Abigail Bethear
---THE TRANSFER---
The elevator dinged on the fourth floor of the government building, people bustling around as they had places to be and not enough time. The BAU emblem was painted on the glass door as a security guard led a woman through the entrance into a wide room filled with bulletin boards and a large number of desks.
"You'll find Agent Rossi office up there."
"Thank you." A woman nodded to the officer and proceeded to walk up the stairs to the second floor, glancing at the handful of people in the room staring at her.
Morgan watched the blonde knock on Rossi's door. "My god. Is that his new wife?"
"She's so young," Emily added as she watched the woman step into the older man's office. "Gold digger?"
Morgan shrugs picking up the stress ball Emily had on her desk, he had originally come to take lunch orders, until the blonde caught his eye. "I don't know, we'll hassle him later."
"Who was that walking into Rossi's office?" Spencer Reid questioned as he watched the woman nod her head through the blinds.
"Not a clue."
The door opened and together the blonde and Rossi exited, making their way to Hotchner's office.
"She's well dressed," Reid commented as he watched Aaron open his office door. "I think she is here for an interview."
"I don't know." Emily scans the woman. "Most women would wear a pencil skirt for an interview."
Morgan whistled. "She'd look nice in a pencil skirt."
"Guys." The group of 3 looked up to see JJ leaning against the railing. "Conference room."
"Oh, we might have a new case!" Emily shot up snatching her stress ball from Morgan and placing it back on her desk. "Come on."
The group sat in the conference room, questioning JJ endlessly.
"It's been a few years since we've had a recruit." Garcia squealed. "Was she pretty?"
"We only got sight of her back, strawberry blonde."
"She was in a pants suit."
Garcia put her hand on her bulky necklace. "OH, a boss bitch."
"What did I walk into?" Rossi asked as he pushed the door open. The team looked back and forth as Hotchner and the lady entered the conference room.
"Hello." Morgan greeted as he looked over the new woman. "Who are you."
Hotchner dropped a pile of papers in front of the man, causing him to tear his gaze away from the blonde. "Agent Morgan this is SSA Abigail Bethear, she will be joining our team as our abnormal psychologist and negotiator."
Emily leans forward on the table. "An abnormal psychologist?"
"Yes, we're giving Reid a bit of relief." Morgan joked.
"I'm good." Hotchner looked at him, Reid turned to look at the woman standing at the head of the table. "I mean, thank you."
"What does an abnormal psychologist do?" Garcia asks as she gestured to Abigail.
Abigail gave a small smile. "It's my job to analyze and compare current killers' behavior to past cases to triggers and emotional depressants." Her voice was smooth and confident. "If there is a situation where an unstable individual was to come in contact with the team it is my job to negotiate with them." Abigail checks the silver watch on her arm. "Agent Hotchner 10 minutes have passed."
"Ah yes." He took the stack of folders from in front of Morgan passing them out and walking to the screen. "We welcome you Agent Bethear and I know it's your first day but killers don't sleep so you have your first case."
"Fantastic." Abigail leaned against the window, glancing through the folder, as she listened to Hotchner speak.
"We have three dead bodies. All of the women in their late twenties to early thirties." Hotchner clicked the button and the slide changed. "the three women were found in their homes, shot in the head then mutilated."
There was a low hum from the side of the room where Abigail stood, the team looked at her, when she realized such she spoke her thoughts. "It could be a hate crime."
"What makes you say that. There are no race or sexuality similarities between the victims." JJ states but Abigail shakes her head.
"None of the ladies were sexually assaulted."
Hotchner looked at the blonde. "No, none of the women were assaulted."
Abigail nodded. "Hate can be classified as more than just race or sexual preference." Abigail turned to face JJ, looking over the top of the file. "it could be hatred on the women's gender or an organization they stood for, a belief."
"So you think it's just a woman killer?"
"No, a bullet to the head is a quick and easy death, as dark as that sound. Resentment but not unadulterated loathing." There was silence for a moment. "It was just an idea."
"That's all this is." Emily laughed as she gestured to the group. "Us spewing ideas until we find the right one."
Spencer pointed at Abigail with his pencil. "That is a very interesting take on it Agent Bethear. She has a point about the head shot, all three victims were shot in the back of the head but later turned on their back."
"A coward?"
