Thanks to everyone who have favourited and alerted this story/series. Well, it's going to be a long road for Dave and Emily to make their way back to each other. Poor Mudgie is going to get thrust into the role of peace-keeper while the non-canines try to work out their differences. Poor pup. Emily gets to see a rare side of Dave. Meanwhile, Dave learns that writing an apology has nothing on saying one out loud. But it's still early in the game and it can go either way for everyone involved. So, maybe there's hope.

I don't own Criminal Minds.


In Your Eyes

The raindrops made a staccato sound in contrast to the quiet inside the house. For two hours Rossi had been sitting at his desk working on a manuscript, while Mudgie lay on a pillow beside his feet. Out of the corner of his eye he glanced at Emily who was curled up on the couch fast asleep.

Removing his glasses, he laid them on the desk as he turned his chair around. Her face relaxed, slight snoring, with an open book on her chest, Dave couldn't help but watch her. She was so peaceful and for a moment he could almost forget the hatred she was feeling toward him. He knew he had done so much to hurt the people he cared for that he could never begin to pay for it all.

Thunder rumbled in the distance and Mudgie let out a little growl. Dave looked at his watch and noticed the time. Standing up he stretched. He should go start dinner. He had a lot of making up to do; maybe this could be the first step on that journey. She couldn't stay mad at him forever.

Scratching Mudgie between the ears, Dave looked at Emily then the dog. "Watch over her," he ordered then left the room. Mudgie lay on his pillow and kept an eye on the sleeping woman.
*

Emily woke with a jerk. Glancing around her surroundings, it took a moment to realize where she was. Dave's cabin. Out in the middle of nowhere. Alone with Dave.

Maybe it was that she was still coming out of a deep sleep, or maybe it was the soft sound of rain falling but the thought of being alone with Dave Rossi in the middle of nowhere didn't seem as unappealing now as it had earlier.

A soft furry face and cold nose pushed up against her demanding attention. Scratching the soft head, she smiled. "Hi boy. Where is Dave?" she asked. Mudgie gave soft whine and pushed against Emily's hand. "You're a lot of help Mr. Jealous."

Sitting up, Emily looked around the room. Masculine but elegant, rich but not expensive- the room was totally Dave. Rising to her feet, she made her way up the stairs to the bathroom.

A few minutes later she emerged. Slowly she walked down the stairs and took in the paintings on the wall. Italian Renaissance pictures. Sandro Botticelli's Madonna of The Magnificent. One of her favourite paintings. Running her finger along the frame, Emily drank in the magnificence of the bold colours.

Moving to the next painting, she drank in the beauty and strength of Duccio's Maesto Madonna. Dave's taste in artwork was not only impressive but exquisite. She had seen the framed painting in his office but thought his knowledge of Renaissance art stopped there.

The third and last picture made her catch her breath. Lovingly she touched the glass.

"I couldn't fit the chapel in the cabin, so I had to settle with a photograph." Dave's deep timbre broke thru Emily reverie. Guiltily she stepped back from the picture.

"Sorry." She kept her eyes downcast.

"That's all right. They were meant to be admired, that is why I bought them." Walking over to her, Dave looked at the picture. "This is-"

"Giotto," Emily finished. "This is the inside of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua."

"I'm impressed."

Emily shrugged. "I spent a summer in Venice and Padua when my mother was ambassador there. That chapel is beyond magnificent."

"I know. I picked this photo up when I visited the chapel about twenty years ago."

Emily looked at Dave. Yet another bit of information she learned about him. Tucking it away for future reference, she went to speak but stopped and sniffed the air. "Are you cooking?"

"I do know how."

"Smells good."

"It tastes better, I can guarantee it."

Emily looked down and away. He was trying, she could do the same. "Need any help?"

"Everything is taken care of, but you can come and keep me company," Dave offered hesitantly.

She smiled softly. "Okay."
*

"My turn to wash dishes," Emily announced as she stood up and reached for Dave's plate.

"You're my guest," Dave protested.

"Perhaps, but that doesn't mean I can't help out. Besides, you look beat." Taking the dishes into the kitchen, she came back out. "Want me to fill your glass before I take the bottle back?"

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Mudgie whined plaintively. Dave got up, grabbed his wineglass and walked over to the front door to let Mudgie out. The rain had stopped and the cool, crisp air felt good. It was a perfect time to think things thru.

Leaving the door open, Dave stepped out on the porch. The sound of Katydids filled the air. In the distance a Hoot Owl made his presence known. The sound of running water from the kitchen made it to his ears. Inwardly he smiled. They were being pleasant to one another. One tiny hurdle had been cleared. But he wasn't out of the woods yet. They still had to talk.

Fifty different ways he had tried to approach the conversation in his head, but couldn't work how it make it work so she could understand. And she would, she had to; Emily Prentiss was perhaps one of the most reasonable people he had ever known. Unless her trust was betrayed.

He knew where she was coming from and empathized. Five years working for the Gambino Family had taught him that there were two things sacred in this world: Truth and loyalty. Betray one, you can't have the other. And he had betrayed both.

She was going to learn to trust him again. He had always fought for what he wanted and though he made a couple of wrong turns lately, he knew that Emily Prentiss was worth everything he had gone thru.

He felt her come up behind him before she even spoke.

"I think the storm has moved out," she commented.

"I think you're right."

For a long time neither spoke as they soaked up the beautiful ambience of the evening. In the close distance, Mudgie was sniffing around the foliage.

