Bad Reputation

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A/N: This one shot is set differently. It's set when Emily worked in the FBI's Chicago field office, before she worked at the BAU. And Hotch hasn't been promoted to Unit Chief yet.

Hours passed in the Chicago PD's third precinct. Hotch had been staring at the bulletin board covered in crime scene photos and notes for what felt like minutes to him but was actually hours. He'd been so caught up in trying to connect the dots, he hadn't noticed that the local PD had brought in a suspect. He hadn't even realized that the sun had set.

Hotch, Rossi, and Gideon had been called to asset the local PD on a case in Chicago. Five men had been killed in bars in the last three days. Cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the head, and despite all the murders happening in crowded areas, no witnesses had come forward. This raised a lot of eyebrows in the BAU and the local PD. But they soon realized that it could've been connected to the Italian mafia.

No witnesses came forward, most likely out of fear and or loyalty. This frustrated the BAU team and the local PD immensely. They had practically no leads or information other than that that was at the crime scenes.

Hotch felt a hand touch his shoulder. He turned around and saw Rossi and Gideon standing behind him. "We have a lead." Gideon said.

The three BAU agents walked out of the conference room and Rossi lead Hotch and Gideon to an interrogation room. Rossi stopped just outside the door. "Local PD picked up an arms dealer working for the mafia a few hours ago. I've been told she doesn't speak English so I'll go talk to her."

Hotch and Gideon nodded before Rossi entered the room with a file in hand. He saw a young woman with long dark brown hair sitting in a chair with her hands cuffed in front of her. She was probably in her late twenties to early thirties. Her red painted lips held a charming smirk. "Elena Mariani." Rossi said sitting down across from her.

"Suppongo che il tuo agente Rossi (I assume you're agent Rossi)?" She asked with a raised brow.

"Sai perché ti abbiamo arrestato (Do you know why we arrested you)?"

"Onestamente no. Ma ho una domanda per te (Honestly, no. May I ask you a question)?"

"E cosa sarebbe (and what would that be)?"

"Cosa ci fa un uomo come te che lavora per la polizia (what's a man like you doing working for the police)?"

"A differenza di te ho scelto di fare qualcosa di buono con la mia vita (unlike you, I have chosen to do something good with my life)."

The brunette woman let out an amused scoff. "Non essere così umile, Dave. Sto facendo qualcosa con la mia vita. Buon per me (don't be so humble, Dave. I have chosen to do something good with my life. Good for me)."

Rossi was taken aback by the fact that she knew his first name. He leaned closer, narrowing his eyes. "Che cosa vuoi (what is it that you want?)?"

"I want to speak with one of your agents: Aaron Hotchner."

Rossi's eyes widened when he heard Elena speak perfect English. Containing the majority of his shock, Rossi simply narrowed his gaze before he walked out of the interrogation room to meet his two partners. They both had stern, anticipatory looks on their faces. "She speaks perfect English." Rossi said with a sigh.

"How'd you figure that out?" Gideon asked.

"She told me she wants to speak with you, Hotch." Rossi said looking back at the now closed door.

Hotch simply nodded before walking in the door. He felt a lump get caught in his throat when he saw Elena. He immediately recognized her but not as Elena. It was Emily Prentiss. He never thought he'd see her again after working for his mother as security clearance. He hadn't seen her in years. The woman before him was much more elegant, beautiful, and frankly intimidating.

Emily wore a black lace body suit under a bright red blazer and dress pants. Her dark brown hair was slick back with gel and her lips were painted the same shade of red. She looked at him with a tilted head. "Nice to see you again, Agent Hotchner." Emily said almost sarcastically.

The two of them severely disliked each other when they were younger. She did everything to push his buttons and it always worked. Although Emily was five years younger than him, he had found her extremely immature for her age. She did whatever she could to get on her mother and Hotch's nerves. Gideon and Rossi had entered the one way glass room to observe Emily and Hotch. "How do they know each other?" Gideon asked.

"I'm not sure." Rossi said eyeing them suspiciously. "But I assume we're about to find out."

"I was doing good work. When your team arrested me, they almost blew my cover." Emily said through gritted teeth.

"What exactly was your undercover position?" Hotch asked with his usual furrowed brow.

"I'm a black market arms dealer who works with the Italian mafia."

A silence falls as Hotch ponders what Emily just said. She shifts in her seat remaining relaxed and annoyed with Hotch. She stared at his wedding ring. Of all people she never thought Aaron Hotchner of all people would find someone to love him. "So, you're married?" Emily asked.

