"He's asleep, finally."

Aaron smiles as Haley's arms circle him from behind. Putting the dish down, he turns so he is facing her, taking in her smirk before pulling her in for a kiss. Since Jack had been born the six months ago they had barely had any time to themselves. Aaron was always either working or Jack was awake and in need of attention.

But now…

They're interrupted by the shrill ring of Aaron's phone. Pulling away Aaron tries not to notice Haley's look of disappointment as he fishes his phone out of his front pocket, sighing when he sees it's his office.

"Hotchner." He answers.

"Hotch we got a case in Mississippi, three women raped and murdered in six weeks, local PD's calling us in. Briefing's in an hour." JJ's voice came through, sounding tired.

"I'll be there." Aaron confirms before hanging up his phone.

Aaron turns back to Haley, now on the other side of the kitchen, arms crossed and not looking at him.

"Haley…" He started, not sure what to say.

"Don't."

She rubbed at her eyes before turning to leave but Aaron catches up to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. He hates fighting with her, he'd hoped having a child would improve things but things only seem to continue getting worse.

"I have to go in but I'll make it up to you when I get back." He tries to reason, resting his forehead against the back of her neck, breathing her in.

"That's what you say every time Aaron, for god's sake you just got back from another case two days ago and now they want you out again? When is it going to end? I just, forget it, just go I don't want to talk about this right now." Her voice was trembling, as though barely keeping herself from shouting.

Aaron watches her walk away, trying and failing not to think about how frequent this argument was becoming. He wishes he knew how to fix this without sacrificing either his family or his job.

Pushing the argument to the back of his mind Aaron grabs his go bag and leaves for his office.

4 Days Later

Aaron sits quietly reviewing the case file while the rest of his team chats amongst themselves. It had been a difficult case, ending with the unsub's capture earlier that day. They were just now starting the two hour flight back to Quantico and Aaron can't wait to crawl into bed.

"Did you hear about the agent in New York's white collar crimes division?" Gideon asks, sitting across from him.

Looking up, Aaron tries to recall if he'd heard anything before shaking his head in the negative. Before Gideon could explain Morgan pipes up.

"How have you not heard of that Hotch? The man was already imprinted with his wife and then he imprinted again while arresting Neal Caffrey. It's been all over the news!"

"Isn't he some sort of notorious art thief?" Elle asked.

"Alleged. They caught him on bond forgery, couldn't prove any of the other allegations." Gideon answered.

"Hold on, forget the art theft, this agent Burke imprinted twice, how is that even possible?" JJ joined in.

Aaron smiles, watching as his team continues arguing over the possibility of multiple bonds. He had never given much thought to imprinting. It was so rare and Aaron had so many more pressing issues clamoring for his attention he couldn't really be bothered. He had known people growing up who lived for the possibility of imprinting that they allowed their lives to pass them by looking for "the one", Aaron had given up on that a long time ago. As far as he was concerned, Haley was it for him.

"Amazing, how things can sometimes work out." Gideon says softly, pulling Aaron from his thoughts.

"How do you mean?" Aaron questions.

"Well, that agent they're talking about. He was already imprinted when he bonded a second time and I can't imagine the turmoil it must have caused between him and his wife. But then the strangest thing happens – she and Caffrey imprint the first time they meet. A truly unique occurrence." Gideon finishes, smiling.

Aaron huffs a laugh and shakes his head, he doesn't want to be talking about this, not when things are so tense with Haley. So he changes the subject instead.

"How are things with your protégé?" He asks, knows Gideon hates it when anyone refers to his supposed boy wonder as such.

"Spencer." Gideon corrects. "And he's doing well, I think I've convinced him to apply for the opening in the BAU. We could definitely use someone of his intellect."

Aaron nods, they'd been given the approval from Strauss to hire another agent the week prior and he would be starting interviews next week. They really did need the extra hands since their case-load seemed to sky-rocket of late. If this Spencer Reid could do even half of what Gideon had been regaling him with than Hotch was ready to hire him on the spot no interview necessary he was that desperate.

Sighing, Hotch turns his attention back to his paperwork, not really reading as he tries to think up ways to fix things with Haley.

