Emily Prentiss One-Shots

Emily/Hotch

Title: The Set Up - prentissinred (AO3)

Summary: Aaron and Emily reluctantly agree to be set up on blind dates.

Rating: Teens and Up 

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"Emily. Explain something to me." JJ grasped her hand across the hightop table, the ends of her words slurring together just enough that Emily made a note to cut her friend off soon. "You haven't been on a date since you slept with Mick Rawson, what, four months ago? Why are you so opposed to me setting you up with someone?"

"Because I'm fine, JJ! You know how insane things have been at work. I have no desire to bring a man into my life right now."

It was a half-truth, the reality a slightly more complicated answer that Emily would never admit to.

"Anyway, my vibrator and I are getting along just fine, thank you," Emily waved away JJ's objection before she could voice it, ignoring the pointed look shot her way by the couple at the next table.

"It's just a date. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Who's going on a date?" Penelope approached the table with a fresh round of drinks.

"Emily. If she decides to stop being so stubborn, I want to set her up with a friend of mine."

"Oh!" Pen's eyes went wide. "Do it, Em. Do it!"

"Pen—"

"You have two friends in committed relationships. Do this for us. We need it." Penelope pulled Emily's remaining free hand towards her, Emily now literally stretched between her two closest friends.

"You guys are the worst, you know that?"

"On the contrary, we are fantastic friends who just want to help our brilliant, gorgeous, available friend get laid."

Emily bent her head to sip her drink, knowing from experience that once these two women latched onto something, resistance was almost always futile. As if she could sense that Emily's resolve was beginning to crumble, JJ began prodding Emily incessantly on her arm.

"Give in, Emily. You know I'm not going to let this go."

After another ten seconds of persistent poking, Emily groaned, resigning herself to her friend's enthusiasm. "Fine. FINE. Thursday night, okay?"

Penelope and JJ grinned at each other across the table in sadistic victory, finally giving Emily full agency of her hands once more.

"Am I allowed to know anything about him, at least?"

"Nope," JJ replied, popping her lips on the p . "I'm not letting you stalk him online and come up with an excuse to get out of this."

Emily unleashed her most draconian stare but it went ignored as the other two women clinked their glasses.

The night ended a few hours later with Emily and Penelope escorting a swaying JJ home and depositing her into Will's amused arms.

Back in the safety of her own bed, Emily stared at the ceiling and felt an unpleasant churn that had nothing to do with the alcohol slowly fading from her system until, at last, she turned over into a restless sleep.

Emily hefted her duffel bag into her arms, huffing as she attempted to use her free hand to turn the key to her room. Earlier that night, when Emily found Penelope in the sitting room of their hotel — or more accurately, the sole inn in this microscopic Alaskan town — she was informed the team had already sorted themselves into pairs for the available rooms. Dave had, of course, latched onto the only single bed available. Derek and Penelope claimed the one room on the ground floor, while the remaining girls, and Aaron and Spencer, had neighboring rooms upstairs.