Hotchner POV

I'm sitting at my new desk in the open-plan office of the BAU working on a file. I have only just been placed on this team after I finished Academy a week ago.

Suddenly, Rossi comes rushing out of the Boardroom with a woman I have never seen before in my life. The woman looks to be in her mid-forties with raven-colored hair. She seems to be trying to keep her calm about something, but I see tears streaming down her face. Rossi, on the other hand, looks totally concerned. That's when I know something isn't right.

"Everyone in the Boardroom now!" Rossi yells, gaining the attention of Morgan, Gideon, Reid, JJ, and Greenaway. He starts walking back into the Boardroom, shouting over his shoulder, "And someone go get Garcia!"

The woman takes a few moments to glance around the room, and her eyes lock on mine for a fraction of a second before she follows Rossi back into the Boardroom with her head hung low in sorrow.

"I'll go get baby girl," Morgan calls out to no one in particular as he walks out the glass doors.

Elle taps my shoulder and asks, "What do you suppose this is about?"

I shake my head in bewilderment. "Whatever it is, it's sure to be important."

Reid pops up beside us just then. "I could be wrong, but I think that woman who was with Rossi just now is Ambassador Elizabeth Prentiss."

I wrack my brain for any information I might have on the woman, but I come up empty.

"Boy genius thinks he could be wrong? Never," Morgan says, coming up behind us with Garcia in tow.

"Come on, guys," JJ says from the catwalk. "This case is going to be a doozy, and Rossi is already losing his cool over it. I would get in here quickly if I were you all."

The group of us all crowd into the Boardroom and take seats around the oval table that takes up the majority of the room. I end up sandwiched between Reid and Morgan.

Once we're all seated, Rossi begins the meeting. "Everyone, this is Ambassador Prentiss. Her sixteen-year-old daughter, Emily Prentiss, disappeared early this morning, and the Ambassador received a ransom call an hour ago."

He presses a button on his computer, and a raspy voice says, "If you want your daughter back alive, give me $500,000. You have until sunset tonight to come up with the money. I will contact you today at fourteen-hundred hours to discuss the details of the transaction." Rossi stops the recording then. In the background of the phone call, you can just make out the whimpers and cries of the girl. My heart breaks as I hear her try to scream for help.

"We have an hour and two minutes until the ransomers call the Ambassador," Gideon states calmly.

"How long do we have until sunset?" Morgan asks, looking to Garcia.

"Garcia?" Rossi asks, turning to the computer analyst.

Garcia quickly types something into her laptop. Her eyes instantly go wide when she finds what she was looking for. "Less than six hours, sir."

"Shit," I mumble. "I'm assuming this is a political ransom?"

Gideon rolls his eyes. "You'll have to excuse Agent Hotchner; this is his first week on the job."

Morgan leans towards me and whispers, "Insulted by one of our bosses on your first case. You're already ahead of schedule. They must really like you."

I push him away by his shoulder. "Shut up."

"We don't have much time. We need to be smart and quick about this; a young girl's life is at stake," Rossi tersely reminds us, glaring at me and Morgan.

"Please," the Ambassador says, her voice raw and broken, "save my daughter. She's all I have." My heart breaks for the woman, and I find myself hoping against hope that we will find her daughter in time to save her life.

JJ leads the Ambassador out of the room and, presumably, to her office.

"Who wants to kick off our Profile?" Gideon asks the now silent Boardroom.

Elle's the first to speak up. "He didn't tell the Ambassador to not involve the FBI. Since she works for the government, he would be aware of the fact that her case would take first priority."

"What if he wanted her to get us involved?"

"Can you elaborate on that, Reid?"

Spencer sits up in his seat. "What if he wants our attention?"

Gideon thinks about it for a moment. "It's a good theory, but do we have anything to back it up with?"

Reid bites his lip. "Not really, no."

Rossi nods. "We'll keep that as a possibility, but what are some other theories?"

Half an hour later, JJ and Ambassador Prentiss make their way back into the Boardroom in anticipation for the ransom call. Rossi and Gideon prepare her for the phone call.

