On orders from above, a psychologist will support Hotchner's team, helping them to alleviate the terrible mental stress the agents endure each time they handle a case. Initially very mistrustful, one by one they are won over by the surprising Dr. Aileen Balderi, who looks anything but a shrink. Despite himself, Hotch feels very attracted to her, but he is aware that they are as different as night and day, and therefore, he thinks a possible relationship would never work…

Timeline: Season Seven.

(AU: Hotchner's ex wife is not dead)

Chapter I: Unpleasant News

The phone on the desk rang. Senior Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner, Chief of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, or BAU, looked away from the computer monitor, where he was checking out an array of statistics, grabbed the cordless and answered tersely. "Hotchner."

"Erin Strauss here", he heard from the other end of the line. "Come to my office, please."

"On my way", Hotchner replied, hanging up and rising. Strauss was his immediate superior, the section director, and in the past they had had their differences, but they had cleared the air. Some time later, she had been in trouble and Hotchner had helped her, hence now she owed him. Although their relationship wasn't cordial, it certainly was civil.

Hotchner knocked on Erin Strauss' door and he heard her voice inviting him in; he complied, closing the door behind him.

"Take a seat, Special Agent Hotchner", Strauss invited him with her usual cold politeness.

Again, he complied, sitting himself in one of the armchairs in front of her desk.

"You and your team are doing a good job", Strauss started, surprising him. "Actually, an excellent job", she reiterated, surprising him even more. "And that's for several years now. But it's becoming increasingly more difficult to manage stress... I'm not saying it", she clarified, seeing his scowl, "but our psychologists are. Being human isn't a deadly sin, Special Agent Hotchner, and you and your team are human like everyone else. Other agents gave up – Elle Greenaway, Jason Gideon – because they could no longer bear the tension and the mental weariness coming from the job. Good grief, Aaron, I truly don't know how the bunch of you are able to go on..." she added in a quite unique surge of understanding and humanity. "Personally, I think I'd break down after one week. Hence", she concluded, her tone final, "I decided to do something about it."

"What exactly?" Hotchner enquired, unsure he should feel grateful or threatened. With Strauss one could never know.

"Regular counselling", she answered. "I hired the best available specialist, not just anyone. She will work for us as an independent professional, but I will give her a room next to the BAU. She will be at your exclusive disposal every time you'll need counselling after or during a case. Her name's Aileen Balderi; she has much in common with Dr. Reid, she's a genius like him, more or less", Strauss gestured vaguely. "Multiple degrees and doctorates, photographic memory, that kind of things. I'm absolutely sure she will be a great help for you all."

Hotchner wasn't so sure: he and his colleagues, the Alpha Team of the BAU, were the best profilers in the United States, and this made them in turn some fine psychologist, although their specialisation was criminal psychology. They could take care of themselves, this Hotchner knew for sure; they had no need for external support.

"But what if she won't?" he therefore tried to find out.

His superior's brow creased in a look that didn't bode well. "I don't think Dr. Balderi will fail her task", she replied in a tone that brooked no argument. "She'll start on Monday. She's going to introduce herself", Strauss concluded, recalling the request the psychologist had made, namely to introduce herself to her future patients on her own.

"Understood", Hotchner had to give in. He was forced to accept his superior's decision, but he didn't have to like it.

As the interview was clearly over, he rose and exited Strauss' office to go back to the BAU.

OOO

"What, a headshrinker?!" Special Agent Derek Morgan flared up. "But Hotch, we don't need one!"

Hotchner had summoned them in the meeting room to inform them about Erin Strauss' decision, immediately after returning from the interview.

"That's true", Emily Prentiss agreed. "After all, we are psychologists ourselves..."

"But we cannot treat ourselves", young Dr. Spencer Reid pointed out quietly. "No physician and no psychologist can. Hence, we'd be unable to do it, in case of need."

"I'm no profiler", Jennifer Jareau considered. "I coordinate with local law enforcement and media. I surely have no need for a therapist."

"Director Strauss has been very clear", Hotchner said, shaking his head. "Dr. Balderi will treat all of us, including you, JJ. Even you, Garcia", he added, turning to the blonde computer geek who provided them with any kind of information during their investigations.

The young, plump woman rolled her eyes behind the eccentric red frame of her glasses. "I have nothing to do with your investigations", she said. "I'm out of the picture, and of your mind games with criminals, even more than JJ."

"Let's see how she's like before", suggested David Rossi. Twenty years ago, he had been the one who had created the profiling science and, when Gideon had resigned, he had come back from retirement to help the team. "If we actually dislike her, we'll find a way to get rid of her."

"Good idea", Morgan approved, crossing his arms over his honed chest. Penelope Garcia gave him a smile: the handsome agent of colour was her favourite in the team, and the two of them called each other the most disparate names, such as cupcake, sweet-cheeks, baby-girl, Miss Smart and Sexy. Basing only on those epithets, one could think they were lovers, but instead, they were just best friends.

"No", Hotchner disagreed. "As much as we may dislike it, we have no right to prevent someone from doing their job. We will give Dr. Balderi her chance, with no prejudice and no mobbing. Have I made myself clear?"

The other ones made faces, unconvinced, except Reid; but in the end they gave in: Hotchner was their boss, and he had given them a direct order. Even Rossi, who was ten years his senior, raised no more objections.