Thanks to DebbieOz, hope You enjoy the next chapter!

"She's not showing up, Dave." Hotch sounded quite frustrated. "Half an hour is more than late, damn it, I was so sure." Hotch was angry at himself and put down his mug on the desk very rudely. "Maybe it's better this way, you are putting your job at risk for her, Aaron." Dave was shocked when Hotch told him how he had found Eve. Rossi knew Gardiner as reliable, focused and professional. The desolate woman, Aaron described to him, was a complete stranger to Dave. Nevertheless, Dave was immediately willing to take care of her in his mansion. If she needed help and support, she would get it.

Spencer glanced at the woman who stepped out of the elevator. She was about 5' 7, very slender, almost skinny, Spencer thought. She was wearing a tight dark red suit, Spencer could see, how skinny her legs were, and her make up was put on very carefully. Her short, red-brown hair was curly and kind of messy. It was tamed by a reddish silk scarf. She looked around and her eyes stuck at Spencer. "Excuse me, I'm looking for SSA Hotchner?" "Agent Gardiner? I'm Dr. Spencer Reid. Hotch is already waiting, you are late, 32 minutes, to be exact." Eve looked at him suspiciously, was that a reproach? Eve straightened her shoulders, "I'm not usually unpunctual, . There was an accident with a truck, I had to take a detour." she said sharply. "Oh, I did not want to blame you, I just made a point." Spencer made a mental note to babble a bit less, he didn´t want to scare the new one at her first day. "And I am not that bitchy, Dr. Reid." Eve forced herself to a brief smile. "I suppose we'll be working together? I've heard a lot about you, Doctor." Reid nodded. " You don´t have to call me Doctor, we are using last names in here. Reid will be absolutely fine." "Right, it´s Gardiner, then. But I won´t kill you for calling me Eve." Spencer gave her a big smile. She was a nice person, Spencer liked her immediately. Together they entered the bullpen. "Hotch's office is on the gallery." Eve went upstairs.

Morgan came with fresh coffee. He placed a mug at Reid's desk, "five spoons of sugar, as requested. The redhead, that´s Gardiner?" he asked Reid. "She doesn´t have much resemblance to the photo on her ID Card any more, Morgan. And she is not wearing her wedding ring. She just looks incredibly sad." Morgan took a sip from his mug, he was really hoping that Hotch knew what he was doing.

Rossi's and Hotch's conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. Eve took a deep breath as the heard Hotch´s "Come in" She stepped in. "I'm glad you have decided to come by," Hotch said reproachfully, and looked at his watch. "A truck has blocked the street, Agent Hotchner. But you're right, I'm late. Hello Dave. I hope I wont cause you too much trouble." Dave smiled kindly, "absolutely not. I appreciate company, Eve. Welcome to the team." He winked at her and left her alone with Hotch. "Sit down, Eve. You have made the right decision. How are you?" " First of all, I´m sorry for the, um, asshole-thing. I was just..., well, I'm still alive and I'm sober, if that's your next question."

Before Hotch could respond, Garcia stormed into the office. "Sorry, boss, but we have got a new case. Hi, Agent Gardiner," Pen gave Eve an encouraging smile and was gone. "Our technical analyst Penelope Garcia. I would like you to step right in, as you now, we are one agent down." Hotch was not going to give Gardiner a chance to back down. "I have a go-bag in the trunk," she confirmed and followed Hotch in the small conference room.

"Well, before we start, this is SSA Eve Gardiner, she will be joining our team." Hotch introduced Eve briefly, Garcia was already ready for battle and lit up the large flat screen. "The destination is Baton Rouge, Louisiana, my little furry friends. We´ve got two dead priests."

