A/N: Hey peeps! I'm still so excited I've been able to keep this up for nine days straight! It feels good to be writing again. And for that reason, it's time to get back to what I love to write most... angst! Dark and heavily emotional. I hope you like it, though like is probably not the right choice of words for this one. Anyway, here you go!


365: Day 9

Characters: Aaron Hotchner, David Rossi

Rating: T (language)


Hard Truths

David Rossi lay awake in bed listening to the tossing and turning of his best friend in the next bed in their shared hotel room. The annoyed sighs and the constant movement told him that Aaron Hotchner was once again fighting a losing battle with exhaustion as the missing pieces of their profile taunted him, rendering him unable to sleep. It was not unusual for Hotch to have trouble sleeping on cases, especially with the long excruciating hours and the overdose of caffeine they all lived on. Cases like this, however, made it damn near impossible. If their Unsub stuck to his routine, which they were certain he would, they had 24 hours to catch him before another child died. And they all feared that they didn't have enough information to stop this demented monster before it was too late.

The frustrated whispered, "fuck!" caught Rossi's attention as Hotch threw the covers off violently, got up and grabbed his go bag, and went into the restroom. He came out moments later dressed in sweatpants and a sweatshirt and sneakers.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Hotch turned, momentarily startled. "Sorry if I woke you. Go back to sleep."

Instead, Rossi turned on the bedside lamp. "Not likely right now. What are you doing?"

"I need to clear my head. I'm going for a run."

"At one o'clock in the morning? You really think that's a good idea in this neighborhood?"

"I'm going down to the exercise room and getting on a treadmill, Dave." Hotch rolled his eyes, his exhaustion making him short-tempered. "I'm well aware of where we are."

Rossi cocked his eyebrow, causing Hotch to realize how he sounded. He shook his head. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Rossi sighed. "I just wish you would talk to me before it gets this bad."

Hotch huffed. "All we've been doing is talking for four days. I don't want to talk about this case anymore. I want to solve it." He pulled a bottle of water from the mini-fridge and picked up his gun, credentials, and room key from the nightstand. "I'll be back in a little while. Go back to sleep."

As Hotch exited the room, Rossi picked up his book and put on his glasses. He wasn't going back to sleep until he was sure Hotch was back in the room and okay.

It was over an hour later when Hotch finally returned. He was dripping with sweat. His hair was plastered to his forehead and his t-shirt stuck to his frame. The sweatshirt he began the night in was a soggy mess in his hand. He was breathing heavy and his face was bright red, beads of sweat clung to the edges of his five o'clock shadow.

Rossi watched as Hotch slumped into the nearby chair. He knew Hotch would talk in his own time, so he waited patiently as Hotch's breathing slowly returned to normal. A few moments passed before Rossi began to hear slight hitches in his breathing, a quick sniffle here and there. Hotch shook his head and dropped it into his hands, his fingers running through the sides of his hair.

"We're going to lose another one," he uttered, and Dave could only look on as his friend silently began to cry.

The hard truth of the matter was that Hotch was right. They simply did not have enough information in their profile to catch this twisted killer within the next 24 hours. As that painful reality set in, Rossi moved to the edge of the bed in front of the chair and placed a comforting hand on Hotch's shoulder.

"Unfortunately, you're probably right," he spoke softly. "But that child's life will not be in vain. None of their lives will be. Because we are going to find this son of a bitch." Dave's voice took on a hard edge, his seething hatred for this demented madman seeping out of him. "He can't keep up this pace and he will make a mistake, either with the abduction or with the... disposal." He choked on the word. "And when he does, we will be there to make him pay for it." Hotch's red-rimmed eyes finally looked up and locked with his. "I promise you that," he added firmly, tightening his hold on Hotch's shoulder.

Hotch nodded. He wiped his face with his hands and took several deep breaths to get himself back under control.

"Thanks Dave."

"You bet. Go take a shower and call Jack. It should be a little after six by then in Virginia. Maybe that will help you get some rest."

"Yeah, maybe." Hotch got up, picked up his soaked sweatshirt and went back into the bathroom, his night clothes still in there from earlier. As Rossi heard the shower turn on, he vowed to keep a closer eye on his friend for the remainder of this case. No matter how bad this case got, he was not about to let Aaron Hotchner break.


01/09/2013