Chapter 8 – A Step in the Right Direction

Penelope's apartment

Soft jazz music plays quietly from the radio on the table next to the wall as Dave and Penelope sit close to each other on the couch. Dave leans forward and sets his glass on the table in front of them alongside the remains of their meal.

"I'm glad you found someone to cover for you," Dave says amiably. He leans back on her couch and smiles as his hand casually brushes the side of her thigh. "What made you change your mind?"

She shrugs and glances at him through her lashes. "I don't know. I just thought it would be nice to not be at the office. I can only imagine how cramped you were in that closet all day."

He laughs and stretches his arm on the back of the couch behind her. His hand casually brushes her hair. Her closeness has him on edge, it's taking all his willpower to keep himself from pulling her into his arms and kissing her senseless. "It is really small. It's worse than the bunker."

She stares at him thoughtfully. "This must be quite a change for you," she says finally.

"Yeah," he agrees. "It's going to take some time to get used to all of it. Back in the day, we didn't have jets and communications coordinators."

At the offhand mention of JJ, Penelope stands and gathers the dinner dishes. Dave moves to help her.

"I got it," she says brusquely. She piles the plates together, grabs the glasses and carries them to the kitchen.

He watches her for a moment as she sets the stuff in the sink and turns on the water. Shoulders set, body stiff - she is obviously upset, and he has no idea why. He gets to his feet and swiftly sidles up behind her. He slips his arms around her waist.

"AHH!" she yelps. She drops a glass into the sink. "What are you doing?"

"Hugging you," he says. He buries his face into her neck. "Why are you upset?"

His lips brush against the sensitive skin of her neck causing her to shiver.

"I'm not upset," she replies shakily. She waves her hands in the air. His front presses tight to her back. She releases a shaky breath.

"Are you sure?" he asks as he rubs the tip of his nose up and down the side of her neck a few times.

She squeaks in response. He chuckles as he turns her around. Hands on her hips, he pulls her close again. She looks at him wide-eyed like a deer in the headlights.

"Prepare yourself Penelope Garcia," he warns. "I'm going to kiss you."

She barely has time to suck in a breath as his lips land on hers. They moan in unison. Her hands move around his neck. She buries her fingers in his hair. He presses her backwards into the sink as their tongues dance together.

She gasps for air as he kisses his way across her jawline and down her neck. His beard scrapes across her skin leaving a trail of red. He stops to suck at her pulse point causing her to moan loudly and press her hips against his. His erection twitches in response. He slides his mouth back up and kisses her again.

"Oh wow," she whispers as he pauses for a breath. He smiles against her cheek.

"Agreed," he replies. He steps back. His body is humming. It would be so easy to take her to bed right now, but something in his head tells him to be patient. "I should go."

"No," she objects. She reaches for him, fingers fluttering against his chest. He caresses her face. Her eyes drop to the floor.

"Sweetheart, if I stay, we could end up doing something both of us may regret."

"Well, we wouldn't want to have any regrets," she replies sadly. "Would we?"

He shakes his head. "I'm done living with regrets."

Her eyes rise to meet his. "Me too."

He brushes her cheek with the back of his hand. "Can I see you again?"

She studies the seriousness on his face. She leans closer. "Yes," she says. Impulsively, she kisses him.

She slides her fingers into the short hair on the back of his head and pulls him close again. He wraps his arms around her grabbing her ass. Evidence of his arousal presses hard against her thigh. She rubs against him causing him to moan this time.

She breaks the kiss, smirking as he takes several deep breaths. "Are you sure you don't want to stay the night?"

He gulps another lungful of air. "I do. But I have a plane to catch and I think my Mother would put a hit on me if I don't show up at her house in the morning."

She gives him a cheeky grin. "Momma's boy."

"Yeah," he agrees softly. He squeezes her ass.

"How do you get to your house from the airport," she asks. "Do you leave a car at the airport there?"

