[Criminal Minds] Light of day
Title: Light of day
Rating: G
Genre: Character study
Series: Moments in Time
Characters: Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner
Spoilers: 1x06 LDSK
Warnings: None beyond what's in the episode
Summary: Facing Dowd, Hotch had to play the odds.
Disclaimer: All characters are property of CBS, Jeff Davis, Edward Allen Bernero and sadly not mine. I just take them along for the ride. Special thanks to my dear friend Sarah for all her help and encouragement and being a great beta. Thanks to everyone who read and/or reviewed one of my others stories.
“Have a seat,” Aaron Hotchner was ordered at gun point by the UnSub. Complying like his younger colleague had moments ago, the agent sat down in the chair behind the ER’s station, but unlike Reid he did it slowly and more controlled.
He was pretty sure that the other profiler wasn’t just acting, that his level of fear was real. And Hotch couldn’t blame him. After all, it was the first time for the young man to be in situation like this, and the fact that he still was rather inexperienced in the field didn’t really help either.
Aaron wished that Dowd had entered just a minute later, and then Spencer would have been outside and in safety. Though knowing that he wasn’t to blame for Reid being in this dangerous situation, he could have chosen someone else of the team to accompany him to the ER, someone more experienced.
And yet, as bad as it sounded, the man’s rather open display of fear just might prove useful to Hotch’s plan for ending this before someone got killed or severely hurt.
The question now was how shaken was Reid?
The senior agent fought the urge to check on his colleague in the yellowish light provided by the back-up generator. From where he was sitting next to the kneeling man Hotch would be able to see him out of the corner of his eye but as much as he wanted to do that he knew he couldn’t afford to take his gaze, and with it his focus off of Dowd, however tiny the moment might be, even if the UnSub’s gaze wasn’t on him.
Like right now as the armed man asked, “Now, what kind of an FBI agent doesn’t carry a gun?”
Though Spencer hadn’t explicitly been addressed Hotch decided against cutting in and instead let his colleague answer. It provided a good opportunity for him to gauge Reid’s state of mind, hopefully showing how level-headed he still was being held at gun point, having been hit in the face with the butt of the gun earlier notwithstanding.
And, since Dowd was watching him like a hawk most of the time, probably his only chance at that.
“I’m a profiler,” the young agent answered in a voice that, even though it was subdued and low, didn’t waver nor did he stutter. A fact that Hotch was grateful for because it meant he could count on him.
Knowing this helped him overcome the last obstacle of his plan. Since the UnSub, while he had searched through Reid’s satchel, hadn’t thought to check the senior profiler for any more weapons, Hotch still had his back-up gun, hidden away in his ankle holster. But between Dowd watching his every move and the rifle being pointed at him at short distance there was no way he could reach for it unnoticed, no matter how fast he would do it. After having used it just days ago during coaching Spencer at the shooting range he was pretty certain that his colleague remembered its existence.
So now that he knew all the variables he could put his plan into action at the first chance that presented itself.
And none too soon since the UnSub turned his focus to Reid now. “Profiler? They sent you to figure me out,” Dowd said smugly, for the first time looking at the younger agent for longer than a second or two. Hotch noticed that Spencer didn’t make eye-contact until the very end of his answer. “We did. That’s how we found you.”
Before he could add anything else, Aaron interrupted in a low yet forceful voice, “Shut up, Reid.” Then for the first time he gave his colleague a quick but pointed look. The other man’s head briefly whirled around to him before averting his gaze again.
The older profiler hoped that Spencer had gotten the warning, as well as the clue to let his superior take the lead and instead remain appearing to be submissive, not that Hotch believed it took a large amount of acting.
“No, don’t shut up,” the criminal now replied and Aaron saw Reid’s head shoot up at that while Dowd continued in a challenging tone, “Tell me what you think you know about me.”
That was exactly what the agent in charge had hoped would not happen; the UnSub focused his attention fully on the other profiler. Up to this moment he was barely noticing Reid but now he felt threatened by the young man because in his mind no one was smarter than him, and certainly not a still-wet-behind-the-ears kid.
Thankfully the man in question seemed to have gotten the message as he kept quiet even though his head moved from side to side almost frantically before he lifted his gaze to look at his superior, helplessly.
