A/N: Okay so, this has been nagging me for the last few days now...

Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds or any of its characters. If I did, things would be a little different.


As much as she tried to keep a straight face, Emily Prentiss couldn't resist the urge to roll her eyes. She knew the look of this place too well to be even remotely intimidated by it. The voices around her had begun to fade before the officer even had a chance to finish reading off her rights. Not that it mattered. She knew those words so well she could say them in her sleep. So here she was, watching the officer's mouth go up and down like he had something damn important to say, something she was apparently supposed to care enough about. Out of the corner of her eye, she kept a steady focus on the wall behind his head. Considering how many times she'd seen this place, she was pretty close to finding out how many bricks held this room together. Sure it was boring as shit but anything was better than listening to him drone on about rules she was just going to end up breaking by the end of next week.

For a population that claimed to be "protecting the city", they barely gave people like her a second look. And why would they? Home for her was the three stretches of sidewalk and a blanket that looked a lot like Swiss cheese after three years of use. For the slums of Chicago, things like this were considered "normal". She smirked. Normal got her thrown in this place on a weekly basis. A few times she played with the idea that the city might actually be looking out for her. A cot in a cell was a five star hotel in her world. She had some kind of roof over her head and shitty or not, they fed her some. For at least one night, she wouldn't have to go hunting for it. Funny thing was, Emily had to be caught trying to survive before anyone gave her as much as the time of day.

Her first year was a heart attack waiting to happen, anxious about every squad car that went past. Now, she saw them as old friends, something or someone that might keep her safe for a while. As weird as it sounded, time in this place allowed her to feel human. Hard asses or not, they at least seemed to care, even if she showed them she wasn't going to care either way. Maybe the fact that she was always brought in by the same arresting officer was their version of concern. She barely said a word to the guy but there was something nice about knowing who put you in cuffs all the time. In a life so unpredictable, one could count on at least one familiar face. At least then she knew who it was she'd have to pretend she was listening to.

Officer Morgan was apparently the most intimidating they had to offer. The problem was, once the guy twists your arms around your back enough times, there wasn't anything to be afraid of. He'd rattled off to Emily so often that she didn't even have to be listening anymore to know what he was trying to say. They were always told to give some variation of the same speech. It came off like some stupid pre recording or whatever. As bored as she was, she'd come across the last brick on the wall ten minutes ago. Now she would have to look interested.

"Prentiss, do you understand why you're in here?" Emily laughed. For his sake, she kept it relatively contained while falling back lazily into her chair. The scowl on his face told her he was less than impressed.

"Let's be real here, Derek. I'd be fucking stupid if I didn't know why I was in this place," she muttered. She watched him pull his hands back, crossing them over his chest. The fact that this guy was trying so freaking hard to act professional only added to the thrill she got when pissing him off. At least he wasn't trying to take her head off about the name thing. Any other officer would be breathing fire or correcting her if she tried. Either they'd done this often enough that doing so was allowed or he was just a really chill dude. She decided it might be a bit of both. In a way, she almost called the guy a friend.

"What was this time?" She wasn't sure if it was because she was forced to zone back into the conversation or just the fact that she knew him that well but he sounded almost as bored as she was. "Another pack of smokes?" Emily rolled her eyes with a quiet snort. He knew exactly what she'd taken. It was never even about that, more a little reward for a job well done. But it ended up being talked about anyway.

"Among others," she mumbled. With a bit of a sigh, Emily watched him take the opposite chair and sit himself across from her. If she didn't know any better, he looked kind of...sad for a second. The thing about it was that she did know better. He wasn't supposed to pity people like her. They were trained to be tough, take no shit. "What do you care? Been dancing this dance for close to three years now. S'always the same," she shrugged.

"You enjoy doin' this?" he asked. She laughed. Who wouldn't? It was a rush like nothing she ever felt before. Something exciting, something out of the box. No matter how many years she'd been out there, stealing was its own quiet drug. Out there, no one was around to tell her what to do. This was nowhere near their first rodeo and he still thought he had a shot at giving her rules to follow.

"You know, for a cop you got some pretty stupid questions." She watched the officer roll his lip; his hands placed level with hers. Instinctively she stiffened letting her face go hard again. He must have noticed it too because the minute she did, he quietly pulled back, for which she was grateful. Maybe there were some decent Five-Os in this place.

