The large, black SUV carrying the rest of the team screeched to a halt outside the Hotchner residence, and they all jumped out, guns at the ready. And like Hotch, they all froze.

Hotch was standing in the middle of his footpath, holding a hyperventilating – but very much alive – Haley.

"Haley, I need you to breath for me. And try to tell me what happened. Did he leave?" Hotch spoke in a soothing voice, not quite sure what to make of the situation, but he was sure of one thing; Haley would never leave the house if Jack was hurt or in danger. So, whatever the situation may be, he knew his son was safe. And thus, he focused on trying to get his ex-wife's breathing under control. They all holstered their guns, except for Morgan.

"Hotch," Morgan spoke first, his eyes gaping at Haley, and not quite sure how to ask the question. Hotch, knowing what he had in mind, shook his head. "I have no idea what's going on."

Just then, the door to the house opened, and Morgan immediately raised his gun, which seemed to snap Haley out of her panic attack, and she grabbed his hand, yelling, "No!"

He froze; both by Haley's reaction, and by the sight before him. The door had opened, and a woman, dressed in black, tight jeans that were tucked into knee-high black boots, and a black high-neck top, with sun-kissed tan skin, braided light brown locks, and sharp, enticing brown eyes walked out of the house, with Jack perched on her hip.

"Daddy!" Jack squealed, as he let go of the woman, and she effortlessly set him down on his feet. He took off running towards Hotch, and she walked behind him, a small smile on her lips, and immense relief swimming in the abyss of her eyes.

"Amalya!" Emily whispered.

It was Morgan's first case as the interim unit chief, and despite being confident, and knowing that Hotch was going to be there every step of the way if he needed anything; he couldn't help but feel slightly nervous. Strauss, after reviewing the case they were about to embark on, had mentioned that there was something she needed to discuss with the entire team, and was simply waiting for JJ to give the go on the conference room.

Once they were inside, and seated, he spoke up. "Before we begin, Strauss said she wanted to talk to all of us about something. So I think we should wait until she's done to dive in."

"Don't worry, Agent Morgan, I won't keep you long." Strauss's voice came from the hallway outside the room, and when he turned he found her walking towards them, with someone else in toe. And he just couldn't help but try and profile the petite brunette heading towards them.

She was small, five foot, four inches tops; small frame, and seemingly nonthreatening. But one look into her eyes, and you'd know that she was a force to be reckoned with. She was tanned, naturally not artificially. Her light brown hair went all the way to the middle of her back, and she let its loose-curly nature style it without much product. Her eyes were sharp, smart, and despite the edge you saw in them, the kindness was hard to miss.

"Agent Hotchner had spoken to me about adding a new profiler to your team before, and I finally managed to find room in the budget for it. I would like you all to meet Agent Amalya Dawoud, the newest member of the team," she introduced, and the brunette smiled.

"I'm sorry, Amalya..." Morgan trailed off, not catching her last name. Reid's voice immediately popped up from behind him. "Dawoud; it's how David is pronounced in Arabic. And Amalya; while having many origins and meaning, one is a king's granddaughter – a little princess – in Ancient Egypt. So she's most probably from there!" he finished, smiling shyly at the stranger when he realized that he basically just ranted.

The brunette, however, simply chuckled. "You must be Dr. Reid," she commented lightly, and he chuckled. "Yeah, sorry". She shook her head, "not at all; it's quite refreshing when someone else does the explanation. But you're half right; I am Egyptian, but through my father. My mother was a US citizen; but she spent most of her life in Egypt. So, I'm a dual citizen."

"Derek Morgan; unit chief," Morgan introduced himself, extending a hand towards her, which she took. "And these are agents Rossi, Hotchner, Prentiss, Jareau – our media liaison – and you already met Dr. Reid."

She nodded at them all, her eyes settling a bit longer on Hotch, before they moved back to Strauss as she spoke again. "She's still finishing up her last assignment, but I have already asked her to look at Foyet's file since it is an active case, that way whenever she's back, she's up to speed".

And they hadn't seen her since, she had swung by Garcia's office, picked up the boxes, and vanished. Garcia told him that she requested various other files, but other than that, she hadn't been involved at all. Until now.

Hotch – despite his surprise at the sight of the brunette – swept up his son and held him close. "Daddy, I worked the case with you and Amaya," he announced proudly. "She's like a ninja!" he exclaimed excitedly, and Amalya chuckled.

