This was an unplanned story, but it's Halloween (my favorite holiday ever!), and they reran the episode 'Devil's Night' last week. The result? This little candy corn kernel planted itself in my head and would not be ignored.
Please forgive my lack of knowledge about superheroes. I don't read the comic books, I only watch the movies, so I've based my descriptions on what I've seen in the movies.
I own nothing, it's just for fun. Enjoy!
P.S. I think a phantasmagoria actually sounds pretty freaking awesome!
Superheroes
Hotch: Whoa, that is definitely not Spider-Man.
Jack: He's not a real superhero...
Hotch: He's not? Okay, I give up, who are you supposed to be?
Jack: I'm you, Daddy.
- Season Six, Episode Six 'Devil's Night'
Another day, another case, another plane ride. The only thing that changed was the destination.
Aaron Hotchner knew the team should be discussing the case, but they had gone over preliminary information back in Quantico, and he didn't mind giving them some time to relax for a little while and play cards. After all, it was a long flight, and there would be plenty of time to discuss as they got closer to the location of the latest series of murders.
As he sat there, he pulled out his cell phone and looked at the picture he had snapped of Jack on Halloween night. The sight of his son in a suit and tie made him smile, and the memory of being called a real superhero made a feeling of warmth spread within him.
Rossi came up behind him holding a cup of coffee and looked over his shoulder. "Jack looks all dressed up," he said. "What was the occasion?"
Hotch glanced up before looking back at the screen. "No occasion. This was his Halloween costume."
Rossi walked past and took the seat across from him. "I thought you told me he was going as Spider-Man."
Shaking his head, Hotch said "That's what he said he wanted to be, but when he came out in the suit, he said that Spider-Man wasn't a real superhero."
"What did he decide to go as?" Rossi asked.
Hotch laughed lightly. "He said he wanted to be a real superhero, and when I asked him who he was, he said he was me."
Rossi couldn't help but smile. He reached out and took the phone out of Hotch's hand so that he could get a better look.
All of a sudden, an arm reached over the seat and grabbed the phone out of his hand. Both men looked up to see Morgan standing behind Rossi. They didn't notice that the rest of the team had stopped playing and were now focused on them.
"Is this Jack's Halloween costume?" Morgan asked. Hotch nodded. "Who's he supposed to be?"
Before Hotch could answer, Rossi said, "Isn't it obvious? He wanted to be a real superhero, so he dressed up as his dad."
Morgan gestured for the rest of the team to join him and the two older agents. He passed the phone around so that everyone could see. "So sweet!" Prentiss exclaimed as Morgan explained who Jack was dressed up as.
Smirking, Morgan handed the phone back to Hotch. "You do have kind of a 'Clark Kent' thing going on." As Hotch raised his eyebrows, Morgan elaborated. "You know, all buttoned up in a suit, seemingly mild mannered, but then you go out hunting down bad guys and fighting for truth, justice, and the American way!"
The team laughed. "Well," Hotch began, "if I'm Clark Kent, you'd be The Incredible Hulk."
Rossi had been taking a sip of coffee, but he almost choked on it, not expecting Hotch to take the conversation in that direction.
"Because we wouldn't like him when he's angry?" Prentiss asked, her eyes sparkling.
Morgan opened his mouth to respond when Reid broke into the conversation. "I don't see Morgan as The Incredible Hulk," he said.
"Thank you," Morgan replied, patting Reid on the shoulder.
"The Incredible Hulk started out as a scientist, and you're not that scientifically minded," Reid continued, smiling and ducking his head to avoid the swat Morgan aimed at the back of it. "If Morgan were a superhero, I think he'd be Wolverine."
Morgan shrugged before allowing a smile to creep across his face. "Wolverine. I could live with that!"
"I can see it," Prentiss said. "What about me? If I was a superhero, who would I be?"
The rest of the team looked at each other before looking back at Prentiss. "Wonder Woman," they all said at the same time.
She shook her head, laughing. "How did I know you were going to say that?"
"What about me?" Rossi asked, getting into the spirit of things.
Each team member thought about it for a moment. Reid was the first one to come up with an answer. "I think you'd be Bruce Wayne." This prompted another chorus of laughter before he tried to defend his choice. "Think about it, guys! Bruce Wayne was a rich playboy, he was super smart, and he took down bad guys."
Prentiss nodded at Rossi. "You've definitely got the rich playboy thing down. I mean, you've got enough money to afford all those fancy gadgets. Plus, you've had how many wives?" she asked with a grin.
"And you are super smart," Morgan picked up where Prentiss left off. "On top of that, you're pretty relentless when you're after someone. You followed a case for 20 years, and after all that time, you were able to solve it."
"I have to agree, Dave," Hotch said.
All heads suddenly turned to look at Reid. "What?" he asked when he noticed everyone's attention was on him.
"We still have to figure out which superhero you'd be, man," Morgan said.
Reid shook his head. "I think you'll be trying to figure that one out for a long time. I don't think I'm like any superhero."
"Don't sell yourself short, Reid," Prentiss said. She reached over and put her hand over his heart. "There's a superhero inside there." Reid blushed and looked down as everyone tried to decide which superhero he would be.
After a moment of silence, Morgan looked over at Reid and said "I have it."
"Let's hear it," Rossi prompted.
Morgan said, "Captain America!"
Reid started shaking his head, and Prentiss raised her eyebrows questioningly. "How do you figure?"
Morgan looked around at the group before focusing back on Reid. "Well, Captain America started out as this scrawny kid who hated bullies and just wanted to protect people. Then he became this tough guy who did whatever it took to fight for what was right. Who does that sound like?"
Everyone nodded, slowly warming to the idea.
"And then," Morgan went on, "you have to take into account that you've faced torture, being infected by anthrax, and getting shot, and you've survived all of that. You do seem to have more lives than a cat." He good-naturedly bumped his shoulder against Reid's.
"I think it's a pretty good fit," Hotch said.
"Agreed," both Emily and Rossi joined in.
Reid's face was now a bright pink, but nevertheless, he looked pleased.
Morgan clapped Prentiss and Reid on the shoulders. "Enough of that now. How about one more game before we go over the case file?" They both nodded, and all three headed back to their seats.
Hotch and Rossi looked on proudly as the others settled down again. Rossi turned to Hotch and said, "How about that? Our own team of superheroes."
Looking down at the picture on his phone, Hotch said "I always knew they were."
The End
I hope you all enjoyed! Please read and review, and remember to have a very happy and safe Halloween!