Dave shakes his head. "Normally Reeni would pick me up, however, since she's mad at me, I'll take a cab."

Penelope wrinkles her brow. "Isn't that expensive?"

"I think I can afford it," he says with a wink.

Norfolk International Airport

As the plane stops at the terminal, Dave unbuckles his seatbelt and gathers his belongings. Once the hatch opens, he smiles at the flight attendant and de-boards. He carries his briefcase in one hand and his go-bag in the other. It's nearly one in the morning and the terminal is empty save for himself and his fellow passengers on the short flight from Quantico.

He walks past the baggage terminal and out to the curb. He sets his bag down and pulls out his phone to call a cab when a sleek, black sedan pulls to the curb in front of him. Dave doesn't notice the rear passenger window roll down.

"WOOF!"

The loud bark echoes through the near empty waiting area. Dave looks up sharply. He closes his phone, grabs his bag, and walks over to the sedan.

"Hey Mudgie," he says softly in greeting to his dog. He puts his bags on the floor of the backseat and rubs the dog's ears before climbing into the front.

Reeni sits behind the wheel staring straight ahead. Dave closes his door and puts on his seatbelt.

"How did you know I was here?" he asks quietly.

Reeni looks at him sharply. She takes a moment to study his face, taking in the new growth of facial hair. "Penelope called me."

She laughs without humor as his face becomes a mixture of emotions.

"Penelope Garcia?" he asks after a moment.

She nods. "We had quite a conversation about you."

"Oh, yeah? What'd she say?" He fusses with his jacket, trying to appear nonchalant.

Reeni finally relaxes and smirks at him. "Oh, you like her."

Dave shifts uncomfortably in his seat and stares out the front window. "I do. She is one of my new co-workers."

"Mmm, hmm. And?"

He looks back at her. "And nothing."

"Bugiardo," she accuses. "This is just like the time you met Frannie Epstein at the basketball game."

"No, it's not," he replies gruffly. He peers out the side window. "Are we going to go home? Or are we just going to sit at the airport all night?"

She shrugs. "I haven't decided."

He decides to put the focus on her. "How's the fireman…?"

"Bill? He's fine. Nice deflection."

He ignores her comment. "Still seeing him?"

"Yes. I told Mom."

Dave studies her face. "What did Momma say?"

She scoffs.

"What do you think she said? It's about time. When do I get to meet him?" She puts the car in drive and pulls away from the curb. "You know the drill."

He nods. Mudgie puts his head on Dave's shoulder and drools on him. Dave rubs the dog's muzzle and gently pushes him into the back seat. He pulls out his handkerchief and wipes at the drool.

"So, how was it," Reeni asks quietly as they merge onto the highway.

Dave stares out the front window. "Different," he says equally quiet. "I fucked up. A lot."

The darkness of the night makes the passing scenery impossible to see but he's not actually looking at it. He watches her reflection in the glass. "I killed the unsub."

She takes her eyes off the road to look at him.

"Watch the road, please," he admonishes her as he continues to watch her in the window reflection.

"You killed him? Why?"

"I didn't want to, Reeni. He put us in a situation where that was the only option."

"Jesus," she says under her breath. She eyes him quickly, noting the pensive look on his face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he says softly.

She continues to glance between him and the road until he looks over at her. He groans and shifts in his seat.

"He's not the first guy I've killed," he mumbles.

"Are you reminding me or you," she asks.

"That's a good question," he replies as he resumes staring out the side window.

"So, why is it bugging you?" she asks.

"I almost shot Morgan," he whispers.

She glances at him sharply. "Morgan?"

He sighs and turns to her. "Derek Morgan, he's one of the senior agents on the team. He stepped out of the elevator just as the guy was drawing his weapon. Morgan was in the middle of the action. Thankfully, Hotch told him to get down and he dropped without question."

She reaches over and grabs his hand giving it a squeeze. "It's okay, cucciolo. Everything turned out okay. You need to put that behind you."

