Hi Friends!

Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! I was so happy to see that so many of you are interested in this story. I wish I could have responded to each one of you but my darling daughter is taking up all of my time! I have only been able to write my chapters in between her short naps now :) Anyways, keep them coming I love hearing what you guys and gals have to say.

Warning: Some swearing, don't know if y'all care.

Please forgive any mistakes.

Enjoy!

Damien stared at the glowing numbers lighting up the screen on his alarm clock. The bright red light said that it was 5:30 a.m., a half hour before he was scheduled to wake up. The breaking sunlight was peeking through his window nullifying any attempts he made at returning to a peaceful slumber.

Who was he kidding though? Last night's sleep had been anything but peaceful. He had lain in bed for two hours before his eyes even thought about closing. He was just too nervous and anxious about what laid ahead of him today, his first day as a probationary agent on Agent Hotchner's BAU team.

It was a dream come true for the thirty-nine year old man. He had been working hard over the last eleven years in the FBI's financial crimes section by proving his worth, leading his own team, and closing a record number of investigations. Unfortunately, dealing with tax evasion, terrorism financing and embezzlement was not what Damien wanted to do with the rest of his life. He was tired of dealing with self-righteous greedy executives that thought the world should be handed to them on a platter. He never wanted to see another sanctimonious rich man flaunt his riches as he walked out of an interrogation room. It just ate at his soul when he was forced to let another man go because his overpriced lawyer found a loophole for his smarmy client.

Anyways, there was no fame to be had by putting away white collar criminals. The U.S. citizens didn't care about the dirty dealings of corporate America. The public was way more fascinated with serial killers and psychopaths. Upon realizing that, Damien had immediately decided to take any opportunity to make a career change that may come along. Therefore, when the position at the BAU opened up, he jumped on it. He knew that if he got that position he would be able to put his skills to better use and make a bigger name for himself. In fact, if he played his cards right and applied all his knowledge there was the possibility that he could go down as one of the best profilers of all time. So, the agent called in a few favors from his higher-ups and had them pull some strings to get him placed as a probationary agent in the BAU.

Of course, Damien knew that he could have gotten the placement on his own merit. Who wouldn't want to have him on their team? But he decided to call in the favors because applying for the position through the normal channels would have taken too long and someone less deserving might have gotten the post. Luckily his connections came through and in a matter of day's Section Chief Cruz called him up and informed him he would be starting on Monday.

So here he was, up earlier than necessary, anxious to get started on his new career path.

Snuffing in disdain at his brain's insistence at keeping him awake, Damien rolled out of bed and started his morning ritual. The stocky man shuffled down the hallway and into the kitchen, where he brewed a pot of coffee. While he was waiting for the water to percolate through the grounds he looked out the window and observed the waking city. He watched as an athletic woman jogged by on the sidewalk below his apartment, her bosom bouncing in a neon yellow tank while her tight ass poured out of a pair of black spandex shorts. His hand wandered down to his steadily growing belly at the sight, patting it in a reminder that he hadn't been exactly active lately. Maybe he should start hitting the gym at work? Or better yet, he could wake up earlier for a morning jog strategically timed to that young lady's schedule.

The overwhelming smell of roasted coffee beans brought him out of his musings and he quickly poured a steaming mug, adding some cream and two teaspoons of sugar. He then wandered back to his room, drink in hand, and started the show. While the water was warming he went to pick out his outfit for the day. He needed something impressive, perhaps designer, in order to make a suitable first impression.

Damien rifled through hanger after hanger of suit jackets and slacks, finally picking out a gray pinstriped Armani set paired with a cobalt blue button up shirt and diagonally striped tie. He chose a diamond studded tie tack and cufflinks to add some flare to his wardrobe choice. "If this doesn't impress them than I don't know what will," he muttered to himself, laying his outfit down on the bed.

By that time he noticed the steam slipping through the crack in the doorway separating the bathroom from the master bedroom. He stripped off his clothing, dropping each article on the floor on his way to the bathroom. Sarah, his maid, would pick them up later today.

The warm water felt invigorating as it trickled down his doughy body, fully waking him up for the day. In fact, he felt so good that he decided to take in a little pleasure at the neon tank jogger's expense before he stepped out to get ready.

