lovelyja is writing a story with bobby taylor called uncovered nightmares! Take a a look at it, read and review they would be greatly appreciated!

Here's a one shot for ya

I hope you enjoy!

The Case File

Hotch was furious as he walked to his closed office door, where he flung it open and said, "Prentiss." With a demanding tone that requested her presence in his office.

Emily felt her face flush as he she heard her name resonate through the bull pen. Good heavens what have I done now. She thought. Without showing much of a reaction she stood up from her chair and walked with her head held high to his office. She took a few deep breaths to control her emotions as she ascended the stairs. Her eyes met with Hotch and it didn't take a profiler to see he was mad. She kept her face stern, but confident as she walked past him, knowing that whatever she did to upset him, could be justified.

Hotch let her completely enter his office before he slammed the door shut. "Have a seat." He said as an order when he walked past her to his own seat.

"Thank you but I prefer to stand." She said calmly.

"Prentiss, sit down."

"Fine, whatever you say." Emily took a seat, sitting on the edge of her chair.

Hotch flops a folder on his desk. "I didn't authorize you to work on this case." He said aggravated and annoyed.

Emily knew exactly the case he was talking about, very defensively, but still holding in her emotions she said, "You didn't have to. I took it upon myself to work it."

"Anything you do or any case you work on goes through me do you understand?" He saw the shift in her facial expressional and not giving her a chance to respond he continued with, "This is a case involving one person, one rape victim who lived. Did the police even contact you?"

Emily swallowed back her harsh tone and fought to keep her words, as respectfully polite as she could, "No but since you need to know everything, I contacted them, got the files and asked if it was okay if I took a look at it." She paused and then said, "How did you find out about it anyway?"

"I got a call from the police department asking for assistance to catch the man doing this. The fact is this is a case that we can't even give attention too. JJ's desk is stacked full of murder cases upon more murder cases, and this one is insignificant compared to those. So as your supervisor I'm telling you that you are not to work on any case unless I authorize you to do so."

That last sentence was it; Emily couldn't hold it in anymore. She quickly stood up, raised her voice and said, "You may be my supervisor but if there is a case I want to work on that doesn't interfere with cases we are involved with I will work on them, sir."

Hotch stood up meeting her piercing eyes and said, "Not when it involves me getting calls from the police department asking me to come help with the case. You've obviously led them in the wrong direction leading them to believe we are willing to come at the drop of a hat and help." Hotch lowered his voice after that statement and tried to show some understanding as he said, "I realize the case is personal to those involved at the station but we don't have the time to help with this case."

"I'm sorry you go the call but you can't keep me from working on this case."

Hotch regained his composure, stood up straight and looked her straight into the eyes, "You are not to work on any cases in this building unless they are approved by me first, and any cases you do look at outside of work I don't want to be receiving calls from police stations asking me to come help find someone who raped somebody and left her alive." Hotch immediately realized what he said was harsh, but there was no taking it back.

The longer Emily stood there arguing, the more her emotions were turning to hurt instead of anger. Hotch wasn't the one hurting her but it was the case. Her eyes even became glossy just mentioning the case. She seemed to be emotionally attached and if Hotch hadn't of been blinded by his anger he could have easily seen this. I wish he would just shut up about it, what is the big deal? "You know maybe if you actually looked in the file there is more to it than that."

Doesn't she ever stop, he thought. "I've got three cases on my desk, right now, that involve more than twenty people being murdered. These are the kind of cases we need to choose from."

"Sometimes you can be the best profiler, but sometimes you suck at it. I know you get hit hard from above when you receive unnecessary phone calls and I'm sorry for that." Emily couldn't stand there anymore. It was bringing up too much emotion, he would never understand. Part of her wanted him to see the hurt in her eyes and realize how important this case was, but another part of her was glad he didn't. If he did see the hurt in her eyes, it would expose her vulnerability and she couldn't afford that, so she turned to leave.

When she opens the door he says, "All cases are to go through me and that's final. The next call I receive about a case like this…"

"You know maybe if you would actually look at it you'd see there is more to it! And if there are cases I want to look at in my spare time I'll do it!" She walks out and slams the office door shut.

As the rest of the team watched her descend the stairs and watch her walk out the bullpen Reid said, "I wonder what that was about?"

"I don't know but I'd say she just put Hotch in a bad mood." Morgan said.

"You mean more than he is most of the time." JJ said.

Hotch watched her walk out of the bull pen, then he sat down at his desk. He looked at the case file laying there pondering on opening it up and giving Emily the benefit of the doubt. Why was this case so important to her? If she thinks it's so important then maybe I should give it a glance. Silently he sat there, that case staring him down, calling his name. Why did I have to make such a big deal about it anyways, if she has good cause maybe I shouldn't of questioned it. Hotch rubbed his fingers through his hair and was just about to open it up when JJ walked in.

She walked straight to his desk and laid down the file, "They found another dead body this morning on the Jack the Ripper case."

Hotch picked up the file and flipped through it, "Get everyone ready for the briefing."

"Yes sir." Then JJ left.

