A/N: This story was written post-Omnivore, but before the season finale. It was originally posted on the Criminal Minds message boards. After many friends there told me about this site, I decided to finally publish it here. I hope you enjoy! Reviews are always welcome!!! If you like it…great! If you don't, please feel free to tell me why! And a big THANK YOU to all who have reviewed/favorited/alerted this story! That really means a lot!
A/N 2: This chapter and the next chapter will be short, but I really feel they are better separate than together. I'll explain further after the end of the next chapter. And again...thank you all for reading and reviewing! You guys are AWESOME!!!!
"You know he considers all of you his kids, too." Rossi looked up at Morgan, who stopped pacing. "You know that, right?"
They all looked at him.
"To him, you guys are his responsibility. He would rather die than have anything happen to you. Even if it were completely out of his control, he'd never forgive himself."
He looked at Reid and Prentiss.
"Didn't you ever wonder why he stayed behind when we took Cyrus' compound? He knew even the slightest hesitation on his part could cost you your lives. He couldn't take that chance." He shifted his focus to Prentiss. "When Cyrus was beating you…knowing he couldn't jump in and protect you, the look on his face was one of the most helpless looks I've ever seen."
He didn't mention Reid's experience with Tobias because he wasn't there, but he could only imagine what the team, especially Hotch went through having to witness his torture. Prentiss and Reid looked at each other, then back to Rossi.
He looked at Garcia.
"His fear with you isn't so much your safety. You're usually the safest one of the bunch. But every time he has to ask you to dive head first into a case that disturbs even the most seasoned field agents, he's afraid we'll come back to Quantico and your smile will be gone and he won't be able to bring it back."
Garcia smiled.
He looked at JJ.
"He's always been very protective of you. You're the one who's always in the public eye. In many ways, that makes you the most vulnerable. But ever since you had Henry…there is nothing he wouldn't do to make sure that little boy's mom gets back to him in one piece after every case."
JJ wiped away another tear.
Rossi turned his attention to Morgan.
"And you. You scare the hell out of him, the way you're always putting yourself in harm's way to protect us. Like with that ambulance stunt in New York. But when we were in Boston and we thought Foyet had killed you…when we couldn't get you on the radio…he was in a panic trying to get to you. He had to see for himself that it wasn't you on that gurney before he could breathe again."
He paused for a moment, staring down at Hotch's shirt.
"You see. You guys are everything to him. But what you don't know is, where he sees you guys as his kids…he's mine."