Once his body had found its explosive release the agent got out of the shower and stood in front of the full length mirror. Damien moved his body side to side to get a good look of his proportions from all angles. Small condescending tsks escaped his mouth as he pinched the excess fat that had gathered around his belly. Hopefully working for the BAU would allow him to be more active while on the clock and help melt away these few extra pounds.

After successfully completing his grooming rituals he finally donned his designer suit. He stopped for a quick look in the mirror again to make sure all was well and headed out the door. When he entered the parking garage beneath his building he hit the automatic starter in his pocket and listened to his ruby red Mustang roar to life. As he slipped into his leather seats and gripped the cool wheel his mind was swirling with the things he needed to do today in order to impress his new coworkers and keep his new boss wanting more.

First and foremost Damien needed to impart his superior knowledge in math. He had been able to exercise his mathematical skills daily while working through all of those money laundering cases. He was great at pattern recognition and formula creation, not to mention his exceptional instincts when it came to spatial relations and reasoning. Ever since he had found out about his new position he had been applying his abilities to making mock geographic profiles for closed cases. Each time he completed one he compared it to the one in the case file. Most of the time he found that his practice maps were spot on with the legitimate ones. So his plan was to dazzle the team with his knack for creating geographical matrixes.

Second, he wanted to be quick to make friends with the other agents. His people skills were top notch, and he could practically guarantee that his new team would fully embrace him by the end of the week. Gaining and maintain that friendship would help him cement his position in the group.

Finally, and most importantly, he needed to show up at least one of the other agents. It was imperative that he pick the agent he perceived as the weakest and set a goal to outperform him or her. This approach would allow Damien to emphasize his importance to his new superior while shining a spotlight on the inadequacies of his chosen fellow agent. There would be no way Agent Hotchner could pass him up for a permanent position once he outperforms even one of the most seasoned profilers.

The probationary profiler stopped plotting his takeover of the BAU as he pulled into his parking spot. He needed to get his mind focused on today's objectives, assessing his coworkers' capabilities and making a good first impression.

He was so lost in thought that he almost missed getting off on the sixth floor when the elevator dinged. If the perky woman with a blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail hadn't bumped into him when she exited the lift he would have ridden it straight on up to the top.

"Oops, I'm sorry," she said over her shoulder as she got off, "I didn't mean to run into you."

"No worries," he said, walking right behind her. "I would have missed my floor without you."

"Well then, you're welcome," she replied before disappearing through the glass doors that lead to the BAU bullpen.

He grinned at her comment and allowed his eyes to indiscreetly travel over her body. His eyes lingering on her sumptuous ass tucked away in a cute black skirt. He knew he could get used to seeing a figure like that every day.

Damien broke his gaze away from the pretty sight and looked at his watch. He was right on schedule for his meeting with the big boss.

Reid was roused from his depressing thoughts by the sound of Morgan's raucous laughter echoing down the hall. The genius, realizing that his cheeks were damp, quickly pulled down the burgundy sleeves of the turtleneck that he was wearing beneath his sweater vest and rubbed them across his face. The absorbent fabric soaked up the saltwater that had strayed down his cheeks just before the lights in the round table room flicked to life.

"Hey! Pretty boy, what are you doing sitting all alone in the dark?" asked his supposed best friend as he ushered Garcia into the room before him.

"Morning guys," the younger man said, ignoring the other agent's query.

"Morning," Garcia said shortly before busying herself at the coffee pot across the room.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't avoid the question," Morgan said, taking a seat next to the genius.

Reid, annoyed at Derek's prodding, decided to lie, "I was trying to take a nap. I got in early this morning and now it's catching up with me."

Derek flashed his pearly whites and said, "What? You mean there isn't enough coffee in your system yet to keep you awake?"

A small snort was Reid's only reply.

The muscular agent was about to turn his attention to the uncharacteristically quiet technical analyst when he realized that his friend's eyes were puffy and red. He lowered his voice and took on a soft tone, "Hey…are you alright? It looks like…you were…um…crying."

Spencer hands immediately shot up to his eyes and rubbed them vigorously, as if the action would wipe away traces of his earlier mood, "No…my contacts are just messing up. I've been soaking them in a new solution."

"Right…I thought you wore dailies?" he asked, calling the younger profiler out on his lie.

"I'm trying to save money by using them for more than one day," Reid refuted.

