Chapter Text
Aaron Hotchner suppressed his smile as he yet again anticipated the coming encounter with the local law enforcement. He strode into the sheriff’s office and greeted the man behind the desk, before introducing his contingent of the team.
“….and Agent DiNozzo from NCIS.”
He wondered briefly which of the three standard responses they would get this time.
“NCIS, never heard of them, who are they?”
Tony inwardly frowned as he explained, “NCIS police and protect the Navy and Marines and their dependants. But I am here as part of an exchange programme with the FBI, aimed at improving understanding and enhancing collaboration. Unfortunately, NCIS is a lot smaller than the FBI and whilst they could release a number of agents at one time, it was deemed too disruptive to do the same at NCIS due to the limited number of teams. So they got me this time around and the BAU drew the short straw.”
The sheriff then asked the inevitable next question.
“So you’re military?”
“No, we are a civilian agency, but a lot of our agents are former military and I was a cop.”
Tony shrugged as if that explained things and Hotch could see the sheriff adding two and two together to get six. DiNozzo was a master at stating the truth but getting people to assume something else. He never lied outright, just used words to create whichever impression he thought would do the most good. Anyone who dismissed him as ‘just a cop’ clearly could not see beyond the end of their nose, because only someone with exceptional profiling skills could walk into a room and know how to approach each of the different people in it. You could almost see the guy moving to stand by Tony’s side, defending the fellow cop against the bullying FBI, but Aaron knew that Tony would soon tweak that viewpoint to their advantage.
DiNozzo turned to the deputy standing behind him and asked, in a slightly plaintive tone, if there was any chance of getting some coffee, as if he hadn’t drunk a cup just before leaving the plane. The deputy was quick to show him to the break room and, as they left, it was possible to hear Tony confiding in the guy that he needed to be alert to keep up with ‘these profilers’. Aaron almost snorted at the way he was again implying that he was not one of them, when he fit the BAU so well. The deputy was lapping it up as Tony started talking about how amazing the team was and how lucky it was that Sheriff Dougherty had managed to persuade them to come. As the voices trailed away and the sheriff preened at his cleverness in achieving such a coup, it was almost possible to feel the tension and distrust in the building reduce.
JJ then asked Dougherty about the press and the man actually smiled at her as he replied.
Hatch had been worried about her return, as DiNozzo had become the point man for working with the locals from his first case with them and they had learned to give him his head. But the two of them had had a brief chat after a few teething problems on JJ’s first case back and then seemed to adapt seamlessly to each other’s style. JJ would be the open, up front, overtly polite liaison and Tony would somehow ease his way into the group they were working with and before you knew it he was digging up all sorts of hidden things, from the purely personal to that one cop whose sister-in-law was their killer. He appeared genial and shared secrets without actually giving away as much as people thought and they certainly reciprocated with much more genuine information. Much of the information was irrelevant and they were all happy to leave the locals to deal with any issues not pertinent to the case, but it was not always immediately obvious which snippets were relevant. Aaron appreciated having more information than necessary, because it was easier to weed out the valuable nuggets than wonder if you were missing vital pieces of the puzzle. It was also amusing to watch Tony as he extracted those nuggets with such apparent ease and then shared them with the team without upsetting his targets. Most of their cases lately had ended with thanks from the locals, but DiNozzo was often invited to stay and job offers and contact numbers coming out of his ears.
By the time Rossi and Morgan joined them the team was set up in a side room and a previously unseen deputy was passing Tony a coffee machine and a plastic bag.
“Ah, someone is making friends quickly,” said Rossi, “Is this a record?”
Spencer looked up, looked at his watch and frowned, “No, it’s seven minutes behind Wichita, but he, somehow, knew one of the ancillary staff there.”
They laughed and when Tony looked around at them Morgan shook his head sadly.
“Getting slow, man, you’re apparently seven minutes past your best.”
“Ah, but this is a proper machine and Deputy Timms had to get his daughter to fetch it, along with the best coffee the store can offer. Some of us appreciate the finer things in life, because we are the best, Wildcat.”
“Oh, Buckeye, you keep telling yourself that.”
Before the two could gear up for a verbal battle, mostly lighthearted but with a little competitive edge, the case took an unexpected turn and some of the team were off chasing a suspect.
Later that day Aaron heard Tony regaling some of the deputies with tales of the BAU’s exploits, all tinged with deprecating comments about his own contribution. He waited until the agent was busy filling the coffee machine before broaching the topics of his observations.
“I heard you talking to the previous shift about us and I must admit to a couple of concerns.”
Tony grinned at him, that smile that he used to disarm, and said, “Come on, Hotch, you guys are great and you don’t get told that often enough.”
“One, you are part of the team and deserve the praise just as much.”
“Temporarily and I just make friendly with the locals, talk about films and sports and get a little background information. Oh, and coffee.”
“What you are actually doing is so much more than that. You profile multiple people, know how to approach them and form a connection, so that you not only get the coffee, but know more about them than their mothers within hours of arriving.”
Hotch put his hand up to stop Tony from interrupting again.
“You contribute as much as anyone to the unsub’s profile, but also manage to get all but the most hardened sceptic on board with it and the way we suggest proceeding. It can be a battle sometimes to get the locals to work with us, but that has been much easier since you joined us.
It links into my second concern, which is you running yourself down……”
Again he stopped Tony interrupting.
“ I understand that you use it as a tool to aid in your integration into the local setup, but I am concerned at the frequency with which you opt for that approach over any other. We try not to profile other members of the team, but in the last couple of months I have been approached by three police officers, a ranger and two of the deputies here, all concerned about your status in the team and ready to take steps to ensure that you get the respect you deserve. I just wanted you to know that you are seen and valued by all of us, Tony, and that I am available should you ever wish to discuss the events which lead to your placement with us or anything else that bothers you.
In the meantime, I believe the coffee is ready and Reid will doubtless appear any second, looking for a refill.”
A month later
“….and Agent DiNozzo from NCIS.”
“NCIS, this doesn’t involve the Navy,” came on cue, this time somewhat antagonistically.
“I’m part of an exchange between the FBI and NCIS, because apparently I could be spared.”
The tone was mournful and Hotch decided that the expression that went with it reminded him of a schoolfriend’s basset hound and it had two of the female police officers almost cooing at the agent.
The coffee there was probably one of the best ever.
Six weeks later
“……..and Agent DiNozzo from NCIS”
“Is that the Navy cops? My cousin’s husband had a terrible time with them last year, some bully boy agent who kept him for hours before suddenly letting him go because they had picked up the wrong guy!”
“Oh, I am so sorry, that was an awful time. I haven’t been back there for a while as the Director decided to make me part of an exchange with the FBI, to improve relation between the two after the communication issues in that case.”
The sad eyes and pathetic attempt at a smile would have made Eeyore’s expression look positive radiant and the officer next to him actually patted Tony on the arm.
There were homemade cakes at that police station.