Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Bang!

Hotch woke with a start at the sudden noise. He quickly jumped to his feet and had his gun out of its locked safe in an instant. Someone was downstairs. Someone was in their house at 3 am.

He moved quickly, keeping his gun to the floor as he did the classic FBI run down the stair. He glanced down the hall, seeing that Spencer’s door was still closed. Good. At least he was safe and sound in his room. 

Hotch continued making his way towards the source of the sound. 

He finally reached the corner before rounding it quickly, expecting to be face to face with whatever intruder was stupid enough to break in. But he found nothing at his eye line. He brought his head down slightly and was met with the sight of Spencer Reid-Hotchner covered from head to toe in some sort of batter. There was a metal bowl laying on the floor beside him which must have been the source of the bang. 

“Spencer.” Hotch sighed, half from relief and half from exasperation of this kid that had managed to take another 5 years off his life. He quickly took the bullet out of his gun before tucking the gun empty gun into the waist bang of his pajama pants. “What on earth are you doing.” 

“Happy birthday?” Spencer said timidly. He brought his small hands to his face to wipe the batter from his eyes. 

“How…how did you know it was my birthday?” Aaron asked, not more confused than anything else. If he was honest, he had forgotten it was today altogether. He never celebrated his birthday. It just had never been a big deal to him. 

“Rossi told me.” 

“Of course he did.” Hotch muttered. “And…what exactly were you attempting to make at 3 am.” 

“I was trying to make pancakes.” Spencer said. It was impossible to tell under the batter but Hotch knew he was blushing. Spencer didn’t like making mistakes. He could be a bit of a perfectionist. Hotch always tried to tell him it was more than okay to be imperfect but Spencer didn’t always believe him. “Sorry.” 

“It’s okay kiddo.” Hotch chuckled. He grabbed a towel off the counter before going and kneeling down in front of the boy. “I appreciate the thought.” He said, cleaning off the mess on Spencer’s face. 

“You always make me pancakes so I wanted to make them for you.” Spencer said bashfully. “It looks easier when you do it.” 

“Well, it helps that I’m tall enough to reach the counter.” Hotch smiled. He looked over and saw there was a stool on its side. That must have been the source of the fall. “Are you alright.” 

“’m fine. Hit my elbow a bit.” Spencer said, holding up the limb. 

“Do you need the hospital? Doctor? Should I call a swat team?” Hotch asked, succeeding in getting a giggle out of the boy. 

“No! I’m okay.” Spence smiled. “’m sorry I made a mess.” 

“It’s alright buddy. Why don’t you head up to the shower and get yourself clean and I’ll clean down here okay?” 

“But I wanted to do something special for you.” Spencer said sadly. 

“How about we stop for breakfast somewhere on the way to school?” Hotch suggested. 

“Okay!” Spencer smiled, seeming satisfied with this solution. “Happy birthday dad!” He called before running up the stairs and leaving an unfortunate trail of batter in his wake. 

“Thanks Spencer.” Hotch replied before grabbing a mop and getting to work. 

---

“Are you sure you don’t want pancakes?” Spencer cocked his head to the side after the waiter left with their orders. “Pancakes are better than pinich.” 

“Spinach.” Hotch corrected. He’d noticed Spencer had been having a bit of a difficult time with some sounds in words. Maybe he should look into speech therapy. “And I’m sure.” 

“They can add a smiley face to the pancakes.” Spencer pleaded his case. 

“I like spinach omelets Spence.” Hotch chuckled. 

“I don’t.” Spencer scrunched his nose. 

“I am well aware of your likes and dislike.” Hotch said, thinking back to all the meals Spencer had refused to eat. Spencer was a natural people pleaser but once he got comfortable with Hotch, he’d had no trouble point black refusing to eat carrots or his latest dislike, bananas.  

“It’s okay. You can have some of my smiley face pancake.” 

“Thank you.” Hotch agreed, deciding it was easier than explaining to the sugar-crazed child that he preferred a simple savory thing to an overload of sugar. 

“I got you a present.” Spencer said, voice turning a bit shy. 

“Really?” Hotch was surprised. Spencer didn’t have any money, nor did he have anywhere to go to buy anything. 

“Yup!” Spencer nodded as he shyly pulled a folded piece of paper out of his sweater pocket. He placed it on the table before sliding it over to Hotch. 

The older man picked it up and saw it was a homemade card. On the cover was probably the most adorable drawing that he’d ever seen. The two figures weren’t quite stick-figured, but they weren’t exactly full people either. It was clearly a drawing of him and Spencer. Hotch was shown wearing his FBI jacket and had a huge smile on his face. Spencer was drawn to be only a few inches shorter than Hotch and had a book in his hand in case there was any confusion as to who the drawing was of. 

“Wow this is great kiddo.” Hotch smiled as he looked at the drawing. He would have to get a frame to display this on his desk. 

“Open it! The good part is on the inside.” Spencer said excitedly. 

Hotch did as he was told and was met with rows and rows of what was clearly some sort of computation. There were numbers and boxes all over the interior of the card with one small decimal circled in the bottom right corner. 

“This is…what-what am I looking at here?” Hotch asked, not wanting to upset the boy but he honestly had no idea what this was supposed to be. 

“I calculated the odd that I would come to live with you.” Spencer said proudly. “You start with the roughly 7 billion people in the world then account for the odd that both of us would be in the US and…” 

Hotch listened as Spencer rambled on and on about different locations and scenarios and he honestly couldn’t believe he’d gotten lucky enough to have such a sweet and intelligent son. If Spencer was right, and he was never wrong, then the odds of him adopting Spencer were incredibly small. There must have been some sort of fate involved in making his life as perfect as it was right now. 

Sure, things had started off rough with Madison and everything that followed, but that was in the past. Everything now was perfect. 

From now on it was going to be nothing but smooth sailing in the lives of Aaron and Spencer. 

At least, that’s what he thought. 

Chapter Text

“Hey Garcia.” Hotch said the next morning, walking into the technical analyst’s lair. “Did you run the background checks on those babysitters I asked for?” 

“Sure did!” The blonde said, swiveling around in her chair to face her boss. “All of them seemed alright by I looked into further into their lives and created at top three list based on their education, interests, and how well I think they would get along with little Spence.” 

“Alright what have we got?” 

She handed him a file with three pieces of paper in it, one for each of the final candidates. Hotch had been trying to find the perfect nanny for Spencer for a long time now. Part of the reason it was taking so long was that he didn’t really trust anyone with his kid. 

Spencer had been going to the after-school program that his school had. It lasted till 9:00 so Hotch was almost always able to be the one to pick him up unless he was on a case. The issue with that through was that Spencer was often the last kid to be picked up. Hotch didn’t want him to feel lonely if he could do something about it. 

So, after a long and grueling interviewing process he’d finally narrowed down the names. 

“Peter Conrad?” Hotch said, reading through one of the papers. “Graduate student at GW. Worked part time in a day care until the facility closed. No criminal record. Straight A student all through college. No disciplinary record. And working on a Physics degree.” Hotch read aloud. 

“And he’s easy on the eyes.” Garcia said, pointing at the picture. 

“I’m not sure Spencer cares about how attractive his nanny will be.” Hotch replied. “But thank you Garcia this has been extremely helpful.” 

“Of course, boss man!” 

Hotch pulled out his phone as he made his way out of the office. He dialed the number on the sheet and was met with a friendly voice. 

“Hello this is Peter!” 

---

“So, what makes you want to be a nanny?” 

“Well, I like working with kids and I’m looking for something part time while I work on my degree.” The young man replied, taking a sip of his coffee. 

Hotch nodded. So far Peter seemed to check out. He was dressed presentably, he’d been early to their meeting at the coffee shop, and he’d been perfectly pleasant. Not to mention he seemed to be quite smart. 

“And I saw that you’ve worked with kids in the past?” 

“Yes! I worked at a daycare center that specialized in special needs children or kids who had experienced trauma in the past. Basically, anyone who needed a little extra support.” Peter nodded. 

“And it closed down?” 

“Yes, it’s quite sad actually.” Peter said, smile fading from his face. “It was community run but it wasn’t in the best neighborhood, so they ran out of funding.” 

“I see.” Hotch said. “Certifications?” 

“I have my ECA, CDA, and CPR certifications. I also have a food handlers permit from when I worked at an ice cream shop over the summer.” 

“Well, you seem like a good candidate.” Hotch said, part of him relieved that he had finally found someone. But part of him was still skeptical. He couldn’t trust just anyone with Spencer. “Let me walk you through the expectations of the job so you know what you would be getting into.” 

“Sounds good!” Peter always seemed to be smiling. 

“You would start by picking my son, Spencer, up from school. There is an after-school day care program so you don’t have to get him at the same time every day, but I would prefer somewhere between 3-4 unless discussed with me before.” 

“I can handle that.” 

“Then you would take him to our house and help him to homework, play games, really do whatever you like. Sometimes he just likes to keep to himself so you might get some time to do homework or whatever you need.” Hotch continued. 

“I can also handle that.” 

“The last thing is that I am required to travel quite a bit for my job. It wouldn’t be required right away but once you get used to each other, you would be staying in our guest room while I am away and taking care of Spencer. Taking him to and from school and all that.” 

“That all sounds good.” Peter said, still smiling.  

“Well, it was very nice meeting with you.” Hotch said, getting to his feet. “If you are free this evening, would you be able to stop by my house to meet Spencer? If you too get along well than I think you could be right for this position.” 

“That sounds great!” 

“Good. I will send you the address.” 

----

“So, what did you think of him?” Hotch asked once they heard Peter’s car driving away later that night. 

“I like him! He showed me some of his textbooks.” Spencer smiled up at Hotch, seeming excited at the prospect of having a new ‘friend’ who was studying such an interesting topic. 

“Do you feel comfortable around him? Safe?” Hotch continued. He followed behind Spencer as the boy made his way to the living room to resume working on one of his large Lego sets he had laid out. 

“Yeah. He’s nice.” Spencer shrugged. 

Hotch watched as Spencer’s lowered his eyebrows, focused completely on pulling apart two Lego pieces that had become stuck together. He didn’t know how Spencer could still be so trusting of people. He’d been through so much and been betrayed by so many people including his own birth father. And yet he didn’t think twice about trusting someone he’d just met simply because he seemed nice and brought a physics textbook. 

“Here.” Hotch said, motioning for Spencer to hand him the Lego pieces. He dislodged them easily and handed them back to Spencer and he resumed his building happily. 

“So you’re okay with my hiring him to be your nanny?” 

“Yup.” Spencer nodded, not even looking up. 

If Spencer were any other kid, Hotch would see the blind trust as a lack of caution or critical thinking. But Spencer was quite literally a genius. So it must be that Spencer genuinely wanted to see the good in everyone. He wanted to trust that people were, at their core, good. Even if Spencer’s outlook made Hotch worry slightly about possible safety issues in the future, his bright outlook was one of the things he loved about his kid. 

“Scootch over.” Hotch said before sliding down to sit on the carpet next to Spencer. “What are we building here?” 

“A lighthouse! Here, you can work on the base.” Spencer said, pushing over a pile of neatly sorted pieces for Hotch to assemble. 

Chapter Text

It was later than Hotch would have liked when he finally pulled into his driveway after a long day at work. The sky was already getting dark, and the air was beginning to get cold. Hotch would have to make sure to buy Spencer some winter clothes soon, so they didn’t get caught by surprise when the season shifted. 

He hurried up the stairs, anxious to check on his son. It was Peter’s first day on the job watching Spencer. Aaron had called to check in around 5 o’clock and everything had been just fine. It was now almost 9:30 as he pulled open the front door. He was met by the sound of laughter coming from the living room. 

“Who is Alexander the Great!”

“-Alexanderthegreat! Dang it! You’re always one second faster!’ 

“I can give you a head start?” Spencer’s voice offered. 

“No no I’m gonna get the next one.” 

Hotch followed the voices and the tell-tale jingle of the Jeopardy theme song to the living room. He hung back a bit, observing the scene before him. 

Both Peter and Spencer were sitting on the edge of their seats on the large couch. They were both staring intently at the TV, waiting for the next question. 

“Aztek and Grand Prix.” The voice of the announcer came through the TV. 

“What is Toyota?” Spencer answered first, though he seemed a bit unsure. 

“What is Buick.” Peter answered next in a similar tone. 

“What is Pontiac.” Hotch answered correctly, finally making his presence known.

Both Spencer and Peter turned to face him, the younger boy's face lit up with excitement. “Dad!” Spencer called out in greeting. He quickly stood, jumping across the couch and flinging himself into Hotch’s waiting arms. 

“Careful kiddo.” Hotch warned though he happily returned the hug. Spencer refused to let go, opting instead to slide down and cling to Hotch’s leg like a monkey while the older man turned to Peter. “How did everything go?” 

“Good!” He nodded. “I picked him up around 3:30 then we came back here and got his homework down. He ate almost all his dinner, but he did finish his vegetables, so I let him have a cookie. The we watched some Jeopardy.” 

“Sounds like a big day.” Hotch said, looking down at the boy who was still clinging to him tightly. “Thanks a lot Peter. You’re free to go now. We’ll see you tomorrow.” 

“Actually,” Peter said, as he picked up his backpack. “Do you mind if I talk to you a second before I head out?” 

“Of course.” Hotch nodded. “Spence, why don’t you go on and get ready for bed? I’ll be up soon to say goodnight.” 

“Can Peter stay? He can sleep in the guest room like Morgan does when he spends the night!” Spencer said, refusing to detach from his dad. 

“Not tonight.” Hotch said, bending down and gently preying Spencer off him before setting him on his feet. “Now go on upstairs.” 

“Okay.” Spencer pouted but only slightly. “See you tomorrow, Peter!” 

“Sleep tight kid!” 

“What did you need to speak to me about?” Hotch asked once Spencer’s footsteps had retreated. “Did everything go alright?” 

“Oh yeah everything was good! Spencer’s a great kid.” Peter clarified. “I just thought I’d let you know that I think he might need glasses.” 

“He…he does?” Hotch asked. That had not been what he was expecting. 

“Of course, I don’t know for sure, but I used to see the same kind of signs when I worked at the day care.” Peter continued. “The way he cocks and tilts his head when he’s trying to focus on something. Or how he rubs his eyes more than most kids normally would. He also seemed to be having a hard time reading the Jeopardy questions on the TV and would always wait for them to be read aloud.” 

“Huh.” Hotch muttered. He’d never noticed that before. How had he never noticed? He was a profiler. His job was to be observant. And yet he had missed something so important with his own kid. 

“Again, I don’t know for sure. I just thought I’d give you a heads up.” 

“Yeah. Yeah thanks.” Hotch replied, still deep in his thoughts. 

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Peter said, giving his signature smile before grabbing his own backpack and heading out the door. 

Once the door close, Hotch went straight to his computer and looked up the closest eye doctor’s office. He booked Spencer an appointment for the next day. 

---

“Don’t like doctors.” Spencer said, squirming in the big fancy chair he had been told to sit in while they waited for the doctor to come back with the results of the eye exam. 

“I know kiddo but it’s almost over. No shots or anything like that this time.” Hotch assured him, trying not to think back to the horrific stint at the hospital those few months ago after the Madison incident. 

“Promise?” 

“I promise.” Hotch nodded. 

There was a knock at the door followed by the reentry of Dr. Bellows. He sat down on the swivel chair and opened up Spencer’s file. 

“Well, it looks like you’re going to be needing some glasses buckaroo.” 

“How bad is it?” Hotch asked, suddenly feeling a guilty sensation in his gut. He thought he had been getting the hang of the whole father thing. He’d been packing lunches, buying toys, hell he’d even traded in his FBI-provided SUV for a smaller car, so it was easier for Spencer to climb in and out of the bit seats. He felt like he was becoming the father had never imagined that he could be but now…this was something so simple. He should have seen it coming. 

No pun intended. 

“It’s not too bad.” Dr. Bellows said, flipping the page in his file. “In fact, he could get away without wearing glasses for now but that’s not what I recommend.” 

“What do you recommend?” 

“For kids this age, it can sometimes be difficult for them to keep track of glasses, or they often break. Usually, I would suggest having him wear them only at school or when he needed to see something far like when he’s watching TV. Again, his vision it’s awful, but it will most likely get worse in the future so it’s best to get started with glasses now then we can talk about contacts down the line when he’s older.” The Dr. explained. 

“Can I have contacts now?” Spencer asked, making a face. He evidently wasn’t too keen on the idea of wearing glasses. 

“Not yet champ.” Bellows smiled sympathetically. “Contacts aren’t FDA approved for children under 8.” 

“Darn.” Spencer muttered. 

“Thank you very much Doctor.” Hotch said, standing and shaking the man’s hand. 

“Of course. If you wish to buy your lenses here, we have a large selection of glasses on display near the front desk.” The man said before leaving them alone in the room. 

“You wanna go take a look?” Hotch asked, straightening out his suit. It was still technically a workday. He’d pulled Spencer from school and brought him to his appointment all on his lunch break. 

“I don’t want glasses.” Spencer said, looking down at his feet. 

“Why not?” 

“What if kids are mean to me again?” Spencer said, looking up at Hotch with big watery eyes. “R-remember what happened last time?” 

Hotch didn’t think he would ever be able to forget the horrid image of Spencer tied to the goal post by those horrific bullies. 

"That won’t happen again. You said you liked your new school. You’ve got new friends, right? You were telling me about Grace and Tommy?” 

“Yeah, but that was before I had glasses.” Spencer said. “What if they don’t like me anymore.” 

“I’m sure it won’t make a difference. And if it does, then they aren’t good friends.” 

“I guess.” 

“And you know what else? One of my good friend’s wears glasses too.” 

“Who?” 

“She’s you’re friend too?” 

“Who?”

“The one and only Penelope Garcia.” 

Spencer’s face seemed to brighten a bit at that. “I guess you’re right. If Garcia wears glasses they can’t be all that bad right?” 

“Not at all.” Hotch agreed. “Now why don’t we go take a look okay?” 

“Okay.” Spencer nodded. He reached his arms up, as he did so rarely now, and Hotch happily lifted him up. He carried him out to the front of the office where they began browsing through the different frames. 

They had a section specifically for kids but all the choices were brightly colored, not exactly Spencer’s cup of tea. 

“I like these.” Spencer said, pointing to a pair in the adult section. They were simple frames, though a bit large. The tops were a thick black plastic while the bottoms were the same material only a lighter clear-ish silver color. They were definitely not the ones Hotch would have chosen for himself but he non the less grabbed them from the high shelf and gently set them on his son's face. 

They looked way too large for the child’s face but they frankly looked adorable as well. Even without the prescription glass inside, they magnified Spencer’s eyes making him look even more like a doe than he normally did. 

“What do you think?” Spencer asked. 

“I think they suit you.” Hotch smiled. “Do you like them.” 

“They’re okay I guess.” Spencer said, trying to act nonchalant, but Hotch saw him sneak a small smile to himself at his reflection 

Chapter Text

It was a lot to take in. Hotch was used to hearing truly terrifying things but the fact that this attack had taken place in DC, so close to his home, really his him hard. 

There hadn’t been an attack of anthrax in quite some time and yet…here they were. Standing in the bullpen surrounded by military officers and trying to figure out what had happened and how they could stop it from happening again. 

“Aaron.” Rossi nudged the chief who only then realized he had been zoning out slightly. 

“Right. We will all be taking these antidote pills. We don’t know for sure if they will prevent the effects of anthrax because we don’t know the string or variance but there is a chance it could give protection.” Hotch explained to the team, motioning to the tray of little cups on the table. “Morgan and JJ I want you to go to the site of the first attack. Rossi and I will go talk to the victims if they are able. Prentiss, you head up operations here.” 

The team nodded before swallowing their pills and going their separate ways. 

“What are you thinking about?” Rossi asked once the silence through their car ride lasted too long. 

“Take a guess.” 

“Spencer.” 

“Yeah.” Hotch nodded. “I always worry while we’re on a case especially when it’s so close to DC. I’ve taken him to the park where all this happened. It’s just too close for comfort.” 

“Spence is at school. He’ll be okay.” Rossi assured. 

Hotch just nodded, not wanting to think about it anymore. He purposely left his phone at the office. If he had it he didn’t think he’d be able to stop himself from calling Peter and, at the very least giving him some kind of warning to stay inside. Sure, he was supposed to carry his phone at work but Rossi had his. It was best this way. 

The scene at the hospital was just as bad as he’d suspected. So far there were 5 dead including a young boy. There was only one victim who was able to speak and even she was losing that ability. 

“This attack was sophisticated. Planned” Hotch noted, once they had stepped away from the patient. 

“You think there was some sort of trial run?” Rossi asked. 

“There had to be. Call Garcia and have to look into it.” 

The rest of the afternoon was as chaotic as expected. They were able to develop a profile and find the location of the first attack. The team continued to be scattered, looking for different leads and information. 

Hotch himself was currently seated in his office, scanning through files of all the scientists that had recorded researching anthrax in the past 10 years. 

“How do you do it?” JJ spoke up. She had been so quiet the last few minutes that Hotch had forgotten she was even there. 

“How do I do what?” 

She turned around to face him and it was then that he noticed the tears in the woman’s eyes. 

“How can I, as a mother, just sit here and do nothing. How can I not call home and warn Will to keep Henry at home?” 

“JJ, you know as well as I that that’s against protocol-”

“But this is my family Hotch.” 

“I have a family too.” It was taking even thing within Aaron to speak calmly. If he was honest, he was feeling exactly what the blonde was feeling. It was killing him not to send a warning. But it was better for everyone. “We need to keep this contained. If word of the attacks gets out then it will most likely inspire another attack. It’s safer for everyone to keep in contained.” 

“We have another lead.” They were interrupted by Prentiss poking her head into the room. “We’ve got a suspect and a location.” 

They managed to wrap up the case in the next few hours. Not only did they get the unsub before he could release any more of the virus into the air, but they also were able to find the antidote and heal those of the victims that hadn’t already passed. 

Despite the late hour, Hotch decided to call ahead before heading home. He wanted to hear Spencer’s voice. 

“Hello?” 

“Hi Peter. How did everything go tonight?” Hotch asked when the young man answered. 

“It was good! Spencer seemed a bit upset that you weren’t coming home till later tonight but we walked to the park and got some ice cream and that seemed to cheer him-”

“The park?” Hotch asked, sitting up a bit. 

“Yeah! The one on 23rd and Pike. Spencer seemed to like it but I think he might have caught a little cold from the chilly weather and the ice cream.” 

