AU, A revisitation of Pride and Prejudice in a Modern-day setting within the BAU, but not exactly as you know it.

A/N: I'm back with a brand new story I've been thinking about for a while now. As you may have guessed, this story will be based on Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice but will also be greatly inspired by Joe Wright's adaptation. Being a Hotly shipper, Emily Prentiss will be "my" Elizabeth Bennett and Aaron Hotchner "my" Mr Darcy. Sometimes I'll be taking a lot of liberties and will distance myself from the original story to be able to fit all the other characters from the show in the story. But I'll still try to keep most of the main plots. It will also be set in the 21st Century so obviously, there are things that won't be exactly the same. And once again, this is a revisitation of the book, not a mirroring of it.

I hope you guys enjoy and if it ever gets confusing, just let me know and I'll do my best to explain some things without revealing some major plot points.

Rated T for now but might be up for a change in future chapters.

Disclaimers: I don't own anything, blablabla. Not the characters, nor the book, nor the movie, nor the show...

Enjoy!


PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

It was 8 o'clock on a Friday night and Emily Prentiss was finally getting out of work. Indeed, she had been up since 5am, doing her best to catch up on the files she had inherited at her new job last week.

At almost 37, the smart and witty brunette had finally managed to find a job in which all her knowledge and experience stored up during her six years of management and business school at Yale were valued. So she wasn't about to complain just because she had had a few extra hours of work per day and some extra paperwork to do since the very first day she started.

Even if she was exhausted, she couldn't refuse her friends' invitation to go out for a drink to celebrate her first week at the Military and Aerospace unit. It was one of the three units of the Intelligent Platforms, which was itself a sub unit of the Home & Business Solutions, one of the biggest divisions of the Bicoastal American Union multinational corporation.

It had taken her three days to remember all the divisions.

Some of her friends she had just met last week but already felt like they had known each other for years. But others she had known since her high school graduation year. Like Jennifer Jareau and Penelope Garcia who had now been working for nearly eight years at the two other Intelligent Platforms business units of the BAU. Again, a lot of divisions.

When she arrived at the bar, they were sitting at a corner table in what seemed to be a comfortable sofa. Penelope spotted her at the entrance and waved at her, smiling big, as she always did.

Some of her fluorescent bracelets were brought to life by the subdued lights of the place. She was the eccentric of the group, apparently. Which wasn't a big surprise to Emily since she remembered all of her different attires from high school. Penelope always wore bright colors, had fluffy pencils, lots of crazy decorations all around her work desk but also her home. She dropped out of high school, days before graduation, but managed a job in the company because of her wonderful computer skills.

Beside her was Jennifer, who preferred to be called JJ. She had specialized in Communication, being extremely good at public relations and had gotten through college on a soccer scholarship. She was like a breath of fresh air, her calm and soothing character managing to temper whatever storm she would come across.

When Emily had turned 17, her parents had decided to move back to the United States so that she could graduate from a high school in the American system to then go on to College. That's attending Chatham Hall all-girls college-preparatory boarding school in Virginia that she met both JJ and Penelope. Emily was the only brunette, and her first words to the two blond girls were, "In all the other schools I attended, and God knows I've gone to plenty, blond girls tended to hate me so excuse me if I'm being cautious about you guys' intentions." The only answer she got was some fits of laughter (she never really understood why) and from then was born a great friendship.

The three young women had bonded other their differences and reasons for attending that particular school. Their troubled pasts had brought them closer, each one sharing a different but just as deep relationship with one another. They had done their best to keep in touch when they parted ways and after almost two decades, they were finally back to living in the same state.

Emily smiled back, walking to her friends, when someone took her by the hand and made her twirl along with the rhythm of the music. She was surprised at first but soon started to laugh when she noticed who had gotten her on the little dance floor.

Derek Morgan. Or Statuesque god of sculpted thunder, as Penelope would often refer to him. He was the one who reviewed her job application and spent a month tutoring her before she signed her contract. In that period of thirty days, she had learned that behind his strong arms and impressive physique was a real sweetie.

"Hey, Princess!" He greeted her as they made their way to the table, dancing.

"Morgan, stop that. PG's gonna get jealous."

"Oh, she knows she's my favorite," he simply answered, winking at the object of his affection.

"I do," was all the blond said as she took another sip of her cocktail.

The group laughed lightly, making some room for the new comer. JJ was in the corner, Penelope on her left, Derek retook his seat by her side and Emily went to the other end.

"Where are Reid and Dave?" She asked before waving to a waiter to take her order.

"He's the one playing the piano," said JJ. "He's been over there ever since we got here. And Dave is standing by his sides, amazed at how quick he learned that many music pieces."

Derek sighed.

"I don't know why he'd still be surprised by the things that pretty boy can do. We don't call him genius for nothing, right?"

The friends agreed by clinking their glasses and Emily ordered her usual glass of wine.

"I'm glad he went to that Share Your Job Day at the VIA*," she added softly. "He really shared a connection with that little boy."

"I'm so sad I missed that!" Penelope lamented. "And so disappointed in all of you sweet little dumdums for not recording it."

