Friends with Benefits – Part Seven

Authors Note: There's another small case in here, but it is small. And it's not like any typical case, so I thought of it. Anyway, I hope you don't mind the cases, It's hard for me NOT to write cases, especially because it's a Criminal Minds fic.

I hope you like it.

PLEASE REVIEW! :]

It was normal for them to have cases right after one another like this, because most cases just consisted of working up a profile for the detective and telling them what to do, but it also wasn't rare to have cases where they had to go to the place where it took place right after they just got back. Once they had a case that lasted 4 days, and only had a day rest before heading out to another case, and another time they had a case that only lasted about 2 days, but then they had to go onto another one just a couple hours after they got back to the BAU and the list goes on.

JJ and Derek rushed in the glass doors and took an immediate right turn and headed up the conference room through the back door. Hotch paused for a moment as the two of them attempted to sneak in, with no luck. The screen was right next to the entrance, so everyone's attention was already in that direction. Everyone's reactions were different. Hotch just continued speaking, Spencer wondered why they were both so late, and glanced down at his watch and noticed it was 9:52. Maybe it was normal for Derek to be late, but he's only seen JJ late 4 times in the past 7 years she's been there, and they were all legitimate reasons. Rossi could honestly care less, but he knew both of them showing up at the same time would raise questions; and he knew the reason wasn't what everyone else would be thinking. Penelope wasn't in the room, and JJ did wonder why as she walked over to the empty seat. Emily raised her eyebrows as she watched JJ take a seat next to her, JJ noticed Emily looking and looked over at her. Emily smiled and looked back at the screen, JJ squinted her eyebrows at Emily. She wondered why none of them had case files in front of them.

"As I was finishing telling everyone else, this case came directly to me. It's a different type of case that we haven't worked on before. And it will require an entirely different approach." Hotch said, aimed his words more towards JJ and Derek because they had just walked in. Hotch didn't wait for either of them to ask what the approach they needed to take was, and he continued. "There is a couple that is crossing state lines, they get other couples to invest in their non-existent companies and they have been doing it for nearly 5 years. They get to know these couples over the course of 2 to 4 weeks and ask them to invest a lot of money, once the couples finally comply, they kill them, and brutally." Hotch told them as he started to pass out the files.

"If the couple is murdering the couple who invest, how do we know it's a couple?" Derek asked.

"One of the victims of the last attack, Kelly Polk, survived the attack and was able to communicate this with the Detective Chad, who was in charge of the case in Belle Meade, Tennessee." Hotch answered.

"She survived this?" Emily said as more of a statement than a question. "It says the bullet just barely missed her heart and she had a collapsed lung." Hotch nodded and continued on.

"We have reason to believe they are going to be Chevy Chase, Maryland tonight attending a seminar. Kelly Polk told us they said they were heading east, and it fits the geographical profile." Hotch said as he looked over at Spencer, who stood up and walked over to the map.

"The unsubs are careful with where they're going." Spencer explained, although they weren't one hundred percent sure that all the couples were murdered by this couple, but they all fit the victimology to a tee. All upper class couples that were already looking to invest, according to the investigations all the detectives did in those particular towns. "They started in Highgate, Vermont and moved to Brookville, New York, then going all the way to Atherton, California and then Hunts Points, Washington." There were more locations, but Spencer didn't say them all. "They're targeting wealthy areas. And they relatively stay in close-range every 2 kills." Spencer explained.

"Probably because they wont leave as much of a trail..." Emily commented, Hotch nodded and Spencer

"So what's the different approach we're takin'?" Derek asked curiously as he looked up at Hotch after glancing at the case file.

"Well, we can't just go into the seminar filled with 200 people and pick the right couple..." Hotch began to explain, at this point, JJ kind of realized why she was apart of this. Usually, she'd be the one presenting the case. Not the one it was presented to."And if we were to lock the building down to speak to everyone, we'd risk on the off chance they're not there and it would be all over the news. So, I believe the best approach would be the four of us go under cover as two couples and we'll try to profile behavior and seem as eager as possible to invest in whatever they're pitching." Hotch said, Emily already knew what was going on because Emily was in the room with Hotch when he got the phone call from Erin Strauss, telling them about the case. Rossi guessed by the way Hotch was explaining it that it was the situation. Derek raised his eyebrows, which 4? he wondered. JJ glanced at Emily, she knew she'd most likely be part of that.

"So, Kelly Polk passed away before they could get a sketch artist to sketch what she remembered about them. She did say that the woman had brown mid-length hair and the man had short brown hair." Emily read from the case file, Hotch nodded.

"I hope there's a lotta blondes there." Derek said as he shook his head. It would make their job so much easier. Emily laughed a little and JJ rolled her eyes.

