Story I – Chapter 24
With his new 'lunchbox' in tow, Hotch headed to the BAU the next morning hoping to get another case so he could prove to himself that he could handle it without any more problems. If Sebastian has been doing this for God knows how long, I can do it, too!
He got his wish as San Antonio called and asked for help catching a killer who had already struck two times. Rossi winced as he looked at the crime scene photos as Garcia displayed them; the bodies of one man and one woman were brutally mutilated and blood was everywhere. All eyes turned to Hotch, but he was focused on the tablet in his hands as it displayed the victims' information.
"And so far San Antonio hasn't found any connections between the victims," Garcia continued.
"But they aren't you, Baby Girl," Morgan quickly put in with a smile.
"Exact-a-mundo, My Statuesque Sculpture of Chocolate Love, and I will start my searching as soon as you all are airborne."
"With only two days between kills, the unsub doesn't have a long cooling off period," Mack offered.
Hotch nodded. "And with one day already passed since the last kill, there is liable to be another killing tomorrow. Wheels up in thirty," he ordered as he stood up and grabbed his stuff.
They all started to gather their things, but they were doing it so slowly that Rossi knew they were waiting for Hotch to leave the room. As soon as he was out of the doorway, Rossi held up his hand. "He'll be fine."
Morgan took a deep breath as he nodded. "We know, but we just need to make sure we enter the scenes alone."
"Some of us can run interference if needed," JJ offered.
Rossi smiled as he started for the door. Everything will be fine.
XXX
Rossi joined Hotch in the back of the jet as soon as they were done with the case briefing. Hotch closed the window on the tablet as soon as he saw Rossi approaching, but Rossi saw that he was staring at the crime scene photos. He sat down and pat Hotch's thigh. "Maybe you should feed before we land just to make sure you're not bothered by all of the blood."
Hotch took a deep breath and shook his head. "No. I fed yesterday and Sebastian actually told Kahlan that since I am drinking human blood that I can go to every three days, that I can go longer on it than on animal."
Rossi's brows rose as he considered it. "But he even said that the sight and smell of blood could bother you even when you're not hungry, and those scenes are pretty bad."
Hotch nodded. "Yes, but if they're going to bother me no matter what, then it won't matter if I feed or not. I have to see how I'll react, Dave. I have to know how this is going to affect me."
Rossi studied him and knew that Hotch was worried about proving to himself that he would be able to continue doing his job as good as he always has. "Alright. You won't have to face it alone. We'll be right there to help if needed."
Hotch nodded again and smiled. "I know, and I really appreciate that, but I just hope I can do it without any major problems."
Rossi leaned his shoulder into the younger man's. "Knowing you, you'll be fine."
Hotch took a deep breath but his look told Rossi that he wasn't so sure.
Rossi gave him a smile and then leaned in close again. "Do the pictures bother you at all?"
Hotch shook his head. "No, it's not the sight of the blood I'm worried about."
Rossi nodded knowingly and gave him a big smile. "You got this."
Hotch couldn't help it, he smiled, too. "I better."
XXX
Once they landed, Hotch and Reid went to the station to set up, Rossi and Mack went to check out the scenes, and Morgan and JJ went to the coroner's. After about an hour, they all met at the station and started building the profile, and Garcia had worked her magic and found a connection between the victims; they had both been regular patrons of the same coffee shop every Thursday night.
"Could they have been dating or something?" Mack asked the team.
"If they were, none of their friends or families knew about it," JJ told her.
"They could have been meeting without actually being in a relationship," Reid offered.
"We should go interview the workers. They could tell us what our victims were doing," Rossi suggested.
"Yes, and I want to check out the local area. Maybe our victims were drawn to something else beside the coffee shop," Hotch told them as he stood up.
"You want us all to go?" Morgan asked as he stood up.
"Yes. We can cover more ground if we all go," Hotch instructed.
XXX
As JJ and Reid interviewed the coffee shop employees, Hotch and the rest of the team walked around the outside trying to find a place their victims may have also frequented. Hotch gestured to a massive church down the street, "There may be support groups or something that meet there."
