After nearly a month and a half of being on the team and a week and a half without having to travel out of Virginia for a case came the one thing I had been avoiding. It wasn't interviewing a serial killer and it was much harder to get out of than a meeting with Section Chief Erin Strauss, the only time I had to meet with her was when she wanted to see how I was adjusting to the BAU.

However, something in my gut was telling me there was something she wanted to ask but couldn't find the right opportunity. Following my meeting I felt like I needed a cup of coffee.

"Alright Sam, enough hiding" The bubbly voice of Garcia came from behind me as I poured myself a cup of coffee.

I stopped stirring my coffee and waited a brief second before turning around. Garcia glared at me over the top of a pair of pink cat-eye glasses, she had her arms folded over her chest and I instantly knew I was in trouble.

"I wasn't aware that I was hiding from you Penelope," I said innocently taking a sip of my coffee. "I was under the impression you hide from us all day," I added.

Penelope crinkled her nose and lifted an eyebrow at me. "Alright, enough with the fun and games, you're coming out with us tonight? And don't think you can wiggle your way out of it," she added, her tone serious.

"Who's 'we'?" I asked sounding slightly confused since Morgan hadn't been annoying everyone that the team was going out for the evening.

"You guys holding a conference over here?" Emily asked joining Garcia and I around the coffee maker. "So," she continued, "What are we discussing today?"

"I'm just telling Samantha here about the girls night we're going to have tonight." Penelope beamed at Emily, who was now looking just as shocked and confused as I was. "Now, I'm telling you about it Em."

"Garcia," Emily sighed, judging by her face she wanted to argue with the technical analyst but knew she would never win the fight.

"Do you think JJ knows yet?" I asked watching Penelope continue on through the glass doors that separated the BAU from the rest of the building.

"I bet she'll know in a couple minutes."

Emily and I exchanged one last worried glance before heading back to our desks in silence. Truthfully I was deathly afraid of what tonight was going to bring.

/0/0/

I pulled up to Rodi's bar, which about a fifteen minute drive from my apartment dressed in a pair of form fitting, dark washed blue jeans and deep burgundy halter top. My black high heels clicking as I crossed the parking lot, I recognized Garcia's convertible immediately.

So much for running Davidson, I thought to myself.

"Sam," JJ's voice carried across the bar as soon as I walked through the door.

I crossed the dimly lit, smoky bar to join the rest of the ladies of the BAU. Emily, JJ, and Penelope looked a little more free and fun than they normally did in the office. Well, that was never an issue with Penelope who wore her personality on her sleeve.

"We took the liberty of getting you a beer, that alright?" Garcia asked taking a drink from a glass; it was clearly not a beer in her glass but something fruitier.

I nodded my head assuring them it was fine as I took a seat between Emily and JJ. "Yeah, that's fine."

"So what do you have going on this weekend?" Garcia asked curiously.

Clearly I wasn't going to give her any juicy gossip. "I have a showing on an apartment in Fredericksburg tomorrow afternoon; I just have to get out of that apartment the Bureau put me up in. That and I need to get my stuff out of storage."

"No," Garcia groaned. "You don't want to be that far south of the office; most of us live around Fairfax. Plus my building has an open unit; I'll set up a walk through for you."

"I…I couldn't put that on you Pen-" I mumbled.

"Don't fight it," Emily hissed into her beer bottle.

For a while we settled into small talk about the music that was being played in the bar, recent issues at work, we were even starting to profile people that were around us. I was able to come out of my shell and really open up and be myself, something I was afraid to do until I really got to know everyone at work.

The little bit of alcohol in my system surly helped as well.

"So what was it like growing up in the BAU?" JJ asked suddenly, I was surprised it had taken until just now that anyone would have asked me this. It was no secret that I grew up knowing several members of the BAU, after all that was made known on my first day.

"I don't know. I mean I grew up knowing Rossi and Gideon, they were over at the house every once and a while for cookouts and such."

"So that's why Rossi is so overprotective of you and calls you Sammy," JJ pointed out as she connected the dots, her train of thought was interrupted by her cell phone ringing in her purse. The look on her face fell when she saw the number so it clearly wasn't her husband. "You have got to be kidding me, I'll be right back," she added before walking away.

"It had better not be," Garcia groaned downing what was left in her cocktail.

"Oh, Pen," I began with a small laugh, "You know it's going to be."

"Alright, so we explained why Rossi calls you Sammy," Emily continued on with our previous conversation. "What I want to know is why Hotch is always looking out for you, I mean in Florida I thought he was going to stroke with that guy waving his gun around."

I hadn't noticed Hotch until after everyone was out of the bait shop when he asked if I was alright. "He probably didn't want me to make some kind of rookie mistake," I said quickly trying not to give it much thought.

But was Hotch being over protective of me? It has to do with me being the newest member of the team, right?

"That's just it though," Emily continued shrugging her shoulders, "You're not really a rookie, I mean with the BAU you are, but you worked with organized crime in Chicago. That's the big time right there."

"Sorry ladies," JJ came back an sat down waving her phone at us, "We need to get back to the BAU."

"I swear this always happens," Emily groaned pushing out from the table. "I mean look at that time we had to go to Franklin, Alaska."

"Or the time we were out when we busted that guy pretending to be an FBI agent," JJ added with a smile.

"Keeping secrets and kicking criminal ass," the three yelled while laughing.

It must have been some sort of inside joke that suddenly made me feel like such an outsider, I haven't been around this team to develop things like that yet. Heck, I was just starting to feel like I was one of them.

"I'm not sure I want to know." I looked at Emily, JJ, and Garcia apprehensively while getting up from the table.

"Of course you do," Garcia assured me, linking our arms and leading me towards the front door. "This is why you just have to move into my building."

In four separate cars all of us headed back to the BAU unable to stop back home and change into something a little more bureau appropriate.

Feeling incredibly exposed once inside the office I made a detour to the locker room where I had stashed my black blazer that I had worn on my first day at the BAU. Wrapping it around myself tightly I felt better and headed to the conference room.

"Sorry about ruining everyone's Friday night," Hotch said flatly picking up several files, "We're needed in outside Portland where a man is abducting woman from their homes every couple of day. We've got wheels up in thirty; all of you will be briefed on the plane."

The moment Hotch wasn't looking Emily and I grimaced at what was going to happen when we made it to Portland.

Sorry for how short this chapter is compared to the others but this is acting as a bridge to what's coming up next. I also had to get several details in so this story can move in a certain direction. So what's next you ask? Hotch and Sam's relationship takes an interesting turn, Garcia continues to stir things up, and someone ends up in the dog house :)

I would love to hear from some more of you and get your opinions so here's what I'm going to do...message me any question that you would want to ask Sam either here or on the blog and she'll answer them over on http:/afterdarknesscm (dot) wordpress (dot) com.