Chapter 3
"Every now and then a man's mind is stretched by a new idea or sensation, and never shrinks back to its former dimensions." Isaac Asimov
A/N Occasionally, Rossi slips a few words of Italian into the conversations. I will annotate the words I use at the end of the chapter for full clarity. I feel like Rossi is a very proud Italian-American and definitely uses more Italian in conversation than we see in the show.
David Rossi POV
6am Monday morning and my phone buzzes. I roll over and dig the efficient bureau supplied smartphone off the nightstand, blinking and willing to focus my eyes on the small blue-lit screen. The BAU work-group chat had a new message:
Aaron: See everyone in the conference room at 7am. Sharp. Abducted children.
Followed by a private message from Aaron: Mike Bennett is calling this in from the Pentagon, heads up Dave
Also followed by a message from my old Marine buddy Mike: Asking your team for a solid. My secretaries children have been abducted overnight. Please and thanks
Rolling out of bed I stumble into the shower over an hour later than intended. Normally I wake at 5 am to get ready for a hectic day at the BAU. Today, however, I must have slept through my alarm. It really was a great dream too. Rushing out of the shower, I comb back my dark wavy hair and swiftly step into my fine charcoal grey Armani suit, navy shirt, black leather belt and Testoni black leather shoes while my coffee finishes percolating. I tuck my badge and firearm into their proper place and savor the roasted to perfection black coffee. Composed and ready for the day, I head through the house and into the garage, climbing into my well cared for 2010 Dodge Charger and I am immediately and immensely thankful for the heated seats.
I had served with Mike in the USMC for 18 months back in 'Nam. We have kept pretty close contact ever since. In fact, he was the best man at one of my weddings. Our communication has been a bit lacking since he was promoted through the DIAC into the Pentagon ring D. Mike is not solely to blame, the success of my books, coming out of retirement and returning to the BAU has cut back on my socializing quite a bit. Not to mention we are nearing 60 now. We did get together to commemorate my recent book reaching the top spot on The NYT Bestseller list, where he gifted me a rather fine bottle of Scotch, Oban 21-year Limited Edition. Currently it is stored safely in the back of my liquor cabinet and only savored on the most special of occasions. Mike does know good Scotch, I ended up doing a bit of research, the bottle is reported to be valued over $700 and tastes like it is worth every blessed penny.
It is mid-March in DC but this morning is still crisp and cool. I merge, slip and swerve through the incredibly fast metro traffic, making the usual 20 minute drive in just under 12. I park in my usual spot and rush into the conference room, where Aaron, Garcia and Morgan were already waiting. I take my seat to the left of Hotch where he had a steaming cup of espresso waiting for me. Minutes later Blake, JJ and Reid join us, filling their usual seats silently. Hotch and Garcia begin presenting the case as everyone sips their own preferred caffeine in the dawn light and glance at the file through still-groggy eyes.
Mike Bennett, a very important DIA official within the Pentagon, has asked us for our unmatched assistance in locating his secretaries children. Colleen, the secretary, was in the hospital last night. Labor and Delivery ward, to be specific, giving birth to her and Andre, her new fiances, twins. She already had 2 children, a 4 year old boy and a nearly 6 year old girl, with her ex-husband, Jeff. While she was at the hospital in L&D, her children were with her parents and they were kidnapped from there. They are still figuring out the details of the case and as soon as we arrive, they will be updating us directly.
Whenever the Intern, Jade Bennett, makes her appearance we will be ready to take off to the Pentagon. I sure hope the young lady does not make a mess of this case. Her first assignment as 'Media and Communications Liaison Intern'. She is still as interesting and intriguing as her resume was. I cannot figure out for the life of me, what made that resume jump out at me and that is probably why I cannot stop thinking about this girl. The few brief conversations I have had with her gave me the impression she is not similarly intrigued by me, and rather the opposite. Either bored or intimidated by me, she never seems to keep the conversation going beyond what politeness would dictate. She is a thorough worker, always goes above what we ask of her, polite and just enough of a mystery that I can't push her from the recesses of my mind. Wherever Jade is, I hope she is preparing and makes a grand entrance. For Mikes sake. He has to be out of his mind worrying, he is a great and caring fellow, plus this case as potential to go nationwide news. The bureau and the DIA do not need negative press. Part of the reason I am still in touch with the dear man is how kind he is and how the Corps did not deaden that spirit like it did for so many of our brothers.
