Kudos and thanks to my readers and reviewers! You all are the best. Really and truly.
We've got yet another new perspective for this one: Strauss.
Happy reading =)
"Family is not an important thing. It's everything." - Michael J. Fox
I hear three short knocks on my open office door and raise my eyes from the paperwork in front of me. "Ma'am? Do you have a moment?"
"Of course. Please, come in Agent Prentiss," I say, gesturing to the table and chairs next to the door. I have no need to sit behind the desk and try to use it to my advantage as I've done on many previous occasions. Besides being a profiler and knowing exactly what I would've been trying to accomplish with such a stunt, Emily Prentiss is certainly not the kind of woman easily shaken by such tactics.
"Thank you, ma'am," she says politely, stepping into the room and sinking into one of the chairs.
"Should I close the door?" I ask, in an effort to gauge her feelings on our impending conversation.
She pauses for a moment, considering her response. "I think that might be best. The walls here seem to have rather good hearing, and the team has a briefing in an hour..."
"I understand," I say with a nod. "You don't want to distract them."
She smiles. "Not if I can help it."
"I see. So, what can I do for you Agent Prentiss?"
She folds her hands in her lap and inhales deeply before answering. "I've filled out the requisite paperwork for a transfer, ma'am. And with your approval, I'd like to be reassigned to the Academy," she says formally.
Now that is certainly not what I'd expected. Her very presence in my office of course suggested that the subject matter was going to be significant, but I certainly hadn't expected a transfer request. "You'd like to be an instructor there?" I ask in clarification.
"If at all possible, yes."
"Do you have a preference what you'd like to teach?"
"Not particularly. Whatever I'm qualified to teach," she offers with a slight shrug.
"Okay. You've spoken with Aaron?" I ask.
Her eyes widen slightly, no doubt surprised by my informal reference to her unit chief. "Yes, ma'am," she says succinctly before pausing for a fraction of a moment. "Well...kind of. I've spoken to him with regard to leaving the BAU," she responds cryptically.
I frown in confusion, and she continues her explanation before I can voice my question. "My initial plan was to resign and take over a supervisory role at the London Interpol office."
"Interpol?"
"Yes, ma'am. Clyde Easter offered me a job there."
"But you're not taking it," I say, looking for confirmation.
"No, I've decided to stay with the FBI instead."
"What made you change your mind?" I ask, curious as to why she'd turn down a chance to work for such a prestigious organization.
She pauses for a moment, seeming almost unsure of how to respond. "I spoke with Rossi..."
"Ah, I should have known Dave would have a hand in this," I say with a shake of my head.
"He can be quite persuasive," she agrees after she schools her surprised features.
"Are you sure this is something you want to do?"
"Yes, ma'am. I've given it a lot of thought, and it's something I'd like to do."
"May I ask why?" I venture, wondering exactly why she's so willing to leave the unit she's fought so fiercely to protect on many occasions, including isolating herself for seven months.
She breathes in deeply and exhales before answering. "It's just time for a change," she explains. "I'd like to give something new a try, and step away from the negativity that the job entails."
"Understandable. Let me have a look at any openings," I say, rising from my seat and gesturing for her to follow me to my desk. I log in and navigate to the appropriate screen as she settles into the chair in front of the desk. "There's actually a few openings."
"Oh?"
"All of which you're more than qualified for," I say, glancing at her file that I'd opened up on the screen. "I can't say which you'll be assigned, but I know the head of the Academy's faculty, Sara Lloyd, and I can't see her denying your request. Frankly, given the glowing recommendation from Dave that you're sure to get, you might have your choice of position."
"Thank you, ma'am," she says politely once more, relief swimming in her eyes.
"You have my approval, and I'll put a word in with Sara. She'll be pleased to have an experienced agent in her faculty. She's always complaining about her instructors being "too academic" and out of touch with the field. Your reputation precedes you, Agent Prentiss."
"I think that's mostly to do with the faked death, ma'am," she says, cracking a smile. I return it in kind.
"Be that as it may, everyone knows you're an accomplished and decorated agent. The Bureau is lucky to have you staying. I'm not sure the Director would be entirely pleased with me if I'd let you leave for Interpol," I say with a smile. I watch as she smiles and shifts in her seat, clearly uncomfortable with the praise.
"We may need you to stay on with the teams in the BAU on something of a part-time as-needed basis for a while. Will that be a problem?"
"No, ma'am. May I ask why?"
"In addition to the significant increase in cases requiring consults, I think it may be beneficial to our agents in the BAU to know there's someone who can step in to cover them, should they require time off."
"Of course."
"Assuming Sara signs off on it, we'll probably get you to work some recruiting seminars as well – we always get a lot of questions about the behavioural units."
"That's fine by me," she says.
I continue clicking through the screens and frown as her name doesn't appear in the system. "Your technical analyst hasn't held up your transfer in the system has she? I don't see your name here."
"No, ma'am. I actually haven't submitted it yet."
"Oh? I thought..."
"I wanted to be sure there was an opening before I put any paperwork through," she explains. "The team... We're close, and I didn't want to cause any waves before I had to," she finishes honestly.
I nod in understanding. "Of course. You'll submit it to Aaron soon?"
"Yes, ma'am. As soon as I've had a chance to talk with him about the change in plans. Definitely before the end of the week, though."
"Good. Is there anything else I can do for you, Agent Prentiss?"
"No, ma'am," she says, rising to her feet. "Thank you for your help."
I nod and hold out my hand, shaking hers firmly when she reciprocates my action. She turns to leave and memories of how I tried to take advantage of her placement on the team surface in my mind.
"Agent Prentiss," I call out. She turns to face me, holding the door half open, a questioning expression on her face. "I'm sorry."
"Ma'am?" she says, her brow furrowing in confusion.
"I'm sorry for asking you to betray your team," I say, hoping she catches my meaning.
She looks thoughtful for just a moment before she responds. "It's over and done with, ma'am. We're both very different people now than we were then." Evidently she's let go of any resentment she had previously held against me, which, if I'm being honest with myself, comes as a pretty big shock.
I nod. Life had changed both of us over the years. We'd both been forced to confront the skeletons that had escaped our closets. I'd faced the demons within myself, and I'd bet that she had faced her own demons in those long months in isolation. We'd both had to face our fears and make the hard choices, me with my addiction, and her with the job that had come to define her.
"What was the position?" I ask suddenly before the door clicks shut behind her.
"I'm sorry?" she says in confusion, poking her head back into my office
"At Interpol. You said it was a supervisory role. What was it?"
"Clyde asked me to run the office there."
My eyes widen. She was turning down that kind of promotion? "And you're turning that down?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"They really are important to you, aren't they?"
"More than important," she says. "They're family."
If you don't mind, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the wonderful form of a review!
To the Guest who asked "do you really ship Morgan/Prentiss or, do you just write it because your readers want you to?":
To answer the first part of your question, I'm not really a "shipper" (of any pairings), but I do think if any relationship were to come to fruition, it would be Morgan/Prentiss. To answer the second part of your question, I don't write it because my readers want me to, I write it because I wanted to write a bit of romance in my story, and picked them to be it. The fact that they want me to write it is just a coincidence. :)
And finally, it's been brought to my attention that the final ballot for the Profiler Choice Awards for this year is up. I encourage you to check out all the nominated stories - there's some seriously quality stuff there - and of course to vote as well.