"Uh huh…Look, if you want to tell me what's really going through that brain of yours, I'm all ears."

"Yeah thanks, but really, I'm fine." the profiler said, angling his body away from Morgan's signaling that he was done with the conversation.

Derek was about to say something else when Rossi and JJ entered the room discussing the amount of case files currently inundating their inboxes.

Reid, thankful that the entrance of his other team members distracted Morgan, got up out of his seat and went to refill his coffee cup. He almost stopped though when he saw Garcia still standing there adding sugar to her Union Jack mug.

The genius had noticed that something had been off with the bouncy blonde lately. Her behavior, which was normally chipper and lively, seemed to dim whenever he came into the vicinity. For example, just yesterday she was in an animated conversation with Rossi over who was the better Beatle, Ringo or Paul, when Reid had walked up. Immediately she shut down the conversation by telling Rossi he was right, that Ringo ruled the world, and skittered away from the pair. Moreover, she had been keeping her conversations with the genius to a minimum and refused to make eye contact with him anymore. In fact, the only time they talked at all was when he had to call her for help on a case. Of course, based on his earlier reflection it was probably best if he just let this wall between them stay standing. Unfortunately, the genius's kind-hearted side hated to think that one of his friends was displeased with him and he resolved to bring up the issue with Garcia later, in a more private environment.

The brown-eyed boy turned back to the table, coffee in hand, and made his way to his vacant chair in between Rossi and Morgan. As he sat down in the cushioned seat, the doorway to the room darkened with the silhouette of his superior and the new agent.

The unit chief cleared his throat as he entered the room; it was his distinct way of calling his agent's to attention without saying a word. Behind him stood a well-dressed man sporting what looked to be a designer suit. He was a little under six feet tall with a receding hairline and a little extra fat around his waist. Based on the lines at the corners of his beady eyes and the sagging jowls told the genius that the man was somewhere around forty.

"Good morning. I called this meeting so that I could introduce you all to Agent Damien West. He is joining our team on a probationary status. Over the next few weeks he will be participating in all of our cases and doing consults," the unit chief paused to allow the man to step forward. "Agent West, let me introduce you to the team. You have Agent David Rossi, Agent Jennifer Jareau, Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia, Agent Derek Morgan, and Dr. Spencer Reid."

Each agent said a gentle hello or gave an acknowledging nod to the new man. Reid just did his signature wave and dropped his gaze back down to the table. He felt no desire to engage with the new agent, deciding it was best to keep his distance. Besides, the man did not seem like the type that would warm up to the genius's eccentric ways.

Hotch turned to the new agent and gestured for him to speak to the team. The young profiler chose to doodle on his notepad in lieu of listening, zoning in and out of the man's introductory speech.

"…eleven years in financial crimes…excited to explore this new opportunity…can't wait to get in the field…so much to learn…," Reid heard the man drone, using all the cliché sayings in his obligatory speech.

It wasn't until Hotch took back over the conversation that the agent started to pay attention again, "Okay, today is going to be dedicated to paperwork unless something urgent crosses my desk. That should give you plenty of time to settle in Agent West." Reid took the pause in Hotch's speech as an opportunity to hold up his finished files and pass them to his superior. "You've already completed all of your consults?"

"Yeah and then some."

Hotch furrowed his brow at the response.

"I got in early this morning," he said evasively, noticing his boss's apparent concern.

The man clearly wanted to ask the profiler to explain what he was doing here that in the morning. But to his credit he ignored the elusive explanation and continued on with his directives, "Garcia?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Please see to it that West has some consults to work on and give Reid some more to do too. Reid," the senior agent said in a gruff voice, clearly imparting a note of disapproval at the genius's early morning habits, "Since you have some extra time, I want you to show him to his desk and help him get settled. Agent West, Reid will be more than happy to answer any and all question you have. If there is nothing else, let's get on with our day."

Everyone started moving and talking upon their superior's dismissal. Most of them went to greet the new agent less formally but Reid stayed seated, watching how quick his coworkers seemed to embrace the new member. He felt a presence hovering behind and wasn't surprised when a strong grip grabbed his chair and turned it around.

Hotch towered above the seated agent and held out his hand for the finished files, "What brought you in so early this morning?"