"You've been at this for ten years, Prentiss. We bring you in here like clockwork. Pretty sure you're the only person who thinks this place is some kind of Holiday Inn." Emily kept her mouth screwed shut. If he knew how right he was, she'd never hear the end of it. He would probably set her up in a shelter or something. In no time at all, any shred of freedom would be gone. Where was the fun in that?

"This shithole?" she laughed. "You've gotta be kidding. You're the one who puts me in here. You really think that these little talks we keep having are going to change anything? Are you still hoping that one day I'm going to start giving a damn about what you have to say? Well I've got news for you Officer Morgan, I've never really been the type of girl who likes to be told what to do. Just ask the old lady."

From where he sat, Derek struggled to blink exhaustion out of his eyes. He could very well put these talks on video and play them side by side and they would be virtually identical. There were a few times he wondered if their exchange was practically verbatim. He'd cuff her, read the woman her rights, put her in the squad car, and here they would sit for close to an hour, some of it in a kind of stony silence. No wonder it was he and his partner who were always sent on these calls. He seemed to be one of the only guys who still gave a damn about doing his job, no matter how routine this arrest was.

The problem with Chicago was it had more than a few regulars. Emily Prentiss was her own kind of consistent though. Most of the guys Derek brought in barely paid attention because they hardly seemed to care. She just seemed to zone out because they'd had the same conversation for three years running.

As many times as the two crossed paths, there was something different about her tonight. Her eyes were still as hard and guarded as they always were but she still looked...oddly spent. He knew her to be a lot more biting than she was now. Sure she did her part looking bored out of her mind, like this was the last place she wanted to be. But something in her stance spoke to how tired she looked. Derek wasn't sure if it was entirely true but at least during this interrogation, she seemed to be trying to care. Or maybe that was just his hope that something might sink in.

"Emily," he whispered. He watched her shoot right up then, her gaze bordering on fire. He'd either brought her back to some kind of reality or she was ready to snap his neck for using her name. "This has gotta stop. We've found you on every street at least three times. They don't even radio a situation anymore. All we hear is 'she's at it again'. You don't even get a decent description anymore. We've been around the block so many times everybody knows what you're about. Is that really the name you want to make for yourself?"

"If I was decent, we wouldn't be here," she mumbled. I really don't see the big deal. If it was such a chore for you, you don't have to come get me. If it's so 'routine' for you, just ignore the damn call. Everybody wins."

"You know I can't do that."

"Uh, yeah you can. I know this place blindfolded. I don't need a fucking babysitter." Derek quietly shook his head. As hard as he was supposed to be in here, he'd faced Emily often enough to know that no one in her shoes actually enjoyed being in them.

"This is the job, Prentiss. I can't just ignore an order so you can rob every place within a six block radius. I'd get kicked to the curb in a hot second." He watched her shrug, forcing him to bring up a curious brow.

"It's not half bad. You get to make your own rules. No dragon lady breathing down your neck all the time. I mean, not all of it's sunshine and rainbows but you do what you gotta do."

"You don't have to do any of this," he mumbled. The woman let a smirk crawl across her face. For someone who claimed to have learned so much about her, the guy knew nothing. Of course she had to. That's the only way anybody like her made it out alive.

"You know what? Let's just stop right here, okay? Just 'cause you've thrown me in the back of your car over two hundred times doesn't mean you know the first thing about me or what I have to and don't have to do," she snapped. "So why don't we just make this easy on both of us? You give me my stuff back and we'll hang out in another week or so. Sound good?"

"Sit down," he demanded. She had to give it to him. Anybody else would be red in the face and screaming at her. He seemed so...calm. "You're not going anywhere just yet."

"Hard to do that when I still have these guys on," she muttered rattling her wrists. She watched him then, a hint of a smile on her face while he tried to hide his obvious frustration. With his hands over his face, the officer slowly met her gaze from behind his fingers.

"Save the smartass for someone who cares," he said with narrowed eyes. Of course. As friendly as they had become over the years, at the root of it all, he was just like everybody else.

"Right. My bad," she scoffed. "Point is, I'm here and I'm listening. I just don't know why I have to when I've heard the same thing so many times I dream about it. Just thought I'd save us both some time. 'Cause cool dude or not, you're just like everybody else in this place. You don't care. I'm just part of your paycheck." She waited a full minute, somewhat pleased when he didn't answer her. "I'm right aren't I?" she smirked. "You play the part of this big hero and behind all of that...I'm just another stupid girl you have to take off the streets."

