-MAD WOMAN-
three!

so often we only do what we
think is expected of us when we
are capable of so much more
- cynthia hand

then - 5x03!

"Agent Hotchner, this is Agent Wren Spader. I called you yesterday and I've left multiple messages to your office phone number as well. I need the files that you have on George Foyet. Or at least copies of them. I spoke with your technical analyst, uh, Penelope Garcia, to get them, but she said you had taken all physical paperwork to your home. I understand that you want to know absolutely everything that you can about Foyet, but if I could just get copies of what we don't have scanned into the system, I could be much more helpful to you. Please call me back at this number at any time or you can find me in my office further down the hall from Chief Strauss. Thank you."

✦✧✦

"Agent Rossi, this is Agent Wren Spader. We met at the hospital. I'm calling in regards to George Foyet's case files. I'm of the understanding that Agent Hotchner has taken all physical files to his home and it seems our computer systems don't have everything that he took scanned. In order for me to do my job to the fullest extent, I need the full picture. If you could please talk to Agent Hotchner about getting me the files, even temporarily, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you."

✧✦✧

"Hi, Agent Hotchner, this is Agent Wren Spader... again. I would apologize for calling you so much if I didn't feel like this was important. From my understanding, your team is not currently on a case, so I believe that you're just avoiding my calls. I'm sure you're tired of getting these messages just as much as I am tired of getting your voicemail. So if you would just call me back so we can work out some arrangement, I could be out of your hair a lot quicker."

Wren shut her phone off once again and rested her head in her hands as her elbows were placed against her desk. She wanted to yell, or better yet, punch something. She understood why the man was so apprehensive about bringing an outsider in on this case. But at this point, it was just aggravating her and causing him the annoyance of continuously getting her calls. After a few moments of self-pity, Wren got up from her desk and left her office. She walked the short distance to Chief Strauss' office and knocked twice, announcing her presence to her boss.

"I am I allowed to go bother him today?" Wren asked the woman, knowing that her boss was well aware of what she was talking about. Strauss turned to look at her and sighed, placing the file she was reading on the table.

"Will you place nice?" She asked, already knowing how Wren would respond. 

"Will they?" the younger agent retorted as Strauss let out another puff of air. The section chief was very used to Wren's behavior and also knew that she was a force to be reckoned with, which was part of why she put her on the Foyet case. Wren was someone who would stand up to the impulsive decisions made within the BAU, and she certainly wasn't afraid to pick a fight when she felt necessary.

"They just received a new case this morning, so you should probably hurry if you want to catch them before they take off," Strauss informed her, but the woman was already out the door. "Don't come on too strong!"

"It's too late for that!" Wren called back as she practically ran to the bullpen of the BAU.

When she arrived, she found the desks empty and the office doors open. She was too late to talk to him here, maybe she could catch the group if she met them at the-

"Agent Spader?" A light feminine voice caught Wren's attention and she turned to see the technical analyst, Penelope Garcia, standing in the kitchen area, with some files in her hand.

"Yes. Penelope, right?" the brunette asked even though she knew the answer. Penelope grinned and nodded.

"The one and only," she replied with a dazzling smile that made Wren do just the same. "Can I help you with something?"

"I'm looking for Agent Hotchner, but by the looks of the empty office, I take it that I missed him," Wren explained, expecting to be disappointed by the woman's inability to magically summon the man.

However, the technical analyst grabbed onto her arm and pulled her up a few stairs and into a room she hadn't noticed before. In that room, held the whole Behavioral Analysis Unit, who seemed to be getting ready to leave for a case. 

"You told me you were cleared to travel. You lied," the harsh and professional voice of Agent Hotchner caused Wren to sigh with relief. She squeezed Penelope's hand in thanks. 

"Naughty boy," Emily Prentiss said to the long-haired man, who had crutches next to him. Wren hadn't met him yet, but she assumed he was Dr. Spencer Reid, the only member of the team she had yet to have a face-to-face with.

