CHAPTER 119

I WANT HER BY MY SIDE

Emily sighed with relief when her alarm clock went off on Friday morning. She could not have taken another minute of being wide awake, before having a good reason to get up and start the day. It had been a long night, a sleepless night, many hours of torture while she mentally went through the best speech of her life, over and over again. She knew every word, she knew all the right moments to pause in order to take a breath and oh, those would make great emotional dividers to what she was going to pour out on that poor man afterwards. He had no idea. She would probably have no more than thirty minutes with him, but twenty-nine of those she'd be speaking her mind. Egoistically, she gave herself one minute, at the end, to thank him…if that would be the case.

This would be perfect. Everything was going to go well. Because if there was anything that a Prentiss woman could do exceptionally well, it was to hit someone with the best, most throughout and eloquently put together speech. It was the one good thing she liked about her family inheritance – the power to manipulate with her mind and her words, the only aspect of politics that Emily was somewhat interested in.

"And this is yet another example that elucidates the validity of my request…" She murmured, on her way to the shower, rehearsing for the big meeting.

"This might seem like a non sequitur, but it actually has a lot to do with my previous statement…" She kept on picking up different parts of her speech, challenging herself to remember everything, even out of order.

"And quite frankly, this decision obfuscates me…" She was now speaking to the bottle of shampoo that was in her hands.

Yes, Emily Prentiss was going insane.

"I put my badge and gun on this, all my years of expertise, both here and, well, in other Government-operated organizations. My request is not perfunctory!"

"…it is not a 'quid pro quo'. It is merely a very carefully thought out request…" She cringed. This part of the speech made no sense. She'd have to re-write that. The whole speech was nothing short of scintillating and even that was not good enough for Emily once her paranoia kicked in.

"I cannot hide the fact that I am quite vitriol about this…" She shrugged. "No, that word is way too informal. I need something…more powerful. Something that makes a statement. Ugh, where is Reid when I need him!?"

By the time she walked in the kitchen, she had lost her appetite. There was only one thing she wanted that day.

After the decision to skip on breakfast, because she knew exactly how jittery and unfiltered she was with caffeine in her system, she grabbed her newly refreshed and re-organized Go Bag and left the apartment in a hurry.

"I believe…" She started off, even while driving.

"Nope. Too many sentences start with 'I'. That definitely gives the wrong impression. I'm not a self-absorbed egoist. I mean, sure, I'm going there with one thing in mind and won't back down until I get it, but still…don't want to sound like a complete sycophant!" Emily groaned, now mentally breaking apart every single word of her speech.

"Oh, no, no, no. Now is not a good time to doubt my speech. No! It is good and I worked hard for it and I deserve this…"

She said to her own reflection in the rear-view mirror of the car, as she was pulling into the blue parking lot at work.

"Good? Why would I settle for a 'good' speech? Nope. I need a great one! Oh my God, when am I going to come up with a great speech!? The meeting is in two hours. Oh my God, oh my God…"

She stayed in the car for at least thirty minutes, after she parked. Her entire body was sweating and she was in desperate need of two things: coffee and a shower.

And then there was one more thing that she desperately needed, too…

"Ok, if I say something along the lines of…hmm…" She scratched a part of her speech, because she had obviously printed it out for herself, to obsess over for the past few days, and she came up with a new sentence, in which she put at least three super formal words that the Director may or may not even know the meaning of.

"Ugh, I sound like my mother!" She frowned after rehearsing the new version of that paragraph.

It sounded stiff, rehearsed, way too formal, a little rude and very demanding. This was everything she remembered her mother being and everything she had ever hated about this woman. Well, not everything, but she was not about to dwell on the past. She'd much rather focus on her future now that she only had…

"An hour and a half!" She panicked, looking at the time.

"Breathe, Emily…breathe…" She commanded herself, cracking the window, in desperate attempts of allowing some air to invade her lungs. She felt like she was suffocating.

JJ's name popped on the screen and Emily replied, only because the team was now on location and she would be working on the case, remotely, for the rest of the day, with Garcia, before she'd take a commercial flight to go join the team and continue the case alongside the six of them.

That gave her a distraction from the freak-out over the speech, but it didn't mean it was all over.

She finally had the strength to leave the comfort of her vehicle and to go join Garcia at the office.

For the next hour or so, they had been researching and analyzing the things that the team was feeding them, remotely, but had not reached any definite conclusion yet and it was driving Emily insane. She hated not having the right answers.

At some point, she started checking her watch every two minutes. When only ten minutes were missing, until her meeting, Garcia smiled and spoke up.

"You go get our girl, Ems!" She said with a bright smile and one hand on Emily's shoulder.