Two Weeks Later…

Aaron was late, possibly for the first time in recent memory. It couldn't be helped, Jack woke up with a bad fever that morning and when it was not going down he and Haley took him to the children's hospital. The only pressing issue he had scheduled for the day was an interview to fill their opening in the BAU and he'd be damned if he went while Jack was in the hospital. He was supposed to conduct the interview alongside Strauss so instead he called Gideon to take over his part, might make the kid feel at ease to see a familiar face.

He'd seen Dr. Reid's portfolio and to say he was impressed would be an understatement. The kid was just twenty-two and already had accomplished so much. Aaron was interested in meeting the man to see how what he'd read on paper translated in person, see if he'd fit in with their team. He doubted he would be meeting Reid today however, Jack was out of the hospital but with traffic the way it was Hotch was only just pulling into the BAU parking lot at half past noon. Dr. Reid's interview would be long over now and Aaron would only be meeting him if he got the job.

Getting out of his car Aaron reflected on his morning, things with Haley were still tense, she was more distant than ever and he felt as though he were walking on eggshells.

Walking into the BAU, Hotch sees a pleased looking Gideon talking with Elle. Catching his eye, Gideon waves him over.

"How's Jack?" Gideon inquires, concerned.

"He's fine, at home now with Haley. How did the interview go?"

"Excellent, Strauss hired him on the spot and Morgan is showing him around right now. He starts next week."

"He's still here?" Hotch asks, he may get to meet their new hire yet.

"Yeah, wanted to get a feel for the place."

Hotch nods, then turns to Elle.

"You've met him?" He asks.

"Mmmhmm, he's definitely something." She smirks, and Hotch isn't sure what that's supposed to mean. "There he is now." She continues, nodding over her shoulder.

Hotch looks up and watches as Morgan walks in, joking with what appears to be a very uncomfortable looking man who he assumes is Dr. Reid. Hotch takes in his appearance, he's wearing khaki pants with a maroon striped sweater that looks a little too big on him, hair a little bit longer than the norm but slicked down with a side part. He's nodding along to whatever Morgan is saying when Derek catches Hotch's eye and gestures towards him.

"And this, Captain America in the flesh is our Unit Chief, Hotch." Derek introduces them.

Hotch shakes his head at Morgan's introduction and smiles, holding his hand out.

"Agent Hotchner, everyone calls me Hotch." He offers, ignoring the Captain America reference.

"It's nice to meet you, S-spenc – Doctor Spencer Reid, I'm so happy to be –"

Whatever Reid is saying gets cut off as their hands join and Aaron feels everything else melt away. It starts with the touch of their hands before it jolts up through his arm and spreads throughout his body. He almost chokes on it, not sure what to make of it as everything just feels right. It feels like an eternity but can't be more than a few seconds before he's brought back to reality by Gideon calling his name and Hotch is back in the BAU, holding their newest agent's hand.

Their newest agent who looks completely stunned and is clenching Hotch's hand so hard it almost hurts. It takes a moment before the word comes to mind but then suddenly it's there like a neon sign between them – imprinted – and Hotch has no idea what he's feeling. He's a married man, this isn't supposed to happen to him.

But it has.

The voice rings throughout his mind and its right, it has happened and he has to deal with the consequences now.

Reid – Spencer,his mind supplies – is still standing there, his mouth opening and closing like he's a fish out of water, possibly searching for words that aren't coming.

"My office." Hotch says firmly and then pulls a still stunned Reid behind him. He hears the others ask what's going on and when he looks back he sees Gideon staring at him, brows furrowed before he starts following them, telling the others to stay put.

He reaches his office and leads Spencer in, Gideon not far behind. He tries not to examine the fact that he's still holding Spencer's hand, or the fact that he doesn't want to let go. Spencer, for his part doesn't seem too eager to let go either.

"What's going on?" Jason asks, staring at them intently.

"We've just imprinted." Aaron answers, no sense beating around the bush.

"Spence?" Jason asks, looking to Spencer for confirmation.

Reid just nods, head bent down and it's a moment before Aaron realizes he's staring at the ring on his finger, his wedding ring. Hotch slides his left hand into his pocket and lets go of Spencer's hand with his right, immediately missing the contact.

Jason lets out a long sigh before leaning against Aaron's desk, Hotch wonders what he's thinking.

"How will this affect our working relationship? I'm his direct superior and there are policies against fraternization." Aaron starts, since nobody else seems willing to. This helps, focus on the simpler issues, tackle them first and then move onto the bigger obstacles.

Like the fact that you're married.

