Chapter 7

AN: Thanks for the reviews, PMs and alerts...Time for Erin to get reacquainted with the team...

"I can't believe he is putting us through this," Emily said with no small amount of disgust. She viciously took a bite of her breadstick, as if she were pretending to bite the head off a certain senior profiler.

"It is highly suspicious," Reid began, that confused look on his face saying it all. "I truly thought they hated each other."

"Obviously not," Prentiss mused again. "Pass the balsamic vinegar."

Penelope handed the cruet over to her. "I think they do hate each other, but something made him decide to help her." Her eyes widened with an excited gleam. "Maybe one of the big brass asked him to train her to be a better person?"

Derek gave an off-kilter grin. "I highly doubt that, sugar, but it is a cute idea."

She pouted at him. "What's so cute about it, angel fish? They must've listened to what we had to say about her in the reviews and had to act on it."

"That would be the fastest I've ever seen a bureaucracy move, baby," he said, reaching up to tap her nose with his finger.

A string of events happened that usually happened with Morgan and Garcia: She moved her mouth over to kiss his finger, which made him cup her cheek, which…

"Hey, you two," Emily grumbled under her breath. "Ixnay on the issing-kay; here comes Strauss."

"Huh?" Penelope asked, still somewhat bemused.

Emily jerked her head towards the door,

David Rossi, or The Traitor, as he was being quietly called, walked in with The Enemy. He was leading her towards the coat check, his hand in the middle of Strauss's back.

"Kind of cozy, don't you think?" Reid remarked to Emily.

Morgan glanced over at the door, and then snorted in disbelief. "Rossi and Strauss? Hell, no."

Emily's brows drew to a frown. "You know, it is kind of cozy, isn't it?"

"I wish Hotch were here," Seaver said, watching with a confused frown, too. "He would know what was happening."

"He's coming," Penelope said. "Jack's aunt was late coming to the house. She had classes."

"Hotch is pretty amazing to even show up, after all this woman has put him through," Morgan said, causing the rest of the team to nod.

"Strauss was simply doing her job," Hotch said, surprising everyone, coming from the other direction. He removed his coat, hung it neatly on the back of a chair, and then took a seat next to Seaver.

"You really believe that?" Ashley said.

"If there is one thing I have learned working with Chief Strauss over the years, it is that she is methodical and by the book at all times," he explained.

"In that case, it would be highly irregular for her to hold a personal vendetta against someone," Reid added, but his tone of voice sounded like he was trying to convince himself, more than the others.

"Yes." Hotch looked around the table at the faces of everyone sitting there, each dour and unhappy. He smiled and gave a short laugh. "Hey. She's not an UnSub. She's a bitch, but she's not an UnSub."

The rest of the table smiled then, and were back to teasing by the time Rossi and Strauss walked up to the table.

Erin could feel the temperature of the room drop the moment she stepped over to the table where the BAU team was sitting. Aaron Hotchner, ever the gentleman, rose to his feet when she arrived, as well as the rest of the team, albeit more reluctantly.

She shook hands with Aaron first. "Thank you for agreeing to this meeting," she said, her handshake firm.

"I have to admit, after Dave gave me the lowdown, this peaked my interest," he said.

Immediately, she froze, wondering what evil plan David Rossi had for her. What had he said to Aaron?

She shook hands with everyone else—they were all cautiously polite—and then took her seat.

The waiter came to the table, and Erin looked at everyone. They were all enjoying glasses of wine. She said, "Would it be okay if I bought a bottle or two of wine for the table?"

"Here," Dave said, pointing out a few bottles on the menu. "These are the ones we usually get."

"I'll take one of each," she said with a smile.

"Thank you," Hotch said, followed by everyone else murmuring their thanks.

And then the table was silent.

Obviously, they were waiting for her to make some sort of statement. Discomfort and anxiety rolled over her, but she swept it aside. She hated having to tell them her job was on the line, but she needed to make nice with them.

She took a deep breath and bit the bullet. She was the leader; she needed to make an impression on why she was there—no matter how negative this could be.

"I would like to thank you for coming this evening. I know that Agent Rossi has discussed what I need—"

"Yes, Erin," he interrupted, and then continued smoothly, "I explained that you need their cooperation in a team building strategy that you have devised. A series of team building luncheons, outings, and meetings over the next month."

Her heart began to pound again. He could've thrown her under the bus, he could've told the truth, that her job was on the line, that she was desperate and hungry for his help. Instead, he offered her pride back…

But at what cost?

"Would you like to explain?" he asked, the devilish glint in his eyes back.

Now she knew it. The cost would be to let these people have their say. She thought about what he'd said, about this team having original ideas. They wanted their say.

Well, they could start now.

"I have a few plans, but first," she said with a smile, "what do you all think we should do?"