Alecta walked into the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit about a half an hour early. She was already nervous, she didn't need to add being late AND reprimanded on her first day at her new job. On a good day her nerves were frayed. On a day like today, they were on the verge of falling completely apart. As she walked through the doors and farther into the bull-pen, being led by agent Anderson, she managed to run her hands through her hair and down her sides, and then over the front of her outfit, making sure to smooth out any last minute creases that would have come up before meeting her knew bosses and colleagues. Running her hand through her hair had always served as a kind of safety blanket for her. Soon she was made to stand near a group of about four agents hovering around a single desk. They were merely chit-chatting to pass some free time between sheaves of paper work to catch up on.

As Alecta got closer to the small group, they turned to look at her. She was uncomfortable as hell, never had liked all eyes in a room being on her in her life. And since she had entered the room, most everyone there had been staring at her. 'Oh hell,' she thinks to herself. She recognized the four from the bar the night before. Things just keep getting better.

"Can I help you?" Morgan smiled at her when he realized who he was looking at.
"God yes. Thank your mother for me next time you see her." She hoped she was convincing.
"Is there someone specific you need to talk to?" Prentiss couldn't help but snicker. And J.J. and Reid had smiles on their faces as well.
"Yes. So sorry. I need to speak with…"
(Hotch, coming to the top of the steps in the bull pen) "Alecta Davis? If you would step into my office we can get through this paperwork as soon as possible."
"Of course, yes sir. Sorry ya'll the boss wants to rap with me about some stuff. Don't mourn my absence too much, " she grinned as she walked away, but inwardly she kept chanting 'Oh hell, oh hell'.

Morgan was watching every move she made, and she was watching him. They couldn't take their eyes off of each other. As she climbed the steps to the landing where Hotch stood, she tripped up a step or two, having been still staring at Morgan.

"Damn, who put that step there?"

Hotch couldn't help but chuckle.

"After this we will take you out and introduce you to your team, if that's ok." Hotch mentioned after they came to the last page or two of the paper work.

"By, all means, yes. That would be great. " Yeah, really great.

"I must warn you, they may try to interrogate you a bit. I'll do my best to warn them off, or to let them know that they should at least take it easy and pace themselves. But I make no promises."

"I'm used to getting grilled. Bring it on."

"You may regret ever saying that."

Finally finished with the dirty words paper work, Hotch led her back down the steps into the bull pen.

"Watch your step. It's easier to recover from falling up than it is to fall down."

"Aren't you a font of knowledge." A sardonic grin passed over her face.

"Attention everybody I would like to introduce you to our newest member. This is agent Davis. Alecta Davis. She comes to us from the LAPD. She was a detective with their sex crimes division. She has nearly 20 years of experience. (Turning to Alecta) Please, make yourself at home. This is Agent Emily Prentiss, Jennifer Jareau-she's our media liason, Dr. Spencer Reid, Agent Derek Morgan; you should be meeting our technical analyst soon. Feel free to come to myself or Agent Rossi if there are any particular questions you have."

"Yes, of course. Thank you so much."

"If you need anything…" Rossi stepped close to her, with almost a whisper.

"I know. Thank you." Alecta whispered back.

"You can have this desk between me and pretty boy over here organ, as Rossi turned and walked away. It's one of the few empty ones we have." Morgan stated as Rossi turned away.

"That's fine by me. Thanks. So what are we doing right about now? Any cases yet, or paper work or what?"

"No new cases. There's always a ream of paper work to catch up on." Prentiss throws in.

"Well. Is there anything I can do to help at all?"

"Not too much. Unless you want to run some of these files to Garcia's office; she's the techie that Hotch spoke of. I can show you where she's located so you won't get lost the first time…" JJ let her know.

"Sure, why not. I have to make it look like I work here."

"Right this way."

