(Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or it's characters)

Woo, new story! I've been waiting to upload this for a while. I know this is a pretty bad time for me to be uploading a new story, but this chapter has been ready for months and I just couldn't wait any longer.

Please leave a review, I'd love to know what you think. If you want to keep up to date with this story, favourite and follow, you know all that jazz :)

Enjoy, this is just the prologue by the way. (Also, the first part is reported speech, I hope it's not too confusing.)

Don't cry...

You mustn't cry...

Mummy?

They'll hear you, baby...

Don't cry...

Please, just go to sleep...

Mumma!

Shh. They'll hear you. Sleep, baby, sleep. Mummy has things to do...

Diana stared at her reflection in the mirror on the bathroom cabinet. The sides had once been mahogany but the last owners stupidly painted them white with ugly little fish 'swimming' across it. He loved them, but she'd always hated the flamboyant clownfish that watched her bathe.

She looked back at her own sunken face, forgetting about the poorly painted colourful fish. When had her cheeks become so hollow, and her eyes welled up at how scary her appearance had become, no wonder he cried so much.

Enough.

Diana pulled open the cabinet and grabbed the pill bottles stacked haphazardly on the shelves. The bottles clattered into the sink, adding to the loud wailing already filling their small apartment.

Don't cry...

Diana popped off one of the lids with shaky fingers and stared at the orange pills for a moment. The wailing turned to a high pitch scream and Diana closed her eyes.

They'll hear you...

She looked back down at the pills and lifted them gently to her lips. She glanced at her reflection once more before sharply jerking her head back and tipping the pills inside.

Mumma!

The cries grew, creating chaos in Diana's jumbled mind and she started throwing pills back until all twelve bottles lay empty in her sink. Her vision blanched and she felt herself slip a little. Her insides were rebelling but her mind felt peaceful for the first time.

It's almost over...

As her eyes fell closed one last thought filled her head.

She hadn't closed his door.

The light left Diana's eyes just as the tiny pitter patter of desperate feet echoed down the hall.

Mumma!? Mu-

3 months earlier

Rossi lapped up his scotch and gave a satisfied sigh when the final droplet danced over his tongue, his taste buds standing to attention as the firey liquid squirmed down his throat.

He rolled his eyes when Emily popped open their third bottle of wine. I'm glad I kept the good stuff in the cupboards, he thought with a smirk, turning to his drinks cabinet to pour a double scotch.

"Nuh Uh, Morgan," JJ laughed, sipping her wine methodically. "You hit on him! Without a doubt!"

"Hey! How was I to know he was in drag! He looked so convincing.. h-he had boobs!" Morgan exclaimed, holding his half-filled glass to his lips so as to drown his embarrassment.

"It's not that hard to tell the difference between a drag and a woman," Rossi mused, taking a tiny sip of his fresh drink and allowing the sharp taste to visit every part of his mouth. "The guys overcompensate in their drag-"

"That's rich! Back in your day, I bet you were onto anything with a pair of hooters and breathed," Morgan interjected and Rossi shot an affronted look at the young father.

"In my what!?" Rossi growled and Morgan leaned back nervously on the couch.

"You know what he means, Dave," Aaron said with a rare Hotchner smile on his face. Rossi narrowed his eyes at Aaron who just stared back indignantly.

"Look, I'll admit that I was quite the ladies man in my youth," Rossi held his hands up in defense.

"You dog!" Garcia gasped.

"But I'm tame now!"

"Whatever. I saw you with a woman just last month," Morgan put in with a smug smile on his lips.

"Shoot me, I like to be with a woman once in a blue moon. I'm only human," Rossi said and the girls rolled their eyes, giving each other knowing looks.

Garcia took a long sip from her straw before leaning forward. "So tell us, being the Italian Stallion that you are: who was your favourite?" she asked, raising her eyebrows quizzically.

"In what way? I have favourite women for certain things," he muttered with a coy smirk.

"Ew, gross!" Emily groaned, putting her hands over her ears to block him out. "I don't want details, thanks very much."

"You asked."

