(Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters)

First chapter was a bit of a rush and I'm afraid to say this may also be since it covers a few months in one chapter. I will slow it down in the next chapters.

Please review, it really helps me and it only takes a minute.

Enjoy!


"David!" Diana stood in the doorway, a big smile on her face. Dave smiled awkwardly, pulling his hands out of his pocket.

"Hello... um, how are you? Both?"

Diana pushed the door open and said "we're doing well, thank you. Why don't you come in, William's inside with Spencer. Come on, I've never known David Rossi to be awkward and I'm afraid you look-"

"Diana," a voice insider cut her off and she glanced back as Dave tried to smile properly.

"Let the poor man in."

Diana smirked and stepped aside from the doorway. "As I was saying," she whispered. "Stop wringing your hands, you old fool."

Dave chuckled and stepped inside. The house had a slight chill, not unpleasant but Dave wondered if his son was warm enough at night, especially since newborns slept with nothing in their crib. Dave shook his head. Not my son, he thought reluctantly.

Diana was talking to him again so Dave turned to look at her.

"Diana," he said quietly. She stopped and raised an eyebrow. "I apologise," he said. "I shouldn't have come... h-he's your son... I shouldn't see him."

Diana looked sad as she pressed a palm to Dave's shoulder. "I want you to, David."

"But... I... I gave him up. I gave him to you and it's not fair that I would get to see him," Dave said quietly.

Diana shut the door with a pained smile. "David Rossi," she said through a short breath. She patted his back, giving him a small push. "You blessed William and me with a child. Your child. So, of course, you're going to have some attachment issues with him and it's the least we can do to help you."

Diana motioned to the room across from them when Dave opened his mouth to argue.

"Go," she commanded with a smirk. Dave rubbed his hands together awkwardly, looking from Diana to the dimly lit room.

"I-"

"David go! Or William and I will go and keep you here for babysitting duty."

Dave pressed his tongue to the backs of his teeth before mumbling an indistinct jumble of words and starting toward the doorway.

He paused at the threshold, peering inside. William was sat on the couch, a book in his lap. He looked up and smiled at David who could see the wary lines in the man's features.

"David, how are you? Diana hasn't been going easy on you, has she?" he asked. Dave chuckled at that, trying to keep his eyes from wandering to the bassinet a little off to the side of the couch.

"Ah, you know your wife better than anyone. I'm well. Hows parenthood treating you?" Dave ran his fingers over his knuckles, feeling awfully awkward. How could he ask the man parenting his own child a question like that? Teasing one at that.

But William laughed and opened his book back up. "Wonderfully rewarding and somehow exhausting at the same time."

"He... uh... is he... bad-?"

"Oh no, not at all. I believe he is what people would call an 'easy baby.' Sleeps like clockwork... but..." William lifted himself a little off the couch to peek at the bassinet. He grinned and turned to Dave. "He's wide awake now."

Dave glanced at the bassinet where he saw something move and a tiny sound drift up from.

Diana was behind him again and she took his arm in a gentle guiding way, taking him to the bassinet.

Dave found his eyes focusing on the soft white innards of the bassinet and then slowly finding the little body inside.

The son he'd given away lay with his little legs scrunched up against him and his arms haphazardly jerking against the blanket around him. He was making snuffling noises, his tiny head trying to lift up and turn. Dave felt his heart twinge suddenly when the baby looked at him with his big baby blues.

"Would you like to hold him?"

Dave snapped out of his loved up trance and he tilted his head to Diana. He couldn't seem to find the words so he just nodded.

Diana beamed and reached down into the bassinet, carefully extracting the baby from his blanket and the soft cat that one of the boy's hands had been playing with. Dave stared at the cat with a sense of familiarity. Em gave him that, he thought suddenly. He looked at Diana who was adjusting the baby and felt his whole being filled with the utmost gratitude.

"Here you go," Diana whispered, holding the baby out to Dave. The Italian looked down at his arms and tried to arrange them quickly as Diana started to hand him the child. To Dave's relief, she helped him until the boy was nestled in his clutches, his face turned up towards Dave's, his eyes wide and curious as they watched him.

"Hey, kiddo," Dave mumbled. He rocked a little to his left to offer soothing movement but the baby just stared at him quietly, occasionally kicking his feet out. Diana hovered nearby, her arms folded and a smirk on her face.

The baby's face scrunched up a little and he grasped Dave's finger as he went to stroke the boy's cheek. Dave stared in awe at the tiny little fingers wrapped around just one of his and he stroked over them with his free thumb.