He smiles gratefully. "Grazie cara. I'm working on it."

She releases his hand and concentrates on the road. Silence fills the space for several miles. Mudgie snores softly in the backseat. Reeni switches on the blinker and exits the highway.

"So, are you going to tell me about Penelope, or should I call her back and ask for myself," she threatens.

He snorts. A small smile plays on his lips. "She's…," he starts. "There's not much to tell. She's an analyst who works in a room full of computers and no windows."

"So, more of a mousy library nerd than hot FBI agent?"

"Nerd? Yes. Mousy? Not at all. She's – she's different."

"In what way?"

He shrugs. "It's hard to explain."

Reeni makes an exaggerated gasping noise. "The world-famous writer is at a loss for words?! There goes that career."

He gives her a dirty look. She just laughs as she maneuvers the vehicle onto the dirt road that takes them to Dave's cabin. They bounce down the secluded road for a few minutes before she turns into the driveway and parks the car.

"Are you staying the night," he asks.

She shakes her head. "Home isn't that far."

"It's late Reeni."

"I'll be careful," she replies. "I'll text you when I get home. I promise."

"Or you could just come inside," he presses.

"I'll be fine, Davey."

He leans over and kisses her cheek. She wraps her arms around him in a bear hug. They hold for a moment and as they pull apart, he turns off the ignition and pockets the key as he scrambles out of the car.

"Come on," he prods. "There's plenty of space."

He opens the backdoor, lets Mudgie out and grabs his bags. Reeni reaches back and grabs her purse.

"You've done this before," she tells him. "You think I haven't learned?"

She digs in her purse and pulls out another set of keys.

"Seriously," Dave growls. "Do I have to drag you out of the car?"

She laughs again. "I just want to go home."

He stands in the open rear door and waits. After a minute, she looks back at him. She stops when she sees the sadness and vulnerability on his face.

"Please Reeni," he says pleads. "Stay here with me. I don't want to be alone."

Little Creek Reservoir

Thirty minutes later, Dave, now dressed in light blue pajama pants and white t-shirt, enters the living room where a fire crackles in the fireplace. He drops a huge pile of blankets on the floor where a pile of pillows already lay.

"Grab the rest of the stuff on the kitchen counter," Reeni orders as she walks into the room. She's wearing the top half of the same pajamas and a pair of Dave's gym shorts. In her arms are bags of chips, a bottle of wine, two spoons and a tub of ice cream.

"What else do we need," Dave asks as he heads to the kitchen.

"It's all waiting there," she tells him.

He finds a fresh bowl of guacamole, two bags of cookies, one of which is the Nutter Butters he was certain he had hidden in his office, and a jar of peanut butter. He grabs everything and heads back to the living room, turning off the lights as he goes.

Reeni has rearranged the blankets and pillows into a human sized nest in front of the fire. She sits cross-legged eating ice cream and humming to herself.

Dave settles in next to her arranging the food in front of them. "Do we need glasses for the wine?"

She raises an eyebrow at him. "You can't share with me? You think I've got cooties or something?"

He laughs, grabs the bottle and takes a swig. "This takes me back."

He sets the bottle down and grabs the tortilla chips.

"The wine is better now," she laughs.

"That's because we had to drink the shitty wine or Momma would have been mad at us," he explains. "Do you want to watch a movie?"

She shakes her head. "How about some music instead?"

"Yes," he agrees enthusiastically and jumps to his feet.

"No rat pack! Put on the Beatles or the Stones."

"What's wrong with the rat pack," he questions from the other room.

"Nothing. It makes you maudlin and you are already maudlin enough," she tells him.

He mumbles something to himself.

"I can hear you," she yells even though she has no idea what he just said.

The room is soon filled with 60's rock and roll as Dave returns. He flops to his knees behind her and wraps her in a hug.