"Emily, you don't need to be here," he said quietly. There it was again. Her name. One she hated so much that she made sure none of her "neighbours" bothered to use it. Even Officer Morgan knew that much. But he'd said it twice now. It had become this quietly unspoken code for a rare moment of sincerity. For those few seconds he often looked like he might actually care a little bit.

"No, I don't need to be here," she bit. "But you throw me in here anyway trying to teach me some lesson. Not sure if you remember this Derek but I'm not a kid anymore. I'm sure I looked the part when we first met but even then I was twenty-one. Just a little on the short side. By law that means I'm legally allowed to do whatever the hell I want, so long as it doesn't hurt anybody." He wondered just how unaware she was of the fact that she may not be hurting other people but she was doing a damn good job of hurting herself. "But I'm sure I don't have to remind you that I've been at this a lot longer than you've been a cop. I was out there by the time I was sixteen. There's something kind of cool about it, comforting," she mumbled. "When you've been at it as long as I have, it doesn't really matter too much after a while. Just a way of life."

"You're right," he nodded. She had to hide the quiet shock that wanted to flutter across her face. Friendly as they were, not even Derek Morgan ever said as much to her. "By law, you're allowed to make your own rules. There's always a line. And you always seem to be crossing it. But I also have mine and if I want to keep my badge, keeping you off the streets is one of them."

"I'm not here 'cause you wanna keep me off the streets," she pointed out.

"Right about that too. But you know what? If you weren't, you wouldn't be staring in every surveillance video in Chicago."

"I walk six blocks, Derek. That's hardly all of the city of Chicago."

"Alright look, I have every right to keep you here. In fact, it's my job to make sure you don't see those streets for awhile—"

"You say it like I'm trying to stop you." She wouldn't exactly be complaining if they decided to give her a bed for the night. The street would always be there to get back to. A little time away wouldn't be all that bad. Some kind of win-win situation.

"This is a game for you, isn't it?" As much as she wanted to laugh, anger flared inside of her that she had to bite down on to keep it from spilling over. When was he going to get it through his thick skull that what she did to stay alive was hardly a game? When was anybody going to understand that if she stayed in this place long enough it would almost be worse than running? Still, her voice remained even.

"Maybe, maybe not," she shrugged. There was that sigh again. Officer Hero was about as done with her as she was with him. Good. Maybe that meant she'd be letting her go soon.

"You'd better lose the attitude. Rules or no rules, I can hold off on letting you have your call."

"But officer, it's the law," she stressed, her tone dripping with sarcasm

"I never said you weren't getting it. I was just thinking of holding off a bit, let you sit here and think for a few minutes."

"There's nothing to think about, Derek. You got me. Again. I'm sitting here, letting you do your job and once you do, you're gonna drag me into a cell and throw away the key. We've done this before. So why don't we just...I don't know, forget the call and just skip right to the end?" As many calls as she'd gotten, none of them ever did any good. The world was hers and hers alone. The time to be saved had come and gone. So why was he always trying to push an issue that wasn't even an issue in the first place?

"At the very least your mom's gotta be wondering where you are." Emily blanched, the old fire in her eyes burning its brightest in those few seconds. Who'd given him the right to talk about any part of her personal life? This was supposed to be about the stuff she took. She didn't need a therapy session. He was hardly qualified to give her one. Worse was the fact that he acted like he understood or something. She'd gotten to know a lot about the guy over the last few years. As much as she bitched about him, she knew he was one of the decent ones, one of the only ones who might be doing what he's doing for more than the badge he wore. Not that she'd ever tell him that to his face. But this, brining up her mother was more than crossing lines she was supposed to be avoiding. Derek didn't know a thing about her mother. His attempt at concern was starting to grate on her nerves.

"Cut the crap," she bit. "My mother's dead. Told you this the first time. Dead is dead. She doesn't give a damn where I am. From what I hear, you don't care about a lot of things after your heart stops. You just get to sleep forever." She watched that stupid brow go up again. She didn't care if she was talking crazy. This wasn't Dr. Phil.

"There's gotta be somebody..."

