A/N: I apologize for the wait; I've been filling out scholarships. It's been rough.
Focused as they were on the techie and her equipment, none of them seemed to notice the conference room door open until they heard a familiar voice. "Agent Hotchner, I…" Strauss stopped, dead in her tracks, after she fully entered the room. Hotch's head jerked to the door with a speed equivalent to that of teenage boy whose mother had opened his bedroom door without knocking. The expression he wore was pretty similar to that of the teenage boy as well. "Who are you?" There was the smallest element of surprise in her voice as she spoke to the man in the bowtie, but she mainly just came off as irritated. She knew that none of her subordinates liked her a great deal, but the B.A.U. seemed to have a proclivity for keeping secrets from her. As most teams went, even if she didn't get information directly from unit leaders or the agents themselves, she would eventually pick up what she needed through water-cooler conversations. This particular group was close-knit and, though she outranked them all, she did not possess as much authority as she would like to over them. She simply had nothing to use as leverage.
The Doctor surveyed the room. Judging by the deer-caught-in-headlights look on the faces of everyone else, he surmised that it was safe to assume two things. This, rather angry looking, woman was in some position of dominance. He noticed that immediately with the way she carried herself, and her inherent lack of hesitation in both entering the space and addressing him. He also noticed that none of the bureau employees in the small room had put any effort into formulating an even reasonably believable cover story for the presence of the three new people. He quickly strode toward her and offered his hand. "Ma'am, S.I.S. Agent John Smith," he introduced himself. He crossed his body awkwardly with his left arm, his right hand still shaking with Strauss' enthusiastically. "Agent Prentiss, my badge?" He extended his open hand to her, and she hastily liberated the object from her pocket. He ignored the baffled expression that the item's location had evoked from Strauss, and held the leather wallet open by his face.
To her surprise, she saw a completely legitimate form of identification. That still didn't answer why he was there though, or who the other two strangers were.
She started to ask just that, but was interrupted by Agent Smith. "I know what you're thinking," his manner was wholly serious. For a moment, she entertained the idea that maybe this man was a big player in his own agency, and that he was consulting with the B.A.U. could be her opportunity to turn this informal meeting into political gain. Then he finished his sentence, this time with a bright smile in place. "No, I'm not quite as photogenic as I'd like to be. My hair always does this thing," the Doctor was using his now free right hand to indicate the different directions his scruffy mop would fly depending on the occasion.
She promptly reconsidered all thoughts that this man was a professional… anything. She had zero interest in playing politics with an overgrown child. How much power could such a superfluously energetic man wield? Certainly not enough to damage, or for that matter, further her career. She nodded toward Amy and Rory, narrowing her eyes as she spoke. "And your… associates?"
He turned to look at them, and then slowly rounded back to Strauss. There were no traces of the smile that his face had held when he'd looked away. His lips were in a thin line as he leaned closer to her. Inches away from her ear, he released a deadly whisper. "That is on a need to know basis."
As he retracted, her expression became sour. She sternly gazed at Hotch, and remained silent. "Agent Smith is helping us out with the profile of a possible international UnSub. He's an old acquaintance of Agent Prentiss." He broke through the heavy tension that had settled with the best lie he could come up with in the time that the Doctor had bought.
Strauss again examined Agent Smith. That clearly explained why he was in the B.A.U., and why she disliked him. She didn't care for Agent Prentiss, not since Emily had refused to play her game, why would she like the woman's friends? It still didn't explain the other two, but she had better things to do than police her underlings. "Consultations are supposed to be through formal invitations only."
"It's time sensitive, Erin." If there was one thing that David Rossi knew, it was how to time a well-placed gibe. The use of the woman's first name was a subtle way of saying that he didn't give a damn about protocol, and that he wasn't above using his connections to get out of any trouble they might bring down upon themselves. It was also his polite way of telling her to leave.
She knew exactly what it was. She also knew that if they screwed up in a grand enough way, she'd finally be able to get rid of Hotchner and Prentiss; maybe she'd force Rossi into a second retirement as well. "In that case, I'll get out of your way." Strauss backed toward the door. "I came for an update, but I can see that you're all working diligently. I'd like to know before you make an arrest?"
Hotch dipped his head, "of course, Ma'am."
She closed the door, but paused before leaving. Perhaps she had misjudged Agent Smith. Maybe his eccentric exterior was a clever façade.
A/N: I felt a bit like I was writing about the Wicked Witch there toward the end…
