Thank you to NothingIsPermanent and Dalonega Noquisi for taking the time out to review, I'm much obliged.

This chapter spans the five months that Alastrina spent on her espionage mission and ends with her back at the BAU. Unfortunately, uploaded my last chapter without the edits that I made. I went through and tried to fix it so hopefully now the mistakes are rectified.

Disclaimer: Criminal Minds belongs to The Mark Gordon Company, ABC Studios, and CBS Television Studios. I only own my OC and my plot.

Episode featured in this chapter: 6x02 "JJ"


April 16, 2010

Alastrina was not in a happy mood. She had to wake up at 4 o'clock in the morning to drive to a private airport only to end up flying out to New York where she would go to JFK to get onto a plane heading for Brussels which was late. She couldn't help but let out a string of curses on everything that she saw. When the plane finally arrived, she couldn't help but to grumble at the flight attendants as well and she could feel her patience quickly dwindling. As soon as she sat down her phone started vibrating in her pocket and she did absolutely nothing to stop the curses that flew out of her mouth.

"Status report Agent Jordan." Her Unit Chief, SSA Phil Thompson, requested.

"Just boarded the plane for Brussels sir." Was her stiff reply, a passing by flight attendant glanced at her with a slightly miffed expression only to be met with a severe glare.

"Good. Now listen closely Agent, when you arrive in Brussels you must meet up with a man by the name of Chris Paulo. He'll be waiting for you with a sign that reads Angela Winston. When you go up to him, he should ask you how the weather in New York is, which you'll respond to with 'very windy'. From there, he should take you to the hospital where you're staying, this is also where you'll meet the rest of your team. The people will be an array of agents from M16, Interpol, the CIA, the FBI, and the FSB. Do not slip up, understood?"

"Understood sir. Will I have any contact with my present team?"

"The bare minimum. Keep track of the phones and e-mails you use. This man is ready to take out any and all threats and he will. No hesitation. Make this count."

"Yes sir, I'll try my hardest."

"Good luck Agent, you'll need it." And with that the conversation ended. Alastrina started to feel the pressures of the case at hand. Her phone started to ring again, figuring that it was just Thompson again, she brought it to her ear with a "did I forget anything sir?".

"Yes, you forgot to say goodbye to your best friend in the entire world." Penelope's interpretation of Thompson's deep baritone filtered through the phone.

"Is Reid there?" She responded with a chuckle.

"I should hate you for that, but I can't. Just FYI, Reid is here, along with Morgan, Rossi, JJ, and Emily."

"Why don't you just invite the entire office? I'm sure they have nothing better to do." The sarcasm wasn't lost on anyone listening.

"Well Miss Thing, are you finally taking a break? I'm pretty sure you didn't take one last year." Morgan asked.

"You make it sound like I'm a workaholic."

"That could be argued." Emily cut in.

"Like any of you are ones to talk."

"When are you getting back?" Spencer asked, trying to change the subject.

"In about five months, give or take a few weeks. Don't do anything too fun without me."

"Are you going to Italy? If you do, I suggest you mention nothing about chives and spaghetti sauce, you'll get yourself killed kid." Rossi advised, chuckling all the while.

"You'll find that chives are a necessary ingredient in any pasta sauce."

"Where are you going to visit?" JJ asked, genuinely curious, no one paying attention to the slightly worried expression on Garcia's face.

"Brussels and then I might head to Budapest." She nodded at the flight attendant telling her that it was time to take off. "Guys, I have to go. I'll call you in a little while."

"Okay, but make sure to stay safe. I want my Super Girl back home in one piece, understood?" Garcia pleaded slightly.

"Yes ma'am, bye guys." She chuckled lightly.

"Bye!" Everyone shouted in unison. They all exchanged glances before laughing slightly. Emily, JJ, Morgan, and Rossi all left Garcia's office. Spencer stayed in his seat staring at the phone that they were just using.

"Do you think I should get a haircut?" He asked, turning slightly to face Garcia.

"What?"