Right on time, we get the call from Emily's captor. Rossi waits as it rings a few times before he answers it. He puts it on speaker and allows the Ambassador to speak. "Is my daughter okay?"

The man gives a horrifying chuckle. "Straight to the point, Ambassador Prentiss. Why am I not surprised?"

"Tell me if Emily is alright," Ambassador Prentiss demands.

"Not until we get our business out of the way, Ambassador."

The Ambassador sucks in a breath to try to calm herself. "Fine. How are we going to make our trade?"

"You will wire me the money, and after that is complete, I will return your daughter."

The Ambassador shakes her head. "That's not how this is going to work."

"Oh, but it is, Ambassador. I'm holding all the cards. Which means that you can only bluff at this moment."

Rossi mutes the phone before the Ambassador can say something to mess everything up. "With all due respect, Ambassador, but if you want your daughter back alive, you're going to have to play his game for the time being." She nods, and he unmutes the phone.

"Okay. Tell me how to transfer the money, and I promise I will get it to you before sunset."

"Good. You will wire it to this account," he rattles off the account number and how to access it. Garcia types it down as it's being told to us.

"Can I speak to my daughter now?"

"Yes." There's movement on his end, and then I can make out Emily hoarsely yelling something at him. "Go on, talk to your mother. Tell her how you're feeling," he says, his voice is faint.

Emily POV

The sedative my captor forced me to take puts a heavy fog over me. It's not enough to slur my speech or slow my thoughts, but it is enough to restrict my movements. There's no way I will be strong enough to escape while it's in my system; I suppose that's why he has given it to me.

The room I'm in is cramped, dark, cold, and damp. The only thing in the room is a small, metal-framed bed that I'm chained to and sitting on. The mattress is so thin that I can feel the springs of the frame under my body. The door is about five feet away from me and is open, just as it has been since I woke up a few hours ago.

I see my captor enter the room, and I instantly inch back into the wall as far as I can. "Stay away from me!" I shout as best I can through the sedative.

He only laughs at my weak protest. He holds something out to me, but I eye it warily. "Go on, talk to your mother. Tell her how you're feeling," he growls.

My heart skips a beat at the mention of my mother. It's true that my mother and I have never gotten along well, but right now she's the only person in the entire world that I want to see. "Mom. I want you to know that I'm okay." A tear escapes my eye as I try to stay strong for her. I even out my breathing before I say, "I can't wait to dance with you at the gala in Moscow again like we did last year." I hope she understands the clue I've given her.

I hear her inhale a shuddering breath. "I promise we will dance again once I have you back in my arms. Stay strong, baby. I love you so much."

My captor hangs up the phone then.

"When the authorities capture you, you're going to pay for what you have done to me."

He leans in and places his lips to my ear. I shudder at the feeling. He whispers, "I would like to see them try."

Hotchner POV

"Garcia," Rossi says after the man has hung up the call, "how's the trace coming on the call and the account?"

Garcia continues to type on her laptop as she says, "The phone call came from a disposable phone, rendering it unable to be traced. The account, however, is a different story. It's odd that someone smart enough to use a disposable phone would be dumb enough to allow an account to be traceable."

"Don't leave us hanging, baby girl."

"The account can be traced right here to D.C. It was last accessed at this location." She writes it down on a slip of paper and hands it over to Rossi.

"We have to get moving. Now," Rossi commands, sprinting across the catwalk to grab his ready-bag.

Everyone follows after him to grab their things, but before I get the chance to leave the room, Ambassador Prentiss grabs my arm with a death grip. I turn to face her. "Bring my baby back home to me safely. Please," she begs.

I place my hand over hers. "I will do everything in my power to return your daughter unharmed."

She lets go of my arm with a nod of her head.

"How the fuck could we have gotten the wrong person?!" Rossi roars, slamming his hands onto the steering wheel.

"Turns out he was smart enough to conceal his account," Garcia muses from over the phone.

"No shit, Sherlock," Elle grumbles.

