Hotch truly couldn't believe his eyes when he walked back into the room.

Maybe it was because he had hardly ever seen Prentiss in anything other than slacks or a dress, but the second he caught sight of her he was floored.

She looked the same, objectively. She had tied her messy hair into a ponytail off of the nape of her neck and washed her face, but that wasn't what had gotten his attention.

A thin, form-fitting black tank top was fitted over her torso like a glove, her sports bra barely peeking out over the fabric. He had never even imagined that she'd own clothing that wasn't professional, but he didn't really mind being proven wrong at the moment.

The most shocking part, however, was the black ink that could be seen on her back, the majority of the design covered by her clothing. Nonetheless, Hotch could tell the tattoo was a good size, and the tips of it reached out towards the backs of her shoulders.

Part of him was so intrigued, and another part of him was wishing that Emily had worn more tank tops to work.

"You have a tattoo?"

She turned around, her big brown eyes blinking up at him. "Yeah, I have two."

"Really? Since when?"

"Since...I don't know...it's been a really long time."

"Whats the one on your back?" He asked after a short beat, wondering if it was even appropriate for him to be prying about something like this.

She smiled devilishly up at him, and he almost regretted asking the question.

"Nothing bad, if that's what you're assuming. It's a bird."

"That's a pretty big bird."

She laughed again, her beautiful teeth flashing and Hotch was really glad he asked. He had been seriously concerned for her earlier, and no matter how much he knew he wasn't supposed to be flirting (even so casually), it was obviously making her feel better.

"Yeah, it's pretty big. The other one is small though, so it balances out."

He forced himself not to think of all the places her tiny tattoo could be hiding, and instead smoothed the front of his FBI t shirt and motioned towards the door. "Let's go."

The gym wasn't too far from their room, and Hotch was thankful that Emily seemed to be more calm than she had been when he left the room to change. She was walking with a slight spring in her step, and he could tell every time he joked around with her and she laughed that her confidence was coming back a little bit.

It wasn't that Emily was insecure, she just held herself to extremely high standards, and tended to be a perfectionist. Hotch could understand that, sure, but he just wished she'd realize how special she was, how outstanding, how extraordinary. Truthfully, Hotch had been shocked from day one when she came in and didn't bat an eye at half of the most gruesome crimes he'd ever seen.

It was odd to see her completely out of her element.

Once they approached the double doors leading into the training center, Emily turned quickly and looked up at him.

"Hey, Hotch, thank you. You've been really patient so far and I know I'm not making it super easy but, thank you. It means a lot."

Hotch's heart clenched in his chest as he looked into her full dark eyes. She was being 100% serious; she actually thought she was being difficult. Against his better judgment, he reached out and gripped her gently by the shoulders, feeling an odd sensation tingle up his arms once his hands connected with her bare skin.

"Don't apologize, you're completely fine. You'd do the same thing for me in a heartbeat. It's just loyalty."

She sighed. "If you say so."

He snorted. "What, no eye roll?"

Emily bit her lip to contain a smile and in fact, and did in fact roll her eyes before pushing open the doors.

...

The facility itself wasn't much, there were no real pieces of equipment besides the basic weights and floor mats. A few makeshift punching bags had been hung in a corner, and there were about a half a dozen men carrying on and talking over beside them while exchanging blows to the bags. Hotch immediately spotted Royce and Rivers, who were standing near the far wall next to a couple mats laid out on the ground. A third man was with them, his skin as dark as the night sky. He was tall, too, and Hotch felt an irrational irritation that he was no longer the tallest person in the room, it was something that always superficially inflated his ego.

The trio seemed to sense that Hotch and Emily had entered the room, because they all turned at the same time and beckoned the pair over to where they were.

"Well, if it isn't the feebs I've been hearing so much about." The third man said, a full mischievous smile breaking out onto his face. "Let's see, Agent Hotchner is the big guy right here, and our little lady must be Agent Prentiss? Am I right?"

"Good to meet you." Hotch replied, extending his hand. The man grinned again and returned the handshake.

"Daveed Elliot, but please, call me Doc. I'm a medical doctor, too, hence the weird nickname, I'm not sure if Royce told you."

He turned towards Emily, and instead of giving her a somewhat icy greeting like Rivers had, he threw his arm around her shoulder and patted her arm.

"Now, I'm placing bets on you kicking Rivers' ass into the next century, are you gonna deliver?"

Emily dipped her head and smirked. She could read people pretty well, and while Rivers had made her feel slightly isolated, and Royce's greeting had been professional, she could tell Elliot-Doc, was warm and inviting. His physical contact with her wasn't lustful or wanting, but friendly. She almost felt safe, and he reminded her of a mixture of Derek and Rossi with the same twinkle in his eyes.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, allowing her rigid frame to relax a bit in his grasp.

"Sparring." Royce answered, jutting his chin over to Rivers who was wrapping his hands in a thin white cloth. "We'd like to see what you can do first, and Rivers volunteered."