Hotch stood up with the Jack the Ripper case file and stared at the other laying on his desk that seemed to be calling his name. Taking one last look before he left his office, he shoved it in a desk drawer and focused on the case at hand.

The current case they were working on revealed a lot of tension between Emily and Hotch, who avoided one another for most of the trip. The case was exhausting but as always everyone was glad to finally get back home after catching a copy cat.

It wasn't long after they had been back when Hotch found himself standing at Emily's apartment door. He brought his hand up to knock and stopped himself. Admitting to her he was wrong in how he treated the situation was hard for him to do. He stood there a minute and finally took a deep breath before knocking.

He waited all of one second and thought maybe she's not here. He turned around and walked towards the stairwell to leave, when he heard the door opening behind him, "Hotch?" Emily said.

Hotch stopped, and turned around. Her beautiful hair fell around her face, with those gorgeous brown eyes staring at him and then there was a glock lowered at her side, brushing the cotton material of her shorts. Hotch raised his eyebrows when his eyes looked at the gun then back at her.

Emily noticed and said, "Uh…hyper-vigiliance." She said raising her glock. "What are you doing here, by the way?"

"I would like to talk if we could."

Emily dreaded this, but she invited him in anyways. Locking the door shut behind them, she stowed away her glock and invited him to sit. She didn't mention it, but noticed the case file he was carrying. She hoped they wouldn't get into another argument.

Hotch noticed on her coffee table was an array of case notes, pictures, along with all the victims accounts of what happened and the police reports. He sat down across from her in a love seat and shook the folder slightly in his hand as he said, "So why is this case so important to you?" He genuinely wanted to know and maybe now that he had calmed down, he wouldn't be blinded by his anger and see through that tough shell of hers.

Emily rolled her eyes, not feeling that she needed to explain herself, and besides she was forcing herself to hold back an immense amount of emotion.

Hotch noticed the annoyance in her actions and said, "I'm not trying to convince you to not work on it; I just want to understand why. We have so many cases that come through the BAU and I want to know why this one?"

"I'm just trying to help them out. The most recent victim wasn't the only one who was raped. There was at least seven more before her and I'm sure some that never said anything. He always rapes them at rest areas and considering the timeline he could slowly be devolving since the last three victims. He hasn't killed them, no, but each victim has had more injuries and the last one had stab wounds. The thing is they weren't lethal but I think inflicted just to cause pain and it was messy."

Hotch sat back in the chair, "I do think you're on to something." Hotch hesitated for the next part but let out a big breath and looked at the ground, as if he was collecting himself, then he looked at Emily, "And I'm sorry for yelling at you."

Emily half smiled at this new, humble side of Hotch she has yet to see, then she responded with, "Me too."

Hotch looked into her eyes and was convinced there was something important about the case, and he also noted it's importance by the sound of her voice when she described it to him. There was more to this than meets the eye.

Seeing in her in rare and raw form, sitting in her living room, he began to look at her differently. Being in her home, seeing her dressed in something other than work clothes, and seeing the passion and emotion in her voice and behavior struck something in him. She suddenly had become a little more important, and attractive. Hotch stood up on that note and said, "You're welcome to work on this case as much as you want."

Emily suddenly began to feel something, it made her heart skip a beat, and her stomach fill with butterflies. Her face flushed, embarrassed by this feeling she was starting to have for her supervisor. The attraction seemed to stem from the concern he shared and showed for her. She stood up and said, "I appreciate that very much, and thank you for coming by."

"You're welcome. I'll take a look at it and if there is anything I can do to help I will." The room was quiet for a moment as they looked at one another, each feeling something they never had before. It was a connection that made them want to gravitate towards each other, but they didn't. Hotch finally said, "Well I guess I better go."

"I'll walk you out." Emily walked in front of him, and stopped at the door where they said good night.

Hotch's last words were, "Don't shoot anybody."

All Emily could do was just smile as her door closed.

The next day they were at work in the round table room and Hotch had briefed JJ on the new case and had her present it to the team. Emily was surprised when she found out that it was the case she had been looking into. "Wheels up in thirty, and Prentiss I need to speak to you in my office."

"Yes sir." She said, following behind Hotch. She closed the door behind her as she entered.

Hotch wasted no time in telling her what he had to say, "I got a call last night when I got home. It was the police department in Florida. They found a body this time, like you thought and I think you were right about him devolving. But there is something that you said last night that was incorrect about the information on the case. You said there were at least seven victims that went to the police, plus maybe some others that hadn't said anything. In the case file it only mentions six."

Emily's eyes immediately lost contact and scanned the floor, "I made a mistake." she said slowly.

Hotch wasn't convinced, "You don't make mistakes like that. Especially for a case you have been looking over for a while." She felt herself beginning to break and she wasn't about to let loose in front of her supervisor so she turned to walk out the door. With her back to Hotch and her hand reaching for the door handle he said, "Something happened to you. I didn't see it the other day, but I saw it last night and I see it now. This case is personal and the only conclusion I could come to is that you were one of his first victims."

A loose tear streamed down her face as his words stuck her like a knife, she turned her head to look at him and said, "Now you're profiling."

Well I'd love to know what you think!