Chapter 5
Observing the BAU's glass entrance doors from her office, JJ waited for Spencer to return from the range; she had just received the notification that he had failed his weapons proficiency spot check she had been made to arrange. Lamenting what she was about to do to her friend, knowing she would be hurting Spencer, made her feel sick, her heart heavy with self-loathing.
"For your daughter and Rin, you can do this, Jenny," she told herself to try and prepare herself for what she was about to do.
Noticing a perturbed Spencer Reid walking through the BAU main entrance, JJ stepped out of her office to address him.
"Dr Reid, my office now! You failed your spot check. That is just embarrassing for our unit," the unit chief ordered abruptly; glancing towards the bullpen, she noticed the shocked expressions on their faces.
"Yes, Ma'am, I will just put my bag..." he was interrupted by his unit chief.
"Now, Dr Reid, not after you have put your bag down," she demanded in her best 'boss bitch voice.'
Reid entered her office looking timid, and he handed over his notification of failure. Not bothering to look at the document, she tossed it to her desk in disgust.
"Your weapon, Dr Reid, your permit to carry a bureau weapon is rescinded immediately. I don't see the need for you to waste the FBI's time and money attempting to get you through this essential requirement. My predecessor persuaded the FBI to allow you some latitude with your pass mark. I ended that yesterday. I will not allow you to endanger your fellow agents; you are dangerous. I am therefore restricting you to office or police stations and no field work unless designated explicitly by me. Do you understand?" JJ berated Reid, hating herself as she watched the look of hurt spread across his face. He blinked hard to prevent his tears from falling.
Handing his holstered revolver over, he nodded, "understood, Ma'am." he replied, not looking directly at her.
EJ
"Who does she think she is? Talking to Spencer like that." Emily snapped from her desk as she listened to JJ
The three profilers in the bullpen scrutinised Reid as he walked into their unit chief's office. His shoulders slumped. He didn't try to make eye contact with his friends. They all knew from his posture that he had failed his test at the range before their unit chief announced it.
"Poor Spencer, Derek, will you help him again as you did with Hotch last time? With his waiver, it shouldn't require too much to get him through," Emily asked her partner.
"Of course, princess, I will get Pretty Boy through again. That's what big brothers do," smirked Morgan
"Hi, guys," Reid sadly said as he sat at his desk.
"Don't worry, Reid; Morgan said he will help you prepare for your re-test next month." Ashley smiled as she hugged him
"There won't be the next month, guys; Freya just told me it's not worth wasting the FBI's time and money to get me through as I will never pass. She revoked my waiver, and I must achieve the minimum score you all do. She has restricted me from here or staying at the police station. She made me feel useless; excuse me," Reid stood up quickly and walked toward the restroom.
"Spencer, wait," Emily shouted at the retreating genius. He didn't respond.
"Who does she think she is?" snapped Emily,
Before Derek or Ashley could stop, Emily strode angrily toward their unit chief and stood in her doorway.
"What gives you the right to treat him like that? What has he done to you? Has all your new power gone to your head? You are no better than Strauss, Jareau. She offered me this job if I stabbed Aaron Hotchner in his back. I have too much respect for the man to do that to him, so I resigned from the FBI to save him. You didn't flinch, just thrust the blade deeply into his back. You don't deserve this job. You are nothing more than a blonde piece of eye candy for the reporters to look at; what exactly do you do for this team?" demands Emily angrily.
"What's wrong, Prentiss? I can do this job better than any of you profilers. You can't accept that I had the guts to do something about it. Could you not go all high and mighty with me? You're here because mommy pulled some strings, and to stay here, you opened your legs for Hotchner, we all know it." smirked JJ
Emily slammed JJ into her door, knocking the wind from her.
"Prentiss! Stand down," yelled Rossi
"Emily, No!" screamed Morgan and Ashley from the bullpen
Emily's right hook hit her unit chief squarely on her jaw, followed by a hit to her stomach that doubled over the blonde unit chief. Emily pushed JJ to the floor and was about to straddle her when Ashley and Morgan pulled her away.
"Enough, Emily!" commanded Rossi. "Calm down. She is not worth it," he whispered.
