Chapter 13 – Getting to Know You

Little Creek, VA

Dave awakes the next morning, naked and alone in his king-sized bed in his cabin at Little Creek. He and his sisters had spent a good portion of the previous evening sitting on the deck and talking about everything they could think of until Amanda came out and threatened to beat them all if they didn't shut up and go to bed.

He had been told to take the day and spend some time resting and relaxing as the girls would take care of Momma and Poppa. Reluctantly he agreed, but only after they promised to call if Poppa got out of hand. Not that the older Rossi would, but it appeased Dave enough to go home and sleep in his own bed.

After a quick shower, he dresses and starts the coffee maker before taking Mudgie out for a walk. Walking through the woods, the water to his left, the breeze running through the trees – this made him happy. He stops, pulls his phone out and snaps a few pictures. He sends them to Penelope with the caption "welcome to my home."

Mere seconds later he receives her reply – "you live in a tree?"

He laughs and starts to reply when the phone rings.

"Are you a squirrel," Penelope asks without a proper greeting.

"Morgan was right," he answers.

"About what?"

"You are silly," he murmurs.

She giggles. "Well, it looks nice."

"Nice?" He looks around taking in the wonders of nature. "That's it?"

"Too woodsy for me," she explains.

"Ahh," he nods. "You're a city girl."

"I am," she agrees.

"Does that mean you're opposed to weekends at my cabin?"

"I don't know… how woodsy is it?"

"Hmm." He takes a moment to think. "The neighbors are few and far between, except for the woodland creatures, but I do have electricity and internet."

"You lost me at woodland creatures. Are we talking rabid raccoons, beastly bears or Bambi?"

He chuckles. "All of the above?"

"Nope, not happening."

"What if we stayed in the cabin and didn't venture outside," he presses. "I mean, I do have a hot tub and a fire pit out here. And a king-sized bed inside."

She gasps. "Are you propositioning me to visit your den of salacious behavior?"

He laughs so hard he begins to wheeze. Tears come to his eyes. "My what?"

"Oh my god, look at the time. I have to go, David. I'm going to be late for work," she says hurriedly.

"Fine," he says still laughing. He wipes the tears away. "We'll discuss this again later, Kitten."

"Be careful. Don't get eaten by a bear," she pleads. "I miss you."

"I miss you too."

He hangs up and shakes his head. 'That woman is definitely different,' he thinks. He whistles for Mudgie and heads back to the cabin. The phone rings again.

"Rossi," he growls into the receiver.

"Ooh, I've missed that tone," Bren purrs into his ear.

"Hello, Bren."

"How are you? Miss me?"

"I'm fine. Thank you asking. How are you?"

"Horny," she replies succinctly. "Can I come stay with you a few days?"

"At the cabin," he asks.

"Yes."

"You hate the cabin," he reminds her. "There are bears and raccoons. All those furry creatures you hate."

"I know," she replies. "But my favorite creature is there and I'm lonely. Besides, you owe me for that last debacle at the hotel. Please?"

He shakes his head. "I haven't been at the cabin much. I'm usually staying at my parent's house. You could be out there all alone."

"I have a great idea," she shouts excitedly. "A lovely. Most wonderful idea."

He rubs his temple. "I'm going to regret this, but what is your idea?"

"I can bring my friend, Sam, he can take a few pictures that we can use for a press release," she says triumphantly.

"Press release about what? My cabin?"

"No, Silly. About how you've put aside your writing and FBI duties to take care of your ill Father."

"No," Dave growls into the phone. "You are not making a fucking press release about my father being ill."

"Just a blurb, David. Two lines to show the world what a kind-hearted person you are, to encourage them to buy your books."

"Enough people buy my books without them knowing anything about my father," he tells her. "I swear to God, Bren, if the press gets word of this, I will show you just how kind-hearted I am not. Do you understand me?"

"Okay, okay. Jeesh, no need to get all riled up. When will you be back at work? I want to bring a photographer over," she pressed. "You promised me a few pictures there."

He sighs and rolls his eyes. "I'll let you know."

He hangs up the phone before she can ask any more.

"Fuck!"

He stomps into the cabin, letting Mudgie inside first. He feeds the dog and grabs a cup of coffee then heads to his office. Setting his coffee and his cellphone on his desk, he settles and opens the laptop to log-in. He stares at the folder containing his notes for this manuscript, but now he's pissed at Bren and her stupid ideas.

He closes the laptop more forcefully than he should and sits back in the chair. This was his sanctuary, the place where he can hide from the world. He no longer wanted to share it with outsiders, and if he admitted it to himself, Bren was starting to feel like an outsider.

She was a great literary manager and had done a lot for his career – he never should have slept with her. He really needs to set some ground rules. Their relationship would only be professional from here on out. No more sleeping together. No more "dates" to events and such.

