Okay, I don't own anything to do with the perfection that is CM or any of its affiliations. I do, however, have the pleasure of owning my OC, Charlotte. Hope you enjoy the story - and have a great day!

Charlotte POV

Walking into work the following Monday was like stepping into an alternate reality. Every person I walked by either stopped to ask how I was, or if I needed anything, and I politely declined each time. I didn't like the sudden attention - it felt entirely too fake.

Before the incident with Adams I had been nothing but a mere shadow, another face in the crowds of people, even though I did more work, pulled in far more over-time and ultimately had a better attitude when it came to my job that these people, and yet they were getting all of the recognition.

With a newly renewed passion and attitude, I sashayed up the stairs, flinching slightly as the psychosomatic twinges of pain from my accident running through my body - it wasn't quite nearly as unbearable as it had been in the beginning, as a matter of fact, it was almost miraculous how quickly I had recovered.

I still didn't know how I did it, but I did - and I would forever be in Mortimer and Helen's debt; I owed them my life.

As courteously as I could be in this moment, considering how much rage I was feeling, I knocked on his office door, and pushed it open when I heard the surprisingly subdued, "Come in," from the other side. I stepped in, and when I looked over to Stephenson, I was taken aback when I saw two other figures seated in front of his desk. I faltered a little, and I said, quietly, "I can come back some other time, if that's better, sir?"

He shook his head, and raised his hand, far more politely than he had ever beforehand, and said, "No, please, take a seat, Charlotte."

If alarm bells weren't ringing in my head before now, they were most definitely sounding off now at the mention of my first name. I was almost certain Stephenson had no clue I was a woman, let alone my actual name, and I froze for a instant, only to follow his orders and take the empty seat next to one of the suited and booted, young men I had walked in on his with.

Both were wearing tailor-made, clearly expensive, Italian leather shoes, coupled with form-fitting, black slacks and a button down shirt, thick, straight tie and a smart jacket pulled over their equally broad shoulders. If I didn't know any better, I would have assumed that they were with the Mafia, or something, they were that poised and stoic. Stephenson's voice rang out, and even I could hear the edge of uncertainty in it as he introduced, "This is Agent Ledger and Cade, they're with the FBI. Funnily enough, it is you they'd like to speak with - not me."

My eyes widened, fractionally and my mouth fell slack for a second, and I was sure I looked a complete fool. My gaze trailed to the two men, Agents Cade and Ledger, and I was shocked to see them looking directly in my eyes, unrelenting and piercing. One had formally styled, dark brown hair, paired with hazel eyes and tanned skin, whereas the other was his polar opposite. He had fair blonde hair, bright blue eyes and pale skin. They both were very serious-looking, and almost as if they were annoyed at something that I wasn't aware of, and the thought put me on edge.

They both stood, followed by a shaky Stephenson, and eventually I copied their actions, equally as confused as Stephenson probably felt. The blonde held out his hand for me to shake, and grasped mine in a firm, rigid grip, and said, formally, "Nice to meet you, Detective, I'm Agent Ryan Ledger," and he indicated to the silent, dark-haired male, and added, "This is Agent Jacob Cade, my partner."

Decorously, I nodded, and held out my hand for the other to shake, and wasn't at all shocked to find that his grip was just as unshakeable. Ledger began leaving the room, without even acknowledging Stephenson's existence, and Cade followed suit, only after staring intently at me, indicating that I was to tag along with them. Momentarily, I glanced at Stephenson, and saw he was slightly red in the face, and purple blotches were dotting around his neck, showing how anxious he had been throughout the meeting, and he was sweating bullets. He avoided eye contact with me, and I asked, quickly, "Do you know why they want to see me?"

He shook his head minutely, and I closed the door behind me. Ledger and Cade were standing by the entrance, staring at me as if I had suddenly grown a second head and I half-jogged to catch up with them, drawing worried glances from around the room, almost as if they thought I would collapse in on myself at any moment. As I reached them, I pushed open the door and smiled brightly, and relented, "Sorry, just had to sort something out with the boss. I have to ask, why do you want to speak to me, of all people?"

They shared a look between themselves, and Cade replied, already bored with the conversation, "We've been asked to hire you, Lewis."

My mind went blank and my mouth went dry, and I stared at the back of their heads, as I was a little behind them, and they were so much taller than I was. It wasn't even so much as height, but they were just generally bigger than I was - in size, stature and in confidence. They held themselves with a commanding, inner strength that I couldn't imagine possessing. It was infectious. Ledger tacked on, far more cheery and casual than before, "Yep, we've been asked to bring you to the BAU. Apparently you've made friends in high places. They want you to work for them," he winked, endearingly, "It's a pretty sweet deal, if I'm being honest with you."

The collected, professional Ledger from earlier seemed to melt away, and a carefree, relaxed man stood in front of me right now. It was quite a sight to see. He was grinning from ear to ear, and fished for the car keys to the jet black, sleek Chevrolet Camaro. I ran a finger across the trunk of the car, and sighed at how clean and lustrous the car both looked and felt. The soft purr of the engine beneath my fingers brought a melancholy smile to my face, and I slid into the passenger seat. Ledger glanced at me in the mirror, front the drivers side, and said, "You know about cars?"

With a chuckle, I nodded, languidly, and replied, "My step-dad was a mechanic. He taught me everything he knew."

He smiled, reading the wistfulness written on my face, and asked, "Mmm, my pops was a handyman, really talented at what he did. Always was fixing something; it was like his hands were never empty."

Nostalgically, I smiled, and watched as the scenery around us flashed by as the car sped through streets at a time. Finding the silence to be a little to daunting, I decided to do the brave thing and just get this fête over and done with. I sighed, and crossed my hands over my chest, and asked, showcasing a boldness that I didn't quite feel, "So you wanna tell me why I'm really going to the BAU?"

I raised an eyebrow, completely disbelieving and Ledger sent me a confused look. Cade took this moment to chip in his two cents, and stated, monotonously, as if I were boring him somehow, "You've been drafted as a replacement for one Agent Emily Prentiss. You'll be working under Supervisory Special Agent Hotchner. His Section Chief, Erin Strauss, requested you by name. Be glad you're leaving NYPD, they're idiots," and I saw a sly grin make its way up onto his face in the rear-view mirror.

His caramel complexion complimented his pearly white teeth, and I couldn't help but return the sentiment. I looked around, and we had arrived at my apartment complex, and the two agents were stepping out of the vehicle, onto the sidewalk, as if there was nothing wrong with the situation. From the outside looking in, it would look awfully humorous, having a young woman chaperoned into her own home by two, burly, muscular, suited men.

I scrambled out of the car, and wheezed out, "I.. Wait, don't I get a choice? Like, I mean, what if I don't want to be apart of the BAU? What if I'm perfectly happy with the life I have here? What happens then?"

There was a beat of silence, and the proper Ledger returned, and he gave me an almost acerbic glance, and said, simply, "But you're not happy here, so that scenario is obsolete."

And that was the moment where my decision was made. I was coming to Virginia, and I was bringing all of my southern charm and New Yorkan drama with me. It was going to be one Hell of a ride, that was for sure.