No one bothered to check on JJ. She was just left to fend for herself. Spitting the blood from her mouth, she stood up, feeling a little dizzy and walked into her office, slamming the door behind her.
"Nice punch, Princess. Not like you to lose your temper. Are you doing ok?" asked Morgan
"Damn, that hurt," smirked Emily shaking her right hand. "Whom does she think she is speaking to, Spencer, like that?" asked an angry brunette.
"Stand up, Agent Prentiss. Your under arrest," ordered the FBI police officer beside the smirking BAU alpha team chief.
Before Morgan, Rossi or Seaver could respond or interfere with the officer handcuffing Emily, three colleagues stepped between the agents, blocking them from reaching the now-handcuffed brunette agent.
"Take her down to the holding cells, Sargeant. I will speak with my section chief about agent Prentiss's assault," JJ ordered
"Yes, chief Jareau,"
"Oh, Emily, feel free to call Mommy to try and get you out of trouble. She brought you into the BAU; maybe she can pull enough strings to keep you in the unit. Don't worry, old friend, and I won't toss you aside for hitting me. I am sure I can think of something to make you suffer for striking me," JJ smirked, wiping the drop of blood from her lip and watching a struggling agent being pulled away from her desk.
Turning to face the remaining members of her team, four sets of profilers' eyes glared at their unit chief.
"If you haven't got anything to do, agents, I can get analyst Garcia to bring you more case files. Back to work," she told her agents before returning to her office.
JJ cracked the chemical ice pack from her desk. She shook the bag and placed the ice pack over the newly formed bruise on her jaw from Emily's punch.
"Damn, Em, that hurts," she muttered, icing her aching jaw.
EJ
Senator Prentiss walked into Erin Strauss's office forty minutes after Emily had contacted her mother, furious about her daughter being arrested and kept in the cells.
"Why is the daughter of a sitting United States senator sitting in an FBI cell? I demand that my daughter be released immediately. Explain yourself, section chief Strauss," demanded the senator, irritation filling her voice.
Indicating for the senator to sit, Erin took off her reading glasses, slowly placed them on her desk, and looked across at Senator Elizabeth Prentiss before opening a folder.
Replacing her glasses, she silently reads from the folder without talking to the senator. Counting to twenty, she placed the open folder down.
"Agent Prentiss assaulted her unit chief in an unprovoked attack. She slammed Chief Jareau against her office door, punched her in the jaw, and struck her in the abdomen. She had to be pulled off by fellow agents before she continued her assault while Chief Jareau was lying on the floor. Chief Jareau told me that when I interviewed her agent, Prentiss took offence to how she dealt with a fellow team member. That's why Agent Prentiss is sitting in one of our holding cells. Chief Jareau thought it best to try and keep her assault within the FBI away from the press, not wanting to cause you any embarrassment and preventing lousy press for the Bureau. I commend Chief Jareau's restraint." Erin Strauss told the senator.
"Jareau is making the most of this incident. Does she even have a mark on her from Emily's alleged assault?" questioned the senator, sceptical.
Erin pressed her intercom. "Stacey, please send in Chief Jareau," she asked her assistant.
"Take a seat, please, Chief Jareau. Do you remember Senator Prentiss?" asked Erin Strauss.
" Senator, nice to see you again. The director has signed off on my recommendation, Ma'am," JJ told Strauss, handing her a file. JJ nodded politely as she took her seat.
Strauss turned to the senator and smiled. "A bit bigger than you thought? How is your jaw, Chief Jareau?" asked a worried Strauss, looking at the bruise on her wife's jaw.
"Emily did that?" asked a surprised woman
"Yes, Senator Agent Prentiss has a bit of a temper and a mean right hook. I have no intention of causing any embarrassment to you or the FBI. I intend to deal with Prentiss internally for her actions. Section Chief Strauss and the director agree and have agreed to my recommendations. Prentiss will be reduced in rank to special agent. She will have mandatory anger management counselling and be placed on probation for a period determined by me. My jaw hurts like hell, Ma'am, to answer your question, but it could have been worse if my team hadn't pulled her off me," she told the senator.