"Well Ally says that I really need a haircut and I think she might be right, but I want another opinion."

"I mean, it's not a bad idea. 'Sides someone might get lucky and get those luscious locks as a wig."

"Only about 43% of the hair cut in America gets donated so that wouldn't work."

"So are you not going to get your hair cut?"

"I'm…I'm not sure." He said before he got up and left. Garcia watched him leave with a slight smile on her face. She definitely had something to talk about with Morgan.


August 24, 2010

Alastrina raced around the corner, running as fast as her legs could take her with her coat whipping in the wind behind her.

"Agent Jordan, status report!" A Russian voice barked over the earpiece she had.

"The operation has been compromised! Get out now!" She replied, coming to a stop at a crossroads looking left and right, trying to figure which way to run. Hearing yelling coming from behind her, she saw the two men that were chasing her down. Making a quick decision, she started running again, going underground and getting onto the subway. She stayed on for more stops then necessary and made sure no one was following her before she got out and went to the underground base they had in Budapest. Tapping out the beat onto the door, she was granted entry. Immediately going to the computer set up, she logged onto the interface and set up a video conference with the FSB Director, the CIA Director, and the Interpol Director.

"Three agents are unaccounted for. Pichtas knows who we are and what we were doing." Alastrina informed the three once everyone was doing.

"So what do we do now?" The Director of the CIA asked.

"I refuse to give up, we've gotten this close. We can capture him." The FSB Director insisted.

"Tell me Agent Jordan, can you track him down?" After receiving an affirmative, he continued. "Then do it. I'll send more agents down from Brussels to take him into custody. They'll be there in two days. You get a location before then, understood Agent Todd?"

"Yes sir." The conversation ended soon after that. With a frustrated groan, she punched a hole through the wall nearest her. Deciding it was best to get started ASAP, she turned around and walked into her office.


Garcia sighed, staring wistfully at the picture on her desk. She had an array of pictures of the BAU team, her past pets, and had mini-figurines and toys littered about. The picture she was staring at right now was of Alastrina cradling Henry while Jack clung onto her back. Smiling softly, she hoped (not for the first time) that her friend would come back safe and sound.

"You okay Baby Girl?" Morgan asked from the doorframe. Frowning slightly once she saw the picture Garcia was staring at.

"Yeah, I'm fine Baby Cakes." She patted him lightly on the cheek.

"Well Hotch wants the entire team in the conference room, including you." He slung an arm around her shoulders and started leading her out of the room. They walked in a companionable silence all the way to the room, Morgan never once removing his arm from its place around Garcia. Morgan let Garcia take his seat and stood right behind her the entire time. Everyone came in and took their seats leaving only Morgan and Hotch standing.

"I called everyone in here today to discuss Agent Jordan." Garcia's expression quickly turned frightened but this time everyone noticed. "First and foremost, she's safe and healthy. Now, Agent Jordan didn't leave for Brussels for a vacation, she went as part of an elite covert operation to bring down international terrorist Daniel Pichtas. The operation spanned several international government organizations but unfortunately, the mission has been compromised. Pichtas now knows what is going on and some of the people involved in the operation, including Agent Jordan." Hotch paused for a second, glancing around at his team. To say that they were shocked would be an understatement. They were all a mix of frustration, worry, and surprise but Garcia seemed to be the worst off. "The joint forces have decided that they'll continue at any cost to capture Pichtas and anyone is now expendable. I had to get maximum level clearance to tell you all this, I just wanted to make sure that if she's not able to return home, those she's closest to know the sacrifice she has made." There was a heavy silence among the team, each thought about the potential of Alastrina not coming home. Suddenly, a large sob broke through the silence and everyone turned to see Garcia with tears streaming down her face.

"But she's safe right?" Spencer asked in a quiet voice, his heart was racing and the worry was so strong it was almost physically painful for him. He didn't know exactly why his reaction was so bad but he chalked it up to her being one of his best friends.

"For now, yes." Hotch wasn't any better off than the rest of his team. He felt almost responsible for the woman and now that she was in such a dire situation, he had no idea what to say to make it better.

