Stars | Aaron Hotchner

2

     "Alright Ammo, I got you an automatic feeder just in case I'll ever be gone for a few days," I said to the cat, sitting on the counter. Wrapping the holster around my waist, I kissed him on the head. I decided on a white shirt with black dress pants and a matching dress coat. I wanted my first day to be extra professional. As I holstered my gun, I pocketed my badge.

     Keys in hand, I walked out to the car. The drive to the BAU building was only ten minutes, but today's ten minutes were filled with silence as I calmed my nerves.

     Walking up to Strauss's office, I took a deep breath and knocked three times.

     "Come in." She said, sitting behind her desk.

     "Bright and early," I said, a smile on my face.

     "Perfect." Strauss stood and picked up her desk phone. While dialing a few numbers, she cleared her throat. "Hotch, it's Erin. Could you gather the team in the conference room... yes. Your new member is here." She hung up the phone after a pause. "Are you ready?" She asked.

     "Ready as I'll ever be," I responded. She smirked back at me and led the way down the hall to the elevators. Once the elevators opened, we were met by big glass doors and a hallway to the left. She pointed to the hall.

     "Down that way is technical analyst Penelope Garcia, and communication liaison Jennifer Jareau's offices." She pulled the big glass door open and continued walking up the stairs to the back of the big room full of desks.

     "This office is Agent Hotchners, and this one is Agent Rossi's." She said passing their offices. "And this is the conference room." Strauss opened the door and signaled for me to enter. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet your new profiler, Agent Catherine Gideon," she said, as I stepped through the threshold.

     "As in... Jason Gideon?" A man with a tight grey T-shirt said.

     "Yes. Jason's my father." I said back to him.

     "Well, I'll be damned. It's nice to meet you, beautiful. I'm Derek." he said, taking my hand to shake it.

     "Jason never mentioned he had a daughter." I looked up at the man who stood in the center of the room. My breath hitched in my throat. He looked at me with piercing brown eyes.

"Well, here I am," I said, smiling at him faintly. He moved around the table to approach me.

"I'm Aaron Hotchner, unit chief." He spoke, with his arm out to shake mine.

"It's nice to meet you, sir." I extended my hand to shake his and didn't break eye contact as our hands met. He looked down at me suspiciously. Next to us, a woman cleared her throat.

"I'm Emily Prentiss." Said the dark-haired woman. I smiled at her and shook her hand.

"The statistics show that it's pretty normal to hide most of your personal life from your work life. Especially when you work so closely together." A man said in the corner of the room.

"You must be Spencer," I responded to his statistic.

"My reputation proceeds me." He said as he waved and smiled shyly. A woman walked up to me wearing every color of the rainbow, and butterfly clips in her hair. I love her already.

"I'm Penelope, but my friends call me beautiful." She said, embracing me in a hug. She whispered in my ear, "We're going to be best friends." I giggled in return. "I'm off to my lair." She said, turning towards the door, but got blocked by a blonde woman holding a manila folder.

"We have a case." The blonde announced. She looked over and saw me. "You must be Catherine, it's nice to meet you. I'm JJ." She said, extending her hand. As I shook it, Hotch spoke.