Chapter 25 – Home Sweet Home

Dave's Hotel

Dave walks into the hotel room, sets the box on the coffee table, and dumps his briefcase on the couch. He flops onto the nearby chair and kicks off his shoes. He glares at the box sitting in front of him, seeming to mock him. He leans forward and pulls the box closer. Opening it up, he peers inside and stares at the pile of letters.

Grabbing the one lying on the top, he stares at the handwriting. It's addressed to Agent David Rossi, FBI. Not his formal title, but it works. He sits back and rips the envelope open before pulling the single sheet of paper out. A picture falls onto his lap. He picks it up and studies the faces; a father, mother, three young children and an older woman who looks somewhat familiar.

He sets the photo to the side and unfolds the piece of paper and begins to read:

Dear Agent Rossi,

I'm sure you don't remember me. My name is Gloria Stone. My daughter Carol was a survivor of William Bradford back in 1983. She survived because of you and the work that you do. I've been following your career and though I can empathize with your decision to retire, I must say that it did make me sad. I was sad because I thought of all the people who may not survive because you were no longer there.

Don't get me wrong, you definitely deserve to take a break and I was happy that you were able to do the things that you really wanted to do. But when I heard you were returning to the FBI, my heart soared.

I've enclosed a picture of Carol, her husband and their children. Unfortunately, we lost her to cancer 2 years ago. I got 23 more years to spend with her. She got to meet and marry a man who loved her, and they had 3 beautiful children because of you. Thank you. Thank you for doing the job you do.

A Grateful Mother,

Gloria Stone

He lets the paper fall to his lap as he picks up the picture. He studies it closely. No wonder the older woman looked familiar – she was so grateful when they found Carol, she had clung to Dave, thanking him profusely for about ten minutes. Carol must have been 16 or 17 at that time. He was happy to hear that she had been able to have a "normal" life after the trauma she had been through. It's too bad she had succumbed to cancer.

He picks up the letter, folds it carefully and tucks it along with the picture back into the envelope. He places it on the table and reaches into the box, this time pulling out a handful of envelopes.

Several hours later, each envelope lay open on the table. Some were fan letters from readers of his books. Others, more than he thought possible, were from grateful family members from cases he had worked on over the years. Though not all had happy stories from survivors, all seemed to be happy knowing he was on the job looking for bad guys again.

Something had been missing from his life. He had been convinced that it was a lack of a family of his own that had made him so unhappy. Yes, he admitted to himself, he was unhappy. Returning to the BAU brought life back into his body, his soul.

Penelope had brought sunshine to his life. Maybe she was only meant to be the light that kept him sane, he wonders. Maybe - they were meant to only be friends? His heart aches with that thought. He stares at the ceiling. Could he really stand to the side and watch her move on with someone else?

His eyes drop to the table covered in letters. He had learned during his time in the Marines that some sacrifices were for the better of society. Jumping on a grenade wasn't his idea of fun, but it was something he was willing to do to save others. Hopefully, he and Penelope could learn to be friends.

Dave's Hotel – the next morning

Dave wakes to the sound of his cell phone ringing. He reaches over to the bedside table, but it is empty. He rolls onto his side and peers at the floor. The phone is still in his pant pocket. Snatching his pants up he retrieves the phone.

"Rossi," he says without checking the caller ID. He drops the pants on the floor.

"Hey, it's Kent. Is this too early?"

Dave pulls his phone away from his face and glances at the time, seven-thirty. "No, not too early."

"Good. I have a few places in mind to show you," Kent says amiably. "I can arrange for a viewing in a few hours if you like."

"That would be perfect," Dave says as muffles a yawn. He sits up and throws his feet over the side of the bed. "Text me the address and time."

"Sounds good," Kent replies. "See you soon."

Dave hangs up and places the phone on the table. He stands and strips out of his t-shirt and underwear as he heads to the bathroom.

Two and a half hours later

Dave pulls into the driveway of a large two-story house, mansion, would be a better term. He gets out of his car and looks around. The houses in the neighborhood are all large and spaced far apart. The street quiet. It was a rural area, and yet, he knew he could be at the office in less than thirty minutes. So far, he loved it.

