Outsider

pack it all up and go-3

A month after my undercover stint ends, things are almost back to normal. I've moved back into my apartment and my office, and have resumed cases like normal. However, like any good, stable thing in my life, it has to come crashing down. 

"Morning, Sawyer." Thomas says as I walk through the bullpen on a Friday morning, ready to pick up another case.

"Hey, Tom." I say, grinning at my sister's husband. My eyes fall to the picture of him, my sister Marina, and their six year old daughter, Mary, that sits on his desk.

"She wants to know when you're coming for dinner again. Mary." He chuckles. "Well, both of them. Rina just wants to know why you won't text her back."

"Shit, sorry." I tug my phone out my bag and he waves his hand.

"Just call her." He says, smiling at me. Tom has been a rock at the bureau, since he and my sister had started dating years ago, before I was even out of college. There was nothing more I wanted than to tell him about the insomnia and general unease I'd been dealing with since returning from the Fullman case. But since nothing could ever be simple, I heard my name called by Morris from his office doorway.

"Vanderbilt." I look at him and he motions for me, straightfaced as usual.

"See ya." I mumble to Tom and walk into Morris' office, my bag still over my shoulder.

"Have a seat." Morris says gruffly.

"Morning to you too, sir." I joke and he cracks a smile.

"Good morning, Sawyer."

"What's up? You don't call me Sawyer."

"Perceptive as always." He says, sitting down. "I have news for you."

"Good, bad?" He sighs, at a loss for words for the first time since I've known him.

"I got a call from someone way above my pay grade last night." He starts. "You're being reassigned." My mouth gapes open and I stare blankly at him.

"I...what?"

"They've moved you to the Behavioral Analysis Unit, out of Quantico."

"What the hell?"

"I don't know, Sawyer. They won't give me any answers. All they've told me is you're officially out of White Collar, they're paying for your move, and they want you there in a week."

"A week?" I sputter, gripping the arm of my chair. "And, what the hell?"

"I'm sorry." He says quietly. "I tried to fight it."

"I'm not a profiler."

"I know, Sawyer, I know." He says and I slump back in the chair, staring at the ceiling.

Six days later, I'm watching Tom sit the last box down in the entry hallway of my D.C. apartment. I'm on the edge of the city, only about twenty minutes out from Quantico. Tom tells me to be safe and to remember to call and then leaves with one last hug. I collapse onto the couch, the only piece of furniture I have set up.

The move hasn't helped with my mood. My New York apartment had felt foreign to me when I'd returned, and a completely new state didn't feel any better. I was alone in a new city, with absolutely no one I knew, and it sucked. It really, really sucked.

An image of the pretty BAU agent from the Fullman case pops into my head and I find myself smiling. 'Maybe I'll get to work with her' I think and it almost improves my mood enough for me to get off the couch. Almost. Instead, I fall asleep on the couch without eating dinner or unpacking a single thing.

When I wake up, I have no idea where I am. The sun filters through the blinds and I leap to my feet, checking my watch. I'm not late yet, but I definitely need to get going. My sister had painstakingly labelled all of my boxes, which comes in handy to find a suit and heels.

"Damn." I say half-jokingly, looking at myself in the bathroom mirror. I do look good in the black pantsuit. My Keurig beeps and I grab my coffee and my bag, sliding into my car. My whole working life, I'd held one job, at White Collar in New York. Right out of college, I'd been accepted into the Bureau and made my way up the ranks of my job as quickly as I could.

"Here you go." I whisper to myself as I step out of my car, looking up at the huge Bureau building. Nobody spares me a second glance as I find my way to the BAU office.

"Hello?" I knock on the doorframe of Hotchner's door. He looks up, a frown settling on his face.

"Ah. Our newest addition." He says dryly and I nod. He stands and points at the bullpen.

"Next to Greenaway. Talk to HR, they'll get you settled." I nod slowly, looking at the empty desk. Everyone is staring at me and I find Elle's eyes. She's the only one who doesn't look disgusted, offering me a smile as I look. I let a small smile cross my face and I turn back to Hotchner.

"Sir?" I say and he turns back around.

"Yes?"

"I wanted to apologize. I think we got off on the wrong foot, and I don't want that to affect my work here."

"Only affects your work if you let it. I didn't approve your transfer, it was above my head."

"Oh." I say and he looks away from me, resuming his work.

"Hi." Elle says as I sit my stuff down at the empty desk.

"Hi." I say back.

"Agent Vanderbilt," She starts.

"Sawyer. Call me Sawyer." I say and she nods, smiling softly.

"Sawyer, this is Dr. Spencer Reid and Derek Morgan." She gestures to the two men. I shake their hands and they both look at me coldly. I back away and sit down in my chair, looking around. Reid and Morgan continue to talk and Elle looks over at me.

"Here, I'll introduce you to Garcia." She says and I raise my eyebrows. "Our resident tech genius." She stands and I follow, letting my shoulder drop when we reach the hallway.

"They'll warm up to you." She says kindly as we walk.

"I hope so." I say quietly.

"PG." Elle says, pushing open a door. My eyes water at the sheer amount of light coming at me from computers all around the room. A blonde woman with a colorful outfit and pink streaks in her hair spins around in the chair, smiling.

"Morning, Greenaway." She says as she looks at me.

"Penelope, this is our transfer, Sawyer Vanderbilt. Sawyer, Penelope Garcia."

"Oh my gosh, hi!" Garcia says. She stands and pulls me into a hug, catching me off guard. "I'm so glad to have you. We needed another girl."

"Oh, uh thank you. It's really nice to meet you." I say and she grins, dropping back into her chair. Garcia is bubbly and happy and truly seems excited to have me there. She insists I join them for Girl's Night, whatever that is, and pulls a container of cookies out of nowhere, shoving them into my hands and insisting I come to her if I need anything.

I leave her room feeling slightly better about the job, but that comes crashing down as Elle introduces me to JJ, the blonde woman who I'd seen with them at Hunter's. She snaps an introduction at me and storms off.

"She's not like that. She's nice. I don't... she's nice, I promise." Elle says and I nod slowly, wanting nothing more than to disappear.

The day drags on and it is definitely the worst day of work I've ever had. Elle isn't there for part of the day, leaving me alone with Morgan and Reid, who seem like they want absolutely nothing to do with me. Gideon and Hotch don't seem to like me either and I feel worse than I have in years. I'd tried to be excited about the BAU, but it was proving to be wasted energy.

'It'll get better. It has to.' Is my last thought before falling asleep on my couch once again.

hi!! hope you enjoyed, i promise cases and elle content will start next chapter!!- sasha