"Garcia didn't find anything to suggest that they belonged to any groups," Mack put in as she looked the church over.
"Most of those groups are anonymous, so she wouldn't have found anything," Morgan told her.
"Oh, yeah, that's true," she agreed as her cheeks heated.
"You two should go check it out," Hotch offered.
"You don't want to?" Mack asked him obviously shocked he was leaving it to them since he was standing right there.
Hotch took a deep breath. "I can't g. . ."
"Come on," Rossi cut in as he grabbed their youngest member's arm and started her down the street.
"Shit, Hotch, I'm. . ." she uttered as she looked back at him and then winced.
Rossi turned her back around and led her down the street. "Just let it go, Jamie."
Once they were entering the church, Mack pulled him to a stop and looked at him with the most serious look he'd ever seen on her young face and he frowned. "What?"
She sighed. "It doesn't bother you?"
"What?" he asked not knowing what she was referring to.
"You're Catholic."
"And?" he drew out wondering why she was bringing that up; they were in a Methodist church.
"He's eternally damned. That doesn't bother you?"
He took a deep breath and moved them into the corner more. "Yes, I was raised as a strict Catholic, but through the years, I have grown to form my own opinions about things."
She shook her head. "He doesn't have a soul. That means he can't go to heaven. That means he's eternally damned."
He licked his lips and gave her a discerning look. "So you can see people's souls now, can you?"
She frowned. "Well, no, but. . ."
"The stories also say he can turn into a bat, but he can't. Who's to say if he actually has a soul or not?"
Her brows furrowed as she considered that.
"And I'd like to think that God does his judging on a person's actions not on what happened to them that's beyond their control. Hotch is still a good man no matter what has befallen him."
"But he can't go into a church. That has to mean something," she tried. "If he can't even go into a church how is he going to get into heaven?"
He sighed deeply. He really wasn't one to argue religious beliefs because he knew that most of the time arguments like that usually lead to hurt feelings and ruffled feathers; but he was starting to understand why she was the first one to start shaking her head in disagreement when Chuck had brought up all of them being changed while they were on the jet. "Look, Jamie, no one really knows what happens to someone when they die. Yes, I want to believe that there's a heaven and I will get the chance to live out eternity with all my loved ones, but we don't know for sure. I all can tell you is what I believe, but you will have to come to your own conclusions."
She nodded, and he took a deep breath. "Firstly: unless one of two very specific things happens to him, he's not going to have to worry about it because he can't die. Secondly: I can't allow myself to think of him going anywhere else because if anyone deserves to go to heaven, it's him. With what he's been through in life, he deserves to finally find peace, so I believe that he will go there. Thirdly: even if this new life is a blemish on his soul, or cosmic record, or however you want to think about it, I know he has done enough good in this world to last several life times. He would have to live longer than Sabastian to ever tip those scales against himself, so he has nothing to worry about."
Her eyes darted around as she thought about it, and then after a few seconds, she gave him a small smile. "I hope you're right."
He shrugged. "I understand that it's too ingrained in you to not believe the way you do, but please, please, Jamie, don't ever tell Hotch what you just told me."
She was immediately offended. "I would never!"
He nodded. "Alright, so, then, can we go check this place out?"
She sighed. "Yes, but. . ."
"What?"
"If the subject ever comes up again about him changing us. . ."
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and started her into the church proper. "I'll make sure he knows that you are against it, but I will try and think of another reason behind that decision."
She nodded. "Ok. Thanks, Dave."
XXX
They didn't find anything in the church and the coffee shop only confirmed that both people had been there many times, but no one working ever remembered seeing the two people together. Hotch sighed as he walked down the street with Rossi. "There has to be something. . ."
Morgan came running up to them and smiled. "I think I got it." Hotch looked at him expecting him to continue and he gestured down the street in the opposite direction of the church. "Thursday night is dollar night at the theater. They play old movies, so either our victims are lonely, they don't have anything better to do, or they are really into movies."
"If that's the connection, then our unsub has seen them there," JJ offered as they all started for the rundown theater.
"Or he works there," Hotch offered.
Morgan took out his phone. "I'll get Mama on it."
