I'm looking for well-rounded critique on how accurate my characterizations are! Is it good, bad, to loosely worded, not loosely worded enough… Or am I spot on (I know I'm not spot on with JJ. Her characterization sucks here!) Hotch is supposed to be OOC (duh) but he needs to be believably OOC if that makes sense…
Meanwhile out in the hall JJ was on the phone with Hotch. "Hay, Hotch what's up?"
"I just saw your press conference," Hotch said dryly. His tone was usually void on any readable emotion, but his tone was different now. It was completely flat.
"Yes, it didn't take the team long to profile this unsub. But why are you –"
"They named him." His voice was just as flat as before, but with an edge to it that only some one who knew the man would pick up on, and it worried JJ.
"Yes, Sir. I told them to retract the name but-"
Hotch cut her off, and this time his voice sounded more like an inhuman growl that further terrified the blond agent. "The DC Phantom!"
"Y-Yes Sir," JJ stammered in shock at first bet then spoke quickly. "I know it's bad for the case; that's why I told the media to retract the name." She paused, and when her obviously angry boss did not answer she continued. "Hotch, what is wrong? It's not the first time this has happened and given the circumstances it is defiantly not the worst thing that could have happened to the investigation." Hotch still did not reply. "The rest of the team is working on the geographical profile right now and Garcia is narrowing down search parameters. If it's the unsub you're worried about, we'll find him. Hotch please answer me?"
There was no answer, only a dial tone. Confused and extremely worried, JJ closed her phone and rejoined her team in the conference room.
"Hay JJ, what did Hotch want this time?" Morgan asked after JJ had closed the door behind her.
"I don't know but something is defiantly wrong with him. What do you mean 'this time?'"
"Hotch called me while Reid and I were at the crime scene. He asked how the investigation was progressing. I'm worried about him though. Did he seam a little, I don't know, off when you talked to him?"
JJ snorted indignantly. "'Off' would be a dramatic understatement. The man is pissed."
Rossi's eyes widened. "In all the years I've know Aaron Hotchner, I've seen him cry, grit his teeth and even laugh if you can believe it. I've seen him happy, drunk, annoyed, depressed, grumpy, but I can't remember ever seeing him certifiably angry."
"Neither have I," JJ admitted.
"Um, yes we have," Morgan piped in.
"When?" Prentiss asked curiously.
Morgan hesitated before answering. "When do you think?"
The room grew solemn as one by one they realized what Morgan meant. Prentiss and Rossi had been there to witness as Morgan literally pulled their unit chief off of the body of the man he had just beaten to death: George Foyet. JJ and Reid saw first hand the bittersweet reunion between the father and son.
Reid broke the awkward silence. "I, um," he stammered, "I hate to be the one to point this out, but I, um…well, the issue needs to be addressed."
JJ raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Spence?"
Reid took a deep breath, not able to believe that he was even going to bother saying this. But he was right, he told himself. The issue needed to be addressed. "Hotch fits our profile."
Morgan did not miss a beat in replying. "Come on now, man. Don't go there. How many times have we given a profile and afterwards realized that is sounded like one of us? Avid outdoorsman who can't keep women," he motioned to Rossi, "Socially awkward kid with abandonment issues," he motioned to Reid.
This is where Reid cut in. He knew exactly what else had to be on the tip of Morgan's mind. Local man who spends time with the children of the community, perhaps? He had to tread lightly to make his point without setting Morgan off. "Yes, I realize that in a group such as ours that consists of so many various backgrounds, upbringings, personalities, experiences, morals, political views, and even spiritual beliefs that the chances of at least one of us not fitting at least part of a profile are statistically slim. However, how often does one of us fit an entire profile, even the geographical profile, to the letter?"
Morgan stiffened. "Once." The word seemed to have been bitten off the front of a sharp exhale of breath.
Damn, Reid though. So much for treading lightly. "Morgan, I understand where you're coming from, but-"
Reid would have expected Morgan's next words to be angry or harsh, but the tone they came in was calm and matter of fact. "You don't understand shit."
As Morgan stormed out of the conference room, Reid realized that there was nothing he could have said or not said to have salvaged that conversation. It had, after all, been Hotch who had been forced to profile Morgan. Everyone could tell that Morgan was not about to do the same to Hotch.
"What's under his nails?" Rossi asked.
"Classified information," Prentiss quickly answered, knowing that Rossi was the only one of them that hadn't been in Chicago when Morgan's like had crashed down around them all.
Reid pursed his lips and nodded in confirmation when Rossi looked back at him. What else could he do? In less than two minutes he had as much as accused their boss and friend of being their unsub and thoroughly pissed Morgan off in the process.
There was simply nothing more to be said.