"There isn't," she snapped. "Emily Prentiss is a one man show. Lucky for you, I'll be here all week," she mused. He sighed. Considering when her arrests started, it was hard to believe she didn't have a single person out looking for her at one point. Maybe that was no longer the case but that didn't mean someone wasn't out there quietly wondering.

"Well you and your one man band can hang out in here for a few minutes while we figure out what we're gonna do about this."

"You can't just throw me in a box and call it good?"

"We've been doing that for the last three years, Emily. This place is meant to teach you something."

"Never was a good student," she shrugged.

"It's high time we see if something else might get through your head." She tapped on it jokingly, a slight smile coming to her face when she saw him roll his eyes.

"I dunno...It's pretty solid. Just...tell me when I get to go home," she grumbled.

"You mean the streets?" She shrugged. Streets...home. It was all the same to her by now.

"Like I said. It ain't half bad. I promise I won't steal anything for a while."

"Right..."

"You don't believe me?" she smiled innocently.

"If I did, my job would be a whole lot easier," he mumbled.

"Workin' hard for your money," she teased. "Alright well, if you're gonna go tell on me or whatever, can I at least lose the bracelets? It's not like I'm going anywhere special." Derek bit his lip, thinking for a minute before making his way over.

"Sorry princess. That's how it goes." A growl echoed through the room as the door came closed behind him. "Ye of little faith..." she quietly muttered to an empty room.


Making his way out toward the break room, he groaned, letting the breath settle along each of his tired bones while he poured what felt like his sixth cup of coffee in the last three hours. As many times as he brought her in, as many similar situations as he'd seen, there was something painfully different about Emily Prentiss. A lot of them thought this was all fun and games. Those who didn't gave themselves away in seconds. But even so...tonight he saw something else.

He was trained to watch for tells. All of them were. No matter how long they stayed in interrogation, something always gave them away. But Prentiss was always...strangely honest. As hard as she was, there was nothing she blatantly hid from him. Sometimes it seemed as if there was nothing to hide. Maybe she just had a solid act on her side. More often than not, she just wanted to get in and get out as soon and as painlessly as possible, seasoned enough to know exactly what it was they needed to hear. And even then she never gave them anything useful. She might as well be shootin' the breeze with an old friend. Downing the last of his coffee, Derek made his way toward the chief's office. Tapping lightly before he entered, he let out a slow breath.

"Still nothing," he muttered. Finally looking up, David Rossi eyed him skeptically. "As often as she's been here, I still don't see any obvious flags. Holding her for the night doesn't do anything."

"Oh I'm sure she's got plenty holding her here today. Store manager wants to press charges. We can keep her here for shoplifting and see what that gets her."

"Rossi, she's been at this for nine years. How is this the first time anybody wants to put her away?"

"I guess somebody's finally had enough," he shrugged. "I think we all have."

"A pack of cigarettes and a can of soup," Morgan muttered. The chief closed his eyes. "That's not even twenty dollars worth."

"Stealing is stealing, Morgan. No matter how small the offense." He nodded. He got that. Anyone with good sense got that. But what was any of this really teaching her? He'd just be driving the same beat a week from now.

"I get that, alright? But this has got to stop. I'm the only one who ends up going 'cause everyone else is sick of hearing it. Where we got her and where she's going, it might as well be Disney World. I thought we were all about punishment."

"We are."

"So, why the hell do we feed it?"

"Derek, if we didn't we wouldn't be—"

"...doing our jobs, yeah I've heard that already." He wasn't sure what it was that snapped his nerve. Maybe it was the hours he was working tonight or the fact that he wasn't getting anything out of his arrest. His boss hardly seemed to notice his tone, probably just as annoyed as he was. "I'm just done with it. She likes it here. That's not the point of this place. Making her do time isn't going to guarantee she'll figure it out. I can bet my next check on the fact that she won't and we'll be doing the same shit six months from now."

"What do you want me to do, Derek? Ignore the call? That's not how this works."

"I don't know...I just know that her being here doesn't do what it's supposed to do."

"You want me to make up charges to keep her in here longer?" Leaning against the nearest wall in his office, he carefully shook his head. That would likely make Prentiss feel like a kid in a candy store.

