A/N: Hey everybody, sorry about the wait..

Here it goes.

Season 3 Episode 07 = Identity

"Yes sir."

"Prentiss."

"Anything else sir?"

"Are we agreed?"

"Not at all sir, as I already said, what I do in my private time is my business alone, so you if don't have anymore work related subjects, I'll take my leave." I got up from my chair and started walking to the door.

"Emily please. I've apologized, several times, for both incidents."

"Your opinion has already being severely expressed. No need to reinforce anything. If you will excuse me sir." I walked out and left the dark bullpen, I just wanted to get home and forget the last couple of days.

FLASHBACK:

Everything had started just as we were getting back from Montana, Hotch asked me to drop off my notes and the file I had on a consult I had done for the Norfolk police, we got to the bullpen and while everyone went home, except Hotch and Rossi I started looking for the damn file.

It wasn't on my desk, it wasn't on Morgan's or Reid's, so it took me some time to find it. As it was, after almost an hour and several dark looks from the janitor that had to open both Garcia's and JJ's office for me, I found it.

When I was outside Hotch's office I could heard both senior agents talk.

"You and Emily sound close."

"What?"

"Well, you always ask for her opinions, you sit by her on the jet, and I have heard that you went to her house. Several times."

"I value her as an agent, that is all Rossi. What we have isn't even friendship, she has discovered about Haley and started interfering, a little rude if I'm being honest, but Jack likes her."

I had never I could be this shocked and enraged at something like I was at this. I was interfering? Well let's not keep him suffering my company any longer. I pushed the door open and both agents flinched realizing I heard them.

"Your files sir." I dropped them on his desk and turned my back to walk out.

"Emily…." I looked at him, but at that moment, I knew it was better that I left, otherwise we would get into something I was sure I would gladly end. I walked to the parking lot and got into my car.

My cellphone started ringing not five minutes after that, I looked to the flashing name of my supervisor and threw the damn device on the passenger seat. I felt awfully angry and mortified. Was I all that?

I decided to do something I hadn't done in a long time, I picked up the phone again and dialed a number I hadn't in a long time.

"Look who still is alive."

"Hi Tom."

"How is everything being?"

"Fucked up, as always."

"That is usually the way the company works love."

"Yeah, yeah."

"What do you need?"

"A pick me up."

"To learn, or to decompress."

"The later, I'll text you my address."

"I'll be there in half, I want dinner."

"Done, I'll be waiting."

Tom Willis was a fighting instructor, for all purposes. He was the one that got me ready for some of the jobs I had to do, and after learning what I had to do he put me under his wing. We had become friends, and from time to time, he would fight me, really fight me.

At first, when he was ordered to train me I would end up bloodied and unconscious more times then not. But he had to keep going, if things turned out badly on the job, I had to know how to defend myself, and a weapon wasn't always available.

It had being hard, but I knew not learning would mean imminent death. Eventually I got better, and then better. And after some time I got really good, but also dependent, when you have to learn on those conditions, fighting angry is very common, and so getting confortable taking out anger when fighting it's easy.

Tom was like that too, he understood. He had being in the company for too long, and knew that we would all get scars, we were all wounded and needed a way to let it out. Fighting was ours. After getting to the FBI I hadn't need that, it was almost four years since we had reunited for that. The last time being the death of a loved one of his, but we didn't talk, that wasn't what we did. We fought, that was all.

It was quite a surprise, when in the middle of my training session with Tom, while I was trying to fight him off my back, I felt him loose his hold. I quickly looked up to see Hotch punching him.

"Are you insane?" I ran between them and started pushing Hotch off.

"I'm insane? You have a man hitting you, and after I get him off of you I'm insane?" He screamed.

"Yes, you are the one that broke in. What Tom, my friend, and I were doing is none of your business." I was still breathing heavily, but from the looks of things, they were too, for different reasons.

"Tom? What kind of friendship do you have that you let him beat you up?" He started pacing in the room.

"Want me to kick him out?" Tom piped in.

"No it's fine, I have to handle this." He nodded, understanding that I could deal with the newcomer in the room. He got his things.

"I'm going to run then, call me later."

"She isn't buddy." Hotch called out to him.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"What I am doing? I'm not the one getting punched in my leaving room."

"As I've said, none of your business. Just get out."

"No, this isn't just a Emily problem. What does it says about your capacity on the job if you are going home and letting someone hit you. You are bleeding, you are hurt, I forbid you to keep doing this." That made my blood boil.

"Listen to this: It's none of your business what I do in my private life. Tomorrow in the office, that is your business and if I ever do something that might make you or the team doubt my abilities, fire me. But this, this is my life, and as we know well, you don't like interfering. I don't either, so get out."

