A/N: Hey all. Sorry for the wait; hope someone is still reading this… Anyways, this chapter involves quite a bit of overlap with For You, Always and Conflicted. Namely, chapter 12 of FYA and chapter 11 of Conflicted. Hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.

Chapter 21: Love Isn't Enough:

~ 1 month later ~

"Here we are," Dave announced as he and Hotch exited his truck.

They stood there, on the curb, gazing up at the jewelry store façade. When Hotch had come to him and asked for his help in picking out a ring for JJ, he was more than flattered. He was glad to be included in this momentous occasion. Though, he didn't think he'd be dealing with a basket-case instead of his best friend. Hotch was seriously pale and looked like he wasn't breathing.

"Hotch, you've got to relax, take a few deep breaths," he said in alarm. He'd never seen the man like this before, on the verge of a major panic attack. "Are you sure you want to do this today?"

The normally composed Unit Chief gulped down the recommended air, throwing him a green look. "Yes, I'm sure… Only… you don't think it's too soon? We've only been dating for five months."

He nodded. "Yeah, five months is a short time…" Still, compared to some of the relationships he had been in it was ancient. Anyways, the length of time didn't matter… "But… how long have you cared for her?"

Hotch let out a longing sigh, probably unbeknownst to him. "Forever."

Eyeing the love-struck look on his face, Dave managed to hold back a big grin. His friend had it bad.

"Well there, see," he finished simply. "Let's go inside."

Hotch nodded, still looking queasy, but followed him inside nonetheless.

"Thanks for helping me out, Dave."

He grinned. "I do have much more experience with this," he kidded. He would have added a more serious comment about how he was honored to be asked, but a salesperson had just pounced upon them. And it looked like his friend was jelly again.

"Can I help you, sir?" The man seemed to know to aim his question at him instead of Hotch.

"Yes, my friend, here, is looking to buy an engagement ring," he replied while patting Hotch on the back.

The salesman brightened considerably. "An engagement ring! Right this way." He led them to the farther end of the store, gesturing to a wall-to-wall glass showcase. "This houses all our engagement rings. Just point at the ones you like."

Dave glanced at his friend for guidance; after all he was the one who'd know best what JJ would like. But the younger man's face was a complete blank. He was clearly overwhelmed.

"Let's start with your princess cut diamonds," he announced. "And we'll go from there."

Rossi smiled as he watched Hotch stare down at the ring he'd chosen after three hours of searching. He had to admit, the guy had held out for a pretty perfect ring. Too bad about his grumbling stomach, though. Luckily, they'd decided to do lunch before parting ways.

"It's very nice, isn't it?" Rossi mused.

Still staring at the ring, he answered, "Yeah, it is." He looked up, smiling. "Thanks again for coming with me, Dave. I think I was ready to pass out…uh, don't tell anyone that."

He chuckled. It seemed that no matter how right you were for each other, taking the next step was a big deal. "I won't and you're welcome."

Hotch went back to gazing at the ring. "Now I just have to figure out how to ask her. Any suggestions?"

Dave grimaced. His experiences with matrimony weren't the best ones to model after. Asking his three wives had been easy; it had been just as easy to divorce them, too.

"Not sure my experiences would help much," he offered. "My first two wives, we happened to be in Las Vegas. And they were the spur of the moment kind of proposals." More like drunk proposals, he kept to himself. After that the weddings had taken forever to plan for. Too bad the marriages hadn't lasted very long; one and three years, respectively.

Hotch chuckled. "And the third?"

He smiled, remembering Lily. She was beautiful, and oh so kind. He was convinced that they'd still be together if he'd bought into her 'save the world' dream. Lily wanted to travel the world, going from one impoverished country to another, doing what she could. He wanted to do what he could, too, just starting with home first. A few years after they'd divorced, he'd found out she'd died from cancer, still doing her thing as best she could till the last minute.

Their lives together had a tragic end, but it hadn't started that way. "We were on vacation, in Mexico. We decided it was the perfect place to get married. Our wedding was planned and carried out in a span of three days."

