"Emily!" Garcia screamed, throwing the door open without knocking. "Emily freaking Prentiss, come here!"
JJ sprinted from the bedroom, "Penelope, what the hell is going on?"
Garcia was a burgundy shade of red, her face flaming. "Her mother tried to deport me!"
Emily appeared behind the blonde, wincing as she walked. "What are you talking about, Pen? How could she deport you?"
"I went to work and there was an immigration officer talking to Hotch. Apparently your mother informed them that I was an illegal immigrant from Mexico!"
"But…why?" Emily gasped. "You're not Mexican!"
Garcia glared, still furious. "Apparently I am since my last name is Garcia." She threw her arms in the air. "I don't even speak Spanish! I can say nachos and Fritos and that's about it!"
JJ squinted, "Uh, Fritos isn't-"
Emily interrupted with a fit of laughter. She doubled over, ignoring the pain, and sank to the floor. "She did what?" Her amusement echoed through the living room, the sound of her laughing bouncing off the walls.
Garcia just shook her head, but a smile fell upon her lips. "This means war, Prentiss. I hope you know that."
"Hey now, this is between you and my mom!" Emily chuckled, holding her stomach.
"Do you think it would upset her if I changed her name to Lopez on every electronic document I can find?" Garcia's body shook, her voice still booming. "Because I will! You know I will! Oh she doesn't know what kind of war she just started!"
JJ laughed. "Change her ID to Elizabeth Lopez, Ambassador of Yetis."
Now it was Garcia's turn to fall to the floor laughing. "Oh, what would I do without you guys?" she sighed, wiping a tear from her eye.
"Be an American citizen?" Emily giggled.
"You wanted to see me?" Hotchner leaned his head through Erin Strauss's door.
"Close the door, Aaron." She rose from her seat and sat on the corner of her desk.
Hotchner sat down and crossed his leg over his knee. "What's this about?"
"Emily Prentiss. She's taken what- almost three months off?" She paused, watching the frown on Hotch's face evolve into a full blown scowl.
"Yes, but she was shot in the line of duty and then abducted by an unsub. Her absence is required for medical reasons."
Strauss folded her hands, cracking her knuckles. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but she was abducted by her lover's ex-husband- the same woman who is still part of this team."
"Ma'am, with all due respect, we informed you of their relationship-"
"And with all due respect Agent Hotchner, I chose to look the other way. Now I'm reconsidering." She sighed, "Ambassador Elizabeth Prentiss stopped by to see me today."
"And?" Hotch glared.
"Pressure is being put on the bureau to relieve Emily Prentiss from her duties as an agent."
Hotch shot to his feet. "I will say this once, Erin. If you fire Emily Prentiss for any reason, I will see to it that you have the resignation of every member on my team by close of business. You can replace one agent- but try replacing seven."
"They wouldn't quit over one silly girl." She growled. "It would be career suicide."
"Watch them." Hotchner stormed from the office, slamming the door behind him.
"Everyone, conference room. Now!"
Morgan, Reid and Rossi all followed his order, looking to each other with strange stares as they walked.
"What's going on?" Rossi asked, his forehead wrinkled. "Hotch?"
He closed the glass door with a slam, making the walls tremble. "How many of you think of this family as a team?"
Morgan just looked at him, "Hotch, seriously, what's up?" He had never seen his boss so angry.
"Answer me. Is this team a family or not?"
"The common definition of family no longer requires them to be blood related, but instead have a close emotion and loving bond. So yes, I think this would qualify." Reid stated, his head tilted to the side.
"Strauss is attempting to fire Prentiss."
"What! Why?" they all growled in unison.
"Her official reason is the amount of time that she's had to take off."
Rossi jumped to his feet. "She was shot for the love of god!"
Reid added, "And abducted.
"I don't remember her ever taking a sick day before all this happened." Morgan's voice was tense, his hands shaking.
"What I need to know," Hotchner whispered, "Is how far you're willing to go to protect your family. I've told Strauss that I would resign if Emily were fired."
Rossi didn't hesitate. "I will too. She can even keep the pen."
Reid nodded. "Count me in." he laughed, "Or rather out, I guess."
"I'm tempted to quit whether or not Emily gets fired. How can Strauss even consider that?"
"I don't know. But wait here. I'll be right back."
As Hotchner walked away, Rossi leaned back in his chair. It wasn't long ago that Hotch was fighting Emily's transfer into the BAU. Neither of them had approved it; she'd been given the go-ahead by their superiors, and Hotch hadn't been happy.
But Prentiss worked her ass off to prove that she belonged there. She'd been shot, she'd been tortured, she'd worked long hours on little sleep, and she protected each of her friends like they were her own flesh and blood. Rossi couldn't help but think that he team wouldn't operate the same without her, especially if the agents were on edge because she was forced out.
His blood boiled as he thought it over, thinking of her bruised and broken body in bed while Strauss played with her job like a pawn on a chessboard.
Hotch didn't knock before entering her office. "They decided. If Prentiss goes, we all go."
Strauss was sitting back in her seat. She twirled her pen in her fingers. "You would all be willing to quit over the loss of one agent?"
Hotch shook his head. "No, we're willing to quit for our family. It's what we do. It's what makes us such a strong team. If you take one of us away, we'll all falter. We rely on each other, Erin, and that's the only way we can do this job."
To his surprise, she smiled. "That's exactly what I needed to hear, Aaron. Because we have a problem."
He glared, "What are you talking about?"
"Aaron, sit down before that vein in your forehead explodes." Once he sank into the chair, she continued. "I'm not trying to fire Prentiss. Remember, I'm the one who fought you to get her here. Which, by the way, you're welcome."
"Then what's going on?"
Again, she rose and sat on the corner of the desk. "As I was saying before you rudely stormed out, Ambassador Prentiss was here today." She sighed. "She is planning to publicly denounce her daughter for her 'alternative lifestyle'."
"What has that-"
She frowned. "Would you let me finish?" He nodded in response. "When she does so, she will file a petition with the bureau to have Emily removed from the agency on the grounds that she has an irrational sense of judgment and is a danger to this team."
Hotch's eyes narrowed. "But-"
Strauss raised a hand, shushing him. "And when that happens, I need to have a defense ready to prove that Agent Prentiss is not only a qualified agent, but an exceptional one. I am going to ask each member of your team to speak at a hearing to determine Agent Prentiss's competence. She will also undergo a more thorough psych evaluation, and be required to take a recertification test after her medical leave ends."
Hotchner nodded. "I'll inform the team."
"And Aaron?"
He turned with his hand still on the door knob. "Yes?"
"You should be the one to talk to her. I'll explain it if she asks, but you're closer to her than I am. And please make sure no one rigs my car to explode; I have a feeling they're not happy with me at the moment." Strauss smiled.
A/N: Well this wasn't where I was intending to go, but the chapter had a mind of its own. Let me know what you think and stay tuned! ;)