Jade arrives, looking upset already. Hotch wraps up the briefing and we speed hastily out of the office. Hotch gives Jade a look and they stay behind briefly, surely to make sure she is okay with doing her job so close to home. I so desperately want to hang back as well so I can start to figure her out and find out why I could be so drawn to this very young lady on our team. The newest BAU member. The profiler in me needs to know. But I see the look Hotch throws my way and beat it out of the BAU and into the carport and rejoin the team. We pile into 2 SUVs and rush across the Potomac to the Pentagon where we are all whisked inside, rushing off to the second floor office where Mike is to be waiting to fully brief us on the details. Mike is surely coming to us not just because he and I are close friends and battle buddies, but because he and most of the Pentagon no longer trust HRT (Hostage Retrieval Team) due to "the 2010 incident" and we tell Jade so much. Nothing more needs stated, the incident is still rather fresh in everyone's mind. 4 years is not long at all after such a debacle and logistical nightmare.
We round the final corner to the end of the labyrinth, turning onto the corridor which houses Mikes office. Jade takes off in a dash for Mike Bennett, Pentagon Official. I share a quick 'wtf' look with Morgan and both of us open our mouths only to be silenced by Aaron's short shake of his head and raising of his right hand, to hold us both back. JJ and Blake both make slight sounds of protest before they, too, notice Aaron's signals to let this play out. Jade pulls Mike into a hug and he grips her tightly as she sorrowfully says "Oh Uncle Mike! I am so sorry you and Colleen are involved in something so terrible and wicked. Colleen finally had her babies and now the youngsters are missing!"
The entire team lets out a collective sigh of relief.
OH.
She is Mike's niece. I should have known. I shake my head at the obvious clues I missed, for a profiler I completely dropped the ball. Their hair is the exact same shade of golden-honey blonde and their vibrant green eyes are both slightly flecked with gold. Their attitude of caring yet fierceness is nearly identical. That is why her name stuck out to me. Jade Bennett. Mike Bennett. Of course. I look to Aaron and attempt to catch his eye, but he just straightens his tie and strides forward, extending his hand to Mike.
Formal introductions are made all around and the team enters his large, well apportioned office suite. The oak and mahogany furniture shines as if it were just polished and the entire space looks as if it hasn't seen a dust bunny in its entire existence. I could definitely get used to work in this kind of office. Not a single bit of clutter or item out of place. If I ever need a desk job, I'll request a lateral transfer into one of these offices. Mike lets us get situated in the office, his golden honey-blonde hair starting to thin and grey at the temples and he suddenly looks much older. This job or the current situation seems to be weighing him down. Both. Nearly 60 years old, working as a federal official and taking on the burdens of everyone he meets, he looks weary. I wonder if I look this weary too or if its worse. I straighten the cuffs of my Armani suit and listen to the updates Mike is providing us.
"Thanks for rushing over everyone. Colleen is still in the hospital with her newborns and her fiance. We are at hour 14, and we all know how critical the first 48 hours are in abduction cases. Colleen was in labor when her youngsters were taken from Colleen's parents home. Her new fiance, Andre, has not left her side since they dropped off the kids at the grandparents home on the way to the hospital. So far Colleen's ex-husband, Jeff, has a good alibi, he has been in California all week for a business trip, has been present for all meetings. When we called to check on him, he had been unaware of the situation, he immediately left and is currently on a flight back to DC. The ex-husbands new girlfriend has an alibi as well, her mother is staying with her while her place is being fumigated. Both women claim to have not left the house all day yesterday."
The team gathers around the desk, looking at the few files and photos Mike has collected and begin to form a plan. I stand off to the side and Mike walks over.
"Thank you, Dave. I appreciate the team coming over to help so quickly. Colleen called and was an absolute mess. She is in such a panic."
"Don't even think about it, Mike. We will get those youngsters back to Colleen by the time she is discharged from the delivery. And, hey, if you wanted to see me you didn't have to wait for the most dramatic moment. Just call me up, I'm still waiting for a rematch of the office chair race down the wheelchair ramp to the first floor."
