Fic: Fonder In Absence, Chapter 4 (Criminal Minds, Reid / Morgan, Hotch / Chad, Sean / Cain, Garcia)
Title: Fonder In Absence, Chapter 4
Pair: Spencer Reid / Derek Morgan,
Aaron Hotchner / Chad Christensen,
Sean Hotchner / Cain Christensen
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine, etc
Feedback: Always Welcome.
Criminal Minds Main List
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3
Hotch was about to open the front door and walk in when he heard a steady thumping of sneakers against the asphalt turning into the driveway. He turned around just in time to see Chad slowing down his pace to a brisk walk, dressed in his workout clothes and soaking wet with sweat.
“Welcome back. Did you try to call me?” He came up the stairs and planted a quick kiss on Hotch`s lips. “I left my phone home when I left for a run.”
“I left you a message-” Hotch stopped mid-sentence and left his go-bag on the floor in the foyer. “I forgot to call him… Have you heard from Sean or Cain?”
“Not for few days. Why?”
“Sean called me yesterday, and I was going to call him later after we land. I forgot all about it.”
“Was there something going on?”
“I don’t know. He would have called against if something was wrong.”
“Yeah.” Chad peeled off his shirt. “I’m gonna hit the shower. You coming?”
“I really should unpack first-”
“You always say that, and I always change your mind.”
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“Tomorrow, tomorrow, I’ll love you tomorrow… and maybe today if you`re lucky!” Garcia sung off-key and wiggled her way to the bullpen. She took a look around to make sure the room was empty, then rolled up the hem of her dress and came down the stairs.
“New work outfit?” Morgan asked and wiggled his eyebrows. Garcia yelped and lost her balance, falling on her butt at the bottom of the stairs.
“Ouch! Morgan!”
“Sorry, I thought you saw me.” He offered his hand and pulled her up.
“Through the partition screen? I’m so damn good at what I do that I can almost walk on water, but I can’t see through those things!”
“I said I’m sorry.” He shrugged. “Where are you going dressed like that? And didn’t you have another outfit on when we came back from the case?”
“Kevin’s taking me to a dinner at his parent’s place, and I had this in my bag.” Garcia took a minute to straighten out her dress. “This thing is so tight that I can’t walk the stairs in this without flashing my knickers.”
“Lace trimmed?”
“Always. The hem always hikes up when I move, but this dress was the only one that was good for both his mom and dad. His mom expects decent girls to wear skirts that cover their knees and his dad loves to ogle my puppies.” She gave her generous cleavage a quick check. “But I gotta admit the twins are looking great tonight… They’ve been doing undercover work for a while and now is their time to shine.”
“You could have worn something else to work.”
“What’s the point if I just spend the day in my chamber? Why show off the goodies if there’s no one to watch?”
“I got a similar problem.”
“You don’t have boobs-”
“I mean why go home when there’s no one there? Even Clooney’s with my neighbour, so I’ve been killing time here.”
“Killing time how?”
“Mainly punching the bag at the gym. I’m the only one left, everyone else left ages ago.”
“Can’t you punch a bag at your place?”
“I could, but the whole place is depressing. No one babbles and no one makes a puddle on the living room carpet.”
“I gotta ask-”
“I was talking about Reid and Clooney, in that order.”
“Okie dokie…” Garcia tried to fluff her hair back to life and Morgan’s eyes slipped south.
“Baby girl?”
“What?”
“You know you got a great pair of boobs.”
“I know, and they’re all natural.”
“But if you’re gonna meet Kevin’s parents-”
“It’s not like it’s the first time.”
“But they are his parent. Maybe it would look better you’d tuck them back in.”
Garcia glanced down and let out a frustrated sigh.
“I hate this dress… If I zip it all the way, the front pops out, and if I tuck the twins in the zipper gives up. Hold this for me, SugarShag.” She shoved her back to Morgan’s hands and opened it. “I had a scarf somewhere… here.” She pulled out a bright orange scarf and wrapped it around her arms like a shawl. “Less of two evils. I can cover a bare back and an open zipper, but if I show up with my peaks hanging out, I’ll hear about it all the way from here to eternity.”
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Sean’s back was protesting his twisted position against the backrest of the couch, but he was too distraught to notice. He clicked the remote once more and an imagine appeared on the TV screen. He had tried to watch the DVD countless times, but every time he had shut it down after few minutes. Sean’s vague memories of the night at Robert’s house had been torn down, replaced with a crisp sharp image and the clarity made his stomach ache with heavy nausea.
The images of men and few woman occupying the large room, sprawling across large couches and ignoring the camera recording the night played in Sean`s mind over and over again. For the first few minutes of the film, the cameraman had walked back and forth across the room, moving from one naked body to the next. Once he reached Sean, the cameraman seemed to have been fixed on him, capturing every little move and every moan. The camera slid across his bare skin, caressing and admiring him and somehow that made the film seem more intimate than it should. Sean could see himself on the screen, but it seemed to be a different person. The camera zoomed up close, filling the screen with a close-up of his face and Sean had to look. He saw himself, flushed and obviously intoxicated, but the hollow expression on his face made him freeze the film so he could really look at himself. The man on the screen was wanton, willing and waiting for whoever wanted to play with him, but his eyes looked glazed. Sean stared at himself, but he couldn’t see anyone behind the wide eyes.
The sound of his cellphone ringing startled him and he pushed the feel of nausea out of his mind. He picked up the phone and snapped it open.
“Hello.”
“Are you having a nice evening?”
“How did you get my number?”
“They’re so easy to get these days.” The low voice chuckled. “Are you watching my movie? I am.”
“No, I’m not.”
“You should. Or maybe you’re saving yourself for tomorrow.”