"We've said we're sorry already, Pen, but you get to hear him now," JJ offered. "What's the little boy's name already?"

"Sammy," Reid answered, suddenly appearing with a plate of fries in hand, and Rossi not far behind him.

"Hey you!" Emily exclaimed, standing up and taking him in a warm embrace. "Thanks for playing Piano Man," she said loud enough only for him to hear.

"I'm glad you liked it, Emily. I still need to work on it though."

She just smiled at him. He sat beside Penelope, she followed and Rossi took the last spot by her side. She greeted him with a quick peck on the cheek.

"What makes you so happy, bella?" He chuckled.

"It's the weekend!" Her voice was cheerful. "I'll be able to sleep in and not get out of my apartment before Monday morning." She took a sip of wine. "That's all I've been waiting for since that guy, uh, what's his name? Anderson? Anyway. Since he showed me my desk and dropped a hundred of files on it."

Dave passed an arm around her shoulder, rubbed it empathically to then let it rest on the sofa behind her. He had taken a liking to the new addition to his team. He was glad she had been chosen and was really pleased with the work she had been doing so far.

She was younger but had had many different experiences during her life, which meant she had a lot to give to their unit, without forgetting how impressive her resume was. He had had no doubt that she would fit in, even though she had been handed to him without warning or any prior meeting. Morgan had gotten along pretty well with her, and he had appreciated her sense of humor and wit. She joked around but got her work done on time. And as far as he was concerned, that's all that mattered.

As they chatted away, Emily couldn't help but notice how good she felt surrounded by those people. She couldn't have dreamed of a better group to work with. And it wasn't just about work. They all got along so well, and sure, even though she had known JJ and Penelope for years, she had some reservations at first, not sure if they were going to welcome her that easily in what seemed to be a very closed team.

On her first day, Anderson had tried to intimidate her, saying she had been given the job because of her parents' new investments in the company. But she knew it couldn't be true because they had no idea of her new job when she called to announce them the good news.

She had tried to fight it at first. She didn't want to work in the same company because she knew that the shadow of the great Elizabeth Prentiss would follow her everywhere. Her parents had managed to open and to keep afloat four new BAU Money Banks in Europe, and were now providing to the BAU Healthcare. Her mother was weeks away from being appointed CEO of that new division.

Needless to say that Emily had known that company her whole life. She had assisted to dinner parties, galas, board meetings, she had seen her parents shine and succeed. Her mother was her biggest role model. But she didn't want to be known as Elizabeth and Richard Prentiss' daughter. She wanted to build a name for herself. She wanted recognition for her hard work, for everything she had accomplished to be where she was now, and for where she would get in the future.

"Hey, Prentiss," Derek took her out of her reverie. "Are your parents still in London?"

"I guess. I haven't heard from them in a while," she simply answered, not too fond of the subject.

"How do you know her parents?" Reid asked Morgan, surprised that he would mention Emily's family, knowing that they only knew each other for no more than a month and a half.

"Oh boy, the real question is, how don't you know her parents?!" He laughed. As smart as he was, Spencer would sometimes miss the most evident things.

"Prentiss! Of course!" It had finally sunk in. "You must have moved around a lot then?" He asked but before she could answer, he kept going. "They opened banks in the UK, Russia, Switzerland, Sweden and more. Since you're 36…" he quickly did the math, "you must speak Russian and-"

She cut him off.

"Is this a dinner to celebrate my one-week survival at the company or a get to know your coworkers with a hundred question dinner?" Emily joked. "But yes, we did. Well, mostly in Europe and some Middle East countries." She took some fries from Reid's plate before continuing, her mouth full. "I hated it and somewhat resented my parents for it. But as I got older I learned to appreciate the opportunities it brought me."

"And it is so elegantly said. I'm sure you got all that grace and delicacy from the European aristocracy," Rossi playfully pointed out, smiling at the younger woman by his side.

She then retaliated by hitting him on the shoulder, playfully.

"No," she finally said after faking a laugh and eating two more fries. "I got it from Italian business men at dinner meetings."

Dave gasped feigning offence, and his friends chuckled at him. And before he could retort anything, their phones started ringing one after the other, signaling them of what was probably a group email. Indeed, they were all being notified of the BAU's new acquisition of SmartSignal, Inc. And before anyone could comment on it, Emily received another email.

"Why does she get two of them?" Penelope joked as she leaned over to try and read what was on her friend's screen.

"It's from my mom," the brunette explained. "She's saying that there's gonna be a gala tomorrow to celebrate the new acquisition and to present her new projects for BAU Healthcare."

"Ooh! That's nice! Are we all invited? Who's going?"

"Well, apparently yes, we are all to attend but I don't get why it wasn't mentioned in the other email…"

And as if the God of technology had heard her, all of their cells rang again.

"Here it is!" JJ exclaimed.

"To celebrate the new acquisition of our corporation, bla bla bla, Aaron Hotchner, the CEO of the BAU, has the pleasure to invite you to a commemorating gala, bla bla bla, free drinks, free food, dress code is black tie as always, bla bla bla," Morgan read aloud. "Sounds nice!"