“What are his symptoms?” Hotch asked urgently. 

“Just some sniffles and an occasional cough-”

“Take him to the hospital.” 

“What?” Peter asked, clearly confused, “I think it’s just a cold-”

“Peter, I need you to listen to me. I’ll explain soon. Wake him up and drive both of you to the hospital.” Hotch was already out of his office and practically sprinting to his car. What if there had been another attack they didn’t know about? He tried to do the math in his head. The other victims had taken a few hours to show symptoms. What if their unsub hit a second park before they had arrested him? What if Spencer was infected? Sure they had the antidote but it wasn’t 100% successful. What if…

“I…Okay. Okay We’ll head straight there.” Peter said, before hanging up. 

Hotch sped to the hospital closest to his house. He quickly made a call to the doctor he’d spoken with earlier that day, and she had agreed to admit Peter and Spencer directly into her ward. 

Hotch wished he’d taken on of the FBI car so he could have put on his sirens. Even in his normal car, he managed to get to the hospital complex in record time. He pulled into the first spot he saw before running through the front doors. He retraced his path from earlier that day and eventually made it to the floor the anthrax victims were being held in. He frantically looked around before he found what he was looking for. 

“Spencer!” Hotch said, running to where his son was sitting in one of the waiting room chairs, swinging his legs back and forth. He looked a bit under the weather but mostly sleepy and confused. He was dressed in a pair of Star Wars pajamas and a jacked. On his feet he only wore socks. Peter must have carried him in his rush. 

“Dad…” Spencer yawned. “’s going on?” 

“Agent Hotchner.” 

Hotch turned from where he was kneeling in front of Spencer to see Dr. Kimura, the doctor from before. 

“Dr. I think they might have been infected we need to-”

“Relax.” She said calmly. “I did a rapid nasal swab test the second they arrived. It came back negative. They are both fine.” 

“Are…Are you sure?” Aaron asked, looking between her and Spencer, relief beginning to flood his body. 

“I am positive. Anthrax is extremely detectable. If either of them had contracted it, we would know.” 

“Oh. Okay. Good.” Hotch ran a tired hand through his hair. Part of him felt a bit sheepish for jumping to conclusions so quickly but a bigger part of him didn’t care. He wasn’t going to take any chances when it came to his son. 

“I do think the younger of the two might be coming down with a cold.” 

“Thank you for all your help.” Hotch said, shaking the doctor’s hand. 

“Of course.” She smiled before going back to tend to her other patients. 

“Mr. Hotchner?” 

Hotch turned to see a very confused-looking Peter looking back at him. Spencer had now fallen asleep and was resting his head on the younger man’s shoulder.

“You’re probably wondering what’s going on?” 

“Just a bit.” Peter said with a small smile. 

“Let’s get out of here first. I’ll explain on the way back to the car.” The chief said, before bending down and pulling a sleeping Spencer into his arms. 

He was honestly shocked that everything ended up okay. Spencer seemed to have pretty bad luck in life, so it was a welcome surprise that for once, everything was fine. Maybe this was a turning point in their lives. 

Maybe everything was going to be okay. 

Chapter Text

While Hotch was absolutely thrilled that Spencer had not contracted anthrax, the young boy was still forced to fight a fairly nasty cold. 

Hotch had never really had to deal with a sick person let alone a child. Sure, there were occasions growing up when Sean had had the flu but Hotch had usually been sick and miserable right there with him. He’d never been the sole caregiver before. 

The only word he could think to describe a sick Spencer was fussy. The boy simply could not stay still. He was either too hot or too cold. He needed another pillow. He was bored of the book he was reading. 

Hotch did his best to keep up with all of Spencer’s requests. The boy himself was sort of a sad sight to see with his feverish forehead and constantly running and red nose. He’d gone through at least three boxes of tissues at least. 

Spencer’s symptoms hadn’t gotten too bad until Saturday morning which had left all of Saturday and Sunday for Aaron to fawn over his son. Unfortunately, by the time Sunday night rolled around, it didn’t look like Spencer was going to be able to make a quick enough recovery to prevent Hotch from missing work.

This meant, for the first time in his career at the FBI, Hotch would have to call in a take a day off. 

Sure, he’d had some time off before but only after injuries, big cases, or things like Spencer’s kidnapping. This time he was staying home because he wanted to take care of Spencer. Not only that, but he didn’t want Peter coming around and getting sick as well. He was relying more and more on the young man to care for Spencer and didn’t know what he would do if he too was out of commission. 

“Dad!” Hotch quickly finished mixing the hot cocoa he was making and made his way to the room that he’d been summoned to. 

Spencer was lying in a nest of blankets, a tissue box in one hand and a geology textbook in the other. His eyes were bagged from lack of a good night’s sleep and his lip was sticking out in a slight pout. 

Spencer was not a happy camper. 

“Hey bud, I brought you come hot chocolate.” Hotch said, placing the drink on the best side table. 

Spencer’s room had really changed quite a bit. It had been so bland when he’d first moved in but now it was covered in bookshelves, a couple of Star Wars posters, a few pictures of Spencer with Hotch or the team, and of course lots and lots of books. 

“’m not thirsty.” Spencer said, sinking down further onto his bed. 

“Do you need the hospital! I’ve never heard Spencer Reid-Hotchner refuse anything with sugar in it! There must be sometime terribly wrong!” Hotch joked as he moved to sit on the edge of the bed. 

“No hospital.” Spencer mumbled, hiding his face in a pillow. 

“I know bud. No hospital.” Hotch agreed, instantly feeling bad for joking about it. He knew how much Spencer despised hospitals. “What did you need kiddo?” Hotch asked, remembering why he’d come in the first place. 

“’dunno.” Spencer said before falling into a fit of coughing. Hotch rubbed his back until he was through. 

“It’s alright. You’re okay.” Hotch hummed. “I need to go call-”

“No!” Spencer cut him off, turning around suddenly with wide eyes. “Stay. Please.” 

Hotch frowned. Spencer had always been slightly clingy, but it had been more than that lately. Spencer seemed almost afraid to be alone ever since he had developed his cold. Could that be it? Had he been making so many requests because he didn’t want Hotch to leave? 

“What’s going on Spence? Is everything alright?” Hotch asked, swinging his legs up onto the bed so he was now fully seated, leaning against the bed rest. From this position, he was easily able to scoop Spencer into his lap, and the boy instinctually attached his hand to Hotch’s shirt. 

“I’m sick.” Spencer sniffled. 

“I can see that kiddo.” Hotch smiled. “But besides that. Are you afraid to be alone?”

Spencer hid his face in Hotch’s chest, as though he were embarrassed before giving a small nod. 

“It’s alright. I’m not going anywhere.” Hotch assured, rubbing Spencer’s back gently. He could hear Spencer sniffling and knew the boy’s snot and tears would likely cover his shirt, but he didn’t mind. Apparently, one of the perks of being a parent was not being grossed out by bodily fluid. “Can you tell me why you’re afraid?” 

“M-Mr. Olden.” Spencer said eventually. 

Hotch tensed at the name. He had done his best to forget about the man who had held Spencer and other children hostage, abusing them as well. He’d been given what he deserved and was currently sitting in a jail cell for a long, long time. 

“What about him?”

“Last time I w-was sick…” Spencer started but was cut off by another fit of coughing. Hotch gently sat him up straighter allowing him to get better oxygen. 

“What did he do when you were sick?” 

“W-When any of us w-were sick he’d put us i-in the isolation room.” Spencer said. Hotch could practically see the memories playing themselves in Spencer’s eyes. “H-He didn’t want one of us getting the other’s sick s-so he would lock us in a r-room all alone until we got better or…or didn’t.” 

And just when Hotch thought Spencer’s past couldn’t get any more disturbing. 

Aaron wasn’t sure what to say. He couldn’t imagine the absolute terror anyone, let alone a child, would have experienced while lock alone in a room, suffering from a sickness that may or may not kill them. 

“I’m not leaving.” Hotch said eventually, pulling Spencer’s still feverish body into a hug. “I promise. You’re safe here. I’m staying right by your side until you get better.” 

Hotch continued to whisper words of reassurance into Spencer’s ear until he finally realized that the boy had fallen asleep. He smiled to himself and gently laid Spencer back on the bed but made no move to get up. He wasn’t leaving Spencer’s side until he felt safe. Until he got better. 

Chapter Text

As it turned out, Spencer did get better. Hotch took two more days off work to be sure but Spencer was back to his usual peppy within no time. Unfortunately for Hotch, he himself seemed to have caught the cold from his son. 

Hotch didn’t get sick often and when he did, he was used to working through the discomfort, and now was no different. 

“Are you alright Mr. Hotchner?” Peter asked when he came through the door Wednesday afternoon. 

“Fine.” Hotch said, voice making it clear he was congested. “I’ll only be gone for a bit. I just need to get some groceries and stop at the dry cleaners and I’ll be right back.” 

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay home? I think you may have caught Spencer’s cold.” Peter said, seeming more concerned for the older man than catching the sickness himself. “I can run your errands for you if you would rather stay home.” 

“No. I’m alright.” Hotch said, pulling on his coat despite the fact that it was warmer than usual for a fall day. “I haven’t gotten groceries in two weeks.” 

“Alright.” Peter nodded wearily, setting his backpack down in its usual place. “If you’re sure.” 

“I’m sure.” Hotch replied before heading out the door and dragging himself into his car. Sure, he felt like shit but that didn’t mean he needed to act like it. Hotch was nothing if not efficient and he felt like he hadn’t accomplished much in the last few days. He wasn’t saying he wasn’t glad to be there for Spencer, but he needed to leave the house and get something done. He was never one able to stay still for long. 

Like with everything in his life, Hotch arrived at the store with a plan. He needed all the usual things like eggs, milk, fruit, etc. But he also decided he wanted to make chicken noodle soup for dinner to try and help the two of them run out the end of the virus.

By the time Aaron had gathered almost everything he needed, he was beginning to feel a bit lightheaded. Maybe it hadn’t been the best idea to go out. But he was already here now. He would just rest when he was home. 

He only needed one last thing; Parsley. 

He wheeled his cart over to the vegetable section and was met with an entire display of leafy green plants. Which one was the parsley? His brain was more sluggish than usual and he didn’t notice himself beginning to zone out; a very un-Hotch-like action. 

“Excuse me.” 

Hotch snapped back to reality at the sound of a woman’s voice. 

“Sorry?” He asked, still a bit dazed. 

“I said excuse me. You’re blocking the isle.” She said with a kind smile. 

“Oh.” Hotch nodded, looking to his shopping cart and realizing that he was in fact blocking the section. “Sorry.” He repeated, quickly wheeling it to the side. 

“Are you alright?” The woman asked, eyebrows tilting downward. “You seem a bit out of it. Is there anyone I can call for you?” 

“What? No, I’m fine.” Hotch assured, straightening himself up a bit before being cut off by a sharp sneeze into his sleeve. “Just getting over a cold.” 

“I can see that.” She laughed lightly. 

For the first time, Hotch looked at the person in front of him. 

Hotch had never been much of a romantic. It had been one of many reasons that his high school sweetheart Haley had left him a few years ago. It had hurt him more than he cared to admit finding out the only woman he had ever loved had been cheating on him. 

But he never let it show. 

He’d been too heartbroken over Haley to even attempt to find another relationship for some time after she left. And then Spencer entered his life and that had kept him pretty busy for a while. He’d hadn’t had a thought of romance in some time. 

But the woman in front of him was beautiful. 

“Sorry?” Hotch said a third time, realizing the woman had been speaking again. 

“I asked what you’re looking for?” 

“Well, I’m single at the moment.” Hotch replied. Had he been in the right headspace there was no way he would have said something like that. 

“I mean in the vegetable section.” She said with the same bell-like laugh. “But good to know.” 

“Oh. Right. Parsley.” 

“Parsley.” She said, scanning her eyes for a moment before picking up a bundle of greens. “Here you are.” 

“Thanks.” Hotch said, taking the item from here. 

“Are you sure you’re alright? Do you need help getting home?” 

Hotch was about to say no. He’d worked cases in worse conditions than this. If he would chase down an unsub with a bullet in his own arm, then he could drive home from the grocery store with a cold. 

But then his mind flashed to Spencer. He wasn’t going to risk getting in an accident and never getting to see the boy again. He wasn’t going to put Spencer back in the system. 

“I think I’m going to call an uber.” He said, placing the parsley in his cart. 

“I can give drive you if you like?” 

“Do you know how many serial killers trick their victims by asking for a lift?” Hotch said. It may or may not have been the best thing to say in that situation. 

“Do…do you know?”

“About 13%.” Hotch said. “I’m in the FBI.” He explained, pulling out his wallet and revealing his badge. 

“Well, let’s get you home…Agent Hotchner.” She said, reading his name off the paper. 

They managed to get through the grocery check-out line without much trouble. Hotch insisted on paying for the woman’s groceries to compensate her for her troubles. 

It wasn’t long before they were pulling up in front of Hotch’s house. 

“Can you make it in alright?” 

“I’ll be fine.” Hotch said, getting up and grabbing his grocery bags from the back. He felt asleep on his feet. Going out had not been his best idea. “Thank you so much. I really appreciate this.” He said, walking around the car and leaning down at the driver’s side window. 

“It’s no problem at all.” She smiled. “Get some rest.” 

“Thank you. I will.” Hotch nodded before turning and making his way to the house. 

“Dad!” Spencer’s voice rang out as soon as the door opened. Hotch winced at the loud noise, feeling a headache coming on. 

“Hey kiddo.” Hotch said voice strained. “Can you please bring one of these bags to the kitchen.” 

“Yup!” Spencer nodded. Hotch handed him the lightest of the bags. 

“Hey.” Peter said, trailing in as Spencer darted off to the kitchen. “I can take these.” He said, taking the remaining bags from Hotch’s hands. “Are you alright.” 

“I think I’m going to go lay down.” Hotch said, slipping off his shoes.  

“You want me to stay?” Peter asked. 

“If you could that would be great. I just need a 30-minute nap and I’ll be back to normal.” 

“You might need more than 30 minutes.” Peter smiled sympathetically. “I can stay as long as you need.” 

“Thank you, Peter.” Hotch said gratefully. He didn’t like accepting help, but he’d already let a stranger drive him home. What was one more strike to his pride?  

Once in his room, Hotch began to pull off his jacket but stopped when he heard a crinkling sound. He stuck his hand in his pocket only to find his receipt from the grocery store. On the top was written a series of numbers. 

A phone number 

Beneath it was a name. 

Beth. 

Chapter Text

It turned out that a bit of extra sleep was exactly what Hotch needed, although it ended up being a bit more than 30 min. 

By the time he woke up, it was almost 8 pm. He’d been asleep for 4 hours. It felt strange. Hotch had never been one for naps. He’d always been too busy. But he was glad he had taken one today. The extra rest combined with the cold medicine had him feeling almost normal. 

He pulled himself out of bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with his palms. He took a second to collect himself. He needed to go check on Spencer. He knew Peter would still be there. He wouldn’t have left while Hotch was asleep. God, that kid was a lifesaver. 

Hotch finally pulled himself to his feet before grabbing a rarely worn hoodie from his closet. He had always been more of a sweater or an FBI crewneck kind of guy, but the sweatshirt just looked so warm and comfortable. It was exactly what he needed right now. 

Before heading towards the stairs, Hotch’s eye caught on the piece of paper he’d left on the dresser hours before. 

The phone number. 

He figured he might as well text this Beth to let her know he was feeling better. It would be rude not to, right? And it didn’t have to mean anything. It was just a simple text. 

Just a text. 

Once it was sent, he followed the sound of voices and giggled down to the kitchen. He was met with an absolutely heavenly aroma. 

“Dad! How are you feeling? We made you soup! Well Peter did most of the soup making. I helped with the stirring.” Spencer said, practically buzzing up and down at the excitement of seeing his father reemerge. At least Spencer was back to normal. 

“I’m doing alright kiddo. Thanks.” He said to the boy, gently ruffling his hair. “And thank you too.” Hotch said, this time directing his thanks to the young man who had just placed a steaming hot bowl of chicken noodle soup in front of him. 

“No problem.” Peter smiled, face a bit red, from the steam off the pot he was mixing no doubt. “I saw you bought all the ingredients. We just figured we’d save you the trouble of making it.” 

“Peter’s a great cook! He said he’d make me cookies if I get an A on my math test next week!” 

“You do know he’d gotten 100% on every test he’s ever taken.” Hotch asked. 

“Yeah, I know.” Peter laughed lightly. “But that doesn’t mean he can’t be rewarded every once in a while.” 

“That’s true.” Hotch nodded as if there was any way he would disagree. He wasn’t exactly one to talk when it came to spoiling Spencer rotten. “Again, thank you so much for helping out extra today. Your efforts will be reflected in your next payment.” 

“Oh, it’s really no problem.” Peter insisted. “It’s a nice break from studying for grad school.” 

“Peter’s thinking of joining the CIA.” Spencer said as he climbed up onto the big stool at the counter to eat his own bowl of soup. 

“Are you really?’ Hotch asked. 

“Yeah. My degree is Physics with an emphasis on coding. I was thinking of trying to get a job in jacking or programing of some kind.” 

“I have lots of connections at the CIA that I would be happy to put you in touch with.” Hotch said. “And, I know I may sound bias, but there are plenty of jobs in the FBI as well that deal with what you are looking for. I can put you in touch with-”

“Penelope!” Spencer cut him off around a mouthful of soup. “She’s the technical analysis.” 

“What have we talked about with interrupting Spence?” Hotch reminded. 

“Not to do it.” 

“But yes. Spencer is right. I would be more than happy to introduce you to Penelope Garcia if you were interested.” 

“Yes. That sounds perfect.” Peter said gratefully. 

“We can work out the details later. I don’t want to keep you any longer than I have to.” 

“Do you want a ride back to your car?” Peter asked as he left the kitchen and began to gather his textbooks from the kitchen table. 

“My car?” Hotch asked, before remembering. “Oh right. Yes. If that’s not too much trouble that would be great. Spence you need to come with us. You can’t stay home alone.” 

“But I’m still eating my soup.” Spencer said, expression turning sour. He may be feeling better, but it appeared he was still a bit tired from the whole ordeal, resulting in a cranky Spencer. 

“You can finish when we get back.” 

“But it will be cold.” Spencer said, sticking his bottom lip out. 

“Spencer I-”

But as if on cue, the doorbell rang. 

“Hey man.” Morgan greeted him when Aaron pulled open the front door. “I’m just dropping off your files from today. I figured you wouldn’t want to get too behind.” 

“Yes. Thanks a lot Morgan.”

“Of course. Is there anything else I can do for you? I know a sick kid is no fun.” 

“Actually, there is.” Hotch nodded. “Spencer’s actually feeling much better, but I have to go pick up my car somewhere. Long story. Would you mind staying with the kid for like 10 minutes while Peter drives me to get my car?” 

“Yeah. Sure thing.” Morgan nodded. “Where’s the kid?” 

Just as Morgan disappeared into the kitchen, Peter emerged, his backpack on his shoulders and coat pulled tight. “Ready?” 

“Yes.” Hotch nodded, grabbing his own coat and following the younger man to his car. As the profiler he was, Hotch couldn’t help but scan his eyes around Peter’s car. It was not a nice car by any means. It was old for sure. But it was impeccably clean. There wasn’t a crumb or piece of garbage in sight. In the back was Spencer’s extra car seat strapped securely in place. The only form of décor to be seen was a polaroid picture taped to the dash. It appeared to be Peter and a group of his friends. 

“Thanks again for doing this.” Hotch thanked Peter for what had to be the hundredth time. 

“It’s really no trouble. It’s on the way to my apartment.” He replied. “How did you end up getting a ride with a stranger though. I know I don’t know you too well but that seemed quite out of character.” 

“I suppose it is.” Hotch chuckled. “Had I not been so out of it I definitely would not have accepted the ride. But she was nice.” Hotch left out the part about her being pretty. “She left me her phone number too. I texted her earlier to tell her I was okay.” 

“She did?” Peter asked. His face seemed to shift slightly before falling back to its neutral state, though it seemed slightly forced. 

“Yes.” Hotch nodded. 

They finally pulled into the parking lot that was now almost deserted. 

“Well, here we are Mr. Hotchner.” Peter said as he pulled to a stop next to Hotch’s car. 

“Thank you, Peter.” Hotch said, climbing out of the car. Before he closed the door he bent down slightly. “I think we’re at the point where you don’t have to call me Mr. Hotchner anymore. You can call me Aaron if you like, or you can call me Hotch.” 

“Okay. Well have a good night…Hotch.” 

“You too Peter.” Hotch replied before closing the door. 

Hotch watched as the old car pulled away before climbing into his own car. 

He was lucky to have someone like Peter. Especially when he couldn’t help but think there might be some point in the future where he could see himself needing a babysitter so he could take a certain someone out on a date. 

Specifically, a Beth who had just replied to his text with an invitation to grab coffee together on Friday. 

Chapter Text

“Well welcome back to our fearless leader.” Rossi spoke as Hotch entered the conference room to find the team already gathered. Looking at him you would never be able to tell he had been sick just a day ago. He looked sharp as ever in his dark suit, a stack of completed filed in his right hand. 

“I apologize for my absence. What did I miss?” He asked, taking his spot at the head of the table. 

“How’s are you and Spencer doing?” JJ asked, instead of starting the morning briefing. 

“We are both fine. Spencer is back to his energetic self.” 

“Good. Trust me, I know how much work a sick kid can be.” The blonde smiled sympathetically. 

“What did I miss?” Hotch asked again, turning the conversation back to work. 

The meeting went as it usually did. There hadn’t been a new case that week, so the team had spent their time pouring over cold cases, making a break here and there. JJ said she was getting a few calls from different departments and wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up on a new case by the end of the week. 

“That’s it for now. Dismissed.” Hotch ended the meeting, sending everyone off to their respective desks. “Garcia, could you pull back a moment?” 

“What’s up boss man?” The blonde asked, turning on one of her pink heels at the sound of her name. 

“You remember the Peter kid? Spencer’s nanny?” 

“Course I do.” She nodded. “He was a cutie.” 

“Yes, well he is interested in pursuing a career in programing of some sort for a government agency. I told him he should talk with you if you would be interested?” 

“Oh my gosh yes! I could have a little tech minion!” She squealed. 

“You are not getting a ‘tech minion.’” Hotch quoted back. “I just thought you might be able to provide some incites.” 

