Decisions (4th Book in the Boss's Niece Series)

Mel Tells The Team

I was nervous about telling the team. I didn't know how they would react. I didn't know if they'd be mad or upset or maybe both for Penelope and JJ, whom I was closest to.

I was turning my wedding ring, which is something I did when I was nervous. I had asked Uncle Aaron to gather everyone in the Conference Room so I could tell them about the offer. The Conference Room has become more of the room of announcements then briefings lately.

The door opened. My head snapped up and Spencer walked in.

"JJ just got here. She's on her way." he said.

"Oh no." I said, more to myself then anything.

"What's wrong?" Spencer asked, walking over to me.

"What if-what if she doesn't take it well? What if they all get mad at me and never talk to me again?"

"You're getting yourself worked up over nothing. They won't hate you. Sure, they might be mad, but no one can hate you, Melanie Ann Hotchner-Reid. You're too nice to hate."

I smiled and leaned into Spencer's chest.

"You know how to make me smile." I said.

"I have been married to you for over 4 years now." he reminded me.

The door to the room opened again and JJ followed by Sara. I pulled away from Spencer to give them both a small smile.

"What's this about?" Sara asked. "Hotch said you had to tell us something."

"Sit down. I'm waiting for the rest of the team to get here. Don't be worried. It's nothing too too big."

Spencer sat down in his usual spot and gave me a look.

"Okay, it's kinda big." this earned me another look. "Okay, it's huge. Stop guilting me!"

Spencer chuckled. Derek entered the room next.

"Let me guess." he said and sat down. "You're pregnant again."

"Not even close." I said. "And you call yourself a Profiler."

Derek rolled his eyes and sat down. Penelope and Alex came last, Uncle Aaron not too far behind her. The three sat down and I looked at the whole team. I took a deep breath, suddenly regretting this.

I decided to get straight to the point. No dancing around this.

"When we were in Philadelphia, the sergeant, Jackson, spoke to me about a job opening they have down there." I started. "It's a head job at the office there. It's double the pay and half the hours."

The room was silent. I could feel the tension in the air as everyone looked around. I decided to continue before anyone spoke up.

"I know what you guys are thinking. No, I haven't made a decision. There is a lot of things to think about in this sort of situation. First off, there's the hours. If I did take the job, that'd mean I'd get to spend more time with Haley and Spencer-"

"Does that mean you're staying here?" Penelope asked. Tears were forming in her eyes.

"No." I replied. "That's the next thing. If I do take this job, it means I'd have to leave Virginia and move to Philadelphia. I can't do that. I can't leave my family and my friends. But this job is a job of a lifetime. It's a hard choice and it's gonna take me a while to decide."

More silence. Everyone was processing this. I looked at Spencer, who was trying his best not to make eye contact with anyone in the room. I knew he didn't want to get involved, but Derek didn't come to realize this.

"What do you think about this?" he asked Spencer. Spencer looked up at him and the n back to his lap.

"I stand behind Mel and whatever her decision is." he said as if he had rehearsed it a hundred times before.

"Well don't be. Tell her she can't leave, she'll listen to you." Derek said.

"Derek, honey, calm down." Penelope said, putting a hand on Derek's arm.

"I am not going to calm down." Derek said, standing up. "Why should I calm down? Mel, you're like my little sister. You can't leave."

"I don't know if I'm leaving yet." I said.

"But you're thinking about it." he said. "We need you here. You can't just up and leave us."

"I don't know if I'm leaving-" I repeated.

"But you're thinking about it!"

Without another word, Derek left, slamming the door behind him as he did. I turned to the rest of the room, who had turned silent and watched the scene.

"I'm sorry." was all I could manage.

Sara stood up first. She walked up to me and wrapped her arms around my waist, giving me a hug. Surprised, I hugged her back.

"I know we've only worked together for a little while." she said when she pulled away. "But you took me under your wing and helped me along. You've become the big sister I've always wanted and sisters support sisters in whatever decision they make."

I smiled and said, "Thanks Sara."

JJ got up next. She gave me a hug as well.

"As your best friend, I fully support you as well. It's just gonna be really hard to work without you." she said.

I nodded and said thank you to her as well. Penelope and Alex got up to hug me and tell me they supported whatever decision I made. Spencer was up next and walked over towards me. I gave him a small smile.

"Ignore Morgan. He'll be okay tomorrow. Just give him some time." he said.

I nodded.

"Just know," Uncle Aaron said. "If you do take that job and it doesn't work out the way you planned, you'll always have your job here."

"Thank you, Uncle Aaron." I said. He gave me the last hug before dismissing everyone.

Everyone gave me sad looks and sad smiles before going back to work. I felt so guilt and sadness run through me.

"What am I gonna do?" I asked myself.