"Dave, find those kids and we can have a race from the fifth floor down to the first, not just from my second floor landing." Mike manages the first real smile all day and looks closer to his old self. Looks more like the friend I knew my entire adult life. Good, I am glad the light hearted ribbing still gets him to smile.
"Deal. I didn't know your niece was interested in the BAU?" I shift my gaze to Jade, the young woman is very tense but trying her best to hide her anxiety and concern. I observe her fidgeting with the bottom button of her blouse. "Why didn't you ever mention Jade? I would have given her a tour at any time."
"I wouldn't want her to feel privileged and get to expect everything to be handed to her just because I'm such a success." Mike smiles broadly, also looking over to the niece he clearly dotes upon and loves with his whole life.
"Dave?" Aaron calls me over to undoubtedly give me my assignment. I walk back to the team, taking my place in the gap between Aaron and Jade. "JJ and Morgan are heading to the hospital to talk to Colleen and her fiance, Andre. Reid and I are going to the grandparents to see what happened last night. Everyone else needs to dig into the background of everyone involved in Colleen's family. Go back to infancy if you need to. Dave you are in charge here while I am off with Reid. Okay? Let's get these kids." Aaron rattles off assignments very matter of factly. His face is a tight mess of wrinkles and stress. Surely he is imagining Jack in the place of Colleen's 4 year old boy, Colin, and 6 year old girl, Orla.
As the team disperses, I call Garcia to have her start digging into everyone caught up with this case, the new fiance, Andre, and the ex-husband, Jeff, particularly, and looking into the women involved with these men. She promises to call back "quicker than a lightening fast rabbit who drank one of my espressos". Local DC police are already involved in a thorough check of the new girlfriends house and her mothers alibi, with orders to report directly to us.
The team pours over the facts, asking Mike more questions about the life of Colleen and her habits outside of work. We learn everything we can about her connections and her life. Colleen had an amicable divorce 3 years ago from her husband, they just didn't agree about how many kids they wanted, she wants a baseball team and he was more than content with their two. They have a very pleasant and cordial relationship, share joint custody with no concerns. Per Mike, Jeff the ex-husband is expected to land in Reagan at 10:00am and then directly report to the police station. The daughter, Orla, plays soccer in the same league as Jack and that fact tightens my heart, making me that much more eager to locate these youngsters and return them without a scratch.
Not even an hour into the investigation, my phone buzzes and I pull it out to see Garcia's name. "Hey Garcia, you're on speakerphone." I say, gathering everyone's attention. Everyone looks up and comes closer to hear what she found.
"My fine Italian Stallion, you'll be surprised at how fast I've unearthed these gems. So the fiance, Andre, he seems like a great guy, right? Well he dated this super mentally unstable woman, Amanda, for several years. They had it all, were high school sweethearts, the whole deal. Perfect, right. Wrong. Andre wanted kids, they both did, desperately. They were pregnant 4 different times and she could not carry past the first trimester. That added to her mental instability and contributed to the end of their relationship. Split up two and a half years ago, just before Andre met Colleen and they got together. Andre moves on and poor Amanda struggled. Amanda was in and out of inpatient psych wards over the last few years in order to control her depression and suicidal thoughts. Per the records I uncovered, she attempted suicide 5 times while at the one facility before she was transferred. She only spent about 3 weeks at the new ward before she was released."
Blake and Jade look up at that, it sounds quite compelling, a depressed ex who desperately wants kids and cannot have her own.
"Thank you Garcia, do you have a current address for this Amanda?"
"Already sent it to the team, as well as her most recent phone number."
"Keep digging cara* Garcia." I hang up the phone and begin to plan who will check on Amanda.
At this point, JJ and Morgan have returned from the hospital. We quickly fill them in on Garcia's work then they give us the details from the hospital. Mom and twins are healthy and doing well, but Colleen was unable to get any rest while her older children are missing. Morgan and I head out to the address Garcia sent to us.
"How long have you known Mike? 30 years?" Morgan asks me as he speeds through the city heading to the less prosperous neighborhood.