"Please God; bring my baby back home to me." Garcia whispered, looking up to the ceiling. Everyone in the room joined in on the prayer, even Morgan and Reid. She, no matter if she was in the BAU or not, was one of them and they needed her back. She needed to come back to her family.


August 26, 2010

Alastrina stood at the head of the conference room, waiting for the additional agents being sent in.

"Agent Jordan, pleasure to see you." A British officer walked in, shaking hands with the woman before gesturing behind him. "My team."

"Agent Baker." She shook his hand and nodded at the team.

"Do you have a location ma'am?" One of the other agents asked.

"Yes, the definite location is at an abandoned warehouse near the train tracks just outside of Budapest. He has an underground base almost exactly like this one, I drew up an approximate floor plan from the information I got." Moving over to her main computer, she opened up the diagram. "The weakest points are here, here and here," she pointed to the places. "The best way to get in would be to split up and attack different entrances and then sneak in through the side door."

"How many total entrances are there?"

"Four. The front, two sides, and then a back. A relative square, sir. However, this side entrance leads out to Lake Balaton."

"So…"

"So it's got its own assumed protection. No one would enter through water; it's risky and almost completely ineffective. They'd never see it coming."

"But if it's so risky, how can we do it?" Another agent asked.

"We can't stay in the water for long, once all three entrances have been attacked, we have to move quickly. The only way we could get a secured entrance through there is if we have the code, so we have to use this." She pulled out a device that resembled a calculator. "You plug it into the port and override the system, not difficult in the slightest."

"Agent Jordan, you've done extremely well." Agent Baker commended.

"Thank you sir."

"You'll have to come with us though. There's no guarantee that we'll be able to work this device, you built this one you should be able to do it."

"Understood sir."

"Listen everyone; we're attacking in seven days time, understood? Prepare yourselves. This is a battle we can't afford to lose." The team saluted before leaving to go draw up battle plans. Alastrina followed behind, moving over to her office to discuss the situation with what remained of her team.


September 2, 2010

Alastrina dived into the water, leading a mix of her and Baker's teams into the water. She found the keypad quickly enough and attached her device to it. Typing as quickly as she could, she overrode the system and got immediate access. The doors slid open and she and the rest of the team swam in. They found a raised platform where they pulled themselves up and shed the wetsuits. Another keypad was before them but Alastrina got through it just as quickly as the last one and they were inside the base.

"The eagle has landed." She whispered into her microphone.

"The bear is in the forest." Another voice crackled through.

"The lion is in the den." The third voice whispered.

"The tiger is in the grass." Came the final voice. A small smile slipped onto Alastrina's face. All four squadrons were in the base. Now they just needed to find Pichtas and they could go home. The team withdrew their weapons and started to move out, they moved around as silently as possible, not meeting anyone that would stand in their way.

"The bear has found the prey." The Russian voice said again.

"Location." The third voice commanded.

"North wing."

"Lion is on the move for the prey." The English voice responded.

"The eagle is swooping in." The teams were moving with a swift determination now, Tiger had been told to hold their position seeing as how they were in the South wing. Coming in from one hallway, she saw Agent Baker leading Lion down the connecting one. Nodding, they both turned with their weapons raised only to find Agent Aksakov (who was leading the Bear) who gestured towards a door at the end of the hallway. They moved quickly again, getting within a hair's length of the door. Agent Aksakov had one of his team members break down the door and they were in. The firing began almost immediately, but the retaliation was just as swift. Alastrina could see men and women falling around her and moved further into the room, aiding her fellow agents. Suddenly all firing stop, Alastrina looked to the side to see Agent Aksakov with his gun trained on Pichtas. Agent Baker and she made eye contact and they made a split second decision. They quickly disarmed any enemy with their agents following suit. All of Pichtas' soldiers were now knocked unconscious and he was left to fight his battle alone. He raised his arms into the air and Agent Aksakov rather viciously put him in handcuffs. His soldiers were also handcuffed and the Hungarian police arrived not too long after that.