A few minutes later another vehicle pulls in behind him in the driveway. A large man with blondish-red hair and a full beard steps out of the vehicle.

"Hello, Dave," the man calls out with a smile.

Dave smiles back. "Hello Kent."

"So, what do you think," the burly man asks.

Dave assesses the property again. "I like what I see so far."

"As you can see, on this side of the road, the neighbors are hidden behind the trees," Kent points out. "There's a total of six acres of land that goes with this property. There's a nice yard in the back where the dog can play and a small forest to chase the critters."

Dave nods his head several times. "Well, the outside fits the bill. Can we look inside?"

"Of course," Kent smiles. He leads Dave to the front door and unlocks it, then steps back and lets the older profiler step inside first.

Dave takes in the entryway and staircase that leads to the second floor. To the left is a formal living room, complete with mini-bar and a fireplace. They wander through to the chef's kitchen. Dave eyes the place silently, not giving away the fact that in his mind, he has already bought the place.

"How many bedrooms and baths," he asks politely.

"Five bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms," Kent answers.

"Four and a half?"

"Toilet and sink next to the garage entrance. A guest en-suite down here. And upstairs, one master, a guest bath and a shared bath," Kent explains.

"Okay."

Dave opens the French door in the dining room that leads to the backyard. A small covered patio provides enough space for a couple of chairs and tables. Dave takes a moment to surveille the landscape.

He looks at Kent. "I want it."

Kent chuckles. "You haven't even seen the second floor."

"I don't need to," Dave says. "Anything I don't like, I can remodel. You found all the things I was looking for, particularly the kitchen and acreage. It's a really nice house, let's make an offer."

Kent looks at him for a moment then shrugs. "Alright then. Let me go grab my briefcase."

Dave waits on the patio as Kent goes back through the house and out to his car.

Dave's phone rings. "Hey Reeni," he says in greeting.

"What the actual fuck, David."

He rubs the bridge of his nose and wishes there was a place to sit. "What did I do now?"

"What did you do? What did you do?! It's more like, what didn't you do! Why didn't you call me," she demands.

"Call you," he repeats a frown mars his features.

She huffs loudly and growls in frustration. "Sophia said that Penelope got shot. What happened? What did you do?"

Dave hears Kent behind him and turns around. He waves his free hand at the other man.

"Reeni! I can't talk about it right now," he says blandly. He glances at Kent then looks out at the trees in the yard. "I have a few days off; I'm coming home tonight."

"What time? I'll pick you up."

"I actually need to buy a plane ticket," he chuckles. "I'll text you in a little while."

The line is silent for a moment. "Are you okay," she asks quietly. "You don't sound okay."

He bites the edge of his lip and moves restlessly. "We'll talk about it later. I'm about to make an offer on a house."

"We'll talk about that later too," she says in return. "Text me. Bye."

He hangs up the phone and turns to Kent. "What have you got for me?"

The Airport in Virginia

That afternoon, Dave grabs his go-bag and jacket from the overhead bin and quickly deplanes. He hurries up the ramp and heads for the front of the airport. As he passes by the security checkpoint, he hears a familiar voice call his name. He turns just as a pair of arms wrap around him and pull him close.

Eyes closed, he drops his bag, and wraps his arms around her as he melts into the embrace. "I thought you'd be waiting in the car," he mumbles.

"I couldn't wait that long," Reeni responds. She pulls back to look at his face. "How is she?"

"She's out of the hospital," he replies. He pulls away and bends down to pick up his bag.

"And the guy who shot her?"

Dave starts to walk away. "He's dead."

"Oh, David," she laments as she catches up to him.

"I didn't kill him," he tells her. "I wish I had."

She grabs his sleeve and tugs hard. "Don't say things like that," she hisses.

He looks around and sees people watching him warily. "You mean in public?"

"No. I mean at all," she grumbles. "I hate when you talk like that."

"I'm sorry," he says quietly. He slips his arm around her and pulls her close. "I'll behave."

She shoves him away. "Sure, you will."

He follows her out to the parking lot and tosses his bag into the back of her car.

"So, what happened that allowed you time off," she asks as they pull onto the freeway.

