Chapter 2

Hotch watched from his office window. He knew bringing a new member in was always a gamble, but somehow this seemed a bigger gamble than usual. Rossi was so sure that Amy was a good idea, that she would be a real asset. Yet what Hotch saw worried him. This could really unbalance the team. The team had the unwritten rule that they did not profile each other but you didn't need to be a profiler to see the different reactions to her. Amy's record was impressive. She was just over 2 years older than Reid. Like him she had finished school early. She wasn't a genius like Reid but well above average. She had 3 degrees, 2 masters and a doctorate in forensic psychology. Most of these she completed while on the job. Amy had been fast tracked through the police. She had profiled some major cases at a young age, seen things a young woman shouldn't and appeared to compartmentalise even better than Prentiss (and that's saying something). How would she fit in, there really wasn't a place for her, no-one had left. She seemed a strange mix of many of the team. Reid's intelligence, Prentiss' matter of fact way of coping, Morgan's confidence and Garcia's cheek. How did Rossi know about her? What had he seen? Why was he so insistent?

Reid had never really talked about having a foster sister, yet he had always had the photo of the two of them on his desk. It's funny how you can know someone for so long yet not know them at all. Should he of warned Reid that Amy was coming? They both looked very surprised. Had they been more than brother and sister? What about now that they are both adults? She was without doubt attractive and Reid obviously cared greatly about her, you could see that by the way he was looking at Morgan – that was a warning shot at his friend if ever he saw one. Hotch ignored Morgan and Garcia's constant flirting but this could rip the team apart. The two of them could not compete for her attention. Why did he agree to this? He should have put a probationary period on this. What had Rossi seen? Why was he so insistent?

They seemed to be starting to relax, Prentiss and JJ were both smiling, but Garcia has that affect on most, trust her to come along and lift the situation. Hotch realised that he seemed to really under appreciate the role she played in the team. Why was Rossi so insistent?