A/N: Hey people.
I'm really sorry about the time, but I have some chapters that are done, but this week I didn't write, so I'm taking my time posting them so I'll have time to write more, and not be too late with them.
I'm sorry.
I'm glad you like it.
Enjoy.
Season 3 Episode 02 = In Name and Blood
I decided not to get too early so that I wouldn't have to meet any of the team members. On Friday Garcia caught my application to the State Department and came to me already crying, it took me a while to make her understand that this was what I wanted and I couldn't help but feel that I was trying to convince myself as well as her as I talked.
She made me promise to still come by, and to have regularly girls night out and to still be her wonder woman and I almost cried thinking that as soon as word got out of how I had come to be a BAU, she would change her mind and make sure I never saw her again.
"Sorry to interrupt." I got a little excited to give my resignation to Hotch while Strauss was in the room, it showed her that what side I was on, and how much I was willing to do for this team, we were a unit and I would rather be out then poison it. I looked over agent Hotchner, he was the one I would let know, he was the only one that deserved the request.
"Sir, I've decided to resign from the FBI effective immediately." As soon as the words were out of my mouth I knew I had chocked him.
"I don't understand." I knew he was going to make this harder then it should be, but I also knew I could never stay, she would make both his and my life a living hell. And after he discovered that I was put there as a personal vendetta against him, he would be glad to see me gone.
"I'm taking the foreign service exam, with my connections I stand a good chance of landing in the State Department."
"Prentiss I think that is a mistake." You and me both buddy, but crazy lady over there isn't giving me much of a chance. Playing politics was going to suck.
"Well don't try to talk me out of it, Garcia saw my name on the list and she already tried. If she can't talk someone out of doing something, no one can." He looked at Chief Strauss and I could see the wheels on his head turning, it was better to get the hell out of here before he asked for more information. "Sorry for the interruption. But sir, it's good to see you back. The team needs you." I bailed out and left my gun and badge on my desk, the team wasn't aware of my presence but I wasn't going to be lucky if I stayed much more.
I was at home, mother was coming to scream at me for quitting and taking me to lunch, so I decided to study for the exam, the least I could do was pass and get a job and make a nice career in something using the talent I did have, linguistics.
I had all the material spread out in front of me in the coffee table, I was always one to study sitting on the floor, I would have prefer to be wearing comfier clothes, but mother would have a heart attack if I answer the door in such attire, I always cracked up at some of her old fashion virtues.
So when the doorbell rang, I had no idea it was going to be him on the other side.
He was already talking by the first step into my apartment; I could see him looking weirdly at the two moving boxes on the floor near the stairs. By the time I caught up with his speech he was talking about asking for a transfer, like what?
"You put in for a transfer?" What was he doing? I quit so the damn team could be left alone, and that included you.
"They are both still hung up in the system, so technically, we're in dereliction of duty by not being there. " Was he for real? Did he not hear me in his office this morning?
"I'm sorry I can't go."
"Right. Sorry I barged in." Really, he thought I was letting him leave after this?
"Wait, wait. Can I ask? Why are you really here?"
"I told you." And I just had to raise one eyebrow everybody. "I think Strauss came to you and asked for dirt on me." Oh. He knew, well in for a penny…
"Why would she do that?"
"I think if you have your eyes on top leadership at the FBI you want to know who might stand in your way." He thought I would do something like this for that? To gain freaking information, did he really think that about me?
"And what could I have told her?" This whole thing was making me angry. He needed to leave.
"That one of my agents might have killed a suspect in cold blood, or another might have a serious drug problem, which I didn't report, and if Strauss had any evidence my career would be over." He looked decided. "I think she put you on our team and expected something in return, and to your credit you quit rather then whisper in her ear."
"I told you, I hate politics." I didn't like this conversation, it was getting too personal.
"Come to Milwaukee, I'll make you a deal" I started shaking my head, I was done, my FBI career was over, didn't he understand that? "If your ready bag isn't here, packed, I won't bug you anymore." I waited, I knew there was more. "If it is, I want you on that plane with me. One more case."
