Chapter 38

"You're going to do what?" Dave couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"I'm having a date with Agent Anderson on Friday," JJ replied calmly, knowing that raising her voice was not advisable at the moment.

Dave felt as if someone had pulled the rug from under him, and hissed angrily: "Is that what your two brilliant friends have come up with last Saturday?" He had honestly not expected this. At the very most, he had expected her to ask for more time to become clear about her feelings, but that Garcia and Prentiss were able to talk her into dating someone else, was too much for him to comprehend right now.

"You can't! Fuck Garcia and Prentiss and what they've told you, but you can't!" He yelled loudly, making JJ lose her composure as well. And to think that she had actually planned on staying calm and talk this through with him! But this reaction was not anything she would tolerate.

"I'm sorry, Dave, but you have no right to tell me what I can or cannot do! I'm very much capable of making my own decisions, and I have decided to go out with Anderson! Last time I checked, I was a single woman, so there's nothing you can do about it, but to suck it up and get over it! And don't you dare insult my friends again!" She stormed out of his office and slammed the door behind her, leaving a stunned David Rossi standing in the middle of the room, wondering if the last ten minutes had just happened or if he had only dreamed them.

I've lost her! The thought began to scream louder and louder in his mind, fueling his anger even more. He was angry with JJ for doing this to him, for actually considering to go out with this sneaky little bastard; he was angry with Anderson for making a move on his – HIS! – woman, angry with Garcia and Prentiss for talking her into this shit. But he was most angry with himself, for letting her slip through his fingers, for having waited so patiently. And for what? For nothing.

Cursing himself over and over again for all of his mistakes, for everything he had done to her, for being such a goddamn idiot, he yanked the bottle of Scotch out of his desk that he had still kept there even though he had promised his mother to get rid of it all those months ago, and took a healthy sip. Sinking down on his couch, he let his mind becoming overwhelmed with dark and moody thoughts, and before he noticed, the whiskey was gone.

"What the-", he murmured, looking at the bottle in disbelief before throwing it through the room, not caring where it landed, or who became aware of his outburst.

A few moments later, Hotch came in, alarmed by the sudden noise in the office next to his.

"Is everything okay, Dave?" He asked concerned. Seeing the empty whiskey bottle on the floor, he furrowed his eyebrows, knowing that there was only one reason, only one person who could drive him to drink on the job.

"JJ again?"

Rossi nodded and tried to get up, only to stumble forward and fall down on his knees.

"Need more-," he pressed out as he tried in vain to push himself up again. Hotch quickly went over to help him up, which was easier said than done with Dave moving to get up himself.

"Dave, hold still! Let me help you," he told him, finally managing to get his friend back onto the couch.

"S'methin' t'drink," Dave mumbled, his speech slurred by the alcohol he had consumed, having no intention at all to stay where he was.

"Dave! Sit down!" Hotch ordered. "You're going to hurt yourself!" Struggling to keep Dave in place, he added: "Jesus, did you empty the whole bottle? How much had been in there?"

"Not 'nuff," Dave muttered.

"Hell, you're totally inebriated! You've definitely had enough!"

"No!" Dave whined.

The game went on for another few minutes until Hotch realized that Dave wouldn't give up until he got some more Scotch. He would have to find a way to get him home before he could do more harm to himself.

Seeing Reid walking by on the way to his office, he quickly called him in.

"Reid, get JJ here now! She needs to talk some sense into this guy."

"Uhm, she went home about five minutes ago," Reid answered. "What's wrong with him?"

Hotch let out a small curse. Damn, she was the only one who could tell him what had happened, as Dave refused to talk, only demanding more liquid.

"He's drunk, obviously. I haven't got a clue why, but as usual, it has to do with JJ," he told Reid.

"Oh. JJ was a bit agitated as well when she left," Reid commented.

"Can you bring him some strong coffee, please?" Hotch asked, and Reid went out to get it.

"No! No coffee!" Dave complained. "Want the good stuff!"

"Okay, Dave," Hotch conceded, trying to calm him down. "We're going to get you the good stuff."

He had a sudden, brilliant idea how to get Dave to talk and sober him up, and it involved the only other person who could knock some sense into the older profiler.