Side by side || Emily Prentiss

12.

"You are the leader of this case Johnson, you have more experience than any of us in this field. Tell us how to proceed." - Emily said without really looking her in the face, but recognizing the validity of Daisy's assumptions

"First of all we need to find as much cocaine as possible. We need to have it all analyzed and understand which one has the same chemical composition as the one that killed these kids. Tonight I'll go into the streets and get some." - said Daisy

"It's crazy, think about a more cautious strategy. An FBI agent can't go around buying hard drugs." - Emily said getting nervous

Daisy noticed that the team was divided between those who thought like her and those who thought like Emily: it was the first time that the others had to choose a side between the two and Daisy knew that sooner or later they would have to do it more and more often until when they would all hate her.

"Emily, excuse me if I dare, but Daisy is right. The only way we have to clarify this case is to find cocaine in our hands and Johnson have carried out similar operations who knows how many times." - Tara intervened, unaware of how often Daisy had actually had contact with that substance

"I'll come with you though." - said Emily

"Do I seem stupid to you? And then how can you expect anyone to actually believe that you and I are going to buy cocaine together, it's ridiculous. Look at you." - Daisy said exasperatedly

Emily felt those words like a strong grip around her heart. She knew that what she was thinking wasn't what Daisy meant but she couldn't think of anything else other than the fact that those words had been the perfect contradiction of what Daisy had instead told her about her body when she slept over at the younger agent's house.

"Emily, Daisy is right. Let it go, she can definitely handle herself." - said Rossi and he finally got a nod from their leader

"Do we have any kids who have been saved from overdosing?" - Daisy then asked Penelope

"Just searched, only one: Amelia Sullivan." - replied the blonde

Daisy instructed Tara and JJ to go talk to the girl to better understand if there were dynamics overlooked in that situation. It did not appear that the unsub had held any of the subjects for long periods of time and the use of cocaine had probably clouded Amelia's memory, but nothing should be left to chance.

Luke, Daisy, Emily and Rossi would instead remain in the police station until that evening to study all the evidence overlooked by the Chicago police. When everything was settled the team left for the capital of Illinois.

That night, as planned, Daisy wore a short dress, a pair of low sneakers, left her curly, fluffy hair loose and unkempt so that it covered her face as much as possible and applied makeup as dark and mysterious as possible.

Looking at herself in the mirror she almost jumped: it had been a long time since she stopped dressing and wearing makeup like that. Since she stopped using drugs she had learned to take care of herself and never seem so dark and neglected.

"You seem like a different person." - JJ, who was with her in her room at the hotel where they were staying in Chicago, told her

"You don't know how much I seem like myself instead." - Daisy said giggling, making JJ think that that terribly honest sentence was a joke

"Emily told me to give this to you." - the blonde said to her, handing her a spy microphone

Daisy was furious. She hated that it was JJ in that room with her and not Emily. She hated the fact that the older agent didn't speak to her, that she avoided her and that she wasn't even capable of having a banal work conversation like bringing her a spy microphone personally.