Reid, clearly uncomfortable with the prying question, unconsciously moved his left hand up to rub the scar hidden by his turtleneck, "Nothing…I just couldn't sleep last night."

The unit chief raised his eyebrow in a look that said he didn't believe the kid, "Well, if you need to talk about it I'll be in my office."

The lanky man stood up as his superior started to walk away.

"And Reid," Hotch called over his shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"It's too hot to be wearing a turtleneck."

Spencer felt his face flush in embarrassment, knowing that he had been called out on trying to cover up the bullet wound.

The rest of the room had emptied, leaving only the brown-eyed boy and the probationary agent. Reid walked over to the other man and said, "Follow me."

Damien's good feelings about today had yet to wane. The introductory meeting went well; his new unit chief not wasting time on small talk and getting to know you activities, which was something the man appreciated. Most of his new teammates seemed to be really welcoming and friendly, which would make the second part of his plan easily realized over the next few weeks. To top that all off, he had already picked out the weakest link, Dr. Spencer Reid.

He knew it was quick to pick a target, but after profiling each of the agents as they were introduced Dr. Reid stuck out as the obvious choice. Agent Rossi was too well known for Damien to outshine. Agent Jareau was a strong, confident woman that wasn't about to be walked all over. There was no way he could show up the tech girl, he just didn't have the skills or the resources to do what she did. That left Agent Morgan, who was clearly the team's ass-kicker, something Damien had no chance of becoming.

So, based on his first impressions, Dr. Reid seemed like the obvious choice. Now, it wasn't like Damien hadn't heard about the good doctor before today. He knew that the agent was a certifiable genius and very adept at his job. But he also knew that the man was socially awkward to the extreme and based on today's brief meeting he could tell that something was bothering the kid. Honestly, it looked like the boy was drenched in misery and he wasn't putting up a very good façade to hide it. All of those things put together left the young agent vulnerable and prime for the picking. He would just have to work his magic and worm his way into the team's minds while discrediting the younger agent and fucking with his self-esteem in the process.

Reid led the new agent down to the bullpen and showed him the empty desk adjacent to his own, "This is yours. I'm right here next to you if you have any question. Hotch, Rossi and JJ have offices up there. Morgan's is down the hall over there and Garcia's is that way."

Agent West followed each of the genius's gestures and tucked away the information in the back of his mind. "So what happens now?"

"Oh…um, Garcia is going to bring us some files to work on for the rest of the day. Whatever you finish by four goes up to Hotch for his approval," Reid said, sitting down and turning toward his computer.

"Okay…cool," Damien said. "Is uh..is there any coffee on this floor?"

A small smile broke out on Reid's face as he swiveled back to the new guy and pointed toward the break room, "Yeah, right over there. Good luck on finding a full pot though."

"Ha! I think that's how it is on every floor," West said as he turned to go fetch himself a cup.

"Oh wait! Wait! I'm here," Garcia trilled out as she bustled over to Blake's old desk. "Hey again newbie! I've got piles of files right here for you! Oh! That rhymed."

Damien halted his exit and greeted the chipper woman with a bright smile, "Hello again. So you're the bearer of all things profiler."

"That I am, white collar man. Now, I'm going easy on you since it's your first day. I'm only giving you ten files. But hey, if you want more you can find me in my office," she said merrily, handing off the consults.

"I'm sure I'll be fine with these," he said. "Thank you, angel eyes."

Garcia's face took on a surprised look and then she immediately burst out in laughter, "I think I'm going to like you! See ya!"

"See ya," Damien said, opening the first file and looking at the case details.

Reid, who had been watching the whole exchange, was surprised when technical analyst turned to him and said, "Here's more files."

The profiler reached out his hand to grab them when she unceremoniously dropped them on his desk and started walking away. Confused by the woman's 180˚ personality change he stood up and called out questioningly, "Garcia?"

She halted her brisk walk and slowly turned back to the genius, "Yes?"

"Is…um…is everything okay?"

"Sure! Why wouldn't it be?" she asked, feigning ignorance.

"Because…well…because you've been acting different lately. At least…around me you have," Reid said carefully.

Sorrow and regret were etched in her watery eyes, "I…uh…I…don't worry, it's nothing."

"But…," he was going to ask why she looked close to crying but she scurried off before he had the chance. He turned back around to sit in his seat when his eyes caught Damien's.

