Standard Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not mine. They belong to their respective networks and creators. The concept of the Recruitment Drive belongs to Afalstein and is used with his permission. This story is for entertainment purposes only (Hopefully) and not for profit.

And now the last chapter in our story.

Unfinished Business

Chapter 4: Who We Are.

"You must trust and believe in people or life becomes impossible."

Anton Chekhov

It had been eight years since Spencer Reid had driven this road. Eight years since Jason Gideon had left the BAU, his badge and gun sitting on the table in his cabin along with a letter to Reid. Now; after eight years, Gideon had called them. Why? Spenser wondered. Up ahead the rest of the team would be waiting. Sure enough he recognized Garcia's 'Esther'. The orange 1965 Cadillac Fleetwood convertible was parked across from three ominous looking black SUVs. Government issue vehicles all seemed to look the same. Garcia was standing by her car with Morgan and Kate Callaghan. Reid parked his Volvo next to Esther and stepped out.

"Where are Hotch and Rossi?" He asked Morgan. Morgan shrugged and glanced at a frowning Asian looking woman who seemed to be studying them and everything around her.

"Inside with Gideon. And then there's these guys..." Morgan gestured to the black garbed woman. "Anybody care to guess who they are?"

"Uh guys?" Garcia nodded toward the road. "Maybe we might be about to find out." She noted as a red convertible drove up. The driver parked and removed a pair of sunglasses and walked over to the amazon in the skin suit. She frowned but nodded in the reproving manner reserved for overworked keepers.

"Definitely the man in charge." JJ observed as he went inside the cabin.

"But in charge of what?" Reid asked.

"Beats me." JJ replied. "These guys definitely aren't bureau but they're agency of some sort."

"Well," Morgan said. "Whatever is going on. It sure makes you wonder what Gideon's been up to these days..."

Meanwhile, Director Coulson walked up the steps and into the sturdy cabin. Gideon was by the stove, pouring coffee for Hotch and Rossi, who were seated at his kitchen table.

"Ah! Director!" Gideon greeted him with a smile. "Coffee?"

"Please."

Gideon nodded and reached for another cup. "Director, I'd like you to meet Senior Supervisory Agent Aaron Hotchner, BAU unit chief and Special Agent David Rossi, gifted profiler and author and ladies man."

"Well. still two out of three isn't bad." Rossi quipped. "I can still chase bad guys and I can still write, but my days as a ladies man are long gone my friend."

Gideon chuckled. "Hotch, Dave, allow me to introduce Phil Coulson, Director of SHIELD."

Hotch and Rossi tensed slightly. Of all the unimaginable things, this was a particularly unsettling development.

"Jason," Hotch said carefully."SHIELD doesn't exist except on the terror watch list."

Coulson sighed. "Agent Hotchner... How many FBI agents were killed the day Project Insight went down?" He said calmly.

Hotch and Rossi looked at him levelly. "None." Hotchner conceded.

Coulson nodded. "WE lost hundreds of good people cut down by people they thought were friends and colleagues."

"And all SHIELD agents were ordered to stand down until they could be cleared."

"I know. Guilty until proven innocent, But the problem is that the Hydras didn't stand around and wait for the government to get over their own mistakes and get around to sorting them out. They went underground, Agent Hotchner. Some of us aren't content to wait for them to pop back up when they're ready. And there are still plenty of other threats that quite frankly, the FBI just isn't equipped to handle." He tossed a file on the table.

Hotchner opened it carefully.

"Marcus Daniels." Coulson informed them. "He was an individual who had the ability to drain off energy from anything he wanted, from a car battery to a human body. Can you seriously tell me the bureau is equipped to handle someone like that?"

Hotch closed the file and sat back with a more neutral expression as Coulson continued.

"On the other hand, sometimes we come across cases which frankly are your area of specialty." He glanced at Gideon.

"Dave?"Gideon asked. "Do you remember a case back in '78? Three women murdered in the vicinity of Roanoke Virginia? One every three months and then the killings just stopped."

"Yeah." Dave recalled. "And there was that woman who approached us, claiming her daughter had been abducted." He turned to Hotch. "Her body was never found. We had to let the case go because we didn't have the manpower to pursue it."

"Tara Burnett's body was found last week, dumped just like all the others. He kept her all these years." Gideon informed them.

"Are there any suspects?" Hotch asked, pointedly ignoring the fact that he was now consorting with wanted terrorists.

"His name is Donnie Mallick." Coulson supplied. "We have him secured in a vehicle outside after he tried to take a shot at Gideon. Don't worry. No one has mentioned SHIELD in front of Mr. Mallick. It's a clean case. I'll leave it to Gideon to fill in the details."

"Fair enough." Rossi agreed. "But just what is SHIELD's interest in all this?"

"Consider it a marriage of virtue and need Agent Rossi." Coulson answered him. "After SHIELD fell, those of us who were left were a pretty beat up bunch. You can imagine we went through the worst days of our lives and we needed help. Unusual circumstances dictated unusual solutions." He admitted. "We figured a man who had spent his life understanding sick minds might have some ideas on how to put damaged minds back together. And his expertise helped two very good men find themselves again.

"So when Gideon came to me about this case, I owed him the chance to finish this. Besides..." Coulson added. "SHIELD was founded on the ideal of protection. One person or the world. We're rebuilding and getting back to the basics. And that means we do things different. Even if it weren't for present circumstances, we can't be everywhere. We can't run everything and frankly we shouldn't try.

"But we can help. "

"So what are you asking from us?" Hotch questioned.

"For now... Just close up this case. Gideon will give you the details and you can take Mr. Mallick into custody." Coulson told him. "Beyond that? We'll probably just have to wait and see." He put his sunglasses back on.

"Gideon."

"Director. " Jason acknowledged as Coulson left.

Rossi shook his head as he considered it all.

"So Gideon? Been up to much lately...?"