"I think you'll find that was Penelope, but knowing her dark mind, she'd be quite happy to have the details."

"A little off topic, but I'm down for it," Garcia shrugged, her lips finding her straw as she waited.

"Well?" Hotch questioned patiently.

"There was only one woman for me," the Italian sighed.

"Oh yea," Morgan chuckled. "And out of your harem of women which one would, that be."

"Wow, That was a big word," Rossi sneered which caused Morgan to grow red. "Her name was Diana. Diana Reid."

Morgan made kissing noises but JJ nudged him, her attention engaged on Rossi and his gossip.

"What was she like?" Garcia asked.

"She was and probably still is an English college professor. She was married before but they were over," Rossi insisted, raising his hands in his own defence when Hotch quirked an eyebrow. "I swear," he added.

"I was only seeing her for two months and I'd already decided that she was the woman I wanted to marry. Lucky number three as my mama had said," Rossi murmured, smiling sadly as he took a quick swig of his scotch.

"So... what happened?" Morgan asked, suddenly intrigued by Rossi's love story.

"One day she just broke it off. She sent me a letter to tell me. She refused to talk to me so I didn't pursue her after that. I just accepted that she fell out of love with me," he looked down at his empty glass. "I never stopped loving her though."

"We need to find you a woman," Morgan announced, causing Rossi to smile again.

"I think I'm through with women."

"Nu-Uh! My man isn't gonna admit defeat that easily."

Rossi stared at Morgan for a moment and a thought hit him. The younger agent was right, he did need a woman. He waved off Morgan and changed the subject but the next day Rossi took the younger man's advise.

He spent the day in his office working quietly and taking advantage of the easy workload. He waved goodbye to each of his team members until the bullpen was empty. He glanced around the floor which to a normal person would've been deserted, but David Rossi knew of one person who had yet to leave.

Rossi strode up to Strauss' office and opened the door, skipping pleasantries.

"David?" Strauss frowned, though she didn't appear angry.

"How strict are you on protocol?" He asked. Strauss' frown vanished and Rossi swore he could see the corners of her lips curl up in what many had thought to be an extinct Strauss smile.

"I'm pretty rigorous," she purred.

Rossi stripped himself of his jacket and made sure the blinds were drawn in case any agents happened to walk in the office at 11.27pm.

"Maybe you could let protocol slide," he suggested, loosening his tie. Strauss set down her pen and shuffled her paperwork to the end of her desk.

"I can break the rules whenever I want," she said.

1 month earlier

Rossi slipped into Strauss's office and gazed at her with a grim expression.

"I know why you're here, Agent Rossi," she muttered.

"Well, that should make this much easier-"

"These past few months have been a mistake," she cut in, leaving the Italian a little crestfallen.

"I wouldn't go as far as to call them a mistake. I just think we should end it now before it gets too unprofessional," Rossi replied with a grimace, recalling his rendezvous with Strauss in his office late one night; that had not been professional.

"Call it what you will, Agent. If it's a mutual parting you want, then you can have it, otherwise, I am telling you that our personal relationship must end," Strauss deadpanned and she turned back to her work.

"I'm glad we're on the same wavelength, ma'am," he stood up nonchalantly and after a moment's hesitation, where Strauss continued to look down, he hurried from the room.

Erin glanced up to see his fleeting body. She sighed. Why is work so complicated, she thought.

Rossi got to his office and smacked his hand on his desk.

Why did I bother trying again, he thought bitterly. There was no-one else in the world for him. Just one woman and even she didn't want him.

Present

There was a prescribed knock on Rossi's door that caused him to pause in his writing and frown. "Come in," He muttered and the door opened quietly.

"Agent Rossi." Anderson stuck his head around the door and smiled. "There's a woman here who would like to speak to you."

Rossi scowled out of the doorway where a young woman was stood with a solemn expression.

"What's this about?"

The women stepped forward to speak. "I have some news for you, Agent," she said. "Regarding Diana Reid."

Rossi's eyes widened and he stood up motioning for her to come in.

"Shut the door, Anderson."

