Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or Supernatural.
A/N: I want to be honest, the first few seasons of Supernatural are boring, mostly for the lack of Castiel. I don't feel the need to detail everything that happens here, although as I move into the 'angels' era of SPN, I will get a lot more detailed. This particular story is set just after 'Dead Man's Blood' for SPN and just before 'The Fisher King Part 1' for CM. This story takes place a year after 'Rituals of the Moon', and about ten months after 'Common Sense'.
Anna entered Hotchner's office quietly, "You wanted to see me?" She asked as she hovered between the door and his desk.
Hotch glanced up and nodded at his rookie agent, "Yes, Anna. Shut the door please and have a seat," he told her. Quietly he studied her as she sat down. Anna's white-blond hair had been cut again recently, and if it looked messy, he'd spent enough time with her to know it was deliberate. Her green eyes were dark with worry, but that spark of intelligent mischief he'd learned to recognize was still there. Her clothes were, as always, stylish and impeccable; today it was a pair of black pants and an emerald green top. He had no doubt she was wearing the 'desert boots' she'd picked up on their last case after losing her old shoes diving in to save a victim of a vicious unsub who had taken to drowning his victims in a local river before posing them around the city as 'art'.
"Anna," Hotch said finally, "you've been with us a year now and it's time for me to go over your evaluation."
"Oh," Anna said her face lighting up a little, "I thought I was in trouble, again."
Hotch glanced down at the paper in front of him, "Not right now," he told her. "You are a good agent, Anna Campbell and although we've had some issues over the past year, you've become an asset to my team." He crossed his arms on the desk, "From your first case with us, it has been apparent how valuable your knowledge of the occult could be, and you have an investigator's turn of mind. I have no doubt that had this been the old days, when the BAU sent one or two agents on each case you would have commendations all across the board. However, while I can mark you as exceptional for most cases, I would tell you that your teamwork continues to need improvement."
"I'm trying," Anna said, "I really am. I haven't taken off on my own without orders in months!"
"I know that," Hotch said, "and any time I need agents to go into a dangerous situation you and Derek continue to be my pair of choice, but every time we get an occult case, you shut down on us. You explain as much as you need to and nothing more and then leave us in the dark until you have all the pieces together. This is a team, and we all need to know what's going on."
Anna looked down for a moment, "I'm sorry, sir," she said, looking up at him. "I wasn't aware that I was that bad. It's just, there are a lot of rituals and religions, not to mention people jumping to the wrong conclusion before we even get there. I want to do right, to know when I tell you 'this is what the unsub' is doing, it's not a hasty decision, or worse, a wrong one ignoring all the facts." She shifted a little, "Part of the problem is that my best sources for weeding out the wrong information are…questionable at best. They won't talk to the FBI."
"I understand that," Hotch replied, refraining from asking her, again, how a rookie agent who had spent the better part of her adult years not only in the military, but overseas, could have 'questionable sources'. He preferred not to have his agents lie to his face more than once. "But it doesn't mean we can't be a part of your search."
An odd expression crossed Anna's face for a moment, "I am trying sir," she said finally, "it's hard to ask for help when you know the people you ask think it's all folktales and legends. The aura of disbelief in the supernatural around here gets thicker every time we have an occult case."
There is was. Hotch knew Anna believed in the supernatural, an unshakable belief that he had often worried would lead her to claim that this or that happened because of some myth or urban legend. So far, it hadn't happened, but every time they had a case, he watched her. He'd also been by her loft, she'd invited him and Hailey to dinner once, and the salt lines she kept on the doors and windows, the odd, runic paintings and shelves filled with occult books, not to mention her weapon collection, showed how serious Anna was about her beliefs. "I don't know what to tell you," he said finally, "but if you ask, we would all be glad to help, no matter our beliefs."
Anna gave him another odd look, but nodded. "I'll try," she replied simply. "I just wish I had a believer on the team. Garcia comes close, but that's about it." Then she shook her head, "Sorry," she said, "I didn't mean to say that out loud."
"That's ok," Hotch said. He looked at the form again, "You've actually done well in the injury account, having only the dislocated shoulder and bruises from the case in Hawaii. You do get along well with the team, especially Derek and Elle. You aren't afraid to speak up if you know something or have an idea, and you are exceptional at talking to the families of victims. I believe one even said it was like talking to a preacher."
Anna flushed and ducked her head, but didn't say anything.
"Excluding the occult cases, you aren't afraid to be wrong," Hotch continued, "and you aren't afraid to admit you don't know or understand something. You listen, you work at correcting your faults, and you never make the same mistake twice. You've proven able to keep your temper when it's important and you're tolerant of others."
Anna smirked a little there, remembering, no doubt, the Bible thumpers in Ohio who had nearly blown a fuse when they'd found out about her not-so-secret pagan beliefs. Her response to their fire and brimstone declarations had been simple, but memorable, 'Tolerance is letting someone explain to you why you are going to a hell you don't believe in without punching them in the face.'
"All in all," Hotch said, "you have been a more than satisfactory addition to our team. I look forward to another year with you."
"As do I," Anna replied, "and I promise, next occult case, I'll try for a little more transparency."
They both started to stand, and someone knocked on the door. "Come in," Hotch called.
J.J. stepped in, "I'm sorry to interrupt," she said, "but we've got a missing children case in Missouri that Chief Strauss wants us to start on now."
"We were just finishing up," Hotch said, as he straightened up. "Anna, please continue to work on what we discussed."
"Yes sir," Anna replied, "thank you." She hesitated, "Are we going straight to the plane, or the briefing room?"
"Briefing first," J.J. replied firmly.
They walked down to the briefing room, where Garcia, Derek and the others were waiting. "Hey," Anna said as she sat beside Derek. "You were right."
Derek grinned at her, "I never get tired of hearing that."
"If I may have your attention," J.J. said, "we have thirteen missing children in Jefferson City, Missouri."
"We're just being called now?" Derek said.
"They all went missing last night," J.J. replied, "or rather, were discovered missing this morning when their parents went to wake them for school. I don't have files for all the children yet, but so far it's six girls and six boys between the ages of ten and eleven and one nine year old girl."
"Garcia," Hotch said, "start with the sex offenders list; find out who lives within fifty miles of the area, then move on to parolees and convicted people whose crimes include children. Everyone else, wheels up in thirty."
Anna had an odd look on her face as she stood up, "Sir," she said finally, "thirteen is a powerful, magical number and Halloween is this weekend. Should I bring my books, just in case?"
Hotch hesitated for a moment, "If you think you should," he said finally.
"Ok," Anna replied, "I will." She smiled a little, "Better to be safe than sorry." She followed the rest of the team out the door as her cell phone rang. "Hello?" She asked, not stopping in her hurry to her desk. "Dean, hey, what's up?" Hotch shook his head, Anna's devotion to her brothers was admirable although Derek's story of what happened with her father made him wonder at the dependency the siblings appeared to share. "Vampires?" Anna suddenly exclaimed, bringing Hotch out of his musings. It also attracted attention from the rest of the room as well, but Anna had already lowered her voice as she grabbed her bag and headed out, no doubt intending to get the books from her truck.
As Hotch grabbed his own bag, he wondered what books Anna would deem necessary for this case. The case with the bible thumpers had included Anna wandering around with a translated copy of 'The Devine Cow'; mostly for upsetting the people they had had to work with.