Cruel - Criminal minds enemies to lovers

The start of a big mistake

"Hotch, this is a bad idea" the lanky, floppy haired agent known as 'Reid' followed his boss through the dimly lit prison that he desperately wished he didn't have to be in.

It was safe to say it was grim surroundings; a dark place full of no light in any sense of the word- a perfect setting for the criminals stuck in there like diseased flies in a web of their own creation.

But Reid didn't feel as safe as he should in the high security prison, not with the imminent doom that was bound to come after each step he took down the hall with his co-workers.

"It's the only option we have left" the stern boss, known globally as Aaron 'Hotch' Hotchner from his stellar reputation, with as much of an expression reflected only in the cold concrete around them spoke as the three men approached the door, their shoes eerily clanking on the floor that alerted their presence into the silence, and although they weren't sneaking anywhere, Reid walked as lightly as possible to avoid that inevitable noise.

"We can't just let her out Hotch- it took the FBI over 2 years to track her down, what if she escapes? She's a literal murderer, not some sort of teammate" the man on the other side of his boss barked; Derek Morgan, the tallest of the three, spoke with no attempt to hide that the only reason he was walking into this prison was the fact he was still trying to talk Hotch out of going through with his plans.

"We always say that unsubs make the best profilers, she may be a psychopathic killer but she is proof of that theory down to a t- and she is our last resort, we have no choice, trust me" Hotch sighed before they came to a halt at the prison door that opened with a buzz  to reveal the very person they were talking about; the biggest threat to the FBI, the person who had tried to murder every single member of his team- and now, their only hope.

"Hello again boys" the surprisingly overly relaxed red haired woman smiled from the other side of the metal desk she was chained to, making Reid frown as she winked at him with the same level of cocky casualness that she had always had in the brief moments she had physically met the team, all of which ended with said casual cockiness laughing through an escape- well, all bar  one that led her into these shackles she seemed unbothered by.

"Glad the black eye has healed sweetheart; I was afraid I damaged your pretty little face forever" the woman teased, referring to the time they tried to catch her after a raid that ended with Reid beaten up with a polaroid of her stuck to his head just to taunt him.

"Good afternoon Miss Adams" a smartly suited Hotch nodded reluctantly, not liking this anymore than the others sat beside him.

"Oh please, my darlings, I think we're all close enough now to go by a first name basis" she winked, her gaze lingering on Hotch longer than the others with a wickedly smug smirk as he spoke her name that somehow still sent chills down Reid's spine every time he heard it.

Athena.

Athena Adams was the most dangerous type of unsub that the Profiling group in the FBI had dealt with.

She was smart; smart enough to not seem like a threat at first or even second glance.

The team realised all too late that she had all the skills to be a expert level profiler, and she absolutely used that against them when they were asked to track her down from the higher ups in the FBI- a big mistake on their part, a bigger mistake when they underestimated her the first time... something they would learn only fuelled someone like Athena more.

"Thank you for agreeing to talk to us Miss Adams" Hotch deliberately ignored her first name request, sitting opposite the young woman who shrugged in response with the ease of a person without a care in the world, not one serving five life sentences.