"Since I was 18 and we were doing our tour in 'Nam."
"And how long did you know our intern was his niece?"
"An hour now? Two?"
"Why do you think Hotch kept it from us? Everyone kept it from you?"
"I'm sure Hotch had an internal bureau politics reason, but I asked Mike and he said he wants her to work for everything just like we had to. Doesn't want his niece to be spoiled by his good fortune and high standing."
"Some friend to not even mention her to you."
"We haven't been so close the last few years. Listen, Morgan, I am on your side of this. I wish someone would have thought to mention it. Walking in blind like that could be dangerous. I'm glad it wasn't this time, but it could be."
At just the same moment as we pull into the drive, Garcia calls Morgan, informing us Amanda had not filled her psych meds since December and that was only a 30 day supply. Its been 3 and a half months. That doesn't bode well. Carefully, we approach the house and make our presence known before trying the door. It is locked. No car in the driveway and the garage door is shut. Morgan calls the number and we can hear it ring through the door. No lights or other sounds from the house. No hint of movement, no curtains twitch to indicate an occupant spying out.
Frustrated, we head into the police station to meet with Jeff, the grandparents and the rest of the team. As we walk in, Reid, Blake and Jade are discussing psychology, neuroscience and biochemistry as it relates to depression and current front-line depression treatments. Hotch informs Morgan and I that the grandmother was distracted by a "utility worker" last evening, who called her out of the front of the house to discuss where the gas line was in her yard due to a gas leak at the other end of the block. He kept her outside for maybe 10 minutes until "he got a call and they were able to contain the leak at the house shutoff valve." When the grandmother returned into the house, the children were gone. The grandfather was in the bathroom the whole time due to a recent health issue and didn't hear a single thing to call his attention. The grandmother states the children were playing with kinetic sand on the closed in back porch when the "utility worker" rang the bell out front. She was able to provide a good description of the "utility worker". Male, mid 30's, average height, toned to slightly muscular, Hispanic or possibly light-skinned African American, well shaved and hair buzzed short. Wearing a typical blue utility canvas jumpsuit. The team informs the local DC police it is essential to look for this "utility worker" as well as the ex, Amanda.
Aaron calls the team off to the side, to our make-shift station in order to solidify our next steps. Since time is of the essence, Mike, Aaron and the police chief all think it is time for a public appeal. Jade blanches at the mention, all color gone from her face, knowing it will be her first time on the television. We all give her a few pointers and words of encouragement. The team disperses to talk among themselves about the case and wait for the news crews to set up. It appears like our pep talk had the opposite effect, Jade rather than looking emboldened and proud, looks rather more pale and panicked than before. I walk up to her and gently guide her to a quiet corner of the station.
"What is wrong Tesoro*?" I gently and softly ask, putting a tender hand on her shoulder and looking down into her concerned green eyes.
"David, I don't know what to do. I've never been on television before. Well not real television, I've done the school TV and college stations, but there were never more than a few hundred other students who saw me. It wasn't a major news station. People I know will see me, my professors will probably see this! Judge me. What if I mess up, lisp, stutter? What if I say the wrong thing? What if the unsub sees this appeal and decides to kill the children because of what I say? What if I squint or have an eyelash on my face or what if I don't look in the right spot and it looks unprofessional? What if I mess up so bad Aaron fires me? What if I can't do it? What if I-"
"Shhhh, breathe, tesoro." I mutter softly, stepping half a step closer to Jade. I move my right hand from her shoulder down and grab her hands with both of mine, squeezing tightly, pulling her back into the moment. "Breathe" I repeat gently and she listens. She closes her vibrant green eyes and takes 3 soft and deep breaths. God, she doesn't realize how amazing she is. Hotch said she was the only candidate who stared he and Cruz down. The girl has balls, why did she forget that right now? I rub a gentle circle into the back of her hand with my thumb and she opens her eyes, breathing almost back to normal and her eyes look less crazed. Her chest rising and falling only slightly, no where near hyperventilating any longer. "Breathe, Jade. You are amazing. Hotch wouldn't have taken you on as an intern if he didn't feel 100% confidence in your ability to be the best Media and Communications Liaison for the Bureau. You have already done so much. We are all here with you. We believe in you." I honestly tell her, her eyes meeting mine for the very first time. Her pupils dilate, our eyes locked, and her breathing catches for one breath before I continue, voice softer than before, a careful whisper, "I believe in you, tesoro."
