❝ you're the best of us. ❞
in which the ex-agent with a therapy license decides to get back in the game.
CRIMINAL MINDS SEASON 4
OC X AARON HOTCHNER
TRIGGER WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS GRAPHIC VIOLENCE, MENTIONS OF SEXUAL ABUSE AND ISSUES SURROUND...
a lot of fluff in this chapter bLEURGH vomit gross
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THIRTY ONE. MISSED CALLS
ONCE DAISY STEPPED OUT OF THE PLANE RESTROOM, SHE WAS TAKEN BY THE ARM AND GENTLY TUGGED TO THE SIDE. Instinctively, she pulled back with wide eyes before she realised she was safe. She looked up and saw Hotch slightly surprised at her reaction. He retracted his hand, muttering a soft apology, his expression confused and slightly hurt. She wanted to smack herself for being so jumpy. It wasn't exactly keeping the low profile she wanted.
"Sorry," Daisy said quickly, avoiding the burning stares of Spencer and Emily on the other end of the jet. Her hand lifted to her shoulder and scratched her skin as a way to relax herself, which Hotch caught instantly. "I didn't get much sleep last night."
Hotch observed her carefully. It was no secret that she was acting strange, but he had missed her calls the night before due to his visit to the former detective who'd worked the Boston Reaper case, Tom Shaunessy. It wasn't exactly the kind of thing he'd like to do on his night off; watching an old man die as he admitted to making a deal with the serial killer. "Is everything okay?"
Daisy hesitated. She looked at her shoes, before back up at him. She forced a smile. "Yeah, why wouldn't it be?"
Hotch lightly touched her upper arm, and she subconsciously leaned into it. It was a moment of peace between the two, one that almost everyone on the jet caught. Hotch swallowed. "Listen, I'm sorry I missed your call last night, was it something important?"
Daisy remembered the images of the latest murder. She remembered learning about the case in the academy; the brutal and sadistic M.O the reaper had. She could see that Hotch wanted the Unsub behind bars, and he couldn't handle much else at the moment. So, she shook her head. "No, it was nothing. Sorry to bother you."
Hotch had trouble believing her. He inched a little closer, sensing that she was hiding more than she was letting on. "It's not a bother, Alvarez. We'll talk about it later, alright?"
"Alright," Daisy exhaled though her nose and tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. She nodded, her hand softly brushing over his. Hotch noticed how cold she was, and he resisted the urge to do something about it.
Daisy squeezed past Hotch and took her seat beside Derek, who reached over and ruffled her hair. She didn't mind, she just leaned against him for a second and opened her file.
"The Reaper is driven by a need to dominate, control and manipulate," Hotch stepped up, his own file open in his hands.
"So then why would he offer a deal that would stop him from doing that?" Emily asked, her eyebrows dipping in confusion.
"Well, killing gave him power, but after so many, the payoff began to diminish, so he decided to switch tactics. Offering the deal gave him the ultimate power, better even than killing. He manipulated the police into voluntarily surrendering," Hotch replied, his eyes drifting to Daisy in concern every few seconds. As much as the case meant to him, he couldn't help but worry a little bit about whatever it was she'd called him about last night. He knew it must have been something serious from the way she hadn't made sarcastic comments about it, and the fact that he wasn't the only one that appeared concerned about her only made him feel worse.