"I see. Well, I don't think we'll be in Vegas or Mexico anytime soon. So, I guess I'll have to settle for the old getting down on one knee thing."

Lost in memories, he responded absently, "Guess so…"

They went silent for a second, each caught up in their own thoughts. Hotch, probably with how he would propose; he, thinking about his three failed marriages.

"So, what about a fourth?" Hotch asked, catching him off guard.

He stared with wide eyes at his completely serious friend. "A fourth marriage?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah. Don't you think you'll ever try again? Don't you want kids?"

Did he? After Lily, he didn't think he'd ever find another woman so perfect for him. And when he'd heard that she'd died, he'd hardened himself to the prospect of ever marrying again. Until Emily…

"Kids?" he exclaimed. "Don't you think I'm too old for kids?"

Hotch shrugged his shoulders. "Not if you want them."

Kids? Honestly, he'd never thought of having children of his own. Jack and Henry were fun to be around, but when they started to fuss he knew he could just give them back to their parents. His own would be a different story.

"Ah… well… there's no one in the picture right now," he brushed off.

It had been almost two months since Emily…

Hotch frowned. "What about that redhead you brought to the Christmas party, what was her name?"

"Ariel didn't work out," he stated flatly. She was old news by now, but he realized that Hotch wouldn't know just how much had gone on since her. His brief relationship with Emily was still a secret from most of the team.

"Why not? She seemed nice and intelligent enough," Hotch asked, genuinely perplexed.

Yeah, if he knew that she'd used him as an in for a story on Reid, he'd probably not think she was so nice. Instead of saying just that, he opted for a more cryptic, on the truthful side answer. "I don't know. I guess there was someone else…"

"Someone else?"

He babbled something about how nothing really happened and that the person in question was unattainable. But in reality, he'd had her, Emily, and he'd let her go…

Rossi knocked on Emily's apartment door, shifting almost nervously from foot to foot. He hadn't been there today, when she was discharged from the hospital. A book signing had kept him away. She'd made him swear to keep it, not wanting her recovery to interfere with everyone else's everyday life. So he'd gone. Only to feel awful the entire time.

"Hey," she greeted warmly, when the door swung open.

He took a moment to gauge her mood. Emily looked genuinely happy to see him. Things were strained between them of late, partly due to the fact of her clear feelings for Morgan, and his own conflicted feelings over Malika; he'd yet to tell Emily about their encounter, it was an invisible load weighing down upon them that only he knew of. But there was something else weighing upon them, too. It was almost like they were drifting…

"Hi. I come bearing gifts," he stated, holding up bags. "Dinner."

She quickly ushered him inside, guiding him straight for her dining room. Together, they spread the cartons of Chinese across the table in a companionable silence. It wasn't until they were sitting down, eating, that he decided to speak up his concern.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you today," he said regrettably, noting the new dark circles under her eyes.

She smiled a sad smile. "Hey, I said it was ok," she paused. "It's not like I'm really hurt or anything."

He hated that she brushed it all off; it was the most terrified he'd been in his life and she brushed it all away. Like nearly being drowned to death was routine, everyday stuff.

"Emily, you could have died."

She grimaced. "I know, but I didn't."

"Yeah, thanks to him," he murmured petulantly.

It was stupid, but he still couldn't get over the fact that she'd called Morgan for help first. Instead of choosing to have that conversation, she chose to ignore his comment. It frustrated him to no end.

"Thanks for the Chinese food," she deflected

"It was the least I could do," he said, trying his best to stifle his irritation.

Silence followed. Uncomfortable, painful silence, where they each darted wary glances at each other.

He felt her eyes on him. "So…" she tried. "How was the book signing?"

"There were no crazy fans, if you're asking." He gave her a small smile. "I think it's pretty clear to them who my heart belongs to now."

He watched her blush brightly. He had dedicated his latest book to her, his number one fan. Now he wondered if that had been a move akin to tattooing his undying love for her on his arm. He wasn't sure.

"So…" she faltered. "It went… good, I take it."

Dave nodded again.

Quietness settled over them once again. He chanced a glance at her; he could see the mounting frustration on her face. He couldn't help the way things were. It, them, just didn't feel the same anymore.

