A/N: This is going to be a short Hotch/Prentiss chapter fic that I just needed to get out of my head so I hope that you guys like it. :) It is set when Hotch is 27 and Prentiss is 21 so anything that may be attributed to "out of character" writing, let's just keep in mind how young they are and the fact that they haven't been totally desensitized by the BAU, please and thank you! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or any of its characters.

Chapter 1 – The Rookie

Aaron Hotchner sat at his desk in the bullpen of what most agents referred to as the white-collar crime unit in the Washington, D.C. field office. He was diligently completing his paperwork on a Monday morning as he was eager to prove himself to his supervisor.

He came from a wealthy, respected family in the oldest part of Virginia and after receiving an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and then a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown, great things were expected from him. He had worked as a prosecutor, something that he had been quite successful at, for two years before deciding that he wanted to do his part to stop cases before they reached a lawyer's desk. So he decided to apply to the FBI, and now here he was at 27, fresh out of the Academy with only one assignment under his belt.

He was intelligent, ambitious, and dedicated. The only girlfriend that he had ever had, since he was 17 years old, had recently broken up with him because of his workaholic tendencies so now his work was really all he had to think about. And he was fully determined to climb the ranks of the FBI.

"Hey Hotch," he raised his head and looked at the man who occupied the desk across from him; he was also the man who had given him his nickname. Agent Rayne Mariano was only a couple of years older than him but had much more FBI experience and had so far been guiding him through the lesser known dos and don'ts of the job. "Do you know who's in Gilmore's office?"

He shook his head as he glanced towards his unit chief's office. Agent Bartholomew Gilmore was considered to be a very valuable agent and it was critical that he make a good impression. "No, who's in his office?" He asked curiously.

"Ambassador Prentiss," he answered with a small smirk.

"So what does that mean?" The younger man asked confused.

"Well Ambassador Bishops came in during your last month of the Academy and asked us to do a security clearance for his staff so I have a feeling that Ambassador Prentiss is asking the same thing. Gilmore knows all the ambassadors," he added with a wave of his hand.

"So what does that have to do with us?" Aaron asked, still a little confused.

"Well I have a feeling that he'll get me, you, and Blake to do it," Rayne answered quickly. He was referring to Agent Blake Downs whose desk was horizontally across from his. He saw the questioning look on his team-mate's face so he continued. "Blake and I did it for Ambassador Bishops and you're the rookie so he might want to throw you a different kind of assignment."

Aaron nodded slowly. "Awe I see." He wasn't exactly sure how he felt about the prospect of working with a United States ambassador. He had never been a big fan of politics, he did vote as a registered Republican, but he had never been very passionate about the subject. From his personal experience with politicians, they were less than desirable acquaintances.

Gilmore stepped out of his office and called on his agents. "Mariano, Downs, Hotchner, can I see you in my office?"

Rayne rose from his chair with a smirk. "Told ya so."

The three men walked, in single file, into their supervisor's office. "You wanted to see us sir," Blake said professionally after he had closed the door behind him.

Gilmore took a seat in the chair behind his desk and motioned to the thin woman with long, brown hair at his side, it was easy to tell that she had been quite attractive in her younger days. "Ambassador Prentiss would like us to do security clearance for her staff. Ambassador, these are agents Downs, Hotchner, and Mariano," he introduced the men on his team from left to right.

The ambassador moved out from behind Gilmore's desk and shook hands with each of the agents. "Pleasure to meet you," she declared politely.

"When do you want them Ambassador?" Gilmore asked with a sly grin.

"I can run them through the basics this evening and they can begin work tomorrow morning," she stated reasonably.

Gilmore nodded, "Sounds like a plan, gentlemen?"

"Yes sir, that sounds fine," Rayne answered for all three of them.

"Okay, Ambassador Prentiss' house at eight o'clock."

--

Rayne parked the FBI SUV on the street and him, Blake, and Aaron got out of the vehicle and stared at the enormous, ivory house located in the richest section of Washington, D.C. "Whoa, now that is a house," Rayne laughed.

Blake nodded in agreement as they walked towards the gate. He pressed the button on the intercom and stumbled a greeting, "Umm…hi…we're with the FBI…"

There was no verbal response but the gates in front of them opened and they began to walk up the long driveway. "They have a fountain in their front yard," Rayne stated in astonishment. He and Blake were both lower middle class boys from the South so the wealth that the Prentiss family possessed amazed them, even Aaron had to admit that it was impressive.

Blake stepped forward and rang the doorbell and they were quickly met by a butler. "Come in gentlemen," he said as he pulled the door open and allowed them to enter the house, which was even more striking on the inside.

They anxiously waited in the foyer for the ambassador. She came down the large staircase and greeted them pleasantly. "Good evening, you can follow me up to the office." The three, young FBI agents did as they were told and began to climb the stairs. They followed the ambassador down a long hallway with many doors on both sides until she turned the knob on the last door on the left. They walked into the large, elegant, professional office and moved towards the desk. The ambassador picked up a file folder and passed it to Aaron. "That's a list of my staff and their résumés. Feel free to roam the house while you're here."

"Thank you Ambassador," Rayne said politely. Gilmore always joked that he had the best mannered unit in the FBI.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in," the ambassador called out.

The FBI agents turned to see a tall, lanky, handsome man, probably not much younger than Aaron enter the room. Since it was summer, he was wearing a pair of shorts and a polo shirt. "Mother, father's on the phone."

"Okay tell him that I'll be there in a second. Charles these are agents Hotchner, Downs, and Mariano. This is my son, Charles," she introduced them with a smile.

"Nice to meet you," the young man shook hands with each of the agents and they could tell that he had learned common courtesy from his mother. "I'll tell father to hold on," he said before he left the office.

"He just finished his MBA at Georgetown," she told them proudly before changing the topic. "I should probably go talk to my husband; he and my daughter are coming home tomorrow." She began to walk out of her office but turned around before she reached the door. "Is 10 o'clock tomorrow morning fine gentlemen?"

They nodded and Aaron spoke for the first time. "Yes, that will be fine Ambassador."

A/N: Please review and tell me what you think! I don't think that anyone has written this idea before so feedback is encouraged! :)