He rises from the chair, grabs his coffee and marches through the house, stopping in the pantry to grab several large garbage bags. In the master bedroom, he pulls all the feminine clothes out of the dresser and shoves it in a bag. He then goes into the closet and grabs all the feminine clothes there too.

"There are a lot of clothes here that aren't mine," he mutters. Shoes, underwear, dresses, jewelry, make-up. "Where in the hell did all of this come from?"

He recognizes a few outfits from events that he and Bren had attended together. He stops and looks around, realizing that she had been slowly moving in for years. He dumps all of it into the bags and hauls it out to his car, putting it into the trunk.

He goes back inside and searches the entire cabin looking for things she may have left behind. After an hour, he collapses on the couch and falls asleep.

Later

The room is cold as Dave wakes. He sits up. It's dark. And quiet – too quiet.

"Mudgie?"

He stands up and looks around for his faithful companion. The front door sits open. Dave rushes to the door.

"Mudgie!" he yells. "Mudgie, come!"

There's no sound or movement in the dark. As his eyes adjust, he sees a dark mound laying in the road. A slim figure in black stands over the mound. A flash lights up the space and in the brief seconds, he sees that the mound is Mudgie.

"Mudgie!" he screams as he races into the road. He drops to his knees next to Mudgie. He looks up at the figure. "What happened?"

A second flash temporarily blinds him.

"It's just a small blurb, David. Just to show how nice you are," a disembodied voice says.

Dave frowns as a large roar fills his ears. "Bren?"

She laughs as his vision begins to clear.

"What the hell…"

Dave startles awake as he hears a car door slam outside. He sits up and rubs his face. Mudgie runs to the window and growls. Dave stands up, Mudgie doesn't normally growl unless it's a stranger. He peers out the window and sees a large, older model, orange convertible parked in his driveway.

"I know that car," he says happily. He hurries to the front door and flings it open.

"Hey," he calls out as Penelope approaches. A black blur brushes past his leg. "Mudgie! Stay!"

The dog ignores him as he runs to meet Penelope.

"Mudgie!" she cries out happily. Mudgie stops and sniffs her hand, his body wiggling with delight. "Hello, precious."

Dave steps off the porch, crossing the short distance between them. "What are you doing here?" A smile graces his face. He cups her face in his hands and kisses her.

She leans into him and hums. "Hi."

"Hi," he replies softly. "I can't believe you're here. I can't believe you drove here."

"It was actually faster than flying and cheaper too."

"Hmm," he nods. "Let's go inside. Do you have a bag?"

She nods. "It's in the trunk."

He takes her keys, opens the trunk and pulls out her large bag. He closes the trunk and carries it back to her. "How long are you staying?"

She giggles. "A couple days, if you'll let me."

"Stay as long as you'd like," he smiles. He places an arm around her shoulders and directs her towards the house.

Mudgie bounds up the stairs in front of them and through the open door. Dave sets her bag down and closes the door.

"I still can't believe you're here," He says not taking his eyes off her.

"I should have called," she replies biting her lips worriedly. "I'm sorry."

"No. Nothing to be sorry for," he says quickly. "I've just… no one has ever surprised me like this and I… I'm at a loss for words."

"I'm full of surprises," she whispers seductively.

"Yes, you are." He smiles back. "Are you hungry?"

"I could eat," she replies as she looks around. "What were you doing when I drove in?"

Dave carries her bag past the kitchen and down the hall setting it inside the master bedroom. Then returns to the kitchen where Penelope has settled at the bar.

"I just woke from a nap," he answers finally.

She gives him a caring look. "You must be exhausted from taking care of your family."

"A little," he admits. "There are other things bugging me as well. What are you hungry for? I could make some grilled cheese sandwiches."

"And tomato soup?"

He grins and nods. "A girl after my own heart."

"If I'm lucky," she whispers as he turns away. He glances back at her and winks.

Dave busies himself with fixing food for himself and his guest as he listens to her talk to Mudgie. The dog was going to be as useless as a match in the rain if she stuck around long enough. Somehow, deep inside of himself, he knew he would be okay with that.

From the pantry, he grabs soup and bread, setting them on the counter before retrieving butter and cheeses from the refrigerator. He sets about shredding a large pile of cheese on the cutting board.

"You don't have pre-sliced cheese?" Penelope asks.

He scoffs. "That's not real cheese."

"Oh, pardon me, monsieur."

"Unfortunately," he continues. "The soup will have to come from a can this time. But! My sister, Sophia made the bread. And the butter is courtesy of my Momma. Next time, I will make soup from scratch for you."

"Like the minestrone?"

He looks up at her. "Kind of. But I'll make everything from scratch, the noodles, the broth…."

"Wow! Do you always cook like this?" she questions looking impressed.