Back at the police station, Agent Jordan shook hands with Agent Baker and Aksakov, all of them thanking each other for their hard work. She had received a conference call earlier from the directors and was given the green light to go home. Smiling, she left the office and made for the base to gather her things.


September 29, 2010

If there was one thing Alastrina genuinely hated about being a federal agent, it would be the debriefings after cases. Unfortunately, this situation was no different and she was forced into debriefing all five months of her mission to the Director. The process had taken almost all of September and Alastrina was just grateful that it was finally over. Before she could move on to her normal, hectic life however, she had one more thing she had to do.

Walking into the BAU bullpen, her eyes immediately sought the group of people she's come to see as family. She found all of them crowded around two desks, except for Hotch. A smile blossomed on her face and she practically skipped towards the group.

"Well if it isn't the best looking group of people I've ever seen in my life." She called out, standing a few feet away. Emily was the first one to turn around and she didn't hesitate in throwing herself at the younger woman. The two clung to each other for a little while, before another person stepped in. Rossi reached over and pulled Alastrina and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, leaving her and the rest of the team flabbergasted.

"Good to see you alive kid." He ruffled her hair a bit. Morgan walked up once Rossi stepped away and literally picker her up off the ground in his hug. He grinner down at her before a frown tugged at his lips.

"If you ever just go on a spy mission again without telling us, I'll kill you. Understand Miss Thing?"

"Understood sir." She mock saluted him. JJ pushed Morgan out of the way before also pulling her into a hug, laughing a bit. Penelope was next in the "line" that had formed and she had the most relieved expression on her face that had yet to be seen.

"Penelope-,"

"'Just a slight sting operation' my ass! How dare you lie to me like that Super Girl! What if something had happened to you?" She finished in a weak voice before pulling the girl into a fierce hug. Spencer stood slightly to the side, surprised that his heart had practically stopped beating when Alastrina had spoken. He couldn't help the overwhelming sense of relief he felt though and right now he was willing to ignore everything except for the fact that his best friend was back and she was safe.

"Spence, you got a haircut!" Alastrina grinned cheekily before attacking him with a hug. "It looks really good, by the way. I always told you to get one, didn't I?" Her grin grew when he returned her hug with just as much force. Whispered 'I missed you's were passed between the pair and she stretched up on her tiptoes while forcing him to squat so she could mess with his hair.

"You guys catch up; I still have to clean up the conference room." JJ announced before heading into the room to pick up the files. The group moved back over to the two desks and everyone found a seat before Alastrina noted the difference in how JJ was acting. Morgan, Emily, and Rossi each took turns explaining the situation while Penelope and Reid sat on the sidelines, only occasionally adding information. Once Alastrina was given all of the information, the group looked towards the conference room only to find Hotch standing in the doorway. Unfortunately, the distance wasn't exactly helpful in listening in to the information.

Hotch stood at the door, waiting for JJ to turn around. He couldn't believe he had to do this, JJ was essential to the team, without her God knows how far they would've gotten. For a brief moment he contemplated just throwing the exit interview away and congratulating her on a job well done, but it was too late she had noticed he was there.

"When do I leave?" JJ asked without turning around. She knew this was bound to happen, but she just wished it didn't have to happen now. Especially since Alastrina had just gotten home. Fate truly was a cruel, cruel thing.

"By the end of the week." Hotch's voice was solemn has he answered the question.

Baffled, JJ turned around. "What?"

"They wanted you to start tomorrow." Hotch glanced down again at the paper in his hands before looking up and meeting JJ's gaze head on.

"No, I-I can't, I need to train someone." Her voice was growing slightly hysterical. 'So soon?' she cried in her mind.

"I'm not replacing you." His reply was immediate, tone firm.

There was a moment's hesitation where JJ let Hotch's words sink in. "No, Hotch, you can't take this on yourself. Your hands are full."

"We'll figure it out." He started walking forward, dreading every step he took. "I'm hoping I can get you back." There was another brief pause. "Strauss wanted you to fill this out."

