"OK, JJ. Tell me why I shouldn't be building a bonfire big enough to smoke out the whole state of Utah as an SOS for the team." Rossi was holding JJ's hands in his, noticing the way they had started to shake when she had first told him that the pain in her side was nothing to worry about.
"Dave, I already told you. I'm fine. It's just a little pain, nothing I can't handle." JJ hoped that Rossi would believe her story, but she was no fool. The man in front of her looked ready to pounce and practically carry her all the way to the nearest hospital unless she did something to calm him down.
"Dave, please sit down. I'm really cold and would feel much better if you were holding me while we talked, not staring me down like an unsub." The loneliness JJ felt was instantly palpable when Rossi let go of her hands to sit next to her side. It didn't last long, however, as he once again resumed his previous position of holding her, hand in hand.
"Do you remember when I was out a couple of weeks ago with the flu?" JJ tried to keep her voice as calm and steady as possible. This was going to be difficult enough without her getting emotional. There was no point, really. What had passed had passed and she was moving forward, no worse for the wear. She hoped.
"Yes, honey. I remember because I had to deal with the press on that routine briefing about our latest capture. Remind me again how you do what you do. I thought I was going to have to strangle them all, bare handed, if they interrupted me one more time." Rossi rubbed JJ's shoulder with one hand as he held both of her small hands with the other. He could tell that this was leading up to something he wasn't going to like.
"Well, I didn't have the flu. And, before you interrupt me with questions please let me finish this. I'm only going to tell it once. That will be hard enough. Once it's been told, I don't want to think of it anymore, understand?" As Rossi nodded his head in assent, JJ continued.
"Before you came back to the BAU, we had gone to New Orleans with Gideon to work on a "Jack the Ripper" type of case. A young woman who had previously been assaulted had started taking her revenge out on all the men she could in the French Quarter…"
"I've read the file, JJ. She didn't get the justice she needed when she filed her initial report so decided to do it herself, right?" Rossi continued to hold on to JJ as the fire in front of them continued to burn.
"That's right. We found her as she was attacking another young man in a hotel room. At first, they had trouble talking her down but the lead detective on the case was able to connect with her. Before his death, his father had been the original investigator on the case, the only one who believed her story, actually. This helped him form an instant bond with her and he was able to get her to let the man go."
"LaMontagne, right?" Dave took the opportunity to confirm the detective's name as JJ took a breath from her story.
"Yes." JJ stated simply. Dave didn't miss the icy tone in her voice as she confirmed the name of the detective. Nor did he miss the fact that she had suddenly stopped talking. Feeling that she needed a moment to gather herself, Dave left her side to add more wood to the now dwindling fire. After completing the task, David took the time to study the pretty agent sitting against the tall tree, arms pulling his coat tighter around her as if to protect herself, not just from the cold, but, more importantly from some unseen danger. Whether it was real or perceived, he wasn't sure. JJ's eyes started to close as her head began to lean down towards her chest and for the thousandth time that evening, Rossi wondered how long they were going to have to stay out here until the team found them. From the looks of it, JJ wasn't going to last much longer. Between tonight's accident and whatever hell she had been going through the past couple of weeks he was surprised she was still upright. Instantly feeling the weight of his worry pressing down upon him, Dave let out a deep sigh and walked back over to where JJ sat. Holding out his hands to the young blonde, he gently helped her up.
Out of pure instinct, JJ had instantly grabbed Rossi's hands when he held them down to her. After helping her up, he held her tenderly as she waited for the waves of dizziness at her sudden change of position to pass. Once he was sure she was feeling ok, Rossi grabbed her small hand, nestled it securely in his own and guided her towards the roving fire in front of them. "Thought you could use a change of scenery." he told her softly, watching her in the firelight.
JJ sighed, burrowing in closer to the big, strong agent, feeling safe and secure in his presence. He seemed to know exactly what she needed, feeling a little bit stronger and more alert for the next chapter in her story. Somehow, though, she didn't know how to begin again. Whatever courage she had in the beginning of her tale had waned to almost non-existent. Sensing this, David gave her an opening.
"So, pretty lady, ready to continue with your story? It's either that or I can share some of those ghost stories I learned as a scout. I have a feeling, though, that yours is going to frighten me a little more than those ever did." Dave was hoping he was wrong, but this hadn't turned out to be that lucky of a night.
"You know, maybe I was wrong. I really feel fine and, again, there's not much to tell." JJ started to pull her hand away from Rossi's firm grip, completely trying to dodge his burning eyes. No wonder he was so skillful at interrogating – one look from him, you wanted to spill all your secrets back to the age of 5. "Seriously, Dave, the past is the past. No good can come from this."
Dave only tightened the grip on her hand while turning her to face him. "JJ, I've watched you all night, even before the accident. I've watched you this whole week. There is something going on. You've got dark circles under your eyes that, I'm guessing, have been there long before this case started. You're rail thin and obviously exhausted. Now, I'm not trying to pry into your life. I respect you far too much for that. But, I want you to know that you can trust me. I care about you, JJ. You, the rest of the team, you're my family. I take care of my family. If you really don't want to discuss this, ok. We'll talk about something else. I just want you to know that I'm here for you. You're story is safe with me. You're safe with me."
And in that one, beautiful moment out in the dark in the middle of nowhere, Jennifer Jureau felt safer than she had ever felt in her entire life.