Happy New Year :)
Hoping it would be a great one!
Also, my story has been online for TWO years now...wow! And there is sooo much still to come. Thank you all for being so kind and respectful and for coming back for more chapters.
Cheers!
CHAPTER 140
NO NAME GIRL
"Can you stop!?" Emily's silent voice said, sounding almost offended.
"Stop what?" Richard asked, with his eyes still closed.
He couldn't possibly imagine what he could be doing wrong. It was way too early in the morning, he was sleeping peacefully and she was snuggled by his side, with his hands holding her and her lips placing small butterfly kisses to the side of his neck. God, he smelled good. That eau de cologne that Emily had previously bought herself in desperate attempts of feeling close to him again, smelled so much better on his skin then it ever did when she'd sprayed it on her pillows, back at home.
"Sleeping!" She finally replied and, with one swift motion, she was on top of him.
How could she do those things was beyond him. He wasn't so much interested in her agility and her quick movements. What tickled his curiosity was the reason why she was able to make him feel so weak and so strong, at the same time. How was it possible that with a few words, or just one simple motion, she could make him feel numb and lose all of his senses? This was madness – a complete and utter madness, one that Richard could not explain to himself and one that he most definitely did not want to deny himself.
"Ok, I'm wide awake now..." He said sleepily.
In the back of his mind he was writing something down in that non-existent Memories Booklet of his – the current date, with the following message: Best wake-up call EVER!
It made him smile, just thinking about it. She even made him pretend to have a journal of memories? Like, he was so lost into his own thoughts and fantasies that he believed he had an entire journal, only for her – for them, for their memories, together.
What he didn't know was how terrified Emily had been, before playing her cards. She had stayed curled by his side for more than half an hour, contemplating whether it would be cute of her to play this little scene out or whether she'd look desperate and weird.
And yet, the next half an hour after she had decided to be a little bit of a spontaneous freak, had paid off more than generously.
"Breakfast?" He said at some point when he could catch his breath and move his hands away from her body.
"Yeah. We don't have much time, though. How about a shower and then we grab something from that café from yesterday? The place where the game starts from is just a few blocks down the street, we can walk there." She suggested.
"A shower, you say?" He smirked.
Had she re-thought her refusal from the previous day?
"Yes. A shower. And I go first." With those words she pressed a pillow against his face lightly and she ran for the bathroom.
There was no way he was getting what he'd cheekily been asking for, as of recently.
"Damn, this was horrible." Angie whined a little bit, walking out of a class that she was most definitely struggling with.
"Yeah, not my cup of tea either. I just hope we pass that exam at the end. I still have no idea what I'm doing in this class." Bryan had to agree with her.
"Well, at least we have lunch break now. An entire hour, filled with nothing but silence and joy." She stated, as they were already on their way to go grab food.
They had worked out a routine – after class they'd waste no time in reaching the closest bar that offered food and they'd go eat it by the pond, just relaxing or reading some of their didactic materials.
"So, have you thought about who you may ask about your thesis?" Bryan asked curiously once they were sat down on that small blanket that Angie had in her oversized bag that day. She liked to bring it with her on the days she knew they'd have enough time to go enjoy a lunch outside.
"Yeah, I already asked her and she said yes. How about you?"
"Let me guess – Agent Hotness?" Bryan smirked. There was no doubt in his mind Angie would go for her and nobody else. "Well, I was thinking I might opt for the project instead. And I'd really want to ask DeMo, but he's…"
"Intimidating AF?" Angie suggested.
"That's putting it nicely. But, yeah, basically…"
"He's also smart AF. You should go for him. Asking wouldn't hurt. I bet he'd actually be proud to be your supervisor. I can tell that he likes you." Angie reassured him before taking the first sweet bite off her sandwich and cursing the fact that she only bought one of those. They were delicious, but small. She'd end up being hungry again by the middle of her next training.
"Actually, I've noticed he likes you." Bryan argued, starting his lunch break by drinking half the water from his bottle. He was parched.
"What, really!? He keeps on yelling at me and telling me all the insignificant little things that I do wrong. And he calls me Tiny. Like, what the Hell is that nickname!?"
"First of all, you are quite tiny…." Bryan tried, but she wanted none of it.
"I'm tall! Yes, I'm slim, but I'm tall. I ain't nobody's 'Tiny'! Ugh!"
"Okay, you're too cute when you're all worked up." He laughed. "Secondly, it's precisely because he yells at you and corrects you all the time, that I think he likes you. Think about it – he wants you to be great, on the field. And yeah, he's giving us tough love, but can you deny just how much we've learned from him since his first class? And that's coming from me, whose been a SWAT agent for years now! Come on, he's amazing at what he does. He wouldn't give you the time of day, if he didn't like you."
"Well, yeah, when you put it like this, I guess you may be right…" She finally backed off a little.
Angie could not deny that DeMo had been pushing her harder than the others and she could also not deny all the numerous things she had learned from him lately. SWAT training had been a twice-a-week occurrence, sometimes even three times, and as much as everyone knew they'd probably die after those trainings, they all knew they went to them willingly, wanting nothing but to learn, to perfect their technique and to be better.
Time flew by quickly and they found themselves once again having to run to their next class, after the lunch break.
Angie managed to struggle with the second class as well. The schedule for that day had all the worst subjects she could think of.
She was almost relieved when she saw Dan walk in the Auditorium at some point, as he usually did so at the very end of each class. However, this time there was someone else, right by his side.