"Exit interview, are you kidding me?"

"She's big on procedure. Just be honest. I was hoping I could do something about this… and I'm sorry I couldn't."

"I know." She glanced out of the window at the team down below. Rossi was sitting on Emily's desk, talking while Alastrina was on Spencer's desk talking to both him and Morgan. "How am I supposed to tell them I'm leaving when I don't want to go?" The tears in Hotch's eyes are discernable when he tells her about the Brass only taking away power to feel more in control.

"I'll miss you." He reaches out to shake her hand before hurrying off to his office, avoiding the eyes of his team. The team stops and watches JJ through the window as she fills out her exit interview, none noticing Penelope by the doors. JJ finally comes out and reaches the team, Emily jumping up when she sees her first.

"No." Emily mutters, hoping that she didn't get one friend back only to lose another. They all stand and gather around her while JJ explains that neither Hotch nor Strauss could've done anything to stop it.

"They can't just take you away." Spencer says quietly.

"So we do nothing?" Emily asks slightly angry.

"It's done." JJ responds, trying to stay calm but she can feel the tears sting her eyes.

"It can't be that easy." Alastrina comments.

"It is."

"This job is hard enough, what are they trying to do, bury us?" Morgan asked sarcastically.

"You're too good," Emily scoffs, "that's the problem."

"It's true, you're on everybody's wish list." Rossi agreed. "Our loss is somebody else's gain."

"They can't just take you away." Spencer mutters again. JJ reaches out and puts a hand on Spencer's shoulder, trying to provide some form of comfort while everybody else looks on. They each give JJ hugs before she moves on to say goodbye to Penelope. They can each feel their hearts breaking a little bit and offer that piece to JJ, to take with her wherever she goes.

"You still here?" JJ calls from her spot at the doorframe.

Penelope turned around slowly. "Figured you'd get to me eventually. You're leaving." When JJ looked up again, she continued. "You could've told me. I would've made it impossible to let you go. I would've put something in your file." She was practically in tears now.

"It's not up to me. Or Hotch."

"Don't they understand that we're a family? That that's why this works, because we're a family. Do they even care?" The frustration was becoming more and more evident.

"I don't know."

"I can believe you're – okay, no. I'm supposed to say that this is a great opportunity, which it is." She approached JJ. "I don't know the way this place works without you, you're like the glue around here. Who's going to make us feel safe?"

"There's plenty of big, strong men around." JJ responded sarcastically.

"See that, right that, your total ignorance to how awesome you are is one of the 5,000 things I love about you." Her throat started to close up.

"I'm still going to be in the city, okay? More than normal probably."

"True, then we'll make a plan, breakfast every Tuesday and then life gets in the way and what if I only ever see each other on birthdays and holidays?"

"I won't let that happen."

"You better not, because I know where to find you." They both laughed a bit at that. They both hugged each other, trying to hold back the tears that wanted so desperately to fall. Garcia started sobbing after JJ walked out but looked up when a pair of arms wrapped around her. It was Alastrina and behind her was the rest of the team, all with tears in their eyes. Garcia returned the hug and sobbed without abandon into Alastrina's shoulder.

JJ walked into Strauss' office and dropped the form off before the woman ever saw her. JJ walked down the hallway one last time, reminiscing about all of the old days. A cup of coffee and a comforting touch from Emily, sharing stories and laughs with Penelope, Spence trying to feel the baby move, sharing a meal with almost the entire team – seeing Hotch laugh, Henry's first trip to the BAU where both Morgan and Alastrina held him, the BAU plus Alastrina game of tag that everyone was obligated to play. A smile crept on to her face as she thought about all the good times with her family. Memories and experiences nobody could take away from them no matter how much they tried. Everyone there would always be a family, no matter what happened, no matter what someone did and with that final thought, she left the BAU headquarters, ready to face life with her family still at her side. No matter what.


I hope I got JJ's departure as emotional as it was in the show. Thank you for reading.