“Yes of course! I’ll provide insights and recruit him to be my minion.” She nodded. “When is he coming by?” 

“He and Spencer are going to stop by this afternoon after Peter picks Spencer up from class.” 

“I’ll be awaiting his presence.” 

“Please refrain from scaring the poor boy away Garcia.” Hotch said, failing to hide his chuckle. 

Missing four days of work as the Unit Chief of the BAU was not something to be taken lightly. Even with the files, Morgan had dropped off for him to complete, he still had mountains of paperwork and countless calls to return. He was so consumed in his work that he didn’t notice it was past 3 until his door was pulled open and Spencer’s little feet pattered across the office until he jumped into Hotch’s arm. 

“How was school?” 

“Easy.” Spencer replied like he always did. “How’s work? Need me to help solve a case?” Spencer said, reaching for the open file on Hotch’s desk. Aaron quickly closed the folder, not wanting Spencer to see the gruesome contents. 

“I think I’ve got everything handled for today. And what did we say about knocking?” 

“I don’t remember.” Spencer shrugged. 

“You remember everything.” Hotch pointed out. 

“I remember everything I read. I don’t remember everything I hear. Especially if I wasn’t listening.” 

“Just remember to knock when you enter a room okay?” 

“Okay.” Spencer nodded. 

“Hey!” Peter called out cheerily, knocking on the door that Spencer had left wide open. 

“Hello, I’ll show you to Garcia’s lab.” Hotch greeted, getting to his feet. Spencer continued to cling to him when he stood. Hotch decided not to fight it and wrapped his arm under Spencer’s legs to keep him from falling. 

Hotch led the group through the bullpen only stopping when Spencer tried to squirm out of his arms. Hotch gently set the boy down and watch as he did his clumsy little run over to Morgan. 

“Morgan! Do you have a case for me?” Spencer asked as the man turned in his swivel chair to greet the boy. 

“Sure do!” The man said, pulling out a yellow file folder from his desk. 

“Morgan” Hotch said, surprised the man would let the young boy look at something as inappropriate as an FBI file. 

“It’s not a real file.” Morgan mouthed to him as Spencer sat himself on the floor and opened the folder. Hotch could see that it was, in fact, not a real folder but seemed to be something Morgan had created for Spencer to give him the illusion that he was working a case. 

“Right. Well we will be right back.” 

Everything went smoothly. Peter met with Garcia and Hotch got to Spencer some extra time with Spencer. After spending those extra days home sick together, Hotch had missed the boy a bit extra. 

“Ready to go Spence?” Peter asked about 30 minutes later. 

“Do we have-ta go?” Spencer whined, looking up from the complicated puzzles Morgan had set up for him in the fake pile. He had been sitting on the floor in front of his dad’s desk. 

“Yes, but I’ll be home sooner than you know it.” Hotch said, getting up from where he had been sitting on the floor as well and pulling Spencer up to his feet as well. 

“We can stay and help you work the case! You won’t even know that we’re here look!” Spencer said, quickly running over to the large desk and hiding underneath it. 

“How exactly is this working a case?” Hotch chuckled, rounding his desk as well to see Spencer scrunching himself into the corner. 

“I can help do math!” 

“While you are very good at math, I don’t think we need any help with that at the moment. But, if you’re good and get out from there then maybe you and Peter can stop for hot chocolate on the way home.” 

“Really?” Spencer popped his little head out. 

“Really.” 

“Okay lets go!” Spencer smiled, jumping up a bit too quickly and bumping his head slightly on the top of the desk. Everyone froze for a second, waiting to see if Spencer would start crying or if he would brush it off. Luckily, he just shook his head slightly and climbed the rest of the way out. “Come on Peter!” He said, rushing over to the older boy and taking his hand. 

“We’ll see you later Hotch.” Peter called out in goodbye as he was dragged through the bullpen by the child filled with the anticipation of sugar. 

Hotch followed them out of his office and watched them go. 

“Why didn’t you tell us you had someone special in your life?” came the voice of David Rossi, appearing out of nowhere next to the unit chief. 

“What? How do you know about Beth?” Hotch asked, turning to face the older man. 

“Beth?” Rossi seemed taken aback. “Who is Beth?” 

“Beth is the person I’m interested in seeing. How did you know about her?” Hotch said, even more confused. He hadn’t mentioned the woman he had had coffee with the other night to anyone. 

“I was talking about Peter.” 

“Peter?” This surprised Hotch even more. “Peter’s babysitter?!” 

“I mean it was pretty obvious that the kid had a crush on you.” Rossi replied. “I just figured-”

“No. He is my employee. He’s only like 23. No.” Hotch said firmly. There was no way he could be in a relationship with someone that worked for him much less someone who was so much younger than him. 

“Oh…well then I think the kid had a crush on you.” 

“He’ll get over it.” Hotch said curtly. Despite Rossi’s observations, Hotch still trusted Peter. He knew the young man would take care of Peter. Even if Dave was right about his feelings, it wasn’t anything more than a little crush. One that would not be returned. “He’s a good kid. He’s professional.” 

They were cut off by the sound of a phone ringing, the phone in Hotch’s office to be exact. 

“Excuse me.” Aaron said, ducking back to his desk and picking up the phone. “Aaron Hotchner.” 

“Hello Aaron. This is Tom Shaunessy. We worked together on the Reaper case 10 years ago. I need you to come to Boston. Tonight.” 

Chapter Text

Hotch didn’t fly on commercial airlines often thanks to the jet that was specifically assigned to the BAU. 

It was only when he was crammed in a middle seat of a 747 plane with a teenager blasting music to his right, and an intoxicated woman to his left, that he realized just how lucky they were for that jet. 

When he’d gotten the call to head up to Boston, it made the most sense for him to fly commercial. It was too long of a drive, and he couldn’t justify using the private jet by himself. Spencer’s “go-green” attitude was rubbing off on him. Spencer, of course, was a very avid advocate for saving the planet. Hotch had always been a relatively green person, recycling everything he could and turning the lights off when he left the house, but Spencer had taken things to a new level. The boy had insisted on starting a compost bin for all their food scraps and, when Hotch had traded in his SUV for a more family-friendly car, Spencer had insisted he get a hybrid. 

So Hotch had flown commercial and was trying not to regret his choices. 

The flight to Boston hadn’t been too bad. But now, on the way back home, he couldn’t seem to gather his thoughts. Naturally, he had been shocked to find out that Shaunessy, the detective he had worked with on his very first BAU case, had made a deal with their unsub. 

The Reaper, as he had been called, had agreed to stop killing if Shaunessy agreed to stop the manhunt. This in itself was unsettling and surprising, but still hadn’t prepared him for what he was going to hear next; it was his turn next. The Reaper would be offering the same deal to him. 

Hotch knew he couldn’t accept it. He had too strong a pull to the law to let a killer walk free without even attempting to find him. But he also assumed the killings would start again. He couldn’t let innocent people die if he had the power to stop it. Right? But there was no evidence the Reaper would even resurface. He could be dead for all they knew. Everything was going to work out. For now, all he could do was wait. 

He finally let out a sigh of relief when the plane touched down. By now it was about 2 in the afternoon. He had tried to get something earlier but this had been all that was available back to DCA. 

He quickly flicked his phone off airplane mode, intending to text Peter and ask how everything had gone with his first time babysitting overnight, but clicked on the phone app instead when he saw he had two missed calls. 

He frowned when he saw they were both from Spencer’s school. Why were they calling him? Was something wrong? 

He quickly pressed the call back button and held the phone between his shoulder and his ear as he began to disembark from the crowded plane. 

“Hello, this is Aaron Hotchner, I’m Spencer Reid-Hotchner’s father. I’m returning your previous call. Is everything alright?” 

“Mr. Hotchner.” The voice replied, “Ah yes. It appears that you missed the slot you had signed up for the career day presentations.” 

Shit. 

How could he have forgotten? Spencer had practically pleaded with him to come present. Of course, he had said yes. When had he ever been able to say no to that boy? Normally he would have called the school and rescheduled but…he’d forgotten. With the chaos of their sickness and the emergence of the Reaper, the career day had completely slipped his mind. 

“Can…Could I come a different day?” He asked, voice weaker than he would have liked. He had need getting so good at the dad thing. And yet here he was. Absent from something important. Spencer’s sad little face flitted through his mind. He imagined the boy staring at the door to his classroom, waiting for his father to come. Insisting to his teacher that Aaron would be there only for him not to show up. 

“I will check with his teacher and get back to you.” Hotch could hear a hint of judgment in the secretary’s voice. He couldn’t blame her. He deserved it. 

“Alright. Thank you and sorry for the confusion.” He said before hanging up and walking as quickly as he could to the parking complex. He needed to get to Spencer. 

Once in his car, he pressed another phone number. 

“This is Peter!” The cheery voice answered. 

“Hello Peter, this is Aaron Hotchner.” Hotch said, backing out of his space and beginning the drive. “I wanted to let you know that I can pick Spencer up from school toady.” 

“Oh! Um…I’m actually already here.” Peter said, sounding a bit sheepish. 

“You are?” Hotch sounded surprised. Peter usually had classes till 2:30 then he would pick Spencer up from the after-school care center. Why was he there so early today? 

“Well…um- Spencer called me today during one of my classes. He uh…he said he needed someone to come talk about their career for his class. He sounded kind of upset so I left my class and did the presentation. It was already 2 by the time it was over so there was no point in leaving and coming back.”

“You spoke for career day?” Hotch asked. He was feeling so many different things he could identify just one. There was jealousy which he absolutely did not deserve to feel since he was the one to leave Spencer. There was sadness that he hadn’t been there for his son. And there was something else that he couldn’t describe. Almost a hint of gratefulness that Peter had been there for Reid. He’d left his class to make sure the boy was okay. 

“Yeah. I figured since you had to go out of town for work, I might as well fill in. I mean I don’t have much of a career yet but I talked about grad school and what I plan on doing in the future.” 

Hotch heard something in the background on Peter’s end that sounded like a school bell followed by a commotion that must have been the kids being released from class for the day. “I should get going. We’ll meet you at your house. Bye!” Peter said before hanging up the phone and leaving Hotch in silence. 

---

Aaron ended up arriving home first. He threw his go bag on his bed before making his way to the kitchen. He assumed Spencer would be mad at him, justifiably so, and the best way to win back the boy was with sugar. 

He quickly got to work on making a batch of chocolate chip cookies and he was just pulling them from the oven when he heard the spare key slid into the lock. 

He quickly dusted the flour off his dress shirt that he hadn’t bothered to change out of before making his way toward the door where Peter and Spencer were standing. 

“Hey kiddo.” Hotch greeted. 

But Spencer didn’t greet him with a hug like he usually did. He didn’t run into his father’s arm, just excited to see him. In fact, he didn’t even look at Hotch. He kept his face down as he slid off his shoes and turned to make his way up the stairs. 

“Spencer I’m sorry-” Hotch tried to apologize but Spencer was already out of sight. 

“Shit.” He muttered. 

“He’ll cool off eventually.” Peter smiled sadly. “I’m sure he’s excited to see you still, just a bit upset at the moment.” 

“He deserves to be. I can’t believe I forgot.” Hotch ran a hand through his hair. 

“You can’t be expected to remember everything. You’re still human.”

“Still.” The agent muttered. “What kind of dad does this make me.” 

“My dad never came to any of my school events.” Peter said. “He was hardly even home at all. I know what an absent father looks like, and you are far from that.” 

Hotch made a mental note about this. He still wasn’t convinced that Rossi was right about Peter having a crush on him but adding daddy issues to the list made it make a bit more sense. But it still didn’t matter. It didn’t affect his work performance. 

“Well…thank you Peter. I won’t keep you any longer than I already have. Thank you for staying with Spencer last night.” 

“It’s no problem.” Peter smiled before waving goodbye and heading out the door. 

Hotch sighed once more before taking a breath and heading up the stairs to knock on Spencer’s door. 

Chapter Text

“Spencer?” Hotch knocked lightly on the boy’s bedroom door. He was met with no response but did not open the door himself. Spencer had grown up with zero privacy and no control over his life and wellbeing. While Hotch wanted a chance to apologize to the boy, he was not willing to cross that line of trust they had built. Even if he was mad at himself for forgetting about the career day, it was of note that Spencer was capable of being mad at him. He didn’t feel the need to walk on eggshells around Hotch despite the past abuse he’d faced. 

So that was something. 

“Hey kiddo, can we talk please?” Hotch tried again. 

This time, he heard the soft pattering of Spencer’s feet crossing the carpeted floor before the door was slowly pulled open. 

Hotch’s heart broke as he watched Spencer wipe his cheeks with the sleeve of his too-big sweater, clearly trying to cover the fact that he had been crying.  

He followed Spencer into the room and took a seat on the edge of the boy’s bed as Spencer himself climbed into the large bean bag Hotch had bought him recently to read his books in. 

“I’m so sorry kiddo. I had to go out of town for a case last minute and it just completely slipped my mind. I know that’s not a good excuse, but I talked to your teacher and I’m going to find another time to come talk to your class.” 

Spencer finally made eye contact with him. “Y-You still want to come?” He sniffled. 

“Of course!” Hotch nodded. “I promised you I would come, and I intend to follow through even if it’s a bit late. I’ve got a whole presentation planned out.” 

“I thought you j-just didn’t want to come.” Spencer said. 

“What? No buddy! Of course, I wanted to come! I just had to go somewhere for work.” Hotch said quickly. He heard their home phone ringing downstairs but didn’t care at the moment. 

Spencer was quiet for a moment before he nodded. “Okay.” 

“Okay?” Hotch asked, he had expected it to be much more difficult to win back the small boy. This seemed too easy. 

“Okay.” Spencer repeated. The tears were no longer falling from his eyes and he wiped away those that lingered on his face 

“You are allowed to be mad at me Spence.” Hotch said, carefully. Someone else might have just accepted that Spencer was okay now and counted it as a win. But not Hotch. Maybe it was the profiler in him, but he wanted to truly understand his son. He wanted to be sure Spencer wasn’t blaming himself or something ridiculous because that would only make things worse. 

“I was.” The boy replied. “But you gave me a logical explanation to what happened and offered a solution to make it better. There’s no real reason for me to be upset anymore.” 

Hotch didn’t know what to say. It was strange that a boy who would cry when he didn’t want to go to bed somehow had such an interesting way of handling his complex emotions. 

“Besides.” Spencer slid off the bed, seeming ready to move on to a different activity. “I know you need to help people. You save people all the time and that’s more important that career day.” 

“Spencer…” Hotch let out, again, not sure what to say. “I still need you to know that you are important to me.” 

“I know.” Spencer nodded, picking up his book and plopping into his bean bag chair. “But your job is important too. You saved me, remember?” the boy looked up. 

As if Hotch could ever forget the series of catastrophes that were Spencer’s early childhood. “Yeah buddy. Yeah I do.” 

Both sat silent for a few minutes, Spencer reading his book, and Hotch contemplating the conversation they had just had. He wasn’t sure what to make of it. 

Before he could dive deeper into his thoughts, his phone rang. 

“I’m coming too.” 

Hotch looked over to the boy who hadn’t even looked up from his book. 

“What?” 

“It’s a case. I’m coming too.” Spencer said firmly. 

“I don’t even know who it is yet.” Hotch said, looking down at his phone and seeing that, sure enough, it was JJ on the line. “You’re not coming. You have school.” 

“If you can miss my school today, then I can miss it tomorrow.” 

So that was it then. 

It wasn’t about Spencer’s emotional intelligence, though that was certainly there. Hotch had studied the human brain countless s and one thing he’d learned was that anger hormones often do not last long. Chemical anger only lasts a matter of seconds; anything longer was a person choosing to feel that way. 

It was easy to forget that Spencer was a genius sometimes. 

He must have felt his original anger, listened to Hotch’s apology and figured it was in his best interest not to choose to be mad. Instead, he could use his quick forgiveness to get something in return. 

It also made Hotch wonder why Spencer didn’t choose the other option and stayed made for a long time, eventually guilting Hotch into something. 

And how had he known they would be called on a case right then? 

Hotch didn’t have time to mentally dissect his child genius’s brain so instead, he just shook his head and answered the phone. 

Sure enough, they would be heading off to Boston, the very place he had just left. 

“I’m sorry, I have to leave again,” Hotch said though he was sure Spencer had already figured that out. 

“Where are we going? What climate should I pack for?” Spencer asked, opening his closet and staring at the array of polo shirts and sweaters. 

“Umm let me think. Dress for Northern Virginia because that’s where you are staying.” Hotch said, getting up. He needed to repack his go-bag. 

“I’m coming too.” Spencer said firmly. “If you aren’t coming to career day, then I’m coming to your career. How else will I learn to be a profiler?”

“You don’t need to learn to be a profiler, you’re already about as good as the rest of the team.” Hotch said. “And you aren’t joining the FBI.” He said as an afterthought. “I don’t need you working in a job where you could die any second.” 

Hotch didn’t realize what he had said until he didn’t receive some witty remark in return. He turned around from where he had been standing in the doorway for Spencer’s room, about to leave. He saw tears had once again found their way to his son’s face. 

Shit. 

“I d-don’t want you to die!” Spencer said, seeming even more upset than he had earlier. 

Hotch just couldn’t seem to do anything right today. 

“No no kiddo I’m not!” Hotch quickly reassured, kneeling by Spencer’s side in less than a second. “I promise I’m not going to die. I’m very safe and the team is very good at what we do.” 

“I-I know y-your good but-” Spencer let out a small hiccup, “But what if s-something happens?” 

“Nothing is going to happen kid. I promise, okay?” Hotch knew it was a promise he couldn’t necessarily keep, but he would do his best. 

And then he had a stupid thought that he tried to push away. He couldn’t bring Spencer on the case. What if he got hurt? 

But Spencer had come before, and everything had been fine. And he did sort of owe the kid one for missing out on his career day. “Working” a case with the BAU might make him feel better? And the whole team would be there to keep him safe. Spencer would stay at the police precinct with Penelope. 

It was a good plan. Right? 

“Do you want to come to Boston Spencer?” Hotch asked after a moment of consideration. 

Spencer perked up slightly but still seemed tentative. “Promise you won’t die?” 

“Cross my heart.” Hotch nodded. 

“O-Okay.” Spencer nodded, seeming happy that he got to come but still a bit upset. 

He had cheered up sufficiently by the time they were packed and, in the car, driving to Quantico. 

Hotch was making the right decision. Everything would be fine. No harm could come to the buy at a police station. 

“Hey,” Hotch said, suddenly remembering something. “How did you know that I was being called on a case?” He said, looking in the rear-view mirror and smiling slightly at Spencer in his FBI windbreaker that was already getting too small for him. He was growing fast. 

“Normally your cases take longer than one night.” Spencer shrugged. “And I heard the land-line phone right downstairs. The only people that use that is your work.”

Hotch shook his head fondly. “You’re gonna be smarter than me one day.” 

Spencer smiled back cheekily, “Maybe I already am.” 

Chapter Text

The plane ride went as it normally did with the exception of the presence of Spencer. Hotch had sat the boy at the back of the plane as he and the team discussed their latest case in hushed voices. 

“What are you up to kid?” Morgan asked, approaching the boy and sliding into the spot across from him with the table in between them. On said table was an array of random things that Spencer was adding and mixing into what looked like an old film canister. 

“Magic.” Spencer said, not looking up. 

“Magic?” Prentiss’s voice asked, joining the two at the back table. 

“Physics magic.” Spencer nodded. “Wanna see my rocket?” He asked, finally looking up with sparkling eyes. 

“Sure.” Morgan nodded, amused. Spencer looked like some sort of mad scientist. Should Morgan be concerned that a child was mixing random chemicals in an airplane hundreds of miles in the air? Probably. But he figured Spencer knew far more than him about chemistry, so it was probably fine. 

“Okay but be quiet.” Spencer whispered. “My dad said I’m not allowed to cause any issues’ or ‘disturb the team.’” 

The two agents couldn’t help but smirk. “Yeah boss man tells me the same thing.” Morgan chuckled. 

“Okay ready?” Spencer asked, clicking on the lid to the small black container. 

They both nodded and watched as the boy shook the tin before flipping it over. Spencer leaned back, eyes wide in anticipation, his hands held up slightly, waiting. 

“What supposed to happen?” Prentiss asked after several seconds of nothing. 

“Just wait.” Spencer said, not taking his eyes off the case. 

Suddenly the canaster began to release bubbles at the bottom before it suddenly shot straight up into the air and flew across the plane. 

The three let out exclamations of excitement, that was until they saw just where it had landed. 

Hotch picked up the small black case that had landed just in front of his feet. He stood and walked to the back of the plane; a disapproving look on his face. 

“Physics magic?” Hotch asked, walking to the back of the plane where Morgan and Prentiss were trying to hide their laughs at the horrified look that had filled Spencer’s face. It wasn’t one of actual fear, more like anticipating disappointment. 

“Yes?” the boy replied, unable to hide his materials in time. 

“Spencer, we talked about this.” Hotch said, finally arriving at the table and placing down the black tube. “You’re really starting to get some distance on these.” He said before turning around before anyone could see his smile. 

“Looks like he does have a sense of humor.” Prentiss chuckled. 

“Oh yeah!” Spencer nodded, already beginning work on making another rocket. “You should hear his Darth Vader impression. It’s amazing!” 

“Hotch does a Darth Vader impression?! Our Aaron Hotchner?” Morgan asked in disbelief. 

“We also have matching Star Wars PJs.” Spencer continued much to the amusement of the other two agents trying to imagine their stoic boss in Star Wars pajamas.  

“He seems to be having fun.” Rossi said, taking the seat next to Hotch as they watch Spencer smiling with Morgan and Prentiss. 

“I know what you’re thinking.” Hotch said. “And I know I shouldn’t have brought him. I just messed up earlier and needed a way to make it up to him. He’ll stay at the station while we work. I already talked to the chief, and they set up a room for him.” 

“I wasn’t going to say anything.” Rossi said, raising his hands in surrender. “I was just going to ask how you were doing.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Well, I know you worked this case before and then the Reaper offers you this deal…I just wanted to check in.” Rossi replied carefully. 

“I’m fine.” Hotch said. “The past doesn’t matter. We just need to focus on what’s happening now.” 

As if on cue, Garcia’s face popped up on their big screen. “Hello everyone. I come bearing bad news. There has been another killing. They left a pair of glasses that belonged to the last and only surviving victim, George Foyet.” 