Dan made the announcement that, along with presenting their thesis and projects, the end of this week was also the deadline for handing in their internship applications. Each Trainee had the option to enlist ten Units they'd liked to be placed within and then, based on the Bureau needs and on the Trainee's accomplishments during the classes and trainings, they'd be placed where the Bureau finds best fitting.
"Trainee Hunter, a word?" Dan called out when everyone got dismissed.
She knew exactly what that meant – another intervention.
This time, however, Dan was not alone.
What surprised her was how fast Dan excused himself, when Angie joined him and the other guy.
Angie bit the inside of her bottom lip, staring at the other man's face as he swiftly motioned for her to take a seat and he sat right across from her.
"Miss Hunter, I suppose you may know why I requested to see you…" He spoke with authority.
"I might have a guess or two. And if this is about what happened on the rooftop the other day – I had nothing to do with it!" She said defensively.
"Wait…what exactly happened on the rooftop?" The man raised an eyebrow.
Angie smirked. This guy was way too easy to manipulate.
"Nice try." He said once he realized he'd been played by a girl, the age of his own children.
"I'm here because of this…" He handed her a folder with one single piece of paper inside.
On top of it, there was her full name. Then there was a bunch of text - it was a standard FBI sheet that had been printed out; but the disturbing part was the next ten rows that followed, before Angie had signed the paper. Nine of those rows were left out blank, while the top one simply stated 'BAU, Quantico'.
"Is there anything that was not clear, Sir?" She said smugly.
"I was wondering the same thing, Miss Hunter. You were kindly asked to occupy ten rows."
"Please enlist any and all working Units that you'd wish to be assigned at, for the duration of your Internship within the Bureau." Angie read out loud, one of the first lines on the document.
The man just looked at her expectantly.
"Sir, I was kindly asked to provide information on the Unit-or-Units that I'm interested in. And I did so." Her slim pointy finger trailed over that first line, the only one she had filled in.
The man sighed. This girl was a piece of work.
"You know, normally we have Trainees complain that there are only ten spaces to fill out. They feel like it is not enough. And then there is you…" He rolled his eyes, wondering what kind of approach would be best, with her. Nothing really seemed to ever work, this girl had a mind of her own.
"I'd be nothing if I wasn't the rule bender that I am. And, for legal reasons, note that I said 'bender', not 'breaker'." She smirked in his face, keeping her composure. "Not once in this document is it stated that I'd have to fill all the blanks."
"And not once is it stated that you had to hand this document in months ago, along with your initial application to the Academy, Miss Hunter. This is not how it works. We intentionally leave this application for the end of the Academy training, giving people time to get a taste of what they might expect from the Bureau, to have enough time to figure out what they want and where they think they might fit in."
"Well, then I guess you should be proud to have someone like me, who knew exactly what they wanted and who is here with one goal and one goal only! Oh and as a nice, added bonus – I fit in there quite nicely!" She kept on talking calmly and professionally, but there was this faint hint of smugness to her voice.
"Miss Hunter, how can I put this into words…" He trailed off, choosing his next words carefully. "You must fill in the other rows, if you want to maybe have the chance to get a placement with one of those nine Units."
Angie smiled. He had put it very nicely, the thing she knew all along – her first choice was not an option.
"Look, Sir, I already know I'm not getting in the BAU, so you don't need to sugarcoat it. I've only ever wanted the BAU and I've made sure I'd be suitable for applying with them. I've dedicated my life to studying everything I could possibly find, since I was eight years old. So, all due respect, Sir, but this is what I want and there is no possible way you could ever force me to come up with any other Unit names to put on that list, because if I'm not getting the BAU, I simply do not care where I end up at. I'd be just as upset, even if you made me the freaking Director of the FBI. I don't want that and I don't want a consolation prize, either. I'd work my ass off, no matter where I get placed, and you better be sure I'd continue to place my application for the BAU, every chance I have, until the Godsent day that I finally get transferred there. Now, is there anything that was not clear?" She ended off, throwing his own words from a minute ago, back at him, with an innocent little smile on her face.
He opened his mouth, but then decided not to speak. Clearly, there wasn't anything he could say to her, to change her mind.
"Great. If that's all, then I really need to get going or I'll be late for the shooting range." She smiled politely and stood up from her chair.
"Miss Hunter?" He called out.
"How about you take the rest of the day off and you come hang out at Headquarters for a bit, instead?" He suggested when she tilted her head sideways, catching a glimpse of him.
Cutting class? Oh, she was all up for it, even if the alternative would be cleaning the toilets with her bare hands.
"Mini Prentiss!" Garcia yelled when she saw Angie walk out of the elevator and towards everyone's desk area at the bullpen.
She nearly flew across the bullpen, making sure she'd be the first one to say Hi to the girl.
Everyone else followed and Angie kept on smiling and making small talk with a bunch of them.
"Thank you for the chocolate frosted donuts!" Reid jumped at the chance to tell her how grateful he was for that one day when Angie had sent out a box of donuts for everyone to enjoy.
"With sprinkles!" Angie added, chuckling. Of course she'd made her research and she'd known which ones were Reid's favorites.
"What brings you here?" Tara asked with a smile.
"Yeah, can you stay? Prentiss is out for a few days. We can go find her secret chocolate stash in her office." Garcia suggested sneakily.
"So, Emily told us she gave you the Pink Ladies robe! Welcome to the club!" Tara added.
