Question to the reader: Is the story too predictable to be enjoyable? How do you think it will end? ;-)
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to Criminal Minds and its characters, nor to any of the Beatles' songs. I tried to limit the amount of lyrics I did put down in the story in an attempt to respect copyrights, but if anyone wants to read the lyrics to the whole song, please Google "Beatles lyrics" and add the name of the song (which I will not give here to not spoil the fun).
QUOTE:
"Family love is messy, clinging, and of an annoying and repetitive pattern, like bad wallpaper."
- P. J. O'Rourke
Yukie was disappointed with her evening; she usually enjoyed listening to the karaoke singers, especially the ones she could fantasize about afterward: the ones who sang well and looked like her ideal mate. As well, now that she had more free time, she was really hoping to see again one of the few men with whom she had become acquainted over the school year.
In the past months, each time she had found the courage to meet a potential boyfriend and talked with him, he had never answered her subsequent phone calls and had not even returned to the Sherwood Club. She had expected one of them would be here tonight, like John, the man she had met the previous Wednesday; but like the others before him, he had given her his number and had disappeared as quickly as he had appeared in her life. As an alternative, she had hoped that a new prospect would appear on the stage, but so far, there had only been girl singers and unsuitable males.
Her brother Tak seemed pleased with all the female singers, but she was beginning to think her summer would turn out exactly like her school year had been: lonely and full of disappointments.
Finally, a man appeared on stage, good looking, with funny little glasses that made him look sexy. Dark hair, tall, he was definitely getting her attention... and that of other women behind her, she could tell.
Takumi noticed the change in his sister and he watched her with resentment as the man started to sing.
oooo
Morgan's cell rang again just before Hotch came on stage, and he grudgingly left it turned on, at arms' length on the nearest speaker. He quickly forgot about the cell, though, as he and the other members of the team made eye contact. They were observing the reactions in the crowd, to see if anyone had noticed their 'bait'. Indeed, people were cheering and Hotch had not even opened his mouth, yet.
Hotch was sitting on a bar stool and waiting quietly for the music to start, his head down, the microphone in his hand. He was a bit nervous, but nothing like his first public appearance, playing 4th pirate in The Pirates of Penzance – something he had done only to meet Hayley, back in high school. He had not volunteered for this current assignment until it was absolutely necessary, not because he was shy, but because he had wished to protect a very personal part of his life: love of music was one of the private things this job had not taken away from him... yet.
He could not read the words on the video screen because of the blurry glasses, but he knew the song by heart: it was Jack's favorite lullaby and he had sung it to him many times. This song always reminded him of happier times, such as when he would make it home early enough to put Jack to bed; on those few evenings, he had sung to their infant son with Hayley listening nearby.
The music started. They heard a few notes on a guitar and Hotch's voice softly began...
"Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these broken wings, and learn to fly..."
Rossi and the others grinned, knowingly. They had all guessed what song Hotch was going to sing. Short, sweet, simple, and a song from his favourite album... It did not take a profiler to predict this one.
They had not anticipated, however, that he would be able to grab the crowd's attention; even the groupies at the bar were suddenly less rowdy.
"Prentiss, move to the front, you'll have a better look at the sitting crowd," Rossi suddenly spoke in his wrist, "I'll cover the groupies."
Prentiss jumped when she heard her name, but quickly recovered and slowly walked towards the stage, flowing between the tables, briefly looking at the faces of the people as she passed by. Nothing suspicious caught her eye; they were all enjoying the show, or their drink, or talking and laughing with their friends.
From their table at the back, Reid and Seaver were witnessing the same thing. No one had an unusual energy, or a weird focus on Hotch, or seemed to voluntarily ignore him, either. Morgan was also closely watching people in the dark; he was resting his back against the wall, trying to look nonchalant, and he could see nothing worrisome. Rossi and Jenner were busy scanning the groupies and their friends, not an easy task, as they were moving about and turning and switching places...
"... You were only waiting for this moment to be free..."
Takumi was seething, staring at his sister, yet hiding his rage from her. It was not too difficult as she was not paying any attention to him; she was staring at the man singing on stage, a smile appearing on her face. He noticed the people around him were also all focused on the singer, except maybe for the slim brunette who was approaching from the far side. He felt suddenly alarmed; she was paying attention to the crowd, not to what was happening on the front stage.
"... Into the light of the dark black night!"
The words rang loud and soulful. He watched the brunette freeze and turn to the singer, as if mesmerized. Takumi had a disgusted smirk: she, like the others, was falling for it! But he was still concerned: perhaps she was an undercover cop, looking for him. He tried to put his face in the shadows and to look natural, like the other men around him. He took another sip of his beer as he watched her again turn her gaze toward the tables, toward his area. But she did not notice him and he smiled ruthlessly, encouraged that he could fool her so easily.
oooo
Garcia was recording Hotch and listening, mouth gapped open. She had not anticipated that she would actually enjoy his singing! Her boss was full of surprises! She managed to refrain from making any noise – she wanted to giggle so badly! – until he was finished. Then she heard the applause and cheers, and she heard Morgan call her name:
"Garcia?"
"Wow! Did you hear that?"
"I need to go now," Morgan said, rolling his eyes. He just knew he would live to regret his role in this venture, but his focus was needed elsewhere, so he did not want to prolong the call. He hung up as she was thanking him profusely.
The crowd was getting noisy again, but he had a distinct feeling their unsub was somewhere in the dark, right in front of him...
Prentiss was across the room, facing Morgan. She felt unnerved, suddenly, as if she was being observed. Did Morgan see her react to Hotch's song? She could kick herself for getting distracted earlier, but strangely, she was still unable to focus on the job, as if she felt exposed. Was it Morgan, or someone else...? The unsub is here, and they saw me!
Her eyes were piercing through the dark, searching for the source of her discomfort. She decided to not make eye contact with anyone from the team, to not call them, and not reveal their presence. If the unsub was watching her, it was better to stay aside, monopolize his attention, and distract him from the others. Two can play this game, she thought.
oooo
"What do we do now? Get another drink?" Reid asked Seaver while they were waiting for Hotch to join the crowd. They were both leaning forward, head to head, to talk discreetly and to look like a couple, not like conspirators. Their smiling, youthful faces were perfect camouflage for their real identities. This assignment was a pleasant one: they were discovering that they enjoyed each other's company and it was easy to work together.
"All we can do is act natural, so yes, when your glass is empty, you refill it," she answered, giving him their empty glasses and a telling look.
Reid smiled, got up, and headed for the bar, carrying both glasses with him. He felt like he was on a date, except that he was relaxed and finding it easy to be himself... And except that this is not a date, he reminded himself.
oooo
Rossi approached Jenner at the bar:
"Make sure you stay within eyesight of your two colleagues. Remember you are still wired, so you see anything suspicious, you just speak up, understood? I'll go help Agent Hotchner with his wire."
Jenner nodded. Prentiss, Seaver, and Garcia heard Rossi's instructions through Jenner's wire, while Reid and Morgan watched him head back stage. Rossi felt an irresistible urge to comment on Hotch's song, but kept repeating in his head: I must not talk about the singing. I must not tease him about the singing...
He found Hotch in the office; he had removed the tinted glasses and was testing the piece of equipment he was planning to wear as a wire.
"Nice voice! 'Want some help with that?" Rossi offered, proud of his self-control.
"No, thanks, I'll put it on myself," Hotch sternly retreated to the washroom, seeking privacy. Rossi was at first taken aback; then he guessed Hotch was still not ready to show his scars, not even to his close friend. Sh**, I guess I goofed anyway.