Derek didn't think he could wait until the end of the week. Now all of his thoughts circled some way around Lexi. Day and night. It was handy that the BAU spent most of the week catching up on paperwork. It gave him lots of time to work out a plan. Which happened to be a leaflet lying on Emily Prentiss' desk. He spent much of the afternoon spying it, trying to discreetly remove it from her sight. Lexi had an identical leaflet on her desk as well. Some kind of invitation for a gala—thing. Yet Emily hadn't strayed far from her desk today.

Every once and a while he passed her desk trying to get a closer look at it. All he had gotten was 'Kappa something Gala' at some swanky place uptown. If he could somehow score his own invitation and meet Lexi there, then he could charm her into forgiving him. Derek Morgan was nothing if not persistent.

*~*

It was 5:27. Three more minutes and she was free to leave. Emily Prentiss was usually not so psyched to leave, but she had a busy evening ahead of her, and she wanted to leave before her boss thought of more mundane work for her to do. She was not one to complain about her job, but lately, Agent Aaron Hotchner had gotten a pole stuck up his ass. That was the most charitable excuse she could give him.

At first she attributed it to Gideon leaving. But he seemed to handle the team well on his own. Then she found out his wife had left him. She felt bad for him, but that didn't justify the criticism, dissatisfied demeanour around her or the little errands he gave her. It was getting exhausting, constantly being on edge. It was made worse by her being torn. She could call him out on it, but then look like a baby who couldn't handle being in the BAU boys' club. Which she could. She knew she could. She just had to wait it out.

She threw some random useless papers in the trash and straightened her desk once more. It was 5:29. She grabbed her purse just as Hotch dropped a file on her desk. "Make 400 copies of these please." And walked away. She contemplated just throwing them in the trash as well. What did he need 400 copies for? Why couldn't Reid do it? She wasn't a secretary! "No problem." She called after him. Wait it out Emily, she reminded herself.

While Emily was busy over at a copy machine, Derek snatched the leaflet out of her trashcan. Reid just looked at him. "Joining a sorority?" He quipped.

"No." Derek said as he read.

"Then why having you been eyeing it all day?"

"Because."

"What are you doing?" Emily had come back over.

"He's scamming your sorority." Reid informed her.

"You were in a sorority?" JJ joined the group.

Emily shrugged. "I was a legacy. They have these reunion parties every few years. It's no big deal. But why are you looking at it?"

"Just curious." He gave it back to her. Emily eyed him disbelieving him.

"Right. Reid will you get those papers out of the copy machine when their done?"

"I have to leave now." He said picking up his messenger bag.

"Well so do I!"

"Really? You always stay late."

"Well today I can't."

"Whys' that now?" Derek carefully directed the conversation away from himself and his peculiar behaviour. He wasn't ready to tell the team about his recent—mistake.

"No reason."

"It's a date isn't it?" JJ laughed.

Emily blushed a little bit. "It's not a date. My mother just wants me to take one of her diplomats out to see Washington."

"Oooh. Is he cute? Where's he from?"

"He's from some eastern European country, and I'm just doing my mother a favour."

"Right because you always do favours for your mother. He must be cute." JJ teased. Emily rolled her eyes and was saved from further questioning by the copy machine. Gathering 400 some papers she shove them into Agent Anderson's arms. "Give these to Hotch. Bye guys!"

*~*

Aaron Hotchner watched the rest of his team leave for the day. A part of him wanted to leave to, to get out of his damn office. But the only place he had to go was home, and he was beginning to hate being alone in his big empty house. It was depressing. No, he liked working in his office, keeping his mind off his failed marriage. Hayley had pretty much told him it was over. No chance of winning her back. The End. Good-Bye.

So he had taken to working well into the evening. And after his work was finished he had taken to looking out over the bullpen. Usually only one or two agents were left by the time he got to this point. Emily Prentiss was usually one of them. He could watch her for hours it seemed. He had never noticed her before. Well, he had been married for one, and now that he wasn't he didn't like it. She was pretty much the opposite of Hayley in looks and everything. Emily was beautiful in a smoulderingly sexy way. She was incredibly smart, opinionated, bright and honest. Values that he himself had.

Aaron had never really been single in his life. He had not-so-serious relationships in high school, and then he met Hayley and had been with her ever since. 12 years married. He had known her for 22. Being a singleton didn't fit into his lifestyle; it made him secretly feel awkward. He was sure none of the team distinctly knew that Hayley was filing for divorce.

He was careful not to show it. Yet it subtlety came out whenever he was around Emily. She would just look at him with her big dark eyes and he was sure she knew everything. She had not said anything on the matter and he doubted she would embarrass him intentionally, but he had to distract her from his growing feelings of lust and longing. He really did regret any harsh statement he made towards her, but it came out almost uncontrollably. He was the boss so it wasn't like he could take it back after it was already out there. And it wasn't anything major. He was just critiquing her. Making her a better agent. This was only a crush. It would go away eventually.

Though he still missed her presence in the bullpen that evening.

*~*

Derek caught up with Emily the next morning as she got out of her car. "Hey." She greeted.

"Hey. Em....can I ask a favour?"

"Sure you can ask."

"I know it's really strange, but just work with me here. Can I go with you to that Gala party you're going to?" Emily looked very surprised.

"Why?" Emily couldn't even think why Morgan would want to go.

"I just need to see someone who's going."

"A woman?"

"Yeah."

"Who is she?"

"No one important."

"Yet she's important enough to sit through an evening of hell, speeches, cheap booze and other general torture?"

Derek contemplated that. Yes, he thought Lexi was worth it.

"It wouldn't matter anyways. I'm not going. I've got better things to do."

"You have to go. I need to see her."

"Why? What the hell did you do to her? Break her heart?" Emily was only half joking on that one. Any girl who got involved with Derek Morgan should know the risks.

Derek cringed at her comment. "Maybe." He said quietly.

Emily narrowed her eyebrows and observed him. True, for the past few weeks Morgan's behaviour had been slightly off. He had been quieter, more focused, less flirtatious. Garcia had gone so far to ask her if something was wrong with Morgan, but Emily just shrugged it off. She did that with most of the team. "Do you even know how many hearts you could have possibly broken since I've known you?" She couldn't help it; players weren't on her fan list.

"This one's different."

"So then call her."

"She won't answer me."

Now Emily was curious. "Give me a name?"

"Lexi."

"Lexi Chellos?"

Derek was almost shocked at Emily's recognition. "You know her?"

Emily bit her lip. Yes, she did know Lexi. She met her at Yale. They lived together in a dorm. They had been friends. Good friends. Best friends all through college. Even after college. Yet Emily hadn't spoken to her since she had moved back to DC. She didn't even know that Lexi lived here. "We're acquaintances."

"So will you go?" He had to make this happen. The party was tonight. "I'll owe you one. Come on. Just do it for me."

"I hate these parties."

"I'll make it fun for you. Come on Emily."

She sighed heavily as she dropped her bag on her desk. "I suppose I could suffer through it. Go make me some coffee then."

"Great. I'll pick you up at 7?"

"It starts at seven. Pick me up at 6:30. This isn't your downtown club party. This is the real posh stuff. The worst kind."

*~*

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