"Good job, buddy," Hotch praised him, his voice betraying just how frightened he had gotten. His eyes found Amalya's, and he was surprised by the calmness in them. "I told you, I won't stop until I put an end to this!" she reminded him.

The case was long, but it felt strange that he got to go home and now worry about any of the paperwork. He went straight to his apartment from the airstrip, no need to swing by the office. His mind was reeling; the case wasn't easy, and his mind couldn't stop thinking about the new agent. Strauss had talked to him about bringing someone new, fresh eyes, another helping hand. He had been nagging her to make room in the budget for another agent for about a year now, and he knew of Amalya's reputation, and he had read her file, and she was one of his top candidates. But he never green lit her hiring. And he was starting to feel like Strauss had suggested Morgan take over, so she can hire her without much fuss. He didn't have anything against her, her file was proof enough that she would be a good asset. But there was a learning curve to this job; and they couldn't afford someone new with Foyet looming in the shadows. He plopped down on his couch, a loud sigh escaping him, as he rubbed his hands over his face. He undid his tie and popped open the top two buttons on his shirt. He still had a long night pouring over those files, trying to find a new lead.

He was shrugging off his jacket, when the knock came. He immediately reached for his gun, and approached the door with caution, and feline-like steps. He looked through the peephole and frowned. She was the last person he expected to see at his doorstep. He quickly unlocked the door and swung it open. "Agent Dawoud," his voice betrayed the shock he felt.

"Amalya, please," she corrected. "Can I come in?" she asked, and he immediately stepped back from the door. "Of course, I'm sorry."

He quickly closed the door, holstered his gun, and turned towards her. "I know I'm the last person you expected to see, and that Strauss sprung me on you this morning. Even though I told her I would only come on with your approval, which she assured me she had acquired."

"I had talked to her about a new hire, and you were on the top. But no, I had no idea she hired you," he explained.

"I know. Your face said it all this morning, especially when she mentioned that I would be working on the Foyet case as I finish my last assignment."

"It's nothing personal, but..." he started, and she cut in. "But it is personal to you. You don't know where your son is because of him, and you're not sure you trust the new girl just yet, to have her working on something which your family's wellbeing depends on," she finished for him.

"If we fail..." he trailed off, and she nodded. "That's why I'm here. If I'm gonna help put an end to this, then I need to come straight to the source, the one who's at the center of it all. And I do promise you, I won't stop until it's over."

"How are you here?" Rossi asked, his tone both surprised, and relieved.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she countered, and realization dawned on Emily. "There was never any assignment, was there?" she asked, and Amalya shook her head.

"Where's Foyet?" Reid finally asked. It was the one question they all wanted an answer to but was afraid to voice.

"Gone for good," was her simple answer.

"You're sure?" Morgan wondered.

"I doubt anyone has the ability to survive a bullet to the neck and another to the head!" she informed him, and his eyebrows shot up his forehead. "Those gunshots we heard...that was you!" he almost whispered, and she nodded.

Amalya parked her car a little bit down the street from the Hotchner household, cursing when she saw Haley letting Foyet into the house. She swiftly grabbed her phone, and her badge before she exited the car. She stuffed her badge in her back pocket, as she made her way over to the house. She knew she had a couple of minutes at the most, before he killed Haley, and it was up to her to stop him. Hotch and the team were too far away.

She approached the house along the side, and immediately spotted Haley standing with her back to a window. She thanked her luck for her small stature, as she crouched down below the window, and moved to the other side of the window hoping to catch sight of Foyet. She saw him sitting on the floor, playing with Jack! She bit back a growl at the mercilessness of the man, before she tried to take aim, but Haley was in her way. She moved towards the back, and to her luck she found a spot where she could climb to the second floor, and hopefully pry a window open to allow her access to the house. She said a silent prayer in her head, before she put her plan into action.

Once inside, she started listening to the voices coming from the floor below, trying to figure out the layout of the house as she went, and desperately attempting to identify a way to shoot him without killing Haley and Jack, and preferably before he shot both himself. She briefly debated calling the team and letting them know but decided against it when she realized she had no guarantees she will save Haley, and it would be cruel to give Hotch any hope.

The voices were becoming more and more distinct as she made her way down the stairs, and her anger was rising with it. Hotch was practically saying goodbye to Haley, and the bastard was tormenting him. She had made it down the stairs, when she heard Jack repeat what Hotch said, and realized he told him to hide. She pressed herself against a wall, just as Jack whizzed by her, and bounded up the stairs. She sighed in relief, at least the little boy was safe. Now, she only had to save Haley.

