This is my first ever Criminal Minds fic and it is going to be slightly different. Intrigued to find out more? Leave me a review and let me know what you think
Disclaimer: I own no one apart from my own creations. The others I only own in my dreams...
Chapter 1 - Playing Games
I never want to play the games that people play
I never want to hear the things they gotta say
I've found everything I need
I never wanted anymore than I can see
I only want you to believe
"Agent Prentiss, I asked you a question." Hotch exhaled deeply as he lent further across the table.
"So it's Agent Prentiss now? What happened to us being friends? What happened to being a family? I can't believe how quickly you turned."
The anger evident in Emily's voice sent shivers down Aaron Hotchner's spine. Today wasn't supposed to happen. Through his years at the BAU he'd experienced many things but this was different, different on so many levels. He remembered the feelings he felt when Elle shot an unsub in cold blood and released that maybe just maybe those feelings were no longer buried.
"You know it isn't like that. I have to remain professional. I don't think you understand the reality of all this."
"Oh I understand. I understand how YOU jumped to conclusions and how YOU have already decided. We all have cases where we meet someone and although the evidence is not yet pointing that way." Emily sighed and took a deep breath.
"You still like them for the crime and in the back of your mind they remain, nothing you do can shake them. When you close your eyes at night you see them carrying out that very crime. You see their face when you look in the mirror each morning and at first you jump because you think they are standing right behind you. Eventually you forget to jump and you make no effort to turn around and check that they are not actually there."
"Emily...."
"Don't Hotch. Don't tell me you think I'm innocent."
"You're making it very difficult for me to believe anything."
"You haven't given me a chance." Emily replied with a saddened tone.
"So here's your chance. Let's start at the beginning." After a slight pause he continued his questioning.
"What were you doing at the house?"
"The same thing you were doing." Emily replied sarcastically before turning to look at the glass window to her right.
"We both know that isn't true. We responded to the call within twenty minutes. I called you as soon as I got the news but you didn't answer. Yet when the team arrived you were already there. How could that be possible Emily? I didn't even leave you a message!"
From the look in his eyes Emily knew he wasn't going to back down and she knew she had to lie. It wasn't a choice it was a compulsion. She'd rather fall than cause devastation and there was nothing anybody could say to change her mind.
"I have his blood on my hands, what more is there to say?!" Emily confessed as she held her hands up to the small light that focused on the table they sat at. She watched the red stains on her hands intently before closing her eyes and saying a silent prayer.
"Is that a confession?"
Emily looked back to Hotch, holding his gaze with everything she had.
"It's whatever you want it to be. Nothing more, nothing less."
Hotch got to his feet much faster than he intended to, knocking his chair to the floor in the process. He didn't stop to return the chair to its normal position. It wasn't because he didn't want to, it was because he couldn't bare to look her in the eye. He left the room quickly, allowing the door to slam behind him before walking into the adjoining room.
"You like her for this?" Morgan questioned as he looked his boss in the eye.
"My heart is telling me that she couldn't do this....that she wouldn't do this but my head is telling me she did."
"As much as it pains me to say this. You know what they say about the heart ruling the head?! Sometimes you have to go with your head no matter how strong the feelings in your heart." He gently rested his hand on the older mans shoulder before speaking again.
"Let's start from the beginning. Maybe we're missing something."
Hotch nodded his head slowly while allowing a loud sigh to escape his lips.
Flashback
"Hotchner." He stated, half asleep as he glanced at the clock beside his bed. The aluminous display flashed 04:30 at him and he knew immediately this was a bad one.
"There's been reports of gun shots at 346 Madison Street, we thought we better inform you."
"Sorry, who is this?" He couldn't help but feel that something about this call wasn't right.
"Sorry Sir, I'm so sorry. It's Officer Pritchard. I'm new, it's my first week and suddenly it seems I've forgotten my manners." The young voice replied.
"That's quite alright." Hotch couldn't help but smile a little at the officers obvious nervousness.
"So take me through that again." He said as more of a statement than a question.
" 346 Madison Street is the registered address of one of your agents, isn't it?"
His heart skipped a beat and he struggled to catch his breath as he allowed the words to register in his mind. 346 was exactly that, 346 Madison Street was none other than the home of one of his agents.
"Sir? Sir are you there?" The voice seemed worried and a little confused at the sudden silence on the end of the line.
"I'm here. We'll be there right away. Please approach the house with caution, you have no idea what we may be dealing with here."
They'd checked every room downstairs and had just made their way up the winding staircase when Hotch turned and stopped his team.
"Morgan come up front with me. Rossi...Reid you cover our backs."
Morgan had followed instruction and stepped up alongside his boss with the other two agents closely behind. They flung open doors, announcing their presence on the way in but every room came up empty, that was until they reached the master bedroom.
As they rounded the door frame Hotch raised his gun to the figure crouched on the floor.
"This is the FBI, put your hands where we can see them." He said with authority.
"Emily??" Morgan's voice echoed around the room as realization set in.
It was only then that the woman before them looked up. Blood was evident on both her hands and face and a body lay at her feet.
"Emily is he breathing?" Reid called from the hallway, just about able to see the scene in front of him.
"No." She replied coldly.
"Emily, what are you doing here?" Hotch asked with fear evidently etched in his voice.
Receiving no answer he did the only thing he knew to do, he walked to the suspect and took her hands behind her back. He was much more gentle than he normally would be, after all she wasn't just any subject, she was his friend. She ignored his commands to stand so with a little force he pulled her to her feet receiving a slight groan in return. The groan tugged at his heart strings but he couldn't let them get in the way, she was still a subject after all.
"We need to go through everything, just like a normal case."
"But Morgan this is far from a normal case." Hotch looked into his friends eyes and sighed. The sadness in them almost mirrored his own.
"Victimology may give us some answers."
"Answers we may not wish to hear." Hotch sighed feeling somewhat deflated with the situation that presented him.
"We have to prepare ourselves for that. I'll see you in the morning." Morgan said as he left the room.
"She has his blood on her hands, what more is there to say?!" Hotch stated to the empty room before turning on his heels and heading towards his office. He would not be going home tonight.
Emily stared at the four walls surrounding her, intruding her personal space and knew instantly that she wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight or any night soon. She wasn't sure what was going through her mind, all her thoughts had merged into one which ultimately meant everything no longer made sense.
She looked to the patchy ceiling and sighed. Suddenly she realised one thing, spending the rest of her life in here was a worthy sacrifice.
"I just want you to know, it wasn't supposed to end like this...."
I never want to play the games that people play
I never want to hear the things they gotta say
I've found everything I need
I never wanted anymore than I can see
I only want you to believe