Rossi watched JJ closely as she tried to find the courage to begin her story again. As hard as he might, he could not get the dark, looming thoughts out of his head that he was not going to be hearing a "happily ever after" ending to this story. And, somewhere, in the deep recesses of his mind, this bothered him more than it should if she were just a close co-worker or friend. What he had pledged to her was true. He did think of her as part of his family. The weathered agent considered all of this team to be as close, if not more so, as his own brothers or sisters. What they shared on a daily basis was enough to test the strongest person. Yet, somehow, so far, they had managed to come out on top, mostly, and still be there for one another. So why the sudden jealous and protective feelings that were starting to simmer in his gut for this supposed "sister"? Rossi knew the answer in his heart – he was in love with this tiny slip of a woman sitting in his lap. She was amazing and strong and resilient. The problem was going to be getting his head wrapped around the idea. And, the hardest task yet, it seemed, was going to be how to let her know. As JJ took a deep breath, Rossi knew he needed to prepare for what was coming next, and that his protective feelings of love were going to have to be dealt with at a later date.
"So what happened next, JJ?" Rossi was again trying his best to make this as easy for her as possible. He could see the strain it was putting on her and was concerned that this may be too much for her right now. Unfortunately, he was more afraid that if he didn't find out now, while she was willing, that he may never know. And, the repercussions of that would be far worse than a concussion.
"It was a couple of months after I received the first bouquet in my office." JJ began. "I was going through some files on my desk and a consult came across it from somewhere in New Orleans."
"I remember that. Was that the one about the missing child somewhere in the French Quarters?" Rossi asked, continuing to stroke her hand with his thumb.
"Yes." JJ confirmed. "That was it. It was one of the first consults that you helped with when you came back to the BAU. "
"I remember. You were so nervous bringing it to me for advice, yet, as I recall, you had a pretty good grasp on what may have been going on. You were thinking it was an extended family member trying to help the kid escape from a horrible custody battle. Turned out you were right. The aunt, right?"
"Two for two, Rossi. I guess the mind isn't the first thing that goes after all, huh?" JJ snickered, thankful for the momentary distraction.
"Watch it, little girl. This old fool isn't as far gone as you may think he is." Rossi hugged her a little tighter to his chest, enjoying the feel of her in his arms.
"Well, in any case, the officer I gave our findings to remembered our work there the previous year. Seems Detective LaMontagne raved about all the help we gave him. Raved about me in particular, actually. So, I asked him how Will was doing and the next thing I know, he put Will on the phone. We talked a bit and, before he hung up, Will told me he was coming into town the following week. To see "an old friend", he had said." As JJ paused to catch her breath, Rossi didn't fail to notice how her manor had changed when speaking of the detective. She seemed to physically draw into herself, and that, he decided, did not bode well at all.
"He asked me out, Rossi." JJ continued softly. "I agreed. I thought to myself, what harm could it do? I honestly never thought anything like this would happen. I swear to you, Rossi! If I had known, I would have said no. But, he seemed so nice, so genuine.…so..." JJ was frantic, stuttering over her words, doing her best to avoid looking into Rossi's eyes.
"JJ. Take a breath, honey. What exactly happened?" Trying to remain patient was becoming an insurmountable task for the man and he didn't think he'd last much longer.
"He's been stalking me for months!" There. She'd said it. Looking at the ground, the silence filling the air didn't go unnoticed by the young Jennifer. She wasn't sure exactly what Rossi was thinking but she was fairly certain it was the same thing she'd been thinking about herself, recently. What a fool she was. She, a smart, capable FBI agent with one of the most renowned teams in the country couldn't manage her own life, seeing this smarmy detective for who he was.
As calmly as possible, with one finger under her delicate chin, Rossi tilted JJ's face up to meet his. "JJ, honey, what makes you say that? Why do you think he's been stalking you?"
"I'm not a complete idiot, Rossi! I may have been stupid enough to fall for him in the beginning but I'm smart enough to know what's going on now! He's been following me, tracking my phone messages. Everywhere I go, I feel him there. I can't get away from him, and when I tried I almost got myself killed!" At this point, JJ was starting to breathe too quickly for David's liking and he was worried that she was going to hyperventilate. Holding her tightly, David tried his best to comprehend the full weight of everything she had just confessed to him. Was this why she had been so anxious and fragile looking lately? How long had this been going on? Why hadn't any of them known? Surely one of them would have seen this if this had been happening to their friend right under their noses. How badly had they let this sweet woman down? Not anymore! If there was anything that David Rossi was sure of, this woman was alone no more. And pretty soon, Detective William LaMontagne was going to be, simply, no more.