"Prentiss."
"Hello stranger." A woman's voice filled her ear.
"Hi Lexi! How's the foot?" Emily had neglected calling her college friend since the dinner. It
was be too hard to explain the last few years.
"It's sore. But don't say anything to Derek. How are you doing?"
"I'm fine. How's work at the university?"
"Oh no. Don't try your little profiler tricks and turn the conversation around. You're not getting off that easily. I was your best friend for years Emsie."
"Then don't pull the hard-ass routine." There.
"Boo you Em. You can't fool me. So no matter how much you or I piss each other off, you'll still meet me at the NMWA this afternoon. I know you're not working so what else do you have to do."
"You drive a hard bargain Lex." Honestly what did she have planned for a Saturday afternoon? Cleaning that has already been done. Plus she hadn't been to 'their museum' since she moved back to DC.
Back in the day, when it was the 'Em and Lexi' show, they had marked the national Women's Museum as 'their' museum. It embodied what they loved most. The security guards weren't too happy after they found hand prints and names in the basement cement that the two college had broken into. Thankfully parents had not been called.
Her stroll through memory lane ended when she entered the museum. She loved the works of art. It was all about the accomplishments of women like her. Women who were passionate. She strolled through the lobby and into the first exhibit. She knew where Lexi would be.
She loved the cool air conditioning. It was such a relief from the humid August heat wave. The eighteenth century paintings were so calming, she thought sipping her coffee. She really should visit more often. Her job deprived her from developing such feminine habits.
Her snide 'personal lives' comment to Hotch seemed to work. He had pretty much been ignoring her the whole week. She even got a few quiet 'good work Prentiss's' in yesterday. She had nothing to complain about.
She found Lexi waiting for her on the third floor. She sat down beside her on the plush couches. Lexi now looked visibly pregnant. Emily patted the baby bump. "I miss this place." She remarked.
"It missed you. How have you been?"
"Alright."
"Not burnt out yet?"
"No not yet. Yourself?"
Lexi shrugged. "No, but this pregnancy thing is supposed to get worse; so I'm told." They chuckled lightly.
"Well you look good." Emily complimented. She really did. She had the glowing look of a mother to be. Something Emily would never again experience.
Lexi nodded her thanks. "I can't tell you how exhausting it is. And you probably don't want to hear."
Emily smiled in spite of her slight resentment. "How was living with Derek?"
"It was good. That reminds me; I should probably get my stuff."
"Wait-your still there? I thought you only had two weeks. That's what Derek told us."
"Yeah well; he's not complaining. I've been moving my stuff back slowly. My roommate is still out of town and its not as lonely having Derek hovering."
"Hovering?" Emily laughed. She could see it.
"Totally."
"He's a really good guy Lex. He'll do his best to take care of you." That was complete honesty. Derek Morgan may have his flaws, but at the core he was a very good person. Emily admired that of him.
"I didn't think he was to keen at first. I had no idea what to think. But I can see it possibly working out. He's been great these last few weeks."
"Were you dating when this happened? Are you dating now?" She inquired. Lexi crossed and uncrossed her legs. A sign of indesicion.
"We were friends before. You could call it dating, I guess. But we weren't that intimate. We were always busy with work you know. If this hadn't happened--maybe it would have turned into something more conventional. I don't know. Derek didn't seem like the type to settle down."
"Oh. What about now?"
"Now?" Lexi stared up at the ceiling. "He's showing potential. I think he'd be a good father. I guess we're officially dating. Is he marriage material?" They shared another smile. "We'll have to wait and see."
They sat in silence for a bit. Emily tried thinking of a possible subject topic (other then herself) to talk about.
"So I see you haven't been hitched or anything." Lexi changed the subject.
"No. No ring on my finger. I was seeing an incredibly cute Italian guy. He was from Tuscany."
"Was?" Damn it, Emily thought. Lexi didn't miss a thing.
"The spark faded. And I wasn't planning on flying off to Italy with him." She explained.
"Oh."
"Yeah." They descended into an awkward silence. Emily remembered back 10 years ago and she would have never imagined they would be like this. She could have told Lexi nearly anything back then. Not now.
"Have you seen Keaton lately?" Emily froze. Just hearing that name through her for a spin. First John, then Keaton. She had terrible tastes in men. Emily knew Lexi wouldn't intentional raise his name to harm her. Lexi didn't know the whole story. Emily flew off to Chicago the day after they broke up. It was the easiest way to deal with it at the time.
Emily pretended her silence was due to a loose string on her shirt. "No. Have you?" She tried to ask casually?
"Yeah, he was at the university as a guest speaker for some business class. I heard that he and Andrea divorced last year. I thought that since he was in from Chicago he would look you up."
