So, yeah. This is probably my very first Hotch & Prentiss Fanfiction. I was just afraid to give it a shot before, because my latest fan fiction are still on going and I lost the idea to continue it. But I don't know why, this story just stuck in my head. Let me now what do you think about this. It's gonna be on a few chapters, and I'm still working on it. I didn't know what the title of this story was gonna be. I was listening to John Mayer song Edge of Desire and the idea just bumped into my head. I would really appreciate any reviews from y'all guys. I'm kinda new in this fan fiction world so, forgive me if you find any mistakes in the writing. Enjoy.. :)

Chapter 1

Emily interviewed one of the suspects involved in child kidnapping that happened in Vegas. The case is all over the news. The BAU team tried their best to find the unsub and they finally got one of them. From their profiles, it is clear that the unsub got a partner which now MIA. The first unsub they caught was a 30 year old woman. They believed she helped her partner in order to protect her son.

"Where is your partner? Where is he, Linda?" she asked nicely. Linda just looked at her. She kept quite ever since they caught her.

"Listen, I know why you did this. You helped that bastard in order to protect your son. Right? But you don't have to worry about it. Once we got him, he can't do anything harmful to you or your son."

This time, Linda shot her with a disagree look.

"You don't know anything about him!" she finally spoke up.

"I know everything about him. What he did to you and what he will do to your son if you don't do whatever he wants. I know he is using you to lured his victims and finally cleaned up his mess."

Linda shook her head. She keeps quite. Emily exhaled. She really wants to help this woman but she doesn't know how to do that if Linda won't cooperate with her.

The interrogation room door was open. Aaron rushed in then threw a crime scene photos in front of Linda's face. Emily shocked with his sudden movement. Never expecting something like this.

"What the hell, Hotch! Don't show her those!" she protested.

"We are running out of time here." He answered to Emily then looked to Linda. "Wanna see what you did?! THIS is what you did!" He pointed the photos.

"You are a mother, you have a son on your own! If you want to protect him, this is not the way you did it! Is this what you wanna leave your son with when he grew up and found out that his mother is a sadistic killer?! You didn't do it because you have to protect you son, right? Maybe at first you considered yourself doing it because of him. But after a few killings, you started to enjoy it! And slowly, you realized that you turned out to be just like him! A psychopath! But instead of stopping yourself, you let yourself be it!" he accused.

This time, Linda snapped. She stood up and hit the desk

"YOU don't know everything about me! Don't you dare tell me what my son is going do when he knows everything! You son of a bitch!" she barked.

"Linda, calm down. He didn't mean that." Emily tried to calm her down.

"Hotch, we should give her a chance to explain everything! This is really not necessary." She continued

"She had her chance." Aaron persisted.

"Maybe we could give another…."

"Damn it! I said NO, Prentiss!" he yelled then shot a razor sharp glared to her.

Feeling totally confused, clueless and useless, Emily then stood up and left the interrogation room. Annoyed with Aaron's stubbornness and arrogant side. She knows that he just went through a horrifying part of his life because of Haley's death. But he didn't have to yell at her like that. She got a strategy to make that woman speak up by putting some empathy for her. She didn't even get a chance to do that. Damn!

How much she hated him when he acted like that. It was like he tried to underestimate her ability to interrogate that woman. She hardly struggled with her own thoughts. It's been three months since Haley's funeral and it's not the first time he loses like that. She has to understand that it was all because of his grief. She wanted to believe that he didn't mean to underestimate her. Bu the fact is, no matter how hard she tries to make her self believes in that thought, it still hurts like hell.

She exhaled. Tried to pull her self together.

"Em, are you okay?" it was Morgan. She turned to face him. Gave her best friend a forced smile.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"How long is he going to be like this? He shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

"Derek, just give him a chance. He tried to pull him self together." She defended Aaron. No matter how hard she tries to muffles her pain because the way he treated her lately, she still couldn't bear to spread him any more pain. She knows if they go to Strauss, his career will be on the line. She doesn't want him to suffer more lost. This job is the one thing he got left besides Jack. If he has to lose it, she knows Aaron will self-destructive.

