Sunday, May 9, 2010

Don’t Blame Yourself or Else

Written by: D’be-D’be

Note to Criminal Minds Fans: For those of you who watch Criminal Minds religiously and are presently watching Season Five, you will know what goes on between Hotch and Foyet. This story is based on Omnivore from Season 4 when Foyet is first introduced to us, so at this time in the storyline we have no idea what faces Hotch in the future.

Chief Service Supervisor David Rossi had just stepped out of the elevator into the hall leading to the outer offices for BAU headquarters of the FBI in Quantico Virginia, when Emily Prentess came brushing past him with tears in her eyes. As she tried to rush by she collided with Rossi, almost sending his coffee cup into orbit.

Trying to hide her tears from her colleague, she turned her head and mumbled, “Sorry, Rossi, I didn’t see you there.”

A look of concern came over the older man’s face as he set his coffee cup down on an empty desk top in order to establish physical contact with the young woman before him. He took her hand in his and gently inquired, “Emily, what’s wrong? Why are you so upset?”

“You tell me what’s wrong, Rossi?’’ Prentess asked as she struggled to contain her emotions. “I was just in Hotch’s office giving him my final report on the Boston Reaper case and he threw in my face what he said was a forgot a very important element in it. When I asked him to clarify, he just got up from his desk and gave me that cold stare of his. You know the one I mean. And he told me to stop being so coy. He then began to scold me about how my reports were never complete and he was not about to put up with it any longer. Rossi, this is the first time I’ve been told that my reports were unsatisfactory. I don’t know what his problem is, but he doesn’t have to take it out on me.”

Rossi’s brown eyes moved up over the upset woman’s head to take a glance at the Unit Chief’s office. He could see Hotch at his desk with his head bent and reading something. What, he wasn’t sure. He allowed his eyes to move back to Prentess’ face.

“I’ll speak with him about it,” he offered.

“Rossi, I think before you speak to Mr. Attitude that you speak to the other members of the team. I don’t think I’m the only one Hotch has yelled at. I know for sure he gave Garcia some attitude yesterday when he was in her office, because I went in a few minutes afterwards and it was quite obvious to me that she was upset over something.”

Rossi let out a sigh as he once again glanced up at Hotch’s office. “Okay, Emily, I’ll do that. In the meantime, why don’t you go for a walk and get your head together and your emotions set right. If something comes up regarding a case, we’ll let you know. Go ahead and take the rest of the morning off; go shopping, pamper yourself or just go for a walk. It’s up to you. Just get out here for awhile.”

The tall brunette’s eyes filled up with tears once more as she leaned in and gave the handsome man before her a warm kiss on the cheek. Rossi knew the kiss meant nothing more than simple gratitude and his smile let the woman know he understood that. He picked up his coffee cup to take a drink as he watched Prentess exit the building but realized it was now cold. Dropping it in the nearest trash bid, he headed down to the technical part of the building to speak with Garcia.

Garcia was on the phone to her new love when Rossi tapped on the door. He knew she was speaking to Kevin just by the seductive tone in her voice. He smiled to himself as he remembered what that tone in a woman’s voice lead to. He cleared his throat and then knocked again. Penelope turned in her seat, her face taking on a scarlet glow for being caught in an intimate moment. She quickly said her good-byes and hung up the phone as Rossi made his way into her private domain and took a seat.

“What can I do for you, sir?” she asked. “I’m still working on that file for you…”

Rossi interrupted her. “Thank you, Garcia, but that’s not what I wanted to speak to you about.”

“Oh, oh I see. Is there something wrong, sir? Did I do something….”

Rossi could tell she was not very comfortable having someone invade her space and the thought that she may have upset someone or made a mistake always disturbed this special lady. Rossi came to realize that first hand when he scolded her that one time for taking FBI files home.

“You did nothing wrong, Garcia. That’s what I wanted to speak to you about. Did Hotch accuse you of neglecting your duty or some other matter?”

“How did you know, sir?” Garcia was always amazed on how these profilers picked up on emotions. She knew Prentess had suspected something the other day after Hotchner left her office. She must have said something to Rossi.

“A little bird told me. Now, what did our Unit Chief do or say that upset you?”