"Dave-"

"Emily-"

"You first," Emily suggested.

Dave took a long sip of his wine. "I wanted to know how you liked dinner. With me."

"It was good. I didn't know you could cook."

"Growing up in a house full of women, I didn't have much choice. My grandmother was determined to pass on her recipes regardless of gender. She never could understand why people would want to go out to eat when they had a perfectly good kitchen at home."

"True. But then again being on the road a lot doesn't afford us an opportunity to cook."

"That's one of the reasons I come out here."

"To cook?" Emily sounded surprised.

"One of the reasons I bought this place was so I could get away from everything. It kind of defeats the purpose to have a cabin in the middle of nowhere and drive in to town to eat out."

"I can see your point." Reaching for his wine glass Emily looked at him. "May I?"

"Go ahead."

Taking a sip of the tart liquid, Emily leaned against the railing and stared up at the moon. "That's a beautiful harvest moon. And look, there is Sagittarius."

"You know your constellations."

"Well, when you're young and bored and growing up out in the desert, you learn to entertain yourself to keep from going crazy." She handed the glass back. "I got a call from JJ the other day."

"Oh?"

"She's sent out the wedding invitations." Long silence. "Are you going?"

Dave shrugged indifferently. "I hadn't given it much thought either way."

"She's expecting us and we are her friends."

"It might be best if I didn't show up."

Emily pursed her lips. "I can see why."

"It's not like that Emily; I talked to her and we cleared the air between us. There are no hard feelings. I guess you were right: shit happens."

"Like what happened between us?"

"I-" Dave released his breath. "I was hoping we could enjoy each other's company for a couple of days before we decided to clear the air."

"I thought that's why you are keeping me here against my will."

"Sarcasm to start a fight? Is that how low you plan to go?"

"I say it's just as good a time to discuss what happened since I'm leaving in two days."

"Would you be willing to listen to reason?" Dave suggested.

"Honestly, I don't think there is anything you can tell me that can explain what you did to me and Jen."

"Let me start with saying I'm sorry."

"Trite cure all to all of the world's ills."

"It's a baby step Em. I'm doing the best I can. I'm not used to groveling. Cut me a break. This is no different than you trying to forgive me." He stared up at the moon. "I never meant to hurt you. And if I could go back and change things, I would have done everything differently. I made mistakes, but I'm human. I'm admitting it, okay? I'm admitting that I was wrong."

Emily rubbed her hands against her arms to ward off a sudden chill. "Thanks for dinner. Good night Dave." Turning around, she went inside.

Dave didn't follow her. He had said more than he had intended, but it was a first step to working his way back. Stepping down on a step, he watched Mudgie frolic in the shrubs. Then checked his watch. Eight fifteen. A little too early to turn in, but it had been a long day. Giving a quick whistle, he called for Mudgie.

Walking back inside, Dave closed the front door and secured the lock. Giving the room a quick glance, he turned out the light and made his way up the stairs. A stop in the bathroom to brush his teeth and then change into his pajamas.

Turning down the covers, he looked for Mudgie. Stepping around the doorway, he noticed the dog lying in front of Emily's bedroom door.

"Come on boy," Dave called. Mudgie raised his head and looked at his master and then set it down with a loud sigh.

Calling again, Dave realized the dog was not going to budge. Giving up, he went back into his room and got into bed. Placing his glasses on his nose, he perused his manuscript.

Emily lay on her bed thinking about the day's events. Hotch had set her up and lied to her. Then to top it off he left her out here with Dave- the one person she didn't want to see. And somehow she got coerced into spending three days with a man who betrayed her and owned a rabid dog. When had her life gotten so crazy?

She had tried to see it from Dave's point of view, but nothing Strauss did warranted his sleeping with JJ. That was the kind of deep betrayal she could never forgive. Although she had suspected something had happened, she hadn't been able to put her finger on anything until that night Dave had come over to her place trying to explain why he was supplementing her cheque.

There was no denying that he had surprised her by taking charge and having his way with her. She had fantasized about him for three years creating scenarios of how to get him alone. Until that night. But even more than him surprising her, Emily had surprised herself by helping him. His kisses had nearly melted her legs, but when he entered her, she could have sworn her world got knocked off its axis. Nothing she had imagined or dreamed of came close to the moment Dave Rossi made her his.

She thought she had died and gone to heaven with each touch. She had felt her heart falling for the man who had tried to do the right thing. Her heart was almost there- and then he called her JJ. It was so soft she wondered if she had heard correctly. Talk about killing the moment. She had fought the urge to pull away when suddenly he broke down in her arms sobbing.

When JJ came back for a quick training session for her replacement, she had watched with concealed interest as her two co-workers went out of their way to avoid one another. But that didn't mean anything because they did work two different areas. It was only after she and JJ went out to dinner that JJ slipped and remarked that she had gone over to Dave's place the night she was fired and she was able to find the missing piece.

It didn't take an expert profiler to put two and two together. Once she analyzed the whole thing, it made perfect sense and it made her sick to her stomach.

"I should have shot him with more than a rubber band," Em muttered and rolled over to find a more comfortable position. Well she only had two days left and then she could go back home and relish in the flowers her secret admirer had sent her. Dave Rossi could take a lesson or two from that guy.

Who ever it was really loved her. That was evident of the red and yellow tulips. Now if only she could remember what the white stood for… yawning, she closed her eyes and gave up thinking. There was always tomorrow to remember what white stood for...

Emily was asleep before finishing the sentence.