There will come a time you'll see, with no more tears. And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears.

Mumford and Sons, "After the Storm"

Chapter 1: David

There are three things he believes in without fail: profiling, prayer, and the people he cares about. To get through this, he'll need all three, now more than he ever has.

After Aaron breaks the news, they go back out and try to act normal, pretend that their worlds haven't all just stopped turning. But it's forced, a clear farce. Soon after, the party comes to an end, and Rossi tries to busy himself with cleaning up. Wash dishes, put away utensils, rearrange the furniture. Anything to keep busy. The conversation can't be avoided forever though, and finally Hayden leans against the counter, a wine glass still in her hands, and looks hard at him.

"David, what's going on?"

"Well, at the moment I'm drying the spoons, and trying to listen to Frank Sinatra."

"David."

He turns to face her, silently begging her to do this. Hayden's gaze is unwavering, and he sighs. Exhaling the deepest of frustrations. "We've been informed of something… problematic. Last night's prison break was only the beginning."

She sets the glass on the table in favor of wringing her hands together. "What do you mean?"

What he means is that everyone he loves could be in danger. That the American public is now at risk. That the worst of mistakes has been made. "A number of supermax prisons have serial killer wings, to isolate them from gen pop. There were breakouts at all of them, and while security managed to catch most of them, there are still thirteen at large. Some of whom my team caught before. And some of whom could be out for revenge."

Hayden falls silent, her eyes wide. A few weeks ago, her life was normal, and now he's gone and dragged her into this mess. His world is a dangerous one, and all he wants is just a little piece of normalcy. Of happiness. She sighs and pours them each another glass of wine. Heaven knows they could use it.

"Will you tell Joy?" she asks.

"Yes," he says. "But not now. It's late, and I don't want her worrying about anything. It's unlikely that any of the unsubs will go after you or Joy." That can't be said for the average person though. Out there, somewhere, are countless people who match each killer's victimology. Some may not even survive the night. This night was supposed to be a happy one, but that light has been dashed with dreadful news. Darkness has a way of seeping into his life, brought on by his own choice of career.

Not that he can say he regrets it. It's hard to imagine doing anything else. Still, sometimes he can't help but wonder how much happier he would've been doing something else.

"I'm sorry to involve you in all this. If I had known, I never would've asked you to…" Rossi trails off, lost in the world of what might have been.

Hayden lays a gentle hand on his shoulder. "David, you couldn't have possibly known how this would turn out. But I get it now. Why it's so hard for you to walk away from this job." She smiles wistfully. "Those people mean a very great deal to you, don't they?"

"They're the closest thing I had to a family for a very long time," he admits. They still are a part of his family. Although he would never say so out loud, many of his fondest memories in the last decade have been with them. Solving the Galen murders, writing his latest books, finding Harrison once again, begrudgingly giving a cooking lesson at his mansion. They alone understand what he's seen, they share in the regret and the guilt and the nightmares. Without them, he would be lost.

"I'm surprised though," she adds. "You were never much of a team player before."

That conjures up images of his first case out of retirement, when Hotch lectured him about that exact thing. Rossi chuckles. "You're right about that. What can I say? They kinda grow on you after a while." Sure, he'll tease them, but it comes from a place of immense appreciation. He would never dream of intentionally hurting a member of his team. They've been through enough already.

When everything is back in its proper place, he finds an old Tony Bennett record, and sets it on the player. Music croons out beautifully as he extends a hand to Hayden. She regards him curiously, the act quite out of place from the last few hours.

"Tomorrow," he tells her, "everything is going to get crazy. But right now, there's a great record on, plenty of wine left, and the most beautiful woman in front of me. Dance with me, Hayden. Let me just have this. Let us have tonight, before I go back to the work world in the morning."

Shaking her head, she smiles and steps towards him. The chaos of the evening fades away when he holds her in his arms. The way he should've done so many many years ago.

You won't really fall in love for you can't take the chance
So please be honest with yourself, don't try to fake romance
It's the good life to be free and explore unknown.

The song surrounds them. Oh, they could've had a good life together. If only his pride hadn't gotten in the way, they could've been a real family. Instead he wrote books alone and his daughter was raised by someone else. There are things he's learned since then though, one of which being that it's never too late to start again.

They still could have a good life. Rossi kisses her forehead, lingering there a moment. He's not one for making deals, but he decides bargaining is worth a shot. If he makes it out of this mess – if they put all those killers away, he will do right by Hayden and Joy. When it's safe again, he will build that good life with them. So much he's already lost. Carolyn, Emma, James. He's not going to let the best thing in his life pass him by. Not this time.

There is a storm on the horizon. But if he can withstand it a little while longer, there is a good life out there too.

Those, he decides, are worries for another day. Tonight, he just wants a normal night. To dance with a woman he loves, drink a few more glasses of wine, and fall asleep with dreams of better days to come.

Author's Note:

This is just a short little series, looking at each of the characters "after the storm" and how each would react. Just something little in anticipation of Season 12.

* The song used here is Tony Bennett's The Good Life.