No-one had seen Annabel Bradey in a decade, that was until she resurfaced in SSA Aaron Hotchner's office in Quantico. She was carrying scars both physical and mental, but wouldn't share her story. Or at least not until everyone she loved was in dang...
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David Rossi has an unconditional love for coffee so strong it could wake the dead. Whether he be recovering from a late night of poker, or a case had been active so long her had become easily agitated, coffee was his stimulant of choice. As a true Italian, he wouldn't drink the fancy coffee that he had seen Penelope order from Starbucks, no, David would only drink dark roast with a splash of milk. The way it was supposed to be.
That was why he was in the break room when Annabel's visitor badge was traded for an employee ID. To say he was surprised would have been a lie, David had seen the secret meetings between the newly reverted ginger and Erin Strauss, with the occasional addition of Aaron, but he hadn't expected it to happen this quickly. He had spent a great deal of time with Annabel over the past few months, particularly as she seemed to live in Aaron's office when they only had paperwork to complete, which meant that he knew that she still had a closet full of skeletons.
David watched carefully as the woman shook hands with Erin, the latter surprising him by encasing Annabel's hand in her own. David wondered if the two could possibly know each other, the mere fact that she was given visitation privilege so often being an indication in that direction. However, it wasn't until that moment that he came to believe his own hypothesis. Erin's smile seemed genuine - and almost proud - as she looked at the women, almost as though she were looking at her child.
There was a quick nod of Annabel's head that ended the conversation between the two women, Erin crossing the floor to her own office without hesitation. David couldn't tear his eyes from the ginger as she stood, seeming lost, outside the glass doors that lead to the bullpen. The newest Bureau employee let out a large breath, smoothing down her skirt with shaking hands, before finally walking through the door.
She saw David almost instantly, throwing him a quick smile as she crossed the bullpen to join him. He hoped that she hadn't caught him staring, though he also knew that she was understanding of the team's fixation on her and the mystery that surrounded her name. However, none of them had known her before the disappearance, and, while he hadn't been as familiar with the girl as Aaron, David had been an acquaintance of Annabel's back when she had been a young adult with big dreams.
Having pulled a second mug from the cupboard, David held up the coffee pot causing her to grin as she nodded. It wasn't until she was stood just a few paces away from him that the Italian could see the dark patches below her eyes. Aaron had told him about her restless nights during their many conversations over scotch once they had finished cases, but, from the way the girl laughed with the rest of the team, he never would have guessed the physical toll it had on her.
Annabel thanked him as she took the mug, her eyes scanning the rest of the floor as she said, "I don't know how to do this Dave."
"What do you mean?" He questioned, watching as she rested her hip against the counter, still ensuring her back was not to the door the way she had since late November.
"Strauss has brought me in as a victim communications and support officer," she explained, causing David's eyes to widen. As she mentioned it, he remembered how she had always dreamed of helping people recover from traumatic events. He always assumed that she had her share of darkness in her past, and now he realised that, by that point in her life, she must not have suffered the half of it.
