Chapter XXXII - EPILOGUE
"It was love at first sight, at last sight, at ever and ever sight." ~ Vladimir Nabokov
Two months later...
It was the day that Dave had his annual meeting with Yates. It was his birthday, as well, but during those years this had become the least important. A meeting with a serial killer, a finding of a body and a visit to the victim's next of kin to give them the news, a monster, a dead young woman and crying parents, what a way to expect his birthday... Rossi was always going to the office after all that, never home. Even big, the house seemed small. At least in his office, surrounded by his files, he could feel that what he was doing had a meaning. Another year facing the same nightmares, meeting the same monster again would have a purpose.
When he closed the door of the office behind him deep in his thoughts, he noticed that his office wasn't pitch dark, even though the blinds were still down, as he had left them. The floor lamp by his desk was on and Gloria was leaning on the bookcase behind it. She had some meeting in the building assuming from her business attire in a black, knee-long skirt and a black shirt with green stripes, her dark green blazer left on his couch. She had found his hidden bottle of whiskey and she had poured two glasses, holding hers in hand.
She looked at him but she didn't speak.
Rossi froze. Everyone was watching him a bit the next day, just to be sure that all was back to normal. But everyone knew not to bother him on that evening.
He hadn't told her that story at all. He had never planned to but he had, also, given himself the excuse that he didn't have the chance. The truth was that he had plenty of time. After the hospital, he had insisted on Gloria staying with him. He, who never used his holiday days, had taken time off to stay home and take care of her. Only once she started feeling better, he had come back to the BAU. Hotch had left him back with Garcia for a couple of cases for him to be able to return home every night. By then Gloria was back on her feet and the two recent cases back to back had dragged him away from DC for longer than the anticipated. He had thought that the "follow-up on an old one" he had half-lied about on the phone would have kept her away till the day after. But there she was.
Honestly, he didn't know how to handle it. He didn't want any human interaction that day. He had left all the women of his life away from the bad things of his job that followed him around.
"It's late," he said coldly.
He sat in his chair dropping his bag on the floor in his way. He took the filled glass in his hand and taking a long sip, letting the fluid burn his throat.
"Thanks," he murmured.
Gloria watched him for a bit and then she decided to speak.
"You know I am not gonna ask the cliché 'are you OK?' question. This is going on for years. Of course, you are going to be OK."
"Good. Then why are you here?" he asked.
"Penelope was anxious and she told me," she replied approaching his desk.
Dave shook his head. Garcia... Always worrying and always telling his secrets. During his first months in BAU, she uncovered his 'unfinished' business, sending the team to his assistance. However, that was the day he had become a real part of the team. He learned to trust them, to share, because sharing is a learned skill, as he had said himself. And she was sending the woman that he loved that tough night...
"Come on. You know how she is. She wants her 'babies' to be fine."
David didn't reply and didn't raise his eyes. He just took another sip.
Gloria wasn't used to David having such a cold attitude towards her. She was the one kicking back and during the weeks since the hospital, she had stopped it. But she knew that Dave didn't like people's attention when he was having hard times. Rossi was a lone wolf after all. He was putting up with everyone's issues, helping, making them laugh but deep down he wanted his space, his books, his loneliness, and his demons. She wasn't trying to change him. She knew from herself that people don't change.
"So you are not going anywhere, are you?" he said low.
"Would you?" she raised an eyebrow.
"It's not the same..." he shook his head.
Gloria let his words drop. 'It wasn't the same' not only because of his lone wolf ways, but because he didn't want to upset her with his own problems. She had confessed to him horrible things. She had almost died in his arms. He had nursed her back to health. But he should stop being overly protective. She had her troubles which weren't going to disappear in eight weeks. That didn't mean that she didn't have the brain or the stomach to support. Even if she knew that he was thinking like that out of the best of intentions, it hurt. He had to understand that she was there for him, too, and not only the other way around. What they had would never be healthy otherwise.
"I understand you are used to dealing with it on your own, that I am unnerving you by being here. But I can't stand the thought of being alone in an empty room..."
