Chapter 3 – Laissez les bon temps rouler

They stopped first at a bar where they had a few drinks before going to a club nearby.

'This is Onyx, the second hottest club in town,' explained Leger pointing to a building to his right with a very long line. 'But we're going to Kazoo right there in the corner.'

'No we're not, Jimmy,' Detective O'Malley confidently walked to Onyx's entrance and everyone followed. 'You got room for us eight, Ollie?'

'There's always room for you, girl. But you sure grandpa over there wants in?' he was talking about Rossi.

'You know the rule; tout ou rien. Can we come in or not?'

'Sure thing. Say hi to Matt, he's been asking about you,' the bouncer stamped each of them and let them in.

'Flower, how did you manage to get us into one of the hottest clubs in the city and why didn't we do it before?' Leger was amazed.

'Know the owner. And you know I'm not a party girl.'

The music was loud and upbeat and everyone was dancing.

'Makes me feel so old,' said Rossi as a couple of young girls wearing really short skirts walked by.

'You are old,' Morgan patted his back and went to the dance floor.

Reid got separated from the group as he went to look for a table, Rossi was right behind him while the rest of the team approached the bar for a drink.

There were two bartenders: one was bald, middle-aged and wore a black T-shirt while the other one was in his mid-thirties, handsome and smartly dressed.

'What does a girl have to do here to get a drink?' Detective O'Malley spoke to the youngest bartender.

'Sleep with the owner,' he flashed a big bright smile. 'What can I get ya?'

'My friends here would like to try your Hurricanes and I'd like an Orange Whip.'

The man expertly fixed the drinks, stealing subtle glances at the group of people in front of him. Emily and JJ were talking to the detective and laughing as Hotch waited silently, his eyes never leaving their drinks unattended.

'Here you go, two Hurricanes for the pretty ladies and one for the serious guy. And your Whip,' he winked after the last sentence.

They took their drinks, the girls leaving for the dance floor and Hotch for the table.

After pushing a few dozens of people they got to where Morgan was dancing. JJ forced Reid to get up and join them. The only ones who didn't dance were Hotch, Rossi and Leger, who was too busy trying to pick up some blonde ten years younger than him. Two songs later, Detective O'Malley joined Hotch at the table.

'What happened to Rossi?' she asked.

'Went for another drink. Can you hear yourself think with this loud music?' he winced as the song reached its loudest stage.

'No, that's kinda the point,' she smiled and looked at some empty glasses that were on the table. 'You wanna get outta here?'

Hotch nodded and they went out, the detective sending a text message to her partner saying that the Unit Chief was with her and he'd be back at the hotel for departure. They walked to a coffee shop a few blocks away.

'Whenever I drink I feel the need to get the alcohol out of my system as soon as I can,' she paid, refusing his money. 'This is on me.'

'You only had a couple of drinks,' he pointed out, taking his coffee from the counter.

'Alcohol doesn't sit well with me, too much lack of control.'

They walked silently to a pier.

'Café au lait and beignets by the ocean; that's New Orleans, not serial killers,' she sighed.

'Serial killers are everywhere but certainly not this view,' he was taken aback by the ocean and the light of the beacons.

'That's NOLA for ya,' she smiled proudly.

They talked for a long time, enjoying the view and the food.

'These are pretty good,' said Hotch as he ate the last bit of beignet.

'Can't stop eating 'em and they're makin' me fat,' she handed him a napkin.

'No, they're not,' he subtly ran his eyes over her body. She pretended she hadn't noticed, she pretended it hadn't sent a shiver up her spine. Detective O'Malley shivered and he started taking off his sweater.

'Don't. We don't want our precious FBI agent catchin' a cold,' she joked to divert his attention from her blush. Truth was, she hadn't shuddered from the cold but from his eyes examining her.

'You sure you don't want it?'

'I'm fine, thanks.'

'You haven't asked, I'm impressed,' he broke the silence that had formed.

'Ask what?'

'Ask me to profile you.'

'Well, we had to focus on the case.'

'What about now? We solved it.'

'But I'm not sure I really wanna know,' she confessed. 'I'm gonna hear it anyway, aren't I? There's a reason you brought it up.'

'You're the youngest child, the only girl and your parents always praised your brothers but not you. They always pushed you to be the best, the strongest and that's why you're a strict over-achiever with high expectations of yourself and everyone else. You've got self-destructive tendencies that made you a cop and led you to stay in New Orleans after Katrina hit but you don't abuse substances because you hate losing control,' he drew breath. 'You got mad with Reid because you don't like people assuming things or believing in stereotypes so you spend your life not trying to fit in any category. That's also why you're a good leader: you respect and understand the people around you and treat them fairly.'

