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“You have another one.”
She nodded, feeling tired and bruised, but hearing the words “It’s nothing.” Falling out of her mouth instead.
David Rossi brushed his thumb across Prentiss’ latest black eye. “You need to stop getting these.” He noted softly.
She scoffed and winced. “Tell that to the unsubs.”
“I will.” He grinned. His eyes watched her own carefully. “Ribs?”
“A bit sore.” She nodded.
“Just a bit?”
“Okay. Very sore.” She had been kicked in the guts many times in her life, but she was feeling it more with each passing year.
There was blood on her shirt, caught in the creases of her mouth, her nostril and it hurt Dave to see it.
“I’ve had worse.” She nodded.
“Doyle?”
“For one.”
Rossi nodded. “Derek told us how he’d beaten you.”
“Yeah. Doyle was angry. I guess he had a right to be.”
“No one has the right to attack you the way he did.”
“I staged his kid’s death, Rossi. Kept it secret for eight years. Wouldn’t you be angry?”
Rossi grunted. “I’d never hit a woman.”
Emily smiled. “That’s ‘cause you’re a good guy. I haven’t dealt with many of them before.”
“Show me.”
She sighed. “Dave, really, I-“
“Show me. Please.”
With a huff, Emily shrugged her shirt off, letting him see the colours cascading across her ribs and stomach. Her scar looked both pale and angry sat amidst the new bruises. The years of healing hadn’t made it disappear very much, but she guessed that was the price of emergency surgery.
“I think you might have a fracture.” Dave noted touching her third rib gently and hearing her suck in a painful breath.
“Probably.” She agreed. “Feels like it.”
He shook his head. “Emily… you’re our Chief now. You shouldn’t be diving in there all gung-ho anymore.”
She shrugged. “That’s the part I always liked.”
“Even at the cost of being injured?”
Another shrug. “I was trained by the CIA and Interpol. I can take it.”
Rossi sighed in resignation, his hand lingering on her ribs.
“How about you? That’s a nasty bump.” She said pointing at his forehead.
“I can take it.” He replied, teasing her with her own words as his hand dipped to her abdominal scar. He felt her flinch, despite the passing of years. “Sorry.” He whispered.
“It’s fine.” She said, resting her hand atop his. She figured she could almost feel the butterflies through her skin.
Dave watched her, his friend, saw the blush spreading across her skin at his touch. “You keep on worrying me, Emily Prentiss.” He whispered.
She smiled and stroked his cheek. “It’s nice that you care.”
“I care.” He agreed, leaning forward to kiss each of her cheeks. His touch was softer, gentler than his usual ‘greeting’ kiss… and he paused and landed a third, chaste kiss to her lips.
Emily was too taken aback to respond, and when Dave pulled away he looked embarrassed.
“I’m sorry. It… must be the head wound.” He said, trying to make light of it. “I’ll, uh, I’ll go.”
“Wait.” Emily held on to his hand, stilling him.
“I…I just…”
Emily raised a finger to hush him before leaning forward to touch her lips to his, in an equally chaste kiss. She pulled back and smiled again as Dave raised his brows.
“I’m not in trouble?” he asked with a grin.
“Not if you do it again.”
“Yes boss.” He said, catching her lips once more, feeling her respond, her lips parting for him, her hand – still holding his - moving to her stomach. He knew how sensitive she was about the scars that Doyle marked her with, and he took care, took time to caress the large impalement wound.
Emily pulled her lips away as he touched her, her eyes dropping to the floor.
“Hey?” he whispered.
She shrugged awkwardly. “Sorry about those… I… You don’t have to look or… touch. I know they’re ugly.”
“They aren’t ugly to me.” He assured her, kissing her again, kissing the tears that he saw forming in her eyes. He held her gaze with his own as he lowered his head to kiss the old wound and placed another on the partial brand he could see poking out from above her bra.
“Dave…” she sighed.
“Shall I stop?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Don’t they bother you?”
“Not in the slightest.” He said, his hands joining his mouth on her body, drawing a soft sigh from her as her hands found his hair and she pulled him back to her lips. This time her kiss was desperate and ferocious and he gave back what she needed.
“It’s been so long.” She said in between kisses. “Too long. I don’t want to wait any longer.”
Dave Rossi drew her close, feeling the need radiating from her. He wasn’t sure if she was even fully aware it was him, but he knew what she needed to hear and feel and he wasn’t going to let her down. She had been let down so often before, and right now as he lay her down, he intended to be everything she needed. At least for now.