"Well, wheels up in 30. Bethear your office is beside Garcia's. She'll settle you in and give you the rundown."
The team stood up, Rossi was the first to leave nodding as he passed Abigail.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," JJ says as she exits the door.
"Ditto." Emily greets with a smile. "Let's talk after the case."
Abigail smiles. "Of course."
Morgan reaches out to shake Abigail's hand. She takes it with a firm shake.
"Nice to have you on the team."
Spencer waved as he rushed after Morgan. Garcia grins as she approaches the young woman.
"Hi!" the colorful woman greeted. "I'm Penelope Garcia, you can call me whatever though." She smiled as she stepped past Abigail "If you come with me I can help you get settled."
"Thank you."
"Of course hon," Garcia slowed so she was walking shoulder to shoulder with the other woman. "I should warn you that our team has a bit of lovers complex so there are a lot of nicknames that float around."
"Probably nothing I haven't heard before." Abigail smiled as she watched the team mill around the bullpen, collecting things off their desks.
"This is your office, a bit smaller than mine. I'm sure you'll get it sorted out. This wall slides open in between our offices." Garcia flipped the lock on the side and slid the heavy false wall over. "Hotch made me take all my pictures down so we could open it."
"I appreciate it."
"Of course." Garcia set the folder on her cluttered desk, turning her chair to look at the well-dressed woman. "So what do you do exactly?" Garcia gestures to the hand full of screens surrounding her. "I'm the team's techie, I can track down even your most encrypted secrets."
Abigail nodded and set her folder on the nearly empty desk that was close to the line that separated the two woman's offices. "It is my job to make the connections between victims and to analyze anything you pull so the team can spend less time piecing the puzzle together and getting the Unsub."
"Ooh, Hotch got you to make my life easier?"
"Um. Yes."
"Ahhhh." Garcia jumped out of her chair and open her office door. "Hotch you are the man!" She shut her office door again. Abigail looked out the window to see the tall man shake his head, pinching his nose between his fingers. "This is great, you get to listen to the gory details and I don't."
Abigail smirked as she moved to the L-desk where two large desktops sat. "Is this my computer set?"
"Yep."
"Great. You ready to get started?"
"Don't you want to settle in?"
"I work better under a deadline." Abigail switched on her computer and looked through her folder for the password. "Besides I need to make a list of things I need to work efficiently." Picking up her pen Abigail pulled a sticky note out of her book bag. "starting with a whiteboard."
Abigail hunted down and found four movable whiteboards which were moved into her office as Garcia watched her. "What are you doing?"
"I'm going to look of any possible connections between the victims."
"I did, they don't go to any of the same places."
Abigail looked at the two screens on her desk. "Is there any way I can get the information you found on them.
Garcia pulled back to her desk. "yeah, the screen right here." She pointed to the screen mounted on the wall. "That is your log in. Any info you want I can put there and still see. Once you move it from your connected screen to the private I can no longer see it." Garcia moved a picture of one of the victims onto the screen then stood up, she walked into Abiails empty office and moved the tab onto her second screen. "See not on my feed anymore, however, I still need that."
"That's really cool," Abigail commented. "You're very talented.
Garcia put a hand to her chest. "I'm flattered." She moved back to her desk. "I'm assuming you know the basics of hacking and deciphering."
"Yes, ma'am I do."
Garcia swiveled in her chair pointed a decorated finger at the new agent. "Don't ma'am me, ever. I feel old." Abigail nodded as she popped the lid off her marker.
After some digging, she and Garcia found that they made a good team. Garcia praised Hotch because Abigail had narrowed their searches by using deduction Garcia didn't have the mental capacity for. She reviewed the details of the murders and only gave Garcia minimal details, keeping all the bad 'juju' away.
4 hours into the investigation the phone rang, Abigail silently panicked as she didn't see the phone but Garcia clicked the answer button.
"Garcia, what do you got on our victims?" Morgan asked as he set his phone on the table with the rest of his team.
"Well, my beautifully sculpted Chocolate eye candy, a lot."
Hotch looked at Morgan very unamused. "You're on speaker."
"oops." Abigail giggled behind her as she moved the third whiteboard against the wall. Her jacket blazer had been placed on the back of her uncomfortable office chair as she filtered through all the information Garcia had put on her left screen. "My bad, aside from that the pretty little recruit has made my life so much easier." She glanced at the blonde as she bites the end of her pen. "Hotch you are a god."
