Disclaimer: Dow'n, dow'n dow'n... Just about anything in this chapter...
Author's note: I'm sorry for the slow update speed lately but I've gotten a job – soooo... I'm feeling kinda beat when I get home. And besides that I've gotten a new idea for a Reid/Morgan-slash that I'm writing on and considering publishing. But his one IS still alive!
Hotch walked into the bullpen with a small bounce to his step. It was caused by a terrific weekend followed up with a nice Monday morning, where he shared a special look with a beautiful nursery teacher. If his profiling colleagues hadn't been busy they probably would have noticed.
They didn't notice.
They were busy.
Discussing.
"No, no, no! You get it all wrong Wonder boy!" Garcia exclaimed and looked intently at the younger man. Prentiss and Morgan exchanged amused looks.
"It's age divided by 2 and then you add 7."
"I don't get how that should be any indicator of how old my girlfriend should be!"
"I'll explain it again. And I'm using me as an example! I'm 33 years old – right." Reid nodded with a serious look on his face. "33 divided by two that 16..."
"That's not..."
"Shush mortal! It's 16! And then I add 7 – that's 23. That means that the youngest guy it would be socially acceptable for me to date would be 23 years old." She looked with him her posture saying 'that's that – how hard is it really?'.
"But your age divided by two isn't..."
"Please Reid – can you try to be conversational now? The youngest I could date would be about 23." She smirked.
"Oh!" Reid lit up. "I think I get the concept now. It would mean that the youngest woman I could date would be 22 years old. In Morgans case they would be 27." Morgan frowned. By the sound of this he would have to stop picking up girls in the clubs he frequented. They were by far too young by these standards. "In Hotch's case they would be 29, in Prentiss' case they..."
"Reid!" Prentiss gave the eager young man a stern look. "Remember – you never reveal a true lady's age!"
Garcia smiled proudly at him. "I think you did good." Reid smiled at the praise. Garcia faced her female colleague and good friend. "You know, it's not really that often, that Reid gets pop-cultural concepts."
Prentiss nodded and sighed. "I know."
"Don't you have any serious work to do?" Hotch said making the chattering group jump.
"Sorry Boss-man, just had to get these papers," Garcia said and rushed past him. Reid was writing in frantic speed and Prentiss and Morgan both hurried to their tables. Their boss didn't sound like he had had as nice a weekend as they had – the look on his face was pure doom.
The agents relaxed when their boss left them and went straight to Rossi's office.
Prentiss bit the end of her pen looking thoughtful.
"Doing the math in your head?" Morgan smiled teasingly from his desk.
"What – no! I don't care about stuff like that. And why would I want to be with someone younger than me anyway?" She put her pen down and rested her head in her hand. I was wondering what Rossi and Hotch talk about. Have you noticed how many times Hotch has gone to Rossi's office in the last..."
"11 times the last month. Usually he only visits about one or two times..."
"Thanks Reid." Prentiss looked at Reid with a mix of annoyance and amusement. She looked back at Morgan. "Do you think somebody's in trouble?"
Morgan shrugged.
"He would tell if something was up. He's not JJ."
Prentiss felt her good mood dissolve. She looked at the stack of papers in front of her and sighed. She reached for the first file.
"She's too young!" Rossi stopped typing and looked at the bewildered looking man in front of him over the edge of his glasses.
"Sit down," he said and saved the file on his computer. "Now explain."
"She only 28 – I'm 45 years old, that means she has to be at least 29 preferably more if us being together is to be socially acceptable, and she's only 28 years old!" Rossi frowned when Hotch started babbling.
"I take it that the date went well?"
All feelings left Hotch's face. "It went fine," he said with the perfect pokerface.
"So what's the problem? The date went well, and you're already concerned about society." Rossi took his glasses off. Hotch knew that Rossi thought they made him look smart – he just thought they made him look old. "How do you even know how old she is? I don't think that's proper etiquette to ask a true lady for her age."
"Well... I had Garcia do a search on the employees in the kindergarten I was considering sending Jack to."
"You're dating your son's nursery teacher and you're worried that you're a bit older than her?" Hotch frowned. He hadn't thought about it like that. "The important thing is how you feel about her." The men look expectantly at each other, waiting for the other to speak. Rossi sighed. "How do you feel about her?"
"I..." Hotch took a deep breath and looked at Rossi with a serious glance. "If this leaves this office I will either get you fired or resign myself." Rossi nodded smiling slightly. "I like her. She makes me want to joke and smile and laugh and have fun. I wanted to do stupid things to get her attention and now that I have it I have no idea what to do." Hotch leaned back in the chair opposite of Rossi. "She makes me feel calm and relaxed. To be honest – she gives me this feeling of coming home that I haven't felt since..." Hotch didn't say her name but Rossi knew. He also looked thoughtful.
"She reminds you of Haley?"
"... I suppose...?"
"Do you think it's smart to be with her if she resembles her that much?" Hotch ran his fingers through his hair feeling frustrated by his confusion.
"She reminds me of Haley but she doesn't resemble her! She looks nothing like her except that she's a blond too. She acts differently, dresses differently, talks differently, smiles differently, kisses differently, laughs differently. I could keep going! And even though there're so many differences, I can't help but think of Haley."
The thoughtful look on Rossi's face slowly changed into that of a small smile.
"For how long have you been feeling like this?" he asked at suddenly felt like that psychologist he and his second wife had talked to when they were on couple's counseling.
"I don't know – from the first time a saw her, I think. Yeah, probably something like that."
"I'm just going to sum up," the psychologist had said that too. "You are reminded of your late wife when you're with this new woman. She doesn't resemble Haley physically. She makes you feel happy and at home. And you've felt like this since the first time you met her?" Hotch nodded. "I think you might be in love with her."
Hotch's pokerface fell and he gaped at the man in front of him. He tried to gain his composure and frowned. "Why do you think that?"
"I'm a damn good profiler and if you think about what you just said I think you would agree with my... profile. If this woman you're dating reminds you of Haley and it isn't her looks or behavior what is left is the feelings you held for her. We all remember the romantic story of the worst fourth pirate in the history of Pirates of Penzance – you fell in love at first sight and just had to get her. I think it has happened again." Rossi leaned back in his chair feeling satisfied with his conclusions. "But what I'm not sure of," he added. "If this is a bizarre case of transference because you've been on your own for such a long time. Or if your subconsciousness wishes for a mother for Jack that bad that it would make you fall in love with the first mother figure to appear."
Hotch closed his eyes and sighed.
"Why must it be so hard?"
"Why must what be so hard?" Rossi inquired. He was perfectly aware of what Hotch sat talking about, but he wanted him to say it. Hotch shot him a rather annoyed glance.
"Why must... love... be so hard?"
"It's only as hard as you make it." He smiled contently at the resigned look on his friends face.
"Then why did you get divorced three times?"
"Because it only takes one person to make it hard."
"Then why not marry someone who isn't going to make it hard then?"
"I'm waiting for Emily to realize my charms." Hotch looked at Rossi with a grave expression.
"Do you really want to go there again?"
"I was joking!" Rossi threw up his hands in a gesture of surrender and Hotch stood to leave the office. He halted at the door and turned to look at the older man.
"There's always a grain of truth in every joke."
Prentiss/Rossi action... Might happen, not sure... Not even sure why he mentioned it here... Stupid Rossi – it's not nice to confuse the one writing the story!
OH! And btw – try taking a look at the story Wild And Untamed Thing by geekroyalty. I'm in it! As in character in it!
Am I psyched?
I believe I am!