There is another issue that needs to be addressed; the issue of: I need reviews containing well-rounded critique and constructive criticism so I can win the contest! Hlp plx!
After Morgan had stormed out and Rossi, JJ, and Prentiss went out to lunch, Reid took very little time in making a very important decision. Hotch had not been Hotch lately; it didn't take a profiler to see that. Weather or not Hotch was in fact the "DC Phantom" someone still needed to go check on the grieving unit chief, and that someone might as well be Reid.
Someone has noticed this man beginning to break down, his usual shied and tough guy air falling apart.They will probably attribute it to his recent stress, but never once think that the man they are close to could be a violent killer.
Even aside from being the boss, Hotch had always been the rock of the team. Anytime any one of his subordinates, his friends, had a problem, they could always get advice from Hotch, knowing that he would not be angry with them or be judgmental of anything they did, thought, or felt. As Reid drove the relatively short distance from the station to Hotch's apartment, he wondered whom it was that Hotch went to when he needed a listening ear.
He compartmentalizes and internalizes far better than the average person. People who know him would describe him as the 'strong and silent' type.
Hotch didn't think about himself, though. He cared deeply for his family, his team, and for the victims they saved (and the families of the ones they didn't.) He never asked for sympathy, charity, or special favors, aside from the occasional personal say to spend with Jack.
He is generally a compassionate man.
But ever sense the first attack by Foyet, Reid, the entire team for that matter, hat watched Hotch slowly and gradually crack. Even before that, when Hailey first left him he became even more stoic and hard-faced than he had been before. It wasn't until Hailey's murder that they had seen their rock shatter. Morgan had pointed it out in the conference room. Yes, they had seen Hotch angry, murderously angry, and understandably so.
It is possible that the stressor was a series of stressful events ending in what was most likely a violent encounter that forced his anger to externalize.
Everyone knew all to well about the five stages of grieving. Hotch was in the stage of anger. Everyone knew that. Reid pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex and he couldn't help but wonder: Hotch may be angry, but did the homicidal rage die with Foyet? Or did he continue to internalize for Jack's sake?
He may have a family or someone he feels obligated to protect.
Reid hesitated when he reached the security door to the building.. He simply starred at the row of buttons for a minute or so (exactly minute and three seconds) before finally hitting the buzzer to Hotch's apartment.
"Who is it?" a voice came over the speaker. It was electronically distorted and clouded with a hint of…something else. But it was Hotch.
"It's Reid," he answered, speaking slightly louder than normal so that his voice reached the microphone.
Inside the apartment, Hotch held the listening button down. He was just barely starting to come down from his rage over his new nickname, but hearing the nervous voice of his youngest subordinate re-ignited his anger. He balled up his fist and slammed it into the wall so hard that his hand and arm halfway up to his elbow went through the drywall. He forced himself to steady his heavy, erratic breathing before…
Back downstairs Reid was beginning to think Hotch would never let him in. Just as he turned to walk away, he heard the door buzz and click as it unlocked.
He took the stairs up to the 3rd floor, having had a slight fear of elevators from the incident where he and Morgan had almost become trapped. Reid felt an overwhelming sense of dread pool in his gut when he reached the top of the last flight of stares. He thought perhaps he should have told someone where he was going.
