AN: Sorry for the procrastinated update. I have no excuse except, well, I procrastinated. Writing is hard sometimes.
- O -
Hotch sat at the table in his hotel room late that night going over the day's progress. Though he'd removed his coat, he kept his tie on, making sure to leave that bit of professionalism in place for the conversation he knew was about to happen.
Sure enough, at the sound of a knock, Hotch gently set aside the day's notes. He got up and answered the door, not surprised to see Emily Prentiss standing outside holding two cups of coffee.
"Can we talk?" she asked as if he might refuse.
Without a word, Hotch stepped aside and pulled the door wide open. Prentiss followed Hotch into the room. She set one of the cups on the table and took a sip out of the one still in her hand. Hotch eyed the coffee on the table then looked back at Prentiss.
"That's for you," she said. "It's decaf."
"You bring me decaf while your cup contains extra sugar?" Hotch asked, noting her trembling hands and nervous twitching.
Prentiss looked at him, then sighed and sank onto the foot of the bed. "The decaf was for me. I ordered this one—" she gestured to the cup in her hand "—for Reid. It was prepared and ready before I remembered he can't drink it. I decided not to let it go to waste. I wasn't going to get any sleep tonight anyway." She took another gulp of the sugary coffee.
Hotch reached for the cup on the table and took a sip, his eyes never leaving the jittery agent on the bed. He waited for her to speak. The comment about Reid not being able to drink coffee confirmed Hotch's suspicions. He'd known since Reid requested to accompany Prentiss that afternoon that the two had talked. As soon as they returned from the medical examiner, Hotch knew they had spoken about Reid's…condition. Prentiss had always kept her emotions hidden in a way that made her hard to read, but her behavior around Reid had changed after that. She was reluctant to leave his side and seemed intent on seeking out his company. Yes, Agent Emily Prentiss knew the truth. She knew the team had lost a member.
"Reid told me," she said, confirming Hotch's presumptions.
"You're handling it well," Hotch said.
Prentiss shrugged. "It's not my first encounter with this type of situation." She frowned and said, "Though it is my closest encounter."
For a moment, the mask slipped and Hotch saw the pain and fear on the agent's face. Then it was gone, replaced by an expression of brave indifference. She slowly turned to look Hotch in the eye.
"You need to tell the rest of the team."
Not a lot could intimidate SSA Aaron Hotchner, but the thought of giving bad news to his team froze him every time. It was the reason he'd kept his divorce with Haley a secret for so long. It was probably the reason Elle had left years ago and Gideon just after that. Hotch's need to protect his team was stronger than the pressure to inform his team of bad news.
"It would destroy them if they knew," he said.
"And what do you think will happen to this team when Reid disappears? If you tell them now, at least they will have time to say goodbye."
Hotch winced. He set down the cup of coffee, no longer feeling like ingesting anything. "Right now, they treat Reid the same way they always have. If they knew what he'd become, would they use the remaining time to say goodbye or would they reject him out of fear and anger?"
Prentiss didn't answer. Hotch hadn't expected her to. He had kept these thought private for six months. Now they spilled out of him like the confession a guilty criminal finally caught.
"Even if everyone takes advantage of the time left with Reid, this team will still be torn apart. It was my decision not to tell them the truth. I don't know if anyone on this team will choose to stay after I destroy their trust. I will have to resign as unit chief."
The selfish words left his mouth before he had a chance to consider what he was saying. Reid was a ghost and Hotch was worried about his own career. The whole situation was messed up.
"Don't underestimate this team," Prentiss said.
"They will never forgive my betrayal," Hotch countered.
"So, don't tell them Reid's dead," Prentiss said sharply.
Hotch looked at her. "What?"
"If you feel responsible for Reid's condition, it's your responsibility to clean it up."
"I can't keep lying to them. I can't tell them Reid is alive when we both know it isn't true."
"Change the news then."
"And what do I tell them instead?" Hotch asked, feeling his temper rise with every word.
"Tell them he is alive."
"I told you. I won't lie to them."
"Then you had better make sure it is the truth before you tell them." The determined look on Prentiss's face was the only thing that convinced Prentiss wasn't talking nonsense. She seemed to think Hotch had more control over that situation than was possible. Reid was a ghost. There was no changing that. What would possess Prentiss to believe otherwise? Maybe it was the extra sugar in her coffee.
Hotch was about to dismiss her, tell her to go back to her room so he could have some time to contemplate his guilt when she spoke again.
"Bring Reid back," she said.
Hotch had enough. He could feel anger starting to boil in him, even though outside he remained calm.
"That isn't possible," he said.
Prentiss shrugged. "Six months ago, you would have told me it's not possible for someone to hang around after they were fatally shot. Come on, Hotch. If you can ask Reid to stay even after death, you can find a way to bring him back permanently."
Hotch sunk back into his seat by the table. The anger leaked out of him and he was left with hollow energy, too worn out even for sleep. He took a large swig of coffee, almost wishing it wasn't decaf. His eyes drifted to the case files spread on the table. They hadn't made enough headway that day. Tomorrow they were going to have to dig deeper into victimology. Why was the unsub targeting these people? Why steal their organs and slit their throats? Thoughts of the case distracted Hotch when Prentiss asked her next question.
"Where is the body?"
"What body?" the unit chief replied, his mind still on the victims of their latest cast.
"Reid's body. What happened to it after he got shot?"
Hotch's gut twisted and he sighed. He didn't like thinking about this. "The hospital cremated his remains."
"Good," Prentiss said. "That makes things easier."
"Easier? What are you talking about?"
Prentiss smiled. "I told you before, Hotch. It's not my first encounter with this type of situation."
He still couldn't make his mind accept the possibility that a ghost could be resurrected, but something in Prentiss's words or tone made Hotch start to wonder. Did Emily know more about the situation than she let on? Hotch felt a spark of hope rise in his chest for the first time in six months. "You know how to bring him back?"
"Let's just say I have a theory. In order to pull it off, I'm going to need to team."
She looked sincere, but Hotch felt a twinge of skepticism.
"Are you trying to trick me into telling the team?"
Prentiss smiled. "Hotch, we haven't known each other for long, but I've known you long enough not to try and trick you. If you can order Reid not to die, do you really think I would even attempt to manipulate you in any way?"
"…I'll call a team meeting tomorrow morning."
"Make it tomorrow afternoon," Prentiss said. "We need to warn Reid first, and I'm sure this isn't news Garcia will want to get over the phone. She'll need time to fly in."