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DEREK watched as Rosalie sat perfectly still in a nearby chair, her feet pulled to her chest with a blanket around her shoulders as she settled down in dry clothes. The station had fell quiet with the exception being the male secretary at the counter typing away, and the soft chatter and ringing of phones. He watched as she pushed her lips against her knuckles, flexing the foot she had cut earlier on the fence wrapped in white gaze that was slightly stained pink.
For the third time since she had it looked at it, he pulled the gauze off slowly, looking at the butterfly stitches that had been placed on, before he tossed the dirty gauze in the garbage and proceeded to wrap her foot again, tucking it back in her sock. She raised her head, opening her eyes as his thumb brushed over her ankle, sending a slight shock up her spine as he saw the little tattoo on the inside of her calf. It was two different Chinese characters, one stacked on top of the other.
"Der," her voice broke the silence, but it was so quiet, if he wasn't listening, he wouldn't have paid any attention to it. "What are you looking at?"
He glanced up to see her brown eyes rimmed red from crying, his fingers running up and down her calf as she dropped her foot.
"Your tattoo. It just caught my attention."
"It's love and peace in Chinese."
"I like it."
He stood as the doors to the station opened, and she glanced over her shoulder, hearing loud stomping, just as the AMBER alert with Marco's name, hair color, eye color, and date of birth went out, and the color of the car he had last been seen in. There was even a picture of him on the news constantly being played.
"Rosalie!" A man's voice shouted as she stood up, hopping on her tender foot before she set it down carefully, leaning her weight to one side of her body. "Damnit, Rosalie!" He yelled, and before Derek could register it, a hispanic man came towards Rosalie, his hands going around her throat as she gasped when he slammed her into a nearby wall.
Dominic jumped up in unison with Derek, as all the officers in the room stood up, Derek grabbing at the man's shoulders.
Rosalie's eyes closed as she snapped her arm up, elbowing him in the jaw, before her knee raised to hit him in the stomach, and that with Derek prying at his shoulders got him to let go. The brunette slid slowly to the floor, turning her head down to the carpet to force air into her lungs, coughing as Derek ran over to Rosalie, Prentiss grabbing the stranger.
Rosalie's hands pressed against Derek's stomach as she sat up, coughing a few more times before she shook her head. "I'm okay," she repeated as she stood up, wiping her eyes.
"Matteo, what the hell are you doing here?" Dominic questioned as he walked over to his little sister, his eyes narrowed. "You better give me one damn good reason for why you're here, otherwise I'm putting you on your ass."
