Fic: Copycats, Chapter 2 (Criminal Minds, Reid / Morgan, Hotch / Chad, Sean / Cain)
Title: Copycats, Chapter 2
Pair: Spencer Reid / Derek Morgan,
Aaron Hotchner / Chad Christensen
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine, etc.
Feedback: Always Welcome
Criminal Minds Main List
Chapter 1
Wednesday 05:56
Motel Room, Houston
“Morgan!”
“Coffee?”
“No.”
“Sex?”
“No.”
“Toy trains?”
“No.”
“Then go away, I’m sleeping.” Morgan dug himself deeper under his covers.
“I found the connection.”
“There’s no connection.”
“The connection between the victims.”
“There’s no victims.”
“Wake up, Morgan.”
“There’s no Morgan.”
“I accidentally handcuffed myself to the bed and I’m all naked.”
“Naked where?” Morgan snapped up in his bed.
“I knew that would get you up. Our victims-”
“Do you have to get these ideas in the middle of the night?”
“It’s almost six. I saw Hotch coming back from a coffee run half an hour ago.”
“That’s Hotch, regular people are different.”
“That’s the first time you’ve ever called me regular.”
“I meant myself. I need my sleep.”
“It was the company they all worked for.”
“They worked for different companies.”
“No, the names just mislead us. I figured it out last night and I checked the firms. The first two victims worked in the same IT firm. Two other victims worked in the company’s subsidiaries, one did freelance gigs for them and the final two had left the company within the last six months.”
“What are you gonna do about it?”
“Right now? Wait till we meet the team at the station.”
“So why did you wake me up?”
“You were there.”
“I’m not Mount Everest, you can’t climb on me just because I’m here.”
Reid gave him a crooked grin.
“Are you sure about that?”
“You got a point…. Forget that. Mount me.”
“No, you said I can’t, especially in the morning.”
“Forget that, I was half asleep.”
“And I don’t have any oxygen tanks with me anyway.”
“You’re really taking the whole mounting thing all the way, aren’t you?”
“So you don’t know how to set up the base camp?”
“Can you stop the mountain climbing metaphors now?”
“No. Do you know how many people have lost their lives trying to conquer Mount Everest?”
“How many people have lost their patience trying to conquer you?”
“I’m not sure. They usually reach the halfway point before I even notice they are trying something.”
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Wednesday 06: 23
Motel room, Houston
“Hey, bro.”
“Morning.” Hotch groaned and took a sip from his coffee. “Why the hell are you calling me at six in the morning?”
“Because my three-legged alarm clock woke me up an hour ago.”
“You called me at six in the morning to tell me you had sex at five AM? I think I’ll hang up now.”
“No, I wasn’t calling to tell you that. I just needed a second opinion on something.”
“Okay. But make it short.”
“Well….” Sean paused. “What the hell is that noise?”
“I’m rooming with Dave.”
“He sounds like a chainsaw.”
“You should have heard him before that tonsil operation…”
“Anyway, back to the point, Cain’s coming back soon.”
“Back from where?”
“He’s packing stuff to the car.” He let out a deep sight. “He wants to take me to some weird nature trip for two days.”
“Nature trip?”
“Yeah, someone he knows has a cabin in the woods.”
“That sounds nice.”
“Yeah, and he said he would handle the cooking so I don’t need to worry about that.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“Nothing. I mean…. I’m not sure. I didn’t even notice it for a while.”
“You didn’t notice what?”
“He’s getting….. mushy.”
“Mushy?”
“You know, feely kinda thing. Last week when I came home he had a dinner waiting for me. With candles.”
“I’m still waiting for the problem.”
“And he does the laundry and cleaning and nags me about my dirty socks and…. When did we start playing happy households?”
“I’m not following.”
“I feel like I should go get the mop and scrub seven dwarfs while a flock of cartoon birds circles around me.”
“Sean.”
“I know what you’re gonna say….”
“Sean, you knew exactly what kind of a guy Cain was when you two got involved. And as far as I can tell, you have nothing to complain about.”
“I’m not complaining, but I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with it.”
“Enjoy it.”
“That’s why I called you! How the hell do you do it?”
“Do what?”
“That whole domestic thing.”
“I don’t know.” Hotch took a minute to think. “I guess Chad and I are both in similar places. We’re past certain age and we enjoy same things. We both have a demanding job and odd hours. When we have time off we like to spend it together at home.”
“Yeah, that’s the part that really throws me.” Sean interrupted. “I thought the whole making-out under-a-blanket-on-the-couch-and watch-TV phase starts when the sex goes downhill.”
“Well, you were wrong.”
“I’ve noticed…. So what do I do?”
“Same thing you always do.”
“What?”
“Shut up and let him lead. Goodbye.” Hotch hung up and emptied his mug with one long gulp.
“New lead?” Rossi lifted his head from his pillow and tried to shake himself awake.
“No, Sean.”
“Is he still single?”
“No, why?”
“I could have tried to lure that Peterson woman far away from me.” He pulled his phone from the nightstand. “Three new messages from her, all supposedly work related.”
“Well, maybe she’s the lucky number one hundred and thirty-seven.”
“I haven’t been that busy. And I wouldn’t go after her if she was the last woman on earth.”
“Why not?” Hotch smirked. “Young and healthy, good lunge capacity.”
“Yeah, my ears are still ringing…. She would kill me in one week.”
There was a knock on the door. Hotch walked across the room and opened it.
“Morning.” Reid greeted. He didn’t try to walk in, he just fidgeted at the door. “I just wanted to let you know we might be late for the nine o’clock meeting at the station.”
“Why?”
“I need to take Morgan to the First Aid station for a check-up.”
“Is everything okay?”
“I think so. He conquered Mount Everest, but fell off the bed during his victory lap.”
Chapter 3