“Well, sir, the other day he came storming in here and asked me if I was keeping track of anything suspicious that may have Foyet’s signature profile on it. I told him no because I wasn’t asked to do so. He got all flushed in the face and snapped that if I cared for the well-being of potential victims out there, I would take it on myself to keep an eye on news reports and police investigations. Sir, you know me; no one has more empathy for the victims than I do and before I could respond to his comment, he just mumbled on his way out of the room something like ‘It doesn’t matter, all the victims families will get in touch with me when they learn it’s my fault that animal is on the loose’. What did he mean by that, sir?”

“Garcia, you never mind your pretty little self about anything Hotch told you. You did nothing wrong and I want you to know that and after I have a little chat with him, he’ll come to realize that as well. Keep up the outstanding job that you do. We’re so lucky to have you on our team.” Before he turned to leave, he gave her a pat on the back.

Garcia smiled up at him, all the while debating in her mind if she should share a detail about another colleague that Hotch upset. Before Rossi stepped into the hallway, she called him back in.

“Sir, if you could spare another moment. I don’t take to gossip but I think you should know that Hotch also gave Morgan a hard time yesterday. So much so that my chocolate delight thought about asking for a transfer out of the unit. Just for a split second, mind you. But whatever went on between those two upset him.”

“Thanks again, Garcia.” Rossi exited the office to locate Morgan. On his way, he mumbled to himself. “I guess that little discussion I had in the alley after the bus incident didn’t take root. Well the next discussion I have with him truly will. He may not be able to plant himself in a chair for a while, but the point will get through.”

Rossi found Morgan making himself a cup of coffee and carrying on a weird conversation with Reid about the technology that everyone gained from watching Star Trek.

“Look, Morgan, at the cell phone. That’s a Star Fleet Communicator if I ever saw one.”

“You’re really reaching there, genius,” Morgan retorted. He was about to make another point when Rossi interrupted him.

“Sorry to disturb this stimulating conversation, Derek. May I have a word with you please?’

“Sure. Excuse us, kid. But don’t go far, I want to continue this conversation.”

“Anytime, anywhere, Morgan; you know where to find me.”

Rossi let out a chuckle as he led Morgan to his own office on the second floor. He closed the door and offered Morgan a seat.

“What’s this all about, Rossi?”

“Hotch. I hear you and he got into a little disagreement yesterday.”

“Did Garcia tell you that? I told her to leave it alone.”

“Don’t blame her. I was speaking to her about Hotch upsetting her and the topic just came up.”

“What is wrong with that man? Ever since we got back from Boston and Foyet escaped, he’s been a bear. Yesterday afternoon, he called me into his office and told me he was keeping on eye on me and he stated in order for me to take over the team I better step up to the bat. He accused me of sloppy paperwork and being too egotistical for my own good. He told me that he knew I always had to be right about everything, play the hero, and that I sometimes put myself above the team. You know that’s way off the mark, Dave. Yes, I may have a little ego, but I never and I mean never put myself above the team. When I asked him what he meant about taking over the team, he stated that sooner or later Strauss would ask him to step down because it was his fault all those people died on the bus and he had the blood of all Foyet’s future victims on his hands.”

“Oh for Pete’s sake!” Rossi let out a frustrating growl. “He’s really going overboard with the self-pity and blame game, isn’t he?”

“You can say that again and if he doesn’t lighten the hell up, he’s going to alienate the whole team and then where will we be?”

“I’ll take care of it, Derek. Don’t worry about it. Soon he’ll be back to his old self.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“Let’s just say I have my methods of getting through that thick skull of Hotch’s. I have a way of making my words hit home and be clearly understood.”

“Well you better do it now, before he spirals into even more trouble.”

“I intend to do just that. I’m going to get him out of here and when we return, I promise he’ll apologize to you all.”

“Good luck, man.”

“Luck has nothing to do with it. It’s all a matter of handling and clarity of words.” Rossi didn’t add that his words would be written on a wooden paddle.

Rossi walked down the hall and entered Hotchner’s office without knocking. “Get your coat. We’re going to my place.”

“I can’t right now. I have this paper work to finish.”

“Aaron, this is not a request. It is an order and don’t make me have to give it twice. Now get your coat and come with me.”