"Garcia."
"Right, right." Garcia pulls the open tabs she had on the three women. "Cristi Watson was a music teacher at a local high school. Veronica Sands was an editor for a small book company. Yin Cho was an engineer for a software company."
"Any connections?" JJ asks as she wrote the women's professions under their pictures.
"All three women were married with clean wrap sheets." Garcia glanced back at the woman who was leaning down to type on her computer. "Bethear had a great idea though and that got us somewhere." Abigail's head snapped in Garcia's direction when she heard her name.
"And what was that?"
"So all three of the men work for the same volunteer company." Garcia turned to her computers motioning for Abigal to come her way. "We normally wouldn't look into this because it isn't something that would just pop up."
"Bethear."
Garcia let out a squeak as she turned to Abigail who just stood over her shoulder, Garcia could tell she didn't recognize the voice over the speaker. "it's Hotch.
"Yes, sir?"
"What made you think about their husbands."
Abigail glanced at her whiteboards. "The way the women was handled. The unsub waited until they had passed before having his way with them." She rushed to grab her notebook off her desk. "Meaning he more than likely knew these women or didn't want them to suffer."
"If he didn't want them to suffer then why mutilate them?" Morgan asked.
Abigail looked at the three times she had circled in her notes. "that's what I was thinking and with a little bit of digging through everything Agent Garcia had pulled it accrued to me that the women would have been left for their husbands to find."
"Bethear that's amazing." The woman's voice didn't seem like JJ's.
"Thank you, ma'am."
"Emily, please." Emily insisted over the phone, "So we need to interview the husbands instead of focusing on the wives. Garcia, Bethear we will get back to you. keep digging on the husbands."
Garcia cracked her knuckles. "I got you pretty lady, Garcia out." she reached to hit the end button before she saw Abigail's blonde hair. "AND BETHEAR TOO." then she ended the call. "We have to come up with something cute when I hang up the phone.
"I'm ok, this is your zone." Abigail smiled, touched by the thought. "I'm merely a passer-by."
Garcia turned in her chair to watch the younger woman continue her work. "Are you not permanent?"
"No," Abigail answered quickly as she wrote each translated time she had circled onto the third whiteboard. "Agent Hotchner is looking for a more permanent person. I am merely the test run."
"How long will you be here?"
Abigail stood up straight as she looked at her handwriting. "My contract is a two-year lease, though I can be released at any given time for any reason, with in-company policy."
"But I like you."
Abigail looked at the colorful woman who was semi-pouting in her chair. "We don't know each other."
"Everyone starts out as a stranger."
"that is very true."
So the two women chatted as they dug dirt up on the husbands. They went through topic after topic, discussing interests and hobbies. though Garcia chatted the most, not that Abigail minded, she worked better with background noise. She assumed many people didn't actually listen to the woman across the room from her because she was a chatterbox.
Penelope Garcia found she thoroughly enjoyed having someone to talk to, Abigail was insanely witty, every time she said something snarky Bethear had an equally smart comeback.
After another two hours of digging Garcia let out a deep gasp. "I got something" Abigail stood up from her chair, moving to lean over Garcia's shoulder. "Look, these bank statements all long into the same hotel in the 25-mile radius Reid drew."
Abigail traced a red nail across the computer screen. "Each within two weeks of each other." She stood up crossing her arms over her chest. "The only reason I can think three grown men would check into a hotel would be their either meeting someone, to do drugs or have an affair."
Garcia looked up at the pretty blonde. "Where did you come from?" Abigail let out a small laugh as Garcia moved a document to Abigail's shared screen. "Call Hotch please I'm going to keep digging."
Abigail pulled her phone out of her pocket as she walked back to her computer. The list of 7 numbers each with names beside them, she typed in the one written by Hotchner's name and waited for the dial.
"Aaron Hotchner, who is this?"
"Abigail Bethear, Agent Garcia told me to call you." Abigail
"What did you find?"
"All three of the husbands checked into a hotel within two weeks of each other." "I can send you the address momentarily, I believe they were having an affair. it would explain the quick deaths each woman was given." "They were given painless deaths so they would not feel the pain of knowing what their husbands had done."
"It doesn't explain the mutilation."