"I already turned in my badge and my gun." He and I knew I was only looking for an excuse, because the fucking bag was next to the stairs upstairs.
"That's just hardware." His mouth betrayed his amusement, he knew I was going. "The plane leaves in two hours, so you have one more hour to get everything you need in order."
Ok, change clothes, call mother, get the shopping bag that was on my bed inside my closet in case mother come by, and see if the safe was locked.
"I just need to get a few things from upstairs, I'll be right back" I ran upstairs and tried smoothing everything, my mother had a key since my fight with dad, she said she wanted to be able to come here when I wasn't around. What that meant I didn't know, but after this short time with it, I was already thinking about getting it back.
She started acting like she did when I was a teenager and got to my room and there was something out of place, I'm thirty, I was going to end up killing her if this starts happening more often.
I got back downstairs and I could see Hotch had being snooping a little bit, but I couldn't fault him, it came with profiling, and just like that I reminded myself that I really wasn't one, I didn't come here because I deserve it.
"Are you moving again?" He said pointing at the boxes.
"No, it's not my stuff" I didn't feel like explaining, so I didn't. "Hotch, I wasn't put here because I knew how to profile. You were right, someone did put me there, but I didn't know and…" I decided to have this conversation now, so if he wanted to say something we were alone.
"Prentiss, this week has being hell, from what I gathered, you have being with this sentence over your head and thinking of what to do, and knowing your mother, she must have had a few choice of words when she found out." He got that right, but the full blow was coming later. "But you are a good profiler, don't doubt that." I nodded my head, so this was it, we were going for one more case, just one more.
"I don't need to go to the hospital, just finish stitching me up and it will do." I told the paramedic.
"Agent, you will have to sign here, and we really don't think you should fly like this, it's probable that you have a concussion and it could be worst on the plane." It was going to be fine, I had traveled with more injure then this.
"Here it is, signed, now let me go." I was already getting up and going over to the team, they had all being looking as Hotch talked to Chief Strauss.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"We think he is staying."
"Really?" Could both of us stay? And not get anything more then a slap on the wrist?
"Yes, apparently he is just going to talk to Haley." Huh, that would be something. Things could finally go back to normal again.
At the plane I realized I had fucked up not getting my head checked out, it hurt like hell, and I could barely keep my eyes closed without squinting them in pain, I was feeling nauseous and dizzy. Fuck.
I had gotten a seat at the back and I knew Hotch had taken the one in front of me, he was trying to figure out if I was lying about the injure, and if I was if he could trick me into admitting it.
"You can tell me anytime" Conceited.
"It doesn't hurt." Infuriating.
"Really, not one little bit? Maybe if I turn the reading light on." Ass.
We had left on the same day, and we got to D.C. already with little daylight, and now all the lights were off, which was helping, and he knew that. Fortunately my phone rang, and I could be taken off this conversation.
"Prentiss"
"Em. It's me."
"Hi."
"Hi."
"You need an answer, right ? Your meeting is in the morning."
"Yes darling, that is why I called."
"I… Liam I." I couldn't bring myself to say it, I couldn't bring myself to end it.
"I know. I think I kind of knew since I told you, but I had to ask, I had to try, because even if you wouldn't choose for us I would." I could feel my eyes getting teary and I got up and went to the bathroom.
"I'm so, so sorry." I didn't know what else to say, there wasn't anything else to say. I was going with my gut. After this whole thing with Strauss I had decided to go to London, to get to the State Department and ask for the London office. But even then my gut told me I would be going against myself, my principles. And it hurt so damn much to tell him this, but I couldn't do anything else without betraying who I was, what I had become.
"I am too." I could hear the emotion in his voice, just as I'm sure he could hear my tears. "I'm just sad you might always think that you don't deserve this. You know just because we are not going to go out anymore it doesn't mean I don't want to hear from you ok? You are still one of the most import people in my life Em."
"Yes, I won't disappear. Do you know where you are going?"
