Chapter 5.
A day later after they had a good night's sleep, the 7 Agents of the BAU walked into the Police station conference room and they worked on some more of the murdered victims. Danielle was sitting in between Hotch and David when she had told all of them of her secret that she had of her past when her mother abused her when she was a kid then with a bit of an emotion and they were there for support. David felt the tightness in his heart when Dani told all of her colleagues of her terrible ordeal. Dani looked with a glare over at Spencer, Morgan and JJ. Rossi, Hotch and Blake were watching her with what she was doing and with concern and with a bit of worry. Spencer, JJ and Derek gave her the stern looks from time to time. Danielle has had enough of that bull shit as it is from the 3 of them. "You know something, Agents JJ, Reid and Morgan, the 3 of you guys need to stop giving me the dirty looks. I maybe new to this work, but I'm the cousin of Emily Prentiss." At her words, David and Hotch looked at between Dani and the others when she spoke this. "I know that my cousin, Emily is not here when she's over in London with my brother, Eric, working on a Jack, the Ripper copycat case. So, stop blaming me for her leaving. Emily made her choice and her choice alone." Dani said with emotion as she stood up from the table and she walked over to the other conference room with all of the blinds were all down on the other side of the Portland Police station. Danielle had to calm herself down right there and then. She knew she had a job to do to find this unsub, or was it more than 1 criminal from justice. Her gut may have told her that there maybe more than 1 unsub. Danielle may know that her mother was the unsub and she had some help with the killings. We shall see and find out. Ellen maybe the killer in this situation.
Every Agent looked at each other for a moment, but both David and Hotch along with Blake was glaring at Spencer, JJ and Morgan, whose faces have the looks of guiltiness just right after what Dani had said to them just before she had left the room to cool off. Danielle was right. This was Emily's choice of getting the new opportunity of working for Interpol in London and hers alone and them 3 were blaming her for it. Emily was their best friend for quite several years and her cousin now became an FBI Agent with the BAU was transferred from NCIS Agent in D.C. Rossi looked at the 3 Agents with cold eyes. He was pissed off. He cared for Danielle and he's falling in love with her and she didn't deserve this treatment from them what so ever, but Hotch and Blake was looking at him from the corner of their eyes and they were just about to protest as David held up his hands to let him speak his mind and then, he pointed his fingers at them like, 'shame on you guys' look. "You 3 guys, JJ, Reid, and Morgan, what right do you have to give Danielle the blaming on her treatment for huh?!" Rossi asked them firmly with a bit of bitterness in his voice. Never piss any Italian man off. They do get very bad tempers when it comes to getting angry at something, or even somebody when they did something wrong.
Morgan, Reid and JJ quickly lifted their heads up from reading the profile of the victims in the folders to look at Rossi when they were trying to defend themselves as David interrupted them once again. "Now, you 3 know that Emily had made her choice when she left to go work for Interpol in London." Rossi said, before he stood up from the chair. "The 3 of you," He pointed his index finger at them in warning. "I certainly don't want no blaming on anyone and I can't stand that shit. Emily made her choice and her choice alone, so stop this fucking bull shit right now and stop blaming on her cousin, Danielle. She has been through hell enough as it is." He paused when he walked towards conference room door and he told Hotch that he was going to get Dani back into the room to look for what was in the photos of the victims. They need to go to autopsy for evidence on the women's bodies for any clues. "Now, if you will excuse me, I need to go fine Agent D. Prentiss and get her to calm down and work like any other FBI Agent would do." Aaron suppressed a smile at this when David left the room to go look for Danielle. David walked through the Department as he asked where D. Prentiss went when 1 of the officers told him that she was in another room. Rossi nodded his thanks and he walked towards the other conference room where Danielle was in. He knew that she was going through the photos of the victims very closely, who looked like her. He had a feeling that Danielle may have known of whom the unsub(s) were. He needed to know from her himself.
Dani was inside another conference room with all the blinds down and shut and she was trying to calm herself down, but she felt the emotion flowing through her as she sat down on a couch when she had tears in her eyes and slightly sniffling. She didn't like to be bullied again like she went through in school when she was a kid years ago. Dani was then startled when she heard a soft few knocks on the door. She turned her head to see David as he opened the door, before he closed it behind him. Danielle felt so relieved and safe to see him right there and then. She stood up and she rushed over to Rossi and she threw herself into his arms when he held her tightly, but tenderly. At this moment, she felt secure into his arms right now. Her tears were now flowing freely. David had his 1 hand buried into her hair, messaging her to help her calm down and his other arm was wrapped around her waist. He could feel her tears spilled onto his suit jacket and his ivory white shirt he had on. "Shh, my bella Danielle, I'm here amore. Ti amo, Danielle." He said lovingly to her. Rossi couldn't keep his feelings for her to himself any longer. He had said them to her out loud ever so softly. Amore was a way of saying 'I love you.' From his own mouth.