"No sir it does not, I have lists of theories based on the severity of the damage but none are going to be accurate until I can find the demographic and get some insight on the unsub."
"That's fine, good job Agent. I'm thankful you decided to join our team."
"I'm thankful you requested me, I'm sure it was not an easy decision."
"private investigation is not an easy field to thrive in."
"We all have our strengths, sir, mine is reading people." She looked at her screen. "if you find anything please feel free to call me directly or Agent Garcia. I am going to see if I can find any more." She went to hang up but Garcia grunted, motioning her to say 'out'. "Bethear out."
"YES, MA'AM!"
"I think our new agent is adapting to working with Garcia nicely." Hotchner shook his head as he looked up to Rossi.
Abigail went home at 9 after Hotchner contacted Garcia to call it a night for them. She did not eat dinner and just crashed when she went home. Her alarm was an absolute nuisance at 4:30 the next morning, she laid in bed for a moment before getting up. The cold air hit her faster than she had wanted, she made her bed and entered her bathroom. she turned on the timer as she got in the shower, ten minutes later she was drying her hair in a towel. She made her breakfast and lunch with the news on in the background once she was dressed with her makeup done.
At 6 Abigail was putting her bag in the passenger seat of her Red supercar with her tea in the cupholder. By 6:30 she was in the office to find Garcia already there.
"Ahhh good morning." The preppy blonde greeted with a grin on her face
Abigail nodded at her, the sleep still not entirely out of her system. "Morning."
Garcia approached her, a large mug in hand. The aroma of coffee filled Abigail's senses. "Did you sleep ok?" Abigail nodded as she climbed the steep steps to the walkway above the bullpen. "First case jitters?"
Abigail glanced at Garcia. "No."
"I get the feeling you've done this before."
Abigail nodded as she pressed her key card to the scanner, her door unlocking with a click. "You would be right." Garcia stepped into her new coworker's office. She watched Abigail sort her things in a well-organized fashion.
"Can I ask how you've done this before?"
Abigail shrugged her blazer off her shoulder, laying carefully on the back of her chair. "I would have assumed you would have done research on me."
"I did but I want to hear it from you."
"Private investigator." Abigail turned to the woman dressed in orange. "the rich and overly wealthy use us to dig up dirty work on others or spy." She leaned against her desk as she continued. "The government uses my office for highly sensitive cases or when they need people with particular skill sets."
"Ohhhh, a spy."
"no, I am not a spy."
Garcia pushed her glasses up her nose. "I don't believe you." She closed Abigail's door, walking through the now open space into her own office. "Hotch will call in 15 minutes to tell us news and what he needs."
"Then I suggest we don't keep him waiting." Abigail turned on her computer. "He seems like a very busy man."
"You fit right in." Abigail gave the woman a small smile as she sat down. "I don't think I have ever seen somebody adapt so quickly."
"I'm flattered."
"Good." Garcia winked at the slim woman. "You should be."
Abigail began to sort the documents Garcia had sent to her computer. She started a folder and put the year as the name when she entered it she started another one and glanced at the manila folder on her desk. Typing in the case number she sorted the information on her shared computer screen with Garcia.
When 7am hit the phone rang with a shrill screech, Garcia answered by tapping the side of her head set.
"Garcia."
"good morning boss man."
There wasn't so much as a chuckle from the other side. "Garcia I need anything you can find anything on a Harrison Jims." Garcia opens a new tab on her computer." is Bethear there?"
Garcia turned slightly to see the woman working. "Yes sir, she is sitting at her desk typing away like a man man." Abigail's fingers hit the keys with force and purpose. "I honestly think she types as fast as I do."
"Garcia."
"Right, sorry sir." She moved her attention away from her new coworker. "Do you need her?"
"No, I'm just making sure." She heard shuffling on the other end of the line. "How is she? Everything we hoped?"
"Well sir, she has headphones on right now but it doesn't affect her productivity. From what I can see, she is scouring the husband's bank records. She's targeting any donations to non-profits."
"When we get back, I'll be holding a meeting to evaluate her performance."
"Of course." Garcia rolled her fuzzy pen between her fingers. "I will get back to you soon. Bye-bye."
Abigail pulled her headphones off, setting them down on her desk she stood, crossing the metal strip that separated an empty office into a world of organized chaos.
"Garcia I have something." Abigail pointed their shared computer screen, "All three men took out rather large sums of cash throughout 6 months leading up to the deaths of their wives."