"Yes." Hotch says.

Neither of them broke eye contact. They were both dominant personalities and both refused to give in. "Are you happy?"

"Yes."

"Liar." Emily scoffed.

"Excuse me?" Hotch asked almost offended.

"You're not happy in your marriage. You take your wedding ring off often. It's shine is cloudier than normal, suggesting the oils from your fingertips touch the ring frequently. And it's barely scratched. Which means you take it off and put it somewhere safe, my guess is your jacket pocket, because as much as you love your wife, you know she's pulling away and so are you."

Hotch shifted in his seat uncomfortably but didn't let it show. After what he'd just heard, Emily was far more perceptive than he ever thought. In his mind, it made sense. She was often pulled into social events and parties by her mother. And with rarely anyone her age to talk to, she would often observe people's mannerisms and behavior. "If you didn't have the same attitude as you did when you were eighteen, you could work for the FBI, maybe even the BAU one day."

Unfortunately for Emily, Hotch knew how to push her buttons just as well as she knew how to push his. She bit the inside of her cheek in frustration and let out an annoyed sigh. She stood up, her cuffs restraining her from straggling Hotch. "I worked for London's Interpol Office for two years before the FBI's Chicago field office recruited me. I've been working for them for seven years now. You and my mother were the only people who ever had a problem with my attitude." She said through gritted teeth. She looked down at her cuffs in frustration. "Why am I still handcuffed?"

"How do I know you actually work for the FBI?" He asked suspiciously.

Emily scoffed again and shook he head. "You never did trust women as much as men, did you?" She smirked sarcastically at him. "Call my supervisor. Ask for Unit Chief Ian Miller."

Hotch eyed Emily before standing up from the table and walking out of the room. Hotch opens his phone and was about to dial Strauss's number when it rang in his hand, starling him slightly. "Ma'am?" He said quietly.

"May I ask why you have a federal agent in custody, Agent Hotchner?" She asked in a voice as cold as Hotch's. He could tell she was mad.

    "The local PD arrested her without my team's knowledge." Hotch said coldly.

    "And why hasn't she been released?"

    "With all due respect, we aren't certain she's actually a federal agent. We're currently holding her for questioning."

    He heard Strauss sigh on the other line. "Handle this properly or I will."

    "Yes ma'am." Hotch said and hung up the phone.

    Hotch walked back to the interrogation room with the officer that had arrested Emily. The officer uncuffed Emily. "My apologies, agent Prentiss. I had no idea." He said awkwardly before leaving the room.

    Emily turned her attention back towards Hotch. She folded her hand in front of her and leaned forward. "This is what's going to happen next. I'm going to call the lawyer I was provided by some very bad people. He'll arrive in about fifteen minutes after you call. You're going to tell him you're holding me for questioning, and that I don't want to speak with him because I'm handling the situation. Then my lawyer will post bail, and we never have to see each other. Got it?"

    Hotch did the same action as Emily, as if they were in a stare down. "You're in no position to demands, Agent." Emily could tell that by the tone in his voice, he questioned her position.

    "Actually she is." He heard Rossi say in his earpiece. "She's been undercover for nearly two years, posing as an Italian arms dealer. Her unit chief just called us. Apparently she's given the FBI information that has brought in seven members of the Italian mafia with no chance of perol. Her story checks out, Hotch."

    Emily knew he was listening to someone else through his ear piece. A small smirk in her face appeared as she leaned back in her chair. "Do you have a deal, Agent Hotchner?"

    Hotch simply stared at her with his cold brown eyes before giving her a begrudging "yes." before leaving the room, slightly frustrated and he didn't know why.

    Just like Emily had said, her plan played out exactly as intended. And six hours later, her lawyer returned to bail her out. As she walked out of the interrogation room, she glanced over at the three agents, her stare falling in Hotch. She gave him a small wink before leaving.

    The two agents didn't see each other for a long time after that. Emily continued her undercover persona for the next year until they finally caught one of the leaders. She received praise from agents and superiors alike. So much so that she was promoted to work at the BAU in Quantico, Virginia.

    As for Hotch, he realized that what Emily said was true. He began spending more time with Haley and less time in his office. After years of hard work he had not not been promoted to Unit Chief of the BAU, but he also had a son named Jack. Everything seemed to fall into place for him. He was finally happy. He had the family, the wife, the job. Everything. Until one day when he gets a knock on his office door that would change his mind in a split second, forever.

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