After what Aitana had gone through, and what she felt like she put the BAU through, she never expected to receive a call from the unit chief himself. She almost thought she was being pranked. When Hotch finally made her see it was not a prank at all, they were able to set up a meeting between the two. At least...Aitana had thought it would be just them. She was at the BAU pretty early and on a rare day that the team had a day off.

To her even bigger surprise, it wasn't just Hotch in his office, it was also JJ.

"Good…morning?" Aitana felt completely out of place upon entering the office.

"Good morning," they chorused together.

"Sit please," JJ motioned to the chair across the desk. Aitana nodded like a dutiful student following instructions. "You must think this is weird…"

"That...may have crossed my mind," Aitana's eyes were flickering from JJ to Hotch. "Am I in trouble?" Had they finally come to their senses and realized she was just a troublemaker who made their lives more difficult?

"No," Hotch told her. "We're actually hoping you can help us out."

"Seriously?" On the list of the possibilities this appointment could take, this was certainly not on the list. Aitana felt like she needed to take things slowly and review, just in case she missed something. "Why...why me? No, sorry, wrong question. What's the problem?"

Hotch looked at JJ for some reason which soon led Aitana to conclude that this helping out thing was more of JJ's idea than his. JJ definitely looked the nervous kind which just solidified Aitana's suspicions.

"I'm being transferred out of the BAU," JJ finally said something. "It's not my choice but it's final."

"Oh...sorry," Aitana said, holding that her next question didn't make her seem imprudent. "But, um, what does that have to do with me exactly?"

"We've been going over your resume," Hotch said, much to Aitana's surprise.

"What? But I never…" she started shaking her head, "...I didn't submit…"

"We know," Hotch told her as he pulled out just that sheet from a pile on the desk. "Given that you aren't in Witness Protection, we were able to request it from your Captain."

"You just…" Aitana felt like she was making herself look like an even bigger idiot asking half questions. Either she said something complete or nothing at all. "Forgive me but I'm not understanding the point of all this."

"I'm hoping that we can transfer JJ back to the BAU eventually but whatever happens we both agreed that we wouldn't want a stranger filling in her position." Hotch's eyes seemed to flicker over to JJ every now and then as if to make sure that was still what she agreed on.

It was a good idea that JJ came up with. He was so set on being able to keep her in the unit that he never considered he might actually lose the battle and her. But JJ had thought ahead in case that happened. She'd come to talk him the moment they wrapped up the Miles Holloway case. It was an odd request she made but at the same time logical once time passed to consider it.

If JJ was transferred - which she was - then there would be an open spot in the BAU that would no doubt have to be filled. Even if Hotch didn't hire anyone, Strauss would. One way or another, there would be someone on the team and it was at that point that Hotch came to agree with JJ. None of them wanted a stranger within their team. Even though they only knew a bit of Aitana, she was less of a stranger than anyone else who could be considered for the position. Aitana knew each of them, she definitely had rapports with Emily and Spencer. JJ personally liked her - she made it very clear to Hotch. The way she talked Miles down sounded almost like something anyone else on the team would say.' 'She put herself in front of the gun.' Not to mention, Aitana had a stellar background.

"Let me get this straight," Aitana scooted forwards on her chair. "You want me to fill in for JJ while she's gone?" She shook her head. "I'm not even a liaison! That's not what I studied to be."

"But you have the skills to be so," JJ said with surprising certainty that it froze Aitana. "Among other things, right?" She glanced at Hotch who was going through the resume again like it was the first time he saw it.

"You did a few undercover stints and I see you were formally going through your profiling classes a year ago…?" Aitana visibly stiffened in her seat. She didn't move even when Hotch stared at her for an explanation on her sudden break. "How long have you been out of Witness?"

Aitana tucked a curl behind her ear. "Last year. There was some huge territory battle between the remainder of the guys and...they all fell by their own hands. Ironic way to go, isn't it?" she flashed a bitter smile. "Their greed broke their own team."

"What did you do afterwards?"

"Well, you have the file, don't you?" Aitana didn't expect to sound so sharp and snappy but even if it did sound that way, Hotch didn't make a comment about it. He just took it with a studious gaze. She shifted again in her seat, one shoulder moving forwards as if something was prickling her.

"There is no shame in admitting that you failed to reintegrate on the first try," Hotch said suddenly, making Aitana wish he would go back to that studious silence. Even JJ was able to see the mortification on the woman's face.

"First try...second try…" Aitana's eyes fell shut with a sigh, "Soon it became multiple tries. I always wanted to go home, I just never realized how hard it would be to actually be home."

"Every transition is different, including its length," JJ said. "You were gone for nearly 2 years."