"Emily, I'm sorry for that, but Rossi put me in the spot, I freaked out. I thought he was going to say that there was something going on, so I just panicked."

"There is something here, hate. I don't want to see you here again."

"Emily you can't be serious."

"Oh I am sir, believe me. You let things very clear."

"Stop this, listen to me."

"I'm going upstairs to take a shower, when I come back I don't want to see you." I turned and went upstairs, ignoring the heavy weight that had sat itself in my chest.

My life was getting a mess, what was I thinking getting all buddy buddy with agent Hotcher, he was my boss. You don't make friends to your boss, you don't get close to your boss.

What was I doing? When did I need Tom's help because of a weird friend? It was a good thing, today, this whole fight, it woke me up.

I was feeling lonely after Liam, I was just attaching myself to the next person, rebounding. So I just needed to take a step back and breath, analyze things and keep the emotions locked away, I was good at that, really good.

I went to lock my newly fixed door and get the salad I had prepared from the counter, things were getting messed up, I was loosing ground, mixing feelings and attaching myself to people I shouldn't.

Spending time with Jack fell into that category. He was just a child, connected easily, and spending so much time with me was not what he needed right now. He was dealing with his parent's divorce I needed to back out.

He had gotten close so quickly, just a few meetings and I was ready to do the world for the little guy, and he sounded very comfortable with me, just from having a few outings. That wasn't good, I wouldn't be a fixed person, and for that, leaving now was the best.

I went to my room and opened the safe, in there I kept memories, the memories from a life I left behind. A life that wasn't mine, just a ghost of one. And for one night I let myself drown in those dark thoughts.

The next day I got to the office earlier, trying to avoid free time, that way I might no get interrupted. I almost made it, but by the end of the day, when mostly everyone had gone home I sat in my chair I heard the door upstairs open and damned my luck, he had being waiting.

"Prentiss can you come up."

"Sir?"

"Now please." I walked to his office and closed the door as he told me to, but refused to sit down.

"I want to apologize for any misunderstandings that I might have caused."

"That is alright sir." I responded with a smile.

"Jack has asked about you, he wants to do another sleepover."

"He is a very sweet kid sir. You are very lucky."

"How about you come to the house, I'll be moving out soon, but Jack wanted to show you his toys."

"I'd rather not sir."

"Please, you know he wants you there, I want you there, you are a friends."

"No, I'm your subordinate."

"And that is how it's going to stay, but we were having fun."

"Yes sir."

"Prentiss."

"Anything else sir?"

I stayed in silence.

"Are we agreed?"

END OF FLASHBACK

The next day I got a call from Tom, from Hotch and my mother. Besides that Hotch had sent me a text, a email, and tried to take me to lunch, they were all trying to drive me crazy, I decided to go home before exploding at someone when a bag was dropped to my desk.

I looked up and saw Reid give me a shy smile and walk to his desk, I opened the bag and inside were baked goods. He had know I was in a mood having snapped at Morgan and him, he took the time and went to the famous bakery near the BAU and got me a full bag of comfort food.

"Thanks Spencer."

"You are welcome."

I left the building and started walking to my car, as I got close I could see Hotch standing there. Here we go.

"You know, this is probably how the Unsubs we catch start."

"You are making this weird. You are making us weird, and for nothing."

"I'm not. I just think that on the fact of us, hanging out, you are right. We probably shouldn't."

"That wasn't what I meant."

"I know, but I had time to think. We are way too different, and this is better, Jack won't get attached and we wont get comfortable in this crappy situation."

"What crappy situation? We were having fun, we are friends for god's sake."

"Look let's just drop it here."

"At least promise me you won't call that guy, that you won't see him."

"Hotch…"

"No, that is out of question. I still can't believe you would do that."

"How do you think I was able to learn how to fight, to be good enough to take you and Morgan."

"You were bleeding, that wasn't friendly Emily, that was dangerous."

"He is a professional, don't worry."

"That isn't a option anymore."

"Hotch, you don't know me. Believe when I say this, you don't want to." In the back of my mind I could feel the hurt of saying those words, of admitting this, but that had to be done. "So there are no hard feelings, but let's leave this here." He put his hand on my hip

"Emily stop." In that moment I realized how close he was, his hand took grip on my hips and he stepped so close, I could almost feel his chest to mine.

"I have to go" I said barely above a whisper.

"I don't want you to."

"You don't want me to what?" He was standing too close, I was loosing my train of thought.

"Hey guys." Hotch stepped away and tried to look normal, all I could do was stand there, and unfortunately realized how cold it felt when he stepped away.

"Reid." While Hotch turned to say hello, all I could do was wave and get into my car. After some time apart everything would go back to normal.