Carmen | Criminal Minds

Darling, Darling

Carmen Valenzuela felt as if she was waiting for the walk light on the other side of the street for half an hour. She found herself being late to a meeting that was with her superior. She walked with haste as the light changed, weaving past the dozens of other people that happened to be on the street at the same time as her.

She burst through the FBI-labeled doors and basically sprinted to the elevator that was so close to being closed. "Hold it, please!" Her Cuban accent was very thick in the early morning. The man stuck his arm out, smiling at the girl, who was taking heavy breaths as she finally came to a halt. "Thank you." She smiled at the man and clicked the floor-three button.

She shoved her hands into her pockets and leaned against the wall of the elevator. Catching her breath, she waited impatiently for the doors to open to her floor. Mentally noting she should take the stairs when she's late.

Once she heard the elevator ding, she rushed out of the elevator to go to her section chief's office.

Once the brunette made it into the office, she barged in as loud as possible, with no intention of doing so. She quietly apologized for the noise and sat down in the open seat in the office.

Carmen was not used to being this early to work. She usually shows up ten minutes before her team does, but today she was a whole hour early for the time she was supposed to arrive.

It was killing her the whole walk on why this meeting was so important that she had to be called in so early.

"I apologize for being so late, Chief." She ran her hands down her thighs to wipe off the sweat. "I wasn't expecting a meeting so early."

"It's okay, Agent Valenzuela. It was your day off today; I understand why you are late." Chief Woods spoke calmly. "Agent Valenzuela, this is Erin Strauss. Chief Strauss, this is Carmen Valenzuela. She is the Section Chief of Quantico, Virginia's FBI department. She has come here to discuss some arrangements we have agreed on."

"It's nice to meet you, Chief Strauss." The girl smiled, shaking the woman's hand.

"Likewise."

"The New York FBI Unit has had a lot of new recruits in the past few years. Teams have been filled up, and there have been new teams." Section Chief Woods explained, "Your team in particular has been looked at by new recruits for years."

"What are you saying, Chief?"

"We've moved you to continue your work at the Quantico branch. I am working as an agent there." Chief Strauss spoke bluntly, not even trying to be nice about the situation that Carmen was in at the moment.

"I'm sorry?" The only thing Carmen could muster up was She blinked in confusion, holding back some tears as well. After a moment of silence between the three, "I—was my work as an agent here not good enough?" The girl's accent is becoming stronger by the second.

"You'd be moved up to a more advanced team, actually." Chief Woods said, "You'll be working under the famous Jason Gideon."

Carmen didn't care who she worked under. She didn't care who her team was. Except she knows who Jason Gideon is; she isn't stupid. She knows if she were on his team that she is going to be traveling to states nowhere near Virginia and knows she would hate it.

"I'm not an agent, Chief. I'm only a liaison. I haven't been on the field like that in a few years."

"I looked at your files when you were an agent. Barely out of the academy and already being recommended to be a unit chief. You are the up-and-comin Jason Gideon."

Carmen got angry, and when she got angry, it was tears that came out of her. It was like all the excuses she threw out to not go were immediately shot down and ignored. "I can't afford to move out; I have to take care of my siblings and enroll them in a new school; I just can't afford it all."

"If you accept the job offer, we will find you a suitable and reasonable home. We will give you a bonus and a paid full week off to settle in before you begin the job."

"And if I decline?"

"You will be jobless." Strauss put it bluntly: Having no care in the world about the girl's feelings whatsoever.

"I guess I have no choice then." Carmen sighed, clenching her fists and blinking back tears. "I'll accept; please just let me tell my siblings before anything major happens."

___

When the Cuban woman returned home, she found both of her siblings sitting on the coach watching a rerun of a SpongeBob episode on cable.

"Hey guys!" She smiled, putting her house keys on the hook right next to the door. She sighed, flopping on the couch right next to her sister.

"Hi Carm." Ruby, the youngest daughter of the family, smiled at her as she was laughing at the cartoon in front of her.

Her brother, Alvaro, stayed silent as he was busy on his phone.

"Guys. I have some important news." Carmen's breath shook, and she was fidgeting with the dainty rings on her fingers. "I got called in to work today, and well, they told me they were downsizing."

"You were fired?" Alvaro shot up from his phone and looked distraught.

"Not exactly. I've been promoted to agent in the field. Like before. Only this time, we have to go to Virginia."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"If you guys want to continue getting dinner every night, we have to move to Virginia so I can start this job."

Ruby went silent. Alvaro looked calmer once she explained what was happening.

"That's okay; I'm only a sophomore, and all my friends are assholes. I'll live."

Ruby looked at Alvaro with a sad look on her face. "I'll be okay." She said her breath was shaky. "I just need to adjust."

"I'm sorry that we have to move. This was not my decision. This was sort of enforced on me by some jackass section chief." Carmen spoke with a lump in her throat. "It seemed as if she didn't care about how I felt. As if I were an animal willing to do anything for her."

Carmen let Ruby rest her head on her chest. She heard the girl sniffle, but Alvaro, on the other hand, seemed completely fine.

As hours passed, Ruby finally went to her room, and Andrew was still stuck on his phone. Unable to disconnect from it.

"What are you doing, Alvaro?" Carmen asked, curious about how he wasn't even phased about moving to a whole different state.

"I don't know; I'm trying to code on my phone, but it's kind of lame." Alvaro said he was finally putting his phone down. He looked up at the TV that was now playing Regular Show. "I love this show."

"Why aren't you upset about moving states?"

"Okay, don't take this the wrong way, but—this apartment is kind of disgusting with all the mold that has to be cleaned all the time. We kind of live in the ghetto. Walking to school every day stinks. Especially in winter. My friends stink, and if I go to school in Virginia, I'll learn how to drive and maybe won't be stuck with the wrong crowd again."

"Well, if it makes you feel better. I fucking hate this apartment." Carmen laughed a bit, "Do you think Ruby will get over it?"

"She's a very understanding girl. Except she's only in middle school. She's going to think leaving these friends is going to be the end of the world." Andrew spoke with honestly, "But yes. She will get over it because you raised us right. We know that you are only doing this because you have to."

Carmen smiled at her brother, and said a small thank you before heading to bed herself.