"Yes, Sir, I'll just... go back to work," he murmured before closing the door. Rossi motioned the woman into a seat and she carefully laid an envelope on the desk as she sat down.

"What about Diana? I haven't heard from her in... god, it has to have been years," Rossi mused and the woman kissed her teeth nervously.

"I'm from the agency," she whispered.

Rossi's frown deepened. "Agen- I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I understand."

"That's a letter from Diana, read it: it explains everything, but before you do," the woman swallowed thickly. "I have to tell you that- um I'm not sure how to put this. Diana... she um..." the woman looked at Rossi sympathetically. "She took her own life last night."

Rossi gaped at the woman his breath caught in his throat. He fell into his chair with a dull thud as his hands caught his face.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered.

"Why?" Rossi mumbled, his wet eyes rolling up to the woman opposite. "Why would she do that?"

"I'm not sure, Mr Rossi... but there's something else."

"What?" Rossi hissed, gritting his teeth. "What more is there?"

"She would like you to take custody of Spencer," the woman explained. Rossi rubbed his eyes and furrowed his brow, trying to control his breathing.

"Who?" He asked quietly. The woman frowned and bit her lip.

"Um... khm... Spencer? Your son, Mr. Rossi," she explained.

"Excuse me?!" Rossi's jaw fell open and his eyes bulged right out of his head giving him the comical appearance of a cartoon character.

The woman from the agency glanced around at Rossi's office and nodded slowly. "The letter will explain better."

"Don't tell me that's another of Rossi's girlfriends," Morgan laughed as Hotch walked by, Hotch paused and turned to where his team was looking.

The team watched the young woman enter Rossi's office and spied on the room for a good ten minutes until the woman walked out and nodded to Rossi who was in the doorframe clutching a letter. He was nodding as he stared at the letter.

"If you make your way to the airport on Wednesday we will meet you there," the woman said and Rossi was nodding again. The woman walked away and smiled at the curious agents as she went.

"That's a fast moving date," Morgan pointed out but Rossi didn't reply, he continued to stare down at his paper.

"Not now, Morgan," Hotch muttered. He was watching Rossi carefully. "What is it?" He asked.

Rossi finally glanced up and Hotch was taken aback by the redness in his eyes. "There's something I need to tell you... all of you," he said, his voice cracked unnaturally.

Hotch turned to his team as Rossi trudged into the conference room.

"What do you think it is?" Garcia whispered, glancing at Emily who just shook her head.

"Conference room, now," Hotch deadpanned, before hurrying after Rossi.

"Why?" Morgan called, but Hotch was already gone. He glanced at JJ who shrugged.

They gathered in the conference room where Rossi was pacing back and forth in front of the blinds.

"What's up with you, man?" Morgan asked as he took his seat and scowled at the Italian.

"Dave?" Hotch murmured and the Italian paused before stepping up to the table, avoiding everyone's eyes.

"Read that." Rossi handed the letter to Morgan before sinking into his chair with a groan and rubbing his face.

Morgan unfolded the letter, his eyes catching the name 'Diana' at the bottom. He fought the urge to read the letter in a high pitched, womanly voice to tease the older agent because, from the looks of him, this was no joke.

"Diana? As in-" He said and Rossi nodded. The team exchanged nervous glances.

'David,

If you have received this letter then it is too late for me, and for that, I am truly sorry.'

Morgan paused and perceived the wetness in Rossi's eyes.

'That is not the point of this letter, though allow me to explain myself. I'm schizophrenic. It's gotten worse this last year and I fear for his safety,'

Morgan frowned a little and the team noticed the pause in his reading. "Who's he?" Rossi didn't reply but motioned for Morgan to continue.

'I won't go into details of my illness, I do not wish to inconvenience you with such unabating woe. Just know this; when I woke up with a knife and found him hiding under his bed, I knew enough was enough.'

Hotch's eyes widened and he glanced at Rossi who was looking down at the roundtable.

'David, you may be wondering why I left you. I knew back then, of my illness, I drove away my last husband with it. You were so successful and I couldn't bring you down with me. I did love you.'

