Continued thanks for the enthusiastic reviews. It makes me happy to know that so many other Criminal Minds fans have as much admiration for Erin as I do. I hope all the fan fiction writers out there will keep her alive through your stories so that we may continue to enjoy her character. Now, on with my story!
David forgot about knocking and pushed the door to Erin's office open. When she saw him, she gave him her signature Erin Strauss death stare and waved her arms to signal she wanted him to leave. When he made no attempt to move, Erin turned her attention back to the phone.
"Ross, I've just had an unwelcome interruption. I'd love to continue this conversation further. Can I call you back in a few minutes?"
Erin was quiet while listening to his reply.
"Thank you, that sounds wonderful. We'll talk again soon." Erin was smiling as she hung up the phone.
"What the hell are you talking to that guy for and what did he want?" David said, trying to keep the anger out of his voice but failing. "If I remember correctly, he's the reason we ended our relationship the first time."
"David, that was a long time ago. We were all younger then and didn't always make the right choices. Some of us still don't."
David knew that was a jab at him for not keeping his promise to call her.
"Erin, I'm sorry about not calling you over the weekend. I got wrapped up in my own stuff and it completely slipped my mind."
"That is one major problem with you, David Rossi. You tend to get wrapped up in yourself quite often, damn whoever else may be involved."
"You're changing the subject, Erin. What did Brannigan want?"
"Not that it is really any of your business, but he wants me to go to a fundraiser with him in Washington, DC next weekend."
"You said no, right? Tell me you said no."
"Actually, I didn't. I have no plans this weekend, and I think it will be nice to catch up with a friend and see some of my other old colleagues on Capitol Hill."
"You're not old enough to have your memory be failing yet, Erin. He was more than a friend."
"For a while, he was, yes. I thought he was what I wanted, what I needed, at the time."
"If it wasn't for that no good slime ball coming in and taking you away from me, we might have…" David trailed off, as he couldn't bring himself to think about what might have been.
"Might have what, David? Honestly, you acted back then like you do now. Carefree, nonchalant, whatever happens, happens. I never knew where I stood with you then, and I sure as hell don't know now."
"Why do you do this, Erin? Why do you put all this pressure on me? All it does is make me want to run the other way."
"So run, David. No one is asking you to stay."
"Why are you using Brannigan to make me jealous?"
"Excuse me? I am certainly doing nothing of the sort. He called me out of the blue. I hadn't thought about him in years. You have been the only one on my mind, but apparently, that feeling is not reciprocated."
"That's not true and you know it. You're really going to go to this thing, aren't you?"
"Yes, I'm going. Please accept my apologies if I don't want to sit around waiting for you to make up your mind about where our relationship stands. We've been playing this game for years and it's getting tiring."
Both Erin and David quieted at the sound of a knock on the office door.
"Sorry to interrupt," Hotch said, "but there is a conference call in five minutes that you both need to be on."
"We'll be down momentarily, Aaron," Erin replied. "I apologize if we caused a disturbance."
"Not a problem. We'll be in the main conference room."
"This conversation is over, David. Get out of my office."
David knew there was no point in trying to continue to argue with her. When Erin got her back up, it would be a losing battle to try to get her to see his side of things. He would just have to figure out a way to make it up to her. He had to let it go for now, as there were currently work related issues that needed his full attention.
Without another word, David turned and walked out of Erin's office. He wanted to make sure that he got to the meeting before she did, so that he could sit on the opposite side of the room. He didn't want to have to endure her death stares through the entire meeting.
David got to the conference room and the rest of the team was already there. They exchanged pleasantries with him and were going out of their way to pretend like theyhadn't heard what went on between him and Erin in her office. David took a seat in the far corner of the room, and started fiddling with the corner of his legal pad. He knewHotch wouldn't begin the meeting without Erin. He also knew she would be breezing in any second.