It was kind of enough. And kind of not, because right after that, Emily's heart started racing.

Ten minutes until showtime. She had so much to get done, before that. She wanted to touch up on her make-up, to straighten up her shirt, to put a smart jacket on top and sweat even more, but at least she'd look presentable enough. She also was in desperate need of the bathroom, as with all the nerves and the calculations she was about to pee on herself.

"And I think…" She kept on murmuring to herself in the elevator, after hitting the button to the last floor with one very shaky finger – the middle finger, since she wouldn't be Emily Prentiss if she didn't flip out the Director indirectly, even before their meeting started.

"No, I believe…" She corrected herself, because a minute before stepping into the office of the Director of the FBI was a great time to come up with a new speech.

Prentiss logic…

"I deem this…" She tried out, but no word sounded right.

"I appraise…no, that has a different connotation to it. Ugh, damn it!" She groaned in annoyance, not paying attention to the elevator doors opening and to the man who was now standing in front of her.

"Agent Prentiss." Ben greeted her warmly, before he saw that destroyed person look on her face.

She looked like Hell. Well, on the outside she was so extremely well put together, with her clothes, her hair, the very subtle make-up – it all made her look like a complete Boss.

And yet, her eyes were puffed and he could tell she hadn't had a minute of sleep, for God knows how long.

She was toying with the fingers of her hands, which was barely an indication of her jagged up mental state.

And worst of all – she seemed sad. Yes, there was a smile on her face, but Ben knew when someone was forcing a smile. He had two daughters and one very stubborn wife, he could read 'deceit' on a woman's face.

"Alright now. Take a sip of water…" He said, pouring her a cup of water from the nearby dispenser.

"Breathe! Get it together, Prentiss! Come on, you're one of the strongest people I know. You can do this. It's just a talk. However it goes, it won't hurt and it won't change anything for you or influence your team negatively." He tried to calm her down.

"On the contrary, Ben. It will hurt and it will change someone's life. Multiple people's lives, actually." She confessed shyly.

"Ok fine, but you can't go in there, looking like a ball of nerves. Come on, be smart about this. You have no idea what it cost me to get you this meeting. I had to cancel on a pretty serious meeting he had with some government people." Ben shrugged.

He hadn't planned on telling Emily how he got the meeting, but desperate times call for desperate measures. She had to know how important this half an hour was.

"Emily…breathe." He smiled at her.

"Ben, what if this goes badly…?" She licked her bottom lip and inhaled sharply when she saw a door, down the hall, being opened.

She knew whose office that door belonged to.

"Then you continue being the Boss that you are until it finally goes well, okay?" He said confidently.

"Agent Prentiss?" A deep male voice sounded in the short distance and she froze.

It was a good thing that Ben was not afraid to give her a push, even if it meant physically pushing this woman, forcefully, before she would take her first step to that office.

"Yes, Sir. She just got here." Ben said to his boss, walking one step behind Emily, ready to keep on pushing in case she'd freeze and try to make a run for it.

To his surprise, right after Emily froze for the first two seconds after hearing the Director's voice, she then turned into a completely different person.

After his push, she walked down the hall, convinced, powerful and looking like a Boss. That was exactly how Ben saw her. He admired that woman.


"Yes, my love from another Galaxy, I shall listen to your requests and obey like a good-..." Garcia picked up the phone in her usual manner.

"You don't want me to finish that sentence." She shrugged. Emily's dirty mind had been rubbing off on her lately.

"Tell me everything, JJ. Any new clues that I need to tear apart before we find the UnSub?" Garcia ended off that weirdness.

"Uh, you're on loudspeaker. We're here with the local police. Yes, we have a new suspect now. I need you to run a background check on this guy…" JJ then proceeded in pouring out all the information she had.

A minute later, JJ excused herself and walked to an empty office.

"Hey, G?" She whispered. "Update me on Emily."

"Well, she left fifteen minutes ago. I don't know anything else. She must be up there, sweating and hating life right now." Garcia shrugged.

"Oh, I wouldn't be worried. She's only ever a mess before and after a meeting. Never during. Give her some credit, she knows how to hold her ground, come on, after all the…ehm, assignments she had to do with her previous…ehm, employer…" JJ hinted at the CIA, more than the Interpol. And since it was not common knowledge, she was extremely vague about it.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I just can't help but worry about her. She's been working so hard for this. What if it goes badly?"

"It won't. This is Emily Prentiss we're talking about. When she wants something, she does not stop until she gets it." JJ smirked.

She was more than jealous, in a good way, of the way Emily had always been persistent when something was dear to her heart.


"Good morning, SSA Prentiss." The Director said with a smile, now that they were sitting in the comfort of those big leather chairs, in his lavish office.