"I missed you," he says in her hair. "Are you still mad at me?"

"Yes," she replies shortly. "But I forgive you."

He releases her and settles back into his place. "I'm sorry, Reeni. You know the last thing I ever want to do is hurt you."

She smiles sadly. "I know. And I also know that there is this part of you that has to do the things you do."

He takes the ice cream out of her hand and grabs a spoon. "What's new?"

"Not a damn thing," she sighs. "My life is overly predictable. Let's talk about you."

"Oh, can we?"

She snorts at his sarcasm. "You asked for this, Buddy. Tell me what happened, how did you fuck up?"

He takes a bite of the ice cream and rolls his eyes. "Apparently, making notes in a notebook is passe' these days."

She nods. "Everyone uses a pda now."

"A what?"

"Never mind. What else?"

He freezes as his cell phone dings alerting him to a text message. He gets up and crosses to the table where he left it. He reads the message and small smile forms on his lips.

"What does it say," Reeni demands.

"It's Penelope, she wants to know if I made it home okay," he tells her as he types in a reply.

"Okay, we really need to talk about this woman," Reeni says sharply.

He raises an eyebrow at her.

"You're replying to her immediately, she must be something special."

He gets another text message which makes him laugh. He texts back and closes the phone. "You don't know Penelope Garcia."

"No. But I'd like to. When are you bringing her home?"

"Reeni," he says warningly as he sits back down.

"Why is it you'll talk to me about killing people but not about your love life?"

"My love life is no one's business but my own."

She sighs. "Fine. Tell me more about the other thing then."

He picks up the ice cream and watches her for a moment. "Things have changed so fast, Reeni. It's not the same as when I left. They work as a group. Sharing their thoughts aloud and making decisions together. It's hard to keep track of everything. They even defer to the local cops before they do anything. In my day, we were in charge. They call us in, that meant they needed help and if they really wanted our help then they stepped aside and let us do the job. Not now. Now, you can't step on any toes or hurt their feelings because they might not call again."

"And?" she asks as she munches on chips and guacamole.

"I don't know, it just seems like a lot to go through for a temporary position," he grumbles. "I wish Jack would just let me do my thing, on my own, and move on. But no, he wants me to "mentor" the team."

"So? Is it too hard for you? Maybe you should stick with writing books and talking about the good old days," she suggests.

He gives her a hard look. "I never said it was hard, just different." He digs out a spoonful of ice cream and licks at it.

"Different is good."

"How so?"

"People get caught up in routines, David. You know that. Even FBI agents. Change can keep you sharp. Keep your brain from turning to mush," she points out.

"I just don't know if I can catch up with the technology," he admits. "They use computers and cell phones, and God knows what else. You know I hate that stuff."

"Why don't you ask your new girlfriend to help you," she suggests innocently. She grabs the bag of Nutter Butters.

"I suppose I could," he agrees. He watches as she opens the bag. "She does work with computers."

He finishes the ice cream on his spoon and spies the smug look on her face. "What?"

"You didn't deny it when I called Penelope your girlfriend," she teases. Her grin widens as a blush creeps up his neck. "Have you kissed her?"

His eyes drop to the carton in his hand. He digs out another spoonful. "What do you think," he growls.

She laughs. "Oh, I can hardly wait to meet this one."

Momma and Poppa Rossi's house Little Neck, VA

Dave parks his SUV at the end of the driveway and shuts off the engine. He was glad that Reeni stayed the night and that she forgave him. She was his best friend, and he needed her friendship more than he cared to admit. His eyes roam over the accumulation of cars in the driveway and on the street, the entire family was present, kids, grandkids and great grandkids. Thanksgiving was a few weeks away and everyone would scatter about the country, this was family time, and he was glad that the team had the weekend off.

There was a break in the rain that had soaked the area over night. He climbed out of the car and closed the door as the front door of the house flew open and several blurs raced towards him. The first to reach him was JD, his favorite nephew who was wearing a Cubs hat and jersey. JD wrapped his arms around Dave's waist and squeezed hard.