He shakes his head and puts the grater in the sink. "Only when it's convenient. And speaking of convenient. When we talked this morning, it didn't sound like you were too interested in coming here. What changed your mind?"

She shrugs and looks around as he puts the soup in a pan and turns the burner on low then pulls out a skillet and puts it on some heat.

"I went to work and I was talking to my friend Michelle who works in Accounting and she was telling about this super awesome trip she took with her boyfriend and it sounded amazing and, I guess, I was a little jealous, so I told her that "my boyfriend" had invited me for a weekend away too. She asked if I was going to go and I hesitated, and she told me I was crazy if I didn't because men who make romantic gestures are far and few between and that I should take advantage and do it. So, I went to Hotch and told him that I really needed a break for a few days and asked if it would be okay and he said yes. I went home and packed a bag and headed here."

Dave had stopped moving halfway through her diatribe and just stared at her. Now that she had stopped talking, he blinks. "Did you even breathe through all of that?" he laughs.

She laughs too. "I'm a musician I can talk and breathe at the same time."

"I'm impressed," he replies. He goes back to slathering butter on the thick cut, homemade bread and putting it into the pan then piling a handful of cheese onto each piece. He glances up at her through his lashes. "So, I'm your boyfriend now?"

A quick and intense blush rises from her chest to her cheeks, making him grin.

"I, uhh," she stammers. "It was metaphorical."

"Uh-uh," he cuts her off with a wave of his hand. "It came from your lips so it must be true. My lady never lies, except to Hotch."

The blush deepens as she lowers her head.

"I'm not complaining," Dave tells her. "I just like knowing where I stand, Dolce Mio."

He reaches over, his fingers touching her chin as he lifts her head gently. He cups her face. His thumb caresses her cheek. She covers his hand with hers and sighs.

"I like knowing where I stand too," she whispers.

"So, I can call you my girlfriend?"

She giggles. "Sure."

Another caress of the cheek, before he draws his hand away and turns back to their food. He finishes the sandwiches and soup, plating both carefully before sliding them across the bar. "Let's eat here."

"Sounds good," she agrees. She takes a deep breath through her nose. "It smells wonderful."

"Would you like some iced tea?" he asks. He grabs spoons from the drawer and hands them to her.

"Yes, please."

He pours them each a large glass of the cool liquid before joining her. He takes a moment to watch her as she takes a bite of the sandwich. Her face a picture of absolute pleasure.

"Oh my God! David! This is amazing," she gushes. She looks at him and frowns. "Why are you not cooking this in a restaurant?"

"I like cooking for fun not money," he replies as he digs into his own food. They eat mostly in silence except for the moans that escape from Penelope. They clean up the kitchen together moving in a rhythm that belies familiarity.

"Would you like a tour?" he offers.

"Oh, yes please."

He leads her around the cabin, watching as she courteously glances into every room and eyes the photos that hang on the walls. The family introductions will come later. Their last stop is the Master bedroom.

Dave picks up her bag and carries it over and into the closet. He's internally grateful that he went through here earlier and removed all traces of Bren and whoever else had been here.

"This is huge," Penelope exclaims. "This is as big as my bedroom."

He turns to see her standing wide-eyed in the doorway as she examines the closet.

Taking a moment, he too looks around and realizes that it is a rather large space. He clears his throat nervously. He never thought his money could be a turn-off but now, he wasn't so sure. Penelope was a simple woman who had a unique style that screamed thrifty, not in a bad way. But it was clear that she didn't spend money on expensive clothes or jewelry.

When he had designed the closet, it was with the mindset that he would be sharing it with his third wife. However, they divorced before the building had been completed and she had never been excited about "living in the woods" as she was a city girl. The closet was the size of a normal bedroom. One wall was filled top to bottom with racks for clothes. He only used about half of them.

The back wall was covered in shelves, mostly for shoes or women's purses. At the moment, they were partially filled with shoes and books. On the other wall were several built in dressers, a vanity and custom jewelry holders. The center of the room had a chaise and a stool that one could use when putting on socks and shoes.

"If you need to hang anything up there's plenty of space," he says as he waves his hand at the empty hangers. He taps the top of a dresser. "Feel free to use this bad boy too. It's empty."

"Thank you," she smiles. "I could use a little bathroom break to freshen up and the like."

"Of course. La mia casa e la tua casa. The bathroom to the left, there are fresh towels in the closet. Help yourself."

As he moves to walk past her, she places a hand on his chest. He stops. "Thank you for inviting me and then allowing me to stay when I showed up unannounced."

Slipping his hand over hers, he looks directly in her eyes. "Dolce mio, you are welcome wherever I am."

"Thank you," she smiles shyly. He leans down and presses a kiss to her lips.

"I'll be in the front room," he tells her.

He leaves her in the master suite closing the door behind him and making certain Mudgie leaves with him.

As he enters the front room, the front door opens.

