"W- Hotch you can't be serious, she's a criminal!" He shifted in his seat, but his face remained impassive. "So was Garcia. She's a good person, Strauss. Give her a chance."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
It had been a week since that day in the bureau. Nova was now fully prepared for her first day at the BAU. She practically bounced off the walls in her new studio apartment as she got everything she needed. She decided to wear an emerald-colored sweater and light brown suit pants with pockets to work that day. It wasn't overly formal but it seemed to be okay. Nova didn't put a whole load of effort into her outfit, she never did. Yet, somehow, she always looked hot. Maybe it was more of a vibe, she thought to herself. Maybe my vibe is hot.
She grabbed her keys off the counter just as Penelope pulled up outside her house with the cutest light yellow car she had ever seen. Over the last week, she and the team started becoming close. They're starting to trust her, and she won't lie when she says that she'd pretty much die for all of them already.
She has attachment issues.
"Penny G!" she says, running a hand through her new hair and getting into the car. Nova didn't think it would be a good idea, but a few days ago Emily and Penelope convinced her to get a wolf cut; who was she to disagree?
"Hello, supermodel. You look breathtaking today." Penelope said as she started the car. "Oh, Penny, you flatter me, sweetheart. You know what we got today?" Nova replied as Penelope pulled up to a quaint coffee and pastries shop about two minutes from the BAU. "Nope, not yet. Hopefully not something gruesome, since it's your first case." Penelope said as she opened the door to the store. Nova took in a deep breath as she breathed in the refreshing smell of good coffee. This shop was both a bookstore and a coffee shop, and Nova fell in love with it as soon as she step foot inside.
She roamed around the pastries counter and decided to get something for some of the team. So, she got 8 blueberry muffins to go. Who doesn't love blueberry muffins?
"Whatcha got there?" Penelope asked as she handed Nova her coffee. Nova winked at her making her blush. "It's a surprise, Penny." Penelope shook her head. "Now I know why Spencer blushes around you all the time." Nova turned slightly pink and Penelope gasped dramatically. "Oh. My. God! AWW, that's so cute! My little love-struck babies, this is so going to happen whether you like it or not." Penelope rambled as she started the car.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Pen," Nova replied coolly, hoping Penelope wouldn't press on it. "Mmhm," she replied, winking at Nova as they pulled up to the BAU.
Nova quite literally lived across the street. She could walk there, but she loves Penny, and she hates exercise. "Oh, I'm so excited for today. I hope you guys don't get annoyed by me too much- I can ramble- OH! What if I suck at this job. You know I might not be as good as you think I am." Nova rambled anxiously as they stepped out of the elevator and onto the fourth floor. Penelope raised an eyebrow at her and chuckled as she watched Nova put a blueberry muffin on everybody's desk as she went on about her worries for the coming day. Once Nova was done rambling, Penny put her hands on both of her shoulders and shook her slightly. "Hey. Snap out of it. You are absolutely the smartest girl I know, excluding myself. You will do this job amazingly, my little felon." Penelope said, bopping the girl's nose as Nova rolled her eyes.
"I hope that doesn't become a regular thing- oh hey Hotch! I got you a muffin!" Nova said, giving the muffin to Hotch before rushing after Penelope, complaining about the nickname. Derek, JJ, and Emily snickered when they walked into the room and saw Hotch standing there with a confused look on his face and a blueberry muffin in his hand.
Spencer walked in looking tired, clutching his brown leather satchel in his hand as he came in. "You alright, Reid?" Derek asked as he sat at his desk, smiling when he saw the muffin. "Hm? Yeah. Yeah everything's good I just didn't get a chance to get a coffee this morning, I was late." he muttered as he got to his own desk. His eyes brightened when he saw coffee and a blueberry muffin on his desk. Derek snorted at Spencer's face. "Ah, I see you got a coffee, too. Well, everyone else just got a muffin. Looks like you're special, pretty boy." he snickered when Spencer blushed bright red.
How was it that she always had him flustered even when she wasn't in the room?
Penelope and Nova walked in as Penny got her laptop ready to present the case. Nova gave a fist bump to Derek as he handed her a fresh cup of coffee. "Workplace massacre this morning at Synalock incorporated. That's in Charlottesville, which is practically our own backyard." Penelope started as she put the pictures up on the big screen.
Nova made a low "oof" sound as she went through the files on her tablet. "That's a high body count," Emily said as they flicked through the pictures. "Yeah, 8 victims in total. All employees, including the CEO. 5 were shot, 3 were stabbed to death." Nova made a face and commented "A gun and a knife?" as Spencer nodded along with her and said, "that's highly unusual." Nova hummed as she fiddled with the rings on her fingers. "It could be two killers, but that would be the first time for a workplace killing," she spoke as she took a sip of her coffee and winced before grabbing sugar and stirring it in.
"Their business is internet security for corporations. They didn't have video surveillance?" Derek asked and Penelope shook her head. "They just moved into a new building. They didn't have time to set up a new system yet." JJ nodded then said, "How is it no one heard or saw anything?"
Nova winced as she flicked through more pictures. She never had a problem with gore but this was a lot. Spencer noticed and his brows furrowed a bit. He nudged her with his arm and said "It gets easier." Nova nodded thankfully and smiled at him.
"He kept his emotions contained," Hotch said as he looked up from the file. Spencer replied, "That's pretty hard to do for a workplace killer who's mentally ill or outraged about some perceived injustice." Nova hummed from her seat and said "That's a really high body count, it indicates a hell of a lot of rage." and Rossi nodded along with her.
Hotch looked around and his lips twitched up a bit. He could already see that she was a good addition to the team. "So where's the unsub?" JJ said looking around at the team. "He has a reason to stay hidden," Rossi remarked.
The team shared uneasy looks. "He's not finished yet," Hotch said before turning to Nova. "You have a go-bag I presume?" and Nova nodded to him quickly. "Good. Wheels up in 20."
