Warnings: sex, this chapter no smut, well, implied smut and a little nudity, politics, no cookies. Implied: Garcia/lynch, and—if you choose to read it that way-Straus/Ambassador Prentice. Implied non-con (its obtuse, but a warning is a warning) Gideon/Reid.

Oh, and if you think Reid wouldn't break the law, then Reid OOC. And for anyone who hasn't read much of what I write, my Hotch has issues, lots of them, and he struggles with them, and sometimes doesn't get it right at all. Who else is in the story? Garcia, Strauss, and well, everyone gets a mention, and Gideon shows up in his worst incarnation. And I'm pretending the neither Reid nor Hotch have had any cannon relationships other than Haley.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Whose Silence are you?" Thomas Merten

Aaron Hotchner was many things, and fierce loyalty to those who loved him was one. Spencer Reid was a complicated man, sometimes closed, sometimes internal, but loving.

So against his own better judgment Spencer, naked and with a cup of coffee in each hand, walked over to sat down on the couch; waiting for Aaron to join him. He still didn't know what Aaron knew. What Spencer knew now that he hadn't known a minute ago was that Garcia was "Apraxia", the hacker whose escape from prosecution Gideon had promised him, if he, Spencer were to work for Gideon, to continue to service Gideon, to submit to Gideon's power—and out of love, out of respect, out of gratitude, out of understanding and empathy for Apraxia, Spencer had agreed. He passed Aaron a mug as Aaron joined him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Morgan smiled. And now he knew he didn't have the file he needed, the dog earing was too even. He also knew that Prentiss, Hotch and Strauss were part of some sort of working group, probably CIA from the vague hints by Aaron of his time in Pakistan. He knew they didn't know about Garcia at least her DOJ hack, anyone except Hotch that was, or they would have been there, not at Garcia's apartment, at his right now, and they didn't suspect Garcia, or they would be talking to him, Prentiss misusing his trust again, not pointing guns at him, right now.

"Agent Morgan?" It was a question, not a command. That was good, now, in addition, Morgan knew that Strauss wasn't sure of his involvement, if any, in the DOJ hack that, in her mind Reid, and in his Reid and Garcia, had created. Morgan didn't know, but was quite sure that, Prentiss would be sure of his involvement, albeit without direct evidence, she was both a profiler and an undercover CIA agent, she knew how secrets worked. He also knew, and this was of concern, that this would be a moment of truth, and of testing his trust, again, how many times would he allow Prentiss to do that? could he do that again? Garcia had not mentioned JJ, was JJ with Prentiss as she was the last time?

Prentiss didn't set down her gun. Was this an act for Strauss, or was this Prentiss holding him deliberately at gun point, was this an actual threat in which she could pull the trigger, and have enough clout, enough connections, enough power behind her that there would be no investigating? He had seen Emily Prentice exercise that power once before, when she had the team cleared of wrong doing after the international manhunt, and shootout with Ian Doyle. Prentiss motioned to Strauss, that she, Strauss, should retrieve Morgan's backpack. So Prentice outranked Strauss here, or did she? Strauss would, in all likelihood, have had to call Prentiss for the meeting to be here. Equals? Somehow Strauss would have to be more skilled than Morgan had realized. He had let his dislike of Strauss cloud his judgment.

Morgan processed his internal monologue, Garcia had said that Hotch suspected her involvement, and that his impression of what they had done was fairly accurate, so Hotch had outside information, and the only person with outside information would be was Kevin. Hotch had begun suspecting Reid, but when? after the Hotch-Reid thing began? After they began getting close? Or had he begun suspecting before that? Morgan kept his anger in check, he had no idea if Hotch had used Reid, or if he was, and he hoped this, informing Reid and Garcia. Was he sharing information to protect Reid and Garcia? Hotch's life was tethered to the law, but he was loyal to the people he loved. Had Reid inadvertently damaged that trust? Had Reid inadvertently let his guard down? Had Reid allowed something to slip? Was Kevin not necessarily involved? Strauss, Prentice, Hotch and Kevin Lynch, Kevin was in Europe on "sensitive" CIA business, so that followed, they were all CIA, and were part of a working group looking into internal United States hacking of the DOJ? or looking into anonymous and had stumbled on this? or following Gracia's trail? And given the team they had assembled the CIA must already had suspicions when the projected started. Had Kevin approached Hotch, or Struass with his suspicions? Morgan's monologue reached a logical, a possible, conclusion, Kevin had been taken because he was the only party linking the two groups, the only party with whom both groups had important connections, in all likely hood Kevin Lynch was working with the CIA group.