He wasn't sure how long he stayed that way, staring down at the little life he'd accidentally created.

"Would you like to feed him?"

Dave slowly raised his head from the baby's gaze, initially thinking of shaking his head. Instead, he nodded in the affirmative. Diana went to the kitchen while Dave carefully made his way to the couch.

William looked up from his book to watch them. "Quiet isn't he?"

"Yea..."

"He's making his hungry face so, just a heads up, he might not be quiet for long."

Dave looked down just as the baby let out a whimper, his legs kicking harder.

"Dinners coming, Spencer," William said with a laugh.

Dave chuckled himself and bounced his knees a little to distract the baby. His face screwed up again, going a little red as he wailed, stopping when Dave tickled his cheek.

Diana was back before Spencer made himself heard again. She gave Dave the heated bottle and quick instructions on how to feed the baby.

It took three tries for Dave to get the nipple of the bottle in the kid's mouth and Diana instructed him to hold it up and make sure he had most of it in his mouth.

The baby was still watching him as he started to drink the warm formula and Dave felt himself puff up proudly.

He even burped the baby before finally and with hidden reluctance, handed him back to Diana.

Dave got home around nine, his laptop bag in one hand and a bag of two donuts in the other.

He didn't mention the Reid's, twisting the truth to make it seem that he'd been writing the entire time he was gone.

"Get anything done?" Emily asked, just happy to have a donut in her hand.

Dave shrugged and fell back onto the couch.

"Writers block..." he muttered.

It wasn't the last time he went to the Reids.


Emily watched Dave quietly from the hall. She felt angry. In fact, she was seething at him for lying yet again. She thought maybe, just maybe she could live a life with him. She'd looked past his age and the affairs. They'd been doing well, even after the baby.

Yet here she was again, facing up to his lies.

She didn't realise how lost in thought she was until Rossi was staring right back at her.

"Em?"

She blinked slowly, her face remaining flat and weary. "We need to talk," she muttered. She released the doorframe and walked back into the couch, feeling around it and taking a seat.

She felt Dave's anxious presence a few moments later as he too found a seat reluctantly.

Emily let out a breath before looking up at her partner. He looked downright scared. His right eye that seemed to squint naturally was open as wide as the left as he looked back at her. Please don't ruin this, Emily thought sadly as the question waited on her lips.

"I..." Dave stopped himself. Better not admit to anything yet, he thought.

Emily didn't like his retraction and a moment after he'd attempted to speak, she blurted, "are you still seeing Krystall?"

The question knocked Dave off-kilter. He frowned thoughtfully, missing the betrayed look that crossed Emily's face.

"Because if you are," she snapped, pulling Dave's attention back toward her. "Then I'll leave now."

Rossi shook his head, standing up suddenly and holding his arms up in front of him. Emily pushed herself back in the couch. He was acting as if she was an unsub to talk down.

"No. No, I'm not, Em. I wouldn't do that to you, not ever-"

"Then where did you go!?" Emily said as Dave tried to explain.

"-I love you. It's not that."

"Then what, Dave?" Emily's voice broke and she turned her face away, her hand falling to her flat stomach. "Where do you go?"

Dave stopped moving. His eyes had fallen to the carpet and Emily kept hers on the wall.

She glanced at him briefly and she saw the immense sadness in the man's face.

"Don't make me stop..." he whispered.

"What?"

"Please... Em, I need this, I know you don't but I really do-"

"What are you talking about...?"

Dave sucked in a breath and he reached into his back pocket for his phone. Emily couldn't help but wish he'd let her buy him a new one. Stop, she thought. You're meant to be mad.

Dave approached while fiddling with the phone before turning it for Emily to see.

She stared at the dark, blurry image on the screen, shading it from the light with her palm.

There in the picture was her little boy. She knew it was him.

She looked back at Rossi whose lips were turned down pitifully.

"I'm sorry... I... I went to see him. A few times now; Diana offered. I knew you didn't want to see him after giving him up but... I-I just had to. I'm sorry."

Emily stared back at Dave and her eyes filled with tears. "Oh..." she whispered.

"I should have told you."

Emily pushed the phone away and dropped her face into her hands.

"I'm a terrible person," she said. She sniffed hard as a hand came around her shoulders. Her initial reaction was to shove it away but instead, she leaned into it and let a sob consume her.

