CHAPTER THREE

Sarah-Jane rubbed at the tension growing at the base of her neck. She stared at the open case file. She could quote it word for word. Even before the latest victim she never sent the records to the cold case archive. Something about it bothered her, kept her up nights. She hoped by keeping the files near she'd would have that "Ah-ha" moment and finally be able to put it rest.

Now, she wasn't so sure.

"Working late?"

Sarah-Jane looked up. Her grandmother had told her it was the devil that sent temptation your way. If that were the case then the devil had some serious explaining to do. Why had he given this man so much control over her? David Rossi could be at the Iron Bowl in the nose-bleed section with the other 80 thousand plus football fans and she'd know the moment she walked into the pack stadium he was there. Every nerve, every corpuscle, every fiber of her body went into overdrive whenever he was around.

Right now, with his tall muscular frame filling her doorway all she could think about was the last time she saw him. He was naked and laying beneath her after a night of some of the most intense love-making of her life.

Now, looking back on it, she knew he was saying good-bye, not with words but by marking her soul with the passion of his touch.

He never wanted her to forget him.

She never did. After David Rossi, there had never been another man. She knew it wouldn't be fair. She would never be able to stop comparing a new relationship to the one she'd shared with David so she just didn't try.

Sarah-Jane glanced down at the file, if she closed her eyes she'd bet she could still feel his touch igniting her desire, still feel his breath on her skin when he whispered her name. She bit her bottom lip, hard. "Paperwork comes with the job."

"Yeah, I suppose it does."

Sarah-Jane eased back in her chair. "Listen, David I want you to know…"

He held up his hand to stop her, "Hey it's okay, I understand grudges don't die this far past the Mason-Dixon Line. I knew when I left I was burning more than a few bridges."

Was that what he called it? Hell, Sherman burned when he marched through the South; what David did was far worse. Sarah-Jane glanced at the file cabinet she'd thrown her pictures in when she found out he was bringing the BAU to help with the case. Okay, maybe she was exaggerating; maybe she had burned a few bridges too.

Still, she knew she owed him, "I didn't tell them, any of the guys…about you're leaving…the truth is I didn't know what to tell them."

The second she said it, Sarah-Jane regretted it. Their last night together she'd awaken early for her morning run and found him gone; no note, no explanation just an empty closet and a lot of unanswered questions.

The silence developing between them was palatable, a thick tasteless disgusting smorgasbord of unanswered questions.

Every agent at the ABI had whispered their suspicions as to what she had done to send him packing. Then the days turned into weeks, the weeks into months and no word until the day she came home and found her copy of the divorce papers postmarked Virginia.

Quantico had won, she had lost.

His face was in the shadows but she could see the tension in his mannerism.

"I guess concealed or not - secrets have a life of their own." Sarah-Jane offered.

He looked out at the empty bullpen area. The agents that normally filled it had long gone home to family. His face was silhouetted against the lights left on by the cleaning crew. Whatever he was thinking he hid the emotions of it from her. He turned and motioned to the accommodations and plaques on her walls, "Well, you've done well for yourself."

So, he wanted to play nice? She could do that too, "Yeah, so have you. Book tours, guest lecturers…I hear you finally went to England."

It had been the one place they had wanted to go together. To walk the streets where Jack the Ripper had been. They had planned to make it a second honeymoon in their old age. Their friends had laughed when they found out why they wanted to go there.

What was it Joe had said, "Even when the two of you aren't profiling – you're thinking about profiling."

She watched him make a pass at his goatee as the proverbial pink elephant entered the room.

"Yeah for a whole four hours. A quick visit to Scotland Yard and an Oxford lecture and it was back to the States. I didn't get a chance to see much while I was there; but let's not go there."

Sarah-Jane sighed, "No let's not," she agreed.

"Tell you what. Why don't I buy you a drink? You look like you could use a break."

Fear coursed through her veins opening the wounds she thought were healed, "No thanks, not while I'm on a case." There was no way she could let herself be alone with him.

He eased himself from the doorway, "Well, the team will be here in the morning and we'll need to collaborate on the older cases. Compare notes?"

"Of course, I'll be ready." She bent over the file again but the words had sprouted legs and walked off the page. She listened as he closed the door behind him, when she heard the "ting" of the elevator doors she dropped her head in her hands.

Fresh tears filled her eyes and she swiped at them as she made her way to one of the filing cabinets. She opened the top drawer and looked at the photos hastily thrown in. She'd been lucky that the agents in the ABI were so forgiving and had cornered David upon his arrival. It had given her time to hide the precious stack of pictures. She even managed to make a quick pass at the dust bunnies that had accumulated around them.

She swiped at another tear when she heard the click of the doorknob. She slammed the file shut and whirled around to find Joe.

"I see he's been here."

Sarah-Jane nodded.

"Did you tell him?"

She shook her head.

"Good, the bastard doesn't deserve to know."

"Joe," Sarah-Jane started to plea with him, but changed her mind. How many times had she wanted to call him? How many times had she stopped herself?

"Look Sarah-Jane, you've done just fine without him. When are you going to realize that? Do you really want this man back in your life? He's hurt you once, what makes you think he won't hurt you again?"

Sarah-Jane leaned against the cabinets, "Who said anything about letting him back into my life? He's here to help with this case Joe and as soon as it's over – he'll be gone."

"Who are you trying to convince Sarah-Jane, me or yourself?"