He finally turned towards her. For a moment he let himself see that beautiful woman in front of him and cherish the care glowing in her green orbs already swimming in water pooled by compassion. He shouldn't be that ungrateful for coming back from the darkness to that sight.
"You are not unnerving me..." he murmured.
Silence fell for many minutes and David was content. But after a while, he felt unsettled. He wasn't alone but she was just there. Any other person would have tried to console him, say soft words, make him talk, giving him an excuse to push them away. But Gloria didn't. Then he realised that he wasn't really expected to say or do anything at all. Gloria wasn't some high school sweetheart, some diplomat or some gallerist, like some od the women he had been involved with before. She wasn't even a regular agent, she wasn't 'most people'. David had spent most of the recent days to take care of her, to support her, to give her all she almost never had: understanding, tenderness, love. He had never forgotten who she was but it had slipped his mind. She was a woman that had seen the darkness, too, and had an incredible skill of reading people and adjusting her behaviour. She had been aware of what was going on in his head way before he stepped into the office. She knew him, she knew that soft words wouldn't work with him. She understood and respected his boundaries. He had the free reign to do what he felt he needed, nothing would shock, scare or offend her. So given that security, even though he could just stay in silence, he decided to speak. Her methods were working, he thought. The fact that he was a profiler and he could tell them didn't mean that they were wrong.
"I had been hunting Yates since the '90s. We caught him in 2009. He eventually confessed to having killed 101 women and he gave us 40 burying sites in exchange for a life sentence instead of the death penalty. Since then he has given me four more," he narrated stuff that she probably already knew from Garcia.
"Every year, on the same day..." Gloria commented.
"Every year, I sit with him, treating him like the human being he is not only to be given this..." David reached into his pocket pulling Yates' 'birthday card' out and he threw it on the desk.
A female name and a location were scribbled on the card, along with a 'Happy birthday, Agent Rossi'. The phrase 'more to come' was added at the end. That card on its own was a torment.
She noticed how the sadness in his voice was getting quickly overpowered by anger. Of course, Agent Rossi was used to death. He had found young victims before. He had notified families before. Thomas Yates wasn't even the first murderer having taken more than 100 lives that Dave had met. He was sad but it wasn't what bothered him the most. What he wasn't used to was letting a monster torture him.
"And the truth is neither he nor I will live long enough to find them all. This? All this? It will never give all the answers. And it will never end."
Gloria knew there was nothing of real meaning to reply. That he couldn't control everything? That in that job he couldn't always discover all? That at least he helped one family at a time and that counted? David Rossi was the writer of those phrases. He knew it all. Those were the reasons he kept visiting that killer in prison. But there weren't any reasons to stop how he was feeling from putting himself in that situation.
With nothing to say to his burst, Gloria's eager need to take his pain away, that she was suppressing all that time, overpowered her plan of waiting for the lone wolf to get used to her, to take his time and his space and come to her only when he wanted to. She instinctively slipped on his lap, passed her arms around his neck and hugged him.
David stiffened. He wasn't used to human interaction during that day of the year, even less human contact. He was less of a human himself. He had lost a piece of himself during that visit to Yates, one more monster had chewed one more piece away all over again. He was boiling, angry with that monster, angry with life, angry with himself, angry with his choices. She shouldn't be witnessing him like that. She shouldn't be that close to him. It was one of those days when his ego had taken over before, when he had asked for selfish exchanges, when he had wanted to gain something back. Gloria had once made him change those ways and surprisingly that similar moment she had abandoned whatever her skills had told her. While David always believed that that day was one of those without answers and quotes to sum them up, she felt like the answer. The envelopment of her warmth, of her soft body, that once gave him redemption and he hadn't touched still, felt instantly like the only things on the planet that could fill that hole in his soul...
"Gloria..." he muttered warningly but he was never able to push her away and she would never pull back.
And he needed so desperately to be whole again...