"No... no, you're not. I should have been straight with you. No secrets, I promised and I won't keep them anymore."

Emily pressed her wet face to Dave's cheek as he kissed her gently.

She let the Italian sooth her for a few minutes as she calmed down. He apologised more than any man had for her and once she stopped crying she wondered why she had been so angry at him in the first place.

Emily lifted her head so her nose was in line with Dave's mouth.

"You should... keep seeing him," she muttered.

Dave shook his head and rubbed his cheek on hers. "No, not when it upsets you like this."

"I don't want to keep you from him. I'm just not ready. He has parents now; he doesn't need me."

"But you might need him."

Emily closed her eyes and shook her head. "No. I don't..."

She felt like laughing then. What happened to no more lies? she thought.


Their relationship started to become less rocky. Emily kept her old apartment in case she needed to move back, but after a few months, they got into a rhythm. Aaron was the only member of the team who had gotten a good whiff of suspicion, but other than that their relationship was under wraps.

Until it wasn't. Until everything got blown out of the water with one phone call.

"David Rossi?"

Dave frowned and said, "yes, who's this?"

Emily, who was sat by his side, her hand occasionally brushing his leg, cocked her head to the side and Rossi felt her nails pinch into his thigh. The rest of the team seemed happy with their lunch and conversations not to listen in.

"Hello, I'm Hettie Bandershawl, I work for social services. I'm aware that you are connected to Mr. and Mrs. Reid? Sorry, William and Diana Reid?"

"I am. And they're wonderful parents... why are social services involved? Last I heard they were doing great."

Rossi exchanged a worried glance with Emily who just frowned since she wasn't aware of the growing situation.

"Oh... I wasn't sure if the police contacted you first, it seems I'm too prompt. I'm afraid to tell you that due to an accident the Reids' son has been temporarily put into our care-"

"Accident? Are they alright? Do we need to take Spencer for a while?"

Emily rode her chair closer and leaned next to Dave who was sat straighter.

Aaron was watching them now too.

"Um. Oh, I really wish the police had been in contact. From what I've been told, Mr. Rossi, both William and Diana were killed instantly."

Dave jumped up from his seat, suddenly silencing the conference room. He had his hand to his mouth, his breathing ragged as he stared past the worried faces of his team. After a few seconds of harsh panting, he started pacing, his free hand worrying his lip between his fingers.

"Are you still there, Sir?"

"Yes... y-yes," Dave whispered.

"What's wrong?" Penelope looked over nervously as Emily waved her off with a smile. She then put her hand cautiously on Dave's back. She mouthed the same question and Dave shook his head, his fingers pressing into his wet eyes.

"The Reids' seemed to have... well, you're Spencer's guardian. You and... Miss. Emily Prentiss. They have... had no other family, no other options I'm afraid."

Dave's mouth gaped open. Dead... they're really dead...

He must have whispered it because Hettie replied sympathetically.

"Spencer's in an emergency foster home, we really need for you to come... fill out paperwork so we can get him in a more secure and settled environment. We need both your presences in order to move forward."

The conference room was silent. Dave closed his eyes, something hot stinging his tear ducts.

"Dave?" Rossi glanced Aaron's way but didn't answer.

"Mr. Rossi?"

"Yes."

"Can you do that?"

Dave nodded. "Yes."

"Okay, thank you. When can we expect you? Oh, the address you need-"

"Can I call you back?"

"What... oh, yes, yes, sorry. This must be... difficult."

Dave pulled the phone from his ear and hung up before letting Emily slip it from his hand.

"What is it?" she whispered, her finger caressing Dave's cheek.

"The Reids are dead."

Emily's hand jerked away from Dave's cheek to her mouth. The rest of the team were suddenly alert.

"The boy? Your son?" Aaron asked in an anxious voice. Of course, he knew... he was probably imagining if it was Jack.

Dave pinched his nails into the bridge of his nose. "He's okay... he's... with a foster carer."

"Who?" Morgan asked. Dave turned toward Emily who was just staring at the wall, her hands covering her mouth.

"How?" Hotch asked, locking eyes with Rossi.

"It was a-a car..."

"The boy wasn't inside, right?"

"I don't know..."

Dave reached out and touched Emily's hand. "Are you alright?" he murmured.

"Is Spencer really okay?" she whispered. Dave nodded solemnly.

"He's with someone but... Em-"

"Yes."

"They named us guardians."


Updates every Thursday... hopefully!

Thanks for reading. See you soon for when things get heated.