"Hi Zio David," he greets into Dave's chest. Dave returns the hug just as enthusiastically.

"Patatino! How's the leg? You seem to be moving okay," Dave states.

JD steps back and hops around for a moment then jumps into Dave's arms again. "Feels fine as a frog's hair."

"Hey, save some of that for the rest of us," Harrison pants as he tackles the pair. His twin sister, Madison right on his heels.

Dave looks up to see that all the grand-nieces and nephews have run out of the house. At least the teenaged ones. He hugs each of them in turn as they all try to catch him up on their lives. He herds them into the house which pulses with activity.

"Get in here and close the door," Sophie admonishes. She shoos the kids out of the hallway. "Give your Uncle some room! Come here, you!"

She kisses his cheek and wraps her arms around him tightly. She is small in stature but equally as fierce as their Mother. Being the firstborn child made her a natural leader and bossy as hell. That was the part of her Dave loved the most.

"Hi Soph," he whispers. They stay that way for a few moments. He pulls back and gives her an appraising look. "You look more beautiful than I remember."

She scoffs and smacks his shoulder. "Don't pull that charming crap on me."

She grabs his chin and turns his head left and right. "Huh," she grunts. "You look good."

His cheeks redden slightly. "Where's Gio?"

"Out in the garden with Poppa," she sighs. "Come on, Momma's holding court in the kitchen."

He follows her down the hallway, waving at the other family members sitting in various rooms. In the kitchen, Momma, Reeni and Bill, Rebecca, his other sister Isabella, and her husband Gary all sit at the table. They all turn when he and Sophia enter the room.

"Cocco di Mamma," Momma Rossi cries. She raises from her seat. Dave strides across the room and pulls her into a hug as everyone snickers.

"Fifty-two years old and he's still the baby," Reeni states with a laugh.

"And he always will be," Momma says. She pulls Dave down and kisses his cheek. "Il mio piccolino, go get your Poppa."

"I'll get him," Sophia offers.

"No, let Davey do it. Poppa will listen to him. Go," she says shoving Dave towards the back door. "It's too cold outside."

"I'll be back," Dave says to the group as he continues through the room to the back door.

Dave exits and spies his father and brother-in-law standing in the center of a large dirt patch. Poppa Rossi was pointing at the far end of the bare patch. Dave crosses the wet grass as he approaches the older men.

"Poppa," he says quietly. Both men turn around slowly.

"Mio figlio!" Poppa exclaims. Dave moves swiftly to him and they embrace. "Vita mia, how are you?"

"I'm fine, Poppa." He kisses his father's cheek. "Ti viglio bene."

They part as Poppa says, "Anch'io ti amo."

Dave turns to Gio, they also embrace. "Hello fratello."

"Davey… ometto. I hear you're a Fed again," Gio smiles.

Dave nods. "Know a good realtor? I need to find a more permanent place to live."

"Sure, my buddy Kent is still in the business," Gio states. "What are you looking for?"

"That's a good question," Dave laughs. "I was going to just get an apartment, but Rebecca reminded me that it wasn't a good investment."

"Well that depends on where you live," Gio points out. "If you want to be in Dupont Circle, an apartment is better than a house."

Dave shakes his head. "I need some space. I'm okay with driving a little further to get to work if I don't have neighbors on top of me. And I need some space for Mudgie."

"You're taking Mudgie?" Poppa questions. "JD won't be happy with that."

Dave nods. "I know."

"I'll get you Kent's number, Gio says. "You think about what you want and let him know."

Dave takes his Dad's arm. "I think what I want right now is to go inside before it starts raining again. Come on Poppa."

Poppa grunts. "Your Momma."

"Let's get inside before she kills all three of us," Dave suggests.

The three men laugh as they head for the house.

End Chapter 8