---

It was nearly midnight when the team finally made it to their hotel rooms that night. They had gotten practically nowhere on the case. This guy was smart, they all knew that, it was just a matter of if they could be smarter. 

“There’s a pool downstairs.” Spencer said casually once he and Hotch arrived in their shared room. 

“I saw that.” Hotch nodded as he pulled off his suit jacket and hung it up to wear again tomorrow. After Spencer didn’t reply he spoke again, “Did you…did you want to go swimming?” He wasn’t sure why else Spencer would bring the pool up. 

“I don’t know how to swim.” 

Hotch turned to him in surprise. “You don’t?” Really, he should have known that. Where would Spencer have learned how to swim? He grew up abused and locked in a basement. It wasn’t like anyone would pay for his swimming lessons. 

Hotch checked his watch, it was a quarter to midnight. He was beginning to grow tired, but he could stay up another 20 minutes to give Spencer some fun. The boy had spent the day reading and even took a nap in his office at the station. “Do you want me to teach you? The pools open for another hour.” 

“Okay.” Spencer nodded. “I read a book about the mechanics of swimming and its implications of our evolution from water species, so I know a bit about it.” 

“Of course, you did.” Hotch smiled. “Put on a pair of shorts and we’ll head down.” 

Hotch himself grabbed a pair of athletic basketball shorts that he typically used to sleep in and headed into the bathroom to change. When he came out, he found Spencer wearing a pair of khaki shorts. He really should have known. 

“They might have a pair of swim trunks at the hotel store. Come on buddy.”  Hotch said, picking up Spencer and heading out the door. 

Five minutes later Spencer was standing in his new bright red swim trunks. He stood awkwardly at the edge of the pool, staring at the water with distrusting eyes. Hotch was glad the pool was empty. That probably would have spooked Spencer even more.

“Don’t jump in yet kiddo.” Hotch said, pulling off the white shirt he’d worn on the way to the pool for the sake of modesty. He then joined Spencer at the edged before gently lowering himself into the slightly chilled water. “You ready?” He asked, holding out his arms to help Spencer. 

The boy still seemed unsure. “I’ll hold onto you the whole time. I promise.” Hotch said, reaching out his hands and placing them on Spencer’s hips. “Do you want to jump in or should I lift you.” 

“Lift.” Spencer said. 

“Alright. It’s a little chilly.” Hotch warned before he gently picked Spencer up off the side of the pool and slowly began to lower him into the water. It was about 4 feet so Spencer wouldn’t be able to stand with his head out of the water, so Hotch made sure to hold him firmly. 

At first, the boy was fine. He slowly kicked his feet back and forth when they came in contact with the water. Hotch continued to lower him more and more. And everything was fine. 

That was until the water reached his chest. 

Hotch had no intention of letting Spencer’s head go all the way under, he just wanted him to be emersed. But suddenly Spencer let out a cry of fright. His eye’s scrunched shut as he began to shout. 

“Stop! No! Let me out!” 

“Hey, hey, hey you’re alright.” Hotch tried to soothe. Hotch stood so the top of him was out of the water and held Spencer to his chest, high enough so the boy would no longer be in the pool. 

“Let me out!” Spencer said again as he tried to push against Hotch. He was clearly having some kind of flashback. It was like he was trying to escape from something. But what?

Then everything suddenly made sense. 

He really should have known. He should have remembered. Spencer had been locked in the back of a car when Madison had driven it into a lake in an attempt to kill both of them. Spencer had been stuck in the trunk as it had slowly begun to fill with water until he was submerged. He’d almost drown. He’d almost died. 

Hotch should have guessed he’d be afraid of water. He should have known the pool would send him into a panic. 

“Madison is gone. You’re safe Spence. I’m here. Your dad is here.” 

Spencer slowly began to stop struggling though he was still shaking like a leaf. 

“That’s it kiddo. You’re alright.” Hotch soothed. He ran a hand through Spencer’s hair. 

Spencer slowly opened his eyes. He looked down to see they were still technically in the pool and quickly shut them. 

Hotch quickly moved to the pool's edge and pushed himself up with one arm, using the other to hold Spencer. Thank god for all his FBI fitness training. 

“It’s alright buddy.” Hotch hummed. He sat Spencer on a chair and wrapped him in a towel. “You’re alright.” 

Spencer once again opened his eyes and kept them open. “I-I’m done s-swimming now.” He said in a small voice. 

“Okay.” Hotch nodded. “Let’s head back up.” 

Spencer didn’t even need to ask as Hotch instinctually lifted Spencer into his arms and carried him out of the pool facility. They had just made it into the elevator when Hotch realized that Spencer had fallen asleep against his chest. The poor kid. He was probably exhausted from the day and the flashback. 

Maybe it had been a bad idea to let him come. 

Chapter Text

The case wasn’t getting any easier. They’d been down every possible ally of explanation, even tracking down George Foyet, the only surviving victim. But they still had nothing. 

Hotch stared at himself in the hotel mirror, willing the bags under his eyes to go away. He needed to take advantage of what little sleep he was going to get. It was already almost two. He was glad Spencer had been able to nap at various times throughout the day so he wouldn’t get too cranky. 

He wiped his face with a washcloth and brushed his teeth before exiting the hotel bathroom and heading for bed. He expected to find Spencer laying in his own twin bed but was surprised to see the young boy standing near the desk, hotel phone pressed against his ear. 

“Who are you talking to?” Hotch asked, crossing the floor instantly and taking the phone from the boy. He was far too young to be answering the phone by himself.

“’dunno.” He shrugged. “The phone rang but no one said anything.” 

Hotch gave him a look that said, we’ll talk about this later before he pressed the phone against his own ear. 

“This is Hotchner.” 

There was no response. 

“Who’s there?” He asked, preparing to hang up. 

“Hello Aaron Hotchner. I didn’t know you had a son.” Said the cold voice of the Reaper. 

------

It was too much now. It was too real. The Reaper's body count in the last few days was up to 20 including a Boston police officer. Not to mention the phone call and the recognition of Spencer. 

And he’d almost gotten Morgan too. That was the scariest part of it all. Sure, they all put their lives on the line in every case they worked but this time the only thing between Derek and death was being knocked out cold. 

Hotch knew he could no longer justify keeping Spencer in Boston. He didn’t care that the boy would be disappointed, he just needed him back in Virginia. He needed him safe. 

“Hotch, we need to deliver the profile.” Prentiss popped her head into the office that Hotch had been sitting in, silently watching Spencer play with a Lego set he’d brought. 

“Right.” He nodded, not looking away. “I’ll be out in a second.” 

Part of this was his fault. Maybe he should have taken the deal. Maybe he could have saved more lives. And things were only going to get worse. He couldn’t focus on the case and worry about Spencer at the same time. 

Aaron pulled out his phone. He hated calling Peter so late in the night but there was no one else he could think of that would be willing to drive to Boston to take Spencer home. 

“’ello?” Answered the tired voice of the babysitter. 

“Peter, this is Aaron Hotchner.” 

“Hotch?” The young man sounded confused. “What’s going on?” 

“I really hate to ask you this, but I need a favor.” 

“Yes. Anything.” 

“Would you be willing to drive to Boston to come get Spencer and bring him home? I know it’s a lot to ask for and it’s my fault for letting him come on the case but it’s not safe for him to be here anymore. I’ll pay for your gas, food, and time and a half of your usual wage.” 

“I’ll take the gas money, but you don’t need to pay me for the rest. I just want Spencer to be safe too.” Peter said. Hotch could already hear the sound of him getting out of bed. “It’s like a 6-hour drive, right? I can be there around 5 am.” 

Hotch let out a sigh of relief. How had he gotten so lucky finding a babysitter that was not only responsibly but had a heart too. “You have no idea how grateful I am.”  

“It’s no problem. I’ve got to hang up now though if I want to get on the road. Send me the address?” 

“Yeah. Right away.” Hotch nodded. “Thank you, Peter.” 

“See you soon.” 

“You’re sending me home?” 

Hotch looked up to see Spencer had long since abandoned his Legos and was staring at him intently. 
 
“It’s not safe here for you buddy.” Hotch replied. 

“But I can help! I’ve been listening to everyone talk. I know the MO. I know he gives people flat tired and pretends he’s going to help and-”

“I know you are very smart, but you are still a kid Spence. It’s not safe here.” 

“But-”

“It’s not up for discussion. I’m the parent. When it comes to your safety, there is no debate.” Hotch said. Maybe it was a bit harsh, but he didn’t care. He was not going to put Spencer in any more harm if he could help it. “We are going to work through the night, so I’ll have an officer set up a cot for you in here to take a nap. Peter will be here at 5 am to take you home.” 

Spencer didn’t reply. Instead, he pouted and turned back to his Legos. 

At least he had wasn’t arguing anymore, Hotch thought before standing and exiting the little office. He found Rossi outside waiting for him. The older man has some sort of Spider-sense when it came to Hotch. He could always tell when something was wrong. 

And something was wrong. Hotch’s first priority had obviously been ensuring Spencer’s safety but now that he had a plan, everything caught up to him. 

“You alright Hotch?” Rossi asked. 

“It’s my fault. It’s my fault everyone on that bus is dead.” He said, turning and beginning to walk down the hall. He didn’t get far as Rossi grabbed his shoulder and led him to an empty conference room. 

“How so?” He asked once they had more privacy. 

“The Reaper called me. He’s offered me the deal twice now and both times I didn’t take it. I’m the one that got them killed.” 

“Well, you’ve convinced me.” Rossi said sarcastically pulling his gun from his holster and offering it to Hotch. 

“Dave-”

“You can’t blame yourself for this Aaron.” Rossi cut him off. “You didn’t kill them. It’s our job to catch these guys, not make deals. You’re just doing your job.” 

“But I could have done something-”

“Do you want to end up like Gideon?” The older agent cut him off again. “So full of guilt you can’t see just how many lives you saved? Do you think I’m to blame for everyone who’s died when I was on a book tour?” 

“No but-” Hotch wiped a hand over his face, realizing for the first time that he was crying. 

“But nothing Aaron. You’re a good man. You’re doing a job. And you need to get out of your own head so you can keep doing that job.” Rossi said, pulling his gun back in his holster as his final point. 

There was a moment of silence. 

“That was a bit dramatic.” Hotch said, nodding towards the gun. He took a deep breath and wiped his face again. 

“My wife always said I had a flare for the dramatics.” 

“Which one?” 

Rossi smirked. “All of them.” 

Aaron gave a weak smile back. Rossi was right. Not about the dramatics, though that of course was true, but about the Reaper. He couldn’t blame himself. He needed to put his undivided attention on solving the case. That was the only way things would get better. 

“Thanks.” He nodded to the older man. 

“Anytime.” 

Chapter Text

The team continued to work as the sun began to rise. Hotch didn’t even realize what time it was until he heard the sound of the conference room door open. 

“Just another pot of coffee thanks.” He said, not even looking up. The same junior officer has been entering the room the team was working in every 20 minutes to ask if they needed anything. It was honestly getting annoying at this point. 

“Oh. Um…okay?” The voice said, turning to go. 

It took Hotch’s sleep-deprived brain a moment to recognize who it belonged to. “Peter wait.” He said, getting up from his chair and stooping the young man who’d been about to get coffee for the team. “Sorry I didn’t know it was you.” 

“It’s alright.” 

Peter didn’t look too great either. He was dressed in sweats and a sweater with a north-face jacket pulled over the top. There were bags under his eyes and a coffee cup of his own clutched in his hand. 

“Thank you for coming all the way here so quickly. I would have had you two fly but I don’t have any of Spencer’s documentation with me and security at commercial airport is a nightmare if you don’t have the same last name.” Hotch explained as he began walking down the hallway, Peter by his side. “How was the drive? Are you doing alright?” 

“I’m a bit tired.” He said as if it weren’t obvious. “But I’ll be fine. I got a cup of espresso to keep me up.” 

“Is that whole cup just espresso?” Hotch asked. 

“Yeah.” 

“God, I forgot what college was like.” The agent shook his head, thinking back momentarily to his own days of living of expresso beans and ramen. “And you’re sure you’re safe to drive?” 

“I wouldn’t even consider driving if I thought I might fall asleep at the wheel.” Peter said firmly. “Just give me a minute to drink this and I’ll be ready to go.” 

“Alright. I’ll get Spencer ready.” Aaron said before entering the room Spencer was in. He smiled, finding the boy fast asleep on the little cot that had been set out for him. He always looked so peaceful when he slept. Even younger too. 

“Spence?” He said as he knelt down and gently shook the boy. “Peter is here for you buddy.” 

“’m tired.” Spencer mumbled, rolling over onto his side away from his dad. 

“I know kiddo, but you need to head home now.” 

“’cording to a study at the Cleveland Clinic of medicine…” Spencer cut himself off with a yawn. “School age children need 9-12 hours of sleep.” 

“You’ll sleep in the car.” Hotch said, nudging him yet again. If Spencer was this reluctant to wake up as his age now, he could only imagine how difficult it would be to wake up a teenage Spencer. He was not looking forward to that. 

“Can we stay one more day?” 

“No.” 

“Can I help with the case?” 

“No.” 

“Can I have chocolate ice cream?” 

“Yeah alright.” Hotch agreed. “I’m giving Peter money for the two of you to get some food on the way home. I’m sure he will let you get ice cream with your meal.” 

“Okay. I’ll go.” Spencer said, sitting up and rubbing sleep from his eyes. 

He looked tired. Hotch had been trying to get him to take naps as much as possible and had done his best to get them to the hotel at a relatively decent time, but it still wasn’t enough. Hotch was never going to bring Spencer on a case again. It had been a terrible idea, to begin with, and he wasn’t going to let it happen again. 

“Carry?” Spencer asked, lifting his arms up. 

Hotch nodded and scooped the boy up easily. He grabbed the boy’s little suitcase as well and began heading towards the door. 

“Wait.” Spencer stopped him, pulling something out of his sweater pocket. “Give this to Morgan.”

“What is it?” Hotch asked, taking the piece of paper. It looks like some kind of crayon drawing. 

“I made him a new badge.” Spencer said, yawning yet again. 

And sure enough, it was. While it was all done in the messy hands of a child, it was still recognizable as an FBI badge. There was a small stick figure version of Morgan in the corner as well as Spencer’s rendition of the bureau’s logo. 

“It’s obviously not regulation but he seemed upset that he lost his, so I made him a temporary one until it’s fixed.” 

Hotch couldn’t keep the smile from coming to his face as his heart melted. Spencer was the absolute sweetest kid on the planet. 

“Will ya give it to him?” Spencer asked, laying his head against Hotch’s chest, most likely to fall asleep again. 

“Yeah. Yeah I will.” He nodded. 

“Hey.” Peter said, walking into the room. It seemed he’d consumed his caffeine and seemed much more energetic. “Are we ready to rock and roll?” 

“I think he fell asleep,” Hotch said looking down as Spencer who, sure enough, was once again dead to the world. 

“I can take him.” Peter stepped forward and Spencer was carefully transferred into his arms. Peter’s face blushed slightly when his hand brushed against Hotch’s. 

“Here’s some money for the two of you.” Aaron said, passing over some cash. “Let me know if you end up needed any more. I also promised Spencer he could have ice cream at some point.” 

“Got it.” Peter nodded before adding. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m good.” Hotch nodded, though he was far from it. 

“Okay.” Peter nodded, seeming skeptical. “I’m always here if you need anything. Anything.” 

“You already drove 6 hours for me. You’ve done more than enough.” 

Something flashed over Peter’s eyes, an almost sadness. Hotch didn’t have time to linger on that though. 

“I’ll call you in half an hour to make sure you got out of Boston okay,” Aaron said as they began walking out the station and towards Peter’s car. Hotch kept his head on a swivel, scanning for any possible threat. Peter and Spencer would be safe right? They were driving straight back to Virginia. A thought crossed his mind for a millisecond about giving Peter a gun just in case, but he quickly shut that down. Not only was it illegal, but there was no need. They would be fine. 

Hotch continued to scan the street as Peter buckled the still sleeping Spencer into his car seat before sliding the small suitcase in as well and closing the door. 

“You sure you’re okay Hotch?” 

“Yeah. I am.” He nodded. 

And suddenly, Peter’s arms were around him, pulling him into a hug. The younger man seemed almost surprised at his own actions as he quickly pulled back but Hotch stopped him. Maybe it was the fact that he was running on 2 hours of sleep. Or maybe it was because it had been so long since he’d received a hug from someone who wasn’t Spencer. With those factors and the stress of the case, Hotch found himself returning the hug. 

It wasn’t tight but it wasn’t casual. Hotch wasn’t entirely sure what it was or what it meant but he didn’t care. It felt nice. 

“I…thanks.” Hotch said once they had pulled away. “Thanks for everything. You’re a good kid Peter.” 

Another flash of sadness crossed Peter’s face. “I’m 24.” He said under his breath before looking back at Hotch. “No problem. Good luck with…everything.” 

“Thanks.” 

And with that, Peter got into his car and pulled out of the lot. 

Hotch watched them go. He felt a partial sense of relief but he would not stop holding his breath until they were safely out of Boston. 

“What happened to Beth?” 

“Jesus, we need to get you a bell.” Hotch said, jumping with a start at the sudden appearance of Rossi. 

“I assumed an FBI agent would have better reflexes.” He shrugged. “But what happened to Beth? You told me you were interested in seeing her.” 

“We talked for a bit but, I don’t know. We sort of lost touch. Why are you asking this right now?” Hotch asked a touch annoyed. 

“And you also said you weren’t interested in that Peter kid.” 

“He’s Spencer babysitter Rossi.” Hotch was fully annoyed now. 

“I thinks he’s more after what I just saw.” 

“He’s just a nice kid. There nothing going on between us.” Hotch insisted, though he suddenly felt like his tongue was too big for his mouth. And his palms were slightly sweaty. But he was just tired. This had nothing to do with Peter. 

“But-”

“Where’s the rest of the team. We have work to do.” Hotch said, brushing pash the other agent and entering the station again. 

They continued to work. They searched through old newspapers, examined past clues but still came up with nearly nothing. 

“Oh, I almost forgot.” Hotch said when he saw Morgan enter the room after refilling his coffee. “Spencer made this for you.” He handed him the paper. 

Morgan looked at it, confused for a moment before his face lifted into a smile; his first smile since they came to Boston. “The kid made me a badge.” Morgan shook his head fondly as he showed the rest of the team. “Every time I think he can’t be any more of a sweetheart he tops himself.” The man said, tucking the paper into his wallet where his normal badge was usually held. 

“I should probably check in with him and Peter,” Hotch said checking his watch. It had been about a half-hour. 

He pulled out his phone and pressed Peter’s number. It rang for a moment before he heard the younger man’s voice. “Hey Hotch! I was just about to call you.” 

“Where are you guys?” the agent asked, tucking the phone between his shoulder and ear as he sifted through some more files. 

“We’re just on the edge of the city. My tired just went flat out of nowhere so I’m pulled over in some side street. I’ve got a spare and I know how to change it so we should be fine.” 

“Good.” Hotch hummed, not entirely listening and he read through the file from the Reaper’s first victim for the 100th time. 

“Yeah, it will- oh wait someone’s pulling over to help us. One second.” Peter’s voice said. 

And suddenly Hotch’s eye’s landed on something in his file that brought him back to reality and made his blood run cold. 

Flat tire. 

Out of nowhere. 

A stranger offering to help. 

“Peter! Don’t get out of the car!” Hotch shouted, getting the attention of everyone in the room. “Do you hear me?! Drive away!”  

But he was given no response. Peter had pulled the phone from his ear. Peter was out of the car. Peter was talking to…

It was just like the Reaper’s first victim. He’d shot out the tires and pretended he was going to help them out before…

“BANG!” 

Then the line went dead. 

Chapter Text

Growing up, Hotch had never been a big fan of movies. He found most of them dull and predictable. But there was one genre that he found acceptable; action movies. The main reason he liked them was because of the car chase. He used to imagine what it would be like to fly through a city as fast as you can, life and death stuck in time. He always thought he would be good at that. 

But in real life, car chases were nothing like the movies. 

They were far from fun. 

They consisted of Hotch’s hands turning white as he gripped the wheel. Of his heart practically beating out of his chest as he tried to remain calm. Of terrible thoughts ringing through his head, bouncing back and forth in his skull as a never-ending loop. 

“Take the next left.” Rossi said, calmly reading off the direction Garcia had sent them. 

Hotch did as he was told, and it was only another 2 minutes before he saw Peter’s old beat-up car on the side of the street. 

But there was another car in front of him. There were no license plates and Hotch couldn’t make out the driver through the tinted windows but there was no doubt in his mind who was in that car as it spread away; the Reaper. 

Hotch didn’t even consider following the car, not when Spencer or Peter could be hurt. They came first. 

He quickly jumped out of the SUV and ran towards Peter’s car. At first, he didn’t see anything, that was until he circled around to the front. 

Being a field agent came with an expectation that you would see some graphic things. The newbies would often shake or even throw up when they saw their first stabbing. But with experience came a certain numbness to blood. Hotch was at a point in his career that almost nothing could phase him. He was numb to it all. 

But it’s hard when it’s someone you know. 

“I need medical! Now!” Hotch shouted to Rossi in a tone that made it clear what had happened. Hotch was on his knees in an instant, pressing his fingers to Peter’s neck, checking for a pulse. He thought he felt the weak pulsing of a heartbeat but with his own hands shaking, he couldn’t be sure. 

“Peter? Can you hear me?” Aaron wasn’t surprised when he got no response. Peter was in bad shape. It was clear he’d been stabbed multiple times, but Hotch wasn’t sure of the exact count. The penetrations all blended together in a river of red. 

“Peter!” Hotch tried again. “Come on kid. We need to find Spencer.” Hotch said, popping his head up again to see that the ambulance was just pulling up. 

“’e’s s-safe.” 

Hotch was pulled back to the bleeding man in his lap at the sound of his voice. Peter’s eyes were still closed but his mouth had moved. 

“’ncer. H-He’s ‘afe.” Peter slurred out. 

“Spencer is safe?” Hotch asked, interpreting the broken syllables into a sentence. 

“mm,” The young man seemed to hum in agreement. 

“Okay.” Hotch nodded. “You’re going to be okay.” The two medics were now approaching. “They’re going to take care of you.” 

“Stay?” And suddenly Peter’s eyes were open, looking at Hotch with a fear he wasn’t used to seeing. 

“I need to find Spencer.” 

Peter seemed to understand but it was hard to tell because his eyes once again floated closed. 

