Saturday came, and JJ was a bundle of nerves from the moment she awoke. She felt like a teenager, getting ready for her first date. She actually had butterflies in her stomach, flitting about, making her anxious about the upcoming dinner "date". She actually was more nervous than she should be, because she realized that this couldn't even technically be called a date. It was a meal as a repayment for the favor of everything he'd done for her. Nothing more, nothing less. Except she wanted it to be so much more than that. Henry and her ventured out to the market, getting the ingredients to make up a delicious supper of Chicken in mushroom sauce, a tasty tiramisu for dessert and assorted goodies. She hoped he liked what she cooked, but felt that Dave would tell her it was delicious even if it was the pits. The man could be gracious when he wanted to be, and he had been unusually nice to her as of late.
At precisely 6 p.m., the doorbell rang. JJ checked herself in the mirror, hoping that she appeared to be dressed nicely, but casually. She smoothed her hair, and reached for the doorknob, opening it to let Dave in. He was standing there, with two bouquets of flowers, and a bottle of wine. She stood back to let him enter, him handing her the bottle of wine.
"Dave, you didn't have to. None of this. They're lovely, very lovely, but you've done so much already, you didn't need to bring anything."
"JJ, it's my pleasure. A woman deserves flowers every now and then, and I came prepared. I know you love roses and gardenias, I couldn't decide which to buy, so I brought both, not that either are as lovely as the woman they are for. And the wine, well, dinner always needs a good wine to go with it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, it's a favorite of mine."
JJ blushed at his compliment about being lovelier than the flowers, and they walked towards the living room. She realized now why he had three ex-wives and many, many women in his wake. The man did know how to impress a woman. Henry was laying on the floor of the living room, on his blanket. JJ had been playing with him before Dave arrived, she'd been more than slightly anxious that he wasn't going to show up. Surprising even JJ, Rossi removed his shoes and sat down on the floor with Henry. She joined them momentarily, shocked that Rossi would play with her son so casually. He didn't seem like a baby person, and she found that this pleased her on many levels. Henry was part and parcel of any relationship she may have with Dave, so it was nice to see the profiler play with her son, getting him to laugh and giggle. After doing this for a few minutes, she heard the timer and got up, supper was ready. Dave followed her to the kitchen, carrying Henry, talking all the way.
"So, what culinary delight have you managed to concoct for us tonight, JJ?"
"A chicken in mushroom sauce, Dave. I hope you like it, it's a favorite of mine to make. I also have a tiramisu for dessert, and fresh rolls which I baked this afternoon. I don't get many opportunities to bake, so I have way more than I need. It's all my mom's recipes. Now, she's an excellent cook, I hope I've learned anything from her, it's how to cook."
"JJ, I'm sure that the meal is delicious. What do you need help with?" he asked as he settled Henry into his high chair.
"Could you feed Henry while I'm getting this stuff onto the plates? I mean, if you want to, of course. You don't have to feed him, it's okay--"rambling once again, she was cut off by Dave.
"JJ, it's not a problem. We'll get the little man's tummy filled so that mommy can enjoy the meal, too."
Her jaw dropping just a little, she quickly made up a bowl for Henry, handing it to Dave. She wished she had her camera phone, Garcia was never going to believe Rossi feeding her baby. It was too sweet and good, definetly not like she expected the man to be. Dave made babytalk with Henry, telling him to open up to let the airplane in, and Henry remarkably cooperated. The majority of the food went in, very little came back up, and Dave got some of Henry's toys and put them on the tray of the high chair so the boy could remain with them while they ate.
Dave stood up while she put their meal on the plates, finding some glasses to pour the wine into, and putting it on the table. She finished with dishing the meal out, and the two sat at the table, by the happily babbling baby and dug in and enjoyed the meal.
"It's delicious, JJ. You are a great cook, you have a real talent for it." he complimented her sincerely.
JJ graced Dave with one of her fabulous smiles, looking down as she said to him "thank you. My mom tried to instill something of the culinary arts in me, when all I was interested in was playing soccer. I'm glad she succeeded more than she thought she would."