"I'll give you guys enough time to get everything ready... meet at the air strip at 1:30. We're going to Chevy Chase." Hotch said as he pressed a button on the remote and shut off the screen before walking away.

"I wonder who the lucky couples are." Emily said sarcastically. She was sure it would be the most obvious, her and Hotch and most likely JJ and Spencer, but then again, Spencer would be more help staying back with Rossi.

"It seems you two girls are out of luck." Rossi said, referring to the fact that they'd both most likely have to go undercover, considering they were the only girls on the team, minus Penelope, of course, who couldn't go undercover. "Unless, of course, Hotch besides it'd be best to pair you two up." he said as he looked at Derek, and then over at Spencer, who was walking to his seat, Rossi then walked out with a smirk. He just loved stirring things up.

"Not-uh." Derek said as he shook his head and followed JJ and Emily out of the conference room.. "That is not happenin'. I'll jump outta plane before that happens." Emily laughed.

"You better bring a parachute." Emily scoffed as she walked out of the conference room, Derek rolled his eyes and JJ walked to Hotch's office to talk to him, preferably about being late and to apologize.

x x x

"I've decided that Prentiss and I and also Morgan and JJ will be the four to go undercover," Hotch said as they started to debrief on their short 20 minute plane ride to the airport. "Only because of the ages that will make it more believable, and I need Morgan to help JJ." Hotch explained. Hotch and JJ talked in his office about how she would do her best at profiling, even though she wasn't a profiler. She'd basically just talk to Derek throughout. Although, at the time they talked, he said he wasn't sure who she'd be going with, so the fact that it was Derek caught her off guard, she thought it would be Spencer. "Spencer and Rossi will both be of help as surveillance outside and also gathering more information on the case..." Hotch said. "This case will most likely prolong for at least 2 weeks, because we have to either get them to confess, which most likely wont happen, or we have to let them carry out everything until the transfer of the money, which is when they'd most likely attempt to kill. We'll talk more about that later. Right now we need to talk about how we should each act." Hotch said as he explained to everything to them. They landed 20 minutes later and headed to the two SUVs that where there for them and they headed for police department. It was a 20 minute drive to get to the police station from the airport, which got them there by 2:45pm, which gave them enough time to do more research. By the time 5 rolled around, Hotch sent JJ and Emily to the hotel to get ready, earning a retort from Emily involving sexism and how long it takes Derek to get ready, which was the same amount of time as the two of them. After she had her fun, they left for the hotel.

"So you excited to pretend your Morgan's wife?" Emily taunted as they grabbed their bags and headed into the hotel, JJ rolled her eyes, knowing Emily was taunting her. Emily was glad she wasn't the one that picked the short straw, like JJ basically did.

"Ecstatic." JJ said sarcastically, Emily laughed. "But I still rather be Morgan's fake wife than Hotch's. It would just be weird to hold hands with my boss, even if I was going undercover."

"Well, I've been undercover a few times... once was with my boss... well, team leader, not much of my boss, but still." Emily said as they got their key and went up to the hotel. Emily has been a little more open about her past, but didn't get into where she actually worked, only because JJ didn't ask, even though she did have an idea. "You'd think that since we're in a hotel for work they'd give us two separate hotel rooms." Emily mentioned as they went to the elevator.

"I don't think they approve of separate hotel rooms in the budget if we're not staying over night, Em." JJ said, Emily shrugged then laughed. "To my knowledge, anyway." JJ shrugged it off.

"Wasn't it hilarious when Hotch said we had to do anything we need to in order to convince people we're actually a couples? All we'd need to so is talk like we are and change our body language. It sounded like he was implying it's okay for us to sleep with each other." Emily gushed with a laugh as the elevator doors opened and they walked toward the hotel room. JJ's eyes widened slightly and she let out a fake laugh when Emily glanced over at her. Emily didn't pick up that it was forced, so she laughed too. JJ wasn't expecting Emily to say something like that, and it made her feel uncomfortable, and maybe a little guilty? She wasn't sure. Then she asked herself why she would be feeling guilty, it's her business. Stop being so up tight. JJ told herself and let out a sigh as Emily opened the hotel room and they put their bags on the two beds.

"So it's going to be formal..." JJ said as she zipped open her bag. "I never expected to have to wear something like this at work." she said as she pulled out a black dress that fit the dress code of the night, Emily laughed as she pulled out hers, it was similar to the one she wore when she went over cover a year and a half ago with JJ's replacement when she went on vacation for 2 weeks.

"Well, neither did I. In this job anyway, until Jordan and I went undercover. But this is different..." Emily said as she looked at JJ. "How are you doing your hair? I'm not sure how to do mine..." Emily said as she looked at her hair. It was okay, but not formal. It was more business casual.

