Chapter 4 Weekend with Hotch
Reid had gone back to his apartment with Morgan to collect a few things.
Morgan also wanted to look over Reid's apartment to make sure the place was secure with his own eyes. He was not about to take any chances with the genius' safety. He knew how bad stalkers could be and the lengths that they would go.
After grabbing his go-bag, Morgan drove Reid to Hotch's apartment. He had purposely taken an indirect route to watch for anyone possibly following them. When he was sure that no one was following them, Morgan went to Hotch's apartment and escorted Reid to the door.
Hotch had greeted Morgan and Reid at the door.
"Everything okay?" Hotch had asked.
"Nothing suspicious." Morgan said. "See you Monday. I'll be a call away."
"I still got the thing Garcia gave me." Reid reassured Morgan.
Garcia had given Reid what looked like an old flip phone. It was designed with constant GPS monitoring and a panic button. It would alert the team if he pressed it along with his location.
Reid stepped into the apartment and took in the aroma. "That smells great." Reid expected to see some take out food on the table. The smell was actually from Hotch's cooking.
Reid knew that Rossi would cook. He had never thought of Hotch cooking. He also never pictured him as a werewolf either.
"Thank you," Hotch said from the kitchen. "You can set up in the guest room. It is over there."
Reid took his bags into the other room and dropped them on the bed. He pulled out a few items and set them up in the room. He might as well make himself comfortable.
He stepped out of the room and into the kitchen.
"Anything I can do to help?" Reid asked.
"Here are the plates and silverware. Set the table," Hotch said handing Reid the dishes.
Reid took the flatware and set up the table.
A moment later, Hotch brought over a frying pan. The two sat down for chicken with noodles and vegetables.
Reid ate eagerly. The food was delicious. "I can't thank you enough for this." Reid said after dinner.
"Of course." Hotch said. "You know we will figure out who this woman is."
"I know," Reid said helping Hotch clear the table.
The two then sat down on the couch.
"Reid there is something that I need to tell you." Hotch said when they settled down.
"What is it?" Reid asked.
"I smelled the letter before Anderson took it." Hotch started. "Your stalker is a werewolf."
"A female werewolf." Reid said.
"A She-Wolf to be exact." Hotch said. "If by chance I smell a She-Wolf around I will react."
Reid held the same defeated look on his face that he had when J.J. reached the portion of the letter he didn't want read out loud.
"I know that you have already read all the books by now." Hotch said. "I thought you might want to ask, especially now."
"Yes, I do." Reid said. "Some of the information in the research was contradictory. There was also some inconsistencies in the process. I would imagine that would come from having to do the research discretely. Historically there had been the same issues. There were several accepted scientific principles that could not be researched at the time because of opposition from the church an state." Reid stopped when he realized that he was about to start one of his rants.
"What do you want to ask first?" Hotch asked.
"When you say you hear better, how much?" Reid asked.
"I don't have the same as a dog." Hotch quickly answered, knowing some of the passages in a couple of the books. "It is a higher acuteness. I can hear the changes in pitches better than most."
"Your other senses improve as well?"
"I can see better than twenty-twenty. My senses of smell is stronger. It is horrible around garbage areas." Hotch said.
Reid laughed at that.
"All my senses are normal, unless I let my wolf self out." Hotch said. "I've known werewolves whose abilities were stronger and weaker than mine. It is different for everyone like it is for humans."
"How do you keep from it controlling you?" Reid asked. "There was a lot of research on that. I didn't see anything definitive."
"I use discipline. I know that there are several werewolves that use this technique. I have also used medication to help."
"Have you ever used your abilities on cases?" Reid asked.
"No, I've been concerned about leading the team down the wrong path. I have always figured that it was better not to use it. It is not completely scientific." Hotch explained. "There is still an issue with my Lyncanthrope. If the Bureau found out, I would loose my job."
Reid nodded in understanding. "I read in the books that there are individuals that are diagnosed with other illnesses to disguise the real reason." Reid said.
"Yes, I was actually surprised when you revealed that your mom was a schizophrenic." Hotch said. "At first I thought maybe she found a way to hide her scent. But I knew it was true."