Morgan watched the two women walk in the direction of Garcia's lair. He happened to notice how much shorter and more petite Alecta seemed when compared to JJ. JJ was about 5'8 or 5'9, and this girl couldn't be more than about 5'3-5'4. And she was slim, but with enough meat on her bones to still have some killer curves….for a second there Derek would've sworn he was actually starting to drool a little. And she had a head of hair that you could lose a hand in. Large dark brown captivating eyes; in that way she reminded him of his baby girl.

"Hey Reid, break out the mop & bucket. I think Morgan is gonna drool over here…big time." Prentiss said with a chuckle.

"Shut it." Morgan stated with a grumble.

"By all means drool away. She isn't hard on the eyes. The only thing that you should be ashamed of is your reaction time."

Reid couldn't help but laugh a bit at that. "Seriously, Morgan, we hardly know anything about the woman yet."

"But we are about to find out. Here comes JJ. We can pump her for a little bit of information." Prentiss was trying to look busy, and failing.

"JJ…."

"Morgan? (Seeing the look on his face) She's nearly 40. Between 5'3-5'4, about 120lbs. She is a registered lethal weapon…"

"You mean she's a carrier?"

"No, Reid. SHE is the registered lethal weapon. She is terrified of guns, but has deadly accuracy with them when the situation calls for it. She prefers to use a blade when she is forced into combat. She says they cause less mess and aren't as noisy as guns, and you can be more precise with your aim; draw-back is how close that you have to be to your target. She's in the middle of an UGLY divorce from her second husband. That's at least part of the reason she transferred out here. She is part of an underground clique that is known as the 'Sisters of St. Agnes'….very little is known about their actual activities, but there are rumors. There is a fraternal organization to the Agnes's; it is known as the Knights of St. George….again, rather clandestine. Garcia knows her, and she knows Garcia, but neither would elaborate as to how. That is where you will have to do your own dirty work Morgan, I love you like a brother, but I have to consider my health."

"Well then it looks like I better get this stray file over to baby girl then, don'tcha think."

"Morgan!"

JJ was too late; he had already taken off to hunt down Garcia & the new girl. Half way there he passed Alecta in the hallway; she was on her way back to the bull pen. She smiled coyly at him. Like she had a coy bone in her body, he'd never believe that.

"Bull pen's this way right? And are you going to pop quiz Garcia about me?"

"Yes. And guilty."

"I wish you well with that. Let me know how it goes for ya."

"What were you trying to warn Morgan about?" Prentiss wanted to know sooo bad.

"Just that it would be pointless to ask Garcia a bunch of questions. She won't be giving him the information he wants about this anytime soon. I didn't want to tell him that Garcia was a part of the St. Agnes's as well. That would lead to a whole lot of uncomfortable questions for her. This way she can answer them the way she chooses. I just hope I did right by leaving out what I could. But she'll never break the code of silence…you know her."

Going back into the bull-pen, Alecta made a bee-line straight for Rossi's office, knocking on the door.

"Come in. Oh, so soon? Would you like a drink?"

"Old man, it's the middle of the afternoon. (Seeing the look he shot her from across the desk as she took her seat) Two fingers, please."

"So, what's…?" He was cut off by Alecta as she cut straight to the chase, after taking a hit off the Scotch he'd passed over to her.

"They are already starting to ask a bunch of questions."

"About the Agnes's I take it."

"You would be correct. What am I going to tell them? I mean half of the reason we've been so successful in our ventures is because nobody knows about us (getting another look of near indignation from the older gentleman), well nearly nobody, outside of those people that require our services. There are a few online rumors about our work, but that's all it really is, rumors. No one in the society has ever dared to speak to the press. No one that is a benefactor of our venture has ever mentioned their involvement with us. We all cover each other's backs. If push comes to shove, an Agnes will do jail time before we out anyone else. And here they are, out there, wanting to know where I come from, what I have been up to before joining the BAU….I don't quite know what to tell them."

"Try the truth. They are a very loyal bunch. They would never say a word."

"Ummmm…."