He chuckles and looks over at her. "What do you think?"

"Did you get fired," she asks wide-eyed.

"Not yet."

"What does that mean? Jesus, David… I know I said I didn't want you to go back there but I don't want you getting fired either."

He reaches over and plucks at the sleeve of her sweater. "I don't want to get fired either. I just… I keep fucking things up."

She glances at him as he drops his hand on his thigh and stares out the front window. He says nothing. A few minutes go by before he rubs his face and sighs.

He laughs, mostly to himself. "It's kind of funny, I've always hated being told what to do but I keep taking on jobs where that is exactly what happens."

"You're a masochist," Reeni mutters.

"That's definitely true," he agrees with a nod. "Apparently, I like making myself miserable."

"You know, no one would fault you if you decided to stay retired," she says softly.

"I would," he replies sharply. "Pull over."

She frowns at him. "Here?"

"Here. Now," he orders.

She eases the car to the side of the road, puts it into park and turns on the hazard lights.

He waits until she turns to face him before he speaks. "I think about all the people who died while I was retired. I think about their families and the suffering all of them have gone through. I know I couldn't have saved them all, but I could have saved some of them."

She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly without speaking.

He continues. "I think about Penelope and how lucky we were that she didn't die. And I know that had she not been a member of our team, she probably would have been killed by Battle at some point. Which makes me think about all the other people out there who will die tonight or tomorrow or at some point, through no fault of their own."

"I know I'm not God," he says quickly when he sees her roll her eyes. "But I'm good at this. Really good at it. It's the one thing I do best."

"What about, Jason," she asks.

"Jason was good," he admits. "But he wasn't as good at this as I am. Jason liked saving people, he liked being the hero, but it was just a job to him. Profiling is my life. It's not just what I do, it's who I am."

He shifts in his seat to face her better. "This is the thing I do best."

She laughs. "You're a great writer and an even better brother."

"No," he says as he shakes his head. "I'm a good writer, I can tell a good story. As far as being a great brother – I'm sure I could be better at that as well."

He glances out the front window and watches a car disappear down the freeway. "These last few weeks, I've realized that some things have changed, technology has gotten faster, other techniques have improved, but the bare bones of profiling hasn't changed at all. It's all about behavior; reading body language and tracking habits. The people I work with, they rely too much on computers and short cuts. I was born to read people; I've been doing it my whole life. If I stop now, you might as well bury me."

"Well, that's a happy thought," she sneers.

He reaches out and grabs her hand. "I've been dying for years Reeni, and I never knew it."

She stares at him, studying his face. Her lip trembles as a tear slips out of the corner of her eye, she squeezes his hand. "I know."

He wipes the tear from her cheek with his other hand and pulls her closer placing a kiss on her temple. "I just bought a house. You can come stay whenever you want."

Little Creek – Dave's Cabin

Dave tenses as Reeni pulls into his driveway and he spots an unfamiliar car sitting in front of the garage.

"Relax Agent Rossi," Reeni laughs. "It's Bill."

"Your boyfriend? What's he doing here?"

"I asked him to bring Mudgie over," she explains as she puts the car in park. "Your dog misses you."

"I miss him too," Dave mumbles in reply. He shoves the door open and climbs out of the car.

"Mudgie! Come," Dave hollers. A bark rings out from the woods.

"He was drooling and bouncing around in the car so much, I had to let him out," Bill says apologetically.

"That's okay," Dave smiles as he sees a black blur coming towards him from the tree line. "Come here, Buddy!"

Mudgie barks excitedly as he closes the gap between himself and his master. Dave drops to one knee just as Mudgie powers into him and knocks him on his back. The dog jumps and barks and wriggles around excitedly. Dave tries to grab the dog while avoiding flailing legs.

"Easy, Buddy," Dave laughs as he grabs at Mudgie's collar. The dog twists around and licks Dave's face.

Reeni laughs loudly. She pulls out her phone and begins recording the pair wrestling in the dirt. After a few minutes, Mudgie finally settles on Dave's lap. Dave gives the dog one last hug before gentling shoving him off. Dave climbs to his feet and half-heartedly brushes the dirt off his pants.

"You've got dirt in your hair," Reeni giggles.