“No, and I`m not coming.”
“Don’t try bluffing with me. What otehr choices do you have? You’re not gonna tell Christensen about your hobbies yourself.”
“That whole thing was before we were together-”
“No smoke without fire… I’ve got some details about him from Darla. He’s been burned before. Do you think he would keep you if he found out what kind of a slut he’s dealing with?”
“He knows I’ve made some stupid things-”
“I bet he does, but seeing it with your own eyes… That would be a lot to digest, but even more for someone, who’s been disappointed before.”
Sean’s fingers curled around the phone, squeezing it to keep himself from screaming at the man in the other end of the line.
“Come to me and we’ll settle this once and for all. One night and we’re even.” The same dry chuckle echoed through the line. “And don’t worry, this time it will be just us.”
“You can’t do this.” Sean rasped out. “You just can’t.”
“I’m not doing anything against your will. I’m giving you a chance to keep your prince charming. Come to my house at eight and be a good boy, and it will all go away.”
Sean hung up and shoved the phone under the couch cushions. He ran his hands though his hair and tried to think coherently, but all his thoughts were entangled into one chaotic mess. On the TV screen another version of him was bent over a glass-covered table, while an unknown man took his turn.
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“Maybe I should call him.” Hotch tied the belt of his bathrobe and walked into the bedroom. “But he would have called me again if-”
“Babe.” Chad interrupted and continued buttoning up his dress shirt. “Sean’s a grown man. At least he should be, and he doesn’t need a big brother watching over his shoulder. If he needs something, he’ll call, but if something’s going on, it’s better if he handles it himself. No one can rely on other people all the time.”
“I guess you’re right, but... He’s Sean. He’s not like me, or you or Cain, he’s-”
“He’s not helpless. And if he runs into something he can’t deal with himself, he’s got people who are willing to help.” Chad ran his fingers through his damp curls and pushed them back from his forehead. “You can’t treat him like a helpless little kid his whole life.”
“You think I’m overreacting.” Hotch nodded with a small smile. “We could ask him here over the weekend and Cain too. Have a barbeque and make sure they’re alright.”
“Good plan.” Chad agreed. “Get dressed, I got us a reservation for seven fifteen.”
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“Bad doggie. Really bad doggie.” Morgan repeated as he guided Clooney into the house. “You’re only with them when daddy and Spencer are working, you live here. If you try to escape one more time, daddy will not give you any treats for a week.”
Clooney gave him a smug glare and headed into the living room, leaving him to unpack his go-bag alone. At the bottom of the bag, his phone was blinking a red light and the screen announced once new message. Morgan tapped few keys to start the message and sat down on the stairs to listen.
“Hey, it’s me.” Reid’s voice greeted. “I guess you’re busy, or you forgot your phone to your bag once again… Just wanted to say hey. I’m gonna go to bed now, so I’ll call you again tomorrow. Good night.”
"Good night."
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The living room was almost dark. Sean hadn’t bothered to put the lights on, and shutting off the television had taken away the small amount of illumination coming form the screen. He had no idea how long he had sat in the dark before his phone beeped.
He fished out the phone from between the cushions and opened the message. It was a picture, but that was all he could tell. In one corner there was something that looked like an arm and on the other side something that looked vaguely like the back of someone’s head. The phone started ringing and Sean checked the caller ID. Once he saw the callers name a small shiver of relief went through him.
“Hello?”
“Hey, princess.”
“I hate it when you call me that.”
“And I love the look on your face when I call you that.” Cain chuckled. “Did you get my picture?”
“Yeah… What the hell was it?”
“That political rally I was supposed to write about? Some animal activist group was going to protest outside.”
“What does that have to do with that picture?”
“They weren’t the only ones protesting, some vegetarian group wanted to protest against cruel treatment of animals in food industry. They had some words and it turned into a massive group fight. Knifes, smoke bombs, pepper spray, some of those people came prepared for everything. Or maybe they just joined the protestors so they could reap some havoc. The rally people actually got to have their thing in peace after police collected all the protestors into lock-up.”
“You were in a fight? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, and I got a good story. And some good pictures, I just thought that one was funny. I called the editor and he even wanted a follow-up tomorrow, when the cops start letting people out. The background, their agenda and that kinda stuff.”
“But you weren’t hurt?”
“No, I’m fine. It was a bit like old times, except without the firearms and car bombs and-”
“Don’t talk about that.”
“Sorry, but after that I can’t really take some messed up kids too seriously.” Cain cleared his throat. “What did you do with your day off?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?” Cain repeated. “Did you break something?”
“No.”
“Did you do something you shouldn’t have?”
“What do you mean?” Sean’s voice sunk, but he got the words out loud enough to be audible.
“I know what you sound like when you got something to hide.”
“No, I…” Sean sighed. The words were crawling up his throat, trying to come out and take the risk. He swallowed heavily and decided to take the safe route. “…wish you were here.”
“Sean…” Cain almost growled. “Something’s not right, I can hear it.”
“I… I just got some stuff to handle. I’ll take care of it.”
“What kinda stuff?”
“Nothing important… It’ll be history before you get back.” Sean tilted his head back, resting it against the wall. He had to blink to keep tears away from his eyes, but there was nothing he could do about his shaky voice. “Nothing you need to worry about.”
“I do worry, and especially when you sound like that.”
“When you come back, it’s gone.” Sean whimpered and his throat seemed to close up to keep down all the words he could say. His tears were refusing to follow orders anymore and they rolled down his face. “It’ll be gone.”
He let go of the phone and buried his face into the cushions. The last pieces of his façade crumbled down and he pounded the couch under him with his fists, screaming his voice hoarse.
Chapter 5