"Look. Derek-agent Morgan, he went through some things as a young man that wound up having him being arrested for the murder of a teenage boy a few years back…I don't know what that was, and the team has never discussed it with me. Morgan, at times has made references to it, but never really out right talks about it. I figure someone he looked up to has abused him. He trusts almost nobody, except Garcia. He counts on his team in the field, and he knows we all have his back in a pinch. But Garcia, he trust way beyond anyone else. Garcia, that woman alone is an enigma. Don't even get me started on her. She's something else. Prentiss…"

"Yes, yes. I know about Morgan's past. It involves a man named Buford. It was ugly. And that's all I will say about that. I have had eyes on him ever since Morgan was picked up on that bogus charge. I will never tell Morgan that I know…If he asks, I won't lie. But if it never comes up in conversation, I won't be the one to bring it up. Garcia….that's a story for a different day. Our paths have crossed on more than one occasion. We've saved each other's necks a time or two. Prentiss, and Ian Doyle, enough said there. And I know Hotch has his issues with what happened to his marriage, and then his ex-wife's murder. I'm glad he beat that bastard to death. We were on the verge of catching him ourselves. But he just couldn't leave Aaron Hotchner alone. He kept going back. I think as a nemesis he was well suited for Hotch…though in the long run, I think that Hotch was really way far out of Foyette's league, as far as being a better man all 'round"

"Would you or any of the Agnes's have ever done anything about Foyette?"

"I hate to say this. But it's doubtful. None of the crimes he ever committed were ever of an overtly sexual nature. I mean maybe in some way his stabbing his victims to death may have had some sexual connotations to it, I'll grant you that. But he never raped or molested his victims. And since his victims were usually couples or mixed company, it's not like he singled out any one kind of victim. It wouldn't have fit into the scope of our work. Now, had his crimes ever possessed a straight up sexual nature to them, then, yes; we would have eventually been called in by God knows who to look into them. And at that time we would have stepped in to stop him. And I don't mean just taking him to jail. He was a slippery little bastard. He would have been dealt with accordingly, if you understand my meaning."

"Ok. So you know so much about all of us, what makes us tick. You know Morgan's secret, Hotch's, Garcia's, etc. Why is it so wrong for them to know yours?"

"I'm not saying it is. But ya'll have had years to get to know one another and to form whatever bonds are in place. I'm just arriving here. I don't know any of them from Adam's house cat, except you. And to be quite honest I have never talked to anyone about what happened during that under-cover mission that I went on. And I don't know any of you well enough to tell the rest of my story to. And beyond that, anything else I have to say would be incriminating towards the Agnes's. And Garcia is an Agnes. I don't want to blow her right to privacy out of the window. But Morgan has just gone into her office to ask her questions, questions about how we know each other…I am not so worried that he would find out about the Agnes's, she would never, I know that much for sure. But the other stuff….I don't know how she would wind up explaining that."

"What other stuff are you talking about?"

"How cute. You really think that you would be able to trip me up that easily? Give me some credit. I just need a little time to get to know the team before I just go spilling my guts to everyone. I'm going through a 'bitter' divorce right now….actually, bloody might describe it better. The last time I trusted somebody with my life, he almost took it. I have to be more careful don't you see."

"Well, yes, I can understand that, now that you put it into that kind of perspective."

"Even if you don't care a thing for me, if you never did, don't let him grill Garcia. I don't want her put into that position where she feels as though she is forced to tell him everything. She's entitled to keep something like this private as long as she can, if that's what she chooses. I just want her to have the time to think of what to say or how to say it that won't leave her feeling like crawling under a rock and dying."

"I'll find a way to sidetrack Morgan for you both then. Don't worry."

"Thank you."

She set her empty scotch glass down and walked quietly back to her desk and sat down, going through some of her boxes that had since been brought up by security. She sat out her laptop that had a cover on it of her with some handsome blond haired guy. And then she set out a few framed photographs, and a rock with some words carved into it that Reid, JJ, and Prentiss couldn't quite make out from the distance of Reid's desk. She set the rock down in the file bin on her desk, apparently set to use it as a paper weight when the time was right.