Emily allowed herself a moment, to let it all sink in.

Also, she was profiling the crap out of this man.

Family photos on the desk, friends photos on the shelves behind him. He was clearly a man who cared about people – she would be using that later on. Three of the paragraphs of her amazing speech had to do with relations, people and the importance of social interaction. She so got this in the bag!

Her eyes drifted towards the walls. She had been in this office before, but never had something so big and important been the reason for it, so she had never felt the need to profile every nook and cranny of this space.

Achievements and appraisals hung on the walls. So, clearly, he appreciated hard work being rewarded. Good, that was very good, she had a paragraph about that, too.

There were no flowers on the coffee table, but she wouldn't profile him as sentimental. Flowers were usually decorations for women's offices and pointed to a certain sentimental side of the person – either she'd be a mother or a sister or in any other way strictly involved with another female, as family members or direct colleagues.

She had a paragraph on women empowerment, too.

Looking back at him, she realized he seemed way too put together, like a man who knew what he was doing. His tie, his smart suit, his everything oozed authority and demanded respect. She had a paragraph on both authority and respect, as well.

Overall, Emily Prentiss had a thoroughly thought out paragraph, with very complicated formal words in each sentence, on any topic he might wish to discuss with her during their half an hour meeting. And that included budget and, weirdly, even retirement. Emily was ready to 'wow' him, no matter which topic he brought up. She was more than ready – she was a beast!

"Okay then, good morning to me too…" The Director whispered quietly when Emily had taken a bit too long, analyzing his office, and thus had spaced out and forgotten to even greet him back.

"Sir, yes. Good morning, Sir. I'm…I'm so sorry. I just…I was…I'm sorry, Sir." She had the dorkiest way of digging herself an even bigger hole, in situations like these.

Luckily for her, people often found that endearing.

"Agent Prentiss, please sit back and don't allow nerves to result in an injury." The man said, retaining a laugh.

She realized she had been sitting on the edge of the chair all along.

Feeling a bit ashamed after she got scolded like a child, she sat back and inhaled sharply. Ben had told her to breathe and that was what she was trying to do, although she didn't realize how soundly she was doing so.

"I shall say, I've been keeping an eye on the BAU lately, and I mean, way before the Section Chief Fowler drama started." He spoke up since Emily was clearly going to be mute for the next twenty-nine minutes of their meeting.

Her ears perked up, but she did not seem alarmed. She had absolutely nothing to hide. Well, at least that was the impression she knew how to give people.

"Your Unit has been hit harder than any other Unit lately and I shall say I am impressed with your ability to bounce back from it all. Granted, it was all false allegations, but you kept your heads held high and you stood by each other's side through it all. The eight of you have a special bond and I can see you, being the glue that holds it all together." He spoke, but she wasn't there for compliments. She couldn't care less.

"No, Sir. My team is the glue. The way we support is each other, that's the glue. The way we work together, that's the glue. Each single member of the team, is part of the glue. It's not me, Sir. It's not someone else. It's all of us, together!" She finally spoke, with her head held high.

The Director smiled.

Emily had no idea he was playing her and he was loving her genuine reactions to everything.

"Now, I hear you've wanted to discuss something urgent with me, Agent Prentiss. You have twenty-eight minutes to do so." He looked at the time and rushed her a bit.

Ben had told Emily she had a short meeting, so she thought thirty minutes and that was it. The Director had just confirmed it, too.

"The best leaders have a high consideration factor. They really care about their people…" Emily started with her opening speech powerful quote.

Or at least she thought she had done so.

"Brian Tracy, I am impressed." The Director called her out on that quote immediately.

"Canadian-American motivational public speaker and self-development author. He is the author of over seventy books that have been translated into dozens of languages. I can see why you chose to open with a quote of his." He added, showing her that he was familiar with the man she had decided to quote. Also, it fascinated him to know that she chose that man. Emily was all about languages and motivational speeches, Hell, the Director knew she could write a banging good one, herself.

But he did not want to hear that.

Not now.

He wanted to hear Emily's words, not SSA Prentiss' speech.

"A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way…" Emily continued, disregarding that little hurdle along the way.

"And you, Agent Prentiss, definitely know the way – this is why we made you Unit Chief." The Director interrupted her once again and it was messing with her head.

She hated speeches, purely because of this – once interrupted, the speech would inevitably go downhill and she'd have to improvise, at which point she was just bound to say something stupid. It was how she was and it would not change.

"And I see you go the way, you go out of your way, so that your team would be safe out there, on the field." He added.

Emily gulped and sat back up again, realizing she was once again on the edge of the seat.

