Chapter 5: Notes
"I can't believe you punched him in the FACE!" Grace laughed as she and Hotch entered the round table room.
"Punched who?" Reid asked.
"Morgan," Hotch said deadpan. By that time, everyone had taken their usual seats.
"Before we begin the briefing," Hotch began, "Agent Derek Morgan has been terminated from his job."
"Why?" JJ asked. Everyone but Rossi, Hotch, and Grace looked confused.
"He was saying some rather derogatory things towards our newest team member," Hotch explained, "and I wasn't going to take that. I know this will all take some getting used to. I know we all miss Prentiss terribly. I also understand that her background may be a point of contention. I want her to succeed. And, given her experience, I think she will."
"If you don't mind my asking, what did he say to you?" Reid asked.
"Oh, the usual stuff," Grace shrugged, "stuff like I am destined to be like my father and he called me a psychopath, basically. He didn't use the word, but I knew what he meant."
"Well, that shouldn't mean anything!" Reid exclaimed, "I mean, just because your father is George Foyet-!"
"Just ignore him" JJ assured, "he'll come around. He says things he doesn't mean when he gets heated."
"No," Hotch said, "he proceeded to back talk me several times. He told me that I should never have hired Grace. He seemed pretty sincere about it, too. I just can't have that strife on my team. Do we understand?" The team nodded.
"I will say this," Hotch added, "Morgan walked away with a black eye."
"You PUNCHED him?!" the whole team exclaimed.
"I saw it," Rossi shrugged.
"Remind me to never get on your bad side," Reid snarked. He turned his attention to Grace.
"I still wanna study you though. I mean, the child of a serial killer is a fascinating subject. It-"
"Reid," Hotch warned.
"It's okay," Grace laughed. She looked at the young genius.
"You can come over to my place to study me," she winked.
"Agent Hotchner?" a woman walked in the door. It was Strauss. Oh crap.
"So, it is my understanding that you terminated Agent Morgan from the Bureau. Why?" the Section Chief asked.
"Ma'am, he was doubting my judgment as team leader. He also made our newest Agent Grace Foyet cry."
"And what did he say to Agent Foyet?"
"He never said anything directly to her, ma'am. But, he did call her a psychopath, among other terms. He said she was a killer who was bound to be like her father. He didn't take it well at all. He even blamed her for Foyet's attack on me and Haley! He blamed everything...on pretty much her existence."
"And Agent Foyet never knew her father?"
"That's correct."
"What does Agent Foyet know about your ordeal?"
"Ma'am, I don't see how that's relevant."
"Well, sooner or later, you're gonna have to tell her," Strauss shrugged, "she knows most of her father's history, anyway. You can't keep her in the dark." Hotch nodded.
"And, last but not least, after you fired Agent Morgan, you punched him in the face?"
"That's correct ma'am."
A smirk loomed over the Section Chief and she gave Hotch a fist-bump, much to Hotch's surprise.
"If you ask me, he totally deserved it," Strauss said, "you should've fired him a long time ago. I mean, the guy was an arrogant, egotistical son of a-"
"Ma'am," the mail deliverer walked in, "I have a note addressed to an Agent Hotchner." Hotch opened the note and read it:
You should've made the deal.
Hotch's face went pale white.