"Hey, you owe me a re-match at an escape room." Luke said silently.
He had enjoyed the game when they were in New York. He'd always thought escape rooms were lame, until Angie had forced him to try one. And it had turned out to be quite fun, actually.
"It's nice to see you around here again." Even JJ dared to come over and join the others.
Angie looked left and right. She felt like the ball in a volleyball game – being tossed from one corner to the other, quickly, before she'd be able to hit the ground. It made her head spin, everyone was so loud and cheerful, asking her so many things.
"Ehm, guys?" Rossi cleared his throat, pointing with his sight towards the tall man that stood by the elevator door, with his hands crossed and his eyes following Angie's every movement, studying her every interaction with the BAU team.
"Yeah, what's his problem?" Luke said defensively and Matt backed him up, standing by his side and giving the guy a disapproving stare.
"Guys? That's Benjamin, the Director's Assistant…" Rossi pointed out and everyone tensed up immediately.
After the talk Ben had tried to have with Angie just minutes ago, about her internship application, he had brought her back to Headquarters. He had a little mind game in mind and the first move in his game was to stop by the BAU offices and observe what would happen when she'd walk in there.
Despite the loudness and the dramatic hugs the girl received from both Garcia and Tara, there was something else…something that showed him that this girl clearly belonged there. She fit in just fine. Everyone seemed to like her and she looked happy and relaxed. That had been his ultimate goal – to see her, inside the BAU. So far, he'd only heard or read about Angie's obsession with the BAU. He needed to see it, with his own eyes. And what he saw was Angie, in her element, with a genuine smile and a carefree attitude - things that he hadn't seen about her when they'd briefly met before. This was a whole different side of her and while he was sure it existed, he just needed to see it, to believe it.
"Oh, him? This is some sort of a mind game he's playing with me. But it's fine, hey, I'm cutting class today, so I'd play along and pretend to be nice. See if Santa will get me a nice gift, you know?" Angie smirked, intentionally speaking loud enough so that Ben could hear her.
Ben took a few steps forward until he leveled up with her. He greeted the team and he looked around for a few seconds, as if he was imagining something.
"Let's keep going, shall we?" He urged Angie and she walked away willingly.
"Will we see you soon, Baby P?" Garcia called out, right before the elevator doors would shut.
"Not if he can help it." Angie muttered, shooting Ben a disapproving look.
Rossi had just pointed out that he was the Assistant Director, so, besides the Director himself, there wasn't anyone higher than Ben, on the ladder. It was supposed to intimidate Angie, and yet, she acted the same way as before. She never backed down, no matter who she was dealing with.
"You seem to think the Bureau has it out for you? Like we don't want you to end up where you think you belong." Ben challenged her as the elevator went down a few floors and they soon found themselves in the Executive Lounge, grabbing some coffee.
This time, all eyes were on her not because she was in her Trainee uniform, but because she walked in, side to side with everyone's Boss.
"Well, it sure feels that way." She finally gave him a reply.
"Trainee Hunter, I can assure you that every Trainee would end up with a placement that the Bureau finds fitting and each one of you will have a fair chance at perfecting the skills that you exceled in, during your training."
"You do realize this means I'd be getting a placement with the BAU and not with some lame counter-terrorism task force unit or whatever, right?" She raised an eyebrow, biting her cookie sideways.
She was right and she knew it. She would have never pushed so hard, to defend herself and her request, if she hadn't made absolutely sure that she deserved what she was asking for. At this point, everything was fair game, even if it meant talking back to the Assistant Director of the freaking FBI. She couldn't care less about his title.
Ben casually walked by the notifications board in the Executive Lounge and Angie stopped for a second, reading what was on it. That was where, a while ago, she had read the weirdest job announcements, most of which turned out to be fake and just anonymous jabs at someone else.
The board looked completely different now. It was full of inspirational quotes and, as tacky as it looked, it was actually kind of nice.
"What, no more 'We hate the disgusting coffee' comments?" She chuckled, remembering that this line had always been on the board, each time she had been there.
"Nope. No more complaining. Just inspiration, from one Unit Chief to another." Ben pointed out with a smile.
"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships." Angie read out loud before she started laughing. "Did someone really just quote Michael Jordan?"
"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." Angie read another quote.
Ben was just staring at her. It was painfully obvious to her that this was some sort of a test, but if he wanted to see who she was and how she acted, she would give him 100% of her real self. Well, at least as far as her 'Angela Hunter' self was concerned.
"Helen Keller." She pointed out when he didn't comment and she assumed he had no idea who that quote was from.
"Helen Adams Keller - an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree." She added when the silence coming from Ben was a bit too much.
"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success." Ben read out loud one of his favorite quotes from the board. "Henry Ford - an American industrialist and business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production."
Angie smiled. Ben had leveled up with her, he had mimicked the way she spoke and the information she gave. She knew that this was his way of trying to get to her, to show her that they weren't too different after all. She knew what his game was, but she'd let him play it for as long as he'd wish.
If she had to be honest, she would much prefer to go around the building, playing Ben's mind games, then going to the shooting range and having to dumb herself down and to screw up her shooting scores, so that she wouldn't be pegged for a know-it-all.
"Which one speaks to you the most?" Ben asked her once he was sure she would have read them all.
"You are beautiful, you are loved! Your team needs you today and every day! So, go have a great day and keep them safe!" Angie read out loud.
"I figured you'd like Prentiss' quote." He said with a smile before he started walking away.