Hotch knew he didn’t have a chance to establish even a shred of trust with the armed criminal no matter what he’d say. So he had to go for the next best thing; making himself appear to be just as ruthless and condescending as the UnSub was by showing off his dominance over his colleague.
That unfortunately meant belittling Reid though, probably taking the last bit of the man’s self-confidence left by the failed gun proficiency test in the process. So, ironically, in order to protect the genius from getting hurt by Dowd he had to hurt him in a different way.
It was a tough choice but Aaron had the fate of numerous lives in his hands, the ones of the agents included.
So keeping his eyes on the armed man he addressed Spencer in a voice that held no sympathy, “Go ahead genius.” He tilted his head down a bit, not enough to fully look at his colleague since he wanted to keep the UnSub in his peripheral vision to notice if the man made a sudden move. “Tell him, tell him. But remember, get it wrong,” he now gazed pointedly at Reid for a brief moment, “and he’s gonna kill you.”
Turning his head back again the older profiler caught the movements of his fellow agent’s head moving back and forth out of the corner of his eyes while Dowd clearly enjoyed instilling fear into the young man as he wiggled his eyebrows playfully and smiled, waiting for an answer.
“Okay,” the criminal said triumphant when Reid kept silent, satisfied to have proven his superior state.
Hotch knew his words had the desired effect when the armed man focused on him now instead. “You’re the boss. You tell me. Who am I? What’s my plan?”
The senior agent lowered his gaze for a few moments, enough for it to look submissive, as he answered in a low and controlled voice with just an appropriate hint of anger in it, “I know you shot eleven people in broad daylight and left us nothing, you executed a cop in front of the FBI and got away clean and I know your plan is to go down in a hail of bullets.”
Dowd smiled at the perceived praise. “What else do you know,” he asked. Aaron was very much aware that he had to choose what he’d say very carefully now. Because one wrong word, one wrong move, and it could all be over.
It was ironic really, just two days ago Hotch had told the young man about the power of a profile. Now he had a chance to prove it, way sooner than he’d thought or would have liked.
“I know you’re the smartest guy in every room you’ve ever been in, and no one‘s ever known it. People feel threatened by you and try to sabotage you every chance they get. You’re not a bad person.” He saw his words taking effect as Dowd lowered his gun and listened intently to him. “You helped save all your victims afterwards. First guy wasn’t your fault. If the EMTs had been there on time he would’ve lived.”
“Took those guys thirteen minutes,“ the UnSub confirmed angrily. “Thirteen!”
Just there and then Hotch was certain he had gotten through to him, had established some form of dialogue. The man didn’t fully see him as the enemy anymore, so now the agent could start passing along hidden messages to Reid in his answers to their opponent.
He didn’t know how much time he had before the police that surely was already waiting outside nearby would lose all patience and follow regulations to end this their way by storming the ER. So he had to act fast yet not rush it and make the UnSub suspicious.
“You want to barricade the door,“ Aaron advised, motioning with his head to said object at his right. It was a delicate balance of guiding Dowd without appearing to tell him what to do and thereby in his mind challenging him.
“What?” the criminal asked, clearly surprised at the suggestion as well as the seemingly change in behavior of the agent.
“Let me and the kid do it,” Hotch continued.
It was so easy to call Spencer a kid since he still looked just like that and right now it served to further make the youthful profiler appear to be anything but the fully trained and capable FBI agent that he was, and a damn smart one at that.
The senior agent had chosen to use this word for another reason as well, and he hoped fervently that Reid would remember Aaron’s answer to his questions a few cases ago as to why Gideon always introduced him with his academic title and thereby figuring out what his superior was planning.
Aaron was sorry for having to put such a burden and pressure on his colleague but he needed his help to end this, which hinged upon Spencer becoming aware of it by doing what he could best, analyzing the given facts, in this case, what Hotch’s subtle change in behavior and his actions, or lack thereof, were aiming for.
Dowd wasn’t gonna give up on his own, it would equal him getting defeated by a lesser person. And the senior agent didn’t know how much longer he could keep control of the situation without appearing to do just that. So he had to get his gun to Reid soon if they were to stand any chance and without knowing whether the young man would anticipate this move. He hated the fact that Reid would be the one having to take the shot if it came to that, especially after the failed test. But he had confidence in his colleague, without a doubt more than the genius had in himself right now.
Hotch had planted the first seeds. Now all he could do was hope that with his assistance this flower would see the light of day.
