#controversial*

Summary: AU Follows No Specific Episode of Criminal Minds. After a tough case, the BAU returns to find Emily's parents waiting. Slight tease of Hotch x Prentiss.

The jet had just touched down in Quantico, and the team was exhausted. The case had been brutal; serial abduction in Chicago that kept them awake for the better part of five days. But they'd cracked it, saved a life, and now all anyone wanted was to go home, shower, and pretend for a few hours that the world wasn't full of monsters.

Emily Prentiss stretched as she stepped off the jet, rolling her stiff shoulders. "I swear, one more night without sleep and I'm going to start hallucinating leprechauns riding unicorns."

“You haven’t already?” Morgan muttered, rubbing his eyes.

Hotch sighed. "Let's check in with Strauss, file preliminary reports, and then go home."

A chorus of groans followed, but they all knew the drill. The BAU didn't rest just because the unsub was caught.

As they made their way into the bullpen, Emily's pace slowed when she noticed JJ's come to a stop.

"JJ, what's wrong—" Emily's words cut off abruptly as her eyes landed on the entrance.

"Emily...," JJ said cautiously, "your parents are here."

Emily blinked. "Both of them?"

JJ nodded, clearly surprised herself.

The team collectively looked toward the glass doors of the BAU, where two very distinguished individuals stood. Ambassador Elizabeth Prentiss, with her signature tailored suit and composed expression, was impossible to miss. But next to her was a man they didn't recognize, a man in his early sixties, tall, with graying dark hair and a kind but authoritative air.

Aaron Hotchner, David Rossi, Derek Morgan, Spencer Reid, JJ, and even Penelope Garcia (who had magically appeared at the news) all turned to Emily in unison. Emily could feel everyone's eyes on her, each of them waiting for some kind of explanation. Rossi, however, seemed to notice more than the others, his gaze lingering on her for a moment.

“Bella, you never told us about your dad,” Rossi pointed out, ever the observer. "Any particular reason why?"

Emily shrugged, walking forward. "It never came up, and besides theres not much to say."

The moment Emily crossed the threshold, Elizabeth Prentiss barely offered a formal nod before stating, "We need to discuss a matter of urgency, Emily."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Hello to you too, Mother."

But her father, her father, lit up like the sun when he saw her. "Pumpkin!"

And before the team could process it, Emily grinned actually full blown grinned and practically melted. "Daddy!"

Dead silence.

Behind her, Morgan choked on air. JJ's jaw nearly hit the floor. Reid fidgeted with his watch like his entire world had been upended. Rossi smirked in amusement, while Garcia looked like she needed a seat before she fainted. Hotch raised an eyebrow, the only one composed, though even he seemed surprised.

Emily Prentiss. The no-nonsense, gun totting, fiercely independent agent, calling her father Daddy?

Her father engulfed her in a tight hug, which Emily returned just as easily and fiercely.

"You look exhausted," Richard Prentiss said, stepping back to take in her face. His tone was affectionate, his concern clear.

"It's been a hell of 3 weeks," Emily admitted, still smiling.

"Are they working you too hard?" He cast an exaggerated glare toward Hotch. "Do I need to have a word?"

Hotch opened his mouth, possibly to argue that, no, they were not working Emily too hard, but Emily lightly hit his chest . "Daddy stop, Im being worked just as hard as everyone else is, and besides it's not like Hotch is my evil overlord." Emily teasing stated.

The team was not okay.

Morgan stood there, staring at Emily as he tried to process what he was hearing. He had always thought he had a pretty good read on her, but clearly, he had been wrong about more than he realized. Beside him, Garcia looked between Emily and her parents, her eyes wide with confusion.

“What is happening?” she whispered.

Reid, seemingly unable to help himself, stammered, "Statistically speaking, most adults transition from 'Daddy' to 'Dad' or 'Father' after adolescence—"

"Not helping, Pretty Boy," Morgan muttered.

Richard Prentiss turned his gaze on the team, smiling warmly. "So you're the ones who keep my Pumpkin safe."

Emily groaned. "Dad, you're embarrassing me."

"That's my job, sweetheart."

Elizabeth sighed, unimpressed. "Richard, can we focus?"

"Aww Come on love give me a minute," he said, waving her off. "I want to properly meet the team who have protected my pumpkin and treated her like family over the years." He turned back to the team. "It's good to meet all of you. I've heard so much about you."

The team was still too busy reeling.

Hotch, as always, recovered first. "It's good to meet you too, Mr. Prentiss."

"Richard, please. 'Mr. Prentiss' makes me sound like a senator. And no offense, but we have enough of those in the family already." He winked.

Emily smiled fondly at him, a warmth in her expression that the team rarely saw. "I guess being the director of the CIA is any better huh?" Emily teased.

Richard let out a quiet laugh, giving Emily's shoulder a gentle squeeze as he looked down at her with unmistakable fondness.

Morgan finally found his voice. "Wait, wait. Hold up. Pumpkin?"

Richard grinned. "What, she never told you? My Emily used to be just the tiniest thing. When she was four, around Halloween time, she insisted on wearing a bright orange, pumpkin costume. It was was the most cutest thing ever. She absolutely refused to wear anything else for three weeks straight after Halloween. Her mother HATED it" Richard finished with a full body moving laugh.

"Daddy!" Emily exclaimed, smacking his arm lightly.

The entire BAU team simultaneously had an out-of-body experience.

Rossi was openly smirking, watching his colleagues process this revelation. "Well, well, well. Looks like we profiled wrong. Pumpkin"

"Watch it Rossi" Emily Growled, with red cheeks.

Hotch, ever the leader, decided to steer them back to reality. "Ambassador Prentiss, you said this was urgent?"

Elizabeth Prentiss gave an exasperated sigh, clearly used to being overshadowed by Richard's charisma. "Yes. It's a diplomatic matter, and I require Emily's assistance."

"Of course you do," Emily muttered. "Because my actual job isn't demanding at all."

Richard kissed the crown of her hair, with a gentle squeeze to her side. "Give your mother some slack, you've got this pumpkin. I believe in you."

JJ was visibly holding back laughter at the sight of Emily Prentiss, fearless FBI agent, being reduced to an exasperated but utterly affectionate daughter.

As Elizabeth launched into the actual reason for their visit, the team couldn't help but exchange glances.

Despite their general rule to never profile each other, their profiling had been way off.

And they were never going to let Emily live this down.