“Please step back sir.” One of the medics said, trying to push Hotch to the side. 

“We’re losing his pulse.” The other woman said, hooking something to Peter’s chest as they lifted him onto a stretcher. 

Hotch wanted to make sure he was okay, but he also knew the man was in good hands. He needed to find Spencer. He needed to make sure his son was okay. 

He stood, wiping excess blood from his now-stained suit and quickly making his way to the other side of the car; the side with the open door leading toward a dark alley. It was the side of the car where Spencer’s car seat still sat. 

“What happened? Did you find Spencer?” Morgan came running up to Hotch, their SUV having just arrived. 

“Peter got stabbed. I don’t know where Spencer is. Peter said he was safe, but I don’t know where. His door is open, so he probably ran off this way.” Hotch said, pointing towards the side street. 

“Let’s go.” Morgan said, both of them turning to go but they were halted by a noise. 

Aaron faced the car once again and looked inside There was nothing in the back seat but the car seat, Peter’s backpack, and Spencer’s suitcase. But it just so happened that Spencer’s suitcase was moving. 

“Dad?” Came the muffled voice. 

“Spencer?!” Hotch called out in surprise, wasting no time in climbing inside the small car and beginning to pull on the zipper. He managed to work it all the way around and popped open the top of the case, revealing a curled-up Spencer with tussled hair. “Oh thank god.” Hotch breathed out, instantly lifting Spencer out of the suitcase and pulling him to his chest. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m okay.” Spencer nodded. He seemed more confused than anything else. “What happened?” 

“Can you tell me what happened to you first?” Hotch asked, pulling Spencer away slightly so the boy was now sitting in his lap, both of them still in the back seat of the car. 

“Well, I was sleeping.” Spencer began. “Then I woke up when Peter was on the phone or something, said there was a flat tire.” 

“He was on the phone with me.” Hotch nodded. “Keep going.” 

“I was still half asleep, so I don’t remember much.” Spencer said, tilting his head a bit as if trying to remember. “But then I heard Peter shouting to me.”

“What did he say?” 

“It was weird.” 

“What did he say?” 

“Well first he told me to run. Then he said ‘Non decurrunt. Absconde in sacculo tuo.’”

“What does that mean?” Hotch asked. His law career trained him enough to recognize the language as Latin, but he wasn’t sure what it meant. 

“It means, don’t run. Hide in your bad.” Spencer translated. “Peter has been teaching me Latin when he babysits me.” 

“What else did he say?” 

“He told me to run again in English then he said ‘Aperi ergo ianuam absconde.’ ‘Open the door then hide.’” He translated again. 

Hotch understood what had happened. He knew Peter was smart, but this was another level of trickery. He’d said the ‘run’ in English so the unsub would think Spencer had run off. Telling him to open the door only helped further the illusion. If the unsub thought Spencer had run away, that would make the safest place for him to be hidden in the car. 

“I heard someone talking but I couldn’t tell what they were saying. At one point it sounded like someone was hurt but like they were trying to be quiet. I’m not sure what happened though. I couldn’t get the zipper to open, and I got stuck in the suitcase.” Spencer crunched his eyebrows, trying to think. “Peter can tell you what happened better. Where is he?” 

Spencer sat up a bit, looking around them as if expecting to see Peter standing on the street outside the car. Instead, he was met with the view of ambulances, police cars, and the BAU team walking around with serious looks. Then he looked back at Hotch seeming to see for the first time that his father’s suit was not in its usual pristine state; it was stained a deep crimson. 

“W-what…” Spencer started, trying to puzzle everything together in his little head. And then it suddenly clicked. The flat tire. The blood. The fact that Peter wasn’t there.” 

“No.” Spencer shook his head. 

“Spence.” Hotch said carefully.

“No. no.” He muttered to himself. “Is…is h-he dead?” 

Spencer’s eyes alone were enough to break the pieces of Hotch’s heart even smaller. 

“He’s on his way to the hospital.” Hotch said cautiously. “He was alive when they brought him on the ambulance.” 

“I want to see him.” Spencer said, attempting to scramble out of the car but Hotch stopped him. 

“N-no! I need to see him! Let go!” 

Hotch was careful not to hurt the boy who continued to struggle. He could feel Spencer’s heart beating increasingly faster and knew if he didn’t calm down, he would be sent into a panic attack. “Spence, deep breath. Please.” 

“No!” This time it was a full-on shout. “I need to see Peter! He’s, my friend!” 

“I know kiddo. We can visit him, but you need to breath. You’re going to have a panic attack.” 

Spencer still didn’t seem to understand and continued to struggle, trying to get out of the car. 

“Please. Please Spencer breathe!” Hotch said, feeling his voice crack slightly. He hated showing any sign of weakness, but he could only keep it together for so long. 

 It did seem to bring Spencer back to reality. He stopped struggling and was suddenly aware of his own lack of breath. 

“In and out.” Hotch guided, placing one of Spencer’s hands on his chest to guide the movement. He hoped Spencer didn’t feel how fast the chief’s heart was hammering too. “You can do it.” 

After another minute, Spencer was not only calm but exhausted as well. He slumped against his dad, unclear whether he was resting or asleep. But he was safe. And that’s what mattered. 

“Hotch?” Prentiss called out, as she neared the open car door. She lowered her voice seeing the resting boy. “We found this.” She held up a piece of paper. “It’s one of George Foyet’s addresses. We think the reaper is going to try to kill him. We need to go. Now.” 

Hotch looked down at Spencer in his arms. He couldn’t leave him alone with the police. He couldn’t leave him with the medics. But he needed to save Foyet and catch the Reaper. It was the only way to keep his family safe. 

“I’ll stay with him.” Rossi stepped forward. We don’t need the whole team there with all this extra police backup. I’ll stay with the kid. You need to do this Aaron.” 

Hotch looked down at Spencer once again before nodding. He slowly got out of the car, as not to wake the boy who was now fully asleep and transferred him into the other agent’s arms. “Keep him safe.” 

“I’ll protect him with my life.” Rossi nodded, and Hotch knew he meant it. Aaron pressed a soft kiss to his son’s forehead before turning to the team.

“Let’s go get this son of a bitch.” 

Chapter Text

Hotch felt out of place in the hospital room. 

Spencer seemed perfectly comfortable, curled up on a chair, waiting for Peter to wake up. 

But Hotch didn’t know what to do with himself. As it turned out, the Reaper ended up being George Foyet himself, the very man they had gone to great lengths to protect. He’d tricked them all. 

And Hotch felt so incredibly stupid. Stupid for not seeing the signs. Stupid for bringing Spencer on the case. Stupid for bringing Peter into harm's way. Part of him began to wonder if he was in over his head. He thought he was getting the hang of the whole parenting thing. But what if he was wrong? What if adopting Spencer had been a mistake. 

Of course, he didn’t actually regret it. Spencer was the best thing that had ever happened to him. But Aaron couldn’t help but wonder if he was the worst thing that could have happened for Spencer. 

And then there was Peter. The doctors had said he would survive but just barely. 

“Why don’t you go back to the hotel with Morgan?” Hotch asked, checking his watch and seeing it was 10 pm. It had been an eventful day, first the car situation, then the capture of Foyet. Hotch too needed sleep but he didn’t want Peter to be alone, especially when he was the reason the young man got hurt at all. 

The hospital had called Peter’s parents, who were still listed as his emergency contacts, but had gotten no answer. Hotch had had Garcia pull up their numbers and he tried calling them himself. He was absolutely disgusted at the response he received. 

He spoke only to Peter’s mother. He’d expected her to be shocked, horrified, upset, angry, anything! But she didn’t seem to care. It angered Hotch beyond belief. He thought back to how he had felt when Spencer had been kidnapped. And yet Peter’s mother didn’t seem to feel even an ounce of that. In fact, she’d hung up on him. 

So Hotch decided to stay. 

And there was no getting rid of Spencer. 

The poor kid had been through more than enough, but he still insisted on waiting by Peter’s side. It was clear Spencer cared about the young man. They spent almost every day together, it was only natural they form some sort of special bond. Peter was something between a brother and a second father. 

“’m not tired.” Spencer said, despite the fact that his eyes were beginning to droop. 

“What about some dinner?” 

“Ice cream?” 

“You can’t have ice cream everyday kiddo.” Hotch smiled softly. “We’ve talked about this.” 

“What about pizza?” Spencer offered a compromise. 

“Yes, I supposed pizza is fine.” Hotch nodded. He would have preferred Spencer have some fruits and vegetables as they hadn’t been eating too healthily while on the road, but he figured pizza would be fine given the circumstances.

As if on cue, Morgan popped his head into the room. The rest of the team had gone back to the hotel, but Morgan had stuck around, talking with cops and doctors to make sure everything was in order. “You guys hungry?” 

“Spencer and I just decided on pizza for dinner. Thoughts?” 

“I’m from Chicago. I’m pretty sure I’m not allowed to say no to pizza.” Morgan chuckled. “You want to come with me wonder boy?” 

“Am I wonder boy?” Spencer asked as if he could be talking about anyone else. 

“Yes, you are.” Morgan nodded, fully entering the room and crouching down so Spencer could jump onto his back for a piggyback ride. “We’ll be back.” He nodded to his boss before carrying Spencer out of the room. 

Hotch's gut tightened when Spencer was fully out of his sight, but he knew he was safe. Foyet was locked up and Morgan was more than capable of protecting the two of them. It had just been a long week. 

“’otch?” 

Hotch snapped his head around at the sound of the faint voice. He quickly stood and sat himself in the chair Spencer had just vacated to better hear Peter’s fragile words. 

“Hey kid, how’re you feeling?” Hotch asked as the younger man began to slowly open his eyes again. 

“Like I was stabbed several times.” He mumbled. 

“Yeah, that sounds about right.” Hotch nodded, smiling in relief. If the man was making jokes, he was probably going to be okay. “I’m going to tell the doctor you’re up.” He said, pressing the call button to his left. 

“’Spencer, okay?” 

“He’s okay.” Hotch confirmed. “He’s with one of my agents getting dinner. And we caught the unsub.” He added, hoping that would bring some sort of comfort. 

“Unsub?” 

Right, that wasn’t really a word average citizens were familiar with. “The serial killer.” He amended. 

“Mr. Conrad, how do you feel?” The doctor asked as she entered the room. 

“I’ve been better.” Peter answered. 

“You’re very lucky to be alive young man.” She said, scanning her eyes across a clipboard. “It looks like every single stab wound was just centimeters away from major organs.” 

Centimeters away from all major organs. 

Where had Hotch heard that before? 

And then he knew. 

He had his gun out in an instant, safety off, and pointed at Peter. “You’re working with him!” 

The doctor stepped back in surprise but that was nothing compared to the absolute terror that lit up Peter’s face. 

“The same thing happened to Foyet! He stabbed himself to make it look like he was the victim but he knew where to stab so he wouldn’t die. You’re working with him!” 

“No, I’m not I swear!” Peter said, raising his one arm that wasn’t in a sling. 

“Then how do you explain this? Why did he purposefully let you live? You’re working with him.” Hotch's eyes were narrowed as he stared down the man, he’d trusted his son with. 

“Or I’m a biology major!” 

“You…you are?” 

“Yes.” Peter nodded, practically shaking with fear. “I-I majored in biology and engineering in college. Now I’m working on m-my m-master’s in engineering.”

And once again, Hotch felt like shit. 

He knew Peter had majored in biology. Of course, he knew where all the major organs in the body were, and he knew them in such detail he’d be able to squirm and tense himself enough to ensure each stab wouldn’t be a fatal one. Sometimes he forgot how smart the man was. 

“I-I promise! I w-would never hurt a-anyone.” 

Hotch was an asshole. 

“I…I’m sorry Peter.” He said, lowering his gun and putting it back in its holster. “Your right. I’m sorry I just…I jumped to conclusions. I know you wouldn’t do anything.” 

Hotch turned away, placing his elbow on one of the tall bookshelves as he rubbed his forehead. 

“As for our medical concerns.” The doctor said after a moment of silence. She listed off a few concerns and how they would treat them before departing, leaving the two men in an extremely awkward silence. 

“I really am sorry Peter.” Hotch said eventually, still facing away. “I was completely out of line. I never should have…that shouldn’t have happened. Any of it.” 

“It’s okay.” Peter said quietly. “I…I know you’re just worried about Spencer. But if you could not point your gun at me next time that would be great.” 

“It won’t happen again.” Hotch nodded, finally turning and taking a cautious step forward. 

“I really am fine.” Peter said, watching as Hotch quite literally walked on eggshells. 

“How many days did they say you would be here?” The agent asked, cautiously taking his seat again. 

“At least 4. I don’t know how I’m going to pay this off on top of my student debt.” He said, running his good hand over his face. 

“Don’t be ridiculous, I will be covering your medical bills.” Hotch said, surprised he even had to offer. All of this was his doing, he couldn’t expect a grad student to pay thousands of dollars. 

“I can’t accept that. I’ll be fine.” Peter said, shaking his head and wincing from the movement. 

“You can and you will. I asked you to come here. I put you in danger. Hell, I just accused you of working with a serial killer. There is no way I am letting you pay for this.” His tone left no room for discussion. 

“I…thank you Hotch.” 

“Thank you for protecting Spencer.” Aaron replied. “Telling him to hide and leading the unsub a stray; that was smart.” 

“Thanks.” The younger man blushed slightly. 

There was another moment of silence, but not nearly as uncomfortable. Hotch was the first to break it. 

“I called you parents.” 

“Oh god really?” Peter asked. 

“I thought they would want to know what happened to you.” 

“I’m sure they don’t give a fuck.” Peter said, letting slip an out-of-character curse word. 

“Did you have a falling out?” Hotch asked though it was really none of his business. He was just curious. 

“I wouldn’t call it a falling out. More of a, ‘my parents are homophobic and threw me out of the house when I came out to them’ moment.” 

That kind of explained a lot. Peter had seemed to take a liking to both Spencer as well as Hotch. He didn’t have a parental influence in his life. That explained their strange interactions every once and a while. He knew Rossi had been wrong. Peter didn’t have a crush on him. Right? 

“I’m sorry Peter. You shouldn’t have to go through that.” 

“It’s fine. It’s over now and I’m better off without them.” He said firmly. 

Before he could ask anything else they were interrupted by the shrill cry of Spencer’s delight. The boy came running into the room, about to jump at Peter for a hug. Luckily, Hotch caught him midair before he caused any more damage to the already injured man. 

“Careful Spence.” Hotch said, setting him down. “He’s hurt, remember.” 

“Sorry.” Spencer blushed. “Are you okay? How do you feel? What medication did they give you? What kind of tools did your surgeon use? How long are you going to stay here? Do you want some pizza?” Spencer spewed off question after question, continuing to ramble without giving the other man a chance to answer. 

Hotch smiled fondly. 

Maybe everything was going to be fine. 

Peter was going to be okay. Spencer was safe. They’d captured their unsub. 

This time he really meant it. 

Everything was going to be oka-

“Hey Hotch.” Morgan said, stepping into the room. “Foyet broke out of prison. He’s free.” 

Chapter Text

It had been hard to condense the gory and complex details of his job into a 30-minute presentation for a group of 8-year-olds, but Hotch thought he’d done a pretty good job. He focused mainly on the detective aspects of his job even creating a fake case for the class to help him work through. Spencer of course solved it in a matter of seconds, but he kept it to himself as not to ruin the case. 

As he was presenting Hotch noticed how small Spencer was compared to the rest of the boys and girls. Of course, he was 3 years younger, but it was still notable. 

“Alright, everyone say thank you to Agent Hotchner for coming and speaking with us today.” The teacher said once he finished his presentation. There was a chorus of “thank yous” as the children stood up and began transitioning into their lunch break All except Spencer bounced right up to him, smiling from ear to ear. 

“What did you think kiddo?” Hotch asked.

“It was great! The case was easy though.” 

“Well not everyone can be a super genius like you.” Aaron smiled, ruffling his hair slightly.  

It had just over two months since the fiasco in Boston. Things had gone almost back to normal in the Hotchner family. Spencer had been of course bothered by the whole incident, but he seemed to bounce back fairly quickly. It made Hotch sad that Spencer had had so much trauma in his life that their latest ordeal didn’t seem to have a lasting impact. Not that he wanted his son to be scarred anymore; he just wished he hadn’t had to go through any of it. 

The one missing piece keeping them from full normality was Peter. True to his word, Hotch had paid all his medical bills and had even offered the younger man a room, but he’d declined, saying he’d rather stay in his own apartment. 

But he was getting better and better. Hotch had called him every week to check. He’d begun going to his classes about a month ago and was almost back to normal. He was set to return to his babysitting position next week. 

But until then, Hotch continued to enjoy the extra time he got with Spencer. Over his several years at the FBI Hotch had hardly ever taken a personal day. Because of this, he had several saved up and had committed to using them to spend time with his son while Peter took some time off of his own. 

“Will you stay the rest of the day?” Spencer asked, knowingly using his puppy dog eyes to his advantage. 

“I don’t think I’m allowed to.” The agent chuckled. “I already graduated, remember?” 

“We do have a number of parents who volunteer as recess monitors if that’s something you’re interested in?” The teacher said, overhearing the conversation. 

And that’s how Hotch ended up in the middle of a playground, wearing a bright neon safety vest, and thanking the stars above that Spencer didn’t have the same habit of letting out screams while playing like the other kids did. 

He knew he shouldn’t profile children, but he couldn’t help it as he watched the obvious cliches forming around him. Right away he noticed the dominant personalities, the ones that seemed to draw crowds around them. He was surprised to notice that one of them seemed to be close friends with Spencer. 

Spencer was following the slightly older boy around as the group of about 15 kids played a game of soccer. Hotch couldn’t help but smile fondly as he watched. There were many things that Spencer was amazingly talented at; one of them was not sports. Part of the issue was the fact that he was the youngest of the bunch, but on top of that, he was clumsy. He would fall or have to stop and catch his breath more often than the other, but he seemed to be having worlds of fun. And that’s what mattered. 

“Hello, are you new here?” Hotch turned to see a woman, wearing a matching neon vest, walking towards him. It wasn’t hard to tell that she was a parent volunteer. 

“Yes.” He nodded. 

“Wonderful! We always love having new volunteers. I’m Jennifer!” She said, sounding like she drank a whole pot of coffee. 

“Aaron.” He said, extending his hand. It was funny that this woman shared the same name as JJ but their personalities seemed to be polar opposites. 

“I’m Alex’s mom.” Jennifer said, pointing to another one of the boys who was playing soccer. “Which one is yours.”

“Spencer.” Hotch said, pointing to his son who had pulled a small notebook out of nowhere and seemed to be doing some sort of calculations. He kept looking at the goal as if surveying it. Knowing Spencer, he was probably trying to figure out what angle was best to try to shoot a goal. 

“He’s a wonderful player! He keeps up pretty well with the older kids.” The woman said. “Would he be interested in joining the boys’ soccer league?” 

“I think so.” Hotch nodded, truly not sure if Spencer would be interested or not. Frankly, Hotch hadn’t even known Spencer had any interest in sports at all, let alone that he was playing it at recess every day. 

“Well, they practice every Thursday after school and they have games on Sunday mornings.” 

“I’ll talk to him and let you know.” Aaron said. 

“Would you be interested in coaching?” 

“Would I what?” Hotch asked, turning back to the woman in surprise. 

“The son of the coach quit the team, so we are looking for someone else to replace him.” Jennifer said, the smile never wavering from her face. “You look like you know something about sports.” 

Right. 

So this had nothing to do with Spencer and everything to do need and the fact that this woman’s wedding ring had been recently removed based on the slight indentation around her finger. 

But still. Would Spencer even want him to coach? Did he even want to play on the team at all? Hotch decided to leave his options open. 

“I’ll talk to my son and let you know.” 

Chapter Text

“What are you reading?” 

Hotch looked up to find the rest of the team looking at him in amusement. They were currently flying home after a case that had gone surprisingly well. Spirits were high after catching their unsub in less than two days. 

Hotch had taken the two-hour flight as a chance to finally get started on his latest book purchase. 

“It’s a instructional book about athletics.” The unit chief said. 

“How to Coach Kid’s Soccer for Dummies?” Morgan read off the title, smirk widening. 

“It was the top-rated book on the topic.” Aaron shrugged. He was well aware that he was not a “dummy” but he did admit he was not experienced in soccer, let alone dealing with kids that were not Spencer. Spencer himself had been absolutely thrilled when he heard about the soccer team. Hotch purposefully left out the par that he may have just been offered a spot because they needed a coach. Spencer didn’t need to know that. 

Aaron had half hoped someone else would volunteer to fill the position, but no one did. So he was currently prepping as best he could for their first game of the season on Sunday. 

“Have you ever coached soccer before?” Rossi asked, taking a seat across from the chief. 

“No. Thus…” He said, holding up the bright yellow book. 

“You do know I’m Italian?” 

“You mention it about twice a day.” Hotch nodded. 

“I’m just saying I am well versed in what you American’s call soccer. I could have helped you out.” 

“First off, you were born in Long Island,” Hotch said, causing bursts of stifled laughter from the rest of the jet who was watching on. “Second off, you are more than welcome to come to Spencer’s first game.” 

“Since when is the kid interested in sports? You should get him into football.” Morgan butted in. 

“Soccer technically is football.” 

“You really want to go there Long Island?” Morgan jokingly challenged. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t hear you over the sound of my mansion.” Rossi replied dryly. 

“What does that even mean?” 

“Alright I think that’s enough.” Hotch cut off the ridiculousness that had unfolded before him. “I don’t care what you call it but Spencer has and athletic endeavor on Sunday that you are all welcome to attend as long as you don’t cause a ruckus.” 

“Athletic endeavor?” Morgan smirked again. “You better read up boss man.” He said, tapping the book. 

“You’re fired.” Hotch muttered before he did in fact turn back to his book. 

---

Still, on the high from the successful case, the team made last-minute plans to meet for drinks. They didn’t do it too often anymore, so Hotch felt like he had to attend the rare team celebration. Spencer had stayed with Will and Henry and JJ said he was fine to hang out there for another hour. 

Hotch of course didn’t have more than a single beer because he had to drive home but his spirits were still high.

He was almost to JJ’s house when his phone began to ring through the Bluetooth system of his car. HE was surprised to see the ID name read “Peter Conrad.” He quickly accepted the call. 

“This is Hotch.” 

“H…Hotch?” 

