Thank you for posting a review Gerardfan, fishtrek, and Liasonfan75! Your feedback has been wonderful!

To my Guest Reviewer, kbf, welcome aboard! Thank you for noticing the title! I once read an interesting article about ideas and idiomatic expressions in other languages that can't be translated accurately into English. The Spanish te quiero is one of them. But I will say no more. You will have to read all about it in the story! I hope you enjoy this new chapter!

Chapter 7

IA

To say that Hotch was angry would be an understatement. Infuriated, seething, about to blow an aneurism – that was more like it. Spencer stared at him openly now, having given up on the polite sideways glance. He wanted to study that face. And now Spencer was sure of it: he had never seen Hotch this upset.

"There must be an explanation," said Spencer and immediately regretted breaking the tense silence. The Unit Chief pressed the accelerator of the already speeding SUV.

"Do you honestly believe this has an explanation?" inquired Hotch angrily. He showed Spencer his cell phone where the offending FaceBook page was open. The photographs had already gone viral. They showed S.S.A. Derek Morgan and CSI Erik Delko showing off in various poses with a living alligator. And even worse, the comments! Penelope asked, "Where's Em?" And Derek responded, "At the ER with the broken ankle." What was Hotch supposed to think? That Derek had allowed his partner to get hurt while he was showing off for the camera. That he hadn't even had the decency to accompany her to the ER! And of all people, Emily!

Spencer sensed that the Unit Chief's thoughts had turned to Emily. "I'm sure she's fine," he assured.

"If she's hurt, I swear, Spencer…"

"She's not!" interrupted Spencer, not allowing the Unit Chief to pronounce Morgan's doom. "I'm sure this is all just a big misunderstanding."

"I hope you're right," said Hotch pulling into a parking spot marked "Reserved For: Chief of Surgery."

The agents hurried into the ER and searched for Emily. When they learned at the information desk that no one by the name of Emily Prentiss had been admitted, they feared that they were at the wrong hospital. Spencer suggested that they check the waiting room, just in case, and that's where they found her. Emily was wet and barefoot, with dirt plastered in her hair. She looked like an orphan, cold and exhausted.

"Emily!" called Hotch as the emotions flooded through him. Relief. (Thank God, she's alright!) Anger. (Why is she here alone?) And a fatherly compassion he thought was reserved for Jack. He shrugged out of his jacket and gave it to her, restraining himself from gathering her into his arms against his chest where she would be safe and warm. Forever. Her voice startled him out of these inappropriate thoughts.

"Hotch, Spencer, am I glad to see you!"

"You're okay," started Hotch. "We heard you broke your ankle."

"What? No!" she cried. "I'm sorry you were worried! I was supposed to call you and Lt. Caine, to let you know we were okay, but I can't find my phone. I must have lost it in the water."

"What happened?" asked Spencer. "And why are you here?"

"The girl we saved broke her ankle during the alligator attack. Oh, Hotch, it was awful!" For a moment, Hotch thought she would reach out to him for a hug. But she didn't. She told them about the trapping and the rescue and she concluded, "Morgan and Delko were incredibly brave! You guys should have seen them!"

Hotch and Spencer exchanged glances. Spencer's expression was an obvious "I told you so," and Hotch nodded.

"Come on, Emily," urged Hotch tenderly. "Let's take you to the house."

"No! We've got to get back out there. Hotch, I've got a lead in the case."

The case! This entire ordeal had broken his focus and momentum. And even now, when he knew she was okay, he wasn't ready to return to his role as Unit Chief. "Reid and I will take care of it. Right now, I just want to get you nice and warm, okay?"

She colored slightly at his words. His tone had been gentle, personal. It made her feel… she wasn't sure what she felt. "Okay," she responded with uncertainty.

"So give us the details on the way."

The three BAU agents had just entered their SUV when Hotch received a call. "Hello, Caine, it's Hotchner. […] What?! […] Under whose authority? […] I'm on my way." The call ended and Hotch said, "Change of plan. You two drop me off at the station."

"What's going on?" asked Reid and Emily simultaneously.

"Morgan and Delko have been arrested for trapping an alligator without a license."

"What?" cried Emily. "That's impossible!"

"Actually, under Florida law it is a level two violation, or a misdemeanor in the second degree," informed Reid. "Worst case scenario, they can get 60 days in county lockup and a $250.00 fine."

"Sixty days!" gasped Emily.

"Not if I can help it," assured Hotch.

"Agent Hotchner," greeted Lt. Caine as Hotch hastened into the interrogation wing. CSI Delko was in Room 1, SSA Derek Morgan was in Room 2. Through the glass walls all spectators could see that they both looked miserable. Derek straightened in his chair when he saw Hotch.

"Have you spoken with either one of them?"

"No," answered Lieutenant Caine. "Agent Jereau advised me to wait for you."

"Good. We don't need a tampering charge on top of everything else. What do you make of this?"

"What do you mean, Agent Hotchner?"

"I mean that arresting them was overly-zealous, especially when they saved a girl's life. A slap on the wrist would have sufficed, but pursuing criminal charges… this was done with an intent to cause harm. Do you know of anyone who would benefit from hurting you or your team?"

"Well, SSA Hotchner," said Horatio in his calm, clear voice. "Here comes the answer to that very question."

Hotch followed Caine's line of sight. A tall, lean man with dark hair and even darker eyes stepped out of the elevator with a determined gait. All it took was one glance and the experienced profiler knew what kind of man he was.

"Lt. Caine, how much do we dislike this man?" asked Hotch.

And Horatio answered with an amused smile, "Well, Agent Hotchner, we wouldn't mind if he took a long walk off a short pier."

The man approached them and Horatio said, "Lieutenant Rick Stetler, what brings you to these parts?"

Okay, so I hope you enjoyed it. Not as great as trapping an alligator, but hey! Not every chapter can be that action-packed. Please write me and let me know what you would like to see next. Thanks guys!