"We need to pull ourselves together in order to find Emily," JJ states. "Garcia, have you found anything else on our captor?"

"Notta," she says sadly.

"Wait a second!" Ambassador Prentiss exclaims, ecstatic about something. "She mentioned the Moscow gala during the phone call!"

JJ makes a face from beside me. "Why is that of importance?"

Ambassador Prentiss huffs out a frustrated sigh. "There was a man there who kept trying to converse with us. He said his name was Jonathan Blakely. Eventually, when Emily and I ran out of excuses to get away from him, we made our way to the dancefloor and danced with each other for the rest of the night to get away from him."

"What was he trying to talk to you about?" Reid questions.

"He was hitting on Emily, and we both found it extremely creepy seeing as he was at least ten years older than her."

"Garcia?" Rossi questions.

"Already on it, and, oh, what would you know? Our friend lives just three blocks from where you are currently."

"Send us the address."

"Just did!"

"Get my baby home safely!" With that, the line goes dead.

We make it to the house in record time. House doesn't even begin to describe his residence. It's more of a mansion than anything.

It is decided that once we infiltrate the house, we will all split up to look for Emily and her captor.

"Be as quiet as possible. On my count," Rossi announces. "Three, two, one!" We all barge into the house at once as silently as we can.

I sprint down a random hallway and end up finding a stairwell to what I assume is the basement. I track down the stairs as quietly as possible. If Emily's captor is down here, I want the element of surprise on my side. I look through every room I come across to see if Emily or her captor are in them.

Finally, I come to an open door. I press my back against the wall with my gun extended in front of me. I step in quickly, and the sight that meets me is a welcome one. Emily is lying on her side, looking at the wall opposite of me, with her left hand chained to the metal bed frame.

I clear the room quickly before I dare to speak to her. "Emily?" She startles and turns to face me, her eyes wide with fear. I rush over to try to help her out of her chain, but she resists. "I'm Agent Hotchner with the FBI. I'm here to help you."

"You have to get out of here," she whispers fearfully. She looks up suddenly when something behind my back catches her eyes. "He's right behind you."

Before I can even turn around, the man in question hits me on the back of my head with something that shatters when it makes contact with my skull.

When I come to a few minutes later, my head is throbbing. I see that Emily now has a gag in her mouth, and she's collapsed on the ground, straining against the chain on her wrist so that she can try to get to me. She tries to shout, but it only comes out as a mumble because of the gag in her mouth. When she notices that I'm awake, she starts trying harder to break away from her restraints.

"Agent Hotchner," a gravelly voice growls from above me. "I'm glad to see that you're awake. Now tell me, are you here alone?"

I turn to look at the man speaking to me, the movement blinding me with pain for a second. Once the pain clears, I see that he's pointing my gun at me. He must have taken it from me when I was unconscious. I knew I should have brought my back up, but I have the feeling that even if I had, he would have found it.

"Yes. I'm here alone."

He gives me a condescending smirk. "Good. That's what I wanted to hear. Stand up and don't try anything funny." He cocks the gun to make his point.

From behind me, Emily starts to thrash even harder. I place my hand out to signal her to calm down, but she ignores it. I stand up as slowly as I can, the pain easing as I continue to move. Once I'm fully up, I hold my hands up in surrender.

"Let the girl go and I'm all yours."

I hear Emily try to scream through her gag.

"You are a funny man, Agent Hotchner," the man says, completely ignoring Emily.

When I'm certain that the man won't have a chance to shoot me or Emily, I kick his legs from under him and climb over him to pin his arms down. I'm quick to hit the gun away when he starts fighting back. The gun lands somewhere near the bed frame that Emily is sitting next to, but I pay no mind to where it lands as I try my hardest to incapacitate the man.

"Hotch!" Morgan yells from somewhere upstairs, and it momentarily distracts me. However, it's enough time for the man to flip our bodies over so that he's pinning me down.

