Under the Sun
Blake was an intellectual by nature, and a profiler by trade. She uses both skills when she enters the BAU.
Notes:
"Words" – regular conversation
'Words' – quotes and such, thoughts too
Under the Sun
Blake had had plenty of assignments before. She'd been in several teams, she'd worked with numerous agents, she'd done her time in plenty of offices and departments within the FBI, however, she had never come across a team quite like the BAU.
From the moment she came on board, she started to analyze the elite of the FBI, the almighty and envied and highly respected BAU profilers. It wasn't too difficult (she wouldn't have been accepted into it if she didn't have the skills for the job), but it was interesting, and as she got to know them better, her mental profiles took shape.
Aaron Hotchner. The leader, a political creature from birth, used to navigating murky waters of false smiles and hidden agendas, skilled in tearing through paperwork that would (did) drown most people. Married... No, was married. Blake had, of course, heard about the whole Foyet situation (and what a mess that was), and about Hotchner, Hotch's wife's death. They'd had a child, Blake thought a boy before she confirmed it (and what a sweet boy Jack was), but they had been divorced by the time Foyet came along. Hotch was an admirable man, sharp and good, with a sharp wit he didn't show often. He was a leader of men, and Blake wondered if he wanted to lead more than just the BAU team (after some time with him, she realized he didn't).
David Rossi. The one who could be a leader when the time called for it, but he clearly had no desire for it. Used his humor and experience like deadly weapons, and could get anyone to 'fess up with little to no difficulty (Blake thought even she would confess to all her sins if faced with his interrogation hard mask). Had been married several times, and she didn't need to have heard the gossip to know that one (it was all in his swagger), but had never had kids. A ladies man but never a skirt chaser, he was a smooth one who could talk his way out of any situation, and it was easy to see why when he toured, there were always lines out the door to hear him speak. Blake saw through all his layers of charm and saw a kind man who would take a bullet for anyone he deemed worthy – and his team was it.
Derek Morgan. Tall, dark and handsome, Blake noticed at first glance, then came his easy and flirtatious smile, and then his keen mind. He could go from charming your pants off to ripping an Unsub's head off without breaking a sweat, and that showed her that, like Rossi, he hid his true self behind a wall of pretty smiles and intimidating presence, when in fact he was as intelligent as everyone else on the team, and more than capable of stepping into Hotch's shoes. Never married, no kids, close to his family. Lost a parent, most likely the father, when he was young and that helped shape the man he became – someone who could slam down a door just as easily as he could smooth down a victim's fears. Blake could see he would be a wonderful follow–up to Hotch one day.
Spencer Reid. First there was the awkwardness, then the genius, then the bright smile. Blake related to him the easiest, both 'nerds', lovers of the written language as few were, and he reminded her of– He'd never been married, nor had any significant relationship to speak of, certainly no children. She didn't need to read his file to know he had a handful of degrees and PhDs under his belt because, like her, he loved knowledge and wasn't satisfied with just a little of it. There was a sadness behind his eyes, sometimes, that spoke of a hard childhood that continued to resonate within him, but that he refused to let rule his life. He was not a leader by any stretch, and if push came to shove, he would leave the FBI before being thrust into a position he didn't want to be in. Blake had to wonder if he would ever leave, and what he might accomplish outside of it with his brilliant mind.
Jennifer Jareau. Beautiful and smart, Blake had heard the whispers before she came along, and they were not entirely true, she soon found out. JJ was beautiful, and why shouldn't she be proud of it?, and she was smart, but she was also witty and as political, if not more, than Hotch. Craftier too, capable of smoothing over nearly any situation with barely a smile and a couple of words (clearly her years as a Media Liaison hadn't been just sitting around picking cases for the team, as some clearly thought). Small town girl, not too attached to her family, married with a child (and Henry was a lovely boy), she'd grown up with big dreams and a lot of potential, which led to her brief stint in the Pentagon (where, clearly, she just honed her skills as a bullshitter). Blake admired her poise and smarts, but didn't see her leading people, not like Morgan easily could. No, JJ was a dutiful support system who never failed.
And then there was Penelope Garcia. Blake considered Reid her closest friend at the BAU, but Garcia was her close second favorite. The woman was all brightness and kindness, and you didn't find that easy in the FBI, or anywhere, really. She'd never been married, had only a handful of meaningful relationships, no kids but she loved them to death. Parents died when she was young, Blake estimated in her late teen to early twenties, when she was still trying to find her way into the world. She had no leadership skills, but what she lacked in that department she more than made up for it in an absolute ability to lift a person's spirit, to make someone feel welcomed, and in a team that served as a family like the BAU, that was an essential quality.
Blake saw a lot more about her new team members. She saw the emotional scars, the abuse clear as day in the way they interacted with some people, the way they dealt with some victims and Unsubs, how they grew up, how their relationships with their families and romantic partners affected them sometimes, and even why some romantic relationships failed (not that it was difficult for anyone who knew the hours the BAU kept to make a pretty accurate guess). She knew who had endured what kind of life, from neglect to sexual and emotional abuse, what their crutches were, what some of their regrets were. Her training and experience told her all of that, and as was her nature, she simply observed and took mental notes.
As time passed, she came to care enough about each and every one of those misfits who had her back at all times and made her a part of the team, one of their beloved extended family, and her mental notes were stored far away along with everything she preferred not to think about.
She didn't need to know who had been disappointed and hated and ignored and forgotten and broken – she just needed to know that they would be okay when she left, because she knew herself enough to know that she would probably be the first to walk away, and she was okay with that. As long as they continued to hold each other under the bright Sun, and hopefully left a little space for her on her darkest days.
Found this and realized I finished it and God knows why, never posted it. Go figure. Anyway, here it is.
It's sad that Blake didn't last long, I like the character, I liked the actress, so here's to Alex Blake. Short and sweet.
(Also, yes, I do like character studies)