Rating: G
Genre: Character study
Series: Moments in Time
Characters: Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner
Spoilers: 1x06 LDSK
Warnings: None beyond what's in the episode
Summary: Facing Dowd, Hotch had to play the odds.
Disclaimer: All characters are property of CBS, Jeff Davis, Edward Allen Bernero and sadly not mine. I just take them along for the ride. Special thanks to my dear friend Sarah for all her help and encouragement and being a great beta. Thanks to everyone who read and/or reviewed one of my others stories.
“Have a seat,” Aaron Hotchner was ordered at gun point by the UnSub. Complying like his younger colleague had moments ago, the agent sat down in the chair behind the ER’s station, but unlike Reid he did it slowly and more controlled.
He was pretty sure that the other profiler wasn’t just acting, that his level of fear was real. And Hotch couldn’t blame him. After all, it was the first time for the young man to be in situation like this, and the fact that he still was rather inexperienced in the field didn’t really help either.
Aaron wished that Dowd had entered just a minute later, and then Spencer would have been outside and in safety. Though knowing that he wasn’t to blame for Reid being in this dangerous situation, he could have chosen someone else of the team to accompany him to the ER, someone more experienced.
And yet, as bad as it sounded, the man’s rather open display of fear just might prove useful to Hotch’s plan for ending this before someone got killed or severely hurt.
The question now was how shaken was Reid?
The senior agent fought the urge to check on his colleague in the yellowish light provided by the back-up generator. From where he was sitting next to the kneeling man Hotch would be able to see him out of the corner of his eye but as much as he wanted to do that he knew he couldn’t afford to take his gaze, and with it his focus off of Dowd, however tiny the moment might be, even if the UnSub’s gaze wasn’t on him.
Like right now as the armed man asked, “Now, what kind of an FBI agent doesn’t carry a gun?”
Though Spencer hadn’t explicitly been addressed Hotch decided against cutting in and instead let his colleague answer. It provided a good opportunity for him to gauge Reid’s state of mind, hopefully showing how level-headed he still was being held at gun point, having been hit in the face with the butt of the gun earlier notwithstanding.
And, since Dowd was watching him like a hawk most of the time, probably his only chance at that.
“I’m a profiler,” the young agent answered in a voice that, even though it was subdued and low, didn’t waver nor did he stutter. A fact that Hotch was grateful for because it meant he could count on him.
Knowing this helped him overcome the last obstacle of his plan. Since the UnSub, while he had searched through Reid’s satchel, hadn’t thought to check the senior profiler for any more weapons, Hotch still had his back-up gun, hidden away in his ankle holster. But between Dowd watching his every move and the rifle being pointed at him at short distance there was no way he could reach for it unnoticed, no matter how fast he would do it. After having used it just days ago during coaching Spencer at the shooting range he was pretty certain that his colleague remembered its existence.
So now that he knew all the variables he could put his plan into action at the first chance that presented itself.
And none too soon since the UnSub turned his focus to Reid now. “Profiler? They sent you to figure me out,” Dowd said smugly, for the first time looking at the younger agent for longer than a second or two. Hotch noticed that Spencer didn’t make eye-contact until the very end of his answer. “We did. That’s how we found you.”
Before he could add anything else, Aaron interrupted in a low yet forceful voice, “Shut up, Reid.” Then for the first time he gave his colleague a quick but pointed look. The other man’s head briefly whirled around to him before averting his gaze again.
The older profiler hoped that Spencer had gotten the warning, as well as the clue to let his superior take the lead and instead remain appearing to be submissive, not that Hotch believed it took a large amount of acting.
“No, don’t shut up,” the criminal now replied and Aaron saw Reid’s head shoot up at that while Dowd continued in a challenging tone, “Tell me what you think you know about me.”
That was exactly what the agent in charge had hoped would not happen; the UnSub focused his attention fully on the other profiler. Up to this moment he was barely noticing Reid but now he felt threatened by the young man because in his mind no one was smarter than him, and certainly not a still-wet-behind-the-ears kid.
Thankfully the man in question seemed to have gotten the message as he kept quiet even though his head moved from side to side almost frantically before he lifted his gaze to look at his superior, helplessly.