After a few straight seconds of him punching me, a gunshot rings out across the room. The bullet hits the man right between the eyes, killing him instantly. I look up to the doorway to see which of my colleagues fired the shot, but I see no one standing there. I furrow my eyebrows, and that's when I hear a thud against the floor and the whimper coming from the girl behind me.

Emily POV

Agent Hotchner's gun comes flying towards me when they collapse, fighting, to the floor. Someone from upstairs calls the Agent's name, distracting him for only a fraction of a second, but it's enough time for Jonathan to overpower him. I scream against the gag in fear. That's when I suddenly remember Agent Hotchner's gun at the foot of the bed. With shaking hands, I pick up the gun, aim it at Jonathan, and pull the trigger. I'm surprised when the bullet hits him right between the eyes. After a few seconds, what just happened sets in, and I drop the gun with a thud onto the ground, whimpering against the gag in my mouth.

Agent Hotchner stands up quickly and rushes over to me. I flinch when his hands make contact with my skin because of how icy they feel. He makes quick work of removing the gag from my mouth before he starts working on the chain binding my arm to the bed frame. I sit there, completely frozen, as I think about how I just shot a man.

"Is he dead?" Even though I know the answer, I still need the confirmation.

He looks up into my eyes, nodding the confirmation I need, and starts working on trying to unlock the chain.

"I killed someone."

"He took you captive," he says, his voice as cold as his hands. "Damn. Do you know where the key is to this?"

"Around his neck."

Hotchner POV

I stand up and grab the key from around the man's neck. When I walk back to Emily, I see tears streaming down her cheeks. Gently, I pick up her hand in my own and unlock the chain from around her wrist.

"I killed someone," she says, almost in disbelief.

I take both of her hands in my own. "You did what you had to do. Do you think you can walk?" I speak to her as gently as I can.

She nods and tries to stand, but her legs immediately buckle. Luckily, I catch her before she hits the floor and I pick her up bridal style. Her arms wrap around my neck instinctively, and I find it distracting for a moment before I remember what just happened. Once we're out of the room, I shout, "I've found her!"

Rossi yells something back, but I don't quite catch what it is.

I rush up the stairs with her still in my arms. The whole team is there to greet us at the top of the staircase. Elle and JJ both reach out to take her from my arms, but Emily grips onto me tighter, burying her head into the crook of my neck. The two women both start fussing over Emily when they see that she's holding onto me with a death grip. Elle goes to brush Emily's hair with her fingers while JJ rubs her back and whispers reassurances in her ear.

"Don't let go of me," she whispers into my neck.

"I won't," I promise her.

Gideon puts his hand on my back and guides us all to the front of the house.

"Where's Blakely?" Rossi asks in a hushed tone.

Before I even get the chance to answer, Emily says, "I shot him."

They all stare down at the fragile little thing in my arms with a mixture of awe, confusion, and astoundment.

Gideon is the first to speak up. "Take her to the hospital and stay with her. We will meet you there soon."

I nod to him and make my way out of the house to one of the FBI SUVs out front. With Emily still in my arms, I open the door to the backseat and gingerly lay her down on the seat. I close the door and walk around to the driver's seat of the vehicle.

"Agent Hotchner?" Emily whispers from the backseat.

I turn around to face her. "My name is Aaron, Emily," I say in a hushed tone.

"Aaron?"

"Yes?"

"Can you promise me something?"

"I will if I can." I pray to God that I can.

She sucks in a deep breath as a tear tracks its way down her cheek. I reach over and wipe it away. "Will you promise me that you won't let anyone tell or show my mom what happened while I was held captive? She's not as strong as she seems, and I need to protect her."

My heart all but rips in two for the brave girl in front of me. "I promise, Emily."

She holds out her pinky. I don't hesitate to link it with my own.

"Thank you," she says.

She lays down across the seat, and I watch her for a few minutes before I hear her snoring softly. I then turn and start the car to make our journey to the nearest hospital.

When we reach the hospital, I walk around the vehicle and gingerly rouse Emily from her sleep before I pick her up. She once again wraps her arms around my neck and places her head on my shoulder.