"Technically it can't." Reid supplies. "All imprinted couples are protected under Section V of the Human Code of imprints it states that all imprints are protected by law regardless of situation. In 1972 an addendum was added when Steve Barnes and Meredith Evans had a legal dispute with their company after they tried to let her go when she and Steve – her direct superior – imprinted upon meeting. The addition to the codes protects those in our exact situation, a person who imprints on their superior, or anyone at work for that matter cannot be let go or moved to another department due to an imprint." Reid finally finishes and Hotch isn't sure when or if he was able to get a breath in during his spiel.

"So they can't touch you." Gideon confirms before looking to Hotch. He doesn't say it out loud but his question comes through loud and clear, at least to Aaron.

What areyougoing to do?

And Aaron honestly doesn't know. He loves his wife, they've been going through a rough patch but he had hoped they would be able to work through it but now he can't be sure. Can he continue an existing marriage after he's imprinted with someone else? He suddenly wishes he had paid more attention to and learned more about imprinting but he never thought he would be one of the few lucky – or unlucky – enough to become imprinted.

"I need to discuss this with Haley, I'm sorry but I need to take a personal day, can you and the team handle things here." He asks Gideon, avoiding Reid's gaze.

Gideon nods and Aaron grabs his briefcase, about to leave when he hears Reid.

"Is Haley your wife?" He's not looking at Aaron, instead staring intently at the floor, body tense and hands in his pockets.

Aaron feels a pang in his chest, he wants desperately to go and touch him, to offer some sort of comfort but he ignores it. He needs to sort things out with Haley first before he can figure this out. So instead he answers with a simple 'yes' without offering anything further.

Reid nods in understanding, still avoiding Hotch's eyes and Gideon gives him a stern look. Hotch almost smiles, he's never seen Gideon look so protective of someone but he supposes he should have seen that coming with the way Jason has been talking about Reid, he genuinely cares about the man. Hotch nods to Gideon, hoping to convey in some way that he has no intention of hurting Reid, he just needs to figure out how this is going to work first.

He leaves the office and makes his way quickly to his car, ignoring his teammates as they try to get his attention, he can't explain things yet and doesn't want them knowing until he fully understands what's going on.

Once inside his car, Aaron tries to remember everything he's ever learned about imprints. He knows it's an unbreakable bond between two individuals though scientists haven't been able to figure out exactly what triggers the bond, the best they've been able to come up with is that it's completely random. Aaron feels himself tense as he remembers a segment he and Haley watched on TV about imprints – she'd always found them fascinating. He remembers the narrator explaining the "…intense, sexual bond between imprints…" and Aaron swallows because according to the documentary sex was not an option for those imprinted, it was a necessity and without regular relations the bond could become strained and be potentially harmful for the two involved.

He tried to push it from his mind but now that it was there he couldn't stop. He and Reid – Spencer – were going to become intimate. Going over everything he knew about Rei – Spencer, Hotch tried not to think too hard on the fact that the man was fifteen years his junior. Just turned twenty-two and already joining the BAU, he was still so young and he looked it too, and then almost like an oncoming train Hotch realized something that should have been glaringly obvious but he only now realized. He was almost certain that Spencer was a virgin. He'd graduated high school at twelve and went straight to university, add to that his clear social awkwardness and Aaron was sure he'd never had a girlfriend – or boyfriend – in his life. He wondered if Spencer realized they would become intimately acquainted and then immediately scoffed, the kid – don't say kid, don't say kid – was a genius, of course he knew.

Pulling into his driveway, Aaron pulls the key out of the ignition and sighs, thinking about his upcoming discussion with Haley.

It was going to be a long night.

"Haley?" He calls out as he walks into the house.

"In here. Jack's asleep." She answers and Hotch follows her voice to the kitchen where she's making a sandwich. "You just left for work not that long ago." She looks at him, confusion written all over her face.

"Something came up and I took a personal day." Hotch answers, trying to figure out exactly how to tell Haley.

"Is something wrong? Did something happen?" She looks worried now and Aaron hadn't meant for that.

"No, well yes – why don't we sit down, I have something I need tell you." He gestures towards the dining table and Haley abandons her half made sandwich.

She sits at the end of the table and Aaron grabs the seat to her left, turning so he's more fully facing her. He takes her hand in one of his and holds his breath, pinches the bridge of his nose with his other hand. He's not sure how to start and things are already strained with Haley he doesn't know what this will do to his marriage.

