Against Protocol (Aaron Hotchner X Reader)

chapter three: mirror, mirror on the wall

Hours later, Prentiss came in. "We think he's grown a hatred for women through his mother who possibly left him through suicide."

You thought for a minute, looking back at the profile. "We should have Garcia look for recent suicides of females in their 60s and 70s, leaving behind only a son and enough property and wealth to woo, abduct, and kill these girls. With the geographical profile Reid composed, we could easily narrow it down his location."

"Reid, it looks like you have some brain power competition with Y/N here," Derek ribbed, putting Garcia on speaker phone.

"The fabulous Miss Penelope is working her magic, and . . . I found three possible matches in the county. One of them is on disability, and another is out of the country for work. Ethan Murphy is the third. I'm sending his address and his workplace."

You, Reid, and Hotch drove to his home while Prentiss, Derek, and Morgan headed to his workplace. You arrived at a suburban home that looked like all the other's on the block, with a white picket fence and a little garden gnome resting on the front porch.

How easy it was for monsters to blend in, you thought.

With your gun and flashlight leveled with your shoulder, you entered through the side of the house by yourself. The lights flickered, and you could hear the buzz of mosquitos surrounding you in the heat.

You saw Rhonda Charles sitting in the corner of the room, hidden in the dark and bound with rope and tape. The clean stream of tears were still wet on her face as her blood-shot eyes bored into yours with inconceivable fright.

"I'm an FBI agent. You're okay. Here, come with me," you assured, untying her with your eyes set on the door. You heard a gunshot coming from the upper levels of the house, and your heart race quickened.

With your arms wrapped around Rhonda protectively, you rushed out of the house as you dialed for an ambulance. Minutes later, Hotch and Reid came out of the house with Ethan Murphy in handcuffs. No visible gunshot wounds were seen.

"What happened?" you asked rushing to see if they were okay. The trembling worry in your voice was questioned by Reid with a raised brow. "I heard a gunshot," you explained.

"Scare tactic," Reid announced, clumsily tucking his gun back in his holster. "Hotch shot at the wall, shaking up his overly inflated confidence. It worked. He dropped like a coward."

You smiled, relieved.

As you walked back to the SUV, you turned to Hotch who had just finished alerting Prentiss on Ethan Murphy's capture.

Eagerly, you announced, "See, Rhonda came out alive. She's going to be fine, and the Charles family didn't have to waste any more tears. I told you our team could do it in time."

Hotch shook his head as Reid fervently listened, even quickening his pace to match Hotch's long strides.

Hotch stopped midwalk and turned to you with an intensely annoyed look plastered on his face. "What you did was still wrong. We have to follow protocol, even if it means receiving bad news," he started, staring right into your faltering eyes. "Not following protocol means you and I can lose our jobs. Understand?"

When you responded with silence and a downturned gaze, he emphasized, "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir." And you knew from the way his eyes glazed with your reflection that the protocol he was talking about wasn't about this case or the Charles family.

Back at the police station, you all gathered your things to head to the Phoenix Inn before your flight out tomorrow. The night had cooled the thermometer, but the heat was still unbearable.