The Donor

Chapter One

Physics Magic

While getting a position on the BAU had been hard-- something worthwhile and the first aspiration she'd had in quite some time-- Emily Prentiss is finding herself on the fence of loving and hating the job. She was partially aware of what she was getting herself into in the beginning, now she's about neck-deep in water with a strong undertow and no view of where's she's putting her feet.

Add kind of of but not really dating the boss into the mix and she's officially lost her footing and being swept away.

"Oh!" Emily feels a sharp but momentary pain as something small and black strikes her temple. "Ow!" She looks up to find Garcia, JJ, and Reid giving her varying degrees of sympathetic smiles. Reid starts stuttering something about physics laws, attempting to apologizes. "Show me," she asks, retrieving the flying implement of doom and giving it back to him.

As curious as she is to see how he maimed her, she knows Hotch is only a moment behind her.

"Well, turn around pleased--"

Emily tries and fails to keep the disappointment out of her voice. Of course, she wants to see how he makes the thing go flying off. Hiding it takes away all the fun.

Garcia grabs Emily by the crook of her elbow, interrupting her contradiction. "Trust me," she sighs, "it will not do you any good to argue with him."

As disappointing as hiding the magic is, she's also eager to see the thing go flying off. So she turns around. It takes him only a second. "Alright, alright, turn back and observe."

Bending over, tucking a strand of stray hair back, Emily watches with intense infatuation. Everyone stands on edge, watching as it bubbles before releasing with a hiss and pop that causes them all to jump back with a surprised yelp.

And sure enough, in one of his grey suits and signature frowns, Hotch is standing right where the damn thing landed. He bends over and picks it up without comment but his face gives away what he's going to say before the words rumble past his lips. "Physics magic?"

The other's run away, Emily hiding her smiling face as she makes a break for it, leaving poor Reid at his desk. He gives a meek nod, "yes, sir."

Despite the frown, Hotch brings it back to him. "Reid, we talked about this." Of course, by talking about the really means another incident exactly like this where the only punishment was a frown and a soft chide not to let Strauss catch him doing science experiments in the bullpen.

"I'm sorry, sir."

And just like last time, it's all in the inflection of his voice and impressed eyebrow raise, Hotch isn't mad. "Really starting to get some distance on those." He may pretend to be a hard-ass now but he used to goof off in the bullpen once too.

Reid smiles, ducking his head as relief swells in his chest.

"He has a sense of humor?"

Reid nods his head, a grin spreading as he watches Hotch shake his head as he walks away. "Sometimes," Reid confesses. Not so much now as he used to but something's changed-- He's damned by his inability to think outside the box because, if he didn't know better, Hotch is acting like he used to. Light. Before his marriage began unraveling.

Turning in his chair to look at Emily, Reid sees a flash of something. He's not sure what it is-- too inside the box-- but she's smiling at Hotch. If there's one thing that he's learned to work with these people and, more specifically, Hotch and Emily it's that they don't smile at each other.

Last week Emily spent thirty minutes by the coffee pot ranting about how stupid and fascist Hotch looked with a blue tie. A blue tie. Of course, he and JJ-- the only witnesses to Emily's unraveling-- , were understanding. Hotch isn't a fascist but he can be a bit uptight and when it comes to working with Emily... well, fascist may not be the right word but asshole might.

On the flip, Reid had seen plenty of Hotch's annoyances with Emily.

But they like each other.

Why else would Hotch take her on road trips to prisons instead of Dave?

They're friends... just bad friends.

"Prentiss," Hotch sticks his head out of his office, voice cutting through the natural rumble of the functioning bullpen. He waves to her, "I need you for a minute."

Reid watches them, feeling like he's watching the pieces of a broken puzzle come together, but he can't help but feel he's missing a piece.

Like Hotch or Emily have purposely kicked a piece out of his reach.

Emily goes to Hotch knowing exactly how their conversation is going to go. He's very paranoid so he's going to inquire if Garcia or JJ think they came in together-- he needn't worry. Those two are lost down the rabbit hole she dug leading them to the conclusion that she hates his guts.

But she has to admit. As juvenile as it feels to hide their relationship, it's also thrilling in a strange kind of way to have something that's just theirs. Untainted by Dave's gossip or Reid's confusion.

She rolls her eyes as she passes JJ, looking put off to have to go talk to Hotch.

JJ smiles sympathetically. "Good luck," she mouths.

Untainted but... a small part of her wishes she could tell the others. Just not yet. One day just not today.

--Credit goes to for the idea Sad-life19... I am just the writer