His hand went to the back of her neck and drove her mouth to his abruptly. He captured her lips, taking advantage as they parted in surprise. She responded back but she was letting him have the upper hand, not that he was leaving her much of a choice, anyway. His hand guided her, as his tongue roamed every single corner of her mouth. David got in seconds the same high he had all the previous times he was so intimate with her, a high that only her taste and her smell could bring. No, no, the monster wouldn't win. He would claim back his piece. She had it. She was the antidote. Only when he felt her gasping for air, he left her lips and attacked her neck. He licked and sucked and bit every single inch of the skin, going even harder on all the sensitive spots he remembered, eliciting moans from her that drove him even more frenzy. She was already burning up. He had to feel more, he had to. He pulled her shirt out of her skirt roughly, one hand went underneath it while the other went to her front undoing buttons, exposing more skin to devour.
Gloria's mind was taken over by his ministrations. The truth was that all the time she had been staying in David's house they had been sleeping together. But that was all they had done, just sleeping. The first couple of weeks she could barely move her upper body without pain and David was scared of even letting her go up and down the stairs on her own in case she got dizzy from the medicines. Moving further than mouth kisses and hugs was out of question for both sides. Even when the pain subsided, she hadn't really tried to encourage him. Her female insecurities had kicked in as she had still looked more like a Dalmatian dog than a woman. She, also, knew that he would have restrained himself too much, only to give her pleasure and not take his, in case of hurting her. But by then the bruises had fainted and her body had always been starving for him. His touches were forceful and possessive, not his usual erotic play, at least not only five minutes into it. She didn't mind, as long as he felt more alive than the moment he stepped into that room. He was demanding and she was on fire and very much willing to oblige.
David did feel alive. She felt like life. She felt like home. She was moving against him so magnificently, her lips worshipping his own neck, one hand massaging his scalp, one on his chest, running the short nails on it, she did remember that he liked that. His fingers molding her soft curves, brought the start of her right breast to his mouth and he sucked it fiercely. She let a moan louder than the previous. Those sounds, her sounds... With a sharp movement he stood up pushing her firmly to sit on his desk, and he slipped between her legs. He gagged his and her groan with a feverish kiss, as he roamed her stocking covered thighs and she rubbed on him eagerly. How this gorgeous woman could lust after him that much he didn't know and he wouldn't argue. Gorgeous... He hadn't really seen her properly, had he?
While he brought both of his palms up to push the cups of her bra away, he suddenly noticed bright red marks all over her chest and neck. He froze. He had been cruel on the pale skin. He realised he had been taking the frustration of his head out on her flesh. What was that with them confiding to lust during hard times? He had reacted almost the same she had two months ago on the sofa opposite him. But he was close to violent and she wasn't stopping him.
"I'm hurting you," he tried to pull back in guilt.
Gloria tightened her arms around him preventing him from stepping away and losing contact.
"Do I look like I'm hurting?" she asked half-breathed.
The truth was that with her lips swollen, her cheeks flushed, her hair messy from his fingers, her black satin bra peeking through the semi-open shirt, the lacy top of her stockings visible as her skirt rode high, her body on his desk hot, open and willing, she looked exactly like in his fantasies. Rossi swallowed hard. This woman was his salvation and his sin at the same time.
Gloria brought her hands to his cheeks and made him meet her eyes fully. David found himself immersed in the depths of her green, big orbs. When he had been lost, he had seen the best of him into those eyes. Then he saw the understanding of his turmoil and the full acceptance of his worst.
"Whatever you give, I can take it. Whatever you want, I can give it," she spoke quietly, "I love you so much, David... I want you so much... No matter what."
He always knew how much in love he was with her. But still blinded by his own insecurities he hadn't realised how much in love she was. And there she was, baring her soul like that, admitting that she was his for the taking. That woman who had faced so much had placed her heart and body right in front of him. And that was a valuable and fragile gift. Tears came to his eyes. It was the overwhelming realisation. It was the sadness of the day that always camouflaged itself in anger and distance from the others and that he only let out when he was alone. But Gloria had broken through his lonely ways finally.