"You have also shown the way, to your entire team. You've personally mentored some of them, after they joined, making sure they'd be nothing short of excellent additions to the BAU. Am I correct?" This time, since he knew she wouldn't speak until asked a direct question, he decided to go ahead and ask.

"Yes, Sir!" She shot back, sounding exactly like Angela that morning – intelligent, obedient, driven, determined, humble.

The man then opened his mouth to add something, but she cut him off.

"I'm not done showing the way…" She shot out, the first bunch of words that were on her mind at that moment.

"But your team is complete and there is no need to show anymore. You can sit back and enjoy the fruits of your hard work, watching them crush goals and find criminals with ease. You don't even have to hit the field anymore. I remind you that it is upon your request that you are still an active field Agent."

"No. My team is not complete…" She shook her head, interrupting him once again.

"And I don't think I will ever be done with field work. I love it, I thrive in it, I won't ever wish to be taken off the field, Sir. I need to be there, with my team, because we are equals and we look out for each other. Always!" She added.

He chose to ignore her second statement. It was painfully obvious Emily Prentiss would be a field Agent way beyond the age of seventy. Hell, she'd beat even Rossi, with all the years of service.

"Eight people sounds like a fully completed Unit to me…" He challenged her, because it was just starting to be fun to toy with her.

Emily inhaled and exhaled, like she had been taught to do during those few yoga classes that she had been forced to go to. She hated yoga. Patience was most definitely not her virtue and she did not understand how a simple 'Namaste' could help her relax.

"Grace Kelly…Grace Kelly…" She muttered to herself.

It was her line, for when she was about to blow up and fire out something she'd later on regret. Grace Kelly was her idol when it came to calm, collected, educated and peaceful.

"Grace Kelly!" She repeated, this time a bit harshly. Somehow, it was not working.

"Agent Prentiss?" He urged her to speak, sensing that this was about to get good.

"Screw Grace Kelly, I need to vent!" She finally exploded.

First thing was to go back to sitting on the far edge of the seat.

"I like living on the edge, okay? I like the danger. I like the unknown. I like to take my chances, I like making decisions, I like helping people, I like leading a team, I love my job, I love my team, I love my life and I demand that Angela Hunter becomes part of my team, my family and my life!"

Her eyes grew wide, the second she came out with it.

She could not believe the nerve she had, to speak like this, in front of the Director. She was surely in trouble now. She wouldn't blame him if he fired her. Maybe he'd put her on probation? Or he might assign yet another disciplinary hearing. Surely therapy would be involved, but Emily wouldn't mind not having to go through the hassle of fixing herself extra appointments, it would actually be nice if they were imposed and set by someone else.

He laughed.

Out of every possible thing he could have done, he simply laughed at her words.

And it wasn't an evil, mocking kind of laughter.

It was light, almost friendly, in a way it was also comforting.

And so damn contagious.

"Hehe…" Emily cracked under the pressure and before she knew it, she was laughing as well.

This man was more than scary, but she had just seen a different side to him – a soft one. And she quite liked it.

"I'm sorry, Sir…" She corrected her mistake, because even if he had laughed, he was still the man who could ruin her career if she said the wrong thing, which, she had just done.

"No, this was my closing line. Well, not with those words, but the concept was…" She then spiraled into an uncontrollable geek.

"You know what? How about we take this from the top, okay?" She took a moment to steady herself and she decided that ignoring the past five minutes was a good, healthy thing to do.

"The best leaders have a high consideration factor. They really care about their people…" She stated once again, loving her opening line.

All she wanted was peace and quiet, so she could recite the entire speech to him until he'd cry his heart out and hear her request, along with all the emotional reasons why said request had to be granted.

"Give it to me?" The Director cut her off, the second she started to give him that rehearsed speech.

Emily sighed and surrendered, opening the file folder that she had brought with her, and placing the first bunch of papers in the Director's hands. Maybe he was requesting to read it, instead of having her recite it to him like a nerdy five year old at kindergarten.

To her surprise, he destroyed the papers without even looking at them.

"I don't care about your speech. I'm sure it is amazing. I've heard you give a speech many times before. But you know when you thrive, Emily Prentiss?" He was looking her dead in the eyes and she then realized why sitting on the edge of the seat was a dangerous thing to do – any second now she'd be hitting the floor, ass first.

"You thrive when you are yourself. You thrive when you allow your nerves get the best of you and that is when you take a moment to steady yourself and then you dish it, like it is. No sugarcoating, no dancing around the topic. Now, give it to me straight, Agent Prentiss!"

Did he just dare her?

Because Emily Prentiss thrived when she was being dared.

"Ok then. You asked for it." She shrugged.

