PROLOGUE

Emily Prentiss stared at the teenage girl sitting on the back of the ambulance, a blanket around her shoulders, talking to Derek about what she'd been through.

They'd been on the case for a week now, trying to figure out who was abducting teenage girls who had moved from foster home to foster home. The unsub killed their current foster parents, kept them for twenty-four hours, then brutally murdered them. Finally, after six girls had been killed and a seventh abducted, the team had caught a break. Their profile had flagged someone and they'd manage to arrest him and save the seventh victim, Stella Weir, a seventeen year old who had been in five foster homes in the year since her parents had died in a car wreck.

"She'll be okay," Hotch remarked quietly to Emily, coming to stand by her side.

Emily shook her head. "She's had a hard life since her parents died. Never knowing if you're going to like your new family—it must be hard. I don't think I could do that."

"She's a strong girl," Aaron assured her. "She'll be fine."

"Hotch, this case has me thinking…" Emily began.

"Go on," Hotch told her, vaguely wondering if what he was anticipating her to say was about to come.

"I've always wanted to be a mother, but I don't have time to have a baby right now—not with this job. But a teenager—I could take care of a teenager. I'd like to adopt this girl, Hotch."

"Emily, you barely know anything about her!" Hotch exclaimed. "This is a huge responsibility you're talking abo—"

Prentiss' eyes grew angry. "I'm not a child myself, Hotch! I know what I'm asking and I know what comes with it! I'm not married so obviously I'm not going to have kids that way!" With that, she turned and strode away from her Boss.

Hotch had thought over Emily's words carefully. Of course he was being insensitive. He had a son whom he valued more than anything. Without Jack, some of the cases the team worked would be absolutely unbearable. Now, Emily was asking to adopt a teenage girl in need of a loving family—not another foster family who might send her on in a few weeks. He was denying both parties.

He spoke to the local Child Services first and the woman in charge thought that the idea was brilliant. It would get Stella away from the place where she'd had such a traumatic experience as well as placing her with someone who would understand what she'd been through. Hotch had run the idea by Stella, who seemed compliant enough with the idea of being adopted by the kind, gentle brunette FBI Agent. The truth was, she wasn't sure exactly what she wanted, except that she needed to get away from this town and what had happened to her.

Finally, Hotch went to Emily. She was still mad at him, even though she was trying desperately to pretend that she wasn't.

"I arranged everything, if you're still game," he told her quietly.

Emily stared at him in disbelief. "Are you serious? I thought you didn't like the idea."

Hotch shook his head regretfully and took one of her hands in his. "I'm sorry for everything I said. I didn't it through. I guess…I was just so surprised. But the idea of you, as a mother, is…pleasant. You'll be great at it."

She looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you, Aaron. That means a lot to me." Very quickly, she kissed his cheek and then walked away, leaving him in shock at her gesture.