He caught her mouth once more, tilting her head backward. That time there was no sexual demand. There was just a need to feel what he saw. He pulled her lips with his, he even stole her breath and she was offering it to him. He finally let his tears fall. She tasted them and her fingers wiped them away. He cried more and she swallowed his sobs. He almost squashed her against his chest and she held him even more tightly with her whole body, completely melting into him. Love, passion, devotion: David had never experienced those feelings to that depth from another woman, even less after the worst day of the year...
Probably that was all he ever needed to recover his missing pieces. He didn't know for how long he was crying and kissing her. When he broke the kiss and placed his forehead against hers he had indeed started feeling like a whole human being again.
"You do know I love you as much, right?" he whispered.
"I know..."
Then David realised that Gloria was still half undressed on his office with him fully clothed between her legs, a vulgar image in complete contrast with the exchange of emotions that had just taken place. He could already tell that times like these would happen again in the future when he or she battered from the life and the job would seek the comfort of the other's body in abrupt ways and it would be given freely. But not that night. Their first time again shouldn't be a rushed and muffled quickie on a desk to send the pain away.
His hand slipped to tuck her shirt in her skirt and he noticed that she shivered. She blushed instantly, dropping her eyes.
"And I want you as much, too," he reassured her in her ear. "But after so long, we both deserve better than this."
She nodded, as he buttoned her shirt and tidied her hair and she smiled softly at the gesture. His stomach growled all of a sudden.
"Someone sounds hungry," she rubbed his stomach, "I hope sausages with mush sound appealing."
"Melinda never cooked that before," David frowned. Melinda was his housekeeper that cleaned his house and occasionally cooked, too.
"She didn't cook. I did."
"You cooked?" he asked, that definitely caught his attention.
Gloria smiled a bit with his amusement.
"I know the basics around a pot and an oven, Dave. And before you ask, your kitchen is still in perfect condition."
David watched her as she hopped off his desk straightening her skirt.
"How come out of all the days, you picked that one to make dinner?" he asked softly, he had never told her when his birthday was.
"You can lie to all except me, Agent Rossi. I knew that something more serious was up, ten seconds into your call about that old case follow-up. I had a feeling even before, anyway. When Pen told me, it was just confirmed. Come on. Let's go home. Let me take care of you," she caressed his chest.
David was so used to take care of others, but no one had taken care of him before. He had never asked, to be honest.
"Let's get out of here, stella mia," he breathed.
They would go to his house, indulge those sausages, probably have two or three shots of his whiskey, relax, forget the darkness and when the lovemaking would come, it would be in the comfort of his bed, where he would be able to treasure her and enjoy her and show her that she wasn't just his redemption and cure; she was his own love, and passion, and life...
Erin spotted two silhouettes as she turned the corridor to get to the elevator. She glanced, careful to stay hidden. She recognised Gloria and David approaching the lift.
They were almost in the way she had found them in the parking lot before Hathaway's bomb: 'glued to each other', as she had described it. Dave had his hand around Gloria's shoulders. She had hers around his back while the other was clinging on his jacket. They looked absorbed in their own little world, as David pressed a soft peck to her lips.
As Erin was pushing down the thought that yes, they were allowed to be together but these affections should have stayed out of the working place even after hours, debating if it was professionalism or jealousy behind that thought, David reached for the button and surprised she saw the veteran agent smiling. She got a glimpse of Gloria's face, too, and then Erin felt ashamed not only for spying on that private moment but mainly for seeing the British woman's expression because she was sure that it was never meant to be witnessed by anyone else except David. For an agent trained to hide, it couldn't be more telling and even for an agent trained to deceive, it couldn't be pretend. She had never thought it was possible for a woman to look at a man with so much adoration, care and need, all at the same time, even less for 'that' woman.
Strauss knew what day it was. That day everybody knew better than to interfere with Rossi. But that woman went into the wolf's cave and managed to take him out, to make him smile. She could offer him more, not only more, everything, not because she was younger or beautiful, but because those two people, no matter how it looked on the surface, had a strange, unique bond. And with that thought, Erin waited for the lift to go down before she walked slowly towards it, making sure that they were gone by the time she reached the parking lot...