Hotch paused for a second before continuing. 'You have a great deal of respect for authority and the chain of command and you abide by certain values which suggest a very strict Catholic upbringing. Yet, you don't display any religious symbols or traditions. That tells me you don't believe in God even though your parents raised you a good Catholic girl,' he stopped briefly and she interrupted him.

'Can you believe in God after all we see?'

'Can I continue?'

'By all means, I apologize.'

'You are a very private person who avoids giving too much information and as I speak you're getting more and more uncomfortable because you know I'm right. That leads me to another personality trait: you escape from getting hurt and that is why you don't let anyone close enough. You're still very caring and worry about everyone, you just don't let anyone return the favor. How did I do?'

'Pretty good. But my self-destructive tendencies aren't the only reason I became a cop. And I was livin' in Dallas when Katrina hit. I moved here August 30th.'

'Of course not, seeing that your parents preferred your brothers made you develop a strong sense of justice.'

'It's sad, y'know? And scary to hear some of your flaws from someone who doesn't really know you but at the same time does,' she admitted.

'But you wanted to know anyway, makes me think you have a slight masochistic streak.'

'That, I do,' she smiled. 'Now, I know I'm not a profiler but can I give it a try? It's only fair.'

He didn't say anything, tacitly approving.

'You're the first-born and had to take care of your brother, probably due to one or both parents dying or being negligent. Therefore, you always had a lot of power and developed a strong sense of responsibility. Those early experiences made you become the great boss and leader you are now. When the weather is good you let Agent Rossi take the lead but when things go wrong you assume full responsibility and take charge,' she paused for a second. 'You expect nothin' but the best from the people around you and those high expectations lead you to disappointment quite often. Still, you demand excellence 'cause you know they're capable of it. You, Agent Hotchner, are a very passionate man and strongly defend what you believe in. However, you rarely ever let your feelings take hold; you're a cool, calculatin' and very collected man. After all you've seen on the job you forgot how to smile and why you'd want to do it in the first place but you just can't quit. You're a workaholic and I'm guessing that's what cost you your marriage. How did I do?'

'How do you know I have a brother?'

'You have a slight bias against women and you don't trust us as much. If you had a sister you'd respect us much more, some of us could even manipulate you,' she grinned.

'That was quite good,' he acknowledged, surprised. 'But I'm still married.'

'Are you really? Well, even if not as many taxpayer's dollars were used to train me, they taught me to notice the details.'

'It's more than noticing the details, you analyze them. You could work with us, Meghan, be a good profiler,' he paused briefly. 'I'm wearing my ring, how could you miss that?'

'I didn't miss it, but a marriage can be over before it's legally over. I think you've drank too much, Hotchner,' she half-smiled.

'We could use someone like you at the BAU, just think about it. The academy starts in January.'

'I was taught people aren't used; they're loved, hated, tolerated or cared for but they aren't used. Besides, I'm good in New Orleans. I like it here,' there wasn't much conviction in her voice.

'When you realize it's not true and you want out, join the FBI. We'll be waiting for you.'

'What makes you think I want out?'

'You always run.'

'It's late, you should be gettin' back,' Detective O'Malley stood up, smoothing down her dress. It didn't take a profiler to know she was uneasy.

They walked in silence for a few blocks.

'Look, um, your team is probably waitin' for you so … I just wanna say thank you. Thanks for comin' and helpin' us. Whenever New Orleans needed you, your team was here; we really appreciate it.'

'We do everything we can. We can't always help everybody but we try. You have JJ's number for future reference.'

They got to the hotel and as expected, the rest of the team was waiting in the lobby for Hotch.

'Thought you were staying here with Detective O'Malley,' joked Rossi.

'We don't have as many benefits as you Feds but I'm sure it could be arranged,' she smiled. 'I'll be drivin' some of you to the airport so follow me.'

'We walked here, how are you going to …?' asked Hotch.

'Got Jimmy to drop my car in the parkin' lot earlier this morning,' she smirked.

Emily, JJ and Morgan got into her Hummer while the others got into another car.

'Nice wheels,' Morgan whistled appreciatively.

'You like this car?' Detective O'Malley scrunched up her nose.

'If you don't, then why did you buy it?' Emily fastened her seatbelt.

'Comes in handy in the swamp with all the water and mud. Besides, it's assembled in Louisiana.'

'Ah, state pride! Thought you were from Texas,' Morgan was curious.

'It's not where you're from but what you consider home,' spoke JJ.