"Aaron you're scaring me, please just tell me what's wrong."

Her voice is calm but Aaron can hear the hint of a tremor and Aaron hates that what he's about to tell her will only make things worse. Steeling himself, Aaron finally begins.

"We had a new agent hired today, they start next week. The reason I took a personal day is because…" He trails off, trying to find the words to tell the woman he loves that he's permanently bonded with another.

"Because why? Did you know them? I don't understand what the issue is."

"I imprinted with them." He finally spits out, meeting her eyes for the first time since sitting down.

Haley's eyes go wide, he mouth slack and she pulls her hand from his, resting her elbows on the table as she bows her head. The room is silent, neither of them speaking, just taking the time to process what has happened.

"You imprinted." She states, breaking the silence. It's not a questions but Aaron nods in confirmation anyway. "What's she like?" She asks, the tremor clearer now.

"He." Aaron corrects, not looking at her.

"What's he like?"

"I honestly don't know much about him other than what was on his résumé. After it happened I knew I had to talk to you."

"We just had a son Aaron!" She says on a sob and Aaron feels the guilt grow. He knows it was not something he could control but he hates causing her any pain.

He feels a twinge in the back of his mind and feels a growing anxiety. He realizes suddenly that those aren't his own feelings, but Spencer's. He wonders if Spencer can feel him right now, can feel his guilt, if that's what's causing Spencer's own emotional turmoil. He blocks it out, focusing back on what's in front of him.

"I know and I didn't ask for this Haley it just happened but we can work something out, I'm sure we can." He knows he's pleading but he can't help it, he thinks about agent Burke and his second imprint, they made it work, didn't they?

Haley doesn't respond, just stands and walks out of the dining room. Confused, Aaron follows her to their bedroom and watches as she grabs a piece of luggage and begins filling it with clothes.

"What are you doing?" He asks, feeling panic rise. It's clear what she's doing but he doesn't want this, he never has.

"I'm taking Jack to my sister's, I can't be here right now Aaron."

"Haley, we can work this out, please just stop packing and let's talk-"

"There's nothing to talk about Aaron!" She snaps, "Things were heading this way anyway, you and I both knew it. I love you but I've known for some time now that I can't deal with your job and you're not willing to change departments. I've been thinking about this for awhile and now that you've imprinted on someone else what's the point in even trying Aaron. It's over."

Aaron feels as though everything is crumbling around him and he doesn't understand how everything could have felt so utterly right while touching Reid's hand when this is what it has caused.

But was that really the cause?

No,his mind is quick to answer, it wasn't. This has been a long time coming, imprinting with Spencer may have been the catalyst to her leaving but they've been having problems long before now.

It doesn't make it hurt any less.

He wants to fight, wants to say something to make her stay but instead he just stands there, watching as she sets her wedding and engagement rings on their dresser before leaving to get Jack from his room. A moment later he hears the sound of the front door opening and shutting and he knows he's alone.

It's later that night and Aaron is sitting in his living room with a glass of scotch when his phone rings.

Aaron picks up on the third ring when he sees it's Jason.

"Is everything okay?" Jason asks.

"Haley left." Aaron says simply.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it's been a long time coming really. My imprinting was just the last straw." Aaron explained.

"Ah. Well that wasn't all I was calling for, you need to speak with Reid. He was just as surprised as you and he won't say it but I could tell he was upset when you left. He starts in a week and I'd hate for this to be hanging over either of you."

Aaron sighs, he knows he handled that poorly but he was too overwhelmed to deal with the bond when it happened. He can feel Spencer's anxiety and the guilt surges when he realizes he's the cause of it.

"This is really happening isn't it?" He asks suddenly, "I'm really bonded to a twenty-two year old genius." He laughs humorlessly.

"It would seem so."

He can picture Jason smiling on the other end of the phone.

"I'll give him a call, we'll work this out tomorrow. We're going to have to register this with the state."

"The bureau too." Jason adds.

"Right, Strauss isn't gonna like this." Hotch isn't looking forward to that meeting, "I better get to bed, long day tomorrow. Thanks for calling Jason."

"Anytime, and Aaron? I know things may seem bleak now but an imprint is an incredibly rare and powerful bond. To have found someone that you can share that with is nothing short of amazing, you need to remember that. You and Spencer both."

"I will." Aaron replied, voice not much more than a whisper.