10 things I love about you - Hotchniss

the ambassadress

It had been a week since Emily had started at the BAU. The team had just successfully closed a case and come back from a long flight. Nobody of them was eager to do the connected paperwork, but sadly, this was also a part of their job.

"God, I'm so tired", Morgan yawned as he scribbled some notes on the file.

"Maybe you should write this tomorrow", JJ suggested and pointed at his notes. "I don't think that anyone is going to be able to read this."

"Probably", he sighed and closed the file. "Anyone else ready to leave?"

"Yes, me", Reid nodded. "I'm done with everything."

"Why am I not surprised?", Morgan grinned as he grabbed his bag. "You alright, Princess?"

"Sure", Emily quickly nodded. She was drained, too, and had gotten lost in her thoughts for a moment.

After Morgan and Reid had said their good-byes, JJ turned to her colleague: "You should, go home, too."

"I'm just going to finish this", Emily assured her and JJ just nodded as she left to her office. Soon, even Gideon took leave.

Emily let out a small sigh and closed her eyes for a brief second, wishing she was already at home, in her bed.

"So this is how you work here?", a very familiar voice suddenly spoke up behind her.

Immediately, the brunette span around: "Mother?!"

"Good evening, Emily.", he mother replied sternly. She was holding her bag in the left hand and had her coat thrown over the right arm. Her hair was still in perfect place and the look on her face as serious as ever - just how Emily had remembered her from the last time they had seen each other a few months ago.

"What are you doing here?!", Emily gasped. Internally, she was begging that Hotch just wouldn't leave his office in that moment.

"I had some business just around the corner", Elizabeth replied. "And I thought I'd stop by and see how you are doing. Also, I need to talk to your supervisor."

"My supervisor?", her daughter gasped.

"Yes, she's an old acquaintance of mine and ever since she is heading for the position of the head of the FBI, she wanted to talk to me", the ambassadress explained.

Emily let out a sigh of relief as she realized that her mother was talking about Strauss. "Oh, okay", she then quickly said. "I can show you the way to her office-"

She stopped as she realized how the look on her mother's face grew even sterner and how she furrowed her eyebrows. Emily followed her look, only to have her worst guess to be proved right: Aaron had just stepped out of his office and his eyes had met the ones of Elizabeth Prentiss.

"Well, well", her mother said with gritted teeth. "If that isn't the one and only Agent Hotchner."

"Mom, please", Emily quickly said. "Let's just go to Strauss's office, okay?" Pulling her mother with her, they made their way out of Hotch's sight.

"You can't be serious", Elizabeth said as they walked down the hallway.

"I didn't know that he was the Unit Chief before I got here", her daughter said. "And it doesn't matter anyways, because we are both professionals. The only thing that connects us is our work."

"I hope so", the ambassadress mumbled and critically eyed the brunette next to her. "And it better stays like that - we don't want Erin to find out about your little romance, do we?"

"You wouldn't-", Emily gasped.

"I just don't want you to ruin your career, Emily", the other women hissed. "You know that I never supported your choice of work, but you managed to get to a solid position and you have good chances to get even higher up, if you stay on track. Aaron Hotchner has caused nothing but trouble ever since you've met him, so I expect you to at least be grown up enough this time."

"Or what?", her daughter snapped. "Or you're going to be the one to ruin my career by exposing the fact your own daughter managed to hide a relationship from you for months?"

"Don't provoke this", Elizabeth replied. "And don't be dramatic. You're not 16 anymore."

"True. I am an adult, which means I am responsible for my life, my choices and my work. I don't need my mother to interfere in my life just because she's a career politician. And for your information, again, I am a professional. If there's one thing I've learned from you, it's to stay professional. You know how important this job is for me. I won't let anything mess this up."

A small smile formed on Elizabeth's lips: "Sometimes you remind me of myself."

"I don't know whether this is a compliment, or not", Emily sighed but also smiled.

"I'm just worried, you know that", her mother said.

"I know", the younger one nodded. "But let all this be my problem, okay?"

"Okay", the ambassadress replied.

"Good", Emily said. "Here we are. I'm going to head home, now."

"I'll call when I have time", her mother said and quickly hugged her, before knocking on the supervisor's door.

"Sure", Emily mumbled as the door was closed in front of her. She knew that her mother was always too busy to actually call her, so she knew that she probably wouldn't get a call in the next few weeks.

Processing everything that had just happened, she walked back to her desk. Just as she had arrived, she heard Hotch's voice: "Prentiss, my office."

"If this is about my mother, don't worry", Emily sighed as she entered the room. "She won't tell Strauss anything."

"How can you be so sure of that?", Hotch asked surprisingly calm.

"I talked to her about it", she replied.

"And you believe her?"

"Yes."

"How comes?", Hotch furrowed his eyebrows. "My last encounter with her was not very friendly."

"Well, in contra to you, I had many other encounters with her after that and our relationship has changed over the years. And I think we don't have to evaluate this any further, Sir."