Pairing: Rossi/Strauss
Date: December 4, 2012
Song: Blue Christmas by Elvis
A/N: BTW, I mean a bright blue, not the somber blue that Erin sometimes wears in her suits.
Erin Strauss had always hated the color blue.
From when she was a child, she associated it with her grandmother, an icy woman who lived as carefully as a dead woman because dead women invoked no scandals.
Because it was her father's favorite color and her father was a nasty piece of work she didn't want to think about. He had been the one, inadvertently, to push her into joining the FBI, because she had been dabbling with criminal justice courses and he'd mocked her desires, saying that women had no place, at all, in law enforcement. My, had she proved him wrong.
Because the boy she had hoped would ask her to prom had asked instead Linda Green and Linda had worn a beautiful blue dress, the envy of all the girls watching.
Because the meaning of blue roses was unattainable.
Because John Curtis' eyes were blue. Because his were the eyes she saw in her nightmares.
She hated blue with a deathly passion. She couldn't stand a shade lighter than navy.
So it figured that, on the fourth of December, David was wearing a blue tie: bright, solid blue with lighter blue stripes.
She closed her eyes against him as he poked his head into her office. "Hey, Erin."
"David," she returned crisply.
"So you're happy to see me," he said nonplussed, stepping into the room and smartly closing the door behind him with a click.
"Not really," she easily admitted.
"You hurt me, Erin," he returned, pulling out a chair and sitting down.
"No, I don't," she said dryly and he chuckled.
"I was thinking," he said quietly, almost seriously.
She looked up to meet his eyes and saw his tie, quickly averting her gaze. "What is it?"
"You're going to be away for Christmas."
"I am," she said. "The order came from above."
"I know," he said. "You would never willingly travel at Christmastime."
"Why not?" She snapped. "It's not like my children come home."
"Because this season of the year is still precious to you," David profiled. "Because you have this tiny sprig of evergreen in your office meant to be discreet decorations."
"So?" She asked, almost flushing but keeping herself under control. Why should she be ashamed of decorating?
"That we could celebrate Christmas together, when you get back," David stated. "If, as you said, your children actually don't come home."
She refused to look at him.
"I don't need your pity."
"It isn't pity," he said softly. "Think about it, Erin. Let me know what conclusion you come to."
David had always had a 'thing' for Erin Strauss, from the first moment he'd met the brusque, married, tall blonde woman. But he, too, had been married at that point so he'd put the feeling away, tucking it into the private drawer of his brain that he rarely, if ever, opened.
Somehow, though, it had come creeping back out at the most inopportune moments. When she ordered him about, after surpassing him and Jason. When she walked, in that no-nonsense manner of hers, clipping steps, into his office to reprimand him...again.
When she criticized his books as sensationalizing things that shouldn't be talked about.
When she'd first cried in front of him, two days after her divorce was finalized...
That had been the first time they had made love. He could still remember the flush on her face, how her arms wrapped around her in protection afterwards.
She hadn't spoken to him for years after that, except on business.
Until this year.
Until she'd melted, turning from icicle into woman, all woman.
He'd had precious few moments with her and now she'd morphed back into icicle.
And it broke his heart.
It would be a damned blue Christmas without her. He'd be alone again, since he'd heard the team talking and it seemed they all had plans...Alex with James, Hotch and Jack were going to visit his mother, JJ and Will were going to New Orleans with Henry...Reid was going to Vegas for a quick visit, Derek to Chicago and Penelope had plans for...something. He couldn't remember what but he'd heard her talking about parties and stage makeup so he figured it was something big and flashy.
And Erin was gone, flying out to Canada to meet with someone there.
David Rossi steeled himself for a lonely Christmas.
Christmas Eve found Erin grounded.
"What do you mean?" She asked incredulously.
"No more flights departing," the woman declared. "I'm sorry, Agent Strauss."
She left the airport in a daze, not even going to try. Canada could wait.
She leaned against the cold brick wall of the airport building, wishing for a quick shot of whiskey to warm her up.
She didn't know what to do. She'd sent her driver home early for Christmas after this and it would be complete and utter murder to try and get a cab tonight, of all nights out of the year.
She went over her contacts list but only one name stood out.
David.
The call surprised him, but he rushed to be with nevertheless. It took him two and half hours to get there, and when he did, she had a peeved look on her face.
"Why call you at all?"
"I got here as fast as I could," he answered, helping her into the car.
"Never mind," she said as he put her luggage into the trunk and hopped into the driver's seat.
"I was thinking," he said. "My house is too far away and it's already late."
"So?" She asked, raising a brow.
"The Hilton is right in front of us," David said. "It's sure to have at least one room available."
"Is it now?" She asked. "It's Christmas Eve."
"At least one," he said.
It did have one. It had a queen bed and a sofa.
Erin stared at the bed, her eyes narrowing.
"I'll take the sofa," David was already volunteering. "Do you mind if I order up some champagne?"
"Fine," she said, waving her hand. "I'm taking a shower."
She moved into the bathroom and turned on the water.
He ordered a bit more than champagne.
When Erin emerged, looking flushed and soft in a complimentary bathrobe, David ambushed her, placing his hands on either side of her on the wall.
"What are you doing?" She asked, looking more confused than enraged.
"I got mistletoe," he announced, moving one hand to wave it above her head.
She looked up to see it there, her lips parting.
"Fine," she said.
After a mistletoe encounter, Erin pulled away from David.
"You can share the bed with me," she said, smoothing her bathrobe from where David had parted it, moving to sit on the bed.
"Oh?" He asked.
"Just don't wear blue."
"What?" He asked, but forgot his question when her bathrobe fell to the floor and she invited him to join her.
Next time:
Pairing: Hotch/Callahan
Date: December 5, 2014
Song: Undecided
A/N: I hope to get two out tomorrow to make up for the fact that this wasn't out yesterday.
Please leave a review if you enjoyed this, or to make sure that I've got your favorite pairing planned!