The team continued the investigation. Aaron finally got a lead from his rage confrontation through Linda. Well, thanks to him that they finally got a lead to where their second unsub is. But unfortunately, when they got to the shelter where the unsub, Colby Franco is, he already kept his newest victim. If they rush their ambush, he will likely kill the kid there. Emily initiated to go there, try to convince Colby to let the kid go. She is going to distract him.

"I can go there." She said. The team eyes looked straight to her. Clearly disagree with her idea.

"What? We have to distract him. I can do that. In the meantime, Morgan can sneak out to the other side of the shelter and save the girl."

"No!" Aaron said firmly. He won't risk his agent to get hurt in there, especially not Emily.

"What are we going to do then? Sitting here and do nothing while that bastard do something horrible to the girl? I can't do that." She protested.

"Prentiss, there is no guarantee that he's not going to kill you just after you reach him."

"He won't."

"How do you know that?"

"We all know why he keep Linda alive. The profiles are clear that she's just his type. He didn't keep her just because she wanted to help him killed and buried his victims. But he's in love with her. He keeps convince her to kill her son at first. But after a few killings, you said it yourself. Her mental state changed. She started to enjoy the killings and willingly do anything he wants."

"And?"

"And she's brunette. His previous partners were all brunettes. Why can't I?" she finished her sentence.

He frowned then shook his head.

"She's right, man." Morgan finally said something. Aaron immediately shot him with a sharp eagle stare.

"Of course I'm right."

Aaron didn't say anything. What Emily suggested was totally make sense. It's just he can't and won't risk anything if something bad happen to her. He couldn't bear loosing another person he cares about. Now that Haley is gone, Jack is the only reason he's still breathing till today but not just him. There's another reason.

He glanced at the woman who waited for his answer. He noticed that since the reaper ripped away his life, she always been there for him. He hated the fact that he broke and she was the only person who saw it. Not literally just her. He was pretty sure everybody on his team knows. He just never showed his weakness in front of them. But this woman, she was there. Hold him close every time he loses. She never asked much. She was just there. Been on his side in silent. Never say much because she knew words weren't the things he wanted at that time. Her appearance and embrace was just like his escape.

He thought maybe she was just being a good friend. But after few visits he made to her place, he couldn't stop seeing her whenever he feels like crap and loses. She never protested. Always opens her door for him. Sometimes, he feels like a jackass because he treated her this way lately. He knows she doesn't deserve it. He doesn't know why he did it. It feels wrong. He doesn't understand his own feeling. That's what sucks the most.

The team finally agreed with her idea. He doesn't want to be the only one who concern here. It'll put a suspicion on them. He hardly accepted the tactical decision.

Emily made her way into the shelter while Morgan went to the other side of the shelter. SWAT team was also stealth their way into the shelter. The shelter itself was located in the middle of desert. She got a good reason to attract the unsub.

"Hello?" she called when she finally inside the shelter. Colby shocked with her appearance.

"Who are you?!" he suspicious.

"Sorry, I got a flat tire. I was just trying to call somebody but my phone's batteries dead. Can I use your phone? Maybe I could call my friend to pick me up." she said with a calm voice.

Colby looked at her from head to toe. Attracted. He smiled at her.

"Oh, sure. Why don't you come inside."

"Thanks. It's very nice of you." She followed him.

Gotcha bastard! She said silently.

Surprisingly, when she got inside and spotted the girl he held in captive, she looked totally fine. The eight years old girl played with her doll.

"Is that your daughter?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah."

"She's lovely."

"She is. So, are you new in this city?" he asked.

"Yeah. Just got here a week ago."

"No wonder."

Emily lowered her body to see the girl closely. Wanted to make sure she's perfectly fine. Unfortunately just after she reached the girl her shirt lifted a little, Colby spotted something attached to the back of her belt. The Glock. He immediately reached his own gun, cocked it and pointed to her. He told her to step back from the girl. Emily acknowledged the order. Waited the right moment to strike back. She carefully raised both hands.

