Disclaimer: I do not own. And I'd probably be a crappy owner. Boo.
AN: Well, for those who wanted to see a lot more of the case, you got your wish. However, it's not solely the case like I promised because I also remember writing in that Rossi was going to talk to Hotch... and I thought that was extremely important, so I did both. Sorry for the extraordinarily long chapter, but I felt like I needed both in here. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. There really is no humor in here, and I hope I staid with the characters' character personalities, and if I didn't, feel free to slap me. Thank you guys for all the brilliantly wonderful reviews. They really mean a lot to me because otherwise I wouldn't know whether to keep going with this story or not. THANK YOU SO MUCH! I officially love all my readers and want to give them huge hugs. *hugs*
"Why'd you ask me here?" Hotch asked as he glanced up at the glittering night sky and the large luminescent crescent moon, which was so vast it looked as though a person could touch it from where they stood.
Rossi looked out over the smooth surface of Cayuga Lake and said, "Because you need to hear what I'm about to tell you. As far as everyone's concerned, you need a reality check."
The water seemed to glitter against the reflections of the stars. Immense amounts of light spread across the top of the water. Hotch stood barefoot in the large grains of rock, his feet touching the cold water. Rossi stood a couple inches from the edge in his black shoes. Both of them had discarded their black suit jackets over the edge of a fallen tree trunk.
Hotch picked up a few flat stones from a couple feet away and returned to his spot, all the while asking, "Are you going to tell me how to do my job, Dave?"
Rossi laughed. "Hell no, I don't want your job! What I want is for you to bring respect back to the table. After how you acted today- on the plane, in the station- I say you need to treat your agents better. The four of them, they're probably all at a diner somewhere enjoying each other's company while working on the case. Don't be mad just because they're not scared to do what we are!"
"Don't bring that up," Hotch stated solemnly, more solemn than usual. He squatted and skipped the first of the stones he was holding. It went three paces and then landed in the water. "It's against the rules."
"It's the same old dance and tune with you, isn't it? Y'know, you convinced me it's all about the rules, but you know who follows the rules? People who can't think for themselves. I listened to you and I bitched them out, that was wrong. I get it now. You can't tell me you don't understand. It's inevitable, Aaron. Sooner or later you'll get it. You can't tell me you don't want that night a couple weeks back to happen again."
Hotch tossed the two other rocks he was holding into the lake. He sat on the sane and wiped off his feet with his socks, which he then slipped on. Rossi could only watch him numbly. Hotch put on his shoes and tied them quickly and tightly, leaving big loops on the bows. He stood and began walking to get his jacket. All the while, Rossi watched him. Typically he would say something- put Hotch in his place- but now he could only stare. His boss pulled on his jacket and adjusted his tie, and kept walking.
Rossi irrevocably escaped from his trance, practically dashing to block Hotch's path. He pulled his jacket back on in the chilly breeze. For a couple moments Hotch and Rossi merely had a staring contest- Hotch's wish to be passive and Rossi's need to do something about it. There were a couple of times where Hotch tried to get around Rossi, but Rossi would not allow it.
"Let me pass," Hotch ordered.
However, this was not about to work.
"Howabout this: I'll let you pass if you leave Reid and Morgan alone- and maybe think about us while you're at it," Rossi offered, even though Hotch had no choice in the matter.
"Hotch nodded his head. "Fine."
"Just imagine what they're doing right now," Rossi suggested, "They're probably out doing the case while you and I are out talking."
"Let's hope you're right. We barely got anywhere today," Hotch replied.
"Okay, so let's recap," Morgan suggested as he dipped a French fry in a puddle of ketchup and stuck it in his mouth.
Jareau flipped through the pad of notes she had been carrying- neatening them up for further inspection. She stopped on a page labeled "Victims and Their Girlfriends".
Jareau began listing facts that they knew, "The victims are Mitchell Oliver, Corey Thompson, and Tim Hart. Britney Dunn dated Oliver, Tammy Block dated Thompson and Michelle Foote dated Tim Hart. All the guys were football stars while all the girlfriends were cheerleaders-"
"Looks like our unsub's going for the popular couple's bit. Everyone knows that the football star and his cheerleader are on the top of the world in high school," Prentiss suggested, stealing a fry off of Morgan's plate. "And they're typically assholes to everyone around them, so that could be a motive. The teased getting revenge."
Reid sat there with his hands in his lap. Morgan was practically taking up their whole bench. But Reid just looked at his hands, as though there were nothing more exciting to do. He wrung his hands, unable to look up at Morgan or Prentiss or Jareau. It was as if someone was pushing his head down onto his chest, causing him to look at his hands because if he looked up at everyone else he might not be able to control what would be said. The team hated when he shouted out random statistics and with a case that had to do with high school bullying he felt like he should stay out of it- no matter how many statistics screamed in his head.