Garcia pointed at the screen. "Father Michael O'Donnell and Father John Duncan", "Both of Irish descent?" Eve asked and Garcia nodded. "And both of them stone cold dead. They were found in their churches. Nude and put in a cross-like position." On the screen they could see the two priests, arms spread out and placed in the nave. A knife was sticking out of their chests, both priests laid in a large pool of blood. "According to the autopsy report, the stab wound is the cause of death, but, and this is so disgusting, they were also raped and their tongues were cut out. And that didn´t happen post-mortem, folks." "So he wants them to suffer," stated Derek. "What is scrawled on their stomach, Garcia?" asked Dave, time for glasses, he thought. Garcia increased the picture. "666?" Hotch said, surprised, "Satanism? That´s not very common in the southern states. Is there any other evidence of devil worshippers, Garcia?" "Not really, there are only a few minor offenses. At St. Michael's, a statue was knocked over, at St. Mary in the Wood a baptismal font was damaged and at St. Benedict´s the wall was spray-painted, but it said 'Fuck You', so no devils at all. " "Any links between O'Donnell and Duncan?" Eve asked. "No, not besides the obvious. But I just started searching."

Hotch stood up, "everything else on the plane, wheels up in thirty. Dave, you may show Gardiner her desk and the jet?" "I can do it," Derek chimed in. He offered her his hand. And saw her hands tremble a bit. "Derek Morgan, the angel-like blonde is Jennifer Jareau, or JJ as we call her. Our genius you have already met and our technique goddess Penelope Garcia is a real cutie." Derek watched her intently as he spoke to her. Reid was right, she looked sad. Or rather like someone who has already finished with everything. Her make-up was almost perfect, but if you looked closer, you could clearly see the deep dark circles around her eyes. Green-blue ones. Morgan wondered, what they might look like, if she smiled. She slept too little and, judging by her figure, she ate too much of nothing. What the hell were you thinking, Hotch, Derek thought. Gardiner would topple over at the first opportunity, that was for sure.

JJ grabbed Hotch´s jacket and pulled him aside. "This can´t be serious, not at all." "What do you mean?" "I'm talking about Eve Gardiner, Aaron. You can´t do this. Eve has my full sympathy, but that is too much for her and us. You´re crazy, putting her into the team." Hotch looked at her in amazement. "I did not realize , the team leadership has changed, JJ. Since when are you making decisions for me?" "Oh, come on, I don´t do that. I´m just thinking, it´s a huge mistake." "So you are not?" Hotch asked, "It sounded that way. I want Gardiner to join the team and I won´t discuss it. Not with you, nor with Morgan, his critical eye was not to be overlooked." JJ put a hand on his arm. "You´re so stubborn, Aaron. You´re going to destroy this whole team." Hotch gave her a short laugh, "Which team do you mean, JJ? Didn´t it come to your attention, in what mood and distress this team already is? Earlier this day, Rossi and Morgan barked at each other like mad dogs. And Reid? Sleeping on your couch for weeks, crying? And what about us? I don´t like, what we do, JJ. "JJ snorted, "Oh, no? That´s why you´re moaning my name, when you cum? You're a fucking hypocrite, Aaron Hotchner." JJ was throwing him a furious look, then she left and rushed in her office, to get her go-bag.

Eve sat in the jet next to Reid, who had looked at her encouragingly. "You'll be fine," he whispered to her. Eve was surprised. Reid was the youngest in the team and treated her completely unbiased. Morgan previously had checked her out, from head to toe. Eve was sure he did not trust her and that made two of them. Eve did not trust herself. She knew, drinking wasn´t a solution, suicide wasn´t either. But everything got out of hands. Eve´s whole life crashed down, when Carrie got ill. Eve remembered the time in the hospital, to see her own child suffer, broke her heart and made her nearly lose her mind. When they finally got the right donor, it was too late. Eve didn´t know, how she made it through the funeral. Craig, her husband, left three days after they buried their child. He was screwing his secretary, what a cliché. That´s when she started drinking. She could feel her hands shake a little. She didn´t have a drink since the day before yesterday, and she felt awful.

Eve looked at Hotch. She didn´t know, why he was trying to help her back on her feet again. They knew each other, not very well, they worked two cases together. Something was going on, Eve thought. But what ever it was, it wasn´t her business. Eve was not sure if she was able to fulfill Hotch´s expectations. But she would try, as hard as she could.