"Have there been any other Un-Sub's that were werewolves?" Reid asked.
"No, none of our Un-Subs previously have been werewolves." Hotch answered. "There was one in Seattle when I was there."
Reid quirked an eyebrow.
"It wasn't his fault." Hotch explained. "He was changed without his knowledge, he was only twenty and he was attacked at a club. It drove him crazy."
"He attacked people?" Reid guessed.
"Yes, he was confused. He didn't actually kill anybody or change anyone." Hotch continued. "After he was caught he was sent to a hospital. They gave him medication and counseling. He was released with a different identity. He now helps to treat others with Lyncanthrope."
"I figured with some of our Un-Subs. . ." Reid started. It seemed like some of them it would make sense that they were not human.
"I can see how you would think that." Hotch said.
"What about Jack?" Reid asked. "Was Haley?"
Hotch paused for a moment.
Reid already knew that this was a sensitive subject.
"You know that Haley and I were high school sweethearts?" Hotch asked.
"I heard you and Rossi talking about it." Reid said.
"I followed Haley the first time I saw her." Hotch said. "That was how I ended up in the drama club."
Reid could not picture Hotch in the drama club.
"I didn't know it at the time, she was a wolf too. I had smelled her. I still was learning how to control my abilities at that time. I didn't realize until she confided in me."
"That would mean Jack. . ." Reid started.
"Haley was ashamed of being a wolf." Hotch explained. "I think that was from her parents. She was changed when she was younger the same as I was."
"She was on the medication." Reid stated.
Hotch nodded. "Haley and I were married for years before she agreed to have children. She didn't want Jack to be born a werewolf. So we waited until we found a doctor that could treat her so Jack wouldn't be born with it. Our cover story was that she was being treated for preclampsia."
Reid had read in the books about some doctors working on that. They were using similar research to parents with different blood types.
"How did you become a werewolf?" Reid asked.
"I was out with a friend of mine, Scott Marshall." Hotch began. "We had both snuck that night and meant. I was a thirteen at the time."
Reid seemed surprised that Hotch would do such a thing, even as a child.
Hotch continued with his story. "We were defacing a billboard. Scott was angry at his father. His father would have passed the billboard his way to work. Scott purposely choose it."
Reid didn't know what to say. The story was uncharacteristic of Hotch.
"It was a full moon that night. There was a werewolf out hunting that night. I didn't even know they existed at that time."
Reid didn't say anything when Hotch paused.
"We had heard it, but before we could get away it attacked me. It had wanted to change me. Turn me into a werewolf."
"How did you get away?" Reid asked.
"There was a werewolf hunter out that night as well. He had specialized headlights that admitted a glow that was painful to werewolves. He scared the werewolf away. He tried to save me that night before I changed. His name was Jack Givens."
"Jack." Reid guessed.
"Yes," Hotch answered. "Givens took me to a hospital. He knew there was a doctor there that was familiar with Lyncanthrope."
"He didn't get there in time." Reid prompted.
"No. My mother thankfully knew already about Lyncanthrope." Hotch said. "I'm sure she was the voice of reason when the doctor explained what happened. At times she could be a strong woman."
Reid knew that he should not be profiling Hotch right now, but he knew he was close to another sensitive subject. "What happened to the werewolf that tried to change you?"
"Givens found the werewolf the next full moon and captured it. The werewolf died in prison some time later."
Reid thought about the case with the werewolf.
The werewolf had kidnapped one child then brutally killed him. On the next full moon he had taken two boys and held them. Hotch had figured out the Un-Sub was a werewolf. Because Reid had been with him when he figured out, Hotch had told him the truth.
The two had found where the werewolf was hiding the two boys. They were able to save them both. The werewolf had been about to change one of the other boys.
"That werewolf Un-Sub. He was doing the same thing. Trying to capture the perfect child to change them into a werewolf and then raise them as their own son." Reid said. He now understood that case.
"Yes, it was the only other time I had known of a werewolf doing that." Hotch said.
They both agreed that was enough for now.
It was still a lot for Reid to take in.