"There you are," Reeni states aggressively. She marches into the room. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he replies. "What are you doing here?"

She lets out an exasperated sigh. "Looking for your dumb ass. Whose car is that?"

"None of your business," he chides. "Why didn't you call? Did something happen to Poppa?"

She crosses her arms and looks at him like he just grew a third eyeball. "We did call – several times. Where is your phone?"

He pats his pockets and frowns, "I have no idea. And you haven't answered my question."

She huffs and walks past him to collapse on the couch. "Poppa is fine. We hadn't heard from you all day, Momma wanted us to make certain you were okay. You know how she worries about her bambino," she teases.

He gives her a glare.

"Bambino? That means baby, right?" Penelope asks from behind him.

He spins around as Reeni jumps to her feet.

"I'm sorry," Penelope says quickly. "I probably should have announced myself better."

"It's okay," Dave reassures her. "My sister was just leaving."

Reeni brushes past him, ignoring the not-so-subtle hint. "Penelope?"

"Yes."

Reeni looks back at her brother. "No wonder you lost your phone," she teases.

"Are you Reeni?"

"The one and only," Reeni smiles. Penelope grins back.

"Thank the Lord," Dave mutters.

"Ignore him," Reeni says. She steps closer to Penelope. "May I hug you?"

Penelope grins. "Absolutely. I love hugs."

The two women embrace. Penelope glances up at Dave who watches with a bemused look on his face.

"When did you get here?" Reeni asks as they pull apart.

Penelope looks at Dave. "An hour ago?"

He nods. "Sounds about right."

"Wonderful," Reeni laughs. "How long are you staying? You should have dinner with the family on Sunday."

"No," Dave cuts in abruptly.

Both women look at him in silence. Reeni frowns as Penelope has a startled look on her face.

"Penelope will probably want to head back to DC before it gets too late," he explains awkwardly. "Besides, we're not ready for the family dinner yet."

Penelope stares at him with a small frown creasing her brow as Reeni looks back and forth between them.

"You're just scared," she teases. She grabs Penelope's hand and pulls her gently into the front room. "Don't be alarmed, my dear. But you do need to be fully prepared if you're going to meet the whole family at the same time. I once brought a new love interest home to soon; poor guy was crying before the salad course was over. However, you and I can get to know each other for a bit."

Dave groans and runs a hand over his face.

"Davey, go find your phone and let your Momma know you aren't dead," she orders.

Dave eyes the two women for a moment and lets out a breath slowly. "Fine."

He wanders through the kitchen and master bedroom, along with the closet.

"Where the hell did I leave the damn thing," he mutters. He stops and thinks about his day before remembering it was in his office. He retraces his steps to the office and sees it blinking on top of the desk.

Dave settles into his chair and picks the phone. He dials his parent's house.

"Ciao, Momma," he says when she picks up the phone.

"Mi figlio! Where are you?! Are you hurt?" she demands.

"I'm fine, Momma. I'm sorry I scared you," he says trying to placate her.

"I thought you did something stupid and got hurt," she scolds.

He shakes his head. "I was cleaning the house earlier and left my phone on my desk. Then I took a nap and I forgot to check my phone. I'm sorry."

"Huh," she huffs. "Scares his Momma half to death and "he's sorry"."

Dave hangs his head and listens to her scold him until she slows down. "How's Poppa? He okay?"

"He's fine," she replies. "You took a nap? Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," he nods. "I'm just a little tired."

"That's understandable. You've spent every waking hour looking after us. You take a couple days and rest," she orders. "Just keep your phone in your pocket."

"I will Momma," he promises. As much as he would like to end the call and go check on Penelope and Reeni, he can't hang up yet. "You sure Poppa's okay?""

"I'm positive. I know how to take care of your Poppa," she growls. "You take care of yourself or I will smack you with a broom. I love you."

He laughs. "I love you too."

"Goodnight, bambino."

He hangs up the phone and slips it into his pocket as he laughs at the image of his momma beating him with a broom. He shakes his head. "She'd do it too," he mutters. "She has before."

Dave stops by the kitchen and pours out three glasses of iced tea, knowing that his prayers for his sister to leave soon were not going to come true. He carries them into the front room where he finds Penelope alone.

"Where's Reeni," he questions.

"She left. Said she would talk to you later."

He looks at her skeptically. "Really?"

She laughs and nods. "I swear."

"Guess I didn't need three glasses of tea," he says aloud.

She pats the seat next to her on the sofa. "Come sit. Did you talk to your Mom? Is everything okay?"

"It's all good, Kitten," he assures her. He sets the glasses on the table. Sitting back he puts his arm around her and pulls her close. "So, what would you like to do now?"

"I don't know," she shrugs. "Maybe watch a movie?"

"Sure," he agrees. "I have a bunch of movies on DVD."

End Chapter 13