Rough Start - (2 Parts)

[matilda3948]

Just a little something. Could be a stand alone piece but I left it open so I could add more.

Disclaimer: I don't own C.M. and probably never will.

This was one of the few days when transferring to the Miami field office seemed to be an incredibly good idea. Sure, there were hurricanes, alligators, and oppressive summer heat but at least there wasn’t the bone-chilling damp and cutting wind of DC in February. It was the third day of sleet and temperatures in the 30’s. Hotch continued to daydream about a climate that didn’t require wool coats, scarves, and gloves when he pulled his car into the parking garage. It was early, still dark, and he was already craving his first cup of coffee. He stepped into the elevator and punched the button that would take him to the BAU’s level before setting down his briefcase and pulling off his gloves. The elevator was warm and the sudden change in temperature made Hotch’s nose begin to run. He unbuttoned his outer coat, reached into blazer pocket, and pulled out a handkerchief. He gave his nose a soft blow. This was his typical procedure every morning in the winter and, on particularly miserable mornings like this one, it put him in a foul mood. Then something happened which was definitely atypical. Hotch felt a sudden urge to sneeze. Almost as soon as the realization hit him, he sneezed a sharp Hahhkscheew! The elevator doors opened and Hotch stepped out into the BAU office. He went straight to the kitchen where he found Rossi staring at the coffee pot almost willing it to brew faster. He turned when he heard footsteps behind him.

“Good morning,” Rossi said.

“Morning,” Hotch said. “You’re in early.”

“What can I say? I live here.”

Hotch nodded in agreement and then reached into the upper cabinet to grab his coffee mug. Dave filled his cup and then Hotch’s and both men walked upstairs. As they neared the landing Hotch felt his nose begin to itch. With his briefcase in one hand and his coffee mug in the other, there was nothing he could do to get the itch to back off. He sniffed once and quickly realized that was a mistake. He hastily set his briefcase down on the floor and stifled a strong sneeze Hahhngxt!! He jerked forward enough to splash coffee down his other hand. He muttered a curse under his breath.

“Bless you.” Hotch had forgotten Dave was there until he spoke.

“Thanks,” he said sullenly. Rossi tried not to laugh as he watched his friend struggle. He doubled back and picked up the discarded briefcase and they both walked to Hotch’s office. Rossi followed Aaron into his office and put the briefcase down next to his desk. Hotch pulled out his handkerchief from earlier and cleaned the coffee off his hand. With that taken care of, he was finally able to shrug out of his coat and scarf. Dave watched his friend—obviously frustrated and perhaps a bit overtired.

“You okay?” Rossi asked.

“Fine,” Hotch replied. When Rossi gave him a skeptical glance, he amended, “Just off to a rough start this morning.” Dave nodded and said,

“Alright. I’ll be next door if you need anything.”

[silentdreamer789]

Love this! The sneezing was wonderful, obviously, but I also adored that first paragraph; I really felt Hotch's irritation. Nicely written.

Could be a stand alone piece but I left it open so I could add more.

More sneezy Hotch? Ummm...yes please.

[Zane]

OMG!!! a Hotch story? yay!!! I love Hotch! I so think you should continue this! thanks for writing this! by the way the sneezes were and I loved how irratated he sounded by the sneezes.

[katia]

Awesome awesome. Love this show, love this character, love this fic! Thanks

[matilda3948]

Thanks for the sweet comments! Now more story...

As soon as Dave left his office, Hotch sat down in his chair with a deep sigh. As he waited for his computer to boot up he rubbed the bridge of his nose. He could feel the faint start of a headache starting to settle between his eyes. That, combined with this morning’s sneezing and general poor mood, lead him to think he might be fighting a cold. HahhHGXT!! Fighting and losing, he thought as he stifled another sneeze. There was a box of tissues on the table next to the sofa which he usually kept for crying witnesses but he knew he was going to need them; Hotch grabbed the box and shoved it in his top desk drawer. He could hear the bullpen gradually filling up which meant he only had about an hour before he’d be required to interact with other human beings. He downed a couple asprin with a mouthful of coffee, pulled some tissues from the box in his desk and blew his nose, then closed his eyes for a moment and tried to focus on not taking his frustration out on his subordinates.

