Chapter 20

She stepped out of the elevator and surveyed the scene in seconds. Her eyes zeroed in on David Rossi. "Where is he?" she said, as she moved into the bullpen, stopping just inside.

"Where's who, ma'am?" Rossi asked evenly, standing up straighter.

"Agent Hotchner, Agent Rossi. Where is he?" Her voice carried no obvious emotion, but it was full of intent and direction. Her voice demanded an answer without being insistent or shrill.

"He's not here at the moment, ma'am."

"I see." She clasped her hands in front of her waist. "You do expect him back shortly, correct?"

"I do."

"Good then." She smiled. "I'll wait." She sent Rossi a mildly challenging look as she headed for Hotch's office.

"Of course, ma'am," Rossi said as he moved to open the door for her. Closing it again, he studied the closed door and attempted to work out why she was here. Coming up with several possible answers, he looked back to his team.

"Reid, get Ambassador Prentiss a bottle of water, please."

Reid scrambled up out of his chair as the rest of them remained in a stunned silence. On his way back with the water, he tripped up the stairs.

"I'll take that."

Spencer gave the older profiler a grateful look as he handed over the bottle.

"Everybody sit tight. And try to keep it down." Rossi nodded at his team, then looked thoughtfully at Hotch's closed door.

This should be interesting, he thought as he knocked twice and then disappeared behind the door.

The rest of the team looked at each other, surprised and confused by this turn of events. They all settled down in the bull pen to wait. JJ remaining in Emily's chair and Garcia pulling a chair around from an unoccupied desk.

One thing's for certain, Morgan thought as he reorganized his Consult files, this was now going to take longer.

#

David Rossi and Elizabeth Prentiss regarded each other with a wary coolness.

"What's on your mind Agent Rossi?" She was not in the mood for coy.

"Showing your hand, a little bit, turning up here, aren't you? Ma'am."

The Ambassador held his eyeline while she sipped her water. "You know, Agent," she began as she took her time screwing the cap back onto the water and setting it on the floor near her feet. She was sitting on Hotch's couch, prim and proper and waiting. "There's no need for you to wait with me. I'm sure you're very busy."

Rossi chuckled. "Okay." He turned and put his hand on the doorknob, then stopped. Facing her again, "You know the choices have been made already, and the actions taken. You can't stop her or talk her out of it at this point. What do you hope to accomplish here? It's too late to stop anything from happening." It was a genuine question. Rossi had plenty of guesses, but still, her presence here made him wonder.

"It's never too late, Agent Rossi, when the well-being of your child is at stake."

Elizabeth wasn't looking at him. Rather, she was staring at Hotch's empty desk as if she could see through it. The wistfulness of her presence just then was not matching up to the sound of her words. In the cultured and demure voice of the Ambassador, it sounded like wise diplomacy. It just felt too warm and idealistic for the shrewd and strategic woman, he knew her to be. Rossi hoped she wasn't concealing an ulterior motive. From his experience with this family, you could never be completely certain.

"Emily is a fully grown woman, Ma'am. She's not a child."

Slowly, her eyes found Rossi's again. "She's my child. Regardless of anything else, she will always be my child." There was a vein of anger simmering under her words.

Rossi broke contact first; he nodded. He wasn't sure what, if anything, he learned from that.

Ambassador Prentiss sat back into the couch a bit more. "That will be all," she said crisply and glanced pointedly toward the door.

She'd dismissed him.

He raised his eyebrow, but left the office.

Shaking his head at his team, he retreated back into his own office. He didn't know what was in store for Hotch when he got here. He checked his watch. Should be soon.

#

A slow 20 minutes later, the elevator dinged again. Worn-out by the commercial travel, Hotch lifted his go-bag off the floor and headed for the bullpen. No one mobbed him at the entrance. Odd.

He stepped through the doors to the bullpen and JJ said a quiet "guys." She, Garcia, Morgan, and Reid looked up at him, but didn't say anything and didn't get out of their chairs. Odder.

"Did something happen?" Hotch was concerned. He was really hoping not to be crushed in the ambush when he got back, but this lack of reaction was just as troubling.

"You have a visitor. In your office." JJ told him.

"Who is it?" He couldn't think of anyone who'd be stopping in to see him at this hour when they didn't have an active case.

The four of them looked at each other, but not at him. No one really wanted to tell him.

Dave stepped out of his office just then, having heard voices. "Hotch," he called and motioned him up the stairs.

Hotch gave his team one last sizing up glance and headed for the stairs when his own office door opened.

"Agent Hotchner." Elizabeth Prentiss was standing in his office doorway. "What is it exactly that you think you're doing? My daughter does not need your help to ruin her life."

Crap.

"Word travelled fast." He spoke softly, but everyone heard.

He was stunned. Ambassador Prentiss was not someone he considered when he was worrying about an ambush at the elevator.

"Well," she said, demanding. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Ma'am," He began, in a calm, measured voice, "Would you like to discuss this out here?" He asked, gesturing to the wider office. His team was obviously still here, and there were a few other agents and support staff still lingering about the office, finishing up for the night. "Or shall I join you in my office?"

The Ambassador sighed. "See that you do." Then she disappeared behind his closed door again. It slammed.

Double crap.

Hotch massaged his temple. His headache was going to get worse.

He trudged up the stairs.

"Hang in there Slugger," said Rossi as Hotch passed by.

"Shut up."

Dave chuckled.

Hotch put his hand on his office door and paused. He closed his eyes and counted to three.

Opening his eyes, he stepped into his office, once again the confident federal agent everyone knew him to be.

TBC