Disclaimer: Criminal Minds is owned by CBS. I own nothing but my imagination.

An Unconventional Family-Chapter 37

Holy shit, she loved him, his daughter loved him! This wasn't the first time she had said it to him, but once again, his response of 'love you too,' hadn't been automatic, he actually did love her, and he loved her mother just as much. He loved them so much it hurt, but God! He couldn't have people relying on him, he couldn't take care of anyone; he would end up just fucking it up in the end!

He knew he was in a bad state and he needed to get out of the suite before he really freaked out. He hastily left a note for Abby in case she woke up and came looking for him and then he went down to the hotel bar. After ordering the most expensive scotch they had, he nursed it and took stock of his life.

The upshot was that he had two people who loved him and cared about him. They also relied on him and needed him. He never expected to fall so deeply in love with Jennifer and he never imagined he would bond so strongly with his daughter. He knew, given his extensive track record, that it was only a matter of time before he fucked things up for all of them.

"Well David Rossi, as I live and breathe." Dave winced as he heard the woman behind him. Only one woman he knew had a voice that distinctive; his second wife Suzette. He and Suzette had been married for only two years and it had truly been a match made in hell. He had met Suzette three years after leaving Jennifer, and he wanted someone like her, someone he connect with on a deeper level, while Suzette wanted someone who would buy her pretty things and escort her to lavish affairs. She wanted someone she could show off on her arm and who better than a budding, bestselling author who also happened to be part of the FBI. Their divorce had not been an amicable one and Suzette always showed up at his New York book signings just so she could be seen with him and so she could get under his skin.

"Suzette," he said, turning in his barstool, "You're looking good as always. I'm glad to see my alimony is able to support your plastic surgery addiction."

"I see you're letting nature take its course with you, Dave," she said as she gave him an air kiss on his cheek. She sat down on the stool next to him and motioned for the bartender to bring her what he was having. "I heard the strangest rumor today. Someone told me you had turned into a family man, that you have a teenage daughter. I told them it was ridiculous gossip, there's no way David Rossi would settle down."

"It wasn't gossip Suze, its true. I have a great kid and a woman who loves me," he told her, taking a long drink from his glass.

"Well where are they?" She asked, looking around the bar area.

"My daughter is asleep in our room upstairs and Jennifer had to stay in DC this weekend."

"Jennifer? Not the Jennifer?" Suzette asked in shock. Throughout their short marriage, Suzette never stopped hearing about Jennifer and how great Jennifer had been and what a wonderful listener she was. It got to the point where Suzette couldn't do anything without being compared to the Great Jennifer.

Dave glanced at her, "Yes, the Jennifer. We had a child she never told me about, and over the last four months I've gotten to know her and I've become a part of both of their lives." His stomach was still churning with panic when he thought of that and Suzette's next comments didn't help matters.

"Wow," she said, taking a drink. "Do you really think you won't eventually screw all of this up?"

Dave looked at her sharply, "What do you mean?"

"Come on Dave, seriously? You're the infamous, skirt chasing David Rossi. Do you really think that in a couple of month's time there won't be another cutie that catches your eye? Are you really going to be satisfied by the same woman for the rest of your life? Leopards like you don't change their spots, especially at your age," she said.

She had hit on some of his major fears, "Shut up, Suze," he whispered, but she paid him no attention.

"And what about your daughter?" Suzette continued, "Can you be the kind of father that a teenage girl needs? You're not exactly known for your patience with children, sweetheart. Sure, you might be a great father now, when you're only a few months into it, but what happens next month when she wants to get a tattoo, or next year, when she wants to run off to Europe with one of her boyfriends? What happens when she comes home pregnant? Are you going to be the world's greatest dad then? What happens to her when a few years down the road you decide you're not cut out for family life? She'll have gotten to know you, to bond with you and you'll abandon her and her mother. It's kind of cruel if you ask me."

Suzette always knew where to find the weak spots in Dave's armor and she was exploiting all of them. She still held a grudge over their divorce and the fact that not six months after their divorce was final, he married wife number three. Their subsequent divorce and his alimony payments to her had taken a chunk out of her own alimony payments. She sure as hell was not going to let that little bitch Jennifer take even more of her alimony! Plus, even though she had never met her, Suzette had always hated Jennifer. Jennifer represented a standard that Suzette knew she could never live up to. Suzette was sure it was the idea of Jennifer that had ruined their marriage. She decided to continue on her tirade against David's new lifestyle.