"How would you know that's hers? All quotes are anonymous." Angie caught up with him.
He sure seemed eager to just walk around and play his game and he was convinced that she'd follow him, like a good puppy. And that was exactly what she did.
"Once upon a time, there was a very pissed off Emily Prentiss, walking around this very Lounge…" He spoke as if this was a fairy tale, making Angie chuckle.
"She had just received some really bad news from the Big Bad Wolf…" Ben trailed off, looking at her with pursed lips. At this point it was safe to say that he was said wolf. "And her way of retaliation after her entire day had been ruined, was to write this…" He pointed at the first quote on the top, the one that had started a list of about seven more quotes, and counting.
"By doing so, she made sure she'd help someone else have a better day, than hers." He added.
"Speaks for her integrity." Angie commented nonchalantly.
There was no denying that Emily Prentiss was the epitome of the word 'integrity'. On most days.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that…" Ben trailed off and Angie knew that it was yet another tactic to make her stop and think about things.
She saw him head towards the door, but she was far from being done with the lounge. Quickly, she found herself by the refreshments counter, re-filling her coffee cup and grabbing as many cookies as she could fit into a napkin, so she'd stick them in her bag, for later, to share with Bryan.
"What? It's free stuff and there's no sign not to touch, so, legally, I am in my right to help myself to whatever I want. Plus, I've been graciously invited here by you, dear Sir." She stated when he eyed her disapprovingly.
Another part of his test was done – he had intentionally brought her back to where he had met her – the Lounge. It was where Angie had been bold enough to talk to him, as if they were equals; it was where she had told him all the things she thought were wrong with the Academy and it was where she had admitted that the first couple of weeks at the Academy she had been bored out of her mind. And right there, right now, she acted just as freely and spoke just as honestly, now knowing who he really was. She had an opinion and she defended herself in a polite and educated manner, and that spoke to her integrity. It checked one more box from the list of mind games Ben had prepared for her. It also showed him, one more time, that Angie was naturally drawn to the BAU, by having chosen Emily's quote on the board, not even knowing it was hers.
One more time, the elevator took them to a different floor. This time, however, Angie was not so smiley and happy as she walked out. The look on her face when she walked into a huge open space, seeing nothing but buttoned up shirts and angry-looking bored faces hiding behind computer screens, was close to terrifying.
"Is this, like, the torture room?" She asked Ben after a whole minute of looking around and watching those people work. "Jesus, would it hurt anyone if they cracked a window out here, maybe?"
She'd be so miserable if she had to spend even just one more minute in there. She had no idea how those people could do it. That was certainly not an environment for her to thrive in, not to mention the lack of fresh air inside. She'd go mad if she was in their shoes.
"Welcome to the Cyber Crime Unit." Ben said with an agonistic smirk on his face.
"Welcome!?" Angie gasped. "Get me the Hell out of here and please send help for those poor people!" Her finger pointed towards the mass of people who, to her, seemed like robots.
This was not her scene. It was not what she was good at and it just seemed way too bland for someone to strive to do, as a job, in their life. It was the worst kind of torture she could think of.
Ben shook his head. He had been sure this would be Angie's exact reaction to that Unit.
"So, are you still going to tell me you don't care which unit you end up interning at?" He asked when they were in the elevator, no doubt on their way to the next torture.
"Absolutely! Anything would feel just as miserable as this, if it's not what I want." She stated calmly.
He hadn't expected that. He thought that by showing her the huge difference between those two Units, maybe Angie would realize that there was diversity within the Bureau. Those were the two extremes – her ultimate goal and the one place where she'd be miserable; but that only meant there were dozens of other Units, in between.
And yet again, for her there were just two options – the BAU and literally whatever else, it didn't matter, because she knew it would suck.
The elevator took them upstairs again. This time, Angie walked out into an office she wasn't really familiar with, but was greeted by people she knew very well.
"Angela!" Mae said out loud, grabbing the attention of her teammates who were sat on the round table, having a reunion, trying to figure out whom they can invite, to come join the team. They needed a new member, one that would stick around for the long run.
"Hey, guys!" Angie said with a smile, walking towards the table.
Ben, stayed behind once again, acting like he was randomly chilling out there, looking at his phone. He wanted to see the genuine reactions of a few different people, when Angela was around them.
"Sweetheart!" Clara stood up and waited her turn for a warm hug, right after Mae.
And then it was Jack's turn. He tried to extend his hand, to greet Angie formally, having spotted Ben in the background and wanting to look professional, but Angie scoffed and gave him a hug instead.
"Thank you for the feedback, Agent Garrett. They never let me read my feedback, but I suppose it was good. I mean, I'm still here, aren't I?" Angie said cheerfully.
"Kid, I highly doubt that the fact that you're still around had anything to do with me." Jack said honestly. "But for the record - yes, it was good feedback and you deserved it."
He had grown fond of this young girl, especially with the way she had used her behavioral analysis skills on the field, when she had subdued the UnSub, armed with nothing but her brain and quick thinking…and that big, loud mouth of hers. And courage, lots and lots of courage.
"Oh and thank you for those mandatory therapy sessions, too." Angie added, realizing she had never reached out to him after she had sworn he was her enemy, when he had obliged her to do five sittings with a therapist.
"Well, they're standard protocol. I'm sure they won't be your last sessions, with what journey you're about to embark on…" He trailed off, thinking of his own first steps within the Academy and then the transition into the life of a working Agent.