Danielle rested her head on his shoulder as she smiled lovingly at his words and she sniffled quietly. She knew that he meant every single damn word of it to her. Dani also felt the same way and she loved him too when she first saw him. She pulled back from him at arms length when she lifted her head up to look at him in the eyes. He had the look of concern, worry and love in his eyes and in his soul too. She also had the love reflecting his in her eyes as well. She gave him a loving smile. "David, my bello, amore, tesoro mio. Ti amo, David." She admitted her love to him with a soft chuckle and she meant every word to him. Rossi sighed in relief and he pulled her back into his arms as their arms wrapped around each other for a few moments. David knew that the moment he met her, he would heal her heart and love her for who and what she was. Whatever she was going through, Rossi and Danielle Prentiss would deal with it together. They pulled back once again and they looked at each other in the eyes. David made his move by resting his hands on Dani's face, caressing her cheeks and wiping away her tears. It's a good thing that they didn't get interrupted once Rossi leaned his head down closer mere inches to her face. She's not backing away from this and he made his move on her. He gently brushed his lips against hers. Danielle relaxed more into his arms as they kissed their lips in sync, molding together. After they did their 'make out' sestion, they pulled back, but they were wrapping their arms around their waists when they needed their oxygen to breath after they kissed.
The victim's photos were holding her into her thoughts and then, something dawned on her. Rossi looked at her in confusion then 'What the fuck is going on in that beautiful head of hers?' He thought to himself. She looked at her new lover in front of her. "David?" She asked him quietly as Rossi raised his eyebrows at his name being called from her lips ever so softly. "When I was looking at the photos of the victims in the folders." Dani paused for a moment. He nodded at her. "I saw something on their bare backs when their shirts were lifted up on their upper torsos. And what it looks like to me. Damn it's something very so familiar to me and it reminded me when my Mom did abuse me when I was a kid back then." She said, before she pulled back even more from him and she turned around. Danielle lifted her bottom part of her shirt untucked and out of her pants. Good thing that all of the blinds were down, so no 1 would see of what David and Dani were doing.
Rossi watched Danielle as she slowly and she carefully lifted her shirt up. And what he saw surprised and shocked him at the same time. When she showed him her bare back to him. There were a lot of scars and cigarette burn scars all over her back from when the abuse first started then. Rossi walked over to her in 1 stride when he eyed her bare back with her scars marred onto her. Dani stood very still at first with tears were about to spill from her eyes, because she wasn't sure what David might do next. Either he might perhaps be pissed off at her, or at the abuser, who did this to her, or he might just stay in the room with her and comfort her. It was a good thing that Dani was brave enough to show Rossi her scars on her body. Her Dad and her brother, Eric knew it as well that she had all of the scars that Ellen had inflicted on their own daughter. It would stay on her for a very long time. David lifted his hand to gently caress to where the scars were on her body. This broke his heart by seeing this. "Oh, bella." He whispered with sympathy as she went stiff as a board for a moment. And just then, Dani's tears flowed freely down her face. Rossi then placed his hands lightly on hers, so she could let go of her long sleeve shirt. He turned her around and he saw the pained look and her tears on her face. He pulled her back into his arms as she cried softly. David felt her pain with his tears in his own eyes. His heart went out to her. He first placed kisses on her face, wiping her tears away and he kissed the top of her head when she rested her head on his chest just above is heart, before he rested his cheek on her head. "It's okay, Tesoro mio. It's okay amore. I'm here and I'm never letting you go, bella." Rossi said as Danielle tightened her grip on him in response.
Just then, they were a bit startled as they jumped apart and they rushed over to sit on the couch when there was a few knocks on the door. Hotch opened the door and he looked at both of them. "Is everything alright in here, Danielle and Dave?" Aaron asked them. He smiled to himself when he knew there was something going on between Rossi and Danielle. They could have their alone time later on every night, or any other night, but the killer was still out there and they need to find her, or him, before the unsub kills again.
Hotch, Rossi and Danielle walked by the officers and detectives she looked at both David and Aaron. Rossi already knew of what she told him earlier. Dani spoke first. "Hotch, when I was reading the profile on the victims, it dawned on me when I saw scars were shown on their bare backs." The Unit Chief nodded to her. David listened to her with open ears right beside them. Then they opened the door to go back into the conference room with the other Agents. They all looked at Danielle. "It's the scars from cigarette burns were inflicted on those women." She told them. When they sat down in the chairs, Dani told them about the cigarette burns that were inflicted on the women's backs. They were haf way there to find who did this. Aaron told the Agents to go out there and profile of what they had in front of the Officers and Detectives.