'Home's where the heart is. You look like you know what I'm talkin' 'bout,' the detective glanced at the blonde from the rearview mirror.

'I should come here for my holidays, it's beautiful,' said Emily as she looked through the window, breaking the silence that had formed.

'Let me know when you're comin' to town and I'll show you around.'

'I'll take you up on that offer too, wanna check out some more clubs,' Morgan joined in on the conversation.

'Sure, I can get you in the hottest clubs. Just give me a call.'

'Oooh! You a party girl, detective?' he teased her.

'No, I just know lots of people 'round here,' she shrugged.

'Is that how you got us into Onyx last night?' asked JJ.

'I know the owner, yes,' she fidgeted a bit.

'He's the guy that danced with you, right?' the brunette spoke up.

'Yeah, Matt Perrineaux.'

'He still your boyfriend?' asked Morgan.

'Are we playin' twenty questions or somethin'?' the detective's voice rose a few decibels. 'He was my boyfriend a long time ago, now we're just friends.'

'Sorry, just curious. 'Cause the way he looked at you …'

'Morgan!' Emily chastised him.

'Doesn't matter. As long as you know the owners, you'll be seeing us soon,' JJ smiled.

Both cars got to the airport.

'Thanks for the ride,' Morgan took their bags from the trunk.

'No prob. T'was a pleasure workin' with you,' the detective shook hands with the agents and exchanged the usual pleasantries before they boarded the plane.

'So, Reid, Detective O'Malley offered to show us around and take us to clubs the next time we're in town,' Morgan relayed the message after take off.

'Hopefully there won't be another unsub and we won't come back,' he answered.

'Speak for yourself, I'm coming back to do some sightseeing. Especially if she's going to be my guide,' said Rossi from two seats to the left.

That was odd. They all knew Rossi was a ladies man but he'd never made any comments like that, and definitely not about a detective they'd worked with.

'I don't understand what being a tourist has to do with detective O'Malley's participation,' Reid was puzzled.

'She was nice, Spencer,' explained JJ tactfully.

'And very pretty,' added Morgan. 'Don't tell me you didn't notice.'

'I – umm … was she?' the oblivious genius blushed.

'You know, for a Special Agent you aren't very observant sometimes,' Emily smiled.

'I was concentrating on the case and finding the unsub,' he answered back.

'Well, concentrating didn't make any of us blind,' Rossi pointed out. 'You should notice the beauty around you. Don't you agree, Hotch?'

'Yeah, sure,' he kept his eyes on the paperwork he was doing.

'See? Even Hotch noticed,' commented Rossi.

'What's that supposed to mean?' the Unit Chief looked up briefly at the older man.

'That you're married and don't really look at women,' explained Morgan.

Aaron Hotchner remained silent. Apparently his colleagues thought he didn't care much about women. Truth was, that even though he was married, he looked at other women. Although he would have never done anything because he loved and respected his wife, he was still a man. Therefore, pretty women caught his eye. At that moment, recently separated, he wasn't looking for a relationship but he had realized that Meghan O'Malley was a very beautiful woman.

Half an hour later, most of the agents were taking a nap after barely getting any sleep that morning. But Hotch and Rossi were still awake. The oldest man took a seat in front of his boss.

'You aren't getting any sleep?' he asked.

'I'm not tired.'

'You sure? We all managed to doze off for a few hours except you. Unless our southern detective made you nap, of course,' he commented slyly, pulling one of his trademark smirks.

'No, we just had breakfast,' Hotch was as terse and laconic as usual.

'Quite a long breakfast you had. You must have left the club at two thirty and came back near six.'

'What are you trying to say, Dave?'

'That you should think about dating.'

'I'm married,' he shook his head.

'I know you still love Haley but don't waste an opportunity with a woman who can make you happy because of that. That's all I'm saying.'

'Thanks for the advice.'

'For the record, I think you have a chance with that red-haired beauty. And if you spent three hours and a half with her just having breakfast, you know that too,' he stood up and looked for a seat where he could have a comfortable nap, leaving Hotch to think.

That was Rossi, always so straight-forward and so obnoxiously right. He made you face all those issues you'd rather leave behind. Deep down, Hotch knew that he found her alluring. Her skills weren't the only reason he'd invited her to join the team. However, he also knew that she was younger than him and probably interested in that guy from the club, not to mention the last thing on his mind at that moment was getting involved with someone. He did what he always did: rationalize things away and forget about them. It was better that way.

"Nothing is more costly, nothing is more sterile, than vengeance". – Sir Winston Churchillkay,

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