Red Letter Day
Disclaimer: I do not own The Mentalist
Rating: M for safe measure due to language and suggested themes
Spoilers: Up to His Right Red Hand
Summary: The replacement for Minelli has finally arrived, and she's not too happy with the condition of the unit.
Author's Notes: This is my first fanfic ever! I'm tres excited about it! Since This is my first, I'll take any and all kinds of criticism, so fire away! *ducks*
***
Chapter 1: Sasha Clayson
Just another day at the CBI headquarters, and Lisbon and her team were hard at work filling out paperwork. They were all bored, especially Jane, since he didn't really have to fill out any paperwork. Though they hated to admit that they were looking forward to a tragedy, it was why they all had become agents in the first place. And as Jane was about to start messing with the team to amuse himself, they all heard several dings from each of their computers alerting them to a new e-mail. The news they were dreading: Minelli's permanent replacement had finally arrived. She wanted to introduce herself to each unit individually, and Lisbon's team was to meet her in ten minutes.
After Lisbon gave Jane a stern talking to, demanding that he be on his best behavior, the team headed to their new boss's office.
Van Pelt had a wide smile, eager to meet their new boss. But she was slightly nervous, as she was still the youngest in the team and felt like she had to make a good first impression. Rigsby was more visibly nervous. It didn't help that the new boss was female, and he often blurted the first thing that popped into his head when he was nervous. He was going to have to keep check of himself. Cho was interested to meet their new boss and see what she would be like. He held a small smile to keep the friendly appearance. Lisbon didn't seem to feel one way or another, at least not outwardly. But she was apprehensive. Minelli was more than just a boss to her, he was someone she knew she could count on, no matter what, and she deeply respected him. She didn't know this woman, she didn't know if she could trust her. Jane just seemed bored, paying more attention to the walls and the people they were passing.
Lisbon knocked on the door and held the door open for her team when they heard their new boss welcome them all in. She wore a bright smile as she got up to shake everyone's hands. Her hair hung just past her shoulders in a light blond wave. She wore a professional, yet feminine button-up white shirt with small ruffles on the front. A light complexion with deep blue eyes that seemed to draw you in. Without her heels, she would be a couple inches taller than Van Pelt, and with them she matched Jane in height. Visibly, this was a woman no one would be able to ignore on the street.
"Nice to finally meet you all. I've heard so much about you from Minelli and the other units. My name is Sasha Clayson."
"It's nice to meet you too." Lisbon wanted to speak for her team, and try and make sure Jane said as little as possible. "I'm agent--"
"Teresa Lisbon." Sasha had cut her off, to show that she had done her homework. "And agents Cho, Rigsby and Van Pelt." She pointed to each of them as she spoke their names. "And of course the infamous Patrick Jane." She had saved her biggest smile for him as she turned to the blond consultant.
"I see you've done your homework" Jane said casually as he flashed a smile to match Sasha's.
"I like to be prepared. I know just about everything about you and this team... And how it operates." She held onto her bright smile, but authoritative disapproval flashed out of her eyes, making just about everyone shift a little uncomfortably.
"What do you mean by that?" Rigsby could only close his eyes in embarrassment. He didn't mean to blurt that out, but he was nervous. No one else seemed to really blame Rigsby for his outburst, though, they were all thinking the same thing.
"I mean that if you want to continue working here, there are going to have to be some changes. The reports I read, well, they're simply staggering. The amount of complaints, charges, not to mention the stunts you all pulled on hunches." Her smile was gone.
"We close cases." Lisbon retorted.
"How many times have you used that line, doll?" Lisbon couldn't retort. Not for lack of words, but just because it was too early to start such a big argument with the new boss. She, and her team, needed to keep some sort of good image after all. She glared at Jane through the corner of her eye, telling him to keep his mouth shut. And for once, he complied, simply putting his hands behind his back and rolling on his toes.
Sasha flipped through a folder, keeping her eyes on the papers as she spoke.
"And the first thing, is I've noticed that you and your team are due for a sexual harassment course. There's a session today at three, and I strongly urge you to attend it. Get it out of the way as soon as possible."
She took one last smiling glance up at the team before she waved them out of her office. And single file they left her office. Jane was the last to leave, holding the door for the team. He looked back to Sasha, held up one hand and left with a "See ya."
"Well that could have gone better." Cho sighed, causing the team to let out a small chuckle before heading back to their desks.