"Have you told her yet?" Elizabeth Prentiss asked
"Not yet, Senator. I am going down to the cells now to tell her while Chief Jareau informs her team; you're free to accompany me if you want to see your daughter?" Erin Strauss told the Senator
EJ
"Freya just walked in," whispers Morgan. Ashley and Reid look up from their work to watch JJ walking towards the bullpen.
"Have you sacked Prentiss yet?" asked Rossi as he approached JJ.
JJ smirked at Rossi; he did not attempt to hide the contempt from his voice when he asked his question. " No, Special Agent Prentiss is being released from her cell by Section Chief Strauss. She agreed to my recommendations to deal with her in-house. She has been demoted to Special Agent. She has been mandated anger management counselling for a year and will be on probation until I remove her. She should be back in the unit soon. Any questions, Agent Rossi?" asked JJ smugly, much to the annoyance of the older agent. Rossi walked back to his office, muttering in Italian.
Sitting at her desk, Jennifer closed her eyes and deeply breathed; she felt terrible, hoping today was worth everything. Her hands started trembling; she felt horrendous; she had been an utter bitch to everyone; she desperately needed a hug and kiss from her daughter and wife.
EJ
Emily walked through the BAU glass doors after being released from her cell by Strauss. After her demotion, she looked furious, ready to rip off the first person's head that looked at her wrong. "Prentiss, I am so sorry she told us what she did. That woman knows no shame," Morgan told his partner.
"Can the senator not help you, Emily? I know you don't exactly get along, but she could help," Ashley questioned her friend.
Emily sighed as she sat at her desk. "I was so angry with Freya that I called her from my cell for help. She talked with Strauss, but they came up with a line that they were trying to protect the bureau and the senator from bad press. Of course, my mother took the face-saving option. God forbid she ever thinks of her daughter. She sold me out to the witch and ice queen. Now Freya has the trump card. I am on probation until she deems I am ready, so that will never be. It would help if you didn't pull me off her. A few more punches would have been gratifying. At least I am satisfied with that lovely bruise on her jaw I gave her to admire for the next week." smirked Emily
Receiving a supportive squeeze of her shoulder, everyone returned to work, not wanting to suffer JJ's wrath.
EJ
"I am home," announced JJ, walking into her kitchen
Yasmin walked over and gasped when she saw the bruise her Mama had supported on her jaw. " Did Auntie Em do that?" asked her concerned daughter.
"Yeah, I think she enjoyed herself when she hit me. Don't worry, sweetie, a princess kiss would make me feel better," smiled JJ as she accepted her daughter into her open arms.
Erin's arms joined in the group hug, "Love you, Jenny, that looks painful, sweetheart?" she told her wife, kissing her gently, trying to avoid the bruised area.
"I love you too, Rin. Emily deserves an Oscar for her rant in the bullpen after you released her. I hated myself after she finished. I am most definitely the evilest of the Strauss-Jareau marriage that is official now, and you should have seen the glares I received from virtually everyone on my way home tonight on the way out of Quantico. The FBI police force still likes me. They loved arresting Emily at her desk. Derek just added to the drama. Elizabeth responded well to our last-minute changes. Emily thought it prudent to go all out and save a little time to entice our rat with a big juicy grub. Rin, I would like to ask Emily to be Yasmin's Godmother once this is over." she asked her wife.
Erin smiled and kissed her wife gently, "Of course, sweetness, Emily loves Yasmin already. Yaz adores her. She has wanted to meet her since you told her about Emily,
Looking anxious, Erin held her hand out to her wife. JJ took the offered hand, interlaced their fingers, and smiled at her worried wife. "I am coping with everything, Rin, and I know you are worried about me; you are the love of my life. I will do anything for you, Rin," smiled JJ.
EJ
"Hi, Jack. Is your dad in?" Emily asked the younger Hotchner as he opened the door.
Smiling at his favourite Auntie. "Hi, Ms Emily. Yeah, he is making cookies for us,"
Taking the offered hand, Emily allowed Jack Hotchner to lead her to his father.
"Hotch, How are you doing? Could we talk privately? I need to ask you a few things," she asked cryptically. He nodded, an eyebrow raised suspiciously. "Jack, please watch a film in your bedroom. I need to talk with Ms Emily about work," he asked his son.
