AN: originally on livejournal, written for the prompt of David Sinclair, "Picking his new team in DC"
He has his pick, and he knows what he should choose.
Someone good at profiling. Someone good at intimidating a witness. Someone good at playing good cop. And someone who will get it done in a firefight.
The most experienced, the best educated, with the best references.
Somehow, he ends up choosing the vet with an attitude problem that makes everyone find her a little 'difficult'; the psychologist with poor performance reviews since he builds a rapport with nonviolent perps and then keeps suggesting lighter sentences to the prosecutorial team; the agent nearing retirement that no one thinks is still at the top of his game; and as his probie, the accomplished computer geek who wants desperately to be a field agent.
The geek was a sprinter on his college track team, though, and David knows from experience that people being chased - they always run. Besides, a lot of stuff depends on computers these days.
And the guy that everyone thinks is too old has a history of demanding ethical behavior from everyone around him (which may be part of the reason he's so unpopular). He also regularly takes down the younger FBI employees in hand-to-hand training. And he signs up for all the seminars he can, always eager to find out about the latest techniques.
The psychologist gets a little too involved emotionally. But that's a strength at times, too.
And the 'attitude problem' is a sharpshooter who isn't afraid to tell the boss what she thinks about a case or a plan (none of them are afraid of doing that, actually). And as they're waiting in the interview room, she listens to the computer geek talk about cloud computing, and she actually seems interested in learning.
He picks four people who are honest. Who would rather excel at their jobs than get ahead by kissing ass. Who, in complete disregard for the norms of his news town, have zero interest in using the job as a stepping stone to a lobbying firm. And who, despite their experiences, many of them hard, refuse to petrify their hearts or their minds; they keep caring too much and letting the people they meet change them; they keep trying to learn new things, try new ideas; they are not reckless in the field, but in their lives, away from the danger, they jump in where others would shy away from change; they hold tight to who they are, to the pasts that made them, but they constantly challenge themselves to grow, to run toward rather than away from the unexpected paths.
Everyone thought he was crazy. He gets the pick of the litter and ends up with a misfit crew. But it's his choice.
He chooses the team that has what it takes.
He knows what it took for him. He knows they have it, too.