Chapter 2
Rebecca showed her paperwork to the agent and followed him down a long hall. She stood in front of a blue wall and had her photo made. In a matter of minutes her badge was attached to the lapel of her jacket.
"Dr. Monroe, your office is on the third floor, room 347. You'll be assigned an assistant in a week and given a code for the file room."
"The file room?"
The agent chuckled, "Yes ma'am. Dr. Lancaster hated computers. He liked paper copies."
Rebecca stared incredulously at him, "You mean all the psychological profiles on the BAU agents are still on paper? Isn't that dangerous?"
The agent stiffen as if she'd wounded his pride. "I assure Dr. Monroe, the files are safe."
Rebecca took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I don't doubt your security measures Agent..." she glanced at his badge, "Weeks, but if there were a fire..."
The young man shook his head, as if he guarded some deep, dark secret he couldn't divulge.
The elevator opened and Rebecca recognized two of the agents stepping out. Emily Prentiss and Jenifer Jareau, laughed as they made their way out of the building. Rebecca followed Agent Weeks, who'd obviously pulled the short straw and was acting as her personal tour guide.
She remembered the files she'd been given in the oval office on the two female agents. One had been forced into a position at the Pentagon and the other had faked her own death. Both women were strong, but how much of their strength was due to training and how much was genuine was the real question. One she intended to answer.
Her assignment was simple. How much damage had been done to this team?
She grasped the handle of her briefcase tighter. She'd made her mind up as soon as she was settled in her new office, she would make a visit to the BAU. She would face David Rossi. She would be calm, cool, and detached. After all she was here to do a job and the sooner the job was finished, the sooner she could get back to Magnolia Ridge.
The elevator dinged and the doors swooshed open. Rebecca's breath caught in her throat as she stood face to face with David Rossi.
"Rebecca?"
Rebecca swallowed the lump that was presently lodged in her throat.
"Hello David." She managed.
"What are you doing here?"
The elevator dinged angrily at being stopped from its monotonous duty. Rebecca stepped passed David, her skirt brushing his leg sent a shock wave through her.
"I'm here for the psych evaluations."
David released the elevator and looked at her. "What?"
"The annual psych evaluations for the BAU." She repeated, trying hard to focus on her words and not how good he looked in his dress shirt and jeans.
"What happened to Bill?"
The question was addressed more to her companion, but she found the courage to speak up, "Dr. Lancaster has been temporarily reassigned."
"Reassigned?"
"You'll be briefed, David. I assure you I'm perfectly qualified to.." She didn't get to finish.
"Damn it, Rebecca! I know your qualifications." He ran his hand over his goatee, "No one knows your qualifications better!"
Rebecca watched as he turned and stormed down the hall.
She nodded at her tour guide. Maybe the worst was over.
She dismissed the young agent after he showed her into her office and gave her the keys and the code to the file room.
Rebecca looked at her surroundings. It was a small room, but functional. She looked through her open door and the open door of her vacant assistants office and out into the hall. She had a clear view of the entrance leading to the BAU.
The doors opened and she watched as Aaron Hotchner and a very pissed off David Rossi made a b-line for her.
Yeah, maybe the worst was over and maybe there were little green men on Mars and maybe, just maybe demons had snowball fights in Hell. She braced herself as the two men entered.