"And here goes my stay-in weekend…"

"Don't be a party pooper!" Penelope chastised.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I haven't had the occasion to dress up in a long time and God knows I'd never turn down free food and drinks."

"That's the Emily I love."

As she finished reading her mother's email, JJ noticed her raised eyebrow.

"What does she say?"

"Oh, uh," Emily cleared her throat. "She mentions that Aaron Hotchner will be there and that he is bringing a friend of his, William LaMontagne Jr and that she hopes I will get acquainted with him because she's heard he is very charming. Ugh."

"We work for Aaron Hotchner and we've never actually seen him around here," Reid commented.

"That's all you're getting from what I just said?"

"There's nothing wrong about your mother trying to set you up. Mine does it every time I go home," Morgan tried to reassure her.

"I've heard of LaMontagne and I've seen pictures of him," JJ added. "And I can tell you that he is charming."

"You should get acquainted with him then."

"Rossi, you've been around for much longer than any of us," said Reid, oblivious to the dirty look the older man was sending him and to the conversation that was going on, "you must know him, right? His parents have owned the company for a long time. I heard that he never asked for their help or took advantage of their position to get a job."

"I do know him. And yes, he's worked his way up. He's a serious kid and now that his parents are gone, he's taken great care of the BAU."

"But I heard he no longer is the majority shareholder though."

"Yeah, after his father died he had to sale some of his share."

"Erin Strauss bought it, right?" Emily asked, finding herself suddenly interested by the subject.

"Yes, she did. He sold her John Cooley's parts."

"Who is he?" Reid asked. "I've never heard of him."

"He was a family friend. If I'm not mistaken, he grew up in the Hotchner household but then he lost everything after the sale and had to get a job elsewhere."

"He lost everything because of Hotchner?" Emily now sounded appalled by the personage.

"Yes, well, I don't know the whole story. You'd have to ask one of them. Or both," he then added after a few seconds. "I'm not sure Cooley has done much to pick himself up."

"Let's not talk about money tonight," Penelope interrupted them, sensing that Emily was going to add something to the conversation. "We'll have tons of old grey men in suits, no offence Rossi, speculating about it and throwing the word dollar around more than people throw coins in the Trevi Fountain tomorrow night. Again, no offence Rossi."

"None taken." He rose his glass up emphatically and then emptied it.

"OMG!" She suddenly exclaimed.

Reid who was drinking beside her almost drowned in his own glass.

"Oh, sorry, honey." She rubbed his back and when he signaled her with his free hand that he was okay, she continued. "Today is Friday!"

"Yes, it is." JJ answered, unimpressed.

"And tomorrow is Saturday!"

"Then comes Sunday," Emily finished.

"Very interesting and controversial documentary." It was Rossi's turn to tease Garcia.

"My point being," she emphasized on her words, "we gotta go shopping tomorrow morning!"

"Stop creaming, baby girl. But you're right. That's pretty short notice."

"And here goes my sleeping in time…" Emily grieved. "Guess Aaron Hotchner doesn't always go by the book, huh?"

"What did I say about being a party pooper?"

"I can't remember. It was at least four glasses ago." She winked at her friend.

"Smartass."

"And tight."

"Okay. That's enough. I'm going home!" Reid exclaimed, putting both of his hands on the table and closing his eyes.

"He's so cute when he gets uncomfortable," with that Emily pinched his cheek.

"Morgan, Rossi, help me here!"

"Man, how many times do I have to tell you that it's dangerous to get between those two when they're drinking?"

"He's got a point there, kid."

And as they talked, they both stood up, JJ following Morgan and trying to drag Garcia by the hand.

"Come on. I want to go shopping tomorrow but we won't stand it if we don't get at least 7 hours of sleep so you gals better move those booties of yours."

"JJ's using her mom voice, we better hurry," Penelope whispered very loudly.

"And she gotta get her pretty on for William!"

"Okay, that's enough. I'm taking her home," Rossi announced, passing his arms around Emily's waist.

"You know nothing's gonna happen, right?" She said, maybe too close from his face as he turned his head away from her.

"Unfortunately, yes, I know." After she wrapped an arm around his shoulders, he quickly added, "I also know you're not nearly as drunk nor tipsy as you're acting."

She looked up at him, letting her head roll to the side and sighed.

"I know," it almost sounded like a moan. "I'm just so tired."

"It's okay. You'll be home soon."

He made sure that all his other friends were safely getting home before making his way to his car, with an exhausted Emily in his arms.

Even though her brain had worked itself out today, and this entire week if she were to be honest, she couldn't stop thinking about Aaron Hotchner and John Cooley. She wondered if the former was as serious and cold as people said.

She wouldn't have to wait too long for an answer anyway. Tomorrow, she was finally going to meet her new boss and see her parents again. But for now, Emily was just going to think of what kind of dress she would wear and how many cups of coffee she would need to get through the day…

TBC...


*VIA: Virginia Institute of Autism.

2A/N: So, what did you guys think of that first chapter? I'd like to hear your opinions and know if you're interested in reading more?
Next chapter will probably be the gala, therefor Emily and Aaron's first meeting! I promise it'll be interesting.

Please review and thanks for reading! x