As if on cue, Erin walked in, nodded to Aaron standing at the front of the room, and asked, "Agent Hotchner, what is on the agenda this morning?"
Ever the professional, Erin was able to get through the conference call without an issue, even though she wanted to kick David Rossi as hard as she could under the table. She couldn't help but throw a few icy stares his way, though. She didn't want to admit it, but she liked to watch him squirm a little.
As David gathered up his things and prepared to leave the room, he noticed Aaron coming out right behind him.
"Let's walk and talk," Hotch said. "It's probably none of my business, but I'll ask anyway. Given the looks you two were trading in there, something is going on. What is it?"
"Erin's being overly dramatic about me not having called her last weekend, and now she is trying to make me jealous by going to Washington, DC to spend time with an ex lover."
"Given how dismayed you looked in that meeting, it appears that if this is indeed an attempt to make you jealous, it's working. Who is the ex, if you don't mind my asking."
"I'm sure you know Senator Ross Brannigan?"
"Erin dated Senator Brannigan?" Hotch asked, not hiding the surprise in his voice. "Was it serious?"
"Please, don't flatter the guy. He was just a congressional aide back then, but he was a smarmy backstabber and was great at kissing the right butts. I have no doubt thesecharming qualities helped him claw his way into the Senate," David replied sarcastically.
"I'm guessing that there is no love lost between you and Brannigan, and you don't want Erin to see him."
"No, I don't, but you know Erin. Once she makes her mind up, there is nothing anyone can do to change it. Short of tying her up and locking her in the basement, I have no way of making her stay here."
"So what are you going to do about it? I ask this mainly because I know you are not one to just sit around and wait to see what happens," Hotch said.
"I'm thinking about it, but I don't have a plan yet. I have until Friday to come up with something, and being the resourceful guy that I am, I have faith in myself that I willdevelop the master of all plans."
"You're going to follow her there, aren't you?"
"Maybe, but you can't let her know that I'm even thinking about it."
"You don't have to worry about that, I'm staying out of this. With all the mudslinging that I predict will be going on, I'd rather not be in the middle," Aaron said.
"The thought of Erin anywhere near that bastard makes my skin crawl."
"Just out of curiosity, when is the last time you actually saw this guy, Dave? Maybe he's changed," Aaron suggested.
"A leopard doesn't change his spots, Aaron. Brannigan has an ulterior motive. Why would he just call Erin out of the blue like that? He wants something from her and I'm going to find out what."
"As someone on the outside looking in, you might be overreacting just a bit," Aaron said. "But I'll be sure to keep this under wraps so no one knows what you're up to."
They reached David's office and stopped in front of the door.
"Nice chatting with you, Aaron. Thanks for lending an ear."
"Yeah, that's about all I can do in this situation."
Nodding his agreement, David entered his office and shut the door. Walking to his desk, he pulled out the overstuffed leather chair and sunk down with a thud. Opening the top drawer of his desk, the good bottle of whiskey he kept inside rolled toward the front. He removed the bottle and poured himself a shot of the dark brown liquid. He downed it quickly, and relished the feeling of the alcohol sliding down his throat.
Erin Strauss was a challenge, he thought, but he loved it. She was perfect combination of salty and sweet; the total package. She was also way too much woman for RossBrannigan.
Hearing footsteps in the hall, he got up from his desk and headed toward the door to see who was out there. He opened the door a crack and saw a delivery driver with a huge black box tied with white ribbon heading toward Erin's office. He watched the driver knock on Erin's door, and Erin opened it with a look of surprise on her face. Fromthat look, David could tell she wasn't expecting this delivery. She took the package and thanked the driver with a smile.
His curiosity piqued, David waited until he saw the driver retreat down the stairs, then started to make his way down the hall toward Erin's office. He needed to know what was in that package, and more importantly, who sent it. As he got closer, he saw through the window that she was untying the ribbon and carefully lifting the lid off the box.
When he saw what she pulled out, the anger he was feeling earlier only intensified.