"Where are we?" She groggily mumbles, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"At the hospital," I say as we enter the building. I walk up to the man at the front desk. "I'm Agent Aaron Hotchner with the FBI. I need someone to evaluate her. I already know she has a sedative in her system."

The man all but rolls his eyes at me. "I'm sorry, Agent Hotchner, but you will have to wait for someone to become available," he says, rather cheekily.

I give him a cocky smirk. "Oh, and did I mention that she's an ambassador's daughter?"

The man's eyes widen. "My apologies, sir and madam." He starts grabbing papers around his desk before he stands up to guide us to where Emily will be rooming. I put Emily down on the bed and cover her with the blankets. She smiles her appreciation.

"Again, my apologies. I will have someone come up here right away, sir," the man nods before making his way out of the room.

I'm about to make my exit, but a faint voice calling my name stops me in my tracks. I turn to face her, only to see that her eyes are pleading. "Please don't leave me, Aaron. I don't want to be alone. That's how we ended up here in the first place."

I nod and track across the room to sit on the chair that is beside her bed. After a moment of hesitation, she reaches over and grabs my hand and links it with her own. She looks up to judge my reaction. To be honest, at first I don't know how to react, but once it sinks in what she has done, I lift her hand to my lips and place a lingering kiss on the back of her hand. When I lower our hands so that they're resting on the side of her bed, I notice a slight blush coloring her cheeks.

"You are safe now, Emily. I promise," I whisper to her, trying my hardest to reassure her.

She looks away from me and towards the door. "I know. I just don't want to lose anymore."

I furrow my eyebrows at her statement. "What do you mean?"

She inhales a shuddering breath but doesn't turn back around to face me. "More people have cared for me today than in my whole life because of this. I don't want to lose the people who care for me just because they're only there for me when I'm in peril."

I give her hand a tight squeeze. "You will never, ever, ever lose me, Emily," I say so quietly that I don't think she even hears me at first.

She shakes her head. "You can't know that for sure, Aaron. Everyone who has ever promised me that has broken it."

I grab her chin and turn her head so that's she's facing me. "I, Aaron Hotchner, promise that you will never lose me, Emily Prentiss," I vow, staring her in the eyes the entire time.

Half an hour later, Emily is peacefully asleep and I'm playing tetris on my phone. Our still-linked hands are resting on the sheets beside her face. Every few minutes I hear her let out a snore, and I smile every time.

The door suddenly springs open, and I'm quick to pull my hand away from Emily's, thankful that the bed is between me and the door. She stirs slightly but stays asleep. Rossi and Ambassador Prentiss enter the room.

Ambassador Prentiss immediately rushes to Emily's side and places her hand on her daughter's back. "Hi, sweetie," she whispers.

Rossi stays in the doorway and motions for me to join him in the hallway. I get up from where I'm sitting and walk over to where Rossi is waiting. I turn around just before I close the door to see Emily embracing her mother. She catches my eyes on her and offers me a shy smile. I return her smile before I close the door and walk into the hallway.

Rossi starts walking down the hallway, and I follow him to the waiting room, sitting down on one of the uncomfortable chairs. Rossi sits down next to me. Something about his demeanor and facial expression makes me uneasy.

"What's going on with you and Emily?" He asks, completely taking me by surprise.

"What are you talking about?"

"Damn it, Hotchner. I saw the way the two of you were acting with the other. And don't try to reverse psychology your way out of this."

I stare at him, agape, at what he's insinuating. "Rossi, she just got kidnapped and held for ransom. It's only natural for her to feel a connection to the person who rescued her, who just so happened to be me."

"And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Why are you treating her the way that you are?"

"Because she needs someone to lean on. I don't want to abandon her!" I raise my voice at him.

"She has someone to lean on. That person is her mother!" He yells at me, earning glares from the rest of the people in the waiting room.

"She needs a friend!"

He takes a deep breath. "Do you remember when you were in Academy and you were told that it's against the Agency's rules to get romantically involved with a victim."

