68. Battle of Wills

*In Acornville*

 

*Almost as soon as I receive the news that I’m going to be sharing a room with Aaron Hotchner, we retire to the hotel. I get to the room first, thank God, and I choose the bed by the window, in case I have to jump out or something. After I change into my pajamas -- with Hotch still a no show at this point -- I sit on the bed with my legs crossed and my head bent over the case file. Mayisha is not the UnSub, I’m sure of it. But if it’s not her, then who is it? Who of our friends fit’s the Profile that I’ve put together in my head? Serial Killer tendencies, violence, troubled as a teen, dark, likes to read violent books. Often discusses things that other people would think strange*

 

*Finally, Hotch comes in. He shuts the door behind him and sees me on the bed, but says nothing. He pauses for a moment when he hears the music from my iPod, “Take Me Out” by Franz Ferdinand, and then undoes his tie and sits down on the bed*

 

Me: You know the song?

 

Hotchner: Actually, yes. Haley was a fan of Franz Ferdinand.

 

Me: Really? Never pictured that. *turns off the iPod*

 

Hotchner: Are we still not on speaking terms?

 

Me: Who ever said we weren’t in the first place?

 

Hotchner: You haven’t said a word to me since you left this afternoon.

 

Me: I was angry. I said some things I didn’t mean.

 

Hotchner: I’m your Unit Chief, and you should listen to me more often.

 

Me: Fine.

 

Hotchner: It was wrong of you to leave like that and start up your own investigation.

 

Me: See, that I DON’T regret. Mayisha is NOT our UnSub. Just because Gideon says something--

 

Hotchner: You’re just too blind to see it.

 

Me: *is angry* How so?

 

Hotchner: Serial Killer tendencies. Tends to talk about things that other people find weird or frightening.

 

Me: …That’s from my Profile.

 

Hotchner: That you neglected to share with the rest of the team.

 

Me: It was MY Profile.

 

Hotchner: We’re a group. We work together.

 

Me: Half of the group believed something that the other half refused to believe.

 

Hotchner: You didn’t even share your own personal profile with Reid nor Jocelyn.

 

Me: It’s MY personal Profile.

 

Hotchner: You know, you remind me of someone. David Rossi. He kept to himself a lot, didn’t share his work with anyone really, and he got very defensive when you asked him about it.

 

Me: Go to hell, Agent Hotchner.

 

*Silence*

 

Hotchner: You know, you’re just a shot away from leaving the team.

 

Me: You know what? *whirls around* I don’t care. Go ahead, kick me off the team. I don’t flipping care anymore!

 

Hotchner: *stares* This isn’t you.

 

Me: Oh yeah? What isn’t me? You’ve barely known me for four or five weeks, Agent Hotchner.

 

Hotchner: I understand you’re trying to prove your friend innocent, but this is going WAY too far.

 

Me: These are my FRIENDS dying, Hotchner. Do you understand the world FRIEND?

 

Hotchner: I understand that--

 

Me: No, you don’t understand anything. Why do you even bother?

 

Hotchner: Bother with what?

 

Me: Talking to me. You don’t get me at all, apparently.

 

Hotchner: You’re pushing yourself too hard.

 

Me: No, I’m just questioning you. And no one’s ever done that before, have they?

 

Hotchner: They’ve done that plenty of times. You’re definitely not the first.

 

Me: What happened to the others?

 

Hotchner: They eventually left.

 

Me: Exactly.

 

Hotchner: *stutters* Fine. I’ll give you a few minutes to cool off. *goes into the bathroom, presumably to change*

 

Me: *throws down the case file* Cocky b*****d. He thinks he knows EVERYTHING about me, doesn’t he? He thinks he’s just the king of everything, telling me what to do. No one tells me what to do. NO ONE. He thinks--

 

*I stop. There’s a sound by the window. I shake my head and stand up, looking out the window. There’s nothing. Suddenly, there’s a creak behind me and I turn around. There’s a person standing there, all in black and a mask! Before I can shriek, they grab me and put a hand over my mouth*

 

Man: I’m your UnSub, damn you.

 

Me: Oh God. You’re--

 

UnSub: *holds knife at my throat* DON’T say my name.

 

Me: I can scream right now. My Unit Chief is in that bathroom. If I scream, he’ll come running out a shoot you. Believe me, he has a gun on him at all times. He even has a gun in his sock.

 

UnSub: You sound so relaxed, even for someone with a knife at their throat.

 

Me: I know who you are. So I don’t have be not relaxed.

 

UnSub: I’m going to kill you right now. How do you feel about that?

 

Me: Good. Because then the team will realize it’s not Mayisha.

 

UnSub: *laughs* They think it’s Mayisha Khan? What dummies.

 

Me: That’s what I said.

 

UnSub: *cuts a bit closer, forming a line of blood at my throat* Shut. Up.

 

Me: *laughs weakly* Please, kill me. I want to prove Mayisha innocent.

 

UnSub: I will. I will cut your neck.

 

Me: Do it. *pauses* Or are you too scared?

 

UnSub: I slaughtered Ella Caron, Sheyla Light, and Tori Elric. I murdered Sydney Tenant in a public place, when the three of you were standing right there. I threatened Elizabeth not to tell you who I was if you came looking or else I would kill her and burn down her house, with any reminisces of her and of Ella.

 

Me: But you can’t kill me.

 

UnSub: And why do you think that?

 

Me: Because I was your friend, even though you didn’t want me to be.

 

UnSub: You weren’t my friend.

 

Me: Wasn’t I?

 

UnSub: I’m doing this all because of Jocelyn.

 

Me: That’s right. You had a crush on her, didn’t you? One of Jocelyn’s many suitors.

 

UnSub: She hurt me more than any bomb could have.

 

Me: And now you’re taking revenge. You’re pitiful.

 

UnSub: I’m not afraid of you, Olivia.

 

Me: That’s what they all say in the beginning.

 

*Suddenly, Hotch freaking CRASHES through the bathroom door, with his gun in his hand. The UnSub drops the knife and jumps out the window, breaking the glass. I drop to the floor, holding the knife in my hand. Hotch runs to the window, looking out, and not seeing the UnSub anywhere. After he’s satisfied he went SPLAT!, he runs to me and helps me up onto the bed. From there, he holds me against his chest while I cry against him*

 

Me: He’s not dead.

 

Hotchner: No one can survive that fall.

 

Me: He was expecting you. He saved himself. I know him.

 

Hotchner: That wasn’t Mayisha.

 

Me: See?

 

Hotchner: …You know who he is, though?

 

Me: Yes.

 

Hotchner: I’ll get the team together, and we can tell them together. *starts to get up*

 

Me: H-hold on.

 

Hotchner: *settles down again* What?

 

Me: I’m s-sorry. I’m so sorry.

 

Hotchner: It’s all right.

 

Me: I… I love you, Aaron.

 

Hotchner: *is surprised* You don’t mean that.

 

Me: I do. I really do.

 

Hotchner: *holds my head to his chest before I can kiss him* It’s going to be okay.

Author's Note

HOTCH COMPAIRED ME TO ROSSI. HOW DARE HE.
Do I really mean "I love you"? Or am I just delirious? Heh, you'll have to see.
The pieces are all in place. I know who the killer is. Do you? Take a guess. Jocelyn, shush, I know you already know.

Reviews

[Roxi L]

Chrisss or Jackkkkk

[Aurora Lynn]

THIS WAS A BEAUTIFUL CHAPTER. I LOVED LOVED LOVED IT. IS THAT BAD?