She dropped to her knees once more and spared a glance towards the room. She saw Foyet moving, with Haley smack in the middle of her aim. The small hallway outside the room was dark, and she was in black. She swiftly pressed herself against the wall, away from Foyet's line of sight, and moved towards the door. What Haley was saying was making her blood boil with rage; the poor thing was trying to cram every hope she had for her son in a few seconds worth of words. She looked over at Foyet through the door slit and saw him grinning like a malicious predator. He was moving to stand behind Haley and she knew this was her chance. If she didn't take her shot now, he will.

She dropped to her knees, rolled onto her stomach, aimed the gun and shot. It hit his neck as intended, and his head jerked back, giving her a perfect angle at his head, and she took it without missing a beat. Haley had frozen in shock, and Amalya was grateful for it. For if she had moved an inch, she could've been shot as well. She sprung to her feet, and approached, the now very dead Foyet lying on the floor, bleeding from his head and neck, and checked for a pulse. She already knew she wouldn't find any, but just to be sure.

Once she was sure he was dead as a doornail, she turned to a still stunned Haley, who was looking at her like she was some mythical creature. She quickly holstered her gun, and approached the trembling woman, whose knees promptly gave out from under her.

"Haley, I need you to breath. It's okay, it's over," she soothed, after she caught her in her arms.

"J...Ja...Jack," she stuttered.

"I'll get him, but I need you to focus a little. I'm Amalya, I work with Hotch at the BAU. And he's gonna be here any second, and he's gonna come in with his gun drawn. He will shoot first and ask questions later. So, I need you to go outside, and wait where he can see you, and I'll get Jack. Okay?" she explained hastily, as she guided Haley to look at her. The trembling woman simply nodded, and Amalya helped her stagger to the door, before she sprinted up the stairs in search of the little boy.

She scanned the top floor, when her eyes landed on an office, and she smiled. "Work the case," she mumbled to herself, as she made her way into the room. She easily found the hidden compartment, and she opened the lid. She found him lying on a few soft blankets which she was sure Hotch had put there for him after the boy had come in a few times to 'work the case' with him. Jack looked up at her, and she couldn't be happier that the sweet little boy wouldn't have to grow up without his mom.

"Hi sweetie, my name's Amalya," she said, as she pulled her badge from her back pocket, and turned it to him.

"You work with Daddy!" the boy pipped up, and she chuckled as she nodded. "Yeah, I do. How about we go downstairs to meet him?" she suggested softly. "Okay," was his simple answer, as he raised his arms for her to pick him up. She easily lifted him into her arms, not yet comfortable letting him walk with Foyet in the house. Dead or alive.

Rossi smiled at her once she was done explaining, before he closed the distance between them, and engulfed her in a hug. "Good job, kiddo," he said softly, and the rest of the team realized Rossi was welcoming her into the team in his own way if he was already calling her 'kiddo'.

"I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am, I don't know how I'm ever going to thank you," Hotch finally spoke, and she shook her head. "There's absolutely no need for that; knowing she's alive, and that Jack won't grow up without his mother is all the thank you I need."

Just then, Reid's phone went off, and he quickly pulled it out. He found a sniffling Garcia on the other end. "Chief Strauss wants you guys back here," she hiccupped, and he realized that both her and Strauss still believe Haley's dead.

"Garcia, she's alive," he spoke softly.

Garcia went dead quiet on the other end for a few seconds, trying to figure out if she's heard right or not.

"Garcia?" Reid called softly, when the blonde, usually bubbly technical analyst didn't say a word.

"What did you just say?" she whispered, and Reid smiled. "I said she's alive," he repeated.

"Agent Reid, this is Chief Strauss. Put me on speaker, please?" Strauss more or less ordered, and Reid complied. "You're on speaker, ma'am," he announced.

"Agent Dawoud?" her voice filtered through.

"Yes," Amalya answered simply.

"Where is Foyet?" she asked. "Gone for good," was Amalya's simple answer.

"I need you all back here immediately!"

So here's a longer chapter to hopefully give a better introduction to the character.

The name I chose because it has many, many roots, but like Reid said, one of them is Ancient Egyptian, and after a recent trip there, I fell in-love with the culture, and I thought it would be interesting to see how someone with a different background would work with the dynamic of the team.

I would love to know what you all think, and if I should continue, or simply take it down.