"Why do you keep calling me your treasure, David? You didn't find me, Aaron did." She replies, her soft and sweet voice as quietly as I am speaking.
"I think you are a treasure for the team. Its a nickname that suits you. You seem to be the missing piece." I tell her, impressed. "You speak Italian?"
"No, I'm fluent in French and had 6 years of Spanish in middle school and high school. Tesoro is treasure in Spanish too."
I smile down at the beautiful young woman and have to fight the sudden urge that sweeps through me, to pull her close and place a kiss on her forehead. When her breath caught while we finally made eye contact, I felt a pull, a shift. She is no longer just a curiosity, but a girl I feel the need to protect.
"Someone who knows so much, is the top of her class and yet you don't think you can talk on camera for 5 minutes? You are the best of the best. Everyone is rooting for you and we would never expect you to do something you are not ready for. We won't be far, just a step behind you."
"You promise, David?"
"Only if you stop calling me David. Rossi or Dave works just fine for me." I smile down to her and continue to struggle with the urge to close the distance and pull her against me. She looks so vulnerable.
"Fine, Dave. Please don't abandon me in my darkest hour. My moment of weakness." Jade smiles, takes another deep breath and looks much closer to the confident young woman I had come to know over the last two weeks.
"Great, tesoro. If JJ could manage this job for years and she only has 1 degree, I am fully confident you can manage a 5 minute plea. You have enough degrees to compete with Blake and Reid, you can banter back and forth with them over complex medical and psychological concepts and hold your own. Are you ready to get on the news?" I ask as I force myself to let go of her hands and step back. Jade looks down and caresses her own hand where my thumbs just were as if she misses the touch already. I need to be careful or Hotch and Cruz will be up my ass about another harassment case.
"Yeah, lets go and save Colleen's kids!" Jade replies, smiling and brushing past me to the make-shift television set and strides up to the podium, adjusting her chocolate brown blazer over her mint green blouse and tucking a strand of golden honey-blonde hair behind her left ear.
True to my word, I follow Jade in front of the camera and give the rest of the team a look to get them to join me, for support. Mike stands on her other side, JJ beside me, and Reid on her other side. Beside Mike is Morgan, Blake then Aaron. Again, I straighten the cuffs and collar of my Armani suit before sliding my hands into the pockets of my jacket and look lazily and confidently around the room. Aaron catches my eye, raises his eyebrow as if to say he saw the entire conversation I had with Jade, and I keep my gaze moving until it rests on the camera as if I didn't even notice. Nothing went on that he should be worried about. If the new intern needs a gentle prodding from me to get confident for the news, if it helps find those children, I'll do it again and I plan to tell Aaron so much when he tracks me down the second the news cameras stop rolling.
They record the piece in time to get it on the 12 o'clock news as the breaking story. Jade takes a deep breath and does well, looking just as natural and composed as JJ in her peak. All that panic and hyperventilation was for nothing. She hits all they key points, has a confident voice which conveys the urgency and layers a warm tone to capture the heartstrings. She only looks over to Mike once toward the beginning, before she finds her stride and cadence for a slight boost in confidence to continue and didn't even seem to acknowledge that I was to her other side, or that the rest of the team were there at all. Good, she kept good eye contact with the camera. I doubt any of the viewers would know it was her first time on a major news network. She is one of us now, and I fully believe she will be offered the position if Aaron knows what is good for the team.
As soon as the cameras turn off, Mike pulls her into a deep bear hug and the team offers congratulations and praise. Aaron catches my eye and this time I don't pretend that I didn't see it. We walk into the hallway and prepare for a stubborn butting of heads.
"Dave, I saw what you were doing. You cannot think it is acceptable to hold hands with this young lady." Aaron lectures, but I interject before he can get in full swing.
"I cannot think that is acceptable, but you think it is fine to keep her family from me? You surely remember the 2010 incident. You know Mike and I are friends. Why not tell me even if you wanted to keep it from the team?" I mock his tone and turn the question back on him.