He had been young and restless, quite like Angela. And he had wanted to do things quickly - more things, better things, bigger things. That often got him either into therapy or shot him straight to the ER with some new interesting injury to then tell his new colleagues all about.
"I sure hope so!" Angie's words were unexpected.
Clara was suspicious. It almost sounded like Angie was bitter about those five hours ending, and regretful that she only got assigned five. Maybe she was even impatient to get more sessions?
"Did you choose a male or a female therapist?" Clara asked.
"Female, that one you circled out on the list. She's awesome!" Angie said with a smile.
That was when Clara really got it. Martha Allen was one of the top therapists in the Bureau. If anyone could maybe break a little piece of the iron wall that Angie had built around herself, it was surely Martha. That was why Clara had suggested her and she was relieved to hear that, finally, Angela had taken someone's advice, instead of stubbornly doing the exact opposite.
"Hey, guys, I printed out all the applicants we discussed and I think I wasted paper uselessly-…" Monty - the IRT's own version of Garcia; just walked in, holding a pile of freshly printed papers in his hands.
"Oh…that's her, isn't it?" He smiled, looking at Angie after he'd cut himself off upon seeing the girl.
He had seen her photo on the documents he had to process when Angela was assigned to work the Cuba case with the IRT, but the photo didn't do this girl justice. Standing right in front of him, in her uniform, with her hair tied in a messy ponytail, with the little lipstick that was left on her lips from when she had applied it earlier, before class…she was absolutely stunning.
"Monty, meet Angela." Mae introduced them. "Angela, this is Monty - he's my little brother and I don't care what DNA has to say about it!"
"Hey! We only ever spoke on the phone, briefly. Internet connection is not one of Cuba's fortes, I shall say." Angie chuckled, extending her hand to greet him.
It was obvious that she felt comfortable with the other three IRT members, but she'd naturally keep new people away from her, not granting them any proximity and any form of contact, more than a handshake.
"Hi, yeah…" Monty was at the loss of words.
Mae had raved about Angie being beautiful, but he had never imagined she'd be such a doll, even as rough looking as she was now, fresh out of class.
"Wow, your eyes…" Monty whispered, naturally drawn to her beautiful green eyes.
They were the first thing someone would notice about Angela. It was impossible not to notice them and not to comment. She was used to it by now.
"Wow, you're the first guy to say those words while looking at my actual eyes…" Angie laughed and saw Clara give herself a facepalm, standing on the side.
Angie would say whatever she pleased and if that was her choice of words, then be it. She was also used to having guys check out her cleavage, even if she was not wearing revealing clothes. It was normal to her and she didn't care how forward those words of hers came out as, since they were honest and true.
"Want to go out for coffee with us?" Garrett invited her.
He figured they could finish looking at the printed papers later. They'd already discussed a few candidates, barely managing to choose three to print out and have a second look at. The IRT was a highly respected team and with that came big requirements for the people who'd be assigned to it.
Clara Seger knew thirteen languages fluently, as weird and unbelievable as that sounded. She was culturally rich and well-traveled and she was the team's biggest and most valuable asset. The fact that she knew that and she had never been bigheaded about it spoke to her integrity and professionalism. It was also why Jack Garrett had not even blinked an eye before allowing for Clara to join the team once more, after all the time she'd spent away – traveling around the world and learning new things, like she'd told them she'd done during her absence, after her husband's unfortunate passing. She'd been through Hell, but she'd managed to bounce back and to keep going and her team found that admirable. Clara Seger was an incredibly smart and incredibly strong woman, which was partially the reason why Angie felt so strongly about her. The other reason was Clara's loyalty – her twenty-plus years of friendship with Emily Prentiss attested to that and it was enough for Angie to know that Clara was the kind of person she wanted in her life, for the long run.
Mae had a medical background and was trained as a Field Agent, too. She was a double-edged sword and, as cute and short as she was, she was a very valuable asset to the team, being able to do two functions contemporarily – an active Field Agent and an immediate medical examiner, wherever the team would go.
Monty was very talented with the keyboard. He'd been hanging out with Garcia enough to catch on some of her tricks and learn some fun new ways of using gadgets and smart electronic devices. He was indispensable to the team.
Then there had once been Matt Simmons, who had made the transfer to the BAU, as he'd been softly poached by one Emily Prentiss, who may or may not have had a discussion with the IRT Unit Chief Garrett about Matt's situation – being away from home, with a wife and four young kids being left on their own pretty much all the time. Neither Prentiss nor Garrett would ever admit to having come up with the decision to transfer Matt to her team, after he'd completed the several weeks long training process to become a Profiler.
That had left Garrett with one less team member in a team that was already of a very small and humble size. And that had led to the incredibly dragged-out process of inviting Agents over, testing them out for a while, only to figure that they did not fit the team.
"Thank you, but I'm afraid I'd have to say 'No' to your kind offer." Angie replied politely before adding a snappy Emily Prentiss-like comment to it. "Like, I'm literally forced to."
She would have loved to go, but she knew Ben was still there, waiting to whisk her away and bring her to another level, to face a new challenge.
"What are you guys doing?" She asked curiously, watching Monty place the papers on the table, spreading them out, to be easily seen by everyone.
"We need a new member in our team." Clara said shortly.
"Yeah, someone sharp, with great skills, keen on traveling and not afraid of getting their ass kicked. But most of all – fun!" Mae enlisted all the things that, according to her, the new Agent had to be.
