BRINGING HER HOME

Author's Note:

Watching Emily's last show was somewhat disturbing but I'm also glad that they didn't kill her off. The ending left us with possibilities of seeing her return to the show and I also read that she was offered to be a regular cast for the next season but that she is with another show. I fervently hope that Emily will return soon and hopefully finally get together with Hotch… (n_n).. Those two are the main reason I became addicted to the show.

This fic is going to introduce a new character but I will soon gravitate the story towards our favourite pair. Long live HotchXPrentiss.

CHAPTER 1: AGENT ASHLEY LEE MILLER

-BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS UNIT, Quantico, Va.

"So, this is where you will be sitting, Agent Miller. Make yourself at home. " Dave pointed to a cubicle.

"Thank you, Agent Rossi," smiled the younger newly transferred agent as she lowered her dark brown leather sling bag onto the table.

"Oh, please. Just Dave. I'm not big on certain formalities. Well, if anything, you know where my office is, right? So sorry that our unit chief can't be here to properly greet you."

"Just call me Ashley then. I'm not big on formalities too and don't worry about the greeting. I'll meet him and the rest of the team sooner or later."

"Well, there's that. So, have the rest of the day to get to know the place and the people. And again. Welcome to our family, Ashley."

Smiling as they shook hands again, "Thanks for having me in the family."

Dave nodded his head and head up towards his office, leaving the new recruit alone in the nearly deserted bullpen. The members of BAU Team A were currently in Las Vegas working on a case. Dave had been excluded due to personal reasons and Strauss had ordered him to be the one meeting the new recruit.

Gliding her fingers across the smooth surface of the cleared worktop, Ashley slowly seated herself in the seat and opened the drawers attached to the desk. Unconsciously ruffling through the stuff within each nook and cranny, her eyes set themselves on something interesting. Her nimble fingers picked up an I.D that appeared to be buried unnoticed under stacks of papers inside one of the top drawers. Leaning back, Ashley smiled softly at the I.D, she quickly pocketed the piece of plastic in her dark blazer.

"Hold on, Em. You're coming home."

- Dave Rossi's Office-

It was a good thing that windows in the BAU offices had blinds. It keeps people outside the room blind to what goes on inside them.

Dave Rossi would be a hypocrite if were to say that he wasn't irked that morning when Strauss uncharacteristically called his cell, demanding he came to the BAU office that morning. He was pretty sure he and Hotch had notified their director of his exclusion in their current case. So what on earth had set this dragon's tail on fire at 6 in the freaking morning.

Stepping into the quiet bullpen, Rossi did a quick sweep of the surrounding, trying to prepare himself for what was probably not going to be something good. Quoting a former agent and friend, it was going to suck. Rossi smiled a small smile at the memory of the vivacious brunette. Old he may be, but he wasn't stupid enough to be hoodwinked into believing all that they had been told. He knew for a fact that all the profilers he worked closely with also knew the truth but respected its secrecy, thus no one said a word about it. And the director not replacing the vacant work space was a good sign if any. He guessed that everyone silently prayed for the best to come in the future.

However, that melancholy mood evaporated swiftly the moment he stepped into the dragon's lair and saw that opposite his chief was a feminine outline.

"Agent Rossi. Thank you for coming in today. I would like you to meet Agent Miller. Ashley Lee Miller. She starts here today."

That moment, there was nothing more Dave could do other than glare at the female chief. Be damned with ranks. This was too much for the team to take in such a short time. Was Strauss out of her freaking mind?

If Erin did notice the pointed glare for the elder profiler, she made a good job of not acknowledging it. Turning her attention towards the other female in the room, "Agent Miller, this is Agent David Rossi. He is one of the agents in the team that you will be working with."

Slowly, Dave saw the newcomer stand up from her seat and turned to face him. Long dark hair that went mid-back was perfectly tied into a neat ponytail, with bangs framing a heart-shaped face accentuated by a pair midnight- hued eyes all aware. A small smile was offered with an extended hand in good peace. Rossi assessed the newbie to be no more than 28. Roughly around Spencer's age. Must be some genius or prodigy if this girl was recruited into BAU's Team A so young of an age. taking the proffered hand in a gentle shake, Rossi did a quick external profile of the new addition. Sure there was a rule against profiling team members. But note, 'team members'. Agent Miller has yet to prove herself worthy of such a status.

Shaking her hand, Rossi smiled like a distant grandpa would, "nice to see a fresh face here. Welcome to our BAU team, Agent Miller." Let's see, firm but not so rough handshake. Confidence. Direct eye contact even with superiors. No hiding behind facts sort of girl. A calm smile. Not too exuberant or mousy. Neat ponytail. Dark- coloured regulation pantsuit. Simple jewellery. Sensible dark pumps. Light make-up. I believe Seager called it the nude- tone make up. Mentally chuckling at remembering the younger blonde in their team. I sure spend too much time with her. Oh, well. All in all, Agent Miller seems okay as far as first impression goes.

Letting go of the smaller hand, Dave turned to face Strauss. "Is this the only reason I was summoned on an AL?"

"I'm aware that your team is out of state on an assignment and seeing as Agent Miller is supposed to start as soon as possible. I was hoping that you could show her the ropes. Get her acquainted with our ways of job of sorts," Erin replied.

Glancing at the young agent who remained standing after their brief handshake, Rossi glanced back at his director. "Ok. That should be easy. So, where does she sit?"

Now that he thought about Strauss' answer to that last question, he was pretty much sure his eyes widened and his jaw clamped. He was aware his otherwise relaxed stance, tightened in defense. He hoped the newbie wasn't aware of his reaction, but he new there was a fat chance of that happening. Profilers usually had an inborn ability to read subtle body language. And his reaction was in no way subtle at all. Sighing as he leaned against the backrest of his chair, he observed the girl's reactions from the glass of his office. He saw her absent mindedly explore her new space until he realized her calmly scrutinizing a piece of square plastic. Must have been Prentiss' id. His mood slightly dampened at the remembrance of the brunette. Then, the newbie did something he found slightly puzzling. Agent Miller's face softened as she gazed at the id in her hand before pocketing it into her blazer. Rossi wondered why she did so, as an id is hardly a memorabilia.

That cemented his decision. Scrape heading home by lunch. He was going to have to do some counter surveillance of his own before the team came back. After everything that had happened to their team, he doubted they would come out okay should they be hit by another tidal wave. It was part of his job to look after his team. His family.

TBC