"I...I went back to school, finished my training. I even got to do some cases but…" Aitana's gaze fell to the desk, specifically to the resume in Hotch's hands. "I fell each time."

"Living in Witness Protection would of course leave some challenges in your life," JJ said, offering Aitana a kind smile. "It's natural to have setbacks."

Aitana simply shrugged. "It's been a very hard year. I don't know what to do with my life anymore. Everyone's been so kind to me, so understanding. I've done my cases but I still have a few more numbers to reach. I've had a hard time coming back to them."

"So what have you been doing in the meantime?" asked Hotch. "Obviously you need some source of income."

"Paperwork from home," Aitana said, absolutely shamefully. "So...I really appreciate your consideration in me but the truth is you're better off hiring a stranger who has their life put together. Me? I'm...a damn mess." It was a huge reason why she didn't bother seeking the specific team out to give them her thanks for what they'd done for her in San Diego. She was embarrassed.

"Your confession makes you that much more desirable for the team," JJ surprised her. "Especially in the role of a liaison. Look," she started around the desk, "Obviously you didn't intend to become a liaison for any part of the FBI but your communication skills — your honesty — is what would make you perfect to speak with families and the victims."

"With all due respect, how are you so sure about that?" Aitana searched for the answer on either agents' faces. She couldn't understand why they were so fixated on her for this position. "You barely know me."

"We talked before when you were in Witness, remember?" JJ folded her arms over her chest. "Even back then you were able to open up and be honest. It's what made me like you. And then a few days ago you did the same thing and more."

Before Aitana asked what that 'more' was, Hotch answered the question. "You put yourself in the direct line of fire even when one of my agents was blocking you in the first place. You're not afraid to fight if it means saving someone else."

"And, again, your communication skills were great," JJ added. "You talked Miles down for a moment and a moment is all we need sometimes."

"All these qualities are what I would search for in a team member," Hotch said. "And when JJ formally transfers tomorrow, it's what I'll be forced to do soon enough. I understand that you reintegrating hasn't been easy but maybe this is what you need. A push in a new direction and with people you've already met at your worst."

Aitana still deliberated. She looked at JJ and her hopeful face. She really wanted her to stick around and not leave her team with an utter stranger. "What if...what if they don't even like me?" It was a childish question but, again, neither agent belittled it. "I put them through the ringer twice."

"You wouldn't be the first," Hotch said, and though his face was practically stoic Aitana swore she saw just a glimpse of sympathy. Perhaps he'd gone through something similar once upon a time.

"Yeah," JJ smiled just a tad smugly. "I think there may be a few people happy with your hiring."

"Who?" Aitana cluelessly wondered.

"Oh...just a birdy," JJ once again moved around the desk to stand next to Hotch's chair. A very smart birdy. "Will you take it, then?"

Aitana seemed less hesitant but she wasn't coming out with a straight answer either. "How long do I have to think about it?"

"Formally, until tomorrow when I leave," JJ said then glanced at Hotch for his answer.

"But while I fight off the hiring piranhas, about a month," he said.

Aitana nodded. "Give me a week," she compromised. She didn't want to make them wait for her that long. "That way you can start searching for other candidates sooner rather than later."

Hotch was willing to give her that time. He had a feeling she might come around if she mulled it over on her own. "Okay."

"Thank you," Aitana slowly rose from her chair. "And, while I'm here, I really did mean to come and say thank you when I first got out. Without your team, I probably would have been dead a long time ago. But I was just so…"

"It's alright," Hotch said, completely understanding her inability to describe her state after first emerging from Witness Protection. "We really didn't need that and you definitely don't have to feel guilty over that. We're just glad that you were able to come home."

Aitana smiled lightly. "Thanks."

"Here," JJ offered Aitana a slip of paper. "It's my number in case you have any questions. I'm transferring tomorrow but I'm still living here."

Aitana took the paper from her with a nod. "Thank you." She left the office shortly afterwards.

"Do you think she'll take it?" JJ found herself asking Hotch a moment after the door had closed behind Aitana.

"With the right thinking," Hotch leaned against his chair. "But it wouldn't be a bad idea to come up with a third alternative."

JJ snorted as she came to grab Aitana's seat opposite of him. "That was my only plan," she pointed in Aitana's direction. "If she says no, you'll have to hire someone else."

"Why did you want me to hire her instead?"

"You don't want to?"

"She does have good qualities for the team but I wouldn't have thought of her first." Hotch suspected from the start of this sudden plan that JJ had ulterior motives for this specific candidate. "She's still recuperating from Witness Protection."

JJ started smiling like she knew something secretive. She leaned against her seat and brought her hands to her lap. She wasn't looking at Hotch anymore but at the door. "I don't know, I just have a feeling."