Rossi saw the moment where she was just done, right before she blurted out, "Derek, can we just—"

She cut herself off abruptly, covering her shocked mouth with a hand.

He watched her for a moment, speechless. That was it. He had to do it. If he didn't now, they'd only go on to making each other miserable and then there'd be no chance whatsoever to salvage a friendship.

"I'm sorry, Dave. I don't know why—I didn't mean to—"

His sigh brought her to a halt. He stood up, turning towards the door.

"Dave, what are you doing? Where are you going? I said, I didn't mean to call you—"

"Derek?" he questioned. "I know. But you did, and that tells me something."

She shook her head emphatically. "It means nothing. I saw him today; I guess he was just on my mind."

That was most certainly an understatement. "He's been on you mind for a while, hasn't he?" he inquired. Not unkindly. He was just tired of denying the inevitable. "I'd say since before the attack, at least. Actually, he probably hasn't been off your mind the whole time we were together."

Her mouth dropped open; he could see tears in her dark eyes. "That's not fair."

"Emily, don't worry. I'm not mad." He had absolutely no right to be angry. Sad, maybe, but not angry. "I knew what I was getting into when I pursued you. I took this chance. I'm just sad that we couldn't make this work."

She took a step towards him. "Dave, all I did was say his name," she stated pleadingly. "Are you… are you breaking up with me over a silly mistake?"

"No, I'm breaking up with you because I care about you—love you, actually."

He realized he did. But sometimes, love just wasn't enough.

"I—" She shot him a confused look.

"I'm breaking up with you before I get even more invested in this. I'm avoiding the pain later on when you leave me for Derek."

"Dave…"

"I understand, Emily. You never did stop loving him."

They were together now, he knew. Just got back from a Hawaiian vacation, too. He was happy for Emily. He only ever wanted her happiness.

"Unattainable, how?" Hotch interrupted his thoughts.

"She has someone else… someone she really… loves…"

"I'm sorry, Dave," his friend said slowly, digesting this news.

"Yeah, me too."

They sat in silence for a bit. The waiter came and went. And then Hotch blurted out, "Wait, wasn't there two women?"

"Huh?"

"The Foreman case, you mentioned something about having troubles with two women. What about the other woman?"

The other woman: Malika. Oh man, that was another whole can of worms. He had not spoken to her since they'd slept together. And even Reid had stopped hinting at her. Either she'd told him what he'd done or he'd gotten a hint that she hated him.

Or… maybe she's moved on with someone much better for her than an old bastard like me, he thought harshly.

"Over, too?" Hotch guessed, frowning. "Dave, I know you have a reputation, but this is ridiculous!"

"It's not over exactly. Technically, it never really began," he defended.

"Do you like her?"

"Yes," he said simply. Then, "Very much. But I've gone about everything all wrong with her. It's pointless to even think about her."

He'd hurt her. She hadn't forgiven him for it. He was sure.

"Do over."

"Excuse me?"

"Everyone deserves a second chance, Dave," Hotch informed him. "Talk to her. I'm sure she can be reasonable. For God's sake, I want to be present for one of your weddings. Preferably your last."

He chuckled. "I don't know… maybe…" he said, still unsure.

"What could trying hurt?"

"My pride, my ego, certain organs below the waist…"

Hotch winced. "You messed up that bad?" Rossi nodded. "Well, whatever, second chances were invented for a reason."

A second chance with Malika… That would be a dream…

He could still remember their first meeting:

"Am I in the right place, the Sayid residence?"

"Son of a— I knew it! Layla, Spencer, I'm going to kill you!"

It still put a smile on his face.

He looked up, seeing Hotch smiling knowingly at him. He decided to change the subject, or rather, put it back on track.

"Speaking of second chances…" he started. "You've managed to deflect quite a bit, nice one. Now, have you decided how you're going to propose? Any ideas?"

"Not a one…"

That's it for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed. And I hope you'll let me know what you think.

I predict 3 more chapters to go for this one.

Thanks to anyone who might be reading…