Twirling in front of the mirror, she ended facing Cadi who was perched on the end of the bed, still in her pyjamas.

'This one?' She asked motioning to beige trousers and casual black top she was wearing. Cadi shook her head, scrunching up her face in disapproval.

Sam's form visibly slumped, as she rummaged around in he wardrobe to the left of her and pulling out another outfit. She changed quickly, and looked for her daughters opinion.

'Mmm.'

'Mmm?'

'Mmm,' Cadi confirmed nodding.

Sam laughed, and yanked out one more item of clothing, a black shirt to swap with the top she had on. 'Cadi Alara Lindley, I'm not being just 'Mmm,' on my first day.' She raised an eyebrow and pulled on the white shirt.

'This is the last thing I have that is suitable for work,' looking into the glass and smiling inwardly at what she saw. Her youthful looks had remained, and her figure, even post baby was incredible. The other Mums would laugh good naturedly as they teased her, refusing to believe she didn't spend all day in the gym to regain it.
Giggling, she nodded her head enthusiastically. 'I like that one,' she agreed. 'That one's perfect.'

'I seriously hope the judgement of a four year old is similar to the judgement of my new colleagues,' Her mother grinned, moving her toward the bed and sweeping the little girl into her arms. 'Else you, my beautiful baby bundle will have some serious making up to do.'

Forty-five minutes later, Sam tugged at the 'perfect' shirt anxiously, her heart pounding as she was stood in the elevator leading up to the 14th floor of the NY Federal Building. To the outside eye, switching teams would seem an easy task for a person who'd seen death, suffering, grief and torment, sometimes all in one day; yet this seemed to defeat them all. Leaving California had been hard, she'd made few but good friends there, all of whom were sad to see her go. Mostly, she was missing Fliss who'd been with her from day one, and always stood by her in the numerous situations Sam seemed to get herself into. Yet Sam had finally given into James's constant argument to move to the East coast so they could be nearer to both their families. Well, his at least. He'd only met hers once, and that had been enough. To say her mother and sister had hated him had been an understatement. Poor guy had lasted barely three minutes, before excusing himself and sitting in the car until Sam was finished, claiming stomach upsets.

Sam smiled at the memory, able to see a twisted funny side to it, before shaking herself out of her memories and concentrating once again on her surroundings as the doors slid open and she glimpsed her new floor for the first time. It was open plan, and spacious, with people milling around just about everywhere, discussing cases, sharing opinions and formulating plans. She exhaled the breath she'd been unaware she'd been holding and relaxed a little as she noted the various similarities to the office in San Diego. She looked around as her guide moved toward the right hand side of the floor, and took in the appearance of some of her colleagues. IHow the heck does my four year old know exactly what I should wear, and when?/I she wondered, a small smile playing visibly on her lips. She came to a stop behind her guide at a large table surrounded by a group of desks. The table was occupied by three agents already, who looked up expectantly.