Monday morning, Rossi was busy in his study. He had already arranged to have the day off since he had planned on Amanda being there, but his plans definitely had not included spending the morning on the phone with Agent Williams.
"What do you mean you don't know when you will be able to get the necklace back to me?" he thundered at the agent while pacing around the room. "You already removed the microdot. What else do you need?"
"Yes, I know. But, face it, all that information has got to be outdated after all these years," he continued. "And, No, I don't care if you scrub the engraving off the pedal, just as long as you don't damage the piece!"
"So, how long is that going to take?" he questioned further. "No – That is not acceptable! That is private property and I want it returned ASAP!"
He looked up and smiled at Amanda as she came into the room carrying a tray with coffee for both of them.
"Okay – Okay! But it had better be in acceptable condition when I get it back!" He concluded the conversation and snapped his phone shut.
"Bureaucrats!" he exclaimed to Amanda. "All I want is my necklace back in one piece!"
"Calm down, Dave," she counseled. "I am sure they are doing the best they can."
"Well, my publisher is throwing their yearly author's reception and dinner in New York in several weeks, and I need it back before then so you can wear it," Rossi explained, giving her a fond smile.
"Dave, I'm not used to wearing expensive things like that!" Amanda protested as she took a seat on the couch.
"Get used to it," he advised. "When I go out with a beautiful woman I want her to be wearing beautiful things, and I intend to be taking you out a lot!"
He sat down on the couch next to her. "Am I imagining things or are we finally alone?" he asked as he put his arm around her. "And, before we go any further, I need you to tell me what happened after I got home last night. I was pretty wiped out."
"Yes, you were," Amanda laughed. "You went upstairs saying you were going to take a shower and the next thing I knew you were asleep on your bed!"
"Okay," she took a deep breath. "First Kevin left to go help Evelyn and her family move back home. Despite the fact that she played him, he really does seem to like her. I hope he's not disappointed. And then, after Anderson and Bedford were officially relieved of guard duty, Garcia and Lena left together to go over to Garcia's place. Penelope had received a call from someone named Sam telling her that he is back in town. They were planning on doing some sort of couples thing with Lena and Morgan. Now, it's your turn to tell me everything!"
"So, you broke up a Russian spy ring or, actually, two spy rings?" Amanda asked after Rossi finished his review of the case.
"More like a group of old, left-overs from the cold war, plus some new entities just trying to protect their families and their reputations," Rossi confirmed as he refilled their coffee cups.
"Still, just like James Bond!" Amanda smiled seductively at him as she accepted her coffee cup from him.
"The name is Rossi, David Rossi." Rossi smiled back. "I still can't believe I used that old line."
"Who can blame you?" Amanda asked. "Russian spies, gorgeous jewels, a beautiful young lady – Tell me more!"
"I like my scotch 18 years old – Not 17 years, not 19 years – 18 years," Rossi intoned as he raised his cup. "One ice cube only. And, if you will just put you finger in and stir it –" Both of them broke down in laughter.
"And, the young lady involved wasn't even close to being as beautiful as the lady I am currently with," Rossi continued, looking at Amanda.
"Flatterer!" she accused him.
"I can deal with that." Rossi put his coffee cup down before moving closer, putting his arms around her, and burying his face in her neck.
"I think every bone in my body is turning to jelly," Amanda replied as she returned his attentions.
"I like jelly!" Rossi assured her as he moved on to kissing her lips.
"I don't think I can make it up the stairs in my current state," Amanda warned him several minutes later.
"No problem there," Rossi assured her. He suddenly stopped his attentions, pulled back, and looked at Amanda.
"Just checking, Morgan is taking Lena back to school?" he asked.
"Yes," Amanda smiled. "She already called and told me that they left from Garcia's place this morning and are on their way."
"So, that leaves us – " Rossi wrapped his arms around her, again pulled her close.
"And, I no longer have to set a good example," Amanda leaned into him to share yet another kiss.
"A good example?" Rossi smirked at her.
"At the moment, I intend to be a very bad example," Amanda responded as she stood up, took his hand, and began leading the way up the stairs.
That same Monday morning, Strauss was sitting in a meeting with the heads of several other FBI Departments, as well as representatives of Homeland Security. When it concluded, she returned to her office, still wearing her 'Game Face'. Once her door had closed and she was alone, she grinned. It seemed that Agent Hotchner's team had again over-stepped their boundaries. The problem was that David Rossi had been conspicuously absent, which definitely did not seem like him. She may not be a profiler, but it certainly appeared that further investigation was called for. With a thoughtful look on her face, she picked up her phone.
FINI
I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read all the way through this new adventure. I also want to send out special Thank You to everyone who has taken the time to comment as I went along. It means a lot that you have made the effort to me to tell me what you think.
Comments are always welcome!
Until next time -