One more month later...
Hotch and Emily's wedding was going to take place in David's yard, as it seemed like becoming a tradition. That time it hadn't been a surprise, though, so there were some preparations, a few of them since the couple had decided to keep it simple. Only the team, a few close relatives and friends would be present. Gloria and Penelope had taken on the roles of the bridesmaids, typically Gloria was the maid of honour but Garcia was equally involved. Rossi was to be the best man. He took Hotch tuxedo and wedding rings shopping, in between getting entertained with the laughs on his property. The girls had dragged Morgan along to put up the decorations and do any fixings in the garden, not that they needed him really, but it always was fun to give him instructions. Of course, Morgan had the tendency of not following them and one of the teases had ended up with Emily shoving him into the pool and him promising playfully a payback after she gave birth.
Emily's pregnancy was thankfully very easy apart from the occasional dizziness during the first couple of months. Only Hotch joked regularly with her getting emotional while watching SpongeBob and other kid movies with Jack. They had done all the checks. The baby was healthy and actually, it was a girl. Morgan had made clear to Garcia that her nickname was about to be shared and Pen had already gifted the couple a onesie with 'Babygirl' printed on.
The big day finally came. The team had been on stand down a week before the wedding and they were off duty for three weeks after, one of the longer periods they ever been off. Hotch and Emily had their honeymoon booked in Hawaii with Jack. JJ and Will were planning to take Henry and spend some time with JJ's parents and then go to New Orleans to Will's. Garcia, Reid, and Morgan would travel to Los Angeles, the first two would have finally the chance to attend the Comic-on there and Morgan to explore the beaches, the nightlife, and the ladies. While most of the team were to head west, Rossi and Gloria would fly to London. She had to attend some meetings with MI6 and they took the opportunity to spend some time where they first met. Only Blake would stay in Washington, but her husband was visiting from overseas, so there would be days happily spent. So everybody was thrilled not only for celebrating the wedding of their two friends but also for the coming holidays.
"I would have said that's your last chance to escape. But with the woman about to tie the knot with, never even think of it, bro," Hotchner's brother patted him on the back holding Jack by the other hand, as they waited for the bride.
"I went to the other side of the world and told her I love her. I can't escape..." Hotch smiled.
Like Aaron couldn't have imagined spending last Christmas with Emily, he thought that he was dreaming while watching Emily walking towards him. She looked stunning in the creamy white maxi dress with a silk lilac ribbon just below the bust to match with the flower decoration and the bridesmaids' dresses. It was getting flow from the waist down, loose over her growing belly. A little bit more than a year ago, they had said their goodbyes on that same ground and then they were getting married, expecting their daughter in less than five months.
Emily felt like she was dreaming, as well, holding her father's arm as they walked down the aisle. Edward Prentiss had promised his daughter a long time ago that he would never miss her wedding and he kept his promise. Emily had missed her father at all the important moments of her life. But at least he was there at the most important. Thanks to having the attack on him solved, he could be less cautious. None of this could have been like that if that New Paradise Demons case hadn't been solved. None of this could have happened at all if it had ended in any other way, if 'a' friend of hers hadn't taken the fall and the hit on her. Emily looked at Gloria thankfully, as she stood on the other side of the altar. Gloria smiled happily back at her, not registering Emily's thankfulness because to her she had just done what she had to, protecting her people was just natural to her. The baby was lucky to have a Godmother like her.
When Emily took the bouquet of flowers from Aaron, she realised it was a moment she ever wished for and she had never really admitted. She was a tough agent, somehow dreaming of a flowery wedding had seemed a bit too girly to her. But it was the feeling she had longed for, the feeling of finally having it all. Her job was great, any political problems were over. But that was the least important. Right then she was surrounded by lifelong friends. She had a boy looking at her admiringly. She was about to promise to the man she had been in love with for so long that she would be his forever. The baby inside her was kicking with excitement.