"I think I'll let them decide, it doesn't matter to me." The tears came faster after he said that. "I have to go now, are you ok?"
"I'll be. Goodbye Liam."
I took my time to wash my face and get it together, another relationship finished, and I didn't know if I was going to be able to give in to another again. How to trust another again, Liam might have being it, and now it was gone.
We left the plane and Morgan was my new bodyguard, no one commented on the fact that my nose was red and puffy and my makeup was gone, but I really didn't care. When we got to the BAU I went straight to Garcia's office, she always wanted to see us when we got hurt, make sure we were fine and in one piece.
I went to my desk and organized a bit, tried to see if I stayed long enough on the chair quiet I would get better, after almost one hour of not feeling very well I decided to go to Garcia, everybody had left.
But I did have an ulterior motive, I needed her to take me home I was definitely not ok, my dizziness was getting worse as was the nausea. I really shouldn't have taken this flight.
"Hey Pen." She was all dressed up? Why would she be dressed up? Was girls night out tonight? JJ would have said something. My head was pounding and the only thought I had was to get home.
"Hey Em, I'm so glad your ok." And then she did something we both regretted, she hugged, spinned and sat me down on the chair.
I was at home before I could notice, the sky was all black with no starts, Liam was probably going to wake up for his meeting in a couple of hours, I felt a weird desire to call him and ask for things back, convince him that nothing needed to change and staying the way it was would be better, but I knew I couldn't do that to him, he deserved better as cliché as it sounds.
I decided that since the day had already being crap, I was entitled to some good old hard liquor. It was a unfortunate thing I got from my dad, taste for whiskey. Whenever he was home re said to be able to relax he needed a good whiskey, and then after years of hearing it, I tried it, it burned all the way down, never given up after that.
I was still on my first glass when I hear a knock on the door. I got up to open it and to my surprise Agent Hotchner was there, wait a minute.
"Haven't we done this once already."
"How did you get here?" What?
"I live here, what does it matter?"
"Prentiss, do you remember how you got to your apartment?" Huhn, I had left Garcia's office as soon as I heard she was calling someone to take me to the hospital.
"Not really, shit where did I leave my car?" Ok, worry mode in action.
"You went to the airport with me, you didn't have a car in the BAU." That made sense, did I take a cab home?
"Hotch, how did I get home?" He burst out laughing at that.
"You have a concussion, you probably don't remember but you got a ride with agent Anderson" Really creepy guy, I shouldn't have done that. Hotch looked around the apartment. "And you decided to drink, do you really think it's wise, you were hit in the head with a board, for god's sake."
"Calm down, I don't feel anything anymore, Garcia shouldn't spin people with concussions."
"Believe me she learned her lesson, she almost had a heart attack when she saw you were gone, and I screamed at her over the phone, which I have already apologized for by the way."
"Well if everything is good, goodbye." I started walking to the door.
"I'm not leaving." He sounded insulted "You have a concussion and you are drinking, it would be beyond irresponsive for me to leave." He was such a momma's boy.
"Hotch, you have a wife and kid. I'm sure I can stop drinking now and stay alive until morning, so you can definitely go home."
"That isn't an issue." He sounded weird, absolute, hurt. Right then I decided not to fight him anymore, maybe he was having trouble dealing with this case, because of the little boy.
"Ok then, if you are staying you are drinking." He tried to protest but from the looks he needed just as much as me, we got our glasses and I opened the couch, it became kind of a sofa kind of a bed, just so that we could seat and put our feet up.
"Are you ok?" He took a sip from his glass and after swallowing he took a deep breath.
"I have a concussion from having being hit by a wood board by an unsub, I had the biggest fight with my father, which may seem silly but I have never fought him, in all my life. I quit a job that I loved, got re-hired, and finally I just broke up with a wonderful guy over the phone." After some time quietly I continued. "So, basically not my worse week yet." He looked at me and started laughing.
"Ok, we may have it tied." I rested my head when my stomach grumbled. "Ok, even I heard that, let's call for a pizza." Some times things ended up alright.