After hearing his bedroom door close, Emily faced him. "I need your assistance with Jennifer," she asked the surprised man.
"Dave told me what she did to you, Emily, but I can't help you do anything against her with OPR investigating me," he apologised.
She was not sure if she was doing the right thing by telling Hotch the truth, but she had a bad feeling about Barnes after she had a friend from interpol check her out. "What I am about to tell you can go no further, Hotch, not even the team, especially Dave. I need your word, Aaron. This is important to me," Emily demanded
Noticing how earnest Emily's request had been, he nodded his agreement and indicated she should continue.
"I need your help protecting Jennifer, her wife and her daughter. I can't tell you everything you need to know. A lot is classified. During her time at the Pentagon, Jennifer worked abroad doing classified things. She rescued a girl from being sold to a sexual predator, bringing her back to the States and adopting her with her wife. Saving the girl resulted in a compromised operation, causing a big black mark against a senior FBI agent's record, torpedoing her career. She was on the fast track to being the first female director." Emily pauses to see if he has any questions
"Barnes, Linda Barnes?" asked Hotch, surprised.
"Yes, Linda Barnes. She didn't take Jennifer's interference well, especially when her stellar career stalled. She is blackmailing JJ and is behind everything happening with the team and you. We have an informant on the team. Barnes knew about Reid and Elle before she approached JJ and her wife. I only found out yesterday and agreed to help. What I've discovered about Barnes I don't like, and her end-game concerns me. She has threatened JJ with informing certain people about her actions and where she lives. She intends to tell them, allowing them to deal with JJ ultimately hurting her wife." Emily told him, waiting for him to ask her name.
"You're going to need a stiff drink before you ask me that question," Announced Emily before he asked whom JJ had married.
He returned with two glasses of scotch, declining the glass she was offered; Emily decided it was best to drop the Strauss bombshell without trying to beat around the bush. "Jennifer is married to Erin Strauss. Their beautiful sixteen-year-old daughter is called Yasmin Strauss-Jareau, and apparently, Erin Strauss is my mother's best friend. They have known each other since boarding school," Emily told her speechless boss.
Hotch proceeded to drain both glasses of the golden liquid he held, shocked at the revelation of who JJ's spouse was. "Wow! Strauss and Jareau?" was all he managed; the disclosure had silenced the senior profiler.
"Jennifer knows what she has done to you is inexcusable. She regrets her actions and knows she has destroyed your career, but she is protecting Erin and Yasmin; she hopes you will understand she is protecting her family and forgiving her one day. Will you help her?" Emily asked for his help, not hiding her concern for her friend.
The concerned tone of Emily's plea shook the shocked profiler. Emily Prentiss should have asked for assistance quickly. The seriousness of the situation was apparent to Hotch. He didn't need to think about his answer, and he knew he would do anything to protect Jack and take Haley's place to save her from Foyet.
"Family comes first, Emily. What do you need?" he asked Emily.
Emily reads the message she had just received, "Damn, we have a case I have to return to the BAU. Get in touch with Erin Strauss and meet Yasmin. I will let the senator know so she can talk with Erin. Aaron, they love each other; Jayje would die before she let anything happen to Rin and Yasmin. Get her to tell you what happened," Emily smiled, glad he had agreed to help.
Forever the profiler, he noticed that the famous Prentiss mask was missing. He could see the concern for her friend all over her face. "You're concerned about her, Emily?" asked Hotch, surprised by Emily allowing him to see her emotions so easily.
Nodding, Emily sighed. "She is too close; her emotions are all over the place with what she is doing to the team, worrying about Erin and Yasmin. She is going to miss something. I am terrified of losing my friend Hotch. I like Erin Strauss-Jareau. She is a human being and not a bitch. She loves Jennifer, and I want their beautiful daughter to grow up with her two mothers." answered an unnervingly emotional Emily Prentiss.
Noticing how worried the brunette profiler was as he pulled her into a hug, he whispered into her ear," You have my word, Emily," he told her quickly.
"Thank you, Hotch," She smiled as she walked out the door.
EJ