"agent keller may i see you in my office please?" hotch asks, stepping out of his office and looking down at me at my desk.

"yeah, i'm almost done with this file. i'll be up in a few minutes." i answer with a soft smile, and watch him nod and step back into his office. spencer turns to me and furrows his eyebrows. "why would hotch need to see you?"

i shrug. "i don't know. maybe just checking in. he's probably going to ask where i am mentally and making sure i've been seeing my therapist."

"have you? you know, been seeing your therapist?" he asks in a concerned tone.

"i don't have a reason not to. and i think it's actually been helping." i mutter, meeting his eyes. "well, i would hope that it would help. it's her job." he adds on, breaking eye contact and turning to his own files.

i add my signature to the last file and close it before standing up, and walking the short walk to hotch's office.

stepping in, he points at the chair in front of his desk. "shut the door, and have a seat." he demands, and i comply, slowly shutting the door and sitting down.

"why do you need to see me?" i ask, praying that it isn't a bad reason.

"well, a couple things. first of all, have you been seeing your therapist weekly?"

i nod. "yes. i try to get a session in after every case. it's been helping tremendously."

"so you would say that you're in a good mental state as of right now?" he questions, looking at me with all seriousness.

"yes sir." i answer, clasping my hands together on my lap. "is that it?"

"actually, no. there's this case here in DC. it is a human trafficking ring that we've discovered, and we think that the only way to bust this ring, is to send a couple people in."

i shake my head. "wait a minute, are you asking me to go undercover? in a human trafficking ring?" i ask, taken aback by his request.

"essentially, yes. you won't be the only one undercover, we have two agents undercover in there right now. they have earned the trust of some of the leaders. you just need to go in and be the bait in a sense. you're exactly the type of person that they're looking for. long blonde hair, athletic. you'd sell, and attract a lot of buyers and suspects. that's when we would go in. we will give you a small chip that you are to stick on an area of your body that isn't visible, and it'll give us the location. the other agents will give a time." hotch states, staring me down, before adding on. "would you be up to it?"

i take a deep breath. "i don't know about this, hotch. how long do i have to decide?"

"i need an answer by the end of the day. we would plant you in the right spot for the undercover agent to "take you" tonight. if you're not up for it, i can ask JJ, i just worry because she has a kid." he says with concern.

i let out a deep sigh. "i'll do it. how long will i be undercover?"

"not long. a few days maximum. they do the selling every 3 days. also, please do not tell the team about this. say you're just doing something for me. i don't want them to treat this case differently when i brief it to them, because you're involved. they'll find out when we get you out of there. got it?"

i nod. "should i go get my things? and tell the team where i'm 'going'?"

"yes, you can do that now. but after please come back here, we have an outfit for you and have to take you somewhere to get ready and to get the chip."

i nod and stand up, leaving the office. my heart is racing at 100 miles a minute. i've never been undercover before.

i walk down to my desk and collect my things, feeling everyone's eyes on me, before derek finally speaks up. "where are you going?"

"hotch asked me to do something for him. something about my... uh, mental health. it's like a retreat thing, but not really. it's only a few days long, if that." wow, i completely made that up. "and i uh, leave now! see you guys in a few days!" i say, forcing a smile after glancing at my watch.

i walk back up to hotch's office, still feeling the eyes of everyone on me.

-

"in this bag is everything you will need. your belongings can stay in here, such as your purse, phone, credentials, and gun. the chip is clear, but can be seen with a glare of light. we recommend putting it behind your ear, or another area like that, which i won't say out loud. it's up to you, just make sure it's not visible because it could blow the entire mission." hotch speaks loud and clear, and i nod every couple seconds or so.

soon, he leaves the room and i open the bag. in it, is a tight black dress with subtle glitter and a cut out back, and black heels. so i'm assuming that i'm supposed to look like a girl from a bar who got drunk, therefore becoming vulnerable.

i slip on the dress and look at myself in the mirror. it shows my curves nicely, making me look like a model, well to some people. i wouldn't say i'm a model. i slide on my shoes.

i don't know what clothes they'll put me in when i get there, so i decide to put the chip just below my bikini line, so that it won't be visible at all. i want to put it behind my ear, but i'm afraid that they'll make me put my hair up or something like that. they hopefully aren't going to force me to take my panties off, though.

i open the door and hotch is standing on the other side. "i'm ready. let's do this." he nods, and we go out the back of the BAU.

he briefs me again in the car, as day turns into night. as we arrive at the place where i'm going to be taken, hotch stops and looks at me, to make sure i'm listening.

"stella, i know that this is going to be challenging and may seem tough, but you're strong. i know you can push through it. you are in the BAU for a reason. you will make it out of there alive, i assure you of that. also remember, you aren't the only agent in there. we should be there within 48 hours. if not, find some way to speak with the agent, or try to become less appealing so you aren't sold off."

hotch's speech made my palms sweat more than they already were, and my heart begins to race all over again, feeling like it might pop out of my chest. i finally gather the courage to speak up. "okay." my voice breaks halfway through, as i step out of the car and head into the alley next to a bar.

as i watch hotch drive off, i am startled by a voice behind me. "stella keller?"

i whip around and am faced with a man. i inspect him, he is wearing a black shirt with black jeans and boots. "are you agent winters?" i ask, softly.

agent winters nods, and he begins walking towards his van. "i have to tie you up and put duct tape over your mouth. i have to make this look as real as possible." he says while distracted by the rope he is try to untangle.

the next thing i know, i am laying on my side, tied up, in the back of a van. on my way to a terrible place. what have i done?