Aaron knew from the first syllable that something was wrong. Peter’s voice sounded eerily similar to how it had sounded back when his body had been bloody and penetrated. 

“Peter? Where are you? What happened?” Hotch kept his voice even but firm, his unit chief voice some might say. 

“I-I w-went out with some friends.” He said, beginning to slur his words. 

“Are you drunk?” 

“N-no…not ‘posed to drink w-while still taking ‘edication.” Peter said. “B-but there was a guy…” his voice faded out once more. 

“What guy? What happened?” Hotch said. His mind flickered to the worst-case scenario. Foyet. While staying on the call, Hotch quickly pulled out his phone and sent a text to Garcia to pull up Peter’s location. 

“…think ‘e put something …my drink.” 

“Someone put something in your drink?” Hotch repeated. He heard a dink notifying him he’d been sent Peter’s location. It was a bar just outside of Georgetown. He quickly whipped his car around, heading towards it. 

“think so. D-didn’t know who t-to call,” 

“I’m on my way Peter. I’ll be there soon.”

“m’kay.” 

“I need you to stay on the phone with me. Do you know who roofied you?” Hotch asked, wishing he was in an FBI car so he could use the sirens. 

“’gotta go now.” 

“No! Peter, I need you to stay on the phone.” 

“Bye Aaron.” 

Then he hung up with a click. 

Aaron continued to speed across the city. Maybe he ran a red light or to but only when he was sure it was safe. 

Mildly safe.

Maybe it wasn’t completely safe, but he needed to get to Peter. The poor kid was probably trying to get back to his normal life. He was just hanging out with some friends, the very thing Hotch had been doing before, and something like this had to happen. 

When he finally pulled up next to the bar, he breathed a slight sigh of relief when he saw there was a flashing police car in front of the building. Unfortunately, that relief was short-lived when he say that it was Peter who was being cuffed. 

“What’s going on here?” Hotch said, quickly getting out of the car and making his way to the cops, eyebrows low and eyes narrowed. 

“This man tested positive for several drugs. We are taking him to the station.” The short round cop said. He didn’t sound particularly engaged in his job, in fact, he sounded quite bored. 

“What drugs.” Hotch asked. 

It was at that moment that Peter noticed him. He was obviously in bad shape. The young man typically looked to put together and professional. He often wore sweaters, polo shirts, pressed khakis, and overall business casual wear. Right now, he looked quite the opposite. His hair was a mess, half of it was wet with something that smelled like alcohol. His maroon polo was wrinkled, and his pants were in no better shape. 

“Hotch!” He called out, reaching for the agent but his hand was quickly grabbed and stuffed roughly into a handcuff. Peter winced as the metal squeezed tightly against his barely healed stitches. 

“How do you know him?” The first officer asked Peter who was now swaying back and forth. 

“’es like my boss’ dad.”

Hotch wasn’t sure whether Peter had just referred to him as his dad or if he’d called Spencer his boss but either way he decided not to focus on it at the moment.  “Do you have a drug test?” 

“Yeah. Here.” The second cop said, passing over their little tablet that held the electronic results of the rapid drug test. He continued to handle Peter roughly as the younger man continued to flinch in pain. 

 Hotch scanned his eyes over the test, getting more and more infuriated the farther he read. He had experience working with incompetent officers, but this was too far. 

“Release him immediately.” Hotch said. Anyone with any sense would be able to feel the waves of heat coming off the man but it seemed the officers didn’t seem to care. 

“And why should we do that?” The shorter man smirked. 

“Well for one, these three medications are prescription pain killers-”

“That are illegal without a prescription.” The second man cut him off. 

No one interrupts Aaron Hotchner. 

“He has a prescription that he received weeks ago after being stabbed 9 times by a serial killer and if those wounds are ripped open by your treatment of him tonight then you better get ready for both a lawsuit and a fourth amendment case.” Hotch was slightly satisfied when the cop holding Peter loosened his grip. But he wasn’t done. “And that’s not to mention the ignorance or neglect to note that this last drug, Gamma-hydroxybutyrate, is a date rape drug!” 

“Who are you?” 

Hotch had been waiting for that question. He had his badge whipped out in an instant. “Agent Aaron Hotchner with the FBI, Unit Chief of the BAU.”

Both officers looked at each other, clearly knowing they had messed up. 

“Now I’ll need you to release this man and both of your badge numbers written down.” 

---

Hotch was surprised to find he wasn’t the first one up the next morning. 

When he came down the stairs, he found Peter sitting at the kitchen counter with a cup of coffee, head resting in his hands. 

“How do you feel?” Aaron asked, walking over to the coffee pot and pouring some of the liquid for himself. He had seen victims of Gamma-hydroxybutyrate roofies and knew it came with a certain amount of illness and fatigue once the drug wore off. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“What?” Hotch asked, looking up. 

“I’m sorry.” Peter repeated. He continued to stare into his mug as if hoping the coffee would consume him. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused with the stabbing, and I’m sorry for everything about last night.” 

“Peter, you have absolutely to be sorry for.” Hotch said firmly. “I’ve known you a few months now and you have been nothing but a pleasure to be around and all-around caring guy. Foyet was my fault. Completely. And last night…that wasn’t you’re fault either. You were the victim.” 

“You’re supposed to be my boss! I’m supposed to be professional.” Peter insisted. 

“Oh, come on kid. You’re basically part of the family now. You’re here every day and Spencer adores you.” 

“Really?” For the first time, Peter looked up, a flicker of hope in his eyes. 

“Yeah of course.” And then Hotch finally put it all together. The comment last night about Hotch being like a dad. The fact that Peter’s parents were complete assholes. Their hug in Boston. “Do…do you think of me as a father figure?” 

Peter blinked in surprise, clearly not expecting the bluntness of the question, but he nodded slowly. “Kind of.” He said. “I mean obviously I still work for you and everything but, I don’t know. I don’t really have any role models. And you offered to help me get a job in the FBI. I just…I don’t know. I think of you as sort of a boss, mentor, role model hybrid.” He confessed. Peter’s eyes flashed with hurt when Hotch suddenly let out a sputtering laugh. “Sorry. I over stepped.” 

“No no no!” Hotch quickly said. “It’s just…” He chuckled to himself once more. “David Rossi, one of my co-workers, he was convinced that you had a crush on me.” 

“Oh.” Peter said, turning bright red. “I- uh- I mean maybe a tiny bit at first but not anymore. It’s more like…have you ever seen the Avengers movies?” 

“I’ve seen a few.” Hotch nodded. Spencer had been getting into superheroes lately. 

“Do you know the dynamic between Spiderman and Tony Stark?” 

Hotch shook his head, they hadn’t made it that far yet. 

“Oh, well basically you’re Tony Stark and I’m Peter Parker.” Peter explained. 

“Okay?” Hotch nodded, truly having no idea what that meant. 

“But like also you can fire me because I was technically arrested last night.” Peter quickly added, as if not trying to sound too eager.  

“I’m not going to fire you. I will however be writing a report against those officers.” Hotch said in a tone that left no room for discussion. 

“Peter!” Spencer's excited shout broke the morning stillness as the boy ran forward, excited that the younger man was there for the first time in weeks. 

Hotch watch fondly as Peter smiled and lifted the boy, ignoring his headache and the bruises from the handcuffs. 

And just like that, Aaron had two sons. 

Well, technically he had one son and one protégé. 

But still. He was glad Peter was going to be okay. 

And so was Spencer. 

Everything was going to be okay.  

Chapter Text

“Do you know what tomorrow it?” 

“It’s Tuesday,” Hotch replied absent-mindedly. Spencer had taken longer than usual to get up for school that morning and they were running late. Hotch was darting around the kitchen throwing random things in his son’s lunch box, trying to assemble a meal. 

“What else is it?” Spencer pried. He didn’t seem at all worried by the fact that they needed to leave in 5 minutes, or they would both be late for school and work respectively. Instead, the boy was swinging his legs back and forth at the kitchen counter, working on his second piece of toast. 

“I don’t know Spence. Is it groundhogs’ day or something?” Aaron asked, still not completely focused and blurting out the more recent holiday. 

“No.” Spencer crunched his nose. “And that’s not a real thing. There is no way that a mammal like a ground hog has the meteorological capabilities to accurately predict the shift in seasonal climate.” 

“Alright then what is it?” Hotch scanned his eyes across the counter. Where had Hotch put Spencer’s water bottle? He’d filled it up the night before. Maybe he’d put it in the fridge. 

“It’s our 1-year anniversary?” 

“Of what?” 

“Me coming to live with you.” 

Hotch whirled around to look at the boy. “Is it really?” He asked in surprise. It hadn’t felt like a year at all. In fact, it felt like just yesterday that Spencer had insisted on being carried everywhere and would cower at every loud noise. Now Spencer was the one in charge of making loud noises. It felt like a week. But at the same time, it felt like years. Years of cases and unsubs and injuries. But they had made it through. 

“I’m sorry I guess I forgot.” Hotch said, finally snapping out of his musing. 

“’s’okay.” Spencer shrugged, not seeming to mind. 

“We should go out to dinner. Do something special.” Hotch said, still feeling slightly bad that he’d forgotten the day as he continued to pack the lunch. They were definitely going to be late now. Oh well. “Is there anything in particular you want to do?” 

“I want to go to 6 flags.” Spencer replied immediately. 

“6 flags? The amusement park in Maryland?” Hotch asked, surprised. It didn’t seem like something Spencer would be interested in. He was expecting him to suggest a museum or something. Had Spencer ever even been to an amusement park before? 

“Yeah! My friend Liam went with his dad last week and he said it was amazing!” Spencer nodded. “He said there are games and food and they have ride! But don’t worry. I already had Penelope check and all the rides and safety inspections are up to date!” 

Of course, Spencer would check the paperwork and certifications. 

Hotch himself hated to admit it but he wasn’t too much of a fan of roller coasters. Sure he could go in a car chase or tackle an unsub no problem but the ups and downs of amusement park rides made him feel sick. Maybe he was just getting old.

“Why don’t you invite Peter too? You can talk to him when he picks you up from school.” Hotch suggested. He was sure the younger man would be more than happy to take Spencer on the faster rides. Ah, youth. 

“Okay!” 

----

Hotch had committed to making their ‘anniversary’ special. He’d already bought the 3 tickets to 6 Flags once Peter confirmed he was in. He’d bought groceries and was going to make Spencer’s favorite pancakes. Hotch had taken the day off of work much to the surprise but support of his team. He’d even allowed Spencer to miss school. It wasn’t like the boy couldn’t make up anything he missed in a matter of minutes. 

He wanted to make it special. 

Because even if Spencer was happy now, he’d had it really rough in the past. Hotch was committed to making as many good memories as possible in an effort to outweigh the bad ones. 

He’d even got Spencer a present. The boy still insisted on wearing the FBI windbreaker that Garcia has given him for his birthday despite the fact that it was now too small for him. He still looked adorable in it, but Hotch had decided it was time for something new. He had custom ordered the small set of shirts and jackets and other merch that new recruits were given when they joined the FBI. He’d had to have it made special to be a child’s size. He’d even had one of the jackets embroidered like his own was. On the left breast pocket of the tiny jacket read ‘Reid-Hotchner.’ 

The rest of the team had absolutely melted when Hotch had shown them the set of three shirts, a jacket, a windbreaker, and a hat. Morgan had even contributed, printing out a somewhat realistic-looking FBI badge with that read Future Agent. Hotch hadn’t loved that addition because he was still trying to steer Spencer away from actually perusing the dangerous career. But he figured he himself was doing more harm to his campaign by getting the set of items in the first place, so he’d allowed Morgan to add the card to the pile. 

The morning started out nice. 

Hotch got up early and set to work making the large breakfast. Spencer had come down about an hour later, filled with energy and excitement at the prospect of going to his first amusement park. Peter arrived about 20 minutes after that. The younger man was clearly trying to conduct himself like an adult, but Hotch could tell he was excited as well. He’d confessed that he’d only been to a theme park once when he was a teenager. 

Everything was going well. Hotch finished up breakfast and they were just about to sit down at the table when Hotch’s phone rang. 

Spencer’s face instantly deflated at the sound. Hotch saw the joy and excitement wipe from his eyes in less than a second. He knew what it meant. They all did. 

“This is Hotch.” He answered the blackberry. 

“I’m so sorry to do this Aaron.” JJ’s apologetic voice said from the other end. 

“What happened?” He asked. 

“Three more dead in Pennsylvania. Unsub killing for three consecutive weeks.” She said. 

“Why weren’t we called soon?” Three weeks was a long time. 

“They didn’t have a connection between the deaths until now.” 

“Alright. I’ll be there soon.” He said, hanging up. 

“It’s okay.” Spencer said before Hotch could say anything. The boy clearly looked upset but was trying to hide it. And he was failing. 

“I’m so sorry kid.” Aaron said, placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “You and Peter can still go today.” He said, looking over to Peter for confirmation. The boy nodded. “And I promise we can all go together soon.” 

“Alright.” Spencer nodded. 

Hotch cursed himself and his job and the unsub as he ruffled Spencer’s hair and quickly ran upstairs to grab his go-bag. He hugged Spencer and thanked Peter for staying. Hotch was about to go when Spencer grabbed his hand. 

“Wait! I got you something.” He said, pulling a crumpled piece of fabric out of his pocket and handing it to his dad. On closer inspection, Hotch realized that it was a tie. But it wasn’t just any tie. It was covered in Star Wars characters and spaceships. There was no way he would be able to wear this to work but he still loved it. “Thank you, Spence.” 

“You always wear boring ties, so I wanted to get you one with something you liked on it.” Spencer replied. “Me and Peter got it at the mall.” 

“Thank you.” Hotch said, look at both Peter and Spencer this time since he was pretty sure Peter had been the one to pay for it. “I have something for you too, but I’ll have to give it to you when I get back.” 

And with that, Hotch gave Spencer one last hug before heading out the door. 

---

As it turned out, the case was extremely short. As they arrived at the police station, the cops had just identified some DNA left at the scene. All they had to do was track down their killer which they did in less than an hour. Hotch tried to keep his face neutral. He didn’t need anyone seeing his annoyance that they had been called here for pretty much no reason. It was their job after all. 

They landed just around 8 pm. 

Hotch was pretty sure Peter and Spencer would still be at 6 flags or getting ready to head home. He decided not to tell them they were back and just go home and surprise Spencer when he arrived. 

Even though the case had been short, it hadn’t been pretty. In total there had been about 23 bodies that had been found, most of them were young. Hotch needed to clear his mind before he engaged in any festivities or movie watchings or what every Spencer wanted to do. 

He went over to the high shelf where he kept the alcohol, out of Spencer’s reach. He didn’t think Spencer would ever try to get into it or anything, but he preferred to be safe. He grabbed a glass and poured a small amount of scotch into it. Not enough to get drunk but any means but enough to feel a bit better. 

He brought the glass to his lips, about to take a sip when something happened. 

He didn’t know what, but something was off. The hairs on the back of his head stood up as his body was filled with a chill. A sense of dread. 

Something was wrong. 

He wasn’t alone. 

Someone was in the house. 

“You should have made a deal, Aaron Hotchner.” 

Chapter Text

“Don’t tell your dad how much ice cream I let you have today.” Peter chuckled, watching Spencer practically inhale his third chocolate ice cream cone of the day. 

“Don’t worry. I won’t.” Spencer nodded. 

The two were walking through the main street of 6 Flags that was lined with shops and restaurants as well as sparkling lights that were just being turned on as the sun began to set. Peter made sure to hold onto Spencer’s hand that was not currently holding the ice cream. He didn’t need the boy getting lost. 

“I wish he could have come today though.” Spencer said sadly. 

“I know kid.” Peter nodded. “I know he wanted to. And he said he would come back with you another time.” 

“What’s your dad like?” The boy asked, not noticing the chill that ran through Peter’s body at the very mention of his father. 

“He’s…I don’t really talk to him.” Peter ended up saying. It was easier than describing the true nature of his relationship with his parents. The overwhelming pressure they had put on him while growing up. The slaps across the face when he didn’t live up to their standards. And the eventual fight after Peter came out that led to him being practically disowned. 

“Was he mean?” 

“Yeah. He was.” Peter nodded. 

“My dad was too.” 

“Hotch?” The young man asked in shock. He’d never even seen the agent raise his voice at the child. He supposed that there could be things he didn’t know about, but he found it very unlikely given how close the family was. 

“No no no!” Spencer quickly corrected. “My biological dad. His name is William. He was mean too.” 

“I’m sorry,” Peter said, and he meant it. He didn’t know Spencer’s whole story but he’d been told bits and pieces. He couldn’t imagine going through so much trauma at such a young age. “But what matters is that both of us aren’t with mean dads anymore.” 

“Now we’re with Hotch.” Spencer nodded. 

“Yeah. We are.” Peter replied, smiling a bit himself. He wasn’t used to having adults care about him. He wasn’t used to having anyone stick up for him or take an interest in his future. 

It was nice knowing someone cared. 

“Do you want to start heading home now?” 

“Can we go on the roller coaster one more time?” Spencer pleaded, before shoving the final chunk of the sugar cone into his mouth. 

“Which one?” 

“The big one!” 

---

They ended up going on the big roller coaster about 10 more times at Spencer’s insistence. The boy just barely met the height requirement ride. 

It was late when they finally parked in front of the Hotchner house. Peter turned off the car before looking in the back seat and seeing that Spencer had fallen asleep. He really should have guessed, the boy would never have been able to stay quiet for the whole ride home, 

The young man got out of the car before unstrapping Spencer and lifting him up into his arms. It was easier to carry him inside than to wake him up. Spencer was quite cranky when he was tired. 

Peter locked his car and made his way through the dark towards the front door. In the black of the night, he didn’t notice that Hotch car was pulled into its usual spot on the street. 

Once inside, the door slammed louder than anticipated, causing Spencer to stir and lift up his head. 

“You can go back to sleep. We’re home now.” Peter soothed. 

“Thirsty,” Spencer mumbled, continuing to sit up straight as the babysitter kicked off his shoes. 

“Alright let’s get you some water then off to bed.” 

Spencer hummed in agreement and allowed himself to be carried into the kitchen. 

Peter could sense something was off. The first thing he noticed was that Hotch’s briefcase was tossed precariously on the couch. Peter could have sworn the agent had brought it with him on his way out that morning. Once in the kitchen, he saw one of the cupboard doors was open. Again, strange but no cause for alarm, right? He or Spencer could have left it open. 

But it was the gun that sent a chill through his spine. 

Hotch’s handgun was placed on the table next to his go-bag. 

Hotch never left his gun out. He always locked it away in a safe so no one got hurt. 

It shouldn’t be out like that. 

Something was wrong. 

“Peter!!” 

Spencer’s shout of horror caused the man to whirl around, expecting to see the worst. Expecting to see the man who had stabbed him that had been plaguing his dreams. But what he saw was almost worse. 

The carpet was stained. 

It was a pool of deep crimson. 

Blood. 

Again, being called to action by Spencer beginning to tremble Peter quickly ran towards the front door, grabbing Hotch's gun on the way out. 

“It’s okay. It’s okay.” Peter muttered under his breath as he sprinted back to his car. 

“W-what happened? W-where’s my dad?!” Spencer said, tears running down his cheeks as he clutched onto his babysitter for dear life. 

“It’s okay.” Peter said again, opening the back of his car and placing Spencer in the back seat in the space on the floor between the two chairs that were virtually invisible from the outside. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to the boy. “It’s going to be okay. I need you to call one of the people on your dad’s team. Do you know any of their numbers?” 

Spencer nodded shakily. The boy was in a state of panic, exhaustion, and confusion all at once. Peter wanted nothing more than to comfort him, but he needed to put safety first. “Good. Call them. Tell them to come here immediately. I’ll be back soon.” 

“W-where are you going?!” Spencer asked, reaching out to try and stop Peter. 

“I need to see if your Hotch is still inside.” Peter said, maneuvering Spencer back into his seat before closing the door and locking the kid inside. It was for his own safety. 

Peter took a deep breath before pulling the safety off the gun that he barely knew how to function and making his way back towards the house, terrified of what he might find. 

---

Derek Morgan was a simple guy. He liked the small luxuries that life had to offer such as good music, good beer, and beautiful women. 

It just so happened that the club near his house had all three of those things. So, when they had gotten home from their case early, he’d decided to change his clothes and drive the few blocks to have a good time at the club Abigail’s. 

He’d only been there about an hour and had already had his fill of women and music. He decided to take a short break from the dancing to fill his final requirement of a beer. He sat at the bar and offered up his order before letting out a breath, glad he had a chance to turn his brain off for once. 

But it didn’t stay off for long. 

Right as he was about to take his first sip from the bottle, his phone rang. Had it not been on vibrate he wouldn’t have heard it over the thumping from the club. As it was, he cursed himself for bringing the device at all. 

The number was unknown to him so decided to answer. 

“This is Derek Morgan.” 

The words on the other line were indistinguishable and hysterical. He couldn’t even make out who it was let alone what they were saying. 

“Hold on.” He said, making his way out of the dance area and into the more quiet lounge area. “I couldn’t hear you. Who is this?” 

“M-Morgan! N-need help! Please!” 

The voice was of a child. A child in extreme distress. Who was the only child Morgan knew?

“Spencer? Is that you? Are you alright?” He asked, concern flooding his body. 

“N-need help! There’s b-blood…and Peter went to f-find Hotch and-and-and ‘too much blood.” 

“Where are you?” Morgan asked, already making a sprint towards the exit. 

“H-home. P-please come.” 

“Okay okay I’m coming kid.” Morgan reassured, throwing himself into his car and starting it up in record time. “Stay on the phone, okay? It’s going to be okay. Are you hurt?” 

“N-no but…” 

“But what?” 

“I t-think he…I think he got my dad.”  

Chapter Text

The first thing that Morgan noticed when he skidded to a halt in front of Hotch’s house was perhaps the most disturbing part of it all; everything looked normal. 

From the street, the house looked secure. Most of the lights were off with the exception of the one on the porch. Two cars were parked in front; one being Hotch’s, and the other Morgan assumed belonged to the family’s babysitter. What was his name? Peter?

Morgan pulled his gun out of the safe he kept in his glove compartment and quickly exited the car, deciding to check on Spencer first. The boy had said he was hiding in Peter’s car when he called. He had clearly been beyond distraught at the whole situation. Morgan had hated to end the call with him to contact the rest of the team. 

Keeping his gun ready just in case, Morgan made his way to the beat-up Volkswagen. He looked inside but couldn’t see anything at first. He changed his angle and noticed a pair of little converses sticking out from behind the seat, shaking with fear. 

