JJ suddenly stopped the gentle caressing of Rossi's right hand. Anticipating her reaction, he grabbed her quickly before she could pull away.
"Are you out of your mind, Rossi?" JJ snapped. "Unless you hit your head as well, you've apparently forgotten that we are out in the middle of nowhere, all alone, in the freaking dark and cold! This is certainly not the time or place to play any kind of juvenile teenage games!" JJ bit out that last statement with a little more venom than David had anticipated.
"OK, JJ. I misspoke." Rossi began, in a quick attempt to calm her down, before she did herself, or him for that matter, any harm. "Truth or dare, or the one that you apparently had in mind, isn't exactly what I meant. I just meant that we're out here waiting for help, in the freaking dark and cold, your words not mine, and there's not really much else we can do to keep you awake but talk. Why not get to know one another a little better or at least find something amiable to talk about while we wait for our grand rescue?"
Rossi could see that the tired blonde was considering it however, he had definitely hit a nerve with his suggestion. "I'm sorry, JJ. Honestly, I didn't mean anything inappropriate with that last statement. I'm not one for those silly games, myself. I usually left the party before the good stuff like that happened, anyway."
"I wouldn't necessarily call them good, Rossi." JJ averted her eyes from his face towards the fire, as she murmured her last statement.
Rossi quickly picked up on this and decided to see where it would take him. "So, played one too many back in your day, huh?"
Catching her off guard, she quickly answered "One was all it took. Don't get me wrong, Dave. I told you there's not much to talk about. I certainly wasn't a party girl in high school or even college, for that matter. I was quite boring, just ask anyone in my school. One evening, I got invited to a party after a soccer game with the rest of my teammates that got a little out of hand when everyone decided to play a game. Let's just say it's not something I want to relive and leave it at that."
Filing that away for later, Rossi decided to leave it alone for now. "Boring? Wow. I can think of some words to describe you, Ms. Jureau, and boring doesn't even make it into my top 30. So, what were you like growing up?"
Deciding that this was, indeed, safe territory, JJ played along. "Well, I was your average all American girl. I studied hard, got good grades and stayed out of trouble. After my sister died I did everything that I could to keep from hurting or disappointing my parents. Other than soccer, I pretty much kept to myself and stayed around home and parents. See? Boring!" JJ held up her hands as if to say that's it, nothing else to tell.
Rossi knew, however, that there was so much more to this amazing creature than even she believed. "That doesn't sound boring to me, JJ. Actually, that sounds like you were a good kid. I can certainly see how you became the great woman that I know today." Rossi looked to his side to JJ, unsure if he should finish his thoughts. He decided, after a split second, that it was now or never. "You know, JJ. I never told you how sorry I was about your sister. I can't even begin to understand how difficult that had to be for your parents, much less for you at such a young age to lose her like that."
JJ tensed in Rossi's arms. Did she really reveal all that to him? What a fool, she thought. There was just something about him that made her walls creep down, inch by inch. Just enough to get her in trouble. I'm going to have to watch that, she thought as a chill began to, once again, seep through her body.
Feeling her shiver against him, Rossi pulled her in a little tighter. Sensing that she didn't want to talk anymore about her sister, he jumped to the next questions that were running in his head. "OK, JJ. How 'bout we get to the basics? What's your favorite color?"
Catching her completely off-guard, she replied "Blue. How about yours?"
"Same. Favorite artist?"
"Chicago and The Bee Gees, although, I recently started listening to Lady Antebellum. What about you?"
"Promise you won't laugh?" Rossi asked with sincere concern on his face.
"Of course not! Come on, Rossi. It can't be that bad."
"Barry Manilow and Pink." Rossi confessed with a sigh.
Trying to suppress the giggle forming in the pit of her stomach, JJ sat up straight and looked at Rossi. But it was too much for her to bare and the laugh erupted out of her smiling face. "Are you kidding me? The great, legendary David Rossi, who has assisted in the capture of hundreds of serial killers, stared death in the face more than a handful of times likes…. Barry Manilow? This is too much. Does Morgan know about this?"
