Prentiss

I woke when I heard the small "shit" from Hotch. I didn't move, open my eyes or even change my breathing by the slightest. I listened as I heard his footsteps move quickly around the room; then I heard the bedroom door open quietly and click closed. My eyes flicked open and I sat up, looking around. He had taken his clothes and left in a rush. I sighed to myself and shook my head. Stupid. That was stupid, Em. Come on girl, you're better than that.

I wanted to believe what I was thinking, but it just didn't seem right. I mean, last night was great. The only thing I regretted notably was the amount I drank, because my head was killing me. I shouldn't have done that and I shouldn't have enjoyed it. He was my boss; my unit chief. There was supposed to be no fraternising between co-workers, and I'm guessing it was even worse if it were your boss. In his case, it was a member of the team he ran, and that couldn't be any better, but it could possibly be worse. No one was to know and it wasn't to happen again…but I felt alive last night; like I was happy and content. I wanted someone to know, but the only people I had to tell were the fellow members of the team; most of which I didn't think would approve. Well, Morgan probably wouldn't, or he'd at least be very opinionated.

I looked at the clock on my nightstand. It was only 4; I still had an hour to sleep. I lay back down and closed my eyes, although I didn't fall asleep. I hadn't gotten any more than three hours, so I knew I'd be tired today and I would no doubt be asked an array of questions as to why.

I lay sleepless with my eyes closed before turning my alarm off when it sounded and getting out of bed. I walked downstairs and started to boil water before going back upstairs to have a quick shower. The shower went a little longer than I originally planned as I recounted last night through my thoughts, thinking of every mistake that seemed so wrongly right to me. I had to boil the water again once I was dressed for work and returned downstairs. I filled Sergio's food and water dishes and turned the news on as I looked for something to eat. I decided with an apple and ate it with my coffee, listening on and off to the news in the background as I cleaned up a bit and walked around aimlessly.

I was never really up this early; I'd normally lay in bed for longer than I should and end up rushing out the door. I eventually gave up on trying to entertain myself and put my holster on, put my gun it in, put my phone into my bag, grabbed my keys and jacket and walked out the door. I'd be early, but I had what seemed like an endless stream of paperwork to complete anyway. I'd just get an early start to the day, is all. I felt exhausted and run-down, my head still hurt, although the coffee helped a bit.

I texted Rossi as I started my car and asked if he was awake yet. He answered as I pulled onto the road and then he called me a few seconds later. I hooked it to my car's Bluetooth and answered his call, "Good morning." I greeted him.

"Hey, are you okay?"

I bit my lip, "Yeah, I'm fine; I just have a small problem. Well, it's not small, but it's not big or urgent or even important."

"Well you obviously want to talk about it." I heard a door close over the phone.

"Where are you?"

"On my way to my car from the coffee shop I was at."

"You're up and out of your house this early?"

"And you're driving, which I'm assuming is to the precinct. Do you want me to meet you there early?"

"Not if you're busy."

"No one is ever busy this early." He would be rolling his eyes right now and I knew it.

"Okay…well then can you please come in early?"

"I'll be there soon. I'll probably beat you so just come up to my office."

"Thanks Rossi."

"Anytime. See you there." He hung up and I took a deep breath. Do I tell him or not? I could change my mind or I could just do it. Would Rossi tell anyone or would he keep it low like he said he would when he thought we were sleeping together at the time when we weren't. It was just one night; it doesn't count as sleeping together. Three nights minimum is when it's labelled "sleeping together"; you're safe. I turned the music up to try and distract me for now.


I paced back and forth in front of Rossi for what felt like hours but really was only a few minutes. I hadn't said a word; he was waiting silently for me to speak. Hotch was in his office already and Reid was at his desk. I saw Hotch in his office when I came in but I kept my bag with me so I was fairly certain that he didn't know I was here yet. Reid knew, but I didn't think he'd suspect anything different.

"Emily, this is clearly bothering you a lot so just say it; it's like ripping off a Band-Aid."

"It's not like a Band-Aid at all." I said as I finally sat down.

Silence filled the room again as I thought about what I would say and if I would even say it. He sighed, "Oh, how I love guessing games," He said sarcastically, "Are you okay physically and mentally?"

"Yes."

"Are you in any sort of danger or trouble?"

"No danger and the answer to trouble will depend on what kind of trouble you mean."

"Trouble with people, trouble with your job, trouble with—"

"Yes, trouble with my job…and people…one person…kind of."

"Are you pregnant?"

"Oh, dear god I hope not. I didn't even think about that; why would you say that? Now that's all I'll be worrying about. I'll feel sick for no reason other than worrying about whether I'm pregnant or not and then I'll think I am actually pregnant because I feel sick."

"Okay, so I'm going to guess you slept with someone you didn't want to or shouldn't have?"

"I shouldn't have done it. I should not have done it," I shook my head and stood up and started pacing again, "I mean, he's my boss!"

Rossi sat back in his chair, fighting his smirk as he raised his eyebrows, "So you did sleep together."