I bug my eyes out at him. "I'm not getting roman-"

"You're lying to both of us by saying that. Look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't have anything but platonic feelings for Emily Prentiss."

I look him in the eyes and say just that, my voice unwavering.

"That's a load," he scoffs.

The elevator's bell dings just then, and I hear Elle ask, "Are we interrupting something?"

"No," Rossi and I both say in unison.

"Okay then," JJ says slowly, furrowing her eyebrows.

"We just wanted to let you both know that we got the scene cleaned up. Now all that's left to do is interview the victim," Gideon says with his usual calm demeanor.

"Her name is Emily," I state harshly.

"What her name is doesn't change the fact that she's our victim, Agent Hotchner," Rossi spits.

The team looks at each other trying to gage what's going on between Rossi and I.

Gideon is the only one brave enough to speak. "I think Hotch should conduct the interview. It's clear that our vic- Emily has formed an emotional bond with him."

Rossi shakes his head. "I will conduct the interview with her," and since he's our first in command, no one argues with him.

Emily POV

A man enters the room. He pulls the only chair in the room beside my bed and sits down on it.

"Hello, Emily. I'm Agent David Rossi with the FBI." He offers his hand to me, but I remain motionless. After a moment, he puts his hand down in his lap with his other. "I want to perform a Cognitive Interview on you. Is that alright?"

I stare at him but don't answer.

After a few more beats, he asks again if it's alright with me. I don't answer.

He asks a third time, frustrated with how I'm ignoring the question.

I look up toward the window on the door when I see movement. Outside the door, I see Aaron watching Rossi and me. When he notices that I've seen him, he gives me an encouraging nod.

I turn back to look at Rossi and say, "I will only talk to Agent Hotchner."

His expression morphs into anger, but he quickly schools his features into an unreadable expression and turns to look toward the door where Aaron is still standing, watching. Rossi gets up and walks over to the door in complete silence.

Hotchner POV

I stand outside the door, watching through the sliver of a window on the door as Rossi approaches Emily. He pulls the chair beside her bed and sits down on it. He holds his hand out to her as he introduces himself, but she doesn't take it. He retracts it after a few beats. He asks something, but Emily stays silent.

He repeats himself, but again, Emily stays absolutely quiet.

He asks a third time, clearly frustrated.

Emily looks up and catches my eyes in the window. I nod to her to answer Rossi's question. She looks back to Rossi and says something to him. Rossi turns around to look at me with an unreadable expression. He walks out the door without saying another word to Emily.

He gives me a hard look before he says, "She wants you to conduct the interview."

I raise my eyebrows at him. "And you're allowing me to?" I ask in disbelief.

"She said she will only speak to you, so yes. I am letting you do the interview." He grabs my arm so that I listen to what he says next. "Be professional, and don't screw up."

I nod at him before I enter the room. Emily is quick to smile when she sees me walking in.

"Aaron." She smiles brightly at me.

I don't return her gesture, remembering what Rossi just told me. I turn my eyes downcast so I don't have to look at the expression on her face.

"I'm going to ask you some questions, Ms. Prentiss. Is that alright?" I look up just in time to catch the glimmer of confusion flash in her eyes before she schools her features.

"Yes, that's fine, Aar- Agent Hotchner."

It takes every ounce of self-control I have to not react to her addressing me formally. I clear my throat to focus on the task at hand. I launch into the Cognitive Interview, and soon enough, I forget the awkwardness that has transpired between us.

"I have to ask you something else, and I need you to be one-hundred-percent honest with me. Do you understand?"

She looks down at her hands in her lap. "You're going to ask me if he raped me, aren't you?"

I take her hand in my own. She stares at it a moment before she yanks it away.

"I need to know, Emily," I whisper.

"He did. He raped me," she says, almost shamefully.

Hey everyone! This is my first fic for Criminal Minds, and I would love to hear any feedback you have for me! I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! I have no idea how often I will update, but I will try my hardest to get chapters out as soon as I can! Also, I don't own any part of Criminal Minds. Thanks so much for reading!