"No, no. Haven't heard from him. Not that I want to." She added feeling slightly better. So she wasn't the only miserable single person in DC.
Lexi patted her hand. "He looked so awful when I saw him. Andrea took him for everything he had. She told me she caught him with some tramp from the mailroom." Emily should not have felt so gratified from someone's misery; but Keaton deserved it.
"I knew that would happen." Once upon a time Andrea was the tramp and Emily was the one with the 'happy life' ahead of her. But, as usual, reality intervened and reminded her that she wasn't meant have that kind of life. Maybe that's why she choose the BAU, because there were others like her. Always damaged in some way.
She didn't hear much of what Lexi said next. Her cellphone rang noisily and she got a lot of glares from other patrons. It wasn't like she wanted to see the dreadful letters of H-O-T-C-H.
"Prentiss."
"Get down here as soon as you can Prentiss. This is an emergency. I'm calling everyone in. No excuses." He didn't even wait for her to agree or disagree before he hung up.
"Well boss says I gotta go. Where's Derek right now? He's being called in as well."
"He told me he was going to play some ball with his friends. I don't know where."
"Well thanks for inviting me out. I would invite you out for a drink."
"I'd go, but you know I can't drink. Some other time."
Emily hugged her goodbye promising to be a better friend and call sometime. Maybe. Her phone went off again this time an email from Garcia. What was Garcia doing in the office already? At least she got some info about their emergency case. An abduction. Emily knew how important those were to get started right away. And it was on a very important political figure. No wonder they had been called in. Emily hoped they got there on time.
*~*
"Hayley I really can't talk right now." Hotch paced his office, desperately trying to end this conversation.
"Aaron." His ex-wife growled into the phone. "You can never talk. Ever. Only when it's to see Jack."
" I know, but this is a real emergency Hayley."
"It's always been an emergency! You've never been able to walk away from the job. We had an agreement Aaron. The house was supposed to go up for sale this month! Why isn't it?"
"Because I haven't had time to call them. I will when I get the chance." He said very slowly. Now would not be the time to lose his temper. The team wasn't even in the building yet.
"I can't trust you with anything! You can't do one little thing-"
"I really have to go. Bye." He hung up on her and unplugged it for good measure.
"Tough time?" JJ was in his doorway. Hotch shrugged. The media liaison was a good at reading him; even if she wasn't a profiler.
"Rossi, Emily and Reid are in the conference room. Morgan just arrived and Garcia is getting ready now." They had made good time.
He followed her into the conference room and she was already talking. "Jessica Walthom, age 21, was abducted two hours ago. HerHer father, Matthew Walthom, is a CEO of Walthom International, a large Oil firm, which has bases all over the world. Garcia uploaded the footage of her being abducted from an ATM machine near her apartment complex."
The video showed a young pretty women grabbing cash from the ATM and a black hooded man walking up behind with a gun. He grabbed her violently and dragged her to his car; parked right behind them.
"One witness, an employee from the Coffee shop across the street. Saw it, called the police."
"Did they get a license plate number?" Rossi inquired. JJ shook her head.
"She barely could give a description of the car. But the camera got partial numbers."
"I'm running it now, but it may take a while." Garcia's voice called out.
"If this political targeting? Revenge or sadistic?" Emily asked flipping through folders.
"Walthom International just signed a big Government contract, that another Oil firm, Rigging's Ltd, was supposed to get. So far we believe that this is a personal vendetta against Mr. Walthom. Mr Jenkins is the owner of Rigging's and is said to be very hostile towards Mr. Walthom." Hotch explained. "But our job is to profile the kidnapper and where he would take her."
"So are we thinking that Jenkins paid someone off to abduct his competitor's daughter? That's really extreme don't you think?" Morgan said.
"Evidence if pointing toward him because a) he won't cooperate with us at all and b) he has a nasty pass with Walthom. Company takeovers, lawsuits, restraining orders and an assault charge back in '02." JJ switched the screen to a mug shot of Jenkins.
"Also chickies, Jenkins has a serious chuck of money missing from his account. Like over five grand and it's nowhere to be found. Smells fishy to me." Garcia piped up.
"Do you have a warrant to look at those bank statements Garcia?" Hotch reminded her. It would not look good on his team if they didn't do things by protocol.
"What bank statements?" Garcia feigned innocence.
"Ok so let's say he hired someone to kidnap Jessica, because he got burned in a deal. Was there a ransom call?"
"Not yet. That's why we're going to the Walthom's home in Colonial Village. Agents are already in there but they want us to handle it. We're leaving in ten."
*~*
So I thought it was time I through a case in. First attempt at writing one of those, so be aware. Things will certainly be picking up next chapter. I hope you enjoy!
Btw...who is this Keaton fellow??? Stay tuned!