So the oaths were exchanged.
"Love is a short word, easy to spell, difficult to define, and impossible to live without. Love doesn't always come easy. Love is overcoming obstacles, facing challenges, fighting to be together, holding on and never letting go. And we have done all that together. Love is what you've given me. That's what I'll give you forever."
The music was turned on, the food was served and the alcohol ran and the party started.
"Have I told you that you look amazing in this dress?" David said to Gloria as they danced, checking out once more the silk dress she was wearing.
Thankfully she had convinced Garcia to stay away from getting any princess type of dress for the bridesmaids. The back of the dress was closed with a deep -but not too deep- V-neck. The end was uneven, reaching three inches over the knees on the front and the middle of the calf on the back. Garcia had added tastefully a large brooch and a same coloured belt. Gloria had kept it simple and for David, she didn't need anything more. The soft material was hugging deliciously her curves that had grown back thanks to his cuisine, the lilac colour matching perfectly the pale skin and the red, curly hair making her green eyes pop.
"Do you mean how many times you've said that since the moment I put it on?" she teased, "Well... You don' look bad yourself," she added huskily.
"Hmm... I know... Someone couldn't keep their hands off me before the guests arrived," he whispered back in her ear, "You have a thing for tuxedos, bella?"
Gloria laughed remembering how against that posh garment she used to be.
"I think I have a thing for 'you' in tuxedos. And imagine I hadn't even eaten yet all these mussels and prawns. It seems like they do really work, you know."
"What?" Rossi got confused.
"Why do you think the plate of all that aphrodisiac stuff was added in the menu in the first place?" she giggled.
"Really?" he frowned playfully.
"Oh yep. Miss Penelope Garcia's idea! And Spencer did explain the scientific theory. I can enlighten you about the chemistry of these little creatures of the sea if you want."
"Nah, I think I'll just stick with their effects," he winked, as they both laughed.
"I haven't seen Ria that happy for a very long time," Emily said to Hotch, both watching their friends with amusement for one more time, "And well, I'm not even commenting about Rossi. He's on cloud nine 24/7."
"Tell me about it. It's the new subject of Morgan's constant teasing," Aaron replied.
"Speaking of Morgan, please tell me that he wanted to drag you to some strip clubs for the bachelor's!" Emily laughed just picturing Aaron's face in response to such a proposal to which, of course, he wasn't a fan.
"He wouldn't dare to suggest it!" Hotch laughed, too, "We settled for the jazz club where both him and Dave frequent. It was quiet and uneventful."
"Ours, as well. I have to admit Garcia's non-alcoholic cocktails were quite inventing," Emily continued smiling. She couldn't drink due to her pregnancy, so the whole bachelorette party had taken place in Penelope's place, "Poor Ria, though, had to go through interrogation and she got as red as her hair. Our tech girl is far too intrigued by her relationship with your legendary friend and she is not shy to ask 'anything' and by anything, I mean hot and scandalous included."
"Most of the time I avoid thinking what Garcia knows from your girl talks..."
"No need to worry, Aaron." Emily giggled, "And neither does Rossi! Trust me!" she winked.
"Oh please...!" Hotch shook his head laughing.
He had all these affections between his friend and the British woman in front of him. He still didn't need the mental image of what was happening after...!
They both noticed Emily's parents coming over to them. Honestly, Emily had very rarely seen her parents together, probably only when she was a toddler.
"Are you enjoying yourselves?" Hotch asked.
"Very delightful celebration," Edward Prentiss replied, "Congratulations. We have already congratulated your best man and his companion."
He smiled towards the couple still dancing and laughing. He had once seen the British woman during the worst time of her life. He was glad that the second time was a joyful one. He hadn't revealed to anyone other than Hotch that he had been aware of the whole Blackmore story ahead, that he had known Richard Whelan, or been at his funeral. When they were properly introduced, Gloria had seemed for a few moments like she had remembered him and for her to show it meant that she had placed him somewhere really important. Probably she had noticed him during the funeral, instincts and skills never stop. She didn't say anything, though, unable to make the connection. He didn't, too. It was better to let the dead rest.