"A feeling?" Hotch was bemused.

"Yeah," JJ nodded. "Like...hiring her will change things for the team in a good way." She just needed to make sure that Aitana took the job.

~0~

Aitana would spend the next few days doing nothing but thinking and perhaps a bit of moping. The latter had become a part of her since she came out of WPP. She battled that along with other things just to have a normal day but now with this proposal hanging over her head, she made even less attempts to function as a human being.

"You need to eat something," Angel warned as soon as he walked into the kitchen one morning. He hadn't even looked at the plate in front of Aitana; he just knew that it was untouched.

"Good morning to you too," Aitana said, shoulders slumping.

"Fine," Angel said as he went straight to the counter where Aitana was "eating" cereal. "Good morning," he greeted her with an overly wide grin that lasted for about a second. "Now eat."

Aitana shifted in her stool. "I'm trying, believe it or not, but I'm not hungry."

"You never are," Angel countered. "The fridge is full of leftovers I bring you from work and you don't eat any of it. I know I've said it before but I'm really worried about you."

"You've said it plenty of times," Aitana said quietly, fiddling with her spoon. Her cereal was beyond soggy by this point. It'd been an hour since she poured it into the bowl.

"Then do something, Aitana. I thought you said those BAU people offered you a job. Why are you still here?"

Aitana shrugged.

"No," Angel wagged a finger at her. "None of that shrugging—" he mimicked her shrug, "—anymore. I thought you wanted to become a profiler."

"The position isn't to be a Profiler," Aitana reminded him. "I mean, yes, I'd be one a bit but it's also a liaison position. Angel, I'm not sure I can be a liaison. People would come to me to talk to about the cases. I'm supposed to make the victims and their families feel better. I don't even feel better."

Angel nodded. "I know, but do you seriously think that sitting here, feeling sorry for yourself is a better alternative?"

"I don't know...at least I wouldn't let anyone down."

Angel tilted his head at Aitana. "You're letting yourself down right now. I remember when you first finished the training courses, you were ecstatic to finally start working."

"Ha..." Aitana barely liked to remember those moments, "I was so stupid. Naive."

"What happened at the conference wasn't your fault and it most definitely wasn't something anyone could have foreseen. But look on the bright side," Angel said, reaching over the counter to touch Aitana's hand, "You're out. You're back home and you're being offered a job close to what you wanted to be. Isn't it worth trying it out?"

"Is it?" Aitana challenged, unsure of the answer. "Because what if I take it and I end up doing a horrible job?"

"Then you try again," Angel said, chuckling. "It's like when you used to dance, remember? You weren't the best but you got better. This is exactly like that except it's not dancing."

Aitana shrugged again. "It's just hard."

"I know," Angel agreed. He'd seen it firsthand how hard it was for Aitana to reintegrate. From what she told him, living in WPP was living in solitude. She didn't make friends out of fear and precaution. She avoided the crowds, any thing that would lead to big groups of people. She lived like that for years and now they expected her to go back to "normal". That was virtually impossible so early on. Aitana was under the impression that she should be living normally like she used to before WPP. It was taking a lot longer to make her see how wrong it was to think like that.

Aitana's phone buzzed on the counter. She picked it up and saw JJ's name on the screen. She sighed. "It's JJ again. The liaison I'm supposed to replace."

"What does she want?" Angel asked.

"To talk to me, what else?"

"And are you?"

"I don't see why I have to. I wouldn't want to waste her time with my indecision."

"Aitana, don't do this to yourself."

"Do what?"

"Sabotage yourself. This woman clearly wants you to take her job when she leaves. Don't you think you should at least consider it? If anything for the effort she must have put so that her boss would consider you?"

Aitana thought it would make sense; it just wasn't easy to do. Nothing lately was easy for her, even the simplest of things.

"Hear her out one more time," Angel insisted, "What's the worst that can happen?" He flashed Aitana a little smile.

Aitana had to smile back, even if it was a tiny one. "I guess..."

~ 0 ~

It was only three days later when Aitana met JJ again and it was only because the latter had personally called Aitana. They agreed to meet at a local coffee shop to have another chat.

"It's about the position, right?" Aitana said as soon as they were sitting together.

"Yeah, uh...I just wanted to answer any questions you might have," JJ said, "I know it's difficult and I also know that Hotch has a tendency to appear more intimidating than he actually is."

Aitana chuckled lightly. "He does seem pretty intimidating…"

"He's a good boss and, really, if you would ever need any help, he's the man to go to." JJ side-glanced Aitana carefully. She wished she could tell what side Aitana was inclining towards to.