Dave shrugs and smiles wryly. "Guess I'll be taking a shower soon."

"Are you hungry? I can make dinner while you shower," Reeni suggested.

Dave nods. "I could use some coffee too."

Dave carries his bag up the stairs to his room, Mudgie hot on his heels. He closes the door, drops his bag, and slides off his shoes before sitting on the edge of the bed and removing his socks. He lays back on the bed and closes his eyes. It feels good to be home.

The bed jiggles as Mudgie jumps up and snuggles next to him. Dave pops an eye open and peers at the dog. Mudgie was trained to sleep on the floor. Was this a new habit he had picked up at Reeni's house? Or was the dog really missing him to the point of breaking the rules?

Dave sighs as Mudgie lays his head on Dave's chest and stares into his eyes. "I've missed you too," Dave says softly. Mudgie's tail thumps on the bed.

"You want to move to DC with me," Dave asks. "I bought a new house with a big yard for you to run around in. I'll have to find someone to take care of you when I'm out of town. You going to be okay with that?"

Mudgie inches closer and licks Dave's chin.

Dave smiles. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

Later

Mudgie leads the way down the stairs a while later after Dave showered and dressed in fresh clothes. He finds Reeni puttering around in the kitchen.

"Where's Bill," Dave asked.

"He had to head home," she smiles. "You took longer than normal. Everything okay?"

Dave settles at the table as Reeni carries over a plate with a sandwich and some grapes.

"Yeah. I fell asleep for about twenty minutes," he admits as he picks up a sandwich.

She touches his shoulder and gives it a squeeze. "You did look a little tired. Let me get your coffee."

"Thanks Reeni," he says before taking a bite of the sandwich.

She returns with two cups of steaming hot coffee, placing one in front of him and holding the other as she slides into the chair next to him.

"Sorry for the sandwiches and not an actual meal," she apologizes. "The lunchmeat was the easiest to thaw out."

"It's fine," he reassures her. "I probably wouldn't have made anything. How's everybody?"

"Good. No one knows that you're here except me and Bill. I figured you might want a day or two on your own."

He raises an eyebrow at her. "Thank you. I could use a little me time. What are you going to tell the kids about Mudgie?"

She smiles indulgently. "By the time they get out of school on Friday and come over for the weekend, I figure that you will have made your presence known."

He chuckles and raises his eyebrows at her. "Good thinking. And Poppa?"

"Getting better. Tormenting Momma as usual. Amanda is still here and so is Isabella. Her worthless husband called, and I happened to answer the phone," she says with a smug smile.

"What did he want?"

"To know when she was coming home, apparently they were running out of groceries."

"Excuse me?!"

"Oh, I let him have the full force of my opinion," she growls. "Bella's not doing well. She's seen a specialist here and he's started her some medications. They want to admit her to the hospital, but she's been putting it off."

"I thought she was going to see someone in DC."

"Momma and Poppa know about the cancer now and they want her here with them," Reeni explains.

Dave nods as he finishes the first sandwich and picks up his cup of coffee. "I'll talk to her tomorrow."

Reeni lays a hand on his. "Momma's got this. Let her handle it for now."

He nods again and starts in on the other sandwich.

Reeni laughs. "I've never seen you eat like this, are you tasting that food?"

"You don't remember when I got back from Vietnam?"

She chuckles. "You ate like you had never seen food before."

"I haven't been eating much lately," he admits. "This is like manna right now. I'm looking forward to having my own kitchen again."

"Mmm, you bought a house."

"A mansion," he corrects gently. "Six acres of land for me and Mudge to play in, five bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms, a gourmet kitchen."

"Why do you need so many bedrooms," she asks.

"For the family to visit," he tells her. "You know, all my nieces and nephews are going to want to come stay with me."

"True," she replies. "What about this place?"

"What about it?"

"You going to sell it?"

"Oh, hell no," he replies. "This is my sanctuary. I can't sell my duck hunting palace. Besides, where would I stay when I came to visit? Your house?"

"Definitely not."

They sit in silence for a few minutes drinking their coffee.

"So," Reeni says breaking the silence. "We gonna talk about why you're here?"

End Chapter 25