“Spencer? It’s me kid. It’s Derek.” Morgan said, loud enough that Spencer could hear him but not so loud that anyone he didn’t want to head him could have. 

The little feet stilled for a moment. 

“It’s Derek Morgan with the FBI. Badge Number 561235.” He recited off. He knew Spencer must be absolutely petrified and figured the additional identification might lure him out of his hiding. 

Sure enough, Spencer quickly scrambled out of his spot and quickly unlocked the car. Morgan pulled the door open and scooped Spencer into his arms. The boy attached to him like a magnet, body silently shaking from sobs. 

“It’s alright. You’re okay.” Morgan muttered, taking a moment to look around the street. He saw two headlights coming towards him and readied his gun again, relaxing only when he realized who it was. 

“What they hell happened? Where is Hotch?” Rossi asked, jumping out of his sports car and jogging over to Morgan. He was dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt as if he had just gotten out of bed. The man’s eyes fell on Spencer next. “Is he okay?” 

“He’s shaken but not hurt.” Morgan said. He wanted to take more time to comfort Spencer, but they really needed to see what was happening inside. For now, his safety would just have to be enough. “You stay with the kid, and I’ll go check inside.” 

“P-Peter w-went inside.” Spencer said, controlling his breath enough to speak. 

“You said Peter took a gun with him?” Morgan asked, trying to read the situation. It was proving difficult. All he was given to work with was the fact that there was blood on the ground, no Hotch laying anywhere near the blood, possibly an unsub in the house, and a barely legal grad student trying to find said unsub/Hotch with a gun he didn’t know how to use. 

“Y-yeah.” Spencer nodded. He lifted his head to make sure the person who arrived really was Rossi and not a threat. “M-my d-dad-”

“Your dad is going to be okay.” Rossi said, stepping forward and rubbing Spencer’s back once. “Everything will be fine.” 

“You hold him,” Morgan said, transferring Spencer into the older man’s arms. The boy was reluctant to go, clutching Morgan’s shoulder with a vice-like grip but they managed to get him off. 

“Be careful Derek.” Rossi warned. 

The other agent just nodded before beginning to make his way towards the house. He’d done this a hundred times. He knew how to survey an area. He knew how to take down an unsub. It was just slightly more difficult without the safety of a bulletproof vest and the knowledge that he could find his boss lying dead around every corner. 

He was also worried about the Peter kid. Assuming the unsub was no longer there, the kid was the next biggest threat whether he knew it or not. Morgan had seen inexperienced officers in the field. They were often trigger-happy and would shoot at anything that moved if they were spooked. And this kid was no doubt terrified. Morgan had to be careful to make sure the man didn’t end up shooting him accidentally. 

Morgan entered the house, heading first towards the kitchen. Spencer had mentioned in his call that that was where the blood had been. Sure, enough there was a pool of drying blood on the white carpet. Morgan shinned his flashlight farther, seeing that there was a faint trail. There was a set of red footsteps as well, too small to be Hotch’s. Someone had carried the chief through the backdoor. 

So Hotch was no longer in the house. The unsub had taken him somewhere. That meant the unsub was also not in the house. 

Morgan pulled out his phone and clicked on Garcia’s number knowing she had probably just arrived at her lair after getting his frantic call earlier. “Send out an APB for Hotch’s description. Check streets, hospitals, parks, everywhere.” He said before hanging up, not having the time for their usual teasing. 

The next step was finding Peter. 

Since he knew the unsub was gone, Morgan didn’t need to be quiet anymore. He flicked on the main light, trying to ignore the queasy feeling at the vast amounts of blood. 

“Peter? This is the FBI. I’m Agent Morgan. Spencer called me.” Morgan called out loud enough that anyone in the house would be able to hear. 

“Stop where you are!” 

Hotch turned around to find a gun pointed at his face. The young man holding it looked as distraught as Spencer but was holding it together a bit better. His hands were shaking as he held the gun, terrified eyes narrowed at the agent before him. 

“I’m Derek Morgan. We haven’t officially met but I am with the BAU. Spencer called me.” Morgan said carefully. He lifted his hands in the air, knowing his own gun would only cause more fear.

And that was what this kid was running off of, fear. 

“You aren’t in a uniform.” Peter said, his voice shaking. 

“I came here when Spencer called me. I wasn’t at work.” 

“Do you have your badge?” 

“No.” Morgan shook his head. 

“Then how do I know you aren’t one of those unsubs?” Peter asked, taking a step forward that Morgan was pretty sure was supposed to be threatening. 

How was he going to prove himself to this kid? He scanned his mind for something only he would know before his eyes fell on an image to his left, framed on the small corner table. 

“Look at that.” He said, nodding his head rather than pointing. Any hand movement could cause the shaking hands to fire. “It’s a picture from Spencer’s birthday party. It’s the whole team. I’m the one next to Spencer.” 

Peter narrowed his eyes, distrust still present and Morgan really couldn’t blame him for it. He’d been stabbed a few weeks ago after all. 

The younger man kept his hand raised as he slowly moved to look at the picture. His eyes flitted from the image to Morgan and back again several times. 

“I-I’m sorry.” He said, finally lowering the gun to the ground. 

“It’s okay kid.” Morgan said, slowly approaching him with one hand still raised and the other reaching out. Peter understood, quickly placing his gun in the agent’s hand. 

Morgan let out a breath that he had been holding as he snapped the safety back on Hotch’s handgun. He then turned to Peter again. “Are you okay kid?” 

“Spencer is o-out in the car.” The man said. “I n-need to make sure he’s okay.” 

“There is an agent with him.” Morgan replied. “Are you hurt at all?” 

“There is blood all over the kitchen.” Peter said, running a hand through his hair. Everything seemed to be catching up with him all at once. He’d been acting on instinct and adrenaline, making sure Spencer was safe and trying to find Hotch. Now the adrenaline was gone, his brain was running wild. 

“Are you hurt?” Morgan repeated. 

“No.” he shook his head. “I-I know I shouldn’t have t-taken the gun but I n-needed to make sure I got Spencer h-hidden safely. Then I n-needed to see if Hotch was here. I couldn’t find him.” 

“He’s not here. We have people searching for him.” Morgan assured. He needed to get this kid someplace to sit and calm down before he sent himself into a panic. “Follow me. Keep your eyes down.” 

The front of the house was swarmed with flashing lights an official. Morgan had to squint to keep from being blinded by the flashing red and blue. He kept a hand on Peter’s shoulder, guiding him out of the house. There were several cops with guns trained on them as they exited but a voice that sounded like Prentiss shouted to them that Morgan was an agent. 

“Medical will check you out.” Morgan said, leading the younger man to a waiting ambulance where he was placed into the care of the medic on duty. 

“What’s going on?” JJ asked, running up to the Morgan followed closely by Prentiss. 

“Hotch was attacked.” Derek explained. “The babysitter and Spencer saw the blood the kid called me. Hotch isn’t there. Someone took him.” 

“Agent Prentiss?” One of the police officers Emily had been talking to earlier walked over. “We have report of a man matching the description of Aaron Hotchner.” 

“Where is he?” Morgan asked. 

“Medstar Hospital.” 

Chapter Text

Morgan decided that it was best for Spencer to remain in the waiting room until Hotch was awake. While he was technically stable and was allowed visitors, Derek didn’t think it would do Spencer any good to see his dad in such a bad state. 

Hotch had been stabbed 9 times. 

The reaper had seemed to go out of his way to ensure the chief would live while still inducing as much pain as possible. Even in his unconscious state, Hotch still looked like he was in pain. His face was never quite relaxed, eyebrows still holding some expression. 

It wouldn’t do Spencer any good to see his dad like that. 

Morgan had taken over caring for the boy once they arrived in the hospital waiting room. While he was not sobbing uncontrollably anymore, Spencer was still extremely upset, justifiably so. He had refused to attempt to relax until a doctor confirmed that Hotch was going to make it. He calmed down fully minutes later once Peter arrived with the rest of the team. 

Peter didn’t seem to be doing great either, but he was holding it together quite well. He was sitting silently in one of the chairs, staring at the blank wall across from him with intensity. Morgan tried several times to profile the younger man’s emotions but was getting nowhere. 

Spencer himself was sitting next to Derek, his head resting on the agent’s arm. It wasn’t clear if the boy was asleep or not, but he had remained silent for the last hour. 

“Hey.” Emily spoke, getting the attention of the entire team as she entered the room. “He’s awake. He wants to see Spencer.” 

It turned out Spencer had fallen asleep from the exhaustion as he did not pop up instantly. Morgan shook him gently. “Come on kiddo. Your dad is awake.” 

“’e is?” Spencer said, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. “He’s ‘kay?” 

“He’s okay.” Emily confirmed, offering a small smile. 

Spencer slid off the chair and onto his feet and followed Prentiss to room 246. He seemed hesitant to enter but did so slowly. 

Spencer had been in the hospital several times before. Typically, it was he who was injured or sick. He wasn’t used to seeing his dad like this. Hotch had been his rock for the past year. He’d constantly been the one there to comfort Spencer when he was upset. Spencer wasn’t sure what to do now that the tables were turned. 

“Spencer?” Hotch’s voice was weak, but it was clear he was trying to his just how much pain he was feeling. 

“Dad?” Spencer asked, walking forward and climbing up into the chair next to the bed. 

“Are you okay?” Hotch asked, turning his head and wincing before looking the boy up and down, assessing any injuries. 

“Yeah.” He nodded. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m going to be fine.” Hotch nodded. 

“Do you want some ice cream?” 

“I’m not super hungry right now kiddo.” Hotch’s smile was genuine now. He attempted to muster the energy to sit up but couldn’t make it all the way. Instead, he ended up sort of propped up against the headboard but now he could see everything better. 

“What happened?” Spencer asked. “No one would tell me anything but there was blood on the floor and Peter made me hide in the car?” 

“Peter’s okay too?” Hotch asked, making sure everyone was accounted for before he could even attempt to explain what had happened to someone so young. 

“He’s okay. He almost shot Morgan though.” 

“He almost what?!” Hotch asked in alarm. 

“Not on purpose. Peter was looking for the bad guy.” Spencer explained. “What happened to you?” Spencer asked again. 

“Do you remember the bay guy from the case in Boston?” 

“George Foyet, also known as the Reaper. Killed a total of 35 people.” Spencer recited off. 

Hotch grimaced at the fact that his child knew so much about the murder investigation but continued. “He hurt me a bit but I’m going to be just fine.” And it was technically true. The doctors said he would be fine eventually. Truthfully, at the moment he was feeling far from fine but was holding it together for the sake of his son. 

“He got in the house?” Spencer asked, eyes growing slightly. 

This was what Hotch had been afraid of. Spencer had had enough fear to last a lifetime. He didn’t need the added stress of being afraid in his own home. It was supposed to be a sanctuary. Hotch himself was sharing a similar feeling, not particularly wanting to return to the pace he’d be accosted any time soon. 

“It’s alright kiddo.” Hotch soothed. “Everything is going to be fine.” 

“No, it won’t.” Spencer shook his head, not being fooled by the words of empty comfort. “There is an unsub trying to kill you. That is not fine.” 

“It is going to be taken care of.” 

“No.” Spencer said, shaking his head. Tears were beginning to fall down his face. “What if he gets you again? W-what if he…” The boy couldn’t even finish the thought before he burst out crying for the third time that night. 

“Shh Spence.” Hotch said, trying to soothe him. He used his one good arm to somehow maneuver himself to the left side of the bed before patting the right, signaling for Spencer to climb up next to him. The boy did so, before wrapping his arms around his father in a tight hug. Hotch’s stitches cried out in pain, but he ignored them in favor of comforting the cries of his son. 

He could tell that Spencer was terrified, justifiably so. In addition to the fact that there was a serial killer after Hotch, Spencer must also be terrified of what might happen if Aaron were to die. The boy had known only abuse at the hands of the foster care system. He must be petrified at the thought of going back. 

“It’s alright.” Hotch said, using the little strength he had left to rub Spencer’s back. “Everything will be okay. I promise you won’t have to go back into the system.” 

“I don’t care about the f-foster system.” Spencer sniffled. “I care about you getting hurt, or worse.” 

“I’m going to be just fine kid. And we are going to figure out a plan to make sure everyone is safe, okay?” 

“O-okay.” Spencer nodded, drooping against Hotch slightly. Aaron himself felt his eyes begin to sag as well. The exhaustion and pain were finally beginning to catch up with him again. His high pain tolerance and his need to ensure Spencer’s safety had kept him awake for this long, but he felt himself beginning to drift again. 

“Why don’t you go back with Morgan. You can stay with him until I’m better.” Hotch suggested. He trusted the other agent to protect Spencer. 

“I’m not leaving.” Spencer said firmly. As Hotch laid back into the pillows Spencer curled up next to his side. Now that he was calm the boy was careful not to jostle the agent and cause him any more pain. 

“You really should go get some rest.” Aaron said, eyes beginning to close. 

“No.” 

“Okay.” The older man said, not having the energy to argue. And even if he did want Spencer to go get some food and rest, part of him was glad to have his son so close. That way he knew the boy was safe. Because he knew Foyet must have left him alive for a reason. The man got off on psychological pain. He wanted to watch Aaron suffer as much as possible. Hotch knew that meant he would go after the one person he loved most. 

Foyet was after Spencer. 

Chapter Text

When Hotch woke up next the spot beside him was empty and cold. He extended his hand further, expecting to feel Spencer sleeping soundly next to him but there was nothing. He quickly shot open his eyes, panic flooding his brain. 

Where was Spencer?

Had something happened to him? 

Was Foyet back?

“Hey! Hotch! It’s alright.” 

Hotch quickly looked around to room, expecting the worst but found only Peter sitting in one of the plastic chairs next to him. “You’re supposed to be staying still.” 

“Where’s Spencer?” Hotch asked, voice a bit scratchy from the pain medication. 

“Morgan took him to his house a few hours ago. He’s probably sleeping.” Peter replied, closing the textbook that had been open on his lap. The title read, “Complex Data Analysis in R Script.” That’s right. Peter had mentioned he had a huge final exam at the end of the week. But he was here in the hospital with Aaron rather than in his apartment studying for real. 

“You should go home.” Hotch said. Peter didn’t look great. There were dark circles under his eyes. 

“You didn’t leave when I was in the hospital.” Peter countered. 

“What’s this I hear about you almost shooting one of my agents?” Hotch asked, choosing to switch topics. 

Peter looked down. He seemed a mix between embarrassed and upset. “I know I shouldn’t have taken the gun, but I didn’t know if that Foyet guy was still out there. I needed to protect Spencer and once he was safe, I needed to see if you were still in there.” 

“You went back into the house to see if I was okay?” Hotch repeated, slightly taken aback. 

“Yes.” 

He didn’t quite know what to say. Ever since their little heart-to-heart a few weeks ago, Hotch knew Peter looked up to him quite a bit, but he didn’t know just how much. “I appreciate what you did.” Hotch said, choosing his words carefully. “But in the future, I will expect you to put your own safety above mine. Is that understood?” 

“Yes.” Peter nodded. 

“Good.” 

There was a moment of silence before Peter spoke again. “So, what’s going to happen now?” 

“I’m not sure.” Hotch admitted. He attempted to run a hand over his face as was his habit but stopped himself as he still had the IV tube attached to his arm. “I’ll need to talk with Witness Protection. I can’t have Spencer here until we catch Foyet. But on the other hand, I am the one with the best chance at catching the bastard. I can’t do that if I’m off in Arkansas or god knows where.” 

“Right.” 

“But I also have to put Spencer’s safety above everything. But is it safer to go with him into the program or have him go stay with an agent or something while I stay here and keep working the case? I just don’t know what to do.” He knew he needed to make a decision soon. He trusted that Spencer was safe with Morgan, but he didn’t like the fact that Foyet could still be so close to them. 

“I do.” 

“You do what?” Hotch asked. 

“I know what to do.” Peter clarified. 

“And what is that?” 

“I’ll go with him.” 

“Go with him where?” Hotch asked, still not quite getting it. 

“I’ll go with Spencer and whatever agent he gets paired with for Witness Protection. That way you can stay here and work on locking Foyet up and Spencer will be safe but not completely alone.” The younger man explained. 

“I can’t ask you to do that.” Aaron said slowly. It did make sense, but he just couldn’t ask that of Peter. The boy had already done so much for them not to mention the fact that he’d already been stabbed. 

“You aren’t asking, I’m volunteering.” He said simply. “Spencer is basically like a kid brother to me at this point. I’m with him almost every day as it is. It’s the solution that makes the most sense.” He said before adding, “I want to keep him safe. We both know Spence has been through enough already. Let me help make this easier.” 

When he put it like that, it was hard to say no. 

Because it did make logical sense. It was a viable option. But Peter would be giving up a lot. He’d be missing classes and would be totally isolated from his friends and his life here. But if he was willing to make that sacrifice, the Hotch was going to be grateful. 

“You’re sure?” Hotch asked once more. 

“Yeah. My babysitting rate might go up though.” Peter said, offering a small smile. 

“I think I can manage that.” The chief nodded. “But I’m going to teach you to use a gun properly. Just in case.”

“Just in case.” Peter echoed back. 

--

“Is my dad okay?” 

Morgan looked at Spencer in the rear-view mirror. The boy was in a car Derek had purchased months before for occasions such as this. Well, not exactly like this. He envisioned babysitting occasionally. Taking Spencer to football games. Fun stuff like that. He didn’t exactly think he would be driving Spencer back to the hospital to visit his dad after the man had almost been murdered. 

“He will be.” Morgan nodded. “He’s one of the toughest guys I know.” 

The boy’s face was unreadable. He swung his legs back and forth as he looked out the window. “How long have you known him?” 

“Hotch? A while now.” Morgan replied, trying to think back to the first time he’d met his boss. “I joined the team shortly after he became chief.” 

“What was he like then?” Spencer asked. He often did this; asked question after question, trying to gather as much information into his little head that he possibly could. 

“He was similar but different.” Derek mused, taking a left turn. “He’s still a stern guy at work but he used to be even more so. I don’t think I saw him smile once in the first two years of knowing him.” 

“He smiles all the time.” Spencer said. 

Morgan couldn’t help smiling himself at that. He knew most often when Hotch smiled it was because of Spencer. “Yeah, he does.” 

“He used to be a lawyer.” Spencer continued, sharing his own information.

“I know.” Morgan nodded. “I think he liked being an agent better.” 

“I’m gonna join the FBI.” Spencer said, smiling slightly. 

“Are you now?” 

“Yup. I’m gonna be the youngest agent in BAU history.” 

“Well, I look forward to working with you.” Morgan chuckled as they pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. Once parked, Derek got out of the car and circled around to help Spencer out. He opened the back door but found that the boy had not moved from his seat. “You okay kid?” 

“I don’t want my dad to get hurt.” 

“I know Spence.” Morgan nodded, feeling his heartbreak for the boy. “Everything is going to be okay.” 

“Promise?” 

Morgan didn’t like to make promises. He especially didn’t like to make promises that he didn’t know for certain that he could keep. But now, he didn’t know what else to do. 

“I promise.” He said eventually. 

He would just have to make sure everything was okay. 

And it would be. Everything bad that could possibly happen had already happened. There was nowhere to go but up. 

Chapter Text

Hotch probably should have stayed in the hospital for another day at the very least, but he was nothing if not stubborn. Once they assured him, we would be fine, he forced himself to his feet to sign his early release papers. He could deal with a bit of extra pain. He had too much work to do. 

The first item on his agenda was to teach Peter how to shoot a gun. 
It had gone…poorly. 

As it turned out, Peter’s large brain didn’t seem to provide any aid with his hand-eye coordination. He’d struggled to get anywhere near the target for the first hour. But Hotch had been patient. He’d instructed the younger man carefully and was glad to see at least some improvement. Aaron had had to pull up a chair halfway through, the pain from his healing stitches getting the better of him. 

In the end, Peter could hit the target 7/10 times and Hotch was satisfied. It was better that than nothing. 

The second item on Hotch’s agenda was the thing he was dreading most. He would have to tell Spencer that he’d be going to live with Peter and an agent that had been assigned to their cast, Agent Mason. 

Hotch decided the broach the topic on Saturday night, the night before Spencer was set to head off to some random city on the coast. 

“Can we have ice cream?” Spencer asked as he pushed his vegetables back and forth with his fork. 

“If you eat your dinner.” Hotch replied. He himself was trying his best to lead by example and eat as well, but his pain medication kept making him nauseous. 

“I’m not hungry.” The boy whined. 

“If you’re not hungry, then why would you want ice cream?” 

“There is a separate part of your stomach that is reserved for ice cream. It is called the ice cream cabinet and was formed during evolution because of the need for stored sugars.” Spencer replied. 

“You may be a genius but I’m no idiot kiddo.” Hotch chuckled at Spencer’s fake fact. 

“It’s true!” Spencer said, though it was clear he was lying. 

“Eat your carrots.” Hotch replied, pointing at the plate. 

“What if I eat extra carrots tomorrow and none tonight?” Spencer tried to bargain. 

“You will just refuse to eat them again tomorrow.” Hotch reasoned before taking a breath to continue into the difficult part of the conversation. “Also, you would be here tomorrow night.” 

This made Spencer look up. “Why not? Where will I be?” 

“Are you familiar with Witness Protection?” 

“Witness protection is security provided to a threatened person providing testimonial evidence to the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during, and after a trial, usually by police.” Spencer recited the definition. 

“Well, yes.” Hotch nodded. “But it can also be used to protect people who are involved in federal cases or are in danger,” 

“Okay.” Spencer nodded. “Is that why I won’t be here tomorrow? We are visiting someone in Witness Protection?” 

“No.” Hotch shook his head. “You are going into Witness Protection.” 

“Because of the Reaper?” Spencer asked, suddenly paling slightly at the name. 

“Yes.” The agent replied. “My number one job it to keep you safe and I think the best way to do that is getting you out of Virginia for the time being.” 

“Okay.” Spencer said slowly. “Well, that shouldn’t be too bad.” 

Hotch blinked. Spencer seemed to be taking it well. “It won’t be too bad at all.” 

“And you will get a break from work so we can watch all the Star Wars again.” Spencer continued, a smile appearing on his face. 

Right.

That was why he wasn’t upset. Hotch had failed to mention a very key part of the plan. “Spence, I will be staying here.” 

“What?” The boy asked, smile falling from his face. 