Colby asked what was she doing there. She told him everything. That she is the FBI who is working on his case. He snapped then hit her with the back of his gun right in her face. A fresh blood ran from her left temple. She dropped. He kicked her in the stomach. She groaned then tried to get up but her head was a mess. The world around her keeps spinning. Lost her balance. Tried to reach her gun but he grabbed it and tossed it. He grabbed her hair pulled her to stand up. She stood up and looked at him right in the eyes. There was fire of emotion in there. She clearly lighted the fuse and now he's ready to explode. He threw her to the wall. Her face hit the wall and now she can feel the blood coming out from her nose. She also felt it broke.

She needs to fight back. She doesn't want to lose for this scumbag. She looked for the opportunity. He was ready to hit her again, this time with a broken wooden pole. Lucky her, she dodged and kicked him in his weakest point around his crotch with her boot heel. The kick was right in the target. He screamed then dropped. She didn't waste the chance to kick him back then cuffed him.

"Nice played huh? You played those brunettes because they were just your type. Now, what is it feels like to be destroyed by one? Just so you know, asshole! Karma is a bitch! And you're going to pay it. In jail!" she throttled him tight enough for a while then released it and got up.

Not long after that, Morgan and the SWAT team arrived.

"Where the hell have you been, girls?" she mocked them then walked out from the shelter.

When she got out, Aaron looked concerned. He called the paramedic to help Emily.

"I am fine, Hotch." She assured him.

"What did I tell you? You should've wait for the back up before taking any action, Prentiss!" his voice raising.

"I didn't have a choice! They were too slow! He could've killed the girl!"

"My order was clear! You go there, then delayed his action, wait for the back up, and try to talk him out of it! I sent you there to convinced him NOT to beat him up!" he literally barked at her.

"But.."

"I'm not finish!" he shut her up. She frowned. Clearly offended by his action. Humiliated.

"What is the rule you learned when you are out in the field, Prentiss?! DO NOT take any ridiculous action WITHOUT order from your commanding officer! And when you can't handle the situation yourself, then stealth! Make time until the back up come! This is a team Prentiss! Not an individual undercover task! If you can't deal with the tactical decision and simply just disobeyed orders, I think you should reconsider yourself of joining the bureau. Especially this team! You are suspended for a week."

All she wanted to do at this very moment was just slap him in his whole face and cursed him with every bad word that went through her mind right now. She hates being humiliated. Especially in front of everybody like this. She knows she was wrong. She disobeyed order. But he doesn't have to be an egotistical bitch because of it!

She kept quite after their argument. And yet she was still mad at him. In flight back to DC, Morgan sat opposite her and brought her a cup of warm tea.

"How's your head?" he asked softly. She always knows Morgan is the real figure of best buddy she ever had. Even so, she never told him anything about Aaron spent most of his night crying at her place. He has always been a great friend towards her. Care about her mostly. She is comfortable being around him.

"Just a minor head injury and broken nose but I'll live." She smiled. Turned her head to face the window.

"Hey, Princess. What's bugging you? Is there something going on between you and Hotch?"

She sighed. She knew he is going to ask about it eventually.

"I understand what you're thinking, buddy. But I don't think we have to talk about this. I was just beaten up by that bastard. The last thing I want is, talk about his issue? I don't think that's a good idea."

"But you know you can always talk to me anytime, right?"

She widened her smile.

"Always. And you always know I love you for that, right?" she replied.

He laughed then nodded.

"But really? You called me, girl out there." He offended.

This time, a crunchy laugh released from her mouth.

"What? You offended? You were as slow as a snail, man! I just couldn't help my self from taking him out. Sorry though." She still laughed a little.

"Well, someone wasn't very happy about that." He glanced at Aaron who sat alone in the back of the plane.

"Yeah." She answered quietly.