"Thank God, our daughter didn't get married during some gothic party in Detroit, as she has threatened me before," the Ambassador commented.
"Mother..." Emily was about to protest.
"Emmie, she's joking," her father intervened softly.
"Of course. Please do not take everything I say too seriously," her mother smiled apologetically to her daughter and her new son-in-law.
Emily shook her head a bit annoyed but she understood.
"Just be careful with those jokes around your grand-children," she said half-serious.
"I'll make sure of that," Mr. Prentiss said enjoying the instant surprise on the couple's faces.
"Will you stay around, dad?" Emily asked and Aaron was sure that the girl who had missed her father dearly for all those years surfaced on that moment.
"While laying low for those four years, I didn't get involved in too many matters. I should still be careful but I think it's time for me to retire."
"Dad, that's amazing!" Emily hugged him eagerly.
"And now your mother will have a husband to drag to galas. Hopefully, I will look better than a daughter that gets bored ten minutes into them."
"Already treating me my own medicine, thank you very much," Elizabeth protested, "You do know that is how networks and careers are built."
"I know, Liz," Edward reassured her, "And trust me, I still find gatherings like those fascinating."
'Probably because of the stuff he knew about the guests and no one was aware that he knew, given his secret CIA status', Hotch thought. In any way, witnessing the Prentiss' united those last couple of weeks, Aaron had concluded that if Edward hadn't been away, their family could have been a very happy and even a funny one. He was the perfect middleman between the two women, putting some sense to both his wife's controlling ways and his daughter's rebellious ones. Her father's job had taken away from Emily a very healthy childhood...
"From now on family comes first," Edward said with meaning to Hotch, like reading his thoughts, and then looked at Emily.
Hotch nodded, as his hand circled Emily's waist. She looked up to him and nodded, too.
The music turned more upbeat and JJ stole Emily for a dance. David sat beside Hotch while Gloria was dancing with Reid who, having left the kids to practice the magic tricks he taught them, tried to learn some moves with Morgan and Garcia's encouragement.
"Club music is not for you?" Hotch joked.
"I can surprise you, my friend, but I need a bit more alcohol," David laughed, pouring wine into his glass.
"Well, as a profiler and Unit Chief of profilers I can tell you that most of the people here think that the next gathering in your house will be at your own wedding."
Rossi kept laughing but he didn't return any of his usual snorting replies to this kind of comment. Hotch smiled, amused by the idea that David had in mind the possibility of a fourth wedding, in the future.
"How is Gloria doing?" He turned more serious.
He had a long conversation with David about what he had learned from Easter when Gloria took the plunge to go for Blackmore. Hotch was glad to see that David knew and even more matters than he did.
"She is better, much better. Organising that Red Cell and helping Emily out with the baby keep her busy. When I'm away for a case, though, she still has trouble falling and staying asleep, not that much as before but still."
Hotch nodded. Budget cuts had forced the team to share hotel rooms many times during the last couple of months and David always stayed with him. He knew the reason for that was his frequent soft talks with Gloria over the phone late at night that always ended either with her urging him to get some rest himself despite his reassurances that he was a night owl and he didn't mind, or with David still murmuring soothingly even if he knew she had finally fallen asleep. Their talks weren't anything cheeky, but Rossi didn't want the others to know about Gloria's difficulties.
"When I'm with her, she's fine. She talks, laughs, she sleeps peacefully," Dave carried on.
"She will heal over time, Dave. How is it going with that Red Cell? I hear various rumours about it."
"Gloria's guess about that may be right. It looks like they plan to stick together the most unconventional agents they have in the FBI, but by 'unconventional' sometimes they mean underlying issues. And of course, they are not asking that much for her opinion, as she has no previous experience as a leader."
"Do you think she will have problems?"
David shook his head negatively.
"Not at all. She is better in managing people like that than in putting up with the bureaucracy of a regular post."
