Rossi had stopped at a hotel in New York with an all-you-can-eat buffet for the night. Meanwhile, the team was having other issues. The case was going slow. Ok, very slow. So slow, in fact, that no one was doing anything except for sitting on their asses and doing nothing.
Why did I convince that guy to let us stay on the case, JJ asked herself. Her bad mood was starting to return. The Ridge Racer theme began to blast in the room again. He really should get a new ringtone, that thing drives me up the wall.
Hotch answered. "Hello... Yes, ma'am..."
"Oh boy," JJ exclaimed with fake excitement, "The Wicked Witch has returned!"
This gained two grins from Morgan and Em, a smirk from Hotch, who was still listening to The Strauss gripe and complain, and a clueless look from Reid, who apparently didn't understand the reference.
"What does she mean," Reid asked. Morgan and Em just looked at each other and shook their heads, ashamed of their young colleague.
"Mm-hmm...," Hotch said, then took the phone off his ear and said to JJ, "The witch heard you." JJ smirked, then shrugged and began trying to explain to Reid what she meant.
"I heard that, Hotch," The Strauss roared. "Would you like me to investigate your team's behavior again?"
"Of course I would," Hotch said sarcastically, "Who wouldn't want to have a pretty face like yours around?"
JJ snickered. She'd hate to admit it, but she found Hotch's sarcastic humor to be hysterical. He was actually a cool guy... when he wasn't being a bully, of course.
"Wh... why thank you," The Strauss said. Whether her phone was breaking up or she just sucked at recognizing sarcasm, that was unclear. Hotch rolled his eyes, disappointed that his sarcasm was so easily ignored. "When Rossi gets there," The Strauss continued, "Make his life a living hell."
"Will do... Bye."
"What'd she say," Em asked.
"She said that when Rossi gets here, we make his life a living hell. So I'm putting him on coffee duty. No profiling for him, just running to the coffee machine and back. If you want sugar, tell him. If you prefer pumpkin spice or some other sort of flavoring, tell him. All day, for as long as we're here. How does that sound?"
JJ grinned from ear to ear, and started rubbing her hands together maniacally. "I could get used to this," she said.
"Thought so."
"Wait," Morgan butted in, "Does that mean that you like 'pumpkin spice' in your coffee, Hotch?"
Hotch coughed, then answered, "No, of course not. I drink mine black as can be, straight out of the pot."
"Riiiight"
Hotch glared at Morgan. "We have work to do, so let's focus, please."
"Aye-aye, sir," Reid said, hopping out of his chair, saluting Hotch, and then scribbling some genius stuff on the marker board.
"What the hell is he doing," JJ muttered under her breath to Em.
"Who knows?"
"You think he is still on those drugs?"
"Hm... maybe. If so, I wish he could hook me up with some."
JJ looked over at Em suspiciously, then eased up when Em's smile let her know that she was kidding. "Shouldn't joke like that."
"And you shouldn't call your boss' boss a witch."
"Touché," JJ said. The two women continued watching Reid do whatever it was he was doing.
Morgan came up to Hotch, stared the man dead in the face, and said, "You don't have to lie to me, Hotch. If you like to put some flavor in your coffee, then just tell me. It doesn't make you any less of a man. Hell, I enjoy a little hazelnut Coffee-Mate in mine on occasion."
Hotch looked from side-to-side, leaned in and whispered to Morgan, "To be honest, I enjoy a dash of pumpkin spice, yes."
Morgan nodded his head knowingly, then gave Hotch a firm hand shake. "Right on, brother, right on."
"Look at those two bozos," Em said, pointing to Hotch and Morgan.
"Yep, they've been chummy like that all day," JJ replied.
"You don't think..."
"No! They couldn't... could they?"
"... Nah. Morgan likes his lady friends too much, and Hotch was married. Still kind of weird, though."
JJ shrugged. "Wonder what they are talking about, anyway."
"Probably not the case."
"Case, what case?"
Em snorted. "I know what you mean."