A/N: Soooo, a lot quicker than last time, right? I would like to thank THUNDER BRAT for her suggestions for the story, they really helped me get through this chapter.

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CHAPTER 8

At the end of the day, everyone was exhausted. They had all been awake for more than twenty-four hours, and were becoming very frustrated that all of their efforts seemed to produce no results. The information Morgan, Reid, Hotch, and Rossi had gathered for Emily yielded no similarities or connections, and neither had all the searching Garcia had done the entire day. They all knew they were on a short time frame, and that the unsub would likely choose his next victim within the next day.

Emily watched as her teammates began to snipe at each other. Reid was picking apart everything Rossi was saying, and it was clear to her that if the genius didn't shut up soon, he was going to get hit. She stepped up to him, putting a had on his shoulder, and whispered at him to go look over the murder board again, to see if he could come up with anything. Dave gave her a grateful look, and she nodded to acknowledge him.

She saw Hotch talking to the Lieutenant in the corner, and waited until he was finished to approach him.

"Maybe we should call it a night, Hotch, It's been a long day." she suggested.

He just stood there glaring at her. 'why is he always so angry at me?' she wondered silently.

"So you're just going to give up, Agent Prentiss? You're just going to throw in the towel because it's been a long day?" He asked, mocking her.

She just stood there, shocked at how furious he sounded, but she was determined to stand her ground.

"no sir, im not throwing in the towel, but everyone is exhausted, and in bad moods," she said pointedly. He took a menacing step towards her, obviously catching her underlying message. She stood still, even though it looked like he would like nothing better than to slap her. Then the fury faded from his face, weariness taking its place, as, she assumed, he realized everyone was staring at the two of them. Feeling a little less threatened, she continued,

"We would all be in better shape tomorrow, once we've had some rest, so we can look at the case with fresh eyes. If we keep going, we're just going to continue going around in circles. It's not giving up, it's just knowing when you need a break, and right now we all need a break." She finished.

The anger was back in his eyes, but she could tell that he knew she was right.

"okay, guys, lets call it a night," he said loudly enough for the whole team to hear. "We'll take the night to recuperate, but tomorrow six am sharp I want everyone in the hotel lobby so we can get back to work on identifying this guy." Everyone let out sighs of relief.

They packed up their things, and headed out of the station. This time it was Emily who made sure she and Hotch were in separate cars. She ended up with Morgan and JJ, while Rossi and Reid rode with Hotch. JJ got into the back, immediately laying across the backseats, leaving Emily and Derek in the front. She gestured at him, to let him know she was fine with him driving, and got into the passenger seat.

"What's up with you and Hotch?" Morgan asked as soon as they were on the road. She thought about just saying everything was fine, but she was too tired to make that seem believable, and didn't want it to turn into an argument wit h Derek, so she gave him the answer she had been thinking all day.

"I really have no idea, Morgan. I wish I did." she added. "It seemed like things were getting better yesterday, but today…" she didn't feel the need to finish the sentence, he knew what she was talking about.

"Do you want me to have a talk with him?" Derek asked grimly. She knew he would, for her, but it would be awkward, reprimanding his superior. It made her feel a little better, knowing he had her back, and gave her just enough confidence to know she can handle it herself, and she tells him so. He lays his hand on hers, and keeps it there for the remainder of the trip, offering her his support, and she gives him a small smile when they come to a stop in front of the hotel.

After waking up JJ, they head to the hotel lobby, where Hotch is already passing out room keys. Derek and Reid end up in the room to the left of Emily and JJ's, and Rossi and Hotch on the right. It's the men's way of subconsciously protecting them, because they all know that hotels are a vulnerable place for travelers.

Once in their room, Emily allowed JJ to use the shower first, seeing how tired she was. She was just setting out her sleep clothes for after her own shower when she heard the knock on the door. She felt for her gun, relieved to find it still at her hip. She checked the peep-hole, frowned, then opened the door.

A/N: Slight cliffy. hehe. next chapter should be up in a couple of days if my muse keeps behaving.