“I have to stay here in Virginia. It’s the best way to catch the Reaper.” 

“So…I’m going by myself?” This seemed to scare the boy more than Foyet himself. 

“No no no.” Hotch quickly reassured. “Peter is going to be going with you.” 

“But you’re not coming.” 

“Peter will be there.” 

“Peter isn’t my dad.” Spencer said, voice pitching up slightly as his eyes filled with tears. 

And this made Hotch feel like he’d been stabbed all over again. He hated seeing Spencer cry. It killed him inside. “Oh Spence.” He sighed sadly before getting to his feet and crossing the short distance to where Spencer was sitting across the table. He bent down, ignoring the screaming of his healing wounds, and lifted Spencer into his arms. The boy latched onto him immediately. 

“I’m not going.” Spencer said firmly. 

“It’s the best way to keep you safe.” 

“I don’t’ care.” 

“Well, I do.” Hotch replied. He rubbed circles into the boy’s back, attempting to comfort him. 

“I’m not going!” Spencer said again. 

“We don’t have a choice buddy.” Aaron soothed. “But I promise it will all be over before you know it and everything will go back to normal.” 

“No!” Spencer said, suddenly getting mad. He wiggled his body causing Hotch to set him back on the ground. The boy’s face was red and puffy from the anger and the tears. “I’m not going!” 

“You are.” Hotch replied. He hated being so firm. He hated the whole fucking situation, but there was nothing he could do about it. Spencer could protest all he wanted; Hotch wasn’t willing to negotiate on the safety of his son. He’d rather the boy hate him for a few days than to find him dead. 

“You promised!” 

“I promised what?” Hotch asked. 

“You promised you wouldn’t leave me! You promised you would stay!” 

And if Aaron’s heart wasn’t broken before, it was finally shattered in that moment. “I’m not leaving you.” Hotch said, feeling his own voice break. 

But Spencer wasn’t listening. He turned around and ran up the stairs, storming up to his room. 

“Shit.” Hotch muttered tossing one of the napkins to the floor in frustration. He knew telling Spencer would be hard, but it was even worse than he’d expected. 

Because Spencer had been right 

Hotch had promised that he would stay with the boy. He’d promised to keep the boy safe. And though he was doing what he had to to keep the second part of the promise, he was breaking the first part in the process. 

And that wasn’t something trivial either. Spencer had been abandoned and hurt more than anyone at any age should be. And now this. Hotch felt like shit, and it wasn’t just from his healing wounds. 

Wanting to give Spencer a bit of time, Hotch went over to the freezer and pulled out Spencer’s favorite ice cream. The kid deserved something sweet even if he hadn’t eaten his vegetables.

The man scooped the dessert into a bowl and grabbed a spoon before slowly making his way up the stairs. He winced at each step but continued his movement without stopping. He eventually made it to Spencer’s closed door, and he knocked twice. 

“Go away!” Spencer called back. It was obvious he had been crying.

“Spence, I want to talk kiddo.” He replied. 

“No!”

“I brought ice cream.” 

It was quiet for a second as Spencer seemed to think before he replied, “No. Go away!” 

And that’s when Hotch knew how upset the kid really was. If he was refusing ice cream…

“I will give you space if that’s what you want.” Hotch said, choosing his words carefully. “But I would like to talk to you before you leave tomorrow morning. This is for your safety Spencer. And your safety is the most important thing.” 

When Hotch got no reply, he let out a sigh. He set the ice cream outside Spencer’s door before retreating back to the kitchen to make a call. 

Said call was directed at David Rossi, because who else would he call at a time like this? 

“You are making the right decision.” Rossi said for the fifth time. 

“I know I am.” Hotch replied, and he did. “It just doesn’t feel like it.” 

“Spencer is a smart kid. That is extremely obvious. But he is still also a kid. He’s just emotional at the moment. He’ll realize you are just looking after him. Besides, that Peter kid is going with him too. He’ll be just fine.” 

“I know.” Hotch said, though he didn’t truly know. “Thanks for this.”

“Any time.” Rossi replied. Aaron was about to hang up when the man spoke up again. “How are you, Aaron?” 

“Well I just told you my son hates me at the moment.” 

“Not what I meant. You were stabbed just a few days ago. Frankly I’m shocked you’re not on bed rest let alone the fact that you’re out of the hospital.” 

“I don’t have time to rest.” Hotch replied. “I need to catch Foyet. That’s the only way to keep my family safe.”

“Okay.” The older agent hummed. “Make sure to take care of yourself.” 

“Thanks Dave.” Hotch said before they ended the call. 

Aaron was once again left in the silence of his home. He hated when it was this quiet. A year ago he would have reveled in it, enjoying the break from his chaotic job but now…it didn’t feel right. Spencer should be running around laughing or watching a movie in the living room. The silence didn’t feel right. 

Hotch quickly gathered the dishes from dinner and brought them to the kitchen where he was met with yet another unpleasant feeling. He quickly turned to face the hallway. He knew, really, he did, he knew there was no one other than he and Spencer in the house. He knew Foyet wasn’t lurking behind the walls. The first thing he’d done after getting out of the hospital was put in a brand-new state-of-the-art security system. He knew they were safe. 

But his mind kept flashing back to that night. To the feeling of Foyet’s knife cutting into him again and again. 

Hotch shook his head. 

He just needed sleep. 

He left the dishes in the sink, deciding to deal with them in the morning. 

Aaron checked once more that he had locked the doors and set the alarm before making his way up the stairs. He sighed sadly as he passed Spencer’s room and saw the ice cream bowl still sitting outside his door, untouched. 

That was another thing he’d have to figure out in the morning. He knew Spencer didn’t truly hate him, but he still felt guilty. He had to remind himself it was in the best interest of the boy. 

Hotch changed his clothes and completed the rest of his evening routine before getting into bed and falling asleep almost instantly thanks to the pain killers he was still being prescribed to take. 

But his slumber didn’t last long. 

At 2 am, Hotch shot up at the sound of a soft knock at his bedroom door. 

“Who’s there?” He called out, quickly reaching for the safe on his bedside table, about to unlock it to pull out his gun. Before he could punch in the combination, he heard the soft response. 

“S-Spence”

“Spence?” Hotch echoed, his heart rate falling back to normal now that he knew no one was breaking into their house. 

The door opened to reveal a pitiful-looking child. He was dressed in his pajamas and held a small fuzzy Star Wars blanket to his chest as if seeking protection. The saddest part was the tears running down his cheeks, illuminated by the light of the hallway. 

“Come here kiddo.” Hotch said, pulling back the covers as Spencer ran to the bedside. Hotch easily scooped the boy up and cradled him to his chest, as one would a baby, as the boy sobbed. 

“I’m s-soryy!” Spencer managed to get out between tears. 

“You’re sorry?” Hotch asked. “For what?” 

“F-for yelling at you. I d-don’t want to go away but I know why I have to.” Spencer said, sobs slowly becoming a sniffle. “In my brain in understand it but…” he trailed off, as if not knowing what else to say. 

“I know kiddo. It’s hard.” Hotch nodded. “It will be hard for me too but it is what is best to keep you safe. Do you understand that?” 

“Y-yes.” The boy nodded. “I c-couldn’t sleep.” He confided. 

“You can sleep in here if you want kiddo.” Hotch said. 

“Okay.” Spencer nodded. He climbed out of his dad’s arms and under the blanket. Even though he’d grown quite a bit in the time Hotch had known him, Spencer was still so small. The bed was ginormous around him. 

“I love you Spence.” Hotch hummed, getting back into bed as well. The second he had laid down; Spencer had already rolled over and was tucked in against his side.  

“Love you too.” Spencer replied. 

They were both asleep in a matter of seconds. 

Chapter Text

Hotch woke up early the next morning. 

He wasn’t entirely sure what woke him at 4 am but for some reason, he didn’t feel tied. His body had gotten used to running on little to no sleep at this point. 

The light was just starting to come in through the thin curtains of his window and it landed right on a sleeping Spencer, still curled up next to his side. 

He looked so young. 

Hotch always seemed to have that though. And of course, Spencer was young. It was easy to forget that he was only 5. Most of the time, Spencer acted more like an old man than a child. Of course, there were times like last night that highlighted his juvenility. 

Spencer let out a small snore before he rolled over slightly, snuggling even closer to Aaron. 

His new position revealed the long scar the boy still had on his left temple. Spencer liked to keep his hair long so the mark was often covered but Aaron could see it clearly now. It wasn’t too large but was still noticeable against the smooth skin. It was from that car. Hotch hated even thinking about it. 

He hated thinking about Madison and all the pain she had caused their little family. Despite all the words of wisdom from Rossi and the trust Spencer still had in him, Hotch still blamed himself. He should have seen it coming. He was a profiler after all. He should have read that awful woman and protected Spencer. That’s what dads do. They protect their kids. 

Well, he wasn’t going to mess up again. 

Spencer would be safe with Peter. 

Well, he would be safer. Hotch couldn’t know for 100% certain what was going to happen but he was confident in his decision to get the boy out of town.

Everything would be fine. 

It had to be. 

“Dad?” 

“Morning kiddo.” Hotch said, shaken from his thoughts by the voice of a groggy Spencer. “You should go back to sleep. It’s still early.” 

“Nu-uh.” Spencer replied, shaking his head. He brought his little hands up to his eyes and rubbed away the sleep. “Pancakes.” 

“Pancakes?” Hotch asked, surprised. He checked the clock on his table to be sure it had the time right. Was the boy really hungry for pancakes at 4:13 in the morning? 

“Yup. Let’s make pancakes.” 

And that was how the pair ended up in the kitchen minutes later, Hotch gathering all the ingredients while Spencer measured everything with the precision of a chemist. 

“Okay now we just need syrup.” 

“In the batter?” Hotch raised an eyebrow. 

“I saw it on an episode of Beat Bobby Flay.” Spencer nodded. 

“When were you watching the Food Network?” 

“It was on at the hospital.” 

“Right.” Hotch nodded. The mention of the hospital brought his mood down slightly, but he tried not to let it show. He was already hiding the pain he felt from his still healing stitches. What was a bit more concealing? 

“I’ll check on that syrup,” Hotch said, making his way to the fridge and pulling the doors open. He scanned his eyes through the shelves but found nothing. “Bad news buddy. I think we’re out.” 

He turned around to find a looking on Spencer’s face that could only be described as devastated. “No syrup?!” 

“Doesn’t look like it. But you can have pancakes without syrup, right?” 

“No, Aaron, I cannot.” Spencer said. 

“Watch your tone there mister.” Hotch said though he secretly found the sass amusing. “Maybe I can see if someone could bring some.” 

“Who would be up at 5 am?” 

The doorbell rang not 10 minutes later. ]

“Somebody needed maple syrup?” 

“Thanks for coming Dave.” Hotch said, shaking the other man’s hand in greeting after opening the door. 

“No problem Aaron.” 

They were interrupted by the sound of little feet running down the hall. “Did ya bring it, Rossi?” Spencer asked, sliding to a stop and almost falling from the slipperiness of the hardwood floor and his socks. 

“Careful ragazzino.” Rossi steadied the boy. 

“Thanks!” Spencer said, happily grabbing the syrup before running back to the kitchen. 

“So you two made up.” Rossi said. 

“Yeah. Just trying to have one somewhat normal morning before he heads off.”

“What time is Peter coming?” 

“In two hours.” Hotch replied, checking his watch. “We better go help Spencer finish breakfast before he burns the house down trying to poche eggs or something.” 

“Poche eggs? Where would he learn how to do that?” Rossi asked, following the other man. 

“Bobby Flay apparently.” 

Breakfast went without a hitch. It turned out, the hint of syrup in the pancake batter actually made quite a difference. 

It was just about 6:30 when the reality of what was going to happen began to set in. 

“Do you want me to help you pack or do you want to do it yourself?” Hotch asked. 

“I can do it.” Spencer said, his previous optimism visibly fading. 

“Alright kiddo. Peter will be here in 20 minutes.” Hotch said, gathering up everyone’s dishes from the table as Spencer drug his feet up to his room. 

“He’s going to be alright.” Rossi assured the younger agent as he followed him into the kitchen. 

“Yeah.” Hotch nodded. Because Spencer had to be alright. He didn’t know what he would do if he wasn’t. 

“You took that Peter kid to the shooting range?” 

“Yeah. He’s not the best shot but he can hold his own.” Aaron said. He began scraping the left-over food into the trash. He felt like he needed to be doing something. Even if it was something as simple as cleaning up the kitchen, it was still keeping his mind busy. He needed that. 

“He’s going to be alright.” Rossi repeated. 

“Yeah.” 

---

“You sure you’ve got everything?” Hotch asked Spencer once again. 

“I’m sure.” The boy nodded. The suitcase beside him was almost as tall as the boy himself and contained all his clothes, books, toys, everything he would be needing for the next few…weeks? Months? God forbid, years? 

“How about you Pete?” Aaron turned to the young man standing by the front door. Peter looked nervous. Had Aaron not had years of training profiling human behavior. He might not have noticed. But as it was, he could see the slight tremble in the man’s hand. The slight scrunch of his nose. 

“Yup. I’m all packed.” Peter nodded. Despite the nerves, the boy still wore a small smile on his face. Hotch would be forever grateful for this young man. 

“You know where to meet the Witness Protection Agent?” 

“I’ve got the directions printed out.” Peter nodded. “I left my phone at home and am ready to be a new person.” 

Hotch nodded before turning to Spencer. The boy looked close to tears but seemed to be holding them back, not wanting Peter and the still present Rossi to see him cry. 

“Why don’t we take Spencer’s suitcase out to the car?” Rossi asked, easily reading the room. 

“Good idea.” Peter nodded. “Goodbye Hotch.” The young man offered his hand to shake in farewell, but Hotch pushed it aside, opting instead to pull the boy in for a hug. Peter accepted it gratefully and Aaron could practically feel some of the stress fade away. 

“Thank you, son.” He said softly. 

“You’re welcome.” Peter replied before pulling away. “Alright. Ready to carry?” Peter asked, grabbing one end of the large bag and turning to Rossi. 

“That’s all you kid. I’m wearing custom blazer.” Rossi said, smoothing out his jacket. 

The two made their way out the door, shutting it once they left. 

“How’re you doing Spence?” Hotch asked, crouching down to be at the boy’s eye level. 

“I don’t want to go.” The boy said, tears beginning to build up in his puppy dog eyes before finally spilling over onto his cheeks. 

“I know. But you understand why you have to?” Hotch asked. 

“Y-yeah.” 

“That’s my little genius.” Hotch smiled sadly. He pulled Spencer into a hug and let the boy cry against his shoulder. He knew this was going to be hard but now that the time was here, he felt a pain in his heart worse than the pain he’d felt from Foyet’s knife. 

“You’ll be back before you know it.” Hotch said, pulling back a bit to wipe away the still falling tears from Spencer’s face with his hand. “Maybe it will be fun! I’m sure you and Peter will find things to do.” 

“It would only be fun if you were there.” 

“I’m not fun kiddo.” Hotch said, almost laughing at the words. All his life he had been sort of stoic, stern, and serious. Though he’d gotten a bit warmer since Spencer had come into his life. There was no way he was fun. 

“Yes, you are! I want you to come too.” Spencer said, a new round of salt water falling down his face. 

“You know I have to stay.” 

“I know.” 

“I love you, Spencer.” Hotch said. “I know this is going to be hard but please remember I’m doing this to protect you. I’m doing this because I love you.” 

“Love you too dad.” Spencer said, throwing himself into Hotch’s arms once more. 

Aarons had never been a fan of goodbyes. But then again, he’d never had a goodbye as bad as this one. Because there wasn’t anyone, he would miss more than Spencer. There wasn’t anyone he loved more than his son. 

Chapter Text

“I won’t judge you if you have another. In fact I’m shocked you’ve only had the two drinks.” 

“I haven’t had more than two drinks in over a year Dave.” 

“I won’t pressure you, Aaron. But just know I won’t think any less of you. I understand wanting to forget everything for a night.” Dave said, taking a sip of his wine. 

“I promised myself I wouldn’t drink around Spencer. Never had more than a beer with dinner or one drink after a bad case.” Hotch stared down at his empty scotch glass like it held all the answers in the universe. “My dad was always a great guy until he poured himself a glass. I didn't want-”

“I’m not letting you go down that rabbit hole. Not tonight.” Rossi cut the other man off before he could get started. “You’re a good dad. A good man. You’re nothing like your father. Lots of people get drunk- alcohol doesn’t make people hit their kids. It may add to the problem but those sick people already have evil in them. You don’t.”

“I may not be evil but how can you call me a good dad?” Hotch said. He slid his glass forward toward the bartender and motioned for him to refill it, giving in to the urge. “I created his whole mess. I brought Spencer into this world of terrible people. This world of fucking serial killers. And now he’s off in god knows where with a kid in his early 20s, whom I also dragged into his fucked up situation I might add, and they're in the middle of nowhere living new lives because I couldn’t catch Foyet.” 

“Then by that logic you ought to blame me, and Morgan, Prentis, everyone on the team. You can’t take the responsibility all on yourself.” 

Aaron didn’t reply, choosing instead to drain the glass in front of him in one go before signaling for another. It had been a week since Spencer and Peter had left. It had been a week since Aaron had had any form of communication with his son. It had also been over a week since he had anything to drink since he hadn’t been able to drink on his pain medication following his release from the hospital. But he’d completed his prescription and was ready to drown away his woes in alcohol whether he wanted to admit it to himself or not. Rossi had followed him out the door after work somehow reading his mind and saying, “Friends don’t let friends drink alone.” 

“Well, let me ask you this.” Rossi said when he got no reply. “Are you glad you answered the phone the night Spencer came to you?” 

“Yes.” Hotch nodded. Spencer was the best thing that ever happened to him. “I didn’t know it at the time but that boy…he changed my life.” 

“And do you think Spencer is glad he came to live with you?” 

Again, Hotch answered immediately. “Yes.” He was still sober enough that he could think objectively. He could ignore the parts of his brain trying to tell him Spencer would resent him. That Spencer hated him. “But wouldn’t he have been happier with a normal family? A parent that can stay home or at the very least not work ungodly hours. He could have a sibling or two and a dog and a normal life. A safe life.” 

Hotch was surprised when Rossi let out a laugh. 

“I hate to break it to you Aaron, but Spencer is not exactly a normal kid.” The man said. “He’s a little genius. He’s interested in physics and geography, not dogs and preschool. He wouldn’t want a normal average life. And he’s proud of you and what you do. He talks about you when you’re not in the room. He even says he wants to join the FBI.” 

“He is  not  joining the FBI.” Hotch said firmly. 

“I think that may be a losing battle for you my friend.” Rossi said, clapping the agent on the back. “He’s going to make a great profiler one day.”

“But he’s seen so much in his short life. He shouldn't have to keep seeing so much pain.” 

Again, Rossi let out a laugh that Aaron didn’t understand. 

“You don’t see it. He’s literally you. You’ve seen a lot of shit. You had a hard childhood. That didn’t make you want to take some easy safe office job. You wanted to help people.” 

They were both silent for a moment, going back to their drinks and reflecting. This had been the first time Hotch had left the bureau in 6 days. He’d been working night and day, sleeping on the couch in his office and showering in the FBI’s gym. Not only had he been committed to pouring over every piece of evidence they had over Foyet, but he just couldn’t stand going home. The second Spencer left he’d packed himself a bag and headed to work. And just hadn’t left. 

Part of the reason was that he wasn’t going to rest until they found Foyet. The other reason was simply because he couldn’t be in his house right now. Because it wasn’t his house. Not really. It was his and Spencer’s house. The Reid-Hotchner household. He couldn’t bear the silence. The emptiness. The distinct lack of a lively soul. 

“Do you think he’ll be back in time for his birthday?” Hotch asked taking a sip of his fifth drink. 

“I don’t know.” 

“He told me he wanted a milkshake for his birthday.” Aaron smiled. “I told me he could pick out anything he wanted, and he said a milkshake.” 

“He knows what he wants.” Rossi chuckled fondly. “How old is he turning?” 

“Six. In almost 2 months he'll be six.” Hotch sighed. “He still looks so young though. He was only four when I first met him and he turned five a few weeks later.”

“He’s grown up a lot. He used to cling to you, you could hardly put him down. And he’s much more confident. Especially when he’s talking.”

“I’m glad he’s more assure now I just…is it bad that I kind of miss when he still needed me? I already missed out on his baby and toddler years. I don’t even want to think about what he’ll be like as a teenager.” 

“Teenage Spencer Reid-Hotchner.” Rossi laughed. “He’s going to be a menace huh?” 

“Yeah.” Aaron laughed. “Best not to think about it.” 

“But to answer your question, no. It’s not bad. What’s the old line? You never know the last time you pick up your kid.” 

“Yeah.” Hotch mused, draining yet another drink. He wasn’t a sentimental guy, especially around other people. But scotch always had a way of opening him up. “I’m stepping down.” 

“What?” Rossi looked up. 

“When we get Spencer back, I’m resigning my position. I’m going to leave the FBI.” 

Rossi was quiet for a moment, setting his glass down on the bar in front of him. “You’re sure?”

“Yes. I can’t-I won’t let Spencer be in danger again because of me.” 

“I understand where you’re coming from.” Rossi said, once again choosing his words carefully. “But this is not the norm. Unsubs like Foyet are not common. I mean, look at JJ, she had two kids and a husband, and they are all perfectly safe. And I don’t blame you for being scared-”

“I’m not scared!” Hotch said, suddenly filled with pent-up anger. “I feel guilty! And angry! And worried for the safety of my son! I will not let him get hurt again because of me.” 

“I hear you Aaron.” Rossi said, trying to calm him when a few people around them shot them strange looks. “I’m not going to fight you on this. Just…wait until Spencer’s home and take some time to think, okay?” 

“Yeah. Yeah, okay.” 

“Now, let’s get out of here before that bachelorette party comes in.” Rossi said, tossing some $20 bills on the counter. 

“I’ll need to call a cab back to the office.” Hotch rose from his chair, wavering a bit as he did. After not drinking much for over a year his tolerance must have gone down. 

“You’re not going back to work Aaron.” Rossi said, placing a hand on the other man's back and guiding him toward the door. 

“I need to catch the bad guy.” Hotch mumbled, alcohol and exhaustion catching up to him. 

“I know.”

“I can’t go home. Not without my son.” 

“I know. You’re coming to my mansion.” 

“Thank you Dave.” 

“Anytime.”