"What if we...tried something?" The older man turned to face him, a cautious eye aimed at the officer. Only one thing came out of talk like that. Especially from Morgan. "I'll go back to the store and cover the cost of whatever it was that she took, maybe talk it out with the manager. Maybe she could...work it off or something. She always talks about being out for herself. Makes sure to remind everybody that she does what she wants. If she's working for somebody, she'll have no choice. The only other option she's got is coming back here."

"You need a court order to give out community service. And even if we did, where would she stay to get it done?" He stopped for a minute. The officer hadn't exactly thought that far ahead yet. She made it pretty clear she didn't have available parents. He never heard her say anything about having any friends. Then again, her circuit was hardly the place to be making them.

"If we get her in front of a judge and work that out, I could do it," he offered. He wasn't exactly sure how many codes he was breaking but he was damn near the end of his rope with options here.

"You could do it," Rossi echoed not quite believing him.

"Well yeah. It can't be that hard. It's not like she's a minor who's going to need—"

"...constant supervision to make sure she doesn't run off and botch this hypothetical plan?" Well saying it like that showed him just how spontaneous the idea was.

"Alright, I get it. She's gonna need a freaking watch dog. Once she figures out she's not dancing to the beat of her own drum anymore, something's bound to click." Even as he spoke, he had to wonder why someone waited this long to do something about her shoplifting. Was she really that stealthy to the untrained eye? Did she steal so little that it somehow always seemed not to matter enough to take action? Derek was pulled out of his own thoughts when his boss breathed thoughtfully

"What happens if something like this goes through? You know how many rules we'd be breaking here? It's highly unethical."

"With all due respect, sir, I don't think it matters whether or not it's ethical. Prentiss practically lives in here. Tax payer money's putting a roof over her head. And she has no problem turning around and shitting in their faces. I think it's high time we put an end to her little charade, even if that means getting a little creative."

"As valid a point as that is..."

"You know I'm right about this."

"This isn't about being right or wrong. It doesn't even make sense. I don't even know if it's been done before. Hours are set aside for juvenile acts. The woman is now twenty-five. She knows exactly what got her here. We can't just turn a blind eye."

"There are no blind eyes here. It's just an alternative. If it wasn't required, I would skip her Miranda rights. No one's been known to come in as often as she does. It's gotten so bad that I'm the only one who brings her in anymore. Everybody else is sick of it. It's like she's laughing at us. One big game of cat and mouse. Didn't we all take an oath to protect and serve? This way everybody wins. And maybe she'll learn a little something."

"I can't make this an official order..."

"It's my ass on the line if this blows up in my face. I wouldn't be bringing it up if I didn't already know that."

"Morgan, if anybody asks..."

"It's on me."

"Derek I'm your boss. Of course it's going to come back to me. But that's not even the biggest problem. This would put an ax on the entire department."

"Chief, I've willingly taken orders from you to the letter for the last three years. I've got a good feeling about this one."

"For the record, I have absolutely nothing to do with this."

"Exactly. I'm the one making this call. I got no problem going to bat for you if they smoke you. I just...Something's gotta give. I wanna get back to putting people in here who deserve to be here. I want to scare guys who don't see it coming. I was put on this team for my interrogation skills, right? They don't work on her anymore. I'm not sure they ever have. I'm late in the game. She thinks I'm her friend."

"Considering the call I just got, I'm pretty sure you won't be her friend for much longer."

"You know what I mean."

"If I allow this...she's your responsibility. In here, out there, I know nothing." Nodding, he carefully backed away from his desk. "And Morgan?" He had the door open before he froze, slowly turning back. "If this plan of yours fails, I expect your badge and gun in my office the next morning." Derek swallowed hard biting his lip.

"Yes sir."

"Good. Let her know she's got a hearing in three days. I'll call in a couple of favours and we'll see if your genius plan does her any good."

"Got it," he mumbled.


Standing just outside the room, she looked like she was ready to fall asleep. The chances she was going to pay any attention to this were slim but considering what he had to do to get a deal like this, she wasn't going to have any choice. Taking the chair across from her again, he leaned back tiredly. "Seems like somebody finally wants to press charges." Watching her swallow hard, he had to fight a slight smirk.

"So what?" she muttered. "Not like it's gonna stick." The words fell out almost immediately. A careful attempt to hide the fact that no one had ever actually squealed on her before. Not that it was meant to make her the slightest bit uneasy. This was how it was supposed to go. Nights on the outside were hell. This was supposed to be some wayward reward for putting an end to her little adventures. So why did the prospect of a saving grace feel worse than death? She'd had a good run. Nine years flying under the radar was bound to get back to her eventually. She could only hope that her own heart would stop before this became her life.