Not having anything to lose, other than her dignity, her badge, her gun and her job, so consequently her apartment and her pension as well, she decided to go for it. Screw it, why not?

"Angela Hunter is this year's Wild Card, for a reason. She came here and she crushed it. She continues to do so and she works harder than anyone else in the Academy. She has an insane ability to connect to people, to understand people, to read people, which is precisely why she would be an amazing addition to my Unit. And no, I don't mean a lame internship, Sir. I want this girl, working by my side, for the rest of her life. Or my life, you know, whoever goes out first…"

Her last words made him laugh one more time. Emily Prentiss was kind of known for her ability to die and come back even stronger afterwards.

"And I know it is extremely selfish of me to come here and demand such a thing, in the midst of budget cuts, and right after a disciplinary hearing for my entire Unit. But, Sir, I've never been more sure of anything else in my life and I would never put it all on the line, for anyone else, but this girl." She continued, making only the tiniest stops, to take a breath when she felt like she was about to pass out.

"Realistically, if you think about it, it's not just me, requesting this…" This was the best time for her to hand him the second batch of papers from that folder.

"I only have one printed out copy, so please read it before destroying." She pleaded, after what had happened to her speech a minute ago.

He refused to grab the papers from her hand and it confused her.

Instead, he opened the file on his computer and he started reading out loud.

"Trainee Angela Hunter is one of the most promising Trainees I've ever had to deal with in the Academy. I would highly recommend her for the Behavioral Analysis Unit, I believe she would thrive in that environment. She has shown tremendous knowledge in criminal profiling during my classes and has managed to Wow even the great David Rossi, during his substitute lecture when I was off." The Director chose a random personal note that had been added to Emily's long list of names and signatures from that same week.

She was confused. She had been extremely careful not to send this file to either Angela or the Director.

"You knew?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Agent Prentiss, I'm the Director. I know everything." He smirked and continued reading.

"I can see myself working alongside this beautiful, intelligent and highly motivated young person. It would be a pleasure to mentor her, to teach her, but also to learn from her. She doesn't deserve to be part of my Unit – it is my Unit that deserves her to be part of it. And all seven of us are unanimous on our decision to back our Unit Chief up with the request of acquiring Angela Hunter as a full-time addition to our little family. All we are asking of you is to give this girl the chance she deserves and to give us the girl that we want. At any cost. Please?" He read and Emily smiled. That was what Rossi had written on the file.

"It is not often that a young girl embraces her wisdom and Angela Hunter does so, every day. I am astonished by the amounts of preparation she has and I am curious to work by her side. My entire Unit is begging you for the chance to get to know this person who has worked so hard, in order to fit in. And she would fit in, we are sure of it. Please, do not deny our request. At any cost!" The Director read Reid's comment next.

"I share a room with Angela Hunter at the Academy. Since the moment I met her, she has been nothing but motivated and focused on her goal. And she really wants to be part of the BAU, for whatever personal or professional reason she might have. She goes to bed and wakes up with a book, often written by BAU's own David Rossi, making sure she would be ready, if one day given the chance to go work with those people. I see her train more than the others, I see her read extra, I see her do everything in her power, to get into that Unit. And I am saddened by the fact that she is being denied a chance at what she does best. Isn't the FBI all about placing the best Trainees in the Unit that fits their abilities best? Well, for Angela Hunter there is no doubt this would be the BAU. Everyone knows it. Sir, I haven't even seen your face yet, but I am addressing my plea to you – I am begging you to give this girl a chance. She won't fail you. She never does. She is the most hard working and goal-oriented person I have met. She never backs down and she belongs with them." This time, it was Bryan's note that he chose to read.

Emily was about to have a heart attack. The Director had a poker face on and it was extremely hard for her to tell whether he appreciated that file, or he was simply going to point out what a colossal waste of time it had been.

"Is that the pretty girl with the green eyes, who always eats here with the tall guy? She's the only person who comes to the counter to thank us for the food we have prepared for her and she piles her empty dishes, so that it would be easier for our bust boy to grab them on the go, when the restaurant is full and busy. She's very sweet. She once stayed and helped us clean up the restaurant after lunch, gathering chairs and sweeping the floor, for no reward. She's fun and always asks about our kids and our family life. We like her a lot. I always see her with books about criminal profiling while eating, so I guess what this woman who sent the e-mail – Emily Prentiss, is trying to achieve would be the best fit for this girl after her studies here. God bless her soul, she is very sweet." The Director raised an eyebrow. Those were the words of one of the women who worked at the healthy food bar on Campus.