Heat rose to her face and she narrowed her eyes. She had been suspicious that this entire 'workout' thing was to make sure she could handle herself, and if they wanted her to go first, then sure, she could go first. She wasn't going to hold back.

"Alright, fine." She said, moving forward from Doc's arms and taking some of the wrap from Rivers to envelope her palms in. The Quantico gym always had some of this along with athletic tape, and Emily preferred to use it when training solely because it made her feel more like she knew what she was doing (although she'd never admit that to anyone).

"The goal is to see who can pin their opponent and keep them down for ten seconds, almost like a wrestling match. In the field, if you apprehend someone and no one is able to help you immediately, you have to be able to hold them down on your own. Now, please, remember to be somewhat gentle. I don't want any broken bones or blood especially since you all just met." Royce was only half joking, Emily suspected.

"You ready?" Rivers said, as Hotch, Royce, and Doc moved back slightly to give the two some more room.

"Sure."

Emily had learned how to fight when she had first joined the FBI many years ago in the Academy. She had never been particularly good; she wasn't too big, but she had her speed and agility and eventually, overtime she was able to build up her strength so by the time she got to the BAU she knew exactly what she was doing. She had some faith in herself at the moment, she just really wanted to kick Rivers around a bit for insinuating she wasn't cut out for this.

Thanks to Derek, her strategy had improved leaps and bounds, too. He had always told her that the majority of alpha males fought the same way. They stayed on offense, always attacking first and once they need to be on defense they were completely thrown for a loop. Derek had told her that if she took things slow and paced it out, she'd always have the upper hand.

Rivers was no exception.

The second she steadied herself on her feet, she dodged his first swat near her. He was very nimble, she noted, but all his power was coming from how he was throwing his weight around. His reactions weren't incredibly quick either, Emily noticed.

So when he stepped again, she simply ducked and hopped over to another corner of the mat, completely avoiding the blow. She hadn't even made a move yet.

"You gonna keep running away or join me, Agent?" Rivers teased, but Emily smirked at the tiny hint of annoyance in his tone.

He lunged faster this time, catching her in the side before she could move. Now, it was her turn to hit back. As soon as his fist connected with her ribs, she shot an elbow into his gut and ducked out from underneath him as he coughed and instinctively clutched his stomach.

"Oooooo." Doc sarcastically heckled from the side, and Emily felt Hotch's eyes watching her with every step she took. As superficial as she knew it was, having her boss approve of her was a feeling that wasn't easily beaten. And she could tell he was impressed.

"We'll see." Rivers barked, shaking his head and moving forward before Emily could even react. Before she knew what was happening both of them were on the ground, and she could feel Rivers trying to push her shoulders down onto the mat. Emily counted out the seconds in her head, and on the fifth beat she thrust her knee up as hard as possible, hitting Rivers in the spot she had nailed him in earlier. He still wasn't prepared, and his grip loosened just enough for her to roll out from the pin and jump back to her feet as he pushed himself back up.

It was her turn to go on offense now.

He threw another punch near her torso, and Emily whipped her hand out in front and intercepted the blow before it landed on her. The sound of his fist against her palm echoed through the gym, and she pushed back as hard she could, setting Rivers completely off balance. Within a second, Emily swept her leg underneath his, causing Rivers to fall to his knees.

Sweat dripped off her forehead as she delivered another jab to his back to force him onto his front, but Rivers was ready. He caught Emily's arm and twisted her to the ground while regaining his own balance. She doubted he was going to waste any time continuing their elegant back-and-forth dance and would most likely just get on top of her and hold her down even if it meant putting all his weight onto her.

And Emily definitely wasn't going to go down like that. Right before Rivers dropped to hold her down, she shoved her legs into the air, catching his body as he attempted to throw himself down onto her. Using every bit of leg muscle she had, she forcibly kicked outward, sending Rivers in the opposite direction. Before he could fully recover, Emily lept off the ground, gripping his shoulders in her hands and taking them both down on the mat.

Rivers wasn't going to go easy either. He almost completely flipped her over a few times before Emily summoned the last bit of her strength and fully pinned his arms to the mat above his head, the impact sending a loud smack into the air. Using her knee as leverage, she pushed down onto his torso and held on for the last few seconds before Royce called it.

"Time!"

Emily gasped for air as she rolled off of Rivers, trying to ignore how completely physical that had gotten in such a short amount of time. He didn't seem too thrilled about having her body on top of him, though, so that was some consolation.

"Agent Prentiss, that was incredibly impressive." Royce said evenly, watching as Rivers hoisted himself from the ground and approached Emily.

"Thank you." She breathed heavily and turned towards Rivers, who was holding out his hand.

"Good match. You're tough."

She shook it, nodding her head. "So are you."

Despite the kind gesture, Rivers was obviously irritated, and the thick quiet that settled over them as they pulled their hands away was almost palpable in the stuffy air that surrounded them.

"Anyways, when we go out in the field I want her on my back." Doc said, breaking the silence.

Emily scoffed and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "I'm just competitive, that doesn't mean anything."