"Who's this guy?" Prentiss asked holding up a frame.

"That (taking the frame gently from Prentiss, admiring the image in it), that is my best friend, Kevin. He should have been my first husband. We've known each other since we were in diapers. We were supposed to be married, but I left him when we were 15. My life was a wreck back then. But he's an awesome man, one of the finest I think I ever met. But I guess he gets that from his daddy, Mr. Dan'el; he's in this picture, with his wife, Mrs. Ouisa. They are so wonderful."

"If that was the case, why would you leave?" Asked Reid.

"Like I said, my life was a wreck. I didn't deserve them. I wanted him to be able to find someone way better 'an me. Anyway, we are still good friends. We talk by phone or email several times a week. "

Derek had been coming back up the hall and heard part of the conversation and couldn't believe the way she thought so negatively of herself. What was wrong with her? Most men he knew personally would kill to have a woman like her to come home to. What was so bad about her life that she thought she wasn't good enough? He didn't have time to figure it all out now…he had gotten a call to meet with Rossi in his office. He hadn't been able to question Garcia much at all. She was being damned evasive. He didn't like it. That usually meant something big coming from her. Morgan could tell from her body language and some of her other behavior that she was hiding something huge, that something had happened to her a long time ago and she didn't want to talk about it with him; perhaps she felt that he would see her differently in the light of day, if she chose to explain it. As it was, she just kept hiding behind the code of silence that she said the St. Agnes's employed. It was a convenient excuse, he knew that to her this was as good as dr. /patient privilege, and that she would never break it. So now he was on his way to meet with Rossi and see what he was after.

"You wanted to see me?" Knocking on Rossi's door, and entering.

"Yeah. Sit."

"What is this about?" Taking a seat.

"Stop grilling Garcia. She isn't going to tell you a damned thing. She has that code of silence thing."

"How did you…? The new girl?"

"Yes. She came to see me. We had a brief discussion. She wanted me to keep you off of Garcia's back."

"Rossi, what do you know?"

"What makes you think that I know anything?"

"Don't play games with me. What happened to my baby girl? How does she know Agent Davis? What happened to Davis?"

"I can't tell you that. Agent Davis has a certain level of trust in me that I wouldn't break if you were the pope himself. But what I can say is that….It's as bad as you want to imagine, maybe even a little worse. Davis, she usually answers to Lex, has never really explained everything to me. I mainly only know what's in her file, with a few other details thrown in for good measure. But that's enough to fill volumes. But I won't break the trust she has shown me, not for you or for anyone else. Give Garcia some space on this. And don't go badgering Davis…they will tell you in their own time. You know how protective you are of certain information about yourself? Aren't they entitled to a little privacy, at least for now?"

"I just…"

"I know Morgan, really I do. You want to know what happened to Penelope so bad, mostly so you can make sure it'll never happen again. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. You are her friend; you take care of each other. That's what you do when you are friends with somebody. And maybe somewhere inside of her Pen wants to tell you what's going on, but she has to find the right way to do it. And let's face it, here, at work is not the best place to have that conversation. Trust me on this. As for Lex, don't push her. She has already said that she doesn't mind the questions so much, but that she does need time to get used to everybody."

"How do you know her?"

"Oh no. That would be telling. Just please, give her, give them both, time."

"Ok. Ok. I guess you're right. But you might want to tell the others that. (Pointing out of Rossi's office window towards the bull-pen)."

Rossi hung his head and shook it, almost in an exasperated way. This was going to be like herding fish, a lost cause. He figured he better let Alecta handle this bit. If he tried to jump in and save the day it would make things look suspicious and more awkward, and then the questions would never stop. At least by letting her handle this now, maybe, with any luck, the others would let it rest. It was doubtful, but he had to hope.

Meanwhile, JJ had managed to make it back to her office to look over a couple of files and decide which one might be their next case. Once that was done she took two different case files up to Hotch's office for a final decision.

"Conference room, NOW." came the bellow from Hotch.