"Angela Hunter has cleared out the Behavioral Analysis shelf in the library. It doesn't take her more than three or four days to return huge books, heavy reading material. She has a wide range of interests, but I could tell by what she grabs from the library that behavioral analysis is her forte. So, if this personal note helps in any way, I'd surely recommend Angela for the Unit that is now requesting her. With her preparation and her constant hunger for more knowledge, I believe she would do great, within that Unit." The Director read Barbara's words, the receptionist from the library.

Emily shrugged. None of it was news to her. She had spent the past two days, obsessing over every word on that file, reading it over and over again, as the notes and the signatures multiplied by the minute.

The most random people had signed, saying beautiful things about Angela.

"Sir, I know the notes by heart…" She allowed herself to speak up.

Hearing it all, out loud, coming from the Director's mouth, was a little too emotional for her.

"So do I, Agent Prentiss. I've gone through this file three times now. I shall say, this is the most random thing I've ever seen anyone do, within the Bureau…"

Emily bit her inner lip so hard. Yup, he hated it.

Her motivational speech had failed. Now the signature papers have failed, too. She only had a limited amount of other things to hit him with and he was simply not giving her the chance to even talk.

Once again, she found herself watching this man destroy the printed papers and throw them in the bin. It felt like her heart had been ripped off her chest and thrown into hostile, deep waters.

She looked down, only to realize that this was about to allow for those budding tears to fall from her eyes.

When did her eyes get so moist anyway?

Then she looked up, as her last attempt to preserve some dignity. Usually, when she was looking up, the tears stayed put.

"Dear Sir, I am writing to you with a very personal request…" The Director looked her dead in the eyes as he spoke.

This time he was not reading, at first, and only threw a few glances at his computer screen every now and then, just to refresh his memory as he spoke. Why, of course he didn't need her printed out papers – he had the petition file opened on his screen from before Emily even walked in his office.

"I have been with the Bureau for years. I have mentored numerous Trainees and Agents, both during their internships and at the beginning of their careers. Ever since I made Unit Chief, I have not requested a new addition to my team, well, not someone fresh out of the Academy anyway. I have built my team after careful consideration. Each member of the BAU gives the Unit something, but moreover – they give me something. I never found any Academy graduate suitable to fit in. I never thought I would, as stuck up as that might sound. Our job – criminal profiling, behavioral analysis, is possibly the most frowned down upon section of the entire FBI. People think we sit and drink coffee all day and we talk in riddles and we come to mediocre deductions about the UnSubs we need to be chasing instead, out there on the field. Well, it is a bit more difficult than that. We analyze, we put years of studying, research and practice, into what we do. We observe and we catch things that normal people, people without our education and intuition, are unable to detect. We don't deduct, we simply figure the truth out, in our own way. And it takes a special kind of person, to be able to do that. We don't mind being looked down upon, we are used to that. The general public does not understand what our job consists of, but that's okay…because we do and we love what we do for a living. I am lucky to work with seven highly motivated and extremely well-prepared Agents, by my side. I never thought I would find myself wanting and needing a new one, especially not someone who is only halfway done with the Academy. But I do, Sir…" He stopped for a moment, recalling those next words with precision.

"I do and I stand by my final decision to keep on requesting Angela Hunter – a person who had dedicated her entire life and yes, I mean her childhood as well, to preparing herself to be part of this Unit. Not the FBI. Not the Academy. Not any other Unit. This Unit! My Unit! She wants to work with us, she deserves to work with us and all of us want her on our team! She is single-handedly the most prepared, motivated and able person I can think of. Her desire to work in behavioral analysis trumps every harsh remark the general public might have, against us and our career path. We cannot be teared down by negative words. We can only be built up by people like Angele Hunter, who is doing her absolute best, if not more, in order to be able to work with us."

The Director kept on speaking and Emily was amazed. He remembered every single word, exactly the way she had written it. And he did cheat a bit, by checking out his monitor, but she was willing to look past that.

"With this letter we – the Behavioral Analysis Unit, are asking the help and support from whoever wishes to sign, so we could show the Director that this is not just a simple request, but merely a deep-routed need that deserves to be fulfilled. And personally I, Emily Prentiss, request that Angela Hunter would be assigned to my Unit, internship being the first step towards her becoming part of my team in the future. With a hand on my heart, I guarantee for this girl and I guarantee for the results she would be giving. I refuse to accept a future of my Unit, without her, as part of it. And I also refuse to accept the fact that, after all the negativity that criminal profiling is constantly poured with, that when a young person like Angela Hunter dedicates her entire life to this career path, she gets roughly shot down because of budget reasons. No! I will gladly step back and share half of my salary with this girl, if it would mean that she could join me and my team. All seven people on my team have generously offered a 10% cut on their current salary, in order for the Bureau to be able to fund our request and the transfer of said Trainee into our Unit, as soon as legally possible."