"Oh no, this one's gonna stick. You know how long we get to keep you when it does? Six months. Six months of living in a little tiny box, following everybody else's rules." Emily felt herself stiffen. There was no way in hell that was gonna happen. There had to be some other way. The last time she'd done that...

"Bullshit," she snapped.

"Run that by me again?"

"That's not happening. It...It can't," she whispered, hating herself for how quiet she'd gotten. She hoped against all hope that he hadn't heard such a drastic change in her tone. Maybe he'd be nice enough to ignore it. Morgan didn't need to know that she wouldn't survive more than an hour in a place like that. Derek blinked. As many times as he'd been here, he'd never heard that before.

"Why can't it?" he asked.

"It's not going to do anything! But you don't understand that, do you? Some of us don't have a choice! This is my life. And yeah it's like walking on landmines all the time. And yes it gets me thrown in this hell almost every other day but that's home. That's how I survive. Some of us don't have nice fancy homes like you do, Derek. It sucks but that's how it is. You learn to live with it."

"Emily..."

"Don't," she growled. "Nobody calls me that."

"I know," he said quietly. She froze. If she dared imagine it, his tone sounded almost...gentle. How stupid of her to let him slip those in. It didn't matter that he used them sparingly. Letting him use them at all gave him the impression that he was someone special enough to be rewarded with it. It had taken her well over a year before she stopped reacting when he let it fall out. Right now, Emily wished she still did. "I have another option for you," he mumbled.

"I don't need you feeling sorry for me, Officer Morgan."

"I don't." His eyes sharpened when she laughed outright. "Prentiss listen to me. You can either let me finish or prepare to do your time like everybody else does." He wasn't even sure why he'd put such an option on the table. Maybe it was the fact that she'd slowly stopped fighting him. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that her story never changed, leaving her nothing to really be guilty for taking. Or maybe it was the fact that, if she wasn't trying so damn hard not to, if he pushed her enough she would unravel in this very room.

"Didn't they teach you anything in cop school? I don't have a choice."

"Tonight you do."

"What? You gonna call the dude who sent you and cover my ass for me?"

"Sort of..."

"Well I got news for you, Derek. It's been me, myself and I for the last decade. I don't need anybody looking out for me. Especially you. So really, if you need your Boy Scout badge so bad, you won't find it here."

"If you can shut up and let me finish, I'm trying to cut you a deal," he growled. Emily just smirked. What the hell kind of deal could he even find her in this place?

"Service and a slap on the wrist? That won't teach me anything," she laughed. "So really, what's it gonna get either of us?"

"Shut up!" She laughed while rolling her eyes at him. "If you want a hearing for service in three days, I would stop talking right now. If you'd rather be in here, keep going." Blinking slowly, she tried to hide the careful shiver of blood run cold. She was joking, trying to be a smartass to get him off her back. And here was pretty much confirming her suspicions.

"You're serious?" she almost scoffed. It earned her a nod, even if his mouth was a hard line of frustration. "It's up to you how you wanna play this. You'd be in holding for a few days, until we can arrange a hearing. If the judge sees that you don't need to do it like this, you'll be staying with me."

"With you?" she snorted. "For real?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" She felt herself go still, unsure if it was simply because she felt so worn down. Or maybe it had more to do with the fact that she let herself believe him, just this once. Whatever the case, she silently shook her head, suddenly feeling stupidly small.

"No..." she whispered. Nodding slowly, he stood.

"Understand that I'll have to set you up with a parole officer. If you decide to run, I won't be there to save your ass. You'll be doing your time like you're supposed to and deal's off." Despite her attempt to keep a straight face, Emily fell forward, trying hard to hide her surprise as it finally dawned on her. As often as she'd seen this place, cops didn't make these kinds of deals. Not only was it unheard of but impossible to even achieve it.