"Sure. We have seen how the last part goes," Hotch smiled to the side.
David smiled, too, but turned serious again.
"Let's just hope that they don't manoeuvre that Red Cell in dark waters. It feels a lot like an experiment to me and she agrees," he added thoughtfully, "She is more than capable to cope, no doubt about that. I just don't want her to get too stressed up or forced into any of her old ways."
"Even if they have other plans for that Cell, they won't start till much later. For the moment the uppers are patting themselves on the back that they got her, being a bit thankful to you, too."
"Oh, I've heard..." Rossi commented annoyed.
Dave and Gloria had disclosed their relationship when she was still in discussions for the position. Rossi wasn't a big fan of letting anyone know of his business but Gloria never wanted to keep matters like that hidden again, so he respected that. Strauss already knew about them, anyway. The situation had been approved without any questions and Gloria had accepted the position right after. The relationship had been considered by the uppers an extra incentive for her. As expected, there had been some joking that at last Rossi's love adventures hadn't created problems to the FBI but had been proven useful in getting onboard an agent like Paterson. He didn't like it, but as long as it stayed focused on him and not her, he didn't care that much.
"The fact, Dave, is that Gloria has faced worse and dealt with them and she didn't have you. Now that you are together, you'll figure everything out," Hotch finished reassuringly and his old friend who nodded smiling.
"Someone is in the mood of 'amore'."
"How can't I be in the mood of 'amore'," Hotch laughed welcoming Emily that just returned on his lap, "So soon, sweetheart?"
"What can I say? Your child is tiring me fast," Emily smiled warmly.
Gloria left the dance, too and sat beside David. She placed her head on his shoulder, careful not to smudge any make-up on the expensive fabric, as he passed his arm around her. She breathed his scent. It was so strange for a woman of her age but all this was so new to her. Attending her best friend's wedding, having girls' nights, decorating the room for their goddaughter, being open about who she loved were experiences she never had and never thought she would. She had dreamed so many times of that normal life and it looked like she was finally getting it. She looked around at the happy faces just like she had done in Christmas. Back then she didn't know if she was still able to put together the pieces of herself and her life. At that moment she was sure that things would work out.
"What is it, stella mia?" David watched her with fondness.
"Nothing..." she breathed back.
He placed a kiss on the top of her head, knowing exactly what she was thinking.
"Life changes for the better so unexpectedly... We say so many things about life's twists, but those twists can turn out good at the end, amazingly good," Emily said softly.
"And it's going to get even better and happier," he replied, reaching for the soft swell of her belly, "Jack can't wait for the little one to arrive."
"I'm glad he took the news so well. I was scared that all the changes will be too much on him."
"He always wanted to be the big brother and he is even more excited about having a little sister."
Emily smiled more, covering Aaron's hand with hers, the new wedding ring shining under the lights.
"She will look so much like you..."
"Better for her to look like you and not me," Hotch laughed, "I'm happy that we are making a family."
"I love you, Aaron."
"I love you, too, Mrs. Hotchner."
"Happily ever after, or even just together ever after, is not cheesy. It's the noblest, like, the most courageous thing two people can shoot for." ~ Rainbow Rowell
~THE END~
And yes, this story is finally over...! And it is finally over before Criminal Minds end! It's been six years writing this one...!
I don't know if I am going to write another story. I have some ideas for a sequel that is going to be more focused on Gloria and Rossi. I got too carried away with them on this one, anyway. There is still a lot of against in their relationship that can cause serious friction. Also, Gloria gets a new team that will be indeed rather unconventional. Rossi up to that point doesn't know he has a daughter, ex-wives haven't appeared yet, etc. There is place for development there. But I want to have some stable storyline in the next one so I won't get all these bumps and overcomplicated situations I got with this. We'll see...
In any way, I would like to thank everyone patient enough to follow this story for so long and those who discovered it more recently! I hope you enjoyed it!
Please don't forget to let me know your thoughts and if you want me to get started with a new one!
THANK YOU!