The Story of Us

Chapter 2- High Tensions

As the team brainstormed a little, Amanda went after Aaron. She waltzed into his office, despite his closed door, and took a seat. "You're punishing me," she stated. She didn't say it in an angry or upset way but merely as if she were Reid stating one of the many facts that drifted around in his head all day. "You're upset that you didn't approve this transfer and I'm sorry. I've been working for the FBI since I was 17, Aaron, which means I have seniority over you. Harrison knew I wanted to be in the BAU but I got assigned to a task force because they said I had a unique skill set."

Amanda didn't know why she was explaining herself. She was never one to care much what others thought but there was always one exception to that rule. Her brothers. She changed who she was to make Sean feel better, so he didn't feel dumb in comparison to his sister. It was why she went by SSA Amanda Hotchner rather than Dr. Amanda Hotchner despite her 5 doctorates and the fact that she was, in fact, an actual medical doctor. She had learned young not only from her twin's complaining but also her father's beatings that people didn't like to feel stupid and if they did it was your fault for making them feel that way.

This wasn't true of course and Amanda had learned this but old habits tend to die hard and she really wanted Aaron to understand. Not just because he was her brother, because they hadn't been all that close as he was 10 years older and she knew he hated her because he got beat for not being as smart as his genius sister. Funny how Amanda got beat for being too smart while Aaron got beat for not being smart enough, despite the fact that he was vastly intelligent, just simply not a genius.

Aaron didn't care though. A voice in his head told him he was being irrational by blaming Amanda for what his father had done, but he despised Amanda for making him feel inadequate more than just because of his father. Aaron hated Amanda because Amanda was perfect in every way. She wasn't like Reid, smart but socially awkward, she was smart, confident, and beautiful.

She captivated people's attention the second she walked into a room and she knew it. She knew the power she had and how to manipulate it and Aaron despised her for it, no matter how stupid he knew it was. That was why he was punishing her and he couldn't help himself. He had hated her for a long time and, well, old habits die hard.

"I'm not punishing you, Amanda. I just know you. I don't want the team getting too attached to you when you inevitably decide that you're bored and want to do something else. At least I finished law school, you apparently just lied about going."

"I didn't lie," she says, immediately reaching for the file in her bag. "I multi-tasked. I'm good at that. It's how I managed to get 5 doctorates, 6 BAs, get my medical license, and become a lawyer all before or while becoming an FBI agent."

She hands him the file and he flicks through, impressed with her for what she had accomplished, remembering the conversation he had with Gideon about Spencer's achievements earlier, but this was his sister. He knew he should be proud and happy for her, and part of him was. But the bigger part of him clung to those familiar feelings of envy and disdain.

"That may be but I know you won't succeed in this unit and I don't want them counting on you because you have a habit of letting people down. If you'll excuse me, I need to get my go-bag ready. I'm sure you can see yourself out." With that, he walked out the door, leaving a heartbroken Amanda who was glad he couldn't see her because she hated feeling weak. She just couldn't shrug off the fact that the man she used to worship, her hero, hated her and that apparently wasn't going to change.

She quickly got herself together and decided to grab a cup of coffee before heading to the jet. She had just poured a cup when she heard the clicking of heels behind her. She turned to notice a beautiful and oddly-fashioned blonde walking into the kitchen area and knew her to be Penelope Garcia immediately so she decided to introduce herself. "Hi, you're Penelope Garcia, right?"

Penelope looked up, startled as she hadn't noticed the other blonde, and when she did, she was star-struck for a second before shaking her head to clear it. "Yeah, I am. And you are?" As soon as the words left her mouth, Garcia wished she could take them back, fearing they sounded rude, but Amanda merely laughed her angelic sounding laugh and answered her.

"I'm Amanda Hotchner, Aaron's sister. I just joined the BAU but I've been working here-"

"Since you were 17," Garcia cuts her off, remembering reading her file when she hacked into the FBI, the offense that ended with Hotch recruiting her. "I read your file, well part of it anyway, when I hacked the FBI database. I thought it was wrong but when I tried to get more it was all redacted and encrypted and I realize that this sounds a little bad and I should probably stop talking."

Amanda laughs again, deciding that she was right and she and Penelope would be great friends. "Don't worry about it. I've researched you as well. You're the Black Queen. I used to track your work because you were an amazing hacker that had something against the government but you never used your abilities to hurt anyone. I thought it was really noble and almost recommended to Harrison to recruit you but I figured you'd say no and some of the stuff you did was pretty illegal and I didn't want to rat you out."

Garcia looks at her in shock that she knows who she is and surprise that she knew who she was and didn't turn her into her superior. "But you're a fed."

"And you were doing good in the world. Sometimes the law doesn't cut it. When people find ways to break it, only other people that can break it better can help. You were one of those people. Plus your code was amazing. When I was creating the encryption for my file I used some of it. And I've researched the program you have here. I actually have my own program that runs through several international databases and it would help give you more leads and is legal enough that you won't get in trouble for using it. I could show you after this case if you'd like."

Penelope could do nothing but look at the woman in front of her as if she were a goddess. She had never had someone that she could talk code to and here was someone who clearly understood the language and was seemingly even better than her. "You created that encryption and you're working as a profiler?" She asks in disbelief, barely even processing her words.

"Well I've always loved profiling but I studying coding and such at MIT before I had to switch colleges and even though I was good with computers it just wasn't my passion, you know." Just then, Amanda caught sight of the clock and figured she should head to the jet to ensure that Aaron wouldn't hate her more and desperately hoping she would grow on him and she'd have the big brother she thought she had before her realization back when she was young. "I'm so sorry to cut this short but I have to head to the jet. We should definitely hang out when we get back though, yeah?"

"Of- of course," Garcia stutters. "It's a date."

"Perfect. See you around, Penny." With that, Amanda was off, leaving Garcia smiling about her new friend and her new nickname.