Emily gulped. Hearing that proposal out loud sounded so daring and so…official.

"Shhh, the best part is yet to come." The Director silenced Emily the second she opened her mouth.

"I, Emily Prentiss, Unit Chief of the Behavioral Analysis Unit, personally guarantee the success, shall this request be authorized. Because I, Emily Prentiss, want her, Angela Hunter, by my side, every single day, out on the field, back in the office and anywhere I shall go. Always and forever!"

The Director smirked, quoting the final words of what the e-mail had consisted of.

It had been a long e-mail, a request, followed by hundreds of people's signatures and personal notes and observations about this girl.

"Agent Prentiss, did you know that even my Assistant Benjamin signed this…petition?" He raised an eyebrow and she could not tell if he was impressed…or upset about it.

She nodded.

She had walked in there, prepared to talk for twenty-nine minutes in a row. And yet, she had barely said a word. He was dominating this meeting and she was now battling the seventeenth mini heart attack, since she had walked through his office doors.

She caught him checking the time and she did so, too. They now only had nine minutes to wrap this up.

And her eyes were even more moist, but she held her ground like a champion.

"This was very inconsiderate of him, given that he knows all about your own revised budget proposal, with your signature on it, stating that the BAU would not be requesting an intern this year, as a way of battling the budget cuts. Now, it has also come to my awareness that you have currently went over the budget…"

"Only by 3%, Sir, and I paid those from my own money!" Emily jumped up and defended herself.

"And this is not okay, Agent Prentiss. When you make a decision, you have to stand by it, no matter the cost. Now, we only have a few minutes left, so let me be blatantly clear about this…"

She hated the way he trailed off. It had sent her to the nineteenth mini heart attack, in less than half an hour.

"I appreciate the hard work you have put into this. However, you could have spared yourself the hassle and you should have done some actual work, instead. The BAU has just started getting more serious cases and I'd hate to think that you've been obsessing over this dead-end situation, instead of paying attention to your case details lately…"

"No, Sir! I worked on this proposal on my downtime, off work! The BAU has improved our success rate and we have come up with a new team strategy optimization, too. We have been doing extremely well, with the little budget that we are now left with, Sir. Most of us are doing refreshment courses and upgrading our skills, Sir. Agent Jareau just finished her online course in counter terrorism and-…"

He cut her off rudely. His hand just flew in the air and stood there, until she closed her mouth and became mute again.

But that did not last long.

"No disrespect, Sir, but I've wanted this meeting for a long time. I've begged for this meeting, so I can come here and throw my dignity in the trash, so I can beg you for what I want, for what my entire Unit wants. And I do not appreciate being silenced like this!" Her lower lip quivered, but it wasn't because of emotions. It was because of rage and he saw that.

He opened his mouth, but it was now her time to dominate this meeting.

She stood up and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Sir, I believe you are making a colossal mistake, by not honoring my request. And I am personally offended by the fact that you wouldn't even give it some thought. If over three hundred people cared enough to sign this petition, Sir, I don't think you have the right to laugh about it and brush it off with such ease. I find it rude, disrespectful and quite frankly – hurtful! Director or not, Sir, you are first and foremost a human being. Never forget that! And, as such, your job is to connect to other human beings, on a human level. I am saddened to have seen you fail at it, miserably. I am also crestfallen to have received such an enormous slap across the face, by you. I worshiped you. I have looked up to you. I have believed, for years, that you were a man of honor, who led this Bureau with integrity. Well… Thank you for your time, Sir. I got your message loud and clear. It saddens me to walk out of here, knowing that you refused to even consider hearing my message. Have a good day, Sir!"

With those words, Emily stormed out of his office, making sure the door would hit the frame with just enough 'bang' to make a statement, yet not to be too rude about it. She wouldn't really be Emily Prentiss if she wasn't calculative until her last breath.

Ben jumped up from his seat, seeing her storm out of there early.

"Agent Prentiss?" He called out after her, but she was already entering the elevator.

"Emily?" He tried to be more friendly, maybe she would want to talk then.

She hit the button of the floor where the BAU was situated and she did not even grace Ben with a glance.


"Excuse my bluntness, but…what the Hell!?" Ben invited himself in the Director's office, right after Emily's little scene unraveled and she disappeared.

"She wanted a meeting with the Director. She got a meeting with the Director." He smirked, looking content.

"But I thought you said you would be gentle…" Ben frowned, taking the seat that Emily had just sat at, a minute ago.

"And I was. Trust me, that was gentle."