"Hmm, sure." He shook his head, facing Hotch. "I don't even wanna test YOU now that we've seen what she does, I bet y'all are cut from the same crop."

Hotch smiled his closed-lip smile. "Eh, she's younger and faster. You could probably take me."

"Please." Emily huffed as she walked over to the pair. "He's lying, I've seen him take out unsubs without breaking a sweat."

"I rest my case." Doc laughed, clapping Emily on the back. "But seriously, it's very comforting to know you can do something like that, it makes me feel a lot better about being here."

Her heart softened at the sincerity in his voice, and she grinned back. "I think I should be the one saying that considering you have actual medical knowledge."

She didn't miss the way Hotch was looking at her, and to be honest, she liked the extra attention. His admiration wasn't easily granted and it was all directed at her today, which was a first.

She might have to keep this up.

...

They spent the next few hours practicing various skills and combat moves in the facility area.

After Emily and Rivers, Doc and Hotch had duked it out a little, and Royce had eventually just called a draw because the men were so evenly matched. The team had then worked on basic fitness, things like push-ups and various measurements of strength and skill. Royce had been impressed with everyone, and he was pretty confident that the unit would mesh nicely out in the field with their varying specialties.

By the time Royce released them, Emily was ready to drop dead on the spot. She was absolutely exhausted from the flying, and now she could barely feel her arms and legs. She really just wanted to take a nice, long, hot shower before stuffing her face with whatever food was available and then curling up in her mini bed and knocking out for a few hours. She was fairly certain Hotch had similar sentiments.

"That was enough physical activity for the year." Doc commented as he walked alongside Emily and Hotch through the hallways to find food. Emily had noticed how personable he was, and how easily he had clicked with both of them, and she was glad to have someone else with them.

"I need a nap." Emily groaned, stretching her arms out while dragging her feet across the floor. She could already feel the bruises coming in from being thrown down onto the mat so hard.

"It's a good thing Royce said our schedule is clear for tonight so we can relax, even though I'm pretty sure the only reason we aren't working yet is because we have no leads." Doc agreed, plopping down into a stiff looking chair once the group reached one of the community rooms. Hotch followed suit, motioning for Emily to join him in the seat to his right.

"Hopefully we can sleep off this jet lag before we have to get started on the case." Hotch said, rubbing his temples.

"Yeah, the beds here are surprisingly comfortable." Doc assured, and Emily watched as his eyes tracked something behind her as his tone became a mutter. "We have a visitor coming in at 12 o'clock behind you."

"Sorry to interrupt fellas," an unfamiliar voice sounded from behind her. "Just wanted to introduce myself."

She craned her neck to see the man hovering near her side, and she resisted to urge to roll her eyes. He was young, VERY young, and there was no doubt in her mind that he was probably going to make a fool of himself. Granted, there was a real possibility this boy had hardly ever spoken to a woman besides his own mother, so this could be interesting.

"Hi." She replied, keeping a tight smile plastered on her face.

"A buddy of mine and I were just hanging out in the gym earlier when y'all were training, and I just wanted to say if you ever need someone to workout with, I'd be happy to help you."

Emily bit the inside of her cheek. In reality she probably was ten or eleven years this kid's senior, but she decided to just be nice instead of immediately shooting him down.

"Thank you, that's very sweet of you to offer, I think I'll be okay, though."

He nodded, obviously trying to figure out how to prolong the conversation. He finally figured out a talking point, because he dragged another chair over and sat down right next to Emily.

"So, you're a FBI profiler? That must be real cool."

"Mhm, so is my boss." Emily directed the kids attention over to Hotch, who was just watching the exchange with slight amusement in his eyes. "It's an interesting job."

"How long are you here for? I'm sure it's not an easy trip, I'm surprised your husband wasn't upset with you for coming for so long."

Emily almost snorted at the boy's attempt to be smooth. A+ for effort, really.

"I don't have a husband, so it was all my choice."

"Oh that's nice, I got ya."

"What about you? How long are you here for?" She asked, trying to be genuinely kind at least.

"I've been here about six months already, ma'am, I have about six more to go."

"Halfway there." Emily smiled. "That must be exciting?"

The boy was evidently getting more flustered as Emily progressed on with the conversation, and finally he responded with a brief nod before glancing back behind him as if someone had summoned him away.

"Anyways, it was very nice to meet you all, I'm Private Sanderson."

"Agent Prentiss." She replied, shaking the boy's outstretched hand and grinning when she watched him introduce himself to Doc and Hotch as well out of courtesy.

"I should be going now."

Emily smiled as the boy almost stumbled from his place in the group and sauntered off, waving a quick goodbye before reuniting with several other young looking men who seemed to be privates.

"That poor boy probably hasn't seen a woman that could actually talk to him in months, it sure does show." Doc chuckled.

"Poor kid." Hotch quipped in good nature, and Emily just giggled. She would take flustered boy over creepy older man any day, it was definitely easier to deal with.

"Let's hope the others don't follow suit." She said, shaking her head and turning her attention back to Hotch and Doc.

...