Author's Note: First, while the original character is "mine" as much as a fictional being can be (and I thought of the case myself) nothing else in the story is. This is my first attempts at a Criminal Minds based fan-fiction piece and it's self-beta'd so, please, be kind!
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Logan was the last to get on the plane and dropped his bag by the others before looking around some and getting that sudden feeling of being the new kid on the school bus. If he was recalling the names correctly agents Morgan, Reid, and Prentiss were seated together, discussing Boston…well the young doctor was doing most of the talking about this and that historical event while the other two listened. Pretty blond JJ seemed to be hard at work preparing more information for the team while the other blond talked from the computer screen. Hotchner, or Hotch as he was apparently called, and Rossi were debating over what steps to take first and only seemed to take note of him briefly…Hotch with a slight frown and Rossi with a slight smile.
"Sit down, the plane's about to take off," Hotch stated simply before returning to his papers.
Rossi smiled a little more, "There's a free seat right across from us, just take that for now. You can get up and find a more preferable one later." The older man suggested with the friendliest voice Logan had heard so far…and even Rossi's seemed to hold more amusement at the junior agent's predicament than anything.
"Yes, sir," Logan replied simply before to sit where Rossi had suggested then went to look for a seatbelt…there were none though and so the agent simply hoped for little turbulence as they began to ascend.
"So, you come from the violent crimes division," Rossi spoke up, "that right?"
Logan turned, genuinely surprised any of them had cared to speak to him, and especially surprised it was Rossi. "Yes, sir, that's correct."
Rossi gave a slight smile, "Rossi," he corrected, then continued, "so, did you get any cases similar to what we handle here? Serial crimes and the like."
"One or two," Logan admitted as he shifted some to face the senior agent, "I was in LA until I came here and, um, we had a gang-banger turned rapist on one case and, in another, a straight up serial killer."
"And how'd those cases go?"
"Pretty well, we solved them, if that's what you mean."
"Yes and no," Rossi replied, "I meant more for you. How did you handle them?"
Logan gave a slight smirk, "I can do this job, Agent Rossi. If I couldn't I seriously doubt my unit chief would've suggested me for it and your unit chief certainly wouldn't have allowed my papers to go through."
"Thinking you can do it and doing it are two very different things," Rossi countered in a slightly less friendly manner than before.
"I'll be fine."
Rossi watched the new member of the BAU carefully, then moved to sit directly across from him on his side of the plane leaving Hotch alone with his papers. "Whether you like it or not you're on this team and need to get along with those on it."
"I know how to be a part of a team, thanks," Logan sniped, "I led one before coming here." He then got up and moved to sit alone at the back of the plane, watching his new teammates chatter and work away happily.
Rossi moved to get up and follow him but was stopped by Hotch's voice, "Let him go. It'll only agitate him further if you follow."
The famed profiler let out a sigh and moved to sit in his original seat across from Hotch, "So that doesn't bother you?"
"Of course it does, but it's unwise to argue with a man as stubborn as that at 30,000 feet with only about a half hour before we land." Hotch then gave a small smile, "You taught me that one."
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"We didn't realize the victims were all connected until after the fourth," the police captain commented shortly after the BAU arrived and Hotch ran through the traditional greeting of the team.
Logan gave a snort, "What, you thought that most raping killers gave their victims price tags after the act?"
Hotch's eyes shot to Logan almost faster than thought and they suggested a wrath that not even God himself in Old Testament could imagine. "Mercer." There was so much he wanted to say, none of it appropriate for where they were, so Hotch was forced to settle on, "Go help Reid. Now." The junior agent simply shrugged and wandered off as Hotch quickly began to try and undo the damage done.
'So, brainiac, what's with the map?" Logan called out as he entered a small conference room (or maybe it was a large office) to find Dr Reid drawing all over a map of Boston.
"I'm trying to determine the killer's comfort zone based on the victim's he's chosen. It's likely that, for these kinds of killings, the UNSUB stuck close to home for easy escape and access to clean clothes and such," Reid explained before circling another section of the map.
"What about The Boston Strangler? The guy didn't exactly work out from a home base," Logan countered casually.
Reid paused a moment, then turned, "Well, no, but Albert DeSalvo was also not a completely organized offender…He's what we'd define as mixed, having elements of both organized and disorganized. He may have pre-planned certain crimes but much of his attack implied an in-the-moment frenzy." The youthful doctor then turned back to the map, clearly done with his conversation…the mapping of killing fields of their UNSUB was far more intriguing at the moment anyhow.
"Odds are he's Irish."
"Huh?"
"Well, look at the board, kid," Logan smirked some as he headed towards the map, grading a felt-tip marker. "The main part of the city all these attack area intersect it Southie…South Boston…which is mostly Irish." He then scribbled Southie over where Reid's drawn circles crossed on the map.
Hotch nearly stormed into the room…though with a strange form of control if that were possible, "Mercer, we need to talk. In private. Now."
Reid turned to look at Hotch but quickly moved to busy himself once more at seeing Hotch's face. The young agent had seen that face only a few occasions during his time at the BAU and knew simply to be thankful to wasn't for him and, if at all possible, scurry away.
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Logan followed Hotch out and into a small office. "What the hell did you think you were going to accomplish with that remark to Captain O'Malley?" Hotch almost growled out.
"Opening his eyes to the fact he's a fucking moron," Logan replied, a tiny bit of annoyance seeping through in his voice. Logan was not used to being ordered, corrected, or called out. He was used to being in charge and behaving however he pleased to whomever he pleased.
"You need to understand something…"
"I don't do lectures," Logan cut Hotch off.
Hotch's eyes blazed, 'Shut up." His voice wasn't any louder but something in the tone told Logan that now was not the time to screw around. When Hotch was sure he wouldn't be interrupted again he spoke once more. "We're here at the request of local law enforcement. In order to do our jobs, to catch the criminals, we need to maintain good relations with all local authority no matter what we might think of them personally. Now you make another comment like you did ever again and I'll make you the first official desk jockey of the BAU. Do you understand me?" The look in the team leader's eyes dared Logan to say anything smug or sarcastic.
Logan straightened himself some and looked Hotch in the eyes. "I understand, sir."
"Good." And with that Hotch left his newest recruit in the small office alone with what was left of the other man's dignity.