"She walked out of here, like her world had crumbled down, on top of her! How is that gentle?" Ben raised an eyebrow.

First, Emily Prentiss had dared giving the Director a piece of her mind. Now it was his own assistant and confidant who was after him.

"Benjamin, aren't you forgetting one important detail?"

"I'm not. I know what the deal was, Sir. I just…" Ben trailed off for a moment.

At work he would usually be super professional and only ever treat the Director with respect. Off the clock, he had drinks with him, occasionally, and their families were friendly. But in the office, Ben never dared to take advantage of that and he had never asked any personal favors, because of it.

"Sir, I cannot ignore the fact that Emily Prentiss is someone I care about. Not like friends, but more like acquaintances. She is someone I respect and admire. Not many women in the Bureau have the courage to do the things she does, to say the things she says…" Ben tried hard to still look somewhat professional, as he turned the conversation into a bit of an informal one.

"Oh, they most definitely do not." The Director kept on smirking and it was getting old.

"I do not feel comfortable with the fact that this meeting has caused her so much stress. That's all. I wish things could have unraveled differently." Ben ended off. His position was clear and he had little say in what was going on anyway.

"Was she crying out there?" The Director pointed towards the hallway that connected his office to the elevator.

"No, Sir. She's incredibly tough. She was shaken, yes, but she held her head up. No tears." Ben replied honestly.

"She's perfect…" The Director said, this time the smirk turning into a soft smile.

"Perfect for what, Sir?" Ben asked curiously. As far as he knew, the subject of their troubles was Angela Hunter, not Emily Prentiss.

"You'll find out, when the time is right." The Director said vaguely.

"So, she has no idea about…anything?" Ben asked, vaguely as well.

"No, she does not." The Director nodded at him, looking content, maybe even proud.

"Good. I just hope when all of this blows up, it would make up for the troubles this has caused her." Ben shrugged and walked out of the office.

"Oh, I'm sure she wouldn't mind." The Director muttered to himself, watching Ben close the door carefully.

So, Emily Prentiss had the balls to slam the door, but Ben did not?

This confirmed the Director's theory, yet one more time.

He had kept Emily under surveillance lately. It wasn't the BAU, like he had told her. It was Emily, herself, that he was interested in.


As soon as the elevator doors closed, right after she had stormed out of the Director's office and after she ignored Ben's nagging, hot tears streamed down her entire face. She could not control it. Emily was extremely good at controlling her emotions at work, but not when it was personal. And this was way beyond personal, for her.

Before walking out on the BAU floor, she had tried to wipe her face with her smart suit sleeve, but her eyes were still red.

Garcia had timed thirty minutes and was now waiting by the elevator, wanting to be the first one to hear the good news.

Unfortunately, as a very emotionally unstable Emily rushed by her side, on her way to her office, Garcia realized the news were not all shiny sparkles and rainbows, as she had hoped.


REVIEW REPLIES:

"rmpcmfan" Hehe, Emily is getting on Angie's last nerve by not showing her the photo or giving her any more info than what she has already shared. Angie is super curious and she's genuinely happy that Emily has found someone that makes her feel so good lately. Yet, Emily knows just how inappropriate Angela's little comments would be when she sees Richard's photo, so she's trying to keep that a secret, lol. The mystery phase is on and Emily likes it this way, for a reason. She can be herself, just withholding a tiny piece of information (her FBI job) and still feeling amazing about herself, next to someone else...if that makes sense? Hehe. She likes a good game, a mystery, a fun 'adventure', but right now she's unconsciously ready for a deeper connection with someone and this - her meetings with Richard; is the best mix, the best transition from Cheeky Emily With No Strings Attached, to Emily In A Relationship...maybe. I don't think I can explain it very well, just trust me, this is what she needs and she's content..for now hehe. As for Angie being a complete BEAST - yes, girl! She needed a moment of doubt and downfall, just to vent and to weight out her options. The pressure from the Academy is huge and everyone deals with it differently, so it would have been unrealistic for her to always be pumped up about it and happy and motivated all the time. She's back in the game now :)! And btw, I hope you enjoyed the mess of a meeting that Emily had with the big Boss!

"sweetkid45" Well, Dan knows that the Director doesn't like it when people beg him for stuff, so he assumed that Emily would get into trouble for it. However, maybe Dan is not a completely bad guy, eh? Keep an open mind about him. He has stood up for Angela numerous times so far. As for JJ backing Emily up, even when she has a grudge with Angela - JJ can see Angie's potential and how hard she's worked for that BAU position. Plus, JJ is Emily's best friend, so she would always back her up, no matter the cause! Maybe JJ hopes that if Angela joins the team, their relationship will somehow be mended?