A/N: Hey everybody! I know I should be working on my other stories, but when I read about "The Times Are Changing Mini-Challenge" I had to participate.
I'm not a fan of Seaver, never will be, but that doesn't mean she doesn't deserve a proper send-off.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own CM or Seaver... CBS does.
ENJOY!
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Ashley Seaver wasn't stupid.
She knew her place in the FBI. She knew others would kill for her position right then, but she also knew they wouldn't last a day in her shoes; because the things this team saw on a daily basis would send many a trainee running for the hills.
She wasn't naive.
She knew that all good things came to an end. Her mentor's death had proven that. She'd known when she joined the Behavioral Analysis Unit that it was under extremely special circumstances.
She wasn't delusional.
She knew that she was just barely an agent. She knew that no matter how hard she tried to be her colleagues' equal, she just couldn't compare.
Each day, she was reminded of this. While she scrambled to find the right answer, the missing piece of the puzzle, one of her co-workers would get it like that. Some days though, she would be the first one to uncover that crucial detail, and the other agents would look at her with a hint of pride.
She was their piece of artwork. Molded by them, trained by them, and guided by them every step of the way. Now though, she was getting rid of the training wheels. She was taking down the proverbial safety net that was her teachers, her colleagues. It was time for her to make her own path.
Ashley came out of her thoughts for a moment and looked around the empty building. She'd been standing by her desk in the bullpen for a full ten minutes just staring. She'd been thinking, too, about everything.
She didn't belong there, with the BAU. It just wasn't her place, she wasn't ready. She didn't want to burn out due to the things the team investigated before her career as an agent had even started. With that, she began to pack her things into a box she'd brought with her.
While she packed, she continued to think about the BAU. She knew the other agents tried to make her feel comfortable, useful. But the truth was this: she wasn't like them.
She wasn't an experienced agent with years of experience, like Rossi.
She wasn't a stoic leader who'd been to hell and back, like Hotch.
She wasn't a fearless agent capable of taking down the worst criminals, like Morgan.
She wasn't a brave woman who would protect her family at any cost, like Prentiss had been.
She wasn't a young genius who made up for lack of experience with a vast intellect, like Reid.
Picking up her box, she spoke quietly into the silence, "I'm just Ashley."
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Thanks so much for reading! I hope y'all enjoyed this...
R&R please!