retribution.

Chapter Five

"And you know the rules about stealing your coworkers food from the community fridge." I shot back.

Prentiss gave me an annoyed look. "It was one time! And Morgan was basically asking for it, playing that prank on me." She was still in the doorway, hands on her hips.

I scoffed playfully and took a sip of my bourbon. "What do you need, Prentiss?"

"Oh, I was just coming in to say Davis and I are leaving for the day. He's giving me a ride home."

"Alright, be careful. And hey, you know the rules about office romances." I reminded, completely serious. Although I knew Prentiss wasn't currently in any office relationships, I could clearly see how her and Davis got along from in the bullpen. I could tell there were short flirtatious remarks every now and then.

Prentiss crossed her arms defensively. "We are NOT an item, Hotchner. Don't profile me."

I raised my eyebrows. "Full name?"

She rolled her eyes. "See you tomorrow." And with that she turned around and left my office to go home.

I was officially the last person in the office, as usual. I wasn't ready to go home quite yet. As long as I was at work I was able to control my emotions. At least, better then when I'm at home. Home was where I could let my guard down, and I wasn't quite ready to do that yet.

I tipped the glass of bourbon against my lips and felt the rest of the bitter drink slide down my throat. Setting the now empty glass on the desk in front of me, I stood up. I should probably get going, seeing as it was 11 at night and I needed to be here tomorrow. Hopefully it would just be a desk day. I was exhausted and didn't know if I could handle another case tomorrow without at least 5 cups of coffee and an energy drink.

I gathered the finished paperwork in my hands and grabbed my blazer, sliding my arms into the sleeves and grabbing the empty glass to bring home and wash. I grabbed my briefcase and keys before carrying everything, including the paperwork, out of the office. I shut off the light and closed the door, locking it and putting the keys in my pocket. For a moment, I just stood there. I was not ready to go home, but I had to leave work now.

My mind drifted back to when I was thinking about Collins and the team earlier. I was the only person who didn't visit her. What if she was waiting for me? I wasn't sure why she would be waiting for me, but it was worth a shot.

I carried my stuff down to the bullpen and ran by the 'Finished Paperwork' bin where the rest of the team put their work. I grabbed the thick stack of work and put my work on top of it before grabbing an empty box next to the table and putting them all in the box. I grabbed a lid and placed it on top, writing the address to the director's office. I was the one who had to mail the paperwork to the director's office for him to look over.

I placed a stamp on the box and picked it up, slightly struggling to carry the glass, my briefcase, and the box at once, but I figured it out. I carried the items over to the elevator and placed the box down, pressing the "1" button and feeling a slight tug as the elevator began going down. It only took around fifteen seconds to reach the bottom floor, since the BAU was on the sixth. With a ding the elevator doors opened up and I stepped out. There were two security officers, who's names, I believe, were Josiah and Ian, who were getting ready to clock out for the day.

Ian looked up and caught my eyes. "Are you leaving?" He asked as he grabbed his coat.

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow." I replied.

"Alright, drive safe, Agent." Josiah dipped his head respectfully as I walked through the metal detector. It was specially made to not detect the FBI certified guns, which was the reason why the alarm didn't go off every time an agent entered the building.