"No, he doesn't. And he won't. Agreed? What happens in these woods stays in these woods, got it?" Rossi stared JJ in the face, hoping she could see that he meant what he said. If Morgan knew that Rossi was a fan of Manilow the torment would be unending. Just because Morgan didn't know great music when he heard it didn't mean that David should have to suffer through daily taunts and teasing, did it?
"Agreed." JJ said with a snicker. "I'm sorry. I like Manilow, too. Just never pictured you for a Manilow guy."
"Actually," he began, "I never really paid much attention to him until I took my mother to see him in Vegas a couple of years ago. After that, he kind of grew on me. But, remember, between us, right?"
"That's so sweet, Dave. Do you see your mother often?" JJ was beginning to become more and more intrigued with this new, softer side of David Rossi, as if he was confirming with his own words what she already thought about him.
"Well, about once or twice a year, I fly her here from Italy for a visit to the states. That way she can also see some of her other family while she's here. She doesn't normally stay for too long, though. It usually comes to an end when the pleading for some grandbabies from her only boy increases. She's a little persistent, if you can believe that." Rossi pulled JJ a little tighter to him, feeling comfortable and right with her in his arms.
Trying to ignore the sudden pain in her side as Rossi pressed against her, JJ replied with a "No, never!"
"Alright, smartass. Very funny." As Rossi leaned in a little tighter JJ let out a small whimper. Immediately letting her go he turned to face her, cupping her face with his hands. Seeing the pinched look between her eyes his previous concern for her returned. "JJ. Honey, what's the matter? You didn't tell me your side was hurting. Did you hurt it when we wrecked?"
JJ tried to beg him off with her insistence that she was fine but he wasn't buying it. "Come on, JJ. Talk to me. You could have a broken a rib or something. Where are those guys? They haven't heard from us for hours. We can't sit here forever." Rossi got up and started pacing around the campfire. He grabbed his cell from his pocket and tried it again. "Great! Still no service." Resisting the urge to fling the uncooperative device directly into the flames, Rossi turned around and took another look at JJ leaning against the tree. He could see that she was still pale and fighting the desire to close her eyes, but, honestly, she didn't look any worse than she had previously. Kneeling on both knees directly in front of her, Rossi took both her hands in his, rubbing them for her warmth as much as for his own comfort, knowing that she was there with him. "Come on honey? Tell me what's wrong? Do you think you hurt something a lot more than your head? We've got to get out of here. You could be bleeding internally somewhere and we have no way to know!"
Seeing the growing fear on the older man's face, JJ stilled his hands with her own. "David, I'm fine."
"No! You're not! How can you say that? You're in pain and we're out here in the middle of heaven knows where with no way to get out. Something could be seriously wrong."
Growing concerned with the way he was panicking, JJ grabbed his face with both hands and looked him square in the eyes. "David. Do you remember when you said what happens in the woods stays in the woods?"
"Yes, why?"
"Well, what I'm about to say to you stays here. Do you promise me that this. Stays. Here?" JJ was adamant that what she was going to reveal go no further than this man. She had kept quiet for this long. She shouldn't have to compromise the promise she made to herself that night in the hospital, she thought. Her life was her life, not the team's. But, when she looked into David's dark eyes, she suddenly felt that she could trust him with her secret. This part of her life that had gotten out of control just a few short weeks ago. The part of herself that she was trying desperately to regain.
"Of course, honey. Anything. Just tell me what's wrong." Rossi looked into the endless depths of JJ's blue eyes and knew, at that moment, that he would do anything that this tiny little wisp of a woman asked him to do. David Rossi never went back on a promise and he wasn't about to start now. Not with this woman. Of course, David also forgot what his mother always told him. Never say never.