A/N: So a resounding THANK YOU to those leaving comments :) both on this story and the other one-shot I posted. Expect more one-shots, they're fun to write.

This chapter is a bit shorter and more of a filler to lead into the rest of the story. Allie has a lot she needs to figure out before more of the juicy stuff can happen.

Reid will soon become more a prominent player in the story, and at the same time so will Hotch. Whatever my twisted mind can concoct.

Enjoy!

It had been three full days away from the BAU for Allie. She had been forced into taking at least a week off before returning to full duty, and had spent most of that time trapped inside her own head. There were memories that needed to be forgotten. The memory of being taken hostage by those creeps, and the memory of her night Hotch, too. She was trying as hard as she could to make the feelings of Hotch and her together that night disappear. It had been spontaneous, inappropriate, and would do no good. It needed to be forgotten, and never repeated again.

Luckily she had barely heard from anyone at the BAU since her brief conversation with Spencer two days earlier. Allie had tried TV shows, movies, cooking, books, anything. But with each passing day away from work she felt more and more out of sorts. This particular afternoon it was sunny and nice outside, and so she decided to take full advantage. She threw on some workout clothes, readied up her iPod with some fast-paced music, and headed out for a run.

It felt good, to be out on the sidewalks again. As her heart rate quickened she noticed how strong she felt... how quick her legs could be, how amazing it was to just be human. Her mind was able to get caught up in the music, and her body soaked up the vitamin D from the sun that day. She was practically at peace, until she made a sharp turn around a street corner and almost nailed someone to the ground.

Her headphones popped right out of her ears and she tripped, but stopped herself from completely face planting into the cement. When her brain took the moment to process she noticed the person she had run into and recognized them.

"Emily?" Allie gasped, trying to get some air.

"Allie?" Emily asked with equal surprise.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you there, my fault," Allie apologized

"It's okay," Prentiss replied. "I'm surprised to see you so… active. Weren't you supposed to take these days for some rest and relaxation?"

"I guess this is just how I R & R. Where are you headed to?" Allie asked.

"Just across the street, to grab some coffee, and by coffee I do not mean that crap brewing in the office. Want to come with me?" she motioned to the joint across the street.

"Sure," Allie nodded, "I'll grab myself a bottle of water." As they walked across the street together Allie got caught up on what she had been missing the past few days.

"We miss you," Emily said. "Team's not quite the same without you, but be glad you missed the last case. It was gruesome," she shook her head. "At least it was short; we weren't even in Buffalo 48 hours."

The two continued to chat about the happenings of the BAU over the past couple days, as well as how Allie was feeling, which was "not bad at all," she said. "Physically, at least," she added. "I just will feel much better once I can get back to work."

"Well," Prentiss said. "We're looking forward to having you back. You should really give Reid a call, he's been so moody lately. Absolutely no fun at all."

"Why's that?" Allie inquired.

"Well, because you're gone, of course," Emily added easily, taking a sip of her coffee. Then she noticed Allie's reaction, which was a slightly confused face. "Al," she said. "You do… know, right?"

"Know… what?" she asked, becoming very confused.

"You mean," Emily continued, "That you haven't noticed? Really? I mean… really?"

"What haven't I noticed?" Allie asked, clearly frustrated.

Prentiss hesitated. "I don't know if I should be the one to say this…"

"Oh please, just tell me," Allie insisted. "I don't want to be completely clueless here."

Emily thought about it for a second, and then decided to get on with it. "Well," she said. "Reid, well, he loves you Allie. He's in love with you. Not like he would ever say it. But it's so obvious. He's happy when you're around, sad when you're not. And he always has his eye on you."

"We're… friends…" Allie said, processing. "Good friends."

"Yeah, good friends," Emily agreed. "The kind of good friends where one is madly in love with the other and is too scared to say anything out of fear. It's there, Greenwald. Written right on his face. And not that we don't love you, but we love Reid. So when you figure out what your deal is, be gentle."

Allie just sat there with a stupid, dumbfounded look on her face. She was thinking back to all her moments with him. The shared laughs, the philosophical talks late at night. And him, gently placing his hand on top of hers on that one flight home. It had felt so natural that Allie had barely noticed. But she should have, because it meant something.

"Yeah," Allie finally said. "Okay. Well, I think I need to go home and… think."

"I just rocked your world, didn't I?" Prentiss asked.

"A little," Allie admitted with a laugh. "But it's a good thing. Thank you," she added sincerely. She stood, left, and walked slowly home. Her mind now had new information to process, and her heart had new emotions to understand.

A/N: I felt like Prentiss was the perfect person for this conversation. I could just hear her voice in my head as I was writing her comments...