"It is not my common practice to share the genealogy of all new hires and interns with the team. I wasn't under the impression that our interns family history and extended relatives needed to be known and there certainly wasn't time for a history lesson before we rushed over here."
"Not even if it is a friend of your best friends and THE MAN CALLING IN THE CASE WE ARE RUSHING OFF AT DAWN? We saw her rush into the mans arms, what were we supposed to be thinking?"
"I didn't know beforehand that Mike was going to need our assistance so soon. It also wasn't my story to tell. Why aren't you terrorizing and screaming at her-"
"I am not screaming at her because she is not in charge here, she is not the team leader." I respond, pulling myself together a bit, straightening and smoothing my hair back.
"Right, maybe you need to remember who is team leader, Dave. I have this position for a reason. I make my decisions based on reason, logic and importance." Aaron replies, keeping his cool, his stern gaze staring into me, trying to intimidate me into calmness. "When she told me during the interview that her uncle was Mike Bennett with the DIA in ring 5, I made a note to mention to you, but I was not about to spoil her secret until I could see her in the field. If she was going to be a worker to make Mike proud. Then this morning with the call, I realized my best plans sometimes are foiled by the devil."
"I know, Aaron, I know. I just would have appreciated a bit of warning. We all were thrown off when she rushed into the arms of the first case we bring her on. Come on, not even a 'heads up Jade knows Mike' group text?"
"You know Reid never reads those, Garcia and I always have to call him personally."
"That kid is worse with technology than I am, and that really says something." I respond before continuing with the issue at hand, "Aaron, I saw the girl was panicking and was about to have a breakdown before she had to go on the television. If the new intern needs a gentle prodding from me to get confident for the news, if it helps find those children, I'll do it again. Every damn time, Aaron. We need to do everything we can every second counts for these kids. Its almost 18 hours now. We are nearing a day in, and we are not a damn inch closer to finding the youngsters than we were when we arrived at 7:30."
"I know you care, Dave, but please be more mindful of your methods. I have vouched for you more than enough times. Erin vouched for you. Cruz is vouching for you now. Please do not have a new complaint against you. If she makes a complaint she will likely go through the training in Quantico then be assigned to a different team."
"You think I don't know that? Aaron, it worked, she stopped hyperventilating and returned to her confident and bright self. The girl was a minute from passing out and I got her back in the game, brought out the girl with the balls to stare you and Mateo down across the conference table." I grin to Aaron and he grins back, I realize we have settled this disagreement for now. Agreeing to disagree is probably the entire cornerstone`` of Aaron and my close friendship.
We head back into the office space and help answer the tip lines and sort through the calls. About 45 minutes after Jades piece aired, Blake answers a call that seems credible. She takes the information down. A neighbor states he saw children in their neighbors basement, but they were too small to be the couples grandchildren, however they look just like the youngsters in the news. The neighbor was doing his yard work, cleaning up his yard from the winter and getting ready to plant his wife's flowers. His shed is near the corner of the property, right next to their basement window. When he dropped his rake, he bent to pick it up, he happened to see the two children in the basement window. They looked very scared and just like the youngsters he just saw before he came outside to start the project. He left the rake and rushed inside to make the phone call.
The team rushes to our SUVs and speed over to the address the man gave, with metro PD leading the way, sirens blaring. We get into the basement, the children are fine, traumatized a bit, but fine. Morgan checks the rest of the house, Amanda was hiding in the house as well, while the homeowners were trying to figure out what to do. We bring everyone to the station. Upon questioning the homeowners and Amanda supply us a full story.
Amanda had taken the children to her estranged mother, the homeowner, showing up for the first time since Andre broke up with her. Relieved to see her daughter, but puzzled and scared for the strange children, the woman allowed them into the house. Amanda refused to tell her parents where the children came from or who they were. Any time the children would try to speak, Amanda would shout at them to shut up or slap their cheeks. They ushered the children into the basement and made sure they had food, water and air mattresses while Amanda's mother and father tried to figure out anything about the children. Amanda kept her silence and said the youngsters were "a gift from God." The mother brought dinner and ice cream down to the basement and then brought more blankets before bed so they could be comfortable. She kept asking Amanda about her medications and where the kids came from. If she were babysitting for a friend, or whatnot. No answers.