"Oh wait, that's you!" Mae added with a cheeky smile.
If she had to be honest with herself, she'd love to have Angela on their team.
"Speaking of that…" Jack stepped forward, looking at Angie with determination.
"I hear this is the internship application week. You know, when I met you the first time, I would have sworn I'd die before I say those words out loud, but…" Jack continued. "I would be glad to see your application for my Team. Apart from the full-time member we are now looking for, we would also love to host an intern this year. And, uh, you would be the perfect fit."
Angie blushed a little. Jack was being nice to her and this made her next words incredibly hard to pronounce.
"Thank you, Agent Garrett. It was a pleasure and a privilege to work with your team, but I'm afraid I won't be applying for that internship." She said quietly, feeling guilty, but also feeling the need to be honest with him.
"Oh, Angie…" Mae pouted instantly. She had nothing but great memories with this girl and she'd surely love to have her around, permanently.
"Guys, let's remember the internships are supposed to be fun and educational. It's her time to choose a Unit where she thinks she'd fit best." Clara pointed out, giving Angie a small smile.
She knew exactly where Angie was headed. She also knew that there were a few thousand iron walls between Angie and that place. But above all, she knew that nothing could stop this girl and she was going in, facing those walls, headfirst.
"Trainee Hunter?" Ben called out for her. He had seen and heard enough. It was time to move on.
"Sorry, guys. I have to go. It was nice seeing you again and nice meeting you, Monty!" Angie waved apologetically and she hurried back towards the elevator, down the hallway.
"Don't be a stranger, doll!" Mae called out after her, making Angie smile as she walked off.
"People around here seem to like you, Trainee Hunter." Ben said as they found themselves, yet again, back inside the elevator and going someplace new.
"Yeah? Wanna go pay my Tactical Driving instructor a visit? I'm sure he will change your mind." Angie could not help but laugh.
Ben smirked. Apparently, Angie was not bigheaded. She jumped at the first chance to point out a flaw of hers, an 'enemy' she had. Yes, it was painfully clear she was aware she was well-liked among certain people and Units, but her little joke showed him she was down to Earth and able to laugh at herself, aware of her flaws, not just bigheaded because of her achievements.
"Uhm, hey, so…there's pretty much no more Units above this floor, so…" Angie shifted uncomfortably when the elevator hit the second to last floor. The fact that it kept going up made her knees weaken.
Ben smirked, enjoying her reaction. The girl's face went pale when they hit the last floor and the doors opened.
He walked out, but Angie was immobile. There was fear in her eyes and she wouldn't move even when Ben walked back and nudged her, urging her to start walking.
"I think I need some medical help. I'm…" She stuttered. "I have asthma."
"No, you don't. You're in perfect health. I'm the one who went over your Academy Application documents, including your medical records, remember?" Ben said smugly, pushing her out of the elevator.
She was more than terrified, she looked like she was about to cry. Sure, he had taken her to the Executive floor and was now heading towards the Director's office, but to have her this shaken and stressed was not a normal reaction.
"Okay, look. Whatever you want, you got it, just name it. Now, please, let me go back to class. I can't cut class!" She started to bargain, taking slow and tiny little steps, falling behind after Ben who was heading towards an office door quickly.
"You see, Trainee Hunter, this is not about what I want." He smiled at her, stopping his pace for just a second.
"So, this is all about me, huh?" She questioned, stopping her movements completely.
"It's always been about you, Trainee Hunter." Ben knew she was smart enough to figure out he meant all the mind games Dan had put her through at the beginning of the Academy, all the bad feedback the teachers had been instructed to give her continuously, all the bullying the undercover Agents had sent her way those first two weeks when they posed as fellow Trainees.
Angie had handled everything gracefully, with her head held high.
So, why was she now a ball of nerves?
"I need…I need some water…" She walked in the opposite direction, finding a corner with a few chairs and a water dispenser.
She sat down and started to cure her heavy breathing by taking big gulps of cold water.
"You will be back in class. There's just one more person who would like to see you first." Ben informed her and saw her body shiver.
"Well, tell that person to speak with my assistant and make an appointment, okay?" Angie said defensively.
"When he wants something, he gets it." Ben informed her.
"Oh, so this is the part of your lesson where I learn about hierarchy within the Bureau? The big ones, like him - they get what they want; but the small and insignificant ones like me don't even get a fair chance at fighting for what they want, right? If so, I hear you loud and clear. Can I go now?" Angie burst out, against her own will.
It came out rough, but it was the truth, so she was proud of herself for not sugarcoating it. Sure, she could have worded it better, but it didn't even matter anymore. It was out there now.
"No, Trainee Hunter. This is the part of the lesson when you learn a little something about yourself." A strong, authoritative male voice came from down the hall.
"Please, shall we step into my office?" The man said, on his way to the door where Ben had been trying to drag Angie to.
"I've got it from here, Benjamin. Thank you." The man added, dismissing Ben who disappeared within seconds.
Apparently, Angie was not the only one whose knees shook when this guy spoke.
"After you." The man said, opening the door and urging her to walk into his office first.
She felt like she was walking into a trap, into a certain death of some sort.
Looking around was the first thing she always did, when entering a room. The walls were packed with awards, achievements, plaques and diplomas. The office itself was Bureau-standard when it came to arrangement and color scheme, but it had a touch of his personality, too. On this man's desk there was a framed photo of his family – him and his wife and their two kids.
