A/N: Okay, so I have decided I'm not hiding yet, maybe after this chapter though. LOL I love all you guys, for the wonderful reviews. You all just rock. Special shout outs to Jenn and Stefi, who don't have accounts so I can't reply to them in person as I do with everyone else.
Penelope
I had just missed the elevator by mere seconds and needed to wait for the next one. From previous experiences I knew this could take a while. Usually this was a rather busy time, with everyone coming into the office and stuff like that the elevators would probably spend a rather long time going higher and higher, letting people off before coming down again. Maybe I should just take the stairs. But then again, six floors? I could wait.
After quite a while I finally got one, walking on and pressing my floor. Seeing Agent Hotchner walking towards me, I stopped the door from closing and let him on as well. I had only met him once, before they headed out on a case.
"Penelope, how have you been?" he asked me friendly.
"Very well, sir. I'm glad the team is back in Washington. It was quite a while," I replied.
He nodded at me. "Yes, usually our cases are not that long. This one was a rather hard one to be honest. But you'll see I'm sure. Kevin Lynch causing any additional problems?"
"No sir," I replied. Even if he had I wasn't sure how well it would went down with the other Techs if I was running to my boss to complain about one of them, of us actually, seeing that I was Tech as well. I might not have been on a friendly basis with any of them, but filing complaints wouldn't get me anywhere either.
"Good, let's hope it stays like that," he smiled. "Chief Strauss wants to see you, by the way. She asked me to send you up as soon as I saw you this morning," he kept going, pressing another button for the 14th floor and making me see that this wasn't a polite request, but rather a firm order. More from her than from him I suppose. After all I had met her. She was someone you didn't keep waiting.
Hotch got off on the sixth floor, whereas I was going higher, not sure what she would want to see me about.
Oh God, she hadn't heard any of the telephone conversations between me and Agent Morgan I hoped. If she did I could probably clean out my office right away. Because there was no logical explanation to why I was talking to a Federal Agent like that.
Morgan
A good hour into my shift and I still was thinking of how to pull it off. I can't just walk into her office and blurt out 'I'm here now'. That would look kind of stupid. It would be best to wait untill I had a plausible reason to see her. A case, a search, something that was job related. That would always make for the best excuses.
I hadn't seen any new faces in the last hour either. As far as I knew she should have started working an hour ago, but so far I hadn't spotted anyone unfamiliar around the bullpen. With my luck she was out sick and this would have to wait another day at least. Or maybe she had just skipped my eyes and managed to get in without me seeing it. Maybe I should just go to her office and check, see if she was maybe in.
She wasn't. Her office door was open though. I walked in, wondering if maybe she had just walked out for a moment, to get coffee – but then I would have seen her, right? Maybe the restrooms – not that I would check there. I'm not a stalker. I was just … curious. Dying of curiosity actually. She would probably come back any minute.
"Morgan?" I heard all of a sudden coming from behind. "Hotch wants us to meet in the conference room. A local PD needs our opinion on something and maybe a preliminary profile on someone," JJ announced when she walked into the office.
"Now?" I asked, sounding probably rather frustrated. Couldn't this wait an hour? Or maybe just half an hour?
JJ only looked at me surprised, surely wondering why I would ask something like that. Usually we just followed when there was a meeting. The expression on her face told me it couldn't wait. So I left the office rather reluctantly. Having seen a few pictures but all of them had different people on them and I know it sounds weird, but none of them looked like a Penelope Garcia. I knew I had never seen her, but I just felt she wasn't one of these people in the picture.
But until I would lay my eyes on her it was back to work. Maybe it could keep me distracted enough to not think about her for a moment or two.
Penelope
I was sitting in Section Chief Strauss' office and was probably looking as nervous as I was feeling. The first meeting had already been rather stressful. Not that there had been anything really unpleasant about the meeting itself. It was just that this woman could make a person feel really intimidated. She talked in a very stoic, cold voice that didn't deliver much happiness or pleasure. I would just be glad when I could leave again.
"Agent Hotchner informed me that the latest case of his team has been closed. As it was your first case, I always ask for the Acting Unit Chief to give me a general evaluation if a new member joins the team…" I heard her talking, wondering if it was going to end good or bad. I hadn't really talked much to Agent Hotchner over the last few weeks. I had just seen him this morning and he seemed friendly and genuine. But then again I suppose as an Acting Unit Chief you are rather good at masking your real emotions and thoughts.
"He spoke about you in rather high notes, which surprised me, given that you had only joined the team shortly before the case. Agent Hotchner also said you warmed up to the team rather quick, and adjusted to the case very well, giving precise information and working well under pressure. He said he sees you as a great asset to the team already," Strauss let me know and although it was probably meant as a compliment, it didn't sound like one coming from her. It was more as if she was reading straight facts, not showing any sort of emotion.
Then there was silence. Was I supposed to say something? Was I supposed to just leave? Was there anything else to be expected to come from Strauss?
"Thank you, ma'am. I enjoyed working with the team," I finally decided on cutting into the silence. I know it must have sound rather flat, since I hadn't really worked with them I had just answered their calls and looked for what they were telling me. So far I had a rather passive role assigned to me. Not that I complained.
"Very well. After Agent Hotchner's little appraisal I think it goes without doubt that we expect great things from you, Ms. Garcia," Erin Strauss went on, making me look up in shock. This sounded rather like a threat than anything else. "I've heard about your abilities and what you can do. Why the FBI hired you in the first place. And I think I don't have to remind you what is at stake for you with this job."
I just nodded eagerly, hoping to convey I would certainly do my best for the FBI, since they had left me little reasonable option to do otherwise without risking a prison sentence. I really wanted to get out of this office as soon as possible.
"Good. You can return to your office then," she said and I was dismissed, kind of hurrying to the door and hoping I wouldn't have to be up here anytime soon again.
A/N: Usually I don't do this, but i feel like I have to, otherwise one of you might come after me. They will meet in the next chapter. I swear and promise.