JJ and Emily exchanged a sad look and Garcia was close to tears herself.

'I still do. I don't expect the same feelings from you after the silence you have received for so long. I hope you have been able to move on, it gives me relief to think you have.

I've talked long enough about myself and I already told you that this letter is not about me.'

Morgan swallowed thickly; something told him that the rest of this letter wasn't going to be lighthearted.

'If you've read this then I am no longer here. Don't dwell on that fact too much, there are more important things for you to spend your time worrying about. There is something you must know, David. Or, more specifically, someone. His name is Spencer.'

Hotch stared at Dave and started putting the puzzle together.

'You remember when we first met? That was the most wonderful day of my life, at least until two years ago, two years last Tuesday actually. Let me be blunter. I left you not only because of my illness, but also because I was pregnant-'

Morgan's eyes widened and he gaped at Rossi.

"Yours?" He mumbled and Rossi nodded. "How-"

"Keep reading."

'This isn't how I intended for you to find out. You realise by now that the child I was pregnant with was yours. That brings me to the best day of my life. Spencer David Rossi was born August 16th, he just turned two. Of course, his second name is currently Reid, but I hope you will change that in time.'

Garcia held back a squeal of joy that threatened to fill the room. Everyone was looking around with a dazed look in their eyes.

'I wanted you to meet him as soon as he was born, but I relapsed. It was hard, between a newborn and my illness, I was close to taking my life on several occasions. You may ask, then, why now? I can't fight this anymore, and I will not see our son suffer through me.'

"He's just turned two," Rossi muttered, interrupting Morgan's soft words.

"Congratulations," Garcia hummed quietly, aware of the otherwise deathly silence from the rest of the team.

"I've missed two years of his life," The Italian continued sadly. He waved at Morgan to carry on.

'My decision, as his mother, is that you raise him. I'm sorry if this interferes with your job, but I see no other way and I won't have him going into the foster system.

I want you to tell him how much I loved him. Never let him believe otherwise. And one day you can tell him the truth. Show him this letter. He's smart, he'll understand.

Let's talk about him, instead of me.

The first thing you should know is he is very quiet. Do not deduce this with the idea that he's slow or a mute. He chooses to be quiet. He will talk to you when and if he's ready, just give him time and space. Also, he has lots going on in his head all the time so it's a wonder that he even bothers speaking to me.

Secondly, if you were curious as to whether he inherited anything from you then I'd have to admit that he looks more like you than me. In fact, one of my doctors denied that he was my child at all. He has your brown hair and brown eyes and I swear I see a little more Italian in him every day. That's for you to decide

Probably the most important thing you need to know is that Spencer isn't like other kids his age. I won't say anything more on the matter, let the perks of parenthood allow you to discover it for yourself.

I have enclosed a notebook with instructions and everything you need to know about caring for Spencer. I have also left the photos I have of him. There aren't many, he hasn't had one in almost a year so I hope you can change that. He's quite taken with cameras; If I could afford one I would've got him the biggest one on the shelf.

I could talk to you like this forever, Dave. But I will not have you or Spencer suffer too. I do not regret doing this, my biggest regret is leaving you before Spencer was born. You deserved to watch his first years and I took that from you. I hope you can forgive me one day.

I trust you entirely, please give our son the life he needs.

All my love,

Diana.'

Morgan took a big breath and let the letter fall onto the table. The team turned their attention to Rossi who had a single irrefutable tear running down his cheek.

"I have a son," he mumbled.

Yay! The first chapter is done! You may be wondering why I'm uploading a new story before I take my absence, Well, I wanted to get this out there to give you a taste of what is to come. I'm not doing myself many favours with my new workload ;D oh well, I hoped you enjoy this teaser for my newest story.

This story is obviously an AU and there's an AT. Firstly, the team is much younger, JJ is around 25, but they have their kids... as in Hank, Micheal, Henry, and Jack are in this story, and they're older than they would be in the series and the team had them much younger... sorry, that just fits my story better ;)

Please review, next chapter will be out after my exams but I've been working on this story for a long time, just so you know.

Thanks.

See ya soon.