Then, once in the station, when we interrogated Amanda, she finally opened up. She made a friend during her last stay with inpatient psych, and they became very close. When they were both released in February, she found out that Andre was engaged and his fiancee is pregnant. Her friend helped Amanda plan how to get the kids away from him while they were in the hospital. They watched Colleen, Andre and the kids for the month. Finally, Colleen went into labor, it all happened and she acted, ready for her dream. The friend distracted the grandparents while Amanda went around back and grabbed the kids, sneaking them off through the backyard and into her waiting car. Amanda named her friend, and where he lived. Officers left to collect him.
At the end of the day, Andre came to collect his children and bring them to the hospital with Colleen and the twins, Jennifer and Jade. Fitting name for the babies, two very strong and amazing women to be named after. Agents got back into our SUVs and returned to the J. Edgar Hoover building and prepare to return home after a very eventful day. Paperwork can wait until morning. Jade mentions she was surprised to see her uncle so soon, as she wasn't planning to see him until this weekend. She is going to be attending his wedding. Thankfully we were able to catch the unsub and reunite the children with Colleen. Now Mike can go back to planning his wedding, well, he can return to doing whatever his fiance tells him without worrying. I smile to myself, I forgot I was also planning to attend the wedding. I don't mention anything in the SUV ride, allowing Jade and JJ to chat in the back seat about weddings, dresses, decorations and whatever women enjoy so much about weddings. We exit the SUV and head from the bureaus carport where all our SUVs are stored, I turn in the keys and follow the girls to the parking lot. JJ pauses and indicates she parked in the upper lot. We say goodnight and the ladies briefly hug before Jade and I continue through the lower level. The sun setting so early in the evening leaves this level of the parking lot covered in deep shadows at this hour.
"So, tesoro, are you going to be a bridesmaid on Saturday, or do you get to actually enjoy the wedding?" I ask, looking at Jade and she is still the confident lady who can take on a news brief, but when she pulls her jacket in close to ward off the chill, she looks vulnerable again and I fight to keep my arm from wrapping around her.
"Just a guest, David- Dave! I never realized you were friends with Uncle Mike. I thought you looked familiar, I thought it must have been your face on the dust jacket that I've seen somewhere, but today I realized you were the guy Uncle Mike has a picture with in Vegas." She replies, strolling toward my car, and then I notice her older Honda Civic parked just beyond it. Of course she wouldn't let Mike buy her something, she has to buy it on her own.
"Haha, yeah he was out there with me when I met the 3rd Mrs. Rossi."
"It should be a fun night, Uncle Mike has a great taste in wine." She continues the conversation as we stop between the cars.
"Scotch too. Have a great night, Jade."
"You too, Dave. Thanks for talking me off the ledge." Jade smiles up to me, standing just half a step from me. I look down and notice just the faintest hint of a blush rising on her cheeks.
"Drive safe. And talk to Mike about getting a better set of wheels."
She just laughs as she gets into the car and shuts the door. Shaking my head, I do the same and wonder what exactly is going on. I have to be careful when pretty women smile at me, it is too easy to fall into the familiar pattern and truthfully Aaron was right earlier, I don't need to say the wrong thing and make her uncomfortable, getting her reassigned. Before I pull out of the parking lot, I look at my phone and see one missed call from Aaron. I call him back and he picks up on the first ring.
"Don't mess this up."
"What?" I mutter, driving off and notice Aaron in his new SUV at the far side of the lot. Of course he watched the whole conversation and his eagle eyes undoubtedly noticed the closeness, the smiles.
"Jade."
"Aaron. C'mon. She is the pretty niece of a good friend. She's our intern."
"You said pretty first."
"Are you profiling me? I thought you wanted to keep her around. Shouldn't we get along?"
"Dave. I'm warning you. As your boss. Do not mess this up."
I hang up the phone without replying and focus on the rest of the drive home.
*cara = Italian for dear
*Tesoro = Italian for sweetheart, treasure, darling
"The saddest thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies." Unknown