"Do you like children, Trainee Hunter?" He asked, trying to break the ice when he saw that she was almost cracking a smile, as soon as she laid eyes on the photo.
"Yes, I do, Sir." She replied shortly, but politely.
It was also the first time she'd ever spoken to him directly, and it was scary as Hell.
"Tell me about your childhood…were you a happy child?" He asked curiously.
She had to bite her lower lip, to prevent herself from making a smug comment about him sounding like a shrink. She knew better than to be herself, around this man. It could be dangerous.
"Occasionally, yes, Sir." She figured that if she stuck to short, direct replies, and if she ended any and every sentence with 'Sir', she'd be fine.
"Now, Trainee Hunter…" He said painfully slowly, reaching out to grab a folder from a cabinet behind him.
"I have your files here. All of them…" He added, as if she hadn't been able to figure this much out.
"Including your questionable Internship Application…" He continued, earning himself an eye roll. She could not help it.
After that, she just sat there, staring at him blankly.
When he opened the folder, Angie noticed way too many papers inside. She knew how many she had handed in, when she had applied to the Academy, and they were less than a quarter of what he was holding in his hands now.
"Now, these are Angela Hunter's." He put a chunk of papers aside.
"Here, we have Danielle Letcher…" He put some more papers, on top of those.
Angie's heart stopped beating, hearing him say that name. She put her best poker face on and looked at him, showing no signs of trouble, but on the inside she was surely on flames.
"Avery Rogers…"
"Brandy…Brandy something. We couldn't get to the surname."
"Melissa Bradford…"
"And then there's La-…."
"Stop!" She called out, preventing him from uttering that name.
It was painfully obvious she had been busted, but she refused to hear anyone say that name, out loud.
"So, does this mean I'm done with the Bureau?" She asked, doing a lousy job at containing her jaw from quivering as she spoke.
"Well, Brandy would not be welcome here, I can tell you this much…" He picked up a paper and started reading "Assault and battery on a police officer; breaking and entering; forgery; vandalizing a car; first degree property damage; possession of an unregistered firearm; use of said firearm in a so-called 'defense' situation; armed violence…"
"You forgot drunk and disorderly conduct." Angie smirked.
"I have not. I just ran out of breath." He said, eyeing her up and down. This girl had the guts to add to the list. In a weird way, he found that kind of nice – how she didn't jump into denying what he already knew for a fact.
"So, Brandy is done with the Academy. And so is she…and she…and she…and oh, God, she's definitely done…" He kept on placing different papers aside, until the pile of tossed out papers was bigger than the one left, in front of him.
Angie leaned over and saw the next paper in his hands. She grabbed it and quickly put it in the discarded file.
"Oh, unauthorized use of copyright works and related rights." She commented when he gave her a quizzical look. That line sure was not on the paper, but he was willing to bet she was telling the truth. "It was for a cutting-edge new biology company or something, whatever, some new research info that was beyond Confidential…until it was made public."
He then continued discarding more papers until only one batch of files, all held together by a pink paper clip, remained in his hands.
"Now, this one…" He said with a smile. "This one right here is a keeper."
Angie was confused. On his left side there was the discarded pile of files. Right in front of him Angie could clearly see the bunch of applications she had made as Angela Hunter. Then what was in his hands? To her knowledge, there wasn't anything else he hadn't already found out about.
"Tell me, Trainee Hunter…" He started off.
Angie thought Ben had been playing mind games with her earlier, but she had no idea what this guy had in store for her now.
"Who are you?" He continued his question.
For someone as highly educated and as socially oriented as Angie, it was surely weird to find herself in a situation where she could not think of a single word that would answer this man's question correctly.
"If you could put one name to your face, what would it be?" He worded it differently. Maybe this would help.
"There's no name that would fit." She said silently.
He barely overheard her speak and was almost unable to make out the words she used.
"So, I suppose that makes you No Name Girl…" The moment he uttered those words, Angie gasped.
Her face went from pale to downright dead looking. Her heartbeat quickened and she felt like she was about to pass out.
"Well, I'll tell you what…" He spoke antagonizingly slowly.
It was irritating. Why couldn't he just come out and say what he needed to say? He was playing the same mind-game with Angela, as he had recently been, with Emily.
"For a girl with no name, you sure have one Hell of an impressive resume." His hand brushed on top of the discarded pile of papers.
Angie had noticed how he had underlined and circled out certain words, on those papers. Clearly, he had studied each and every word on those documents and if Angie had to place her bet, she'd bet those were far from being everything he had on her, everything he knew about her.
"Sir, I really want to stay…" She whispered once again.
There was no courage left in her, to speak out loud and clear, as she always did with everyone else – authority figure or not.
"And why do you think I signed your Academy Application, all those months ago?" He raised an eyebrow.
"You did?" She finally smiled. She knew Benjamin had received and gone through the application first, but it hadn't been his signature on the approval form and she was now realizing that. "Thank you, Sir. I promise, I won't disappoint you. I mean, that's if I stay."
He did not speak. His only response was to turn the last pile of papers around and to observe her reaction.
Angie broke down completely, the second her eyes laid on the photo, in the top left corner of the first paper. It was being held by a pink paper clip and it was of a young girl, about eight years old. The first paper was a handwritten note and it looked like someone of that age had written it.
"No…" Angie was now panting.
She refused to cry, tears were never an option. But she went into a full-on panic mode, nonetheless.
"Please…Stop…" She begged, closing her eyes and biting her lips hard.
