AN: Phew. There you go, 3 chs this week. Little late because I was taking a little break from all my books.
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[A few days later] [Ray's house]
Ray sat at the dining table, relaxed, flipping through Raging Heat from the Nikki Heat series while sipping a glass of lemonade. His eyes scanned the page, but the small smile tugging at his lips wasn't about the book.
Across the table, Rosa stood with her arms crossed, staring him down like a hawk spotting prey.
"Out with it," she said.
Ray didn't look up. "Out with what?"
"You said last night you planned a surprise for me," she said, narrowing her eyes. "Now tell me what it is."
Ray took a slow sip of lemonade. "If I tell you, it won't be a surprise."
Rosa leaned on the table. "You know I hate surprises."
"I know," Ray said, smirking. "That's what makes this fun."
Rosa huffed, pacing. "Okay, fine. Let me guess. You are taking me to a shooting range? Nope, we already did that. You bought me a new motorcycle? Nope, you already gave me that superbike. Don't tell me you're finally going to let me try that grenade launcher? That'd be so cool. Oh wait! Are we going skydiving?"
Ray shook his head at each guess, eyes still on his book.
"Nope."
"Nope."
"Nope."
"Nope."
Rosa slammed her palms on the table. "Then what is it?"
Ray finally looked up, amusement flickering in his eyes. "You look cute when you're angry."
She glared. "Don't do that."
"Do what?"
"That flirty, smug thing," she said, stepping closer. "Because you know exactly what you're doing."
Ray leaned back in his chair. "Do I?"
Rosa tilted her head and gave a dangerous little smile. "Well, I was planning to wear a sexy nurse costume tonight, but…"
She let the words trail off.
Ray blinked. Once. Twice. His brain short-circuited halfway through a mental image he had absolutely no defense against. Rosa. In a nurse's outfit. His throat went dry. Sexy nurse costume plus Rosa equals a dream come true.
He folded instantly.
Without another word, he reached into his pocket and pulled out two glossy tickets. He placed them on the table like a man surrendering to the inevitable.
Rosa picked them up, glanced at them, and froze. Her eyes widened.
"The Robocop reboot?" she said, voice rising. "First showing?"
Ray nodded. "Surprise."
For a split second, Rosa looked from the tickets to Ray. Then she launched herself at him so fast the chair tipped backward. They crashed to the floor, laughing and rolling on the floor.
Rosa straddled him, one hand gripping his shirt as she kissed him hard. It was quick but full of heat and joy.
When she finally pulled back, she grinned down at him. "Okay, fine. That was worth the suspense. Fine. You're now the only person who's allowed to surprise me. And don't tell anyone I gave you a pass. If you do, I'll have to silence them."
Ray wrapped his arms around her back and looked into her eyes. "So, the nurse costume is still happening, right?"
She didn't answer, just stared at him
"...right?" He asked again.
Rosa smirked. "What do you think?" She stood up and winked. "It's a surprise."
"Oh, come on," Ray said, sitting up and brushing his hair back with a grin. "That's just cruel."
Rosa crossed her arms and gave him a mock-sweet smile. "Oh really? You think teasing me with a secret surprise wasn't cruel?"
He raised a finger. "That was different. That was a wholesome surprise."
"Yeah, well, this one's personal." Rosa leaned close, her voice dropping into that low, playful growl that made his pulse jump. "How does it feel not knowing when you'll see me in that sexy nurse dress? Could be tonight. Maybe when you're sipping coffee in the living room tomorrow, I'll just pop up. Or maybe when you're playing your game and totally distracted…"
She gave a small shrug, eyes gleaming.
"Anything can happen, White."
Ray stared at her, his expression somewhere between admiration and helpless amusement. "You know, this feels like psychological warfare."
She gave a side nod. "Then you'd better prepare your defenses, soldier." Then she walked upstairs.
"She's good. Really, good," He mumbled to himself as he picked up the chair and the book.
...
[Meanwhile]
[Quantico, Virginia]
The elevator doors opened with a muted chime. The BAU team stepped out, quiet and exhausted after a grueling three-day case in Georgia. The unsub was dead, the victims were identified, and the paperwork waited—as always.
Hotch went straight to his office. The blinds were half-closed, the desk covered with folders, crime scene photos, and a mug of cold coffee that had been refilled too many times. He sat down, exhaled, and began typing his report.
A soft knock came at the door.
"Come in," Hotch said without looking up.
Elle Greenaway stepped inside. She looked pale, thinner than usual, her expression caught somewhere between calm and restless. The kind of calm that comes right before someone jumps off a ledge.
Hotch looked up. "Elle."
She didn't speak immediately. She just stood there, holding a single sheet of paper in her hand.
He watched her for a moment, then set his pen down. "So, you've decided?"
Elle nodded. Her voice was steady, but the tremor underneath it was unmistakable. "Yeah. I can't do this anymore, Hotch."
She crossed the room and placed the paper on his desk. It was her resignation letter.
"I thought maybe I could push through," she said quietly. "That if I just kept working, it would fade. The fear, the paranoia, the waking up at night thinking someone's in my apartment again. But it's not going away. I can barely sleep. I can't focus. I can't breathe in this building without remembering that night..."
She paused for a moment.
"After I met Ray again that day... I saw the pain in his eyes. Now, I know exactly how he felt back then and the pain he's carrying..."
Hotch leaned back slightly, his expression unreadable. "You know if I had the evidence, I would have arrested you a long time ago."
Her jaw tightened.
"I know what you did, Elle," he said, voice low. "You shot a suspect without proof. You didn't trust the process. You took justice into your own hands. That's something we don't do."
Elle let out a bitter laugh, though there was no humor in it. "Trust the process? You mean the process that let him walk free after what he did? He left me bleeding on my floor, wondering if the next breath would be my last. The number of women he killed. Those women in Ohio also deserve the right to live without fearing for their safety in their own homes."
Hotch didn't answer.
She continued, her voice hardening. "I wanted to stay. I really did. I wanted to keep helping people. But when I needed the team... the family I thought I had, wasn't there for me."
She looked away, her hands tightening into fists. "You didn't believe me when I said he was the killer. Just like you didn't believe Ray back then."
That made Hotch freeze. He closed his eyes for a moment. How could he forget that day? The killer made a recording of skinning Alicia alive and sent it to his personal number for some reason instead of posting it publicly or revealing it to other members of the team. Hotch never showed or mentioned it to anyone, not even to Ray. Even today, he could hear her scream.
Elle met his eyes, her tone cold now. "You ignored his warning. You and Gideon dismissed his profile because it didn't fit your theory. And because of that, Alicia died. You still carry that, don't you?"
Hotch's eyes flickered, just a second, but she saw it.
She stepped back, exhaling slowly. "I get it. Mistakes happen. People die. We tell ourselves it's part of the job so we can sleep at night. But I can't tell myself that anymore."
Elle turned toward the door, stopped for a moment, and looked back. Then she said one word: "Goodbye, Hotch."
Then she walked out.
The office was silent. Hotch didn't move for a long time. His eyes went to the resignation letter, then to the door where Elle had disappeared. He reached for the phone but stopped halfway. His hand hung there in the air before he pulled it back slowly and pressed his thumb to his temple.
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[24 advance chs] [No double billing.]
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