‘Damn,’ Hotchner thought to himself. ‘Rossi must have found out about my treatment of Prentess.’ He knew he was in deep trouble.

Rossi practically pushed him to his car and when he knew they were out of range of the security cameras, he gave Hotch a hard swat on his backside.

“Ow!” Hotch squealed as he placed a hand on the tender spot.

“That’s nothing to what is waiting for you at my place. You pretended to comprehend my words about blame. But you had no intentions of keeping your promise to me that you were going to stop blaming yourself for not taking the deal, did you? So, young man, you are about to face the consequences of those actions and breaking the rules of blame and disrespect to myself and to the rest of the team.”

Hotch opened his mouth to speak but was cut off.

“Keep your mouth shut. I don’t want to hear another word out of you until I give you permission to do speak. You sit your butt in this car and take the time on the way to the apartment to think about what you did to lead to this moment and how you’re going to rectify the situation.”

Rossi jumped into the driver’s seat and sped out of the parking lot. The tension was so thick in the SUV, you could cut it with a knife. Hotch was so nervous about what he knew was about to take place, he kept squirming around in his seat.

“If you don’t sit still, Brat, I’ll pull over right here and really give you a reason to squirm.”

Hotch opened his mouth to speak but, remembering his Top’s orders, shut it again. He took a deep breath and kept his eyes down, studying the pattern on the floor mat for the next twenty minutes until they reached Rossi’s place.

Once inside, Rossi gave Hotch the order to get the paddle out of the drawer. Hotch did as he was told, all the while swallowing the huge lump that was forming in his throat. Taking the paddle back to Rossi, he stood there in front of his Top and waited. He didn’t have to wait long. Rossie walked over to the couch and sat down. He then ordered Hotch to remove his pants and undershorts and assume the familiar position.

Hotch took his time undoing his belt but the look in Rossi’s eyes gave him the incentive to speed up the rest of the stripping process. He kicked off his shoes and followed up by dropping his slacks and undershorts. He also removed his suit jacket and tie but kept the white shirt on. He didn’t know why he chose to do that, but not being completely naked gave him a small sense of security. He walked over to Rossi and lowered himself over his Top’s lap.

“Alright, Aaron, you have permission to speak. Tell me why this is necessary.”

“I-I’m still blaming myself for Foyet’s escape and all the victims he killed on the bus. I tried to not do that but being alone with my thoughts every night and having nightmares about what he did, just made the blame come back to the forefront.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about the nightmares?”

“I guess I thought I could handle it, but I know now I didn’t do a very good job. I’m sorry.”

“Good. Now I want you to count off every slap so you’ll realize how bad of a job you did. Ready now?” Rossi landed the paddle hard on Hotch’s left cheek.

“One,” Hotch counted as he jumped with the pain. He continued to count as the paddle landed in hard, but slow steady strokes building to an unbearable heat. By the time it reached thirty, he was sobbing loudly and shaking with the pain.

Rossi dropped the paddle and then rearranged Hotch on his lap. Hotch grabbed a hold of Rossi as tightly as he could and just let the tears flow. Rossi didn’t speak. He just rocked his Brat back and forth until the tears began to subside. Finally the sounds of pain and guilt began to dwindle down to short hiccups.

“I’m so sorry, Dave. I-I guess I really blew it, eh?”

“Hotch, you above most people know the consequences of breaking the rules. So yeah, in a way you blew it, but no major harm done. The rest of your punishment is to write a five page essay about respecting the feelings of your fellow co-workers. You will also go to each of them, offer a verbal apology and ask them to forgive you. Finally, and this is the most important part, you will stop thinking about Foyet. If I find you looking into any aspects of this case, I promise you the worse spanking you have ever received. Is that clear?”

“Yes Sir, very clear. Thank you, Sir, for your understanding.”

“Fine; but what’s with all these ‘Sir’ business?”

“I had to call Gideon ‘Sir’ after each punishment session.”

“Oh, Aaron honey; I don’t want you to call me sir. I’m more that just someone who lays down the law to you. I want to become your lover and confidant, your companion and your confessor.”

“Oh Dave, you don’t know how much I longed to hear you say that. I want…no…I need that as well.”