The only liquid that would come out of her face would be blood, from biting so hard. Tears were not an option. Ever!
"Look at her, Angela!" He said firmly.
"Angela, when the Director of the Bureau asks you to do something, you do it. Is that understood?" He said, grasping at every chance, every tactic, to make her open her eyes and look at the girl in the photo.
She did so, very hesitantly, and it broke his heart to see the girl whom he had heard legends of, within the Academy; break down like this. She was a mess. He did not want to inflict any pain, but sadly, it had to be done.
"This girl…eight years old…" He trailed a finger over the photo, as if he was caressing the child's cheek.
"She would be so incredibly proud of you!" He added, confusing her even further.
She thought he'd say something completely different.
"This girl, if she could, would look at you now and she would see her very own Superhero. She would see a strong young woman, who has dedicated her life to one goal and who keeps on fighting for it, no matter the obstacles." He kept on talking and Angie felt like she was unable to breathe anymore.
"This sweet, innocent little girl would run to you and hug you and she would thank you for everything you've done in life…" He pointed to the pile of discarded papers. Among other things, they contained achievements that all those 'names' had obtained through the years.
"This angelic looking pumpkin here…" He tapped the photo once again. "This girl would think the World of you and she would want to be exactly like you, when she grew up."
"Look at her, Angela!" He urged her, the second Angie took her eyes off the photo.
"Because this little girl here, wants to look at you, too…look up to you, look just like you!" He added.
Angie knew exactly what he was doing and, as painful as it was to go through, she could not deny that it was most definitely working.
"So, you go out there, Trainee Hunter and you give the Academy your absolute best. Okay? If you don't want to do it for me, or for Dan or Ben or Emily Prentiss, or for yourself even…then do it for her, alright?" He looked at the photo and that was when Angie realized that all through this emotional torture, she wasn't the only one who found it extremely hard to look this child in the eyes. The Director himself had only barely laid eyes on her, for mere seconds.
"Do what she would expect you to do! After all, aren't you this little girl's Superhero?" He concluded and Angie felt destroyed.
If she could retrieve herself and go crumble into a ball, in a dark corner of a room with no doors and no windows, and cry herself into oblivion, then that was what she'd surely do right after exiting this man's creepy office. Just, maybe not with actual tears…but the rest of the hysteria would be present.
"Can I…" She started off, but her voice cracked. She took a moment to try and steady herself, with no result at all, before she spoke again. "Can I go now? Please?"
"Yes, Trainee Hunter, you can go now. Please take the rest of the day off and think about what just happened here, okay? I will notify your Class Mentor." The Director said with a smile.
She wasted no time, as she darted towards the door.
"Angela?" He called out, using her first name now. "Do you want to keep the photo?"
She turned around and took another glimpse at the adorable eight-year-old, smiling at her.
"No, Sir. I'll keep the memory." She said silently.
"Sir?" She needed to add one more thing. "Thank you."
"For the emotional torture?" He smiled, already putting the files back into a folder that had a big red word on it: Confidential.
"For my life." She corrected him and with those words, she was out the door.
REVIEW REPLIES:
"Guest" Hello, Guest. I think I may know who you are - you forgot to log in again? Hehe :)! And WOW, that theory is super cool and complex, I really like your thinking here. Obviously, I can neither confirm, nor deny anything hehe (as to not spoil the bigger plot). But I can only tease you by repeating that Angie is connected quite directly to someone from the FBI - the person she used to call Monkey. And she is also connected somewhat indirectly, to at least ONE BAU member. I'll let that bomb sink in, lol :)!
"rmpcmfan" Emily has an eye for a spy :P She has a gut feeling when it comes to Richard, but it may not be connected to him, being a spy. Or - is he, really!? Wink Wink. Remember that a big part of the reason why Emily doesn't want to now about Richard's 'occupation' is because she sees his wealth and his authority and deep down inside she is teerrrrrrified that he may turn out to be the next Ian Doyle, for her. She's already been burnt once - actually twice, by a man she let clos - Ian. She'd be damned if she did to herself all over again, so Emily, being the rational human being that we know she is lol, has decided to live in sweet denial and ignorance hahahahaha! Let's see how well that works out for her, shall we? (Oh, I am grinnnnning right now!) Also, yes, she is indeed afraid of finally getting the man she'd never thought she'd have by her side. Richard's job aside, but he's literally THE perfect addition to Emily and her lifestyle...and she doesn't even know it. So, if he turns out to be a criminal...you know...we'll be dealing with a heartbroken Emily and nobody wants that :)! The 'moving across the pond' issue is quite the issue, indeed. But, if there is a will, there is a way...or so they say. As for Angie - LOL, she just does NOT have a filter! I suppose Richard would have overheard something, but he would have chosen not to comment. And about the thesis...it's something VERY personal to her and she doesn't want aaaaanyone to read it before Graduation...sadly, that extends to the readers :P So I'm afraid you'll have to wait as long as Emily does. And remember how I said that "If a thesis with Angie's name on it ends up in Emily's hands, Emily would NOT cheat and sneak a read at all!"
"sweetkid45" Hey, let Emily have her fun in Paris for a few days, come on :) Hmm, JJ and Emily do not (currently) have a problem with one another, don't worry. And yes, they are ONLY best friends, NOTHING else and it will NEVER lean towards anything romantic, in my story. JJ is with Will and Emily right now is hanging out with Richard. I do NOT plan on surprising the readers with such a twist. There are other twists to come, though hehe.
