The Weight of a Section Chief (Criminal Minds, Prentiss)

[90percenthoneydew]

Hi! I’m new to the forum, so I figured I’d share some stories I’ve previously written for myself. I’m kinda nervous to post since I’ve never posted anything I’ve written before let alone a sneeze fic, so I’m starting with what I would consider a “safe” pick. This takes place sometime between Criminal Minds and Criminal Minds Evolution. Like I said, I’m really inexperienced, so feel free to give feedback. Okay, enough rambling, here we go.

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Emily let out a heavy sigh in response to the knock on her office door. She was a few days into a particularly annoying cold, and while she appreciated that her nose was no longer dripping constantly, the pounding pressure in her sinuses was almost worst. She would give anything to head home and go to sleep. However, being Section Chief came with a mountain of responsibilities and almost no sick leave, so she had no choice but to push her illness aside and keep working. She took a slow breath through her mouth, mentally preparing for the undoubtedly frustrating conversation she was about to have with the Deputy Director. 

“Come in,” she said firmly. She looked down and quietly cleared her throat in hopes of concealing some of the raspiness. 

“Rough morning?” 

Emily felt the tension leave her body at the sound of Rossi’s voice. She was relieved to have at least a few more minutes before having to face Deputy Director Bailey.  

“You have no idea,” she replied, sniffling wetly in a miserable attempt to be able to breath through her nose. She suddenly felt freezing and was unable to suppress the shiver that ran down her spine. 

Rossi studied her carefully. Surely he noticed the congestion in her voice, the exhaustion in her body, but he didn’t comment. Instead he came closer and leaned on her desk. 

“So, what is it this time?” 

“Piles of paperwork, as usual,” she replied with another sniff. Her nose was so congested, but she refused to use a tissue in front of the senior profiler. “And the Deputy Director will be here any minute to discuss the BAU’s budget.” 

“Ah,” he said with a knowing glint in his eyes, “you sure it has nothing to do with that cold you’re sporting?” 

She sighed and looked down at her desk. 

“Dave, I’m fine.” 

“I never said you weren’t,” he held his hands up defensively, “but you know it wouldn’t kill you to take a break once in awhile” 

“Actually, it would,” she paused to cough wetly into her elbow, “Bailey is constantly on my ass waiting for a mistake to be made. Any time I take off is a risk to my job and the BAU.” 

Suddenly, she felt an itch blossom in her nose and spread throughout her swollen sinuses. She quickly turned away from Rossi before losing complete control. 

“Hit'choo!! Hih-tschh!! Hihhih-tschiew!!”

The sneezes left her nose dripping, and she had no choice but to pluck a tissue from the box on her desk. She gently blew her nose, hyper aware that Rossi was still watching her. 

“Salud,” Rossi said with a concerned expression. 

“Sorry,” she mumbled, voice cracking slightly. “The point is I can’t afford to take time off. I can’t do that to you guys.” 

“Emily, you’ve got to stop worrying about the team so much,” Rossi said shaking his head. “Sure, we’re all in separate places and we don’t have as much flexibility, but we are doing fine.” 

“Things are changing every day. Entire units are being cu- uhh- uh’tchoo! k’ihshiew!” 

She paused for a moment to regain her composure. 

“Cut, excuse me. The BAU is my family, Dave. I just can’t risk it.” 

“But your health is something you can risk?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. 

Emily opened her mouth to reply but inhaled too harshly, causing the slight tickle that had been residing in her throat to become painful. She tried her best to suppress the coughs, but the tightness in her chest was too strong. She doubled over and remained that way for about a minute, congested coughs racking her body. She couldn’t seem to catch her breath, and her vision started to blur before she heard Rossi’s voice. 

“Emily? Emily, are you alright?” 

She felt his hand on her back and it grounded her back in reality. 

“I- I’m fine. I promise.”

He wordlessly handed her the water bottle on her desk. She sipped from it slowly, trying to regain control of her breathing. 

“Okay, here’s what’s gonna happen. After work you’re going to come over to my place. I’ll make Grandma Rossi’s famous chicken noodle soup, Krystall will brew you some tea, and we will watch movies and rest. Deal?” 

She contemplated the offer for a moment before being hit by the urge to sneeze. 

“Hit’ishh! Hih-tshiew!” 

“Okay, fine. Deal.” 

[Chanel_no5]

Ooh, I haven't watched Criminal Minds in YEARS, but I always loved the dynamic between Prentiss and Rossi! You capture it really well, and poor Emily would definitely try to toughen up and work through any illness. Great job!

And welcome to the forum!  

 

[ID2006]

Very nice. And your writing is excellent.

[Littlegaymess]

Yesss! I'm always here for criminal minds content! (especially emily)

[90percenthoneydew]

@Littlegaymess you are in the right place then my friend. I am so in love with Paget Brewster that I have to remind myself to write other characters. I will definitely be posting plenty more Emily. 

[MIN]

Ohh my goodness I can't believe I'm just finding this now! I'm always on the look out for Blake and Prentiss, but there seems such a shortage of Emily in comparison! Adore your writing style and you've captured Emily and Rossi's dynamic so well! Hope to see more of your writing should you decide to post more, realise I'm a little late to the party, but welcome in 😄

[90percenthoneydew]

On 7/13/2023 at 1:20 PM, MIN said:

Ohh my goodness I can't believe I'm just finding this now! I'm always on the look out for Blake and Prentiss, but there seems such a shortage of Emily in comparison! Adore your writing style and you've captured Emily and Rossi's dynamic so well! Hope to see more of your writing should you decide to post more, realise I'm a little late to the party, but welcome in 😄

Definitely a shortage! It’s very much a situation of “if you want it, you have to write it yourself.” I just posted another Emily fic today