They chatted back and forth like this continually, throughout the rest of supper. He told her tales of when Hotch first joined the BAU, before he became such a serious man. He told tales of Strauss, before she became the wicked witch of the FBI, from when she was a green newbie, who used everyone to get ahead. They quit the shop talk when JJ got up to get dessert, clearing away the dishes from the table. Even with the tiramisu, JJ had done well, he loved it. She caught Rossi giving Henry a little taste of it and laughed, he reddened because he'd been caught. Looking into his eyes, she seen them dance and twinkle with laughter. They finished dessert, and JJ cleared those dishes away too. They adjourned to the living room, when Henry started to yawn, so she excused herself to ready him for bed. Dave followed her up to Henry's room, admiring the new furniture that now occupied the space.
"When did you get these? Did you put it together yourself?" he asked out of curiousity.
"No, I went shopping Thursday after work. I paid the extra money to have it assembled and it was delivered this morning. I didn't want to intrude on anyone else, they've already done so much for me. And I have Garcia and Morgan coming tomorrow, I just feel like I'm using everyone so much at this point. So, I just paid for the assembly."
"JJ, hon, nobody thinks you are using them. You're their friend, more like family. They will do anything for you. And what do you need Garcia and Morgan for? Do you need help, I can come over and help, if you'd like."
"It's nothing, Dave, really. Will is coming over to pick Henry up for his visitation at noon tomorrow, and I'm very nervous about having him here. He sounded different on the phone, angry, very angry. I've never heard him sound like he did last night. It actually scared me. So, I asked Garcia to be here when Will showed up, and she brought in the big guns for extra protection." JJ was embarrassed to admit this.
"I'll be here. If you are nervous, I'm going to be here. Did he say anything on the phone last night, anything specific?"
"No, he just kept going on and on about this was the worst decision I've ever made. That none of this would be necessary if I would just come back to him, that I never gave him a valid reason for leaving him. He still wants me back, and he doesn't like that I've managed to get some things in order and move on, try to figure out what I do want. And right now, I don't want Will, and I doubt it will change. I don't feel the same about him anymore."
Rossi had held his breath slightly, letting it out when he heard JJ say that she did not feel the same way about Will anymore. It disturbed him about Will, he thought that he might try and intimidate JJ into coming back, blackmail her using Henry. JJ finished changing Henry and set him down in the crib, turning on the baby monitor and night light, and they slipped out the door.
Downstairs, they went to the living room, and settled on the couch together. There was a gas fireplace there, and JJ used the remote to turn the flame on, more for the atmosphere than the heat. It was a nice comfort, one she'd not had in a while. She always liked a fire. After that, they settled in, and talked, her earlier nervousness completely disappearing. She felt like she could tell him anything, and she did, short of telling him she had feelings for him. He told her of his travels, his books, the tours, his house at Little Creek, even his dog she didn't know he had. Looking at the clock, they realized they'd talked for almost two hours. Neither seemed inclined to end the evening though, so they chatted some more, neither making a move out of the ordinary. They seemed to have inched closer to one another though, and Rossi picked her hand up and held it. JJ stared at how small her hand seemed in his, how gentle it seemed, smoother than she'd ever thought it would be. He lifter her hand to his lips, giving it a soft kiss.
"JJ, would you go out with me on a proper date, Monday night? Anywhere you want to go, I'll arrange it. I know you just split up with Will, so if you don't want to, it's fine. But I was wondering if you'd like to start seeing each other." he couldn't believe he'd finally asked her out. He'd asked plenty of women out, and he knew the odds were that JJ would say yes, but he still was experiencing a slight moment when he thought she'd say no.
"Actually, Dave, I'd like that very much. I would love to see you on Monday. And you pick what we do, just let me know how to dress, casual, dressy, whatever. I do like to be prepared." JJ beamed at him. Inside, she felt like squeeing out loud, she had a DATE with David Rossi. Not just a dinner obligation like tonight, but a real date. She felt like a teenager, being asked out to her first prom.
JJ settled into the crook of his arm, resting her head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, the rhythm of his breathing. She was content just being with him, and felt this was the start of something between them, as more than just friends. As the hour became later, he finally decided it was time to head for home. They stood up, heading for the door, JJ not really wanting him to leave. Thinking she might get a real kiss this time, she got a kiss on the cheek again. Dissatisfied to a certain extent, she couldn't believe she felt so disappointed. Not wanting to push things though, because apparently Rossi was on his own agenda, she said nothing. He promised he'd be there in the morning, bright and early, he kissed her hand one last time and was gone, leaving a dissatisfied JJ to her dreams, where she got more than just a kiss on the cheek.