He managed to get about thirty minutes of work done before there was a knock on his door. “Come in,” he said. JJ came in with a couple files and said,

“Morning, sir. I’ve got two requests for our team.” She handed him one of the files. “The first is a serial arsonist in Pheonix. He had been targeting empty warehouses and vacant homes but last night he torched a daycare. It was empty but the police can’t get ahead of him. The second,” she said and handed over the other file, “is a suspected serial killer here in DC. Police have found three prostitutes in the last month with similar ligature marks around the necks all dumped in trash bins.”

“Why are we just hearing about these DC cases now?” he asked.

“Three different jurisdictions. Cops didn’t make the connection until this morning.”

As much as he craved the warmth of Arizona, Hotch knew the case in DC was more pressing. He’d made his decision and not a moment too soon. His nose had begun to itch and he knew he was going to sneeze any minute. He handed both files back to JJ and said,

“Let everybody know we’re staying here and working the DC case. Let’s have a…” he stopped abruptly when the urge to sneeze became nearly unbearable. If JJ noticed, she didn’t say anything. Hotch sniffed once and continued, “Let’s have a briefing in thirty.” She nodded and turned to go but he couldn’t hold out a moment longer. As soon as her back was to him he pinched his nose between his thumb and index finger and stifled a strong Hahhngxt! The second he let go of his nose he jerked forward with an unrestrained Ahhngscshhh!!

JJ had been willing to ignore the first one but she turned and walked back to his desk. “Bless you,” she said. Hotch nodded his thanks. “Here,” JJ said and pulled a few tissues out of her pants pocket and offered them to him. He gave her a questioning look and she shrugged. “I have a two year old. It’s a wonder I don’t carry a mop and a bucket with me everywhere.”

He didn’t smile but he looked slightly less severe. “Thank you,” he said and took the tissues from her. She turned to leave but stopped when she reached the door.

“You need anything before the briefing?” she asked.

“No. Thank you but I’m fine,” he said.

The team was waiting for him when he came into the conference room. As soon as he was seated, JJ began distributing the files and started pulling images up in the screen. The team brainstormed for a while but Hotch remained quiet. He knew he was going to have to sneeze again soon and was trying to hold off as long as possible so he sat at the table with his arms folded in what he hoped was a pensive gaze. As conversation began to dwindle, he cleared his throat and began handing out assignments.

“Okay, Morgan and Prentiss I want you two to revisit the last two dump sites. See if you can determine whether the victims were killed there or brought there later. Reid and Rossi talk to the detectives from the first homicide and coordinate…” He had to stop when the urge to sneeze came roaring back. He felt the gaze of his teammates settle on him before he sniffed and continued as though nothing had happened. “Coordinate with Garcia to see if the victims have anything else in common besides their occupation. JJ, I want you to come with me to the precinct that’s running point on the investigation so we can setup. We’ll meet up there in three hours.” With that, Hotch adjourned the meeting and made a beeline for his office. He dropped his file on his desk, opened the desk drawer where he’d hidden the tissues, and just managed to grab a handful before being taken over by the sneezes he’d been holding at bay. His eyes snapped shut and one hand held the tissues up to his nose while the other held onto the side of the desk to hold him steady as his breath caught. Hahhngschshhh!! Hahhngshhhh!! Hahh…hahh…HAHHgtcheew!! Hahhnxtshheew!! He sighed.

“Bless you!”

Hotch spun around. He hadn’t realized JJ had followed him upstairs and had just witnessed the thing he’d been trying so desperately to avoid.

“Thank you,” he said and noted how thick his voice sounded. He desperately needed to blow his nose but settled for sniffing a few times until he was alone. He noticed JJ had begun to chew the inside of her bottom lip—something she only did when she was nervous. Had he not been the cause of her concern he’d have found it amusing. She seemed to be debating whether or not to ask Hotch something. Finally, she said,

“You know, I could make a couple of phone calls and see if I could have the BAU office named as central command for this case. Just because we usually work out of the local precinct doesn’t mean we have to; that’s more of a courtesy we show to local PD. It would let you…” she seemed to rethink her comment. “It would let us stay a little closer to home for this case.”

“Thank you JJ but I’m fine. There’s no need to create bad blood with the local police by making them come up here every time we need to hold a briefing with their staff,” he said. She frowned but deferred to his opinion.

“Okay, well I’m just going to grab my coat and I’ll meet you downstairs whenever you’re ready to head out.”

[silentdreamer789]

Oh wow. I adore this. Sick Hotch, all sneezy and trying to hide it, and concerned JJ - brilliant! I'd love to see more...

[ID2006]

You have me hooked.