Hotch knew he didn’t have a chance to establish even a shred of trust with the armed criminal no matter what he’d say. So he had to go for the next best thing; making himself appear to be just as ruthless and condescending as the UnSub was by showing off his dominance over his colleague.
That unfortunately meant belittling Reid though, probably taking the last bit of the man’s self-confidence left by the failed gun proficiency test in the process. So, ironically, in order to protect the genius from getting hurt by Dowd he had to hurt him in a different way.
It was a tough choice but Aaron had the fate of numerous lives in his hands, the ones of the agents included.
So keeping his eyes on the armed man he addressed Spencer in a voice that held no sympathy, “Go ahead genius.” He tilted his head down a bit, not enough to fully look at his colleague since he wanted to keep the UnSub in his peripheral vision to notice if the man made a sudden move. “Tell him, tell him. But remember, get it wrong,” he now gazed pointedly at Reid for a brief moment, “and he’s gonna kill you.”
Turning his head back again the older profiler caught the movements of his fellow agent’s head moving back and forth out of the corner of his eyes while Dowd clearly enjoyed instilling fear into the young man as he wiggled his eyebrows playfully and smiled, waiting for an answer.
“Okay,” the criminal said triumphant when Reid kept silent, satisfied to have proven his superior state.
Hotch knew his words had the desired effect when the armed man focused on him now instead. “You’re the boss. You tell me. Who am I? What’s my plan?”
The senior agent lowered his gaze for a few moments, enough for it to look submissive, as he answered in a low and controlled voice with just an appropriate hint of anger in it, “I know you shot eleven people in broad daylight and left us nothing, you executed a cop in front of the FBI and got away clean and I know your plan is to go down in a hail of bullets.”
Dowd smiled at the perceived praise. “What else do you know,” he asked. Aaron was very much aware that he had to choose what he’d say very carefully now. Because one wrong word, one wrong move, and it could all be over.
It was ironic really, just two days ago Hotch had told the young man about the power of a profile. Now he had a chance to prove it, way sooner than he’d thought or would have liked.
“I know you’re the smartest guy in every room you’ve ever been in, and no one‘s ever known it. People feel threatened by you and try to sabotage you every chance they get. You’re not a bad person.” He saw his words taking effect as Dowd lowered his gun and listened intently to him. “You helped save all your victims afterwards. First guy wasn’t your fault. If the EMTs had been there on time he would’ve lived.”
“Took those guys thirteen minutes,“ the UnSub confirmed angrily. “Thirteen!”
Just there and then Hotch was certain he had gotten through to him, had established some form of dialogue. The man didn’t fully see him as the enemy anymore, so now the agent could start passing along hidden messages to Reid in his answers to their opponent.
He didn’t know how much time he had before the police that surely was already waiting outside nearby would lose all patience and follow regulations to end this their way by storming the ER. So he had to act fast yet not rush it and make the UnSub suspicious.
“You want to barricade the door,“ Aaron advised, motioning with his head to said object at his right. It was a delicate balance of guiding Dowd without appearing to tell him what to do and thereby in his mind challenging him.
“What?” the criminal asked, clearly surprised at the suggestion as well as the seemingly change in behavior of the agent.
“Let me and the kid do it,” Hotch continued.
It was so easy to call Spencer a kid since he still looked just like that and right now it served to further make the youthful profiler appear to be anything but the fully trained and capable FBI agent that he was, and a damn smart one at that.
The senior agent had chosen to use this word for another reason as well, and he hoped fervently that Reid would remember Aaron’s answer to his questions a few cases ago as to why Gideon always introduced him with his academic title and thereby figuring out what his superior was planning.
Aaron was sorry for having to put such a burden and pressure on his colleague but he needed his help to end this, which hinged upon Spencer becoming aware of it by doing what he could best, analyzing the given facts, in this case, what Hotch’s subtle change in behavior and his actions, or lack thereof, were aiming for.
Dowd wasn’t gonna give up on his own, it would equal him getting defeated by a lesser person. And the senior agent didn’t know how much longer he could keep control of the situation without appearing to do just that. So he had to get his gun to Reid soon if they were to stand any chance and without knowing whether the young man would anticipate this move. He hated the fact that Reid would be the one having to take the shot if it came to that, especially after the failed test. But he had confidence in his colleague, without a doubt more than the genius had in himself right now.
Hotch had planted the first seeds. Now all he could do was hope that with his assistance this flower would see the light of day.