Garcia glanced over the three documents. "A hundred dollars even."
"Every time," Abigail dragged her red nail across the screen. "However one of them wasn't so careful." She tapped one. "Nick Sands paid for drinks at a bar thirty minutes after pulling 100 dollars from his bank."
"Call Hotch."
Abigail straightened up looking down at the tech genius."Don't you want to call him?"
"You have the tea, pour it yourself." Garcia smiled over her shoulder.
Abigail typed the number into the phone on her desk however she is met with his voicemail. "he didn't answer."
"uh...call Reid."
Abigail arched her eyebrow, she turned on her heels towards her desk. She sat down and searched for the young man's number.
"Dr. Spencer Reid, who am I speaking to."
Abigail smirked to herself. "You pick up girls with that line Doctor?"
"Excuse me?" Abigail bit her lip when she realized she had made the joke. "Who is this?"
"I apologize this is Abigail Bethear, the new BAU resident. I could not contact Chief Hotchner." Very professional Abigail. "I have information that would be beneficial to the investigation."
"Oh, ok."
"A week before Veronica Sands murder her husband went to a bar and used his card to buy drinks after removing 100 dollars cash from his account." Abigail clicked the website of the bar. "I believe that all three men had withdrawn the same amount of money on various Thursdays of the month."
"You think the bar may have some answers."
"Yes, sir."
There was a sharp cough on the other line. "Please don't call me sir."
"My apologize, Doctor." Abigail waited for a moment but there was no response."Please contact me or Agent Garcia if you find anything." She went to hang up the phone but she felt eyes on her. Turning she saw Garcia leaning over her chair staring the strawberry blonde down. "Bethear out."
Garcia clapped before turning back to her work.
Both women had worked through the day, Abigail munched on her carrots as she started the paperwork process for the case. None of the team had contacted them since the morning and it was well past noon. Penelope had sent Abigail all the information on Harrison Jims that she could find. So Abigail had started a life profile, determining that Jims was a rather unintelligent man. Abigail's music was interrupted by a ringing, she glanced down to see AARON HOTCHNER sprawled across the small screen on the desk phone.
"Bethear you were right," Hotchner spoke from the other side of the line. "Our suspect is the unsub, he frequented the bar often and was seen with all three men."
"Does Agent Garcia have a name?"
"Harrison Jims"
Abigail smiled to herself. "One-second sir," Abigail opened her report on the Unsub. "Harrison Jims is a mentally unstable individual." She skimmed her writing to try and hit the key points."In and out of mental institutions until he was 18. He was there to get fixed, homosexuality rebirth camps." She heard mumbling on the other end. "Severe depression and anger issues. He's probably suicidal because he murdered his affairs, he's lost all of his outlets." He was dating men married to women. Men who kept him hidden, in the closet, he got tired. Hated their wives for making it so all of the men he were interested could never be with him. "Killed all his pawns before getting new ones."
There was a collage of voices before Hotchner said, "Thank you." and hung up.
"I sent them an address," Penelope said, she pushed her chair to the line that divided their offices. "This is my least favorite part." She crossed her legs at the knee to show off her black stilettos. "When they catch the bad guy, you never know how it will turn out."
"Your team is very well trained." Abigail gave her a tight smile. "I have faith." Abigail glanced at her private screen. "I started writing my report. Do you have formats?"
Garcia furrowed her brows. "Reports?" She shook her head, pigtails following her. "We have paperwork, where we fill out what we did, how we responded to the issue and any information that was used." The woman shrugged her shoulders. "Mine's really easy because I just make a folder with all of the things I've accumulated and separated by name, case number. Then I email it to archives. Of course, when the dogs send the paperwork I want to die but it honestly isn't to bad for tech."
"Well, I have to write out my criminal theory, why they do what they do."
Garcia let out a low whistle. "That sucks."
"I enjoy it," Abigail looked over her shoulder at her new partner. "It's all theory, based on what might have caused the snap."
Abigail enjoyed writing with her opinion, it meant no one could prove her wrong, only debate with her. Debating meant there were two strong parties, both trying to prove a point about a belief. She found power in proving herself, her argument. Abigail finished her theory by 4 and the majority of her paperwork by 5. So she collected her things and clocked out, driving home in the crisp air with her windows open. She was greeted with boxes, and boxes in her new home, having moved from LA it was definitely an adjustment.
