A/N: So, this story is the reason #64 isn't done. THIS STORY IS NOT PART OF MY ONGOING SERIES! At one point I was actually working on #63 and this one, then #64 and this one at the same time. Finally I had to set aside #64 and just get this thought worm out of my head.

This story is an alternate universe in which World War 3 has happened, minus nuclear destruction. Electricity and telecommunications are things of the past. The United States of America is now random towns and cities trying to come back to life. No one knows what goes on in the rest of the world and people live for their clan or their town. Justice, such as it is, is swift and cold and rather arbitrary. It's a dark, world…

…until the day Emily Prentiss saves Jennifer Jareau and Penelope Garcia.

This whole story was inspired by the opening scene and is a huge departure from the ongoing series. I know it won't appeal to all so I apologize for that now. I actually use some canon characters and shape them into new events that parallel canon or play on it some. There are names dropped from other TV shows and even a random appearance by a few. Not really crossovers so much as special guest stars. :o)

It was so hard to not infuse the characters with bits from my stories. I tried to keep them more true to who the TV Show characters would be in this situation. I think I succeeded about 80% of the time. Lol

So, I will stop babbling now and let you read this probable multi-chapter 1 shot. I hope you enjoy it.

-AR

Emily Prentiss walks with deliberate steps down the grimy streets of Washington, DC. Her black trench coat hides a toned body and several weapons. Her wide-brimmed Fedora is pulled low to conceal her eyes from others while they take in everything around her. Her ears hear the slightest sounds, honed to notice the first thing that could signal attack. Most who see her do their best to avoid eye contact. Some even cross the street, dodging the trash blowing in the wind to get away from the dark, dangerous figure. Only a few notice when the wind blows just right, revealing the figure that appears so intimidating is a woman.

And even those know better than to tempt fate and cross her.

Inwardly, Emily smiles. She can feel the fear radiating off of some as they try to decide if she is friend or foe. She wears the symbol of Fidelis. In ages past it had been the seal of something called the Federal Bureau of Investigation. But in the years since the fall it had been taken by her boss to symbolize his clan. They keep the peace through force of arms. Well, their version of peace anyway. They had staked out a large area as their own.

And tonight Emily would be looking to take more.

George Foyet, of the Cutter Clan, had incurred her boss' wrath. He had manhandled a woman the boss had his eye on. And now he must pay the price. Emily's visit would be brief but memorable. And no one would forget what happens when you cross Aaron Hotchner.

As she nears her destination, the sounds of struggle reach her ears. Not surprising. This part of DC was known as The Wilds for a reason. The old monuments were perfect places for members of all clans to meet for sanctioned and unsanctioned activities. She is preparing to enter Foyet's building when she hears a woman's desperate plea.

"NO! Let her go! Do what you want to me but let her go! Please!"

For reasons she may never understand (since she didn't believe in fate or destiny) Emily turns away from her target's home and follows the voice. She eases to the corner of an alley and sees 5 men from Foyet's gang surrounding two women. One of the women looks terrified and hides slightly behind the other. Emily's eyebrow lifts as she sees the defiance in the eyes of the slight but deceptively strong blonde with laser blue orbs.

"Let her go and I'll go with you," the woman offers.

One man, known to Emily as Duff, laughs cruelly. "Bitch, we'll take you both and do what we want anyway. Her sweet lips will look good on my dick." He grabs his crotch. "Bet yours will, too. Get on your knees, little girl."

Emily snarls. She had never liked the man. Now she knows he will die by her hand before the end of the night. As the men start to close in, Emily undoes her trench coat and steps into the alley. Hotch will be pissed but she'll deal with him later.

"She's with me, Duff."

Duff and his men spin around. Two men look scared. They had seen what happens to those who cross Emily firsthand. One man's hand reflexively goes to the patch that covers where his eye used to be. Emily grins at him, though there is nothing nice about the look on her face.

"Good to see you again, Spitz. Got your eye on my dresser if you ever want it back. I use it to scare children."

Spitz growls. "Stupid bitch," he mutters.

Emily just grunts a laugh at him. She turns her attention back to Duff. "You have until 5 to get away from my girls, Duff."

Duff puffs out his chest. "I didn't think you could count that high, Prentiss."

She smiles. "Oh, I have help."

She moves so fast the ladies would later say they almost didn't see the movement. Emily whips out a small caliber revolver. And starts to fire rapidly. One by one all the men fall in quick succession until she gets to Duff.

"And I believe you're number five, mother fucker."

She shoots again and he falls. The other men had taken bullets to their legs. Duff had taken his right in the chest. She looks at the women, who are clinging to each other as she puts the gun away.

"Let's go."

Though the slightly heavier one looks like she wants to obey immediately, the feistier one hesitates.

"Why the fuck should we go with you?"

Emily nods to the men on the ground. "Because they have friends. And those friends heard the shots. You think sucking Duff's dick was going to be bad you don't want to know what Foyet will do to you. Now let's go."

Figuring a woman is safer than the men on the ground and their companions, the two blondes quickly make their way to Emily. Emily gestures back the way she had come, urging them ahead of her until they get to an alley.

"Turn. Hurry."

