Series 9 one-shots: To Bear Witness

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the ideas

As guessed/requested by nebula2 the prompt does come from the crossword conversation, because I just loved that moment (which is strange and means I have used Blake comments twice!).

. . .

The Prompt

Blake: 10 letters, starting with C.

Reid: Cabalistic

(If like me you had no idea of the meaning of cabalistic it means having a secret or hidden meaning – seems to fit Rossi well)

. . .

He really didn't understand what the great mystery was. As far as he was concerned there was no secret, no hidden agenda. He was a straight forward guy who, to excuse the pun, you could read like a book. Which many people had done since he had managed to turn being an agent into a celebrity status.

Dave took another slow sip of the rich amber liquid he had in front of him. Glancing around the subtlety light bar he noticed the same small groups of people who had been there an hour ago when he first arrived. It was why he has always liked the place, the predictability, he was pretty sure they were the same people that had been here the last time he was, and the time before that.

The others who came here had long ago given up pestering him for an autograph or his opinion on something or other that he usually had little interest in. No one here wished to impress him or argue with him. They were happy to leave him be. Which was just what he desired right now.

Dan, the barman came by to offer a top up. Dave nodded his reply, though this would be his last. In the time that he had been with Erin he has barely touched a drop. She had insisted it had not been necessary, but somehow it only seemed fair when she faced a daily struggle to remain sober.

Even now, since losing her months ago, Dave hadn't returned to his old ways. His prime stock of aged scotch continued to age. Yet tonight he had felt the need to visit his old haunt once more.

So here he sat, the same stool at the bar, the same soft jazz playing the background, many familiar faces dotted around the room. Just like the old times.

Except it wasn't. Things had changed, moved on. That had been obvious today as the powers that be had finally found a replacement for Erin. Dave swilled back a large gulp of whiskey, it burned his throat at it did so, a sensation that he was no longer use to.

Finding someone to replace her had needed to be done. Aaron was going kill himself at the rate he was going – no one can do the jobs of two people and expect to survive it. And Dave has been glad that they hadn't selected his friend as Section Chief. Not that he would ever want to hold Aaron back, if that had been his wish, but the man's own uncertainty on the matter had cemented Dave's views that the role wasn't for him. Not yet anyway.

So that had left him to come to terms with the fact that it would be an outside. Outsiders were never a good thing in Dave's book. But an outsider that knew more about them then they did off him was even worse.

They should have been given the heads up. Some sort of warning that would have Garcia long enough to dig up the dirt and let them know what they were facing. And they all knew the feisty little tech kitten didn't need long to do her thing.

It would have only been polite to let them be armed with the same background information that he had obviously had of them. After all the man had walked into the room and not needed the usual round of introductions. That had made Dave uncomfortable to start with – what did he know? What were his views of each of them? On what was he basing his opinion?

Right now, in this secluded spot, Dave was contemplating the next move. He wasn't the sort that allowed office politics to cloud his view and he wasn't looking for career advancement. So there was no need for Dave to keep the guy sweet - which meant he was free to take his usual 'like me or lump me' approach. After all he has been the thorn in Erin's side for enough years, why should Cruz been any different.

Though Dave had to admit the guy hasn't been the pain in the arse that he had thought he might be out in the field. Cruz had let them do their job. He hadn't shown any sign of thinking that he knew better. In fact Dave almost had to admit that the guy has been totally fair and though he hated to say it, almost likeable.

Which was why Dave wouldn't admit it, he wouldn't go that far, not yet. He was still suspicious. Dave knew the pressures that were placed on the Section Chief. He knew as he had lived through them with Erin. He knew how she has been torn between protecting the team and fulfilling her role. He had sat the nights with her as she had paced, fighting the urge to drown her sorrows once more.

And because of that Matt Cruz had to earn Dave's respect. He had to prove that come hell and high water he was on the team's side. Dave needed to know this guy had their back. So that while they were out in the field they could all concentrate on the job in hand and not worry about the latest round of budget cuts.

It had taken Erin many years to realise the strength if the BAU's elite team. She had fought them and they had fought back. But in the end she had got it. She had seen that the team were more than a group of people working together, they were a family. They didn't just get on they cared for each other. What affected one affected all of them and through that they had the most amazing support network possible.

Dave had experienced it first-hand. Penelope's cookies sent to cheer him up. Suggested reading from Reid. There had been plenty of opportunities for some good old fashioned hard labour with Derek at one or other of his projects. Then the offers of family time with Aaron or JJ and their little crew. Blake's cultural nights out, that stopped him from mopping around at home.

They somehow knew when to be there and when to leave him alone. They had shared his sorrow and helped him smile again.

What remained was to see if Cruz was made if the same stuff. Would he fight a battle against the odds? Would he leave them alone when needed but be there when they wanted him? Would he listen? Would he understand? Would he care what happened to them?

Only time could tell.

. . .

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Reinhold Niebuhr, Theologian