"Don't take this the wrong way but why are you so fixated on me taking this position?" Aitana finally asked.

"I told you, we don't want a stranger in the team…"

"Still," Aitana shrugged. "I'm sure that your boss knows plenty of potential candidates that are 10 times better than me right now."

JJ wouldn't argue that point except for the fact that Aitana had just put herself down. "He knows people but we both agreed that we would like you instead. Hotch understands that you're going through a rough patch - he used to be a prosecutor so he's seen firsthand the effects of Witness Protection in some of his cases - and he really thinks working might help you out."

"And you?" Aitana asked and watched JJ slow down until she came to a complete stop. "You're gone and you really want me to replace you? Let me tell you that I can't replace someone who's worked as a liaison as long as you have, much less want to."

JJ was touched with the words but something struck her suddenly. "You know how long I've worked as a liaison?"

Aitana flushed with embarrassment. "I, uh, may have done some digging myself…"

JJ beamed. If Aitana was doing some digging then it meant she was inclining towards the job. "That's good, it's okay! If you're going to take the job you need to know what it's all about. Any questions you want to ask in particular?"

Aitana smiled at her enthusiasm. Even though she didn't openly express it, she was touched that they were specifically interested in her for this grand position. If it had come before Witness Protection, she would've been ecstatic at the opportunity. "Honestly, I just want to understand why me? It's the same question I've asked myself for a long time now. Why me?" She was nothing but a raw, new cadet when she was thrown into Witness Protection because she was in the wrong spot at the wrong time. "Why has it been me for a while now?"

JJ nodded silently. Of course Aitana would ask that question. It was a huge curve-ball for a new cadet on the brink of graduation. It would most certainly leave behind a scar of some kind. "I can't answer that," JJ was honest which is what she thought Aitana wanted most. "I don't know why it happened. I'm sorry that it did. As for why I'd like you to join the team? Well, I feel like you would be a good fit. You'd get along with everyone."

Aitana's lips curved into a smile that borderlined a laugh. "How could you possibly know that? I barely interacted with all of them."

"I just do," JJ nearly swore on her life. She started walking again, prompting Aitana to do the same. "Okay, Emily you already know. She's smart, a little bit sarcastic but a really good friend. You already know Spencer. He's probably the smartest person alive and you know that he's good at puzzles."

Aitana laughed. "Oh God, I actually made him do a puzzle with me. Embarrassing beyond belief."

"No! That's the kind of stuff that he loves! You'd get along perfectly!" For some reason, JJ flashed her a smirk.

In return, Aitana smiled awkwardly. "Okay…"

"And Morgan and Rossi? Morgan's a flirt but I get the feeling you kind of already guessed that. He's harmless. Rossi is a bit like Emily in the sarcastic department but, again, harmless. There's Penelope too - you haven't met her but she's the nicest woman you'll ever meet. She doesn't have one mean bone in her body. And you know Hotch. He's a really good boss and a good person. He'd help anyone who needed him."

"They all sound really nice and I did get that feeling when I met them for the first time," Aitana sighed.

"The thing is," JJ stopped them on the sidewalk again, "This isn't just a team I'm describing. It's a family. They're my family and it hurts that I couldn't stay with them." It angered her too but she wasn't going to add that detail. "But at least I can leave knowing that someone trustworthy will join them."

"You think I'm trustworthy?" Aitana raised an eyebrow.

"You willingly went to a dangerous isolated place to try and save Marlene 2 years ago and just a few days ago you put yourself in front of a gun to help protect innocent lives. That included my best friend. I don't take that lightly. I know what I'm saying is true," JJ smiled a kind smile that offered Aitana full support. "Once you join, it's like you've gotten yourself a new family."

Aitana couldn't deny that it all sounded nice. Before Witness Protection, the teams she worked with were just that: teams. There were no friendships formed because it was unprofessional. Right now, she needed all the relationships she could get. She had difficulties forming any type of relationships nowadays. Plus, maybe working in the BAU was really what she needed to get back into normality. She also wasn't going to deny that the team was a good group to work with. She had the advantage of knowing them more than other potential employees looking into the vacant position. Maybe Angel was right. What's the worse that could happen if she took up the position even if it was just for a little bit?

Take a leap, take a leap. Aitana breathed in. She couldn't just continue floating through her days. She needed to at least try one more time to get back to some piece of normality. "So...when exactly would I start?"

JJ beamed with absolute joy.

A/N:

Yay! Aitana's coming aboard the BAU!

P.S. As always, I have a tumblr account dedicated to my fanfic works! It's a place where anyone can comment about a story or even just talk to me! I often drop aesthetic work belonging to my stories too! Feel free to check it out, my URL is "saiilorstars"