"I was going to curl it a little and pull it back into a messy bun with some pieces hanging out in the front," JJ told her, Emily nodded. JJ was much better with the hair thing than Emily was, she'd usually just straighten it and be done. JJ, however, made sure her hair looked good... most of the time. "I think you should curl it and leave it down," JJ said as she walked into the bathroom with her dress. "Oh, do you have a necklace I can borrow? I don't usually pack jewelry..." JJ asked once she finished getting into her dress and walked out of the bathroom.

"Something I always have with me..." Emily usually threw random stuff in her go-bag day by day, and one of them was jewelry. Emily almost always carried jewelry with her. Emily handed her a necklace and smiled. "Cute dress. You'll knock Morgan's socks off." Emily jokingly laughed.

"Thanks," JJ rolled her eyes and groaned as Emily went in the bathroom to change into her dress. JJ worked on her hair as Emily walked out.

"So how long do you think it'll take Morgan to get ready?" Emily laughed as she started curling her hair in the bathroom, JJ laughed. She had some insight on this, Derek getting ready as quickly as he did this morning was because they were late, otherwise it takes him longer if he has to get dressed up.

x x x

"We'll be there in 5 minutes.." Emily told Hotch over the phone as they drove back to the police station. JJ was reading up on the file as they drove, just to make sure she had all the information she needed to know. It was weird for her not to do her role and be the liaison, but every since she got Billy Flynn to let Ellie Spicer go over a year ago, she's always found profiling more intriguing to her than it ever was before. "Is Morgan ready?" Emily asked with a scoff and a laugh after getting a response from Hotch. JJ smirked and shook her head and got back to reading. Emily hung up the phone and glanced over at JJ. "You're good with all of this, right?" Emily asked, JJ looked up from the file. "With the whole going undercover thing and taking on the role of a profiler.." Emily then explained, JJ sighed and nodded, she knew Hotch put her up to it.

"Yeah... I'm kinda nervous... but most people get nervous before they go undercover... there are so many possibilities of how it can turn out..." JJ said, Emily nodded.

"Yeah, well, don't worry. It'll go fine. Besides, you've got Morgan to protect you, and he'll go to any length to keep you save." Emily said confidently. Emily had absolutely no doubt Derek wouldn't go through any length to keep JJ safe, he would go through any length to keep anyone on the team safe. JJ looked at her. "And Hotch and I are there." Emily mentioned as she thought about it. "And you know, I've got game. I'll beat anyones ass who tries to heart ya and I'm sure you can do the same." Emily smiled, JJ laughed and smiled as Emily put on the right turn signal and turned into the police station. Emily took the keys out of the ignition and smiled at JJ with a nod as she put her hand over the door handle. JJ nodded and they got out of the car. JJ let out a nervous sigh as they walked into the building.

x x x

"We need to sit through the seminar, and then just start mingling with the other couples that fit the description. It is also possible they changed their appearance; so don't focus souly on that." Hotch explained as they drove to where the seminar was being held, which was only about 10 minutes from the police station, where Rossi and Spencer were staying back for about an hour before heading out to do surveillance, just incase something happens. It earned Rossi a crack about bringing Advil from Derek, especially if he's going to be sitting in a car with Spencer for a couple hours. "If any of us come across a couple we think are the unsubs, we'll give each other a heads up."

"Like...?" JJ asked, searching for an explanation, Hotch could tell that by the tone of her voice.

"Like squeezing Morgan's shoulder," Hotch mentioned, Emily let out a small laugh. Leave it to Emily to be the one to turn everything around. Hotch, however, found absolutely nothing to make fun of in that statement.

"Yeah or his-"

"Emily!" JJ scolded in a hushed voice as she elbowed Emily in the arm. Hotch rolled his eyes, he was used to Emily's comments by now and never said anything about it because she always knew when was the right and wrong time to say it. Derek chuckled, he knew exactly what Emily was saying. He thought of it first.

"Arm, I was going to say arm." Emily told her as she laughed, JJ rolled her eyes. Emily smiled to herself, satisfied. Her mission of getting a rise out of Derek and Hotch pretending nothing ever happened was a success, oh and JJ freaking out.

"Yeah, well when you think you found them, you should squeeze Hotch's arm too." JJ mumbled as she looked out the window, Emily continued to smile to herself and Derek chuckled, again. Hotch pretended JJ didn't say that as he pulled in the parking lot, he's learned to ignore half the things that come out of his teammates mouths. They all got out of the car and headed for the entrance.

"You ready, darling?" Derek asked JJ with a smirk as he put his hand on the small of her back, JJ rolled her eyes.

"Shut up Morgan."