"Dude, she sure is upset with you," the probationary agent observed, seeing an opportunity to stir up some trouble.

"You think?" Reid asked, slightly annoyed that the new guy was butting into his business yet wanting to hear what he had to say.

West leaned forward in his chair, looking over the divider with faked concern, "Woman never mean it when they say 'It's nothing.' That's code for something's wrong. Oh and she told you not to worry, which means you should be."

"I don't know…usually she is pretty straightforward about how she feels. Garcia isn't one to hold back when she has a problem," Reid countered, turning his chair to look down the hallway leading to the analyst's office.

"Well, I'm just telling you based on my own experiences. You've known her much longer than the five minutes I have, so I'm sure you know what you're talking about," Damien said, turning his attention back to his files.

"Yeah...," Reid said, lost in thought. He was kind of worried about the whole thing and he hated to think that she was upset with him over something he did. Deciding that he couldn't let this wait, he jumped up and took off down the hallway after his teammate.

Damien watched the boy chase after the bubbly blonde and smiled. He may not have destroyed a friendship or anything, but he definitely snuck a few seeds of doubt into the young man's mind. It was the perfect start to upping his status.

As the sweater vest disappeared through a door, the new agent refocused on his real work. Surprisingly, he found that delving into consults was fascinating. He didn't write any out yet, opting to look through them all in order to pick the most interesting one to start on first.

After about ten minutes had lapsed dropped a pile of files into his inbox, leaving the one he wanted to work on strewn open on his desk. He stretched his arms above his head and let out a groan.

"Don't tell me you're already tired," a deep but playful voice came from behind him.

Startled, Damien pivoted around in his seat to see who had snuck up on him, "Oh, Agent Morgan. You scared me…and no…I'm not tired. Just stretching my muscles. Something I've gotten used to doing, what with working behind a desk eight hours a day."

"Ahh, then you're going to love the BAU. It's rare for us to be stuck at our desk for a whole shift," Derek said, patting the man on the back. "Anyways, have you seen Reid?"

"Oh, yeah. He went after Garcia a bit ago to make sure she was okay," West said ambiguously.

Morgan furrowed his brow, "What do you mean? What was wrong with her?"

"I'm not really sure. She came to drop off some files for the two of us to work on and before she left Reid stopped her and asked her if she was okay. She got all teary eyed and ran off to her office. The kid followed her not too long after," the agent explained, acting slightly concerned.

"She got upset when Reid talked to her?"

"Yeah, it was like just looking at him disturbed her. So he's been down in her office for the last ten minutes doing lord knows what. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful," he said apologetically.

"No…no that's alright. I'm going to go see what's going on," Morgan mumbled as he walked off to find out what was going on with his two friends.

"So, what you're saying is that just looking at me is bringing back memories of shooting that guy?" Reid said distraughtly, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

"I'm so sorry Reid. I know that I had to do it in order to save your life. And I would do again if I had to, but it's weighing on my soul," she said tearfully, seeing the troubled look on her junior G-man's face.

The genius's hand immediately went to his neck again, massaging the permanent mark, "I…um…I don't know what to say. I still can't thank you enough for protecting me, but now it's hurting you. I'm so sorry."

A few tears escaped the blonde's eyes, leaving trails of mascara wandering down her cheeks, "No! You shouldn't be sorry. It wasn't your fault."

Reid snorted, "Right. It wasn't my fault that I jumped in front of a bullet and got shot. It wasn't my fault that I lived and that the nurse came after me to eliminate the witness. And now it's not my fault that I'm a living breathing reminder to you of the worst thing you have ever had to do in your life."

"Reid, really…I'll be fine. I'm going to get over it. It's just…until then…I just want to maintain my distance," she said miserably.

"Right…right…it's the least I can do. I'll stay away. You let me know when you're ready," he mumbled dejectedly, walking to the door with his head down.

He opened it silently and let himself out, cringing at the sound of Garcia's sobs. His lanky fingers pulled the door shut behind him, limply letting go of the knob. Then he leaned his head against the door, closing his eyes in an effort to comprehend what had just happened.

Out of seemingly nowhere the voice of the ever heroic Derek Morgan echoed in his ears, "Care to tell me why my baby girl is crying?

Quick sidebar: Anyone figure out where I got the title to the story? Hint: Season 9