Chapter 3

Dinner speeds by way too fast and all too soon I find myself lounging across my bed in nothing but my boxers again.

"Alex," Dave says opening my door. I immediately notice the flat backed wooden hairbrush in his hand. "Let me make something clear before we start. I care about you son, you know I do. You're like a son to me, that's why I'm obliged to do what I'm about to do. Your life; Derek's, Emily's, Spencer's, the lives of everyone at the BAU mean so much to me that I'll do anything to ensure their safety and that includes blistering your behind every time you ignorantly put one of those lives in danger."

I swallow hard and nod. Then I watch with anticipation as he strolls over to the bed, sits down, and then flips me over his lap. I'm caught off guard when he starts tugging at the waistband of my underwear though.

"These come down," I don't argue as he bares me but I flinch when I feel him rest the cold back of the brush against my bare cheeks. "This was very serious, Alex. I'm going to give you more than last time." He states.

I nod.

Although I've agreed I'm still not ready when that first smack comes down. I yelp at that one and then the next one after. Then I start crying and by twenty I'm sobbing. I reach back after twenty-one and try to cover my butt. Dave simply pins my hand against my back and continues with the onslaught. I don't know why but the next ones seemed to hurt so much more with my arm pinned.

When he stops but is still holding down my arm I know we've made it to the end and I try to calm my breathing down before the last five which are always the hardest.

Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! I feel like I'm breaking as each one of them lands on my sit-spot.

Dave lets go of my arm and pulls me into his embrace when he finishes. I cry deeply against his shoulder.

"I-I'm s-sorry," I say trying not to hitch my breath as I speak.

"Yeah son, I know you are. But the next time you put yourself in a life or death situation that could've been avoided, I promise you I will bend you over in front of the entire team and I will not hesitate to spank you where we are."

My heart beat stops and I'm speechless. He can't be serious. As I pull back and look into his oh-too-serious eyes I know that he is.

"B-but Dave,"

"No buts Alex. Your life is important to me and if it takes a little embarrassment to get you to fly straight then I will indulge you, no questions asked."

I wipe the tears from my face and pull off of his lap onto the bed so I can look him in the eyes as we talk.

"But…they'll…the team…"

"The team knows all about our little arrangement."

"You told them?" I all but shout.

Dave fixes me with a stern glare that instantly humbles me again. "No, I didn't. But we're surrounded by the best profilers in the country, the world. You don't think they could tell what happened the first day you came to the bull pen squirming in your chair for skipping out on your work the day before?"

I look away defeated. So they knew since the first day. I bet they knew what was going to happen now too. Dave rubs the side of my head pushing locks of my short black hair up, gaining my attention.

"Stop worrying. They won't think any different of you. Get some sleep."

"Why should I? It's not like I got work tomorrow." I sound like a bratty teenager but I don't care at the moment. Remembering that I got a spanking from Dave on top of being suspended by Hotch has got me in a pissy mood. One that Rossi doesn't want to deal with right now.

"Alex, straighten up. You've brought this upon yourself. Hotch is only following protocol."

"Yeah but…I still hate him."

"Don't say that, son. You're just mad. You'll get over it when you're back with the team solving cases."

I doubt it.

I lie down and Dave tucks me in, which is like so totally embarrassing…a little. I don't fight him though. To be honest, it's comforting to know he cares that much. My parents died when I was an infant so I never really had a dad to do all this stuff to me. My grandma tried to be both a mother and father to me but by the time I was ten she was too tired and sick to do anything but provide me with food and a place to stay. I think that's why I ended up getting into so much trouble growing up because I was practically on my own.

"Good night, Alex." Dave says turning off my light.

I'm more tired than I thought and drawl out, "Night," before falling asleep.

Since Hotch suspended me, I've been grounded at Dave's place. When he's at work he trusts me to stay in my room, coming out only to eat–and by 'trusts' I mean he unhooks the TV's and the radios and puts the alarm on the house to make sure I don't leave. When he comes back home I'm allowed only one hour of recreation before having to go back to my room. I use that hour to go running and let off the steam I build up throughout the day.

By the time Saturday gets here I'm ecstatic. For some reason Dave is declaring Saturday as my last day of being grounded after only three days but I stay at his place anyways because my place gets boring when I'm alone.

"Whatcha doing?" I ask Dave walking into his kitchen. Dave spends a lot of his off time in the kitchen when he's home which is good because I love to eat.

"I'm preparing for the others. We're having a family night tonight."

"Family night?"

"Yeah, that's when everyone comes over and we cook dinner together as a family. It's a relatively new tradition. We have it every other Saturday."

"Oh, who's all coming over?"

"Well, everyone I hope. Aaron, Derek, Spencer, JJ-"

"Aaron's coming over?" I fume.

Dave arches an eyebrow at me and says, "He just might. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Uh, yeah. That asshole suspended me for doing my job. I don't want to see him any time before I have to."

"Language, Alex, and I don't care what sort of feelings you may harbor for Aaron, you are still a part of this team, and thus a part of this family and you will stay here for the dinner."

You wanna bet. I turn to leave and just as I make it to the front door, in walks Aaron Hotchner accompanied by Derek and Penelope.

"Alex," Derek says. "You're here early."

"How'd you beat us?" Penelope says. "We're always the early birds."

Dave comes from the kitchen, over hearing our conversation, and answers, "Alex spent the night here."

"Really," Hotch questions, raising his eyebrows in obvious surprise.

"Yeah, really," I retort bitterly. "You got a problem with that?"

Hotch frowns as if he's about to say something but I'm not afraid. We're not in the bullpen now. Right now, he's not my boss; he's just a friend Dave invited over for dinner.

"Well don't all stand outside," Dave says diverting attention from me. "Come in,"

Everyone enters and heads for the kitchen. Before I head back though, Rossi grabs me by my elbow and turns me to face him.

"I think you better go to your room and work out your attitude before joining the rest of us."

"But Dave, I don't want to-"

"It wasn't a request, Alex. Now go to your room before I change my mind."

I turn on my heels angrily and march to my room with a pout on my face looking every bit of as young as sixteen, I'm sure, but I don't care. I'm madder at Aaron now for getting me in more trouble than I was before.

I sulk in my room for about thirty minutes before there is a knock on my door. Dave opens it.

"Everyone's here. We're about to start cooking if you'd like to join us."

"If Aaron Hotchner is still here then no thanks,"

"Alex, Aaron is your boss and you have to learn to respect him as such."

"Not here he isn't. He's off duty and this is your house…and I'm kinda like your kid so that makes this sorta my house too. So he has to show me respect in my house."

Dave smiles. "You know, you're not the first agent who has called my place home. Years ago, in his rookie years, Aaron used to be in the same spot you often find yourself in."

Needless to say I'm utterly shocked.

"You…you used to send Aaron to his room and spank him when he was being a brat?"

Dave chuckles and says, "Aaron didn't act like a brat very often. Most of the time I had to ground him was to give him a break from work. He's always been too much of a hard worker."

"Is that why he doesn't like me? Because we're so different?"

"I think you're more alike than you realize. Now, are you going to come help us or not? It's actually pretty fun. You'll learn to cook your own food."

"You trying to throw me a hint Dave?" I ask smiling.

He winks and gives the side of my leg a firm smack. "C'mon son,"