"Plus, don't you miss this kind of life? Jetting all over the country, hell, all over the globe. Meeting women in all of the cities. From what I remember, you never really had a problem satisfying the ladies. Can you honestly say that you would rather go to Chili's than the Four Seasons for dinner? Are ice cream cones at Baskin Robbins really better than a nightcap at the Hay-Adams? Is going to some high school play really better than going to the theater? Come on Dave, think about it."

Damn her! She really knew how to expose all of his fears and weaknesses. Part of him hated her because of what she said and the other part of him hated her because some of what she had said was true. He did somewhat miss this lifestyle. For the first two weeks of this tour, he was in a bad place because he tried denying his enjoyment of this lifestyle. He had managed to convince himself that Chili's was better than the Four Seasons and that Baskin Robbins was better than nightcaps at an upscale bar, but the truth was, he missed being treated like royalty, like a big shot to some extent.

Suzette also drew upon his deepest fears about being a father and a lover. Suze was right; he always did have a wandering eye. What would happen when itfinally caught up with him? What if he really wasn't cut out to be a family man? So far it had been fairly easy going with Abby, but what happened when the waters got rough? Would he be able to handle it? Hell, ninety percent of the people on this damned tour didn't think he was cut out for it; in fact they laughed their asses off at the mere notion that he could have a family. What if they all saw something in him that he couldn't see in himself? Jesus, he thought as he drained the last of his scotch, what in the hell had ever made him think he could do this? He wasn't cut out to be a husband and he sure as hell wasn't cut out to be a father.

He got up from his stool, paid the bar tab, bid a cool goodbye to Suzette and went back up to the suite. He laid awake all night, thinking about his life and he finally came to a decision about what to do.

The next morning, he was in the living room when Abby woke up. "Morning dad."

"Morning Abby," he said. "Look, a last minute meeting with my agent came up and it's going to be kind of a long one. I know we had plans for today, but do you mind if I send you back to DC on an earlier shuttle? There's one leaving at noon and I already called Garcia and she said she could pick you up from the airport."

Abby was surprised; her dad seemed a little…off this morning. And while she was disappointed that he was canceling their plans, she was actually a little relieved because going back to DC early would give her more time to study. Besides, she was going to see her dad again in three days, so it wasn't a really big deal. "Sure dad, that's fine. I'll go pack my stuff." It was already ten-thirty and she knew they would have to leave for the airport fairly soon.

Dave felt like an asshole cutting her trip short, but he needed a little more time think about things. He couldn't do that if they were touring the city.

Once they reached the airport, Dave walked her to the gate, again flashing his credentials at the hapless TSA agents. They got there just as her plane was starting to board.

"Well, I guess I'll see you in a few days," she said as she pecked him on the cheek. She turned to walk towards the jet way when her father tugged her back to him and engulfed her into a tight hug.

"I love you, Abby," he told her.

"I love you too dad," she said, wondering why her dad was taking her leaving so hard. She made her way down the jet way and turned back to wave at her dad. She was far enough away that she didn't see the tears in his eyes.

**********

Two days later, JJ was putting files in the profiler's inboxes in the bullpen. It was seven o'clock and most of the agents had gone home for the day. She knew Hotch was still there, but it looked like everyone else had left. Just as she was putting the last file on Reid's desk, she heard a voice behind her.

"Why isn't Agent Good Looking getting any of the files?" Garcia asked her.

JJ spun around, "God Pen, you scared the hell out of me!"

"Sorry cupcake, but why are you loading my Chocolate Bunny with files while Agent Millionaire up there doesn't get any?" She asked again, pointing at Dave's office.

"He doesn't get back into town until tomorrow, Garcia and even then, he doesn't work until Thursday. Most of these files need to be reviewed by then." JJ told her.

Garcia shook her multi-colored head, "Uh-uh, he got back today. I saw him go up to his office about two hours ago."

"What?!" JJ exclaimed. Dave was back? Why didn't he come find her? "Thanks Pen," she said as she started up the stairs to his office.

Once she got to his office door, JJ gave a perfunctory knock and then entered. Sure enough, Dave was sitting behind his desk, looking over some paperwork. The only light in the room came from the small desk lamp and the waning evening sun.

"So it's true, you are back!" She said happily, still standing in the doorway with a big grin on her face.

Dave took a deep breath and looked up at her. "Sit down Jennifer, we need to talk."