Anote: Arrrgh…this plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone.

Chapter 6- An office secret

He caught sight of the first party hat from the corner of his eye, and he knew it was going to be worse than he thought.

Slowly he turned his head to see his entire team walking along the corridor outside of his office, following a brightly lit birthday cake. At least they waited until they stepped inside the door before bursting into a rousing and deliberately off key version of the 'Happy Birthday' song. Not that it really helped because by now, the entire floor was aware of the change in his age and he would be dodging best wishes for the rest of the evening. He wondered if he could just stay inside his office until everyone had gone home.

For his team though, Hotch plastered what he hoped was a passable 'Guys, you really shouldn't have' expression on his face.

He finally caught sight of Prentiss as she fretfully gave JJ a little push to get her in the office before closing the door behind her. She then moved furtively to the blinds and started to close them.

Hotch sighed as he looked at all the expectant faces before him. Thankfully, they had gone with a single tasteful, Happy Birthday candle instead of a numerical count as was tradition. He would definitely have needed help to blow them out if they had. But his good fortune ran out at this point as he stared at the amazing looking cake.

'Rosebuds?' he asked in a flat tone of voice.

Rossi slapped an insincere smile on his face. 'It looked so festive on the other cakes in the window that I just KNEW you would love it!'

There were quiet snickers from the gathered party goers as Hotch tried to glare the soul out of his old friend's body.

Garcia stepped up and clapped her hands once.

'Do you have your wish sir?' she asked him gaily as Reid cleared his desk and Morgan carefully placed the cake in front him.

Hotch sighed again and looked at Emily who hovered in the background. She gave him a supportive smile. He looked back at the cake with a resigned expression.

She knew it! She knew this was a bad idea!

However she had been out numbered. They said she didn't know Hotch before. According to them he smiled, he drank and danced like a maniac when the mood took him.

So what?

That was then!

Now, the man's whole reality had changed and his whole outlook in life had shifted to cope with it. Just because he was serious minded didn't mean he was unhappy. Excessive amounts of emotion were just too much for his tired heart and soul to cope with.

God, and they called themselves profilers!

However, she smiled when he blew out the candle. In that one moment she realized how deeply she admired him. She doubted that she would have had the courage to put her foot out her front door if she had gone through all that he had that year. Not only had he returned to work, he re took command of his team and was slowly rebuilding a life with his son.

Garcia handed Hotch a knife to do the honors.

'Hey!' Morgan interjected. 'Come on, can't we get one of the ladies to cut the cake with him?'

The two blondes looked at each other and giggled, backing away from the table.

'We're taken,' JJ announced unnecessarily.

Their superior frowned at this attitude. What did that have to do with anything?

Morgan snapped his fingers, 'What's the name of that woman in Human Resources?'

'Err…Clarke, Cook, Davis, Fernando' Reid began rattling off from the FBI phone book in his head, 'Hosein, Kellerman…'

Rossi's brow furrowed, 'Don't you mean that blonde in Accounts who is always pushing her folders off her desk for Aaron to pick up?'

Hotch shot Prentiss a panicked look and they stepped towards each other as if they had rehearsed it.

Emily took the knife from Hotch's fingers as the rest of the team hooted and hollered in an annoying fashion. All she wanted to do was get him through this experience intact. She took a quick peek at him as he sat down on his chair to wait. He looked a little apprehensive but he didn't look as pale as he had been initially. She cut two bites size pieces of cake and slid them neatly on a paper plate. Then she took a fork and napkin and knelt near his desk and with the efficiency that always characterized her, she stabbed the first piece and offered it to him and then placed the other piece in her mouth, followed by a quick kiss on his cheek. It was all over before anyone could even snap a picture.

There was a huge moan of disgust and a general cry of 'Do over!' came from several corners of the room. That stopped when Hotch stood and scowled fiercely at the group. Everyone looked around as if they too were wondering who had made such a stupid request.

'So...err…dinner tonight?' JJ asked, breaking the sudden tension in the room.

The man nodded and held on to his red tie as he folded himself back into his chair.

'Let's try that place on 77th,' the dark profiler suggested.