"Uh, no, I didn't," he tried to explain himself to his boss, though the rest of his team clearly wasn't taking him seriously at the moment. Jennifer Jareau passed by Penelope and Wren, only briefly acknowledging the brunette's presence as she left the room. "I am a doctor, so technically, it wasn't a lie."

"What was it, then?" Penelope asked him, causing the rest of the room to turn towards them, finally noticing Wren was in the room.  Agent Hotchner's face became colder than it already seemed to her and Derek Morgan looked as if he were about to hit something.

Apparently, her first impression on the team was memorably enough to cause a physical reaction from some of them. It wasn't the first time she had this effect on people, and it certainly wouldn't be the last time, either. 

"Um, a second opinion," Spencer responded to the technical analyst as he looked Wren over once.

"Huh, you're my bitch now," the blonde said to him which caused Wren to laugh quietly.

"Agent Spader, what can I do for you?" Agent Hotchner asked as he left the room through the other door.

Turning and muttering a thank you to Penelope, Wren rushed after him, following him to his office. "Sir, I understand that you're leaving for a case but I really need those files."

"Well, I can't go get them now, can I?" he asked, clearly not trying or wanting to be of any help to her. He walked around his desk and grabbed a bag, beginning to place things into it.

"No, but I could go get them," she offered and he looked up only to glare at her. He was much more willing to be a complete ass now that he wasn't in a hospital bed. Her innocent smile only irritated him more and at this point, she knew the only way she was going to get him to cooperate with her was by proving she was capable. "You can send one of you of your desk agents with me. I can bring the files back here, and copy and scan them all into the system. And then when you return from your case, I will gladly help you put them in your car. Or I can take them back to your place today."

He sighed as he placed another file into his bag. Looking up again to see she hadn't moved and showed no signs of joking with him, Agent Hotchner knew he wouldn't be getting rid of her easily. "You won't give up, will you?"

"No, sir. I've been told that my stubbornness is both my best and worst trait," Wren replied matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, I can tell that about you," he muttered and she only grinned. Yes, it was meant to knock her down a peg, but Wren had never been one to let the words of others get to her. "Can you drive?"

"No, I'm a federal agent without a driver's license," she deadpanned, almost offended by his question. "Yes, I can drive."

He didn't respond and left his office. Wren, of course, was three steps behind him. She was almost afraid that if she let him out of her sight, she'd never see him again and she'd have to start all over.

"Reid," Agent Hotchner called for the man relying on crutches as he stood where Wren had found Penelope earlier. The man looked over and watched as his boss wrote something on a piece of paper and left it on his desk. "You're going to accompany Agent Spader to my apartment so she can get the files she needs. I'm leaving the code to the alarm system on your desk. Make sure you discard the piece of paper when you can."

"O-Okay," Dr. Reid replied before he turned back to his conversation with Agent Morgan, who simply glared at Wren for a moment.

Agent Hotchner then went to face Wren once more. "After you have the case files, will you leave me alone?"

"No, sir. It's literally my job to keep you updated on what I find about George Foyet. I don't think you want me to leave you alone since you can't see your family because of him," Wren said, her voice steady. If he was going to be an ass, then so was she.

The man just shook his head in annoyance and left the bullpen, headed in the direction of the elevator. The brunette agent then ran a hand through her hair and exited the room through the side door to get to her office. After grabbing her car keys and her coat, Wren made her way back to the BAU bullpen. 

She found Dr. Reid standing idly at his desk. He was leaning against his desk with his crutches resting next to him. The rest of the team seemed quick to be on their way and he was left alone in the bullpen to wait for the agent most of his team didn't seem to like very much.