"Only last night; nothing before then."

"And you came to me about this because?"

"Well I would have gone to JJ; God knows it would have been a lot more comfortable, but she might tell someone. Someone of a higher power who could get both Hotch and I fired. Fraternisation between co-workers is against the rules here, let alone with your boss, or a member of the team you run. It wouldn't be so stressful if it was Morgan or Reid, but no, Hotch had to seduce me."

"Seduce you?" Rossi tried not to laugh, although I heard a quite one escape him.

I glared at him, "This isn't funny!"

"Okay, sorry," he smiled, "Why are you so upset by this?"

"Because he's my boss! I can't work affectively with him now. As much as women hate to admit it, we get attached!"

"I know you do," He nodded, "But Emily, did it ever occur to you that maybe Aaron wants you to be attached? Maybe this isn't bad at all; maybe this is the start of something serious between the two of you."

"No." I shook my head.

"No?"

I shook my head again, "I cannot date my boss. What if we broke up and ended on bad terms? I would have to leave. I wouldn't be able to even look at him, let alone talk to him and work with him. I don't date often; I don't trust people."

"I know you don't," Rossi nodded, "And sure, sometimes that is a good thing, but sometimes it gets in the way of potentially good things in your life. All you're thinking about now if the negative side of things; you need to take a look at the positive side. I'm sure that if you gave both a very good look at, you'd find much more positive than negative points."

"I'm not the most positive of people, Rossi."

"You're saying these things like I don't already know them…" He smirked at me, "Would you like to make a pro and con list?"

I laughed humourlessly, "No, thank you."

"Well, then I suggest you take some time to calm yourself down, act normal around him and think long and hard about what you want and what is the best choice for you, Hotch, Jack and your jobs…anything that could possibly be affected by the decision you come upon."

I nodded, "Thanks."


I sat at the table in my hotel room in Oakland, California. My small talk with Rossi yesterday morning had me thinking all of yesterday, all of last night and all of today as we flew out here. I was sharing a room with JJ, but she was with Morgan and Reid at the moment and probably would be for a while.

I decided to do what Rossi had suggested that I had passed off so quickly. Pro and con lists sounded so childish to me, but it was better than what I had done so far, which was argue with myself non-stop for two days. I got a piece of paper and a pen. I ruled down the middle of the page and put a line across the top. Above the line on one side, I wrote 'pros' and on the other I wrote 'cons'. I started writing things down as they came to mind.

I went to have a shower, leaving the list on the dining table where I assumed it'd be fine. JJ would probably be back late; she texted me before and said they were brainstorming the case now if I wanted to join. I declined and said I was thinking of my own things. Once I was out of the shower, dressed and my hair was brushed through, I heard the door open to the hotel room.

I hung the towel and the mat off the ground before turning the light out and walking into the room. JJ was here with all four men of our team. Morgan was holding the list as they sat at the dining table and my eyes widened. I ran over and snatched it from his hands.

The five of them looked at me in silence for a few seconds with confused and suspicious faces. "Was that a pro and con list?" Morgan asked me.

"No." I lied quickly and unconvincingly as I walked to the bed I would be sleeping in. I lifted my bag onto it and slipped the list in before zipping it back up and dropping it to the ground again.

"…But the words 'pros' and 'cons' were at the top and it was ruled down the middle."

"Yeah…pro stands for producer and con stands for consumer." I glanced at Rossi when I said it and he nodded slightly, holding a thumb up to me.

"Taking a business class?" JJ asked, raising her eyebrows.

I shrugged my shoulders, "Maybe I'll want to run my own business someday. We don't know what the future holds."

"But the first word in the con side said 'team'."

"Emily…" Hotch said quietly, informing me that they weren't buying it.

"Since when do you call her Emily?" Reid asked Hotch.

Our boss looked at the genius with hard eyes, "What am I supposed to call her?"

"You usually call her Prentiss. I very rarely hear you use her first name."

"I call her whatever I call her." Hotch said to him quietly, sounding slightly aggressive. He was put on the spot there, trying to come up with a reason without giving anything away.

"I go by both names, guys." I looked between them.

I sat down at the dining table and Rossi swiftly changed the subject to the case. This distracted them and they started brainstorming again, presenting ideas, dismissing some and seeing others as possibilities. I glanced at Rossi and mouthed "thank you" silently. He nodded with a small smirk before joining their conversation. When I looked around at my team, I caught Hotch's eyes on me. I looked back at him for a few seconds before I lowered my eyes and swallowed hard. The questioning look in them intimidated me. Hotch scared me, but he also made me feel safe and secure. When I was out in the field, I always felt a sense of fear until he was nearby. When I was feeling anxious over something, it would all go away when he was in eyesight. He was good for me, but would he be bad for me too? The list wasn't exactly helpful, although I hadn't finished it yet. I waited patiently for the men to retire to their rooms before getting into my bed without a word to JJ. She wanted to ask about the list, I knew she did, but she refrained. She knew I wanted it to be a private thing. I couldn't sleep; I was left thinking about pros and cons for hours.