Title: The things we have to do
Author: Stacy L.A. Stronach
Pairing: gen
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Rating: PG-13
Note: This is my explanation for why Hotch seemed so...eager to include Prentiss in the last ep. It's all about politics, my friends. ETA: Dialogue between Hotch and Prentiss lifted from the show. If it wasn't obvious.
Summary: Hotch deals with politics.

***

Franklin D. Roosevelt once said: "In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way."

 

Aaron Hotchner is sitting alone at the front of the plane, making notes and reviewing his files from the last case. Unlike his teammates, he's unable to sleep tonight. When his phone rings, he's surprised but answers it quickly. Looking at the display, he sees Executive Assistant Director McGuire's office number on his phone. "Hotchner."

"Aaron, this is Ken McGuire. I understand you've closed another case successfully?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good, good. Look, I need to speak to you about Emily."

"Emily?"

"Yes, yes, Emily Prentiss, the new agent I assigned to your team. You told her there'd been a mistake?"

Hotch feels his stomach drop. "Yes, sir. I received no paperwork about it, nor was there any interview--"

"I know. It's a little...unusual," McGuire says. "However, she's qualified and, as I said, I assigned her to your team."

"With all due respect, sir, it's outside of standard procedure. At the least, Gideon and I should have been given the courtesy of interviewing her. Besides, there are several other agents who were on the list ahead--"

"Don't worry, Aaron, those agents will get their chance." McGuire pauses for a moment. "I wouldn't have assigned her if she wasn't completely qualified."

"Of course not, sir. However, I do have to protest--"

"Aaron, Aaron. You're a company man, aren't you? You want to move up through the ranks...maybe even be an EAD or the Director someday; you've got the potential."

"Yes, sir."

"Good, good, then you'll understand that sometimes...backs have to be scratched? Favours given and received. It's all a part of the job," McGuire says.

Hotch closes his eyes for a moment. He hates the politics but knows it is a part of job and that the higher you go on the food chain of management, the more there is. "Yes, sir."

"Then I assume that we understand one another on this issue? Emily Prentiss is the newest member of your team."

"Yes, sir. We do understand one another."

"That's great, Aaron. I'll give Emily your copy of the paperwork to pass on to you. Keep up the good work," McGuire says before hanging up.

"Yes, sir!" Hotch says to the dial tone. He sighs as he closes his phone. Gideon isn't going to like this anymore than he does, however, there's nothing they can do. He'll accept Prentiss and he knows the rest of the team will follow his lead...eventually.

Quantico
2 hours later

When he walks into his office, Hotch isn't surprised to see Prentiss sitting there. "Please tell me you haven't been there for the last four days?"

Prentiss simpers at him. "I heard you were flying back tonight."

Hotch looks at her with surprise."Heard? How...how could you have heard a thing like that."

She doesn't answer, just hands him the file McGuire promised him. "This was dropped off today."

"I appreciate your interest, agent, but profiling is a speciality, we can't let just anyone who wants to, give it a whirl," he says, tired and not really wanting to deal with this tonight.

She launches into some case from the mid-west and because he is, at heart, a company man, he listens to her. He asks some simple questions and from her replies, it's obvious she's not particularly brilliant or even insightful...but he's been given no choice. He finally tells her to check with Property Services and they'll assign her a desk, mostly to get her to shut up. She makes him think of that dog from the Looney Tunes cartoons, Charlie, no, Chester, that's it, Chester the Terrier, who was always bouncing around Spike the Bulldog like a kid hopped up on sugar, asking, "Can we, Spike? Huh, huh, can we?" He finds it incredibly tiring and annoying, Hotch just wants her to leave.

He watches through the window after Prentiss leaves his office and he can't help but think that this whole fiasco will rip his team, one of the best teams he's ever had, apart. People should be advanced based on merit, not on a family name. Sitting down behind his desk, he sighs as he looks in his drawer for some Ibuprofen—he can feel the headache starting already. And he still hasn't talked to Gideon about this.

***