He knew of Agent Spader. They had walked past each other as he made his way to Garcia's den in the past. He knew that she was talented and had the means to be a decorated interrogations specialist. Spencer knew that she wrote the bureau's current guide to interrogation tactics and had done multiple guest lectures in the past two years. According to Derek, Agent Spader was rude and aggressive. She seemed to command the attention of others and wasn't afraid to say something a person didn't want to hear. Traits that many of Spencer's teammates also had, but because she was an outsider, it was a bad thing. 

He felt a little better knowing that Penelope liked Agent Spader. Granted, Penelope liked just about anyone, but if she didn't find any reason to dislike the woman, he would have to believe that the rest of his team had just gotten a bad first impression.

"Dr. Reid, do you want me to go get my car so you don't have to walk through the parking lot?" Agent Spader asked him, pulling him out of his thoughts. He turned to look at her, seeing her tan coat was folded over her forearm and car keys were being fiddled within her hands. 

"Oh, no, that's not necessary, I can walk with you," he replied as he stood up, placing his crutches under his arms again. She nodded with a small smile placed on her lips.

"Okay, then let's get going. Hopefully, I can get you back here before your team even lands wherever they're going," she stated, starting to make her way toward the elevator. However, she stopped and turned back to face him again, her eyes closed and eyebrows creased together in slight shame. "I'm so sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Agent Wren Spader. It's nice to meet you."

She didn't reach out her hand to shake his since he was keeping his balance with the crutches. Spencer laughed softly before speaking. "I know who you are, Agent Spader." The pair continued the walk through the bullpen. She furrowed her eyebrows at his statement and waited for him to continue. "I've read some of your work and the BAU uses your interrogations guide like it's the bible. You were the youngest female agent enlisted into the bureau and the only woman in interrogations to accomplish as much as you have. You're very impressive.

Wren's jaw was practically on the floor as they waited for the elevator. She didn't find it weird that he knew this. She knew he was smart and from what Emily told her, had a spectacular memory. Instead of weird, she was rather impressed that he knew so much about her.

"Well, if you know who I am, feel free to call me Wren," she said as the elevator doors opened. When they were both standing within the elevator doors, they each had reached for the button to the main floor, causing their hands to brush. Agent Spader was faster though, and she pressed the button as Dr. Reid retracted his hand. 

"Y-you can call me Spencer if you'd like," he stuttered at first, which caused her to chuckle lightly. He could tell that she meant no harm by the laughter. It was simply her way of letting him know that she was aware she had made him nervous.

"Well, Spencer, I appreciate you coming with me today. I'm sure this isn't your first choice in activities, but you're helping me get my job done," Wren told him, trying to ease his newfound nerves by moving the conversation forward.

"It didn't seem like they were making your job easy for you," the doctor mentioned as the elevator doors opened once again and they walked through the lobby towards the parking lot doors. She let out a small laugh, glad that someone else had noticed.

"Yeah, it seems like your team doesn't play too well with others." She walked at a slower pace than she usually would so that she and Spencer would be moving at the same speed. If he weren't on crutches and she wasn't slowing herself down, she was sure that they'd both be walking much faster than they were. "I mean no offense to your team, they're all very talented, but it's almost as if they're a bit territorial whenever I walk into a room."

Spencer chuckled slightly at her words and nodded in agreement. "I think you just got off on the wrong foot with them. Give it a little time and they'll come around. Besides, they don't really know what you're capable of quite yet."

"Oh, I'm sure Agent Hotchner's read my file and just decided that I'm not good enough. He was more than willing to talk to me at the hospital but when he got back to the office, it was like he put up a wall to me." She continued to explain as they eventually approached her car.

"You met him at a vulnerable time for him," Spencer attempted to justify his boss's actions. "He put the wall up because he wants you to know that he usually doesn't open up that quickly. Especially when he first meets someone." Wren took his crutches from him and placed them in the back seat of her car as he went to sit in the passenger seat. She then walked around to the driver's side.

"Well, the first thing anyone who has to work with me should know is that I don't tend to take the path well-traveled, Wren told him as she sat and started her car. "I'll get what I need and he'll fold eventually."