"You'd put your ass on the line for me?" she asked, pointing to herself while trying hard not to laugh. When he said nothing, she fell back into her seat, arms crossed as she tried to process what she'd just heard. "You...would put your job...for me?" Derek made sure to stay as professional behind the badge as possible. Tonight, he'd become everything he fought to prevent. Unsure of whether or not it had anything to do with the so-called "bond" they'd formed over several years worth of arrests or the fact that Emily's guard was quietly peeling away right in front of him, he nodded again. "What's in this for you?" she muttered. "Brownie points, a promotion, what?"

"Nothing but making sure you get somewhere. Sometimes you gotta bend a little, right?" Emily just stared at him. What the hell was he aiming for? Rule books had it that people like her got caught by people like him. And here he was trying to help her. It didn't make any sense. He wasn't supposed to do any of this. Sure, she was allowed to make his job a living hell but no part of that asked him to be nice to her.

"I don't understand..."

"There's nothing to understand. You either cooperate and take it or let the charges stand."

"I'm not supposed to...like live with you," she pointed out.

"Well, not sure about you but I've been known to keep a good secret now and then when I had to." Her head bobbed slowly, still all together skeptical about this so-called deal. But at this point, it hardly mattered that it made her feel weird, or that the idea was all together unheard of and impossible. If it kept her out of the box, she'd try it. She wasn't too good at this being grateful thing but the fact he was ready to stick his neck out for her had to count for something. "Good." She wasn't the biggest fan of the first part of this plan but three days sure beat six months.

"Can I go now?" she mumbled. I ummm...I never got to have any of that soup." Any hint of familiar flame in her words had somehow disappeared and she had him to blame for that. Derek had to go and be all nice to her, give her options. Not just any options but choices that made her out to be a person in his eyes and not quite the caged animal she was supposed to be.

"This isn't Burger King, Prentiss. You get what you get," he warned. Rolling her lip, she carefully cleared her throat. Given the last few days she'd had, she wasn't exactly looking to be spoiled. What she'd just been handed was luxury enough.

"Look, I'm just really tired, okay? Tired and kinda hungry. I don't get to eat like normal people." Nodding silently, he walked up beside her, pleased when she willingly offered him her wrists. When he finally walked her over to her cell, Emily had to fight a thin sheet of moisture that was starting to shape in the back of her throat. "You know, for a badge, you're not half bad," she barely smiled.

"It's all part of the job," he mumbled. Since finding out about the alterative, she kept to herself the small list of rules he'd probably broken for her. Convicts didn't live with the people they weren't supposed to like. Homeless people went years without one. She hadn't exactly done anything to earn a real roof over her head. As far back as Emily could remember, she didn't have time to keep a job, let alone find one. She had a sinking feeling that some kind of work was the unspoken part of his plan.

But she had to remind herself that right now, he hardly sounded anything like the policeman he was meant to be. She quietly wondered if what he planned to do for her would land him in the one place he threw everybody else in. They both knew that wasn't part of the job and still he'd gone out of his way. Just before he turned to leave, she barely registered grabbing lightly at her wrist.

"Thank you..." To say he was surprised by her actions would be an understatement. Emily Prentiss hardly looked like the kind of person who felt comfortable being thankful to anyone. Even if she felt it necessary, the phrase sounded painfully foreign in her mouth. For the moment, she agreed to brush it off. The officer had every right to treat her less than dirt, and he hadn't, no matter how much she deserved to be.

When he returned with her change of clothes and a tray of food, she gave him nothing but a subtle nod. "I'll be back again tomorrow morning. You'll see me about every three hours until then."

"You've got to sleep at some point," she mumbled. "I don't need a bodyguard." Anything else she was ready to say was swallowed up by the not so subtle glare he shot her. "I can't go anywhere. I'm not setting up for a prison break or anything. I promise I'll be good." Hardly one for promises, she at least owed the man this one. She could go back to being a hardass once this was over.

"I'll be by around six. You should be able to get some decent sleep for a while." She almost laughed. Compared to where she'd been, a good sleep was almost guaranteed. "You really think we're buddies?" She knew better than to say anything to that. "For the next little while, I'm either your best friend or your worst enemy. The choice is yours." The young woman swallowed hard, the knot in her throat getting thicker. What would happen if she admitted that the first was more true than he knew? They weren't exactly hitting the town together but none of his buddies had ever been this...kind to her. What the hell had she even done to earn even a minute of his mercy?

A/N: As much as this show has taken over my life, I'm still trying to get a feel for characterization and whatnot. In time, channeling them should get easier. Until then...hope you like :)