Rossi took a chance. He placed his hand on the back of Hotchner’s neck and pulled him towards his lips. He kissed his Brat with the deep-seeded passion that had lain dormant for such a long period of time.

Hotch reciprocated and found himself becoming aroused. This both excited and scared him. He pushed away from Rossi, who lowered his eyes to look at Hotch’s semi-erect penis.

“Well, what do we have here?” Rossi asked as he looked back up into the reddened face of the man sitting on his lap.

“I-I-I guess I liked the kiss,” Hotch mumbled with down cast eyes.

“I kinda guessed that. Look, baby, I think we better cool off for the moment. I don’t want your first time with me to be rushed. I want to make love to you, not just have sex. Why don’t you get up, get dressed and go wash your face. We will continue this part of the conversation later.”

“When?”

“Later, when I know you’re really ready for it. Now go on and do what I told you to do.”

“Dave, I can’t tell you enough how grateful I am for what you took on. I feel so much better.”

“You make it sound like I took on something I really didn’t want to. You know it’s more than that. So I don’t want to hear that kind of talk again, okay?”

“Understood, and Dave?”

“Yes, Aaron.”

“I’m falling in love with you. You know that, right?”

“Oh I think I may have figured that out. Now go get cleaned up; we have to get back to the office.”

The Unit Chief took a deep breath as the elevator doors opened. He searched the room for Prentess and Morgan. He found them around J.J.’s desk, looking at baby pictures. The pang of missing his own son shot through his heart but he brushed it aside for a moment. He had a task to complete and he wasn’t about to let Rossi or his team down again.

“Emily, Derek, will you please come with me to Garcia’s office?” Hotch lead the way assured the two other members of the BAU would follow. They looked at each other and the look that passed between the two of them said it all. That must have been some talk Rossi had with their boss. They could see the remnants of redness in his eyes when he spoke to them.

Hotch tapped on Garcia’s door, then stepped aside to allow Morgan and Prentess to enter. When all four of them were alone, Hotch cleared his throat and began his little speech.

“I debated as to whether to do this individually or in a group and decided the group method was better, but if any one of you want to discuss this apology further or my deplorable behavior towards you, please feel free to do so. Words alone will never express how bad I feel about how I treated you. I don’t want to make excuses about my behaviour; just put it into contexts. I was so wrapped up in my own self-pity I didn’t even realize how my actions and mood was affecting everyone. Emily, your report was perfect as usual and Garcia, I am so lucky and feel privileged to have you on my team. You and your cleaver mind and fingers are one of the reasons this team is so successful. Morgan, I want to assure you, that you have the talent to take over this team any time that task is dumped upon you. I know and I am so sorry for calling you selfish and absorbed as you are neither of those things. I hope you all can find it in your hearts to forgive me and give me the opportunity to make it up to you.”

Hotch hadn’t realized it but during his apology, a silent tear fell from his eye and made its way down his cheek. This more than his words touched his colleagues deeply. They knew the apology was sincere and that it came from the heart.

Morgan shook his hand and gave him an ‘all’s forgiven’ slap on the back. Prentess and Garcia both gave him a giant hug and a small peck on the wet cheek. Garcia went one step further. She reached up and with a gentle touch, she brushed the tear away.

“Thank you for your forgiveness. Let’s try to put this incident and this awful case behind us and move on to the next one because as you all know, there will always be a next one.”

The four FBI agents parted ways. Rossi was waiting in the hallway and by the smile on their faces and the relieved look in Hotchner’s eyes, he determined all went well.

“Hotch?” Rossi whispered as Hotch passed by. “J.J. just handed me a new case file. I want you to know, when this one is over, I want you to come home with me and we’ll finish our conversation of this afternoon, agreed?”

A smile that is rarely seen on the Unit Chief’s face spread from ear to ear as he answered. “Oh most definitely; I most surely agree. Yes.”

Letting out a loud chuckle, Rossi replied with a simple “Yes Sir would have sufficed.”

Getting the point that Rossi was teasing him, Hotchner also laughed. Then, with Rossi by his side, he made his way into the case room.

The End…..for now.

1 comment:

  1. I am so loving these stories. I like this pairing a lot and you write them very well together.

    Can't wait for more.

    ReplyDelete