AN: Ok, so it's not my fault that I haven't uploaded: It's the computers. Hate the machine, not the writer. :)
I would like to thank SingnedSealedWritten for helping me out. She rocks.
Also, While I remember to say thanks, thank you the-vampire-act for getting me to write this.
Hopefully, this story will get better. Tell me what you think! the button makes me happy.
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During the next week before she started school, Maple meet a few more people whom she would either see often, or very little.
Strauss was there when she came a few days later, and Maple wondered who she was as she walked past her. She noticed her, but didn't comment on her being there. When Maple went looking around again, this time going onto other floors, she talked with some of the agents who asked her if she was now the youngest agent ever. Maple smiled and shook her head. "I wish. That would be awesome! No though, I'm just an agent's kid."
"I didn't know it was bring your kid to work day." One of them said, being somewhat serious.
Maple saw Panda out of the corner of her eye, and watched as all the hairs began to go up on her back, getting ready to attach and protect. What was this about? She focused back on the two agents again and while one of them was still smiling at her, seeming as normal as can be (Though there were dark circles under his eyes, a common trait in this building) the other one didn't seem to be looking at her the same way. In fact, for a moment she felt like his eyes took in more of her than just her face, and she felt like bolting. She concentrated on the other guy though, feeling that he was safe.
"It's not. I'm starting high school next week and the guy I would be staying with is sick."
"Aren't you a little young to be starting high school?"
"Nope." Maple said, and looked around. "Um, if you don't mind, I'm going to keep walking around. Nice to meet you guys."
"See ya." The two of them said, and she walked away, seeing Panda relaxe with each step, though she was closer to her than normal. She didn't complain though.
She walked around only to find yet another kitchenette, finding that there was at least two on each floor. She saw the lady from earlier, and she saw her.
"Hello there. You came in with Agent Reid, didn't you?"
"Yes Ma'am. My name is Maple. Who are you?"
Strauss smiled. "I am Section Chief Agent Strauss. I am Agent Hotchner boss, who is Agent Reid's boss."
"Oh, so you're Aaron's one up. I was wondering who it was." Maple said, smiling.
Strauss raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Well, there is a chain of command. I didn't think that Aaron wouldn't have someone who was above him. Dad didn't like his boss though. I hope you're nicer to him. He has a lot on his plate."
"What do you mean?"
"I've seen what the profiler job does to someone. It not always nice, but it only gets harder when you don't think you can trust your boss."
"So do you think that Aaron trust me?"
"I don't know. I'm not a profiler. You are profiler, right? How much field work did it take for you to get to Section Chief?" Maple couldn't fathom why someone would be above people with hard jobs if they didn't understand the jobs themselves. It just didn't make since to her. Like a street cop would be put up to detective, not just straight to detective.
"Well, uh… ha. I've had some field work. Why do you ask?"
"I like asking questions."
"So what is your name?" Strauss asked, trying to change the subject.
"Maple Redwolf. This is Panda."
Strauss seemed surprised. "Not John Redwolf's daughter."
"You knew my dad?" She almost sounded hopeful, and though her profiling skills were not great, she knew kids well enough.
"Only in passing. He was good at his job. We weren't close though. I'm sorry."
"Nah, it's ok. Hey, can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Do you know who the guys down the hall are? One had light brown hair and the other guy looked like he colored his hair."
"Ah, I happen to know just who you're talking about. The light brown haired man is Agent Zeffers, and the man who has his hair colored is Agent Deliti. It is about time for their break, and they're pretty good friends, so they are probably still together now. Why do you ask?"
"No reason." Maple said. She then said her goodbyes and was on her way.
Maple met Will LaMontagne the next day. At first, she was butting heads with him it seemed, and Reid and JJ were afraid that it wouldn't work out after all. It seemed that Henry was the key to get the two together though. Once Will got Henry in a fit of giggles, and then during his feeding time Maple seemed to teach him how to better aim his food when he trough it, and soon Panda was being fed pieces of cereal.
It seemed to get both of them into a better mode and soon enough they were both talking about how they did somewhat miss the warmer weather, but Maple did state that she was excited for snow, and Will agreed with her that it was a perk.
Of course, soon enough Maple found out that Will could speak French, something not common even in New Orleans, and got him to teach her a few fraises. Of course, the accent wasn't a problem.
"How is it that after barley a day you're already talking like me?" Will asked, honestly curios.
"I'm talking like you? Maple asked, her brow scrunched as she said it. She also seemed to hear herself for the first time, as she blushed a little.
"Guess I am. Sorry." She said, trying to get out of it, but it didn't seem to be working.
