Chris hand-delivered the first date box of the next six weeks around lunch time the next day. Emily sat with a smile on her face as he set the box down on the coffee table between the couches.
"Alright ladies, good morning," Chris said with a wide smile.
They chorused back their greeting.
"So, as I'm sure some of you know, date boxes will show up every week. There will be group dates and there will be one-on-one dates. If you get a rose on a date, you're safe for the next rose ceremony. If you go on a one-on-one date, you need to have your bags back. If you do not get a rose on your one-on-one date, you will be going home immediately."
Gasps and murmurs went about the room at the thought. Emily felt her own heart rate speed up at the idea of not coming back. No pressure, she thought to herself.
"So, ladies, here is your first date box. I will see you later."
A handful of the women all but jumped on the box the second Chris had left the room. Sherri, a perky redhead, managed to dig the card out first. "Deborah, Victoria, Whitney, Taylor, Diana, Shaena, Tia, Joanne, Sherri and Emily."
Emily perked up at her name. Her first date with Aaron was going to be a group date. She could handle this. She was arguably more comfortable with this than with the pressure of a one-on-one date. At least this way, rose or not, she'd be coming back to the house.
"Prepare to show me your competitive sides," Sherri continued, her face lit up with the prospect of seeing Aaron again. She squealed. "I wonder what this means!"
Emily stood, Shaena not far behind her. "What are the chances Tweedledee and Tweedledum go on a date together and only one of them is allowed to come home?" Shaena murmured as they took their time going up the large spiral staircase.
"Probably only in our dreams," Taylor replied having overheard Shaena's comment. "You noticed it too?"
"That Kate and Haley are like dogs with a bone, oh yeah. Part of me would like to see what would happen if they were the last two, just to be able to watch the fireworks," Shaena replied.
"On the other side, that would mean you would have been eliminated."
"And as much as I'd love to ensure that a hottie and sweetie like Aaron got a girl that was best for him, I'm in this competition as much as the rest of you are."
"Not to mention I can't see either Kate or Haley being able to tolerate having an FBI husband for very long. But you're not just treating it as a competition," Emily replied, looking at Kate and Haley over the railing of the stairs. Both women sat on the couch with a sort of satisfied smile on their faces. "You want what's best for him as much as you want to be what's best for him."
Shaena narrowed her eyes playfully. "Is this your psychology crap?"
"Psychology's not crap," Taylor piped up. "You'd be surprised what psychology can tell you. What kind of psychology, Emily?"
"Behavioural?" Emily replied biting her lip. "I'm hoping to get transferred to the FBI, but the State Department likes my international experience. There would have to be a good reason for me to transfer out. Like being hand-picked for a team."
"Can they do that?" Taylor asked curiously.
"In the FBI? Happens all the time," Emily replied with a smile. "Ask Aaron about it. He's FBI."
"I forgot," Taylor agreed with a nod. "What unit was it?"
"Behavioural Analysis. Profilers," Emily answered, remembering his service file. "One of the original agents, if I remember right."
"Original agents and he can't find a girl?" Taylor inquired shaking her head. They'd reached the bedroom that Taylor, Shaena and Emily shared with Tia and separated to their beds. It seemed Tia had all but raced upstairs. The bathroom door was closed. So instead, all three women started digging through their suitcases. "Track pants or jeans?"
"Jeans," Emily replied. "My gut tells me we're not going to be playing sports, per se."
"How often is your gut wrong?" Shaena teased.
Emily grinned. "It's a well-honed organ. It's been a long time since it's been wrong."
"You know, I don't know if I agree placing so much faith in my digestive tract," Tia teased, opening the bathroom door.
Emily laughed along with the other two. She had made a few friends in the last twenty-four hours, and she wasn't stupid enough to deny that she'd been a little careful about who she allied herself with. Emily often chose her friends with self-preservation in mind. It was one of those other little ways that politics had affected the rest of her life. She didn't like it, but she dealt with it.
But now was not the time to think about how politics had affected any point of her life. It was time to get ready for a date, even if it was a group one.
Aaron found himself both excited and anxious to see all ten women that were set to come on this date. It made him eleven, but the producers and Derek had agreed that it wouldn't be that big of a deal to add one more. Plus, with the day they had planned, Aaron was sure Derek would be a massive help. More so than Dave would have been. Because scavenger hunts didn't really seem like Dave's style. The limo pulled up to the beach and Aaron shot his colleague a look. "Try not to flirt with all of them, okay?"
"I make no promises," Derek replied with a mischievous grin.
Nevertheless, Aaron knew Derek understood his presence. Derek was there to try and judge which women were genuine and which were harbouring deep dark secrets. Or something like that, and there was no one he trusted more with women than Derek. Though he was a ladies' man, Derek had an uncanny ability of avoiding women that were crazy, obsessive, or those who didn't know the score of his little game. Aaron hoped to put that skill to work that day.
The door opened and he was immediately attacked by a petite body. He found himself both shocked and stumbling back from the force of it. His brain took a moment to place who was wrapped around him. "Hello Diana."
"I'm so excited!" she said immediately.
He almost had to pry her off of him. "Ladies." He smiled at the rest of them. "I'd like you to meet Derek Morgan."
"I'm jealous, Hotch," Derek quipped. "You are all beautiful ladies."
They all laughed.
"So," Aaron began, reminding himself that the formal language and orders he was used to in the BAU weren't going to work here. "We are going to go on a scavenger hunt."
Murmurs arose in reaction, some of them looking excited, some of them looking disappointed. He catalogued those looks carefully.
"You will be divided into two teams for this morning, one with me, one with Derek. After lunch, Derek and I will switch and the afternoon competition will begin. Derek, pick first."
And no more than five minutes later, he had a team of five women and Derek had a team of five women. Each man held an envelope and at Aaron's count of three, they were off.