The team shuffled into the office the next morning. Tired and cursing their paperwork to hell. Abigail stepped into the office at 6:30, tea in hand her black bag slung across one shoulder as she held the phone up to her ear. Morgan's head snapped in the direction to the new girl, catching Emily's attention as he pointed to the blonde as she approached Rossi.
"She's wearing a skirt." Morgan pointed out, the three ground agents leaned to looks at her.
Abigail was wearing a tight grey pencil skirt with black pantyhose, her white blouse was tucked in and matched her cream heels. "How does she wear those shoes?" Emily asked as she watched Abigail pull her phone away from her ear. "I mean Garcia wears stilettos but for some reason, I find Bethear much more intimidating."
"It's the way she dresses," Spencer comments as he watches Bethear turn away from Rossi and make her way towards the stairs. "Bethear dresses extremely professional."
"I don't think I have ever seen creases so clean in anyone but Rossi." The team looked back at the older man as he poured his coffee. Nice rich clean pressed suit flattering the same way the rest of his suits did. All tailored and cut to fit him and him alone.
"Rich bastard," Morgan muttered before turning to catch another glance at Abigail but her door closed. At 10 am JJ stood against the railing starring into the bullpen.
"Spence." The young doctor looked up at his best friend, she sent him a smile. "Everyone in the conference room."
Spencer stood up, he tapped the top of the wall that separated his and morgans desk. "Conference room."
"Another one!" Emily groaned as she removed herself with an aggravated huff. "I want to go home."
As everyone shuffled into the conference room they took in the elegant woman who sat beside Penelope at the table. Back straight hands crossed on top of the table as she listened to Garcia giggle about something unrelated to the horrors they saw every day. Emily quickly claimed the seat next to the new recruit, giving Morgan a wink as Hotch shut the door.
"I know we have Agent Bethear with us." He gestured to the young lady. "Since she is a piolet agent we will be doing summaries on the productivity and asset she provides the team."
Morgan looked at the well-mannered blonde then at his boss. "A pilot agent?"
"Bethear is under contract, I don't know all of the details only that after a year I will submit a report to decide whether or not to keep an Analyst on the team."
"Sir if I may." Penelope raised her hand slightly but didn't wait for Hotch to respond before she started to speak. "She was a lot of help. We were able to sort through the information a lot quicker and she helped me narrow down the relevant stuff so there was less shmuck on my screen."
"Shmuck?" JJ asks with a smile.
"I am a good person." Garcia gestures to herself. "Bad words have no place in my pure aura."
"I think Bethear was helpful." Emily rolled her eyes at Garcia. "I think the knowledge of the human mind will be helpful."
"JJ?"
"A negotiator would be nice." She turned in her chair to face Abigail. "If you know how to handle unstable individuals it could give us the upper hand."
"I agree, I wouldn't have thought of the husbands. Much less made the connections with the affairs." Rossi comments with a smirk, one Abigail returned.
Hotchner looked over his team until his eyes landed on the one team member who had yet to speak. "Reid."
"Hmmm." The young genius looked up from the table to his team.
"Any comments on Bethear's actions during this case?"
He looked at the new recruit and he felt his neck get warm. She was very attractive, matched and held herself with more confidence than Spencer thought he had mustered in his entire life."No, the extra set of eyes will boost our productivity by 3% automatically."
"Thank you."
The team chuckled at Abigail's comment but Hotch started again. "No one has a problem with Bethear joining our team?" There was heavy eye contact but no one spoke against her. "Good, Agent Bethear, welcome officially to the BAU."
The team cheered, leaving Abigail to turn a light shade of pink. Morgan leaned on the table to look at the pretty recruit. "You're joining us for drinks?"
She tilted her head, "Am I invited?"
"Yes, you're invited." Penelope grabbed Abigail's hand. "Think of it as a welcome to town tour."
"I would love that, but I'll need a guide."
Emily offered her a smile. "I'll do it."
Abigail offered a small smile, "I appreciate it."
To be quite frank, she wanted nothing more than to go home, call her stepfather to help her unpack her stuff but she needed to make friends. If she was going to be here for a year there was no point in just trying to get through the job. She might as well try to make some friends to try and climb the ladder to her goal a little quicker..