Will waved it off. "Hey, if it means that you pick up on stuff faster, so be it. It's pretty cool tho'gh, you have to admit."
Maple smiled, thinking that he was right, it was no big deal.
"So what where you sick with?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Just a 24 ho'r thing. Nothin' serious."
Reid and JJ looked at each other though, both wondering what else this kid to do that even she didn't know about. She and Will ended up talking them into playing a game of poker with them. It was actually funny to watch Reid and Maple as the final two in the game. However, it was Reid who had the final hand, and Maple told him that he needed to teach her better ways to bluff. He promised he would.
When Maple started school, Reid was worried, to say the least. Maple found that she was the one who had to calm him down. "Spencer, really, I'll be fine. I promise. If I need you, I'll call."
"And you promise to tell the teachers if something happens?" He asked as he drove her down.
Maple sighed and nodded. "Yes, I promise."
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
"SPENCER!"
"Yeah yeah I know."
Maple shook her head. Her parents had freaked out a little too when she had skipped another grade, and she had to do the same thing with them. At least she had had practice.
She waved Spencer goodbye and walked in. Her first day in high school was interesting, to say the least. Everyone was at least a full two heads taller than her, and she was as good-if not better- at the subjects as the rest of them. Word went around the whole school fast that there was a kid in 10th grade. Maple was glad that she had gotten used to jumping grades, otherwise this would have been really hard.
Still, this was different. Some of the kids were mean, asking loudly who would let a baby into high school. Others didn't seem to really care too much. And then there were the nosy ones, and the ones who seemed to be a little worried for her when others made their comments.
During lunch, she had brought her lunch box. She felt that she could get away with a bit of a kidish one as she was a kid, and she liked it. It was a lunch box that you could travel with, but it was blue and had a heart and flower sown into it. She bought milk and walked over to an empty table, only to find herself going face first into the floor. Everyone at the table that she had been walking by started to laugh. Maple checked her wrist to make sure that she was alright, and then got up and faced them.
"I would tell, but something tells me that you're used to being in trouble, so I'll just say this: Do that again, and I'll put a stink bomb in your locker. Do you understand me?"
The room went deathly silent as what she had said whispered around, until finally someone at the other table started laughing.
Pretty soon others joined in, and the only ones who weren't laughing were sitting at the table. The boy who had tripped her clenched his hands and was about to get up when a boy came up behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Now now, you don't want her to have to put that bomb in your locker, do you? Kid, want to come and sit with us? We've got a chair open."
Maple looked at the kids at the table, and then up at him. He seemed nice enough, so she nodded. "Yeah, sure, ok."
She walked over with them to find table of sniggering teenagers.
"Kid, that was great." A red haired boy said.
She smiled again. "Thanks. I really did mean it though. I've done it before, with this girl back in my home state."
"So where are you from?"
"Florida. Near the Air Force base there."
"So what's your name short stuff?" A girl asked, reminding her of Pen.
"I'm Maple."
"Well, I'm Mark." The boy who had gotten her from the other kids said.
"The one who called you short stuff is Jan, he's Jimmy, but we all call him Red, and she's Rene" He said, pointing to a black girl, who waved, "He's Johny-Boy."
"JB if you like" The blond kid said.
"And of course, last but not least is Kim, our artist."
A girl with black hair and green eyes smiled. "Yo."
"We're kinda the drama club. Kim does the back stage stuff, and plays small roles if no one else will do them, and the rest of us are always in the plays. What about you?"
"I'm mainly a gadget girl. But I know how people are supposed to act at times."
"Oh yeah?" Jan asked, a ghost of a smile on her face.
"Yeah, my dad was a profiler and I caught some tricks from him."
"Really? That's cool. What does he do now?"
Maple opened and closed her mouth before she found her voice.
"He died. I'm living with a friend of his. He's a profiler too. I've meet his team too. There all pretty cool."
"Hey, I'm sorry about your dad." Rene said.
Maple smiled and shrugged. "Hey, it's alright."
"What about your mom?" JB asked.
"So what play are you guys doing next?" Maple asked, turning to Jan.
They got the hint, and ran with it.
The rest of her day had gone pretty well. Will ended up picking her up, and they took dinner to the team. Maple chatted away with everyone about how much fun she had on her first day of school when she saw the Agent from upstairs, Deliti. He caught her eye and she felt the hairs stand up on the back of her neck. She couldn't look away. She didn't want to seem scared of him, didn't want him to feel powerful in her fear. Emily broke the connection though, and soon enough she was trying to act normal again.
