Emily…" Garcia stared at her carefully jacket-wrapped toes. It suddenly dawned on her that she was temporarily homeless, and all of her possessions were ruined. She didn't have a clean set of clothes to her name, and all of her beautiful Jimmy Choo's were gone forever. She sighed heavily, a sadness coming over her.
"Pen, don't worry about a thing, okay? We'll fix this, it's nothing, Penny, nothing." David reached over and pried a hand from her laptop to squeeze it. The warmth surprised her as much as the "We" injected in his sentence.
God, is there even a better man on this planet? She thought fondly, as she squeezed his hand back, words escaping her as tears started to flow. Oh, don't cry now!
"Oh, please… Penny, don't cry…" David quickly pulled a personalized hanky from his pants and put it up to her face. "I… I don't know how to fix tears…"
Holding the incredibly smooth piece of linen in her hands she choked out a laugh, "Tears, bring the great David Rossi to his knees? I somehow doubt that very much, sir." He gave her an encouraging smile, to which she returned even through the streaked mascara. "And of course you have monogrammed handkerchiefs…." She laughed again, this time directly at him.
"Hey. A man's gotta have style." Ah, now that was better, he thought proudly, regaining his composure and all-too-cool demeanor as they pulled up the long U-shaped driveway to his mansion.
"Madame, welcome to Rossi Manor." He mocked in a funny accent, as he pulled open her door.
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