Just as they clear the street she hears the first shouts from Foyet's men. Emily scans the alley and hurries to an old door barely hanging onto it's hinges.

"In here. Go."

The women don't hesitate as they, too, hear their pursuers. Once inside, Emily sets some trash in front of the door to make it look like no one could have come in that way. Pulling out a small flashlight she picks her way through the derelict building until she finds a room she can defend if needed.

"Get in here," she orders. "If all goes well we can wait them out."

The women go sit against a wall. Blue eyes never leave Emily as the dark-haired woman stands by the door, her entire body tuned in to what is going on in the building. She can hear the rustling of others and knows many people probably squat in this old place. She looks around trying to remember what it had been.

"The White House," she finally whispers.

"What?" the fierce blonde asks.

Emily turns to her as if she had forgotten the women were there. "Just…trying to remember what this place was."

"The White House. The President lived here."

"Oh yeah. Right," Emily agrees, remembering.

She had only been 10 when World War III had broken out. By the time she was 18 a unified government was a thing of the past. As far as she knew, no countries had anything resembling a real government anymore. The United States were pretty much forgotten to history. Her history, at least. Here in the former Nation's Capital life was all about your clan and your survival. Justice was meted out with guns on your enemies, and beatings on your clansmen. You worked your way up to soldier or stayed mired in the dirt with the others who owed their protection to the clan leader.

Emily had become her boss' top adjudicator…which was really just an assassin with a title that made the killing seem justified. If a clan boss found someone guilty of crossing him in any way he could order their death and the other clan leaders couldn't hold the death against him. It was the closest thing to law and order that existed in this age.

Emily knows she has fucked up. Foyet's clan could deem her guilty of murder for killing Duff. The only way it would have been justified is if he had actually raped one of the women. Emily had even briefly considered letting it happen to justify the killing. But something in the eyes of the petite blonde had made her act; had made her…feel. It had been many years since she had felt anything other than loyalty to Hotch and his clan. Sure she'd been with women, and even a couple men, to satisfy her needs but she had never felt about them the way she felt just watching this woman's eyes flicker with strength and determination. She couldn't risk Duff damping that light.

For two hours the women hunker down in the room. Finally Emily knows it is safe for them to leave. She will have to deal with Foyet on another day. She turns to the women.

"We need to go."

"We can't," the blonde states.

Emily rolls her eyes. "Look, chick, I don't think you understand: you have no clan markings. Nothing to show who you belong to. That means you belong to any of them that want to claim you," she says, pointing at the walls to signify all the men on the street. "I don't know where the hell you're from or where the fuck you were going but you screwed up coming here. I saved your ass so now you two are mine. Let's go."

The blonde stands. "We don't belong to anyone!"

Emily studies the woman. Is she brave or dumb? "What fucking rock did you crawl out from under?" she asks incredulously.

"We're here for our friend. That's all. We don't want any trouble we just want him back."

Emily laughs and shakes her head. "You don't get it, do you? You already have trouble. You're alone, you're women, and you aren't even armed properly. That old gun tucked under your shirt is a piece of shit."

The woman's hand had gone to her back, shocked that Emily had seen the hidden firearm. "How…how did you know?"

"Saw it when you were running ahead of me. Your jacket and shirt bounced up." She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a couple of pins. "First things first: put these on." She tosses them.

"What…are these?" she asks as she catches them.

"The pins of my clan. It means you're under the protection of Hotch. Even if those bastards catch me and kill me they can't kill you because you didn't raise your arms against them. What's your name?"

For a minute Emily thinks that neither woman will answer. Finally the one on the floor speaks.

"They…call me Garcia. This is JJ."

JJ looks down. "Pen!" she hisses.

"We have to trust someone, Jayje! If we don't we'll never get Reid back!"

JJ grinds her teeth. She hates that her best friend is right. She turns to the rescuer. "Who are you?"

"They call me Prentiss. You can call me Emily." Emily starts, surprised at herself for offering up her first name. It had been years since anyone called her Emily. "Put on the pins and let's go. If we get caught, demand to see Rossi. He's Hotch's negotiator. And whatever you do, don't mention your friend Reid until you get back to the safety of our clan."

"Do…you know Reid?" Garcia asks.

"No. But if you're on this side of town you must think he's here. This is the borderline between Foyet's clan and Doyle's. I don't know what your friend did to piss them off but I warn you now you may be looking for a corpse," she finishes bluntly.

JJ shakes her head. "They won't kill him. They need what he has."

"What does he have?" Emily asks.

JJ raises an eyebrow, not willing to trust Emily completely. "He has a reason to be kept alive. Will your clan help us find him so we can go home?"

"Where's home?"

"Pennsylvania."

Emily thinks a second. "That's south of here?"

"Northwest."

"Oh. Let's get the hell out of here. If I don't get you to Hotch, have Rossi get you to Hotch. He'll decide what to do about your friend."

JJ nods. Garcia stands and the two blondes clasp hands. As they start out the door, Emily stops. She reaches down into her boot and pulls out an old semi-automatic.

"Here. 10 shots. If you have to use it, make them all count. Got it?"

JJ takes it and nods. "Got it."

Emily turns and leads them out into the night, hoping they can safely navigate their way back to her clan's territory.