here we go again... *sigh*

JJ glanced at the arguing men in Captain Wright's glass office. "Is this the envelope the letter came in?" JJ tentatively picked up an envelope lying on the pin-straight desk.

McGee didn't take his eyes off his angry Captain. "Yeah. They dusted it for prints. It's clean." He sighed in defeat.

After an awkward silence, JJ noticed his detective badge. "You've only been a cop for four years and you're already a detective." JJ praised, an impressed look on her face.

"Yeah, they, uh Promoted me to keep me away from the general public. That's why I'm babysitting skid row." McGee's face looked so sad, JJ didn't know what to say to him.

"Look, I'm sorry he got you to travel all the way here." The Captain made a huge show of making towards the door.

"Sir, we're happy to help with the problem."

"What problem?"

Reeling in his patience, Hotch pressed his point. "Sir, 63 people missing from a localized area in unusual.

"Are you kiddin' me?" Wright snorted. "Bums, whores, junkies. Can these people even be missing?"

"You seem hostile to the idea that these people could be in trouble." Hotch said with narrowed eyes.

"No, what I'm hostile to is a member of my command recruiting the FBI to handle a case that I don't even believe is happening."

"You know, the note he received could be an Unsub reaching out. It's not uncommon." Hotch desperately wanted to change Wright's opinion.

Wright threw his hands up in the air. "Or it could be another cop who's pissed off that McGee got an award."

"Sir, this type of Unsub is relatively easy to catch. Nobody else has to get hurt." Why couldn't he see how simple the case was— why was he being so difficult?

"As far as I know, no one has been hurt." The Captain rolled her eyes.

"I have some experience in this field, and I believe that your problem's only going to get worse." Hotch remained unmoved.

"Oh, well, thank you. We'll keep an eye on that. You have a safe trip home." Wright yanked open the door angrily, his back to Hotch.

"What if they were cheerleaders?" Hotch said, rotating slowly on his heel to face the fuming Captain.

"Excuse me?" Wright all but growled.

"Or teachers? Or mothers? How did you put it? 'Can bums even be missing?' Well, sir, they can. They can be hurt, they can be scared, and they can be killed." Hotch leveled his disapproving glare on the Captain.

"You must really care about these people." JJ said, flipping through one of McGee's journals.

"It's my job to care about them." McGee said passionately

"Most cops would say it's their job to keep 'em in line." JJ agreed.

"Yeah, well, my father taught me to be a different kind of cop." McGee said, a note of both sadness and pride shining in his voice.

"Was he a detective, too?"

"Yeah, he was a—he was killed in the line of duty in '85."

"I'm sorry." JJ looked down.

"Captain Wright was his partner. It's the only reason the department keeps me on." McGee grumbled bitterly.

"I'm sure that's not the only—" her gaze drifted to the envelope in her hands "... this postmark."

"Excuse me?"

"Kansas City."

McGee looked at her like she'd lost her mind. "Right." He said slowly.

"Missouri. We're in Kansas City, Kansas."

"Yeah, well, they're just across the river from one another." He said.

"No, what they are is right across the state line." JJ said as she all but ran to the Captain's office. She burst in on the two leaders bashing heads. "Hotch, it's federal."

"What?" Hotch demanded, stepping closer.

"If we want this case, it's ours. It's federal. This letter came from across the river, from Kansas City, Missouri." JJ glowed with victory.

"Interstate communication." Hotch said.

"Puts it in federal jurisdiction." Hotch turned to face the bewildered Captain. "Sir, this is now a federal case. I would like to retain detective McGee as a consultant." Hotch turned and started to walk out of the Captain's office.

"You're not opening any investigations in my jurisdiction." Captain Wright insisted, anger flaring.

"I don't want a flight with you. Even though this is a federal case, if we develop any information, I will come to you and your men will make the arrest." Hotch was a good man, and everyone knew it.

"And why would you do that?" even Captain Wright, in all his righteous indignation, was taken aback.

"Because that's how we operate."

hotch is such a great guy.

good thing this is almost over... almost...