"Reid, man, you all right?" Morgan inquired, watching Reid play with his reddening hands.
"Yeah, fine," Reid said shortly, quickly, forced.
Morgan raised an eyebrow and placed his hand on Reid's hands, causing him to stop as he said, "Look up at me then."
Reid raised his head to look Morgan in those big brown eyes and immediately, as a nervous habit, he said, "People bullied at age eight are three times more likely to have committed a crime and have been convicted of it by age thirty. They're also six times more likely to be arrested and more likely to abuse a spouse or children."
"What?" Prentiss asked.
Clearly she thought this had nothing to do with anything. But when Morgan glanced at them, she knew she was mistaken and understood immediately. With such a brilliant mind as Reid's not many people would understand. Plus, he always did get sensitive when people would treat others with disrespect just because of their intelligence, or some other ridiculous reason like that. Already this case brought back horrible memories for him, and he hated that- Morgan saw that.
"I'm sorry, Reid…"
Everyone looked at Prentiss, who had uttered those words.
"Can we get back to the case? I'm feeling miraculously better now," Reid replied, looking around at his two friends and Morgan (who had his own category, of course).
"Sure we can," Jareau said gently. "I talked to the victim's girlfriends today while you two were going through the evidence box and Reid was making the map. They all said their boyfriends kept seeing this girl following them around before they died- said she would not leave them alone."
"Did they say if there was an event that sparked her following them?" Morgan asked. "And I gotta tell Hotch it's a chick. I love it when I'm right."
"Yes Morgan, you were right," Jareau said slowly in a mocking tone.
Reid opened his mouth and stated, "A little over three hundred seventy thousand men are stalked annually in the United States."
"Thanks Reid, that's comforting," Prentiss joked.
"The girlfriends said they all met her in the same place, which is why I brought you here," Jareau whispered proudly, so the other customers did not accidentally overhear that a murdering stalker was in their midst.
Everyone raised their eyebrows, especially Morgan. Jareau had led them straight to the place that must have helped start all of this. Each agent, including Jareau, knew that this place must be extremely important to her unsub in order for her to meet all these men here. However, that was extremely unlikely that she had not seen her anywhere else and that three football stars had decided to come to the same diner where she found them. There was a missing link in here somewhere, and it was their job to find it.
"You know how unlikely it is that they all met her here," Morgan asked in statement form.
"Yes, but it's all we've got. Until we find that missing link I'm afraid all we've discovered today is that our unsub's a girl and that there is something extremely important about this diner," Jareau said.
They sat there for a few minutes. All four of them were lost in their own thoughts. For all they found out it sure took them a long time. Hopefully the case will start pulling together soon. That was all they needed- maybe all they needed to know was what was so special about this diner. Morgan paid for his fries and gave the waiter an adequate tip. They stood from the table, Morgan letting the girls go first and allowing Reid out of the booth. He was the last in the line of them to leave the building. When he was about to let the door drop, he pulled it open all of the way. A beautiful girl with loose black ringlets and a pixie nose left the diner, swaying her hips back and forth.
"Thank you mister…" she began.
The girl turned to look at him as he let the door drop. She must have been five foot six, although her three-inch heels would leave her to be five foot three. Those curves could poke somebody's eye out if they were not well proportioned enough to be extremely sexy. Her cropped British flag T-shirt showed her flat abs that were carved generously into her torso. Her Cupid's bow lips were glossed with a crimson red lipstick. She was stunning, absolutely stunning.
At first Morgan stood there stupidly, but then eventually words escaped from his mouth, "Uh… Special Agent Derek Morgan. I'm with the FBI."
She smiled flirtatiously and winked. Then she walked away with her butt wagging back and forth, it was mesmerizing. However, Morgan thought nothing of it. He caught up to the rest of the gang, feeling a tad guilty. Reid was attractive, but he was adorable- he was not irritably sexy, make Morgan stiff in the pants sexy. But that woman… there was something about that woman that really captivated Morgan.
After Reid climbed into the front passenger seat of the black SUV, everyone could tell he sensed something. It bothered him- niggled at his very being. The way he saw Morgan look at her, as if in total awe. Morgan never looked at him that way. No, he looked at Reid as though he were a little kid- just someone to fool around with. He hated it, but he really liked Morgan.
"Reid, is something the matter?" Jareau asked from the back seat.
Reid ignored her and instead questioned Morgan, "So, who was that she?"
Morgan could not say anything.
He really wished he could answer that question because there was just something weird about her- something Morgan just could not place.