𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄- 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐈𝐃

𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐘

𝐀𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐀 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐔 𝐁𝐔𝐋𝐋𝐏𝐄𝐍. Strangely enough, she never felt this nervous every time she killed someone. The feeling of anxiety was one that she wasn't entirely familiar with. The way her palms were sweaty and trembling slightly as she entered the bullpen. She swore she could feel countless pairs of eyes on her, but she was only focused on one person in particular. 

Spencer smiled at her as she walked in, immediately taking note of her presence the second she walked through the door. 

Alana slipped her hands into the pockets of her dress pants, rocking back and forth on her heels. Spencer was already up from his desk and walking straight toward her, already ready to ease her nerves. Alana had been both looking forward to and dreading this day for weeks. 

Her first day at the BAU. Alana still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that she'd had the opportunity to be here. The irony was not lost on her. But according to Hotch, Mallory Hale was incredibly persuasive, and she'd convinced him to give her a shot. Apparently, Alana had impressed him, which was something that was not easy to do. According to Mallory, she thought that Alana needed a new purpose after everything, and in a way, she was still helping put monsters away. Just not in the way that she was typically used to. 

When Aaron had called her scheduled that meeting with her two weeks ago, the last thing she was expecting was for him to offer her a job. She'd thought that he was onto her, that he had found out who she really was. If that was the case, Alana couldn't have killed her way out of that one. The thought of that happening terrified her. Aaron Hotchner had no reason whatsoever to give her a chance, but he trusted Mallory Hale in a way that he didn't trust most people. Even though Alana was completely under qualified, he took a chance on her the same way he had with Mallory all those years ago. 

Apparently, the department needed someone sharp—someone who could think on their feet, who wouldn't let press conferences get out of control, who could hold their own under scrutiny. And for reasons Alana still didn't fully understand, Hotch had thought of her.

Spencer had practically beamed when she told him. Mallory had smirked like she knew this would happen all along. And now, here she was—walking into the heart of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, with a new badge clipped to her belt and a whole new kind of weight on her shoulders. No matter how many times Mallory reassured her, or how often Spencer said she was ready, part of her still couldn't believe this was happening. That she was here. Inside the Bureau. Wearing the badge.

Helping instead of hurting.

The irony wasn't lost on her.

"Look at what the cat dragged in," Derek Morgan drawled, folding his hands in his lap as he leaned back in his office chair. He had a wide grin on his face, and the sound of his voice caused everyone else to glance up at her. A slow smile spread across Emily's face, and JJ gave a polite wave and a slow nod of encouragement. 

And Garcia?

Alana was thrown off balance when the blonde sprinted toward her, nearly tackling her to the floor in the process. She felt bad because she couldn't help the way her entire body tensed up, her fists clenching at her side almost immediately. Her shoulders seized up, and she tried her hardest to relax as Penelope wrapped her arms around her, but she couldn't bring herself to return the gesture. 

"Oh, I'm so glad you're here!" Penelope chirped, rocking back and forth slightly before she finally released her, and Alana felt like she could breathe once more. "I know you're not much of a hugger, but I couldn't help myself. When Spencer told us you were joining us, I was so excited to finally have another girl around here!"