Reid snorted at this idea. 'You just want to see that waitress again.'

The man gave him a 'so what?' look.

'I'm feeling more for barbeque,' Garcia said with a bizarre look on her face, 'I could really use some meat,'

While they bickered and laughed and ate cake, Hotch started herding them gently out his office. He really didn't care where they went and he was glad they weren't asking him for suggestions. As he closed the door with a grateful click, he let his shoulders sag for a moment. Normally he wouldn't have let his guard down in the office but the little interlude with his co-workers had exhausted him and he wanted nothing more than to curl up on his office sofa and take a nap.

'You okay, sir?' Prentiss inquired as she tidied his desk and swept up the crumbs in a decidedly domestic fashion.

He dropped down in his seat, glad that she had stayed behind.

'I'll live,' he offered quietly, as he picked up his birthday card and read the diverse greetings and best wishes of his team mates.

She smiled at his back, as he turned to perch the card on the shelf next to his photo of Jack. She was thrilled that he hadn't asked her to leave and neither did he have his annoying poker face on.

'Prentiss, remind me to apologize to the team at dinner tonight,' he ordered her, waving the agent into one of the chairs.

She threw away the last napkin before sitting, 'Why?'

He propped his head up with his fingers. 'I could have been more gracious. I am not insensible to the fact that most people don't like their bosses and here my people got me a cake, card and bad singing. What more could a man ask for?'

The young agent leaned forward. 'Hotch, you did just fine. Do you want to cancel this dinner tonight?'

She could see a look cross his face that told her that he was seriously considering it but he shook his head.

'No,' he said drawing a discarded case file towards him, 'this is the first team birthday at home in a long while,'

And he wondered why they had got him cake.

Team birthdays were usually a depressing state of affairs, because most times they were knee deep in some case. They tried to gather in the birthday person's hotel room and talk for a bit and Reid always remembered to bring a card that they would all sign. More times than not, there would just be a round of handshakes and hugs from the girls.

'Sir, how about a movie instead?' she suggested.

He looked at her questioningly.

'It's something we can all do together and you wouldn't have to talk,' she explained happily.

She flinched a little at the hard stare he gave her and he instantly put out his hand in apology.

'Sounds like a great idea,' he said hastily, still unnerved at how well his subordinate was reading him today, 'but I doubt we can get the team to agree on a movie,'

She nodded her head, 'Don't worry sir, I'll MAKE them agree,'

He had no doubt about that.

'Preferences sir?'

He shook his head; he couldn't even remember the last time he had gone. What was it, two years ago?

'Are you flying solo tonight?' she asked him scribbling down some ideas on a piece of scrap paper.

He thought that was an incredibly insensitive question to ask, but then another thought crossed his mind.

'Yes. Are you bringing someone? I thought you would take some time from your last relationship,' he said a little more harshly that he intended.

She raised one dark eyebrow at him, 'I meant are you bringing Jack?'

Right.

Well now he felt foolish.

'It depends on how late we are going out,' he replied as she made another note on her paper.

He was saddened when she stood up to leave. His birthday was making him think morbid thoughts and he had been glad for her comforting presence.

'Thanks for the text message warning,' he said quietly as she picked up a slice of cake to take to her desk.

She made shushing motions with her hands as she looked out with a scared expression at the bullpen. They had been suspicious of her the whole morning and the boys wouldn't let her out of their sight. Desperately she had pulled out a tampon from her purse and began waving it around in apparent absentmindedness as she talked, and the men had scattered allowing her a few precious seconds to send him the text.

'No problem sir,' she whispered back.

He grinned at her cautious attitude. There was no way that anyone could overhear them in here.

'What time should I pick you up?' he asked her as she opened the door.

She almost dropped her cake.

'Sir?' she squeaked.

Hotch frowned as he fiddled with his fountain pen. 'For the movie? No point in all of us driving there,'

'That's okay sir. It's out of your way…I'll get a lift with JJ,' she blurted out before dashing out the door.

He was about to call her back when the door swung shut.

What was that all about?

Anote2: I just have a feeling you guys want a part2 for this one shot