What of Gideon—in the wind—Jason Gideon?

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Did you know?" Spencer was looking at the rabbit which he had taken from Hotch's hands. He bit is lower lip.

Aaron Hotchner shook his head, "Reid?" He knew how easily betrayed Spencer felt, and now that he was clearer on what had happened with Jason Gideon, he knew, yet another reason Spencer felt easily betrayed, he didn't want to be one more. He continued, the truth was the best route to trust, "I knew that Garcia was Apraxia, that she, along with other's had hacked the FBI, and that the FBI had made a deal to avoid prosecution, Gideon insisted that she be assigned as the BAU teach analyst. Strauss, Gideon and myself know. Spencer?"

Reid looked away, avoided his own conflict by not meeting Aaron's gaze. He was visibly angry. Hotch didn't see Spencer angry often, he had only seen Spencer angry when Spencer was using, or more likely in withdrawal, and when he confessed the Emily lie to the team, Spencer was only angry when there was an overriding reason, something that overwhelmed logic. "Spencer?"

There were few people who fitted the profile of someone who would hack the FBI, and the DOJ with impunity, with no regard for personal consequence. Added to that, and worse, with Reid's fraught nature with law enforcement and authority and his reliance on the anti-state rhetoric of occupy and anonymous, his relating to the position statement of the Oath Keepers, with his knowledge of the documents leaked by Bradley Manning, his question of the surveillance state in the United States, Reid could quite easily be questioning what Aaron had done in Pakistan and find out. Reid had every right to be angry, he hardly showed it, was he going to do something irrational? With Reid's history, now chrystalized in Aaron's mind, with the outside—let it be outside—chance that Reid would develop serious mental health issues he might become irrational. Clearly he had already done something irrational sleeping with Aaron Hotchner. Aaron wondered if his next move should be to defuse Reid, confront, or comfort him.

"Did you know?"

Aaron had just confessed to knowing, but now was the time to understand. "I knew about Garcia. I suspected your involvement, I wasn't sure if the two of you had worked together, anonymous is, after all, anonymous, I wasn't sure of your relationship before the BAU."

Reid shook his head, he wanted to ask, to touch, to lean on Hotch for comfort, but they were both naked and that was awkward. "Gideon knew. He knew for years, after I had finished my Doctorates at CalTech he called me and told me to join the BAU. He told me that if I joined he would see to it that Apraxia, Garcia" he corrected himself, "Garcia wasn't prosecuted. I never knew Garcia was Apraxia. Gideaon made sure we saw each other every day and never knew. I hoped he had shot himself, I still hope he does." Reid added as an afterthought, "I don't know how he knew it was me."

Aaron added another piece of information to his list on Spencer Reid, Reid was even angrier and far better at self-control than Aaron had realized. And Aaron wondered how hard it was for someone so internal to reach out. Nakedness set aside he pulled Spencer closer, Aaron let Spencer lay his head on his shoulder; let Reid trust, even if, and Hotch feared this was true, even if Spencer's trust in him was about to be betrayed.

Spencer continued. "Jason Gideon turned my childhood, what was left of it a private nightmare, as you pointed out, I should have been able to trust the government." Spencer laughed, it was an odd tight laugh, not something that Aaron wanted to hear.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Morgan glanced down at the file, miscellaneous records of missing coders. Morgan's lower lip tightened, but his face didn't show any other emotion. This was the file he needed. It was unlikely it was the file Emily and Strauss needed, this wasn't the kind of thing for which you threatened one of your own with immanent death, or at least arrest. Hotch had probably put it here for Reid. Morgan realized he was jumping to conclusions based on an unstable relationship. He handed the file to Emily, ignoring Emily's instruction to Stauss to take the file; Morgan wasn't challenging Emily, he was asking her, as a friend, to be the one to take the decision to decide if the file was important. Strauss still kept him in check with her gun. He knew he could take Strauss, armed, he knew he could take Emily, unarmed, he knew he had no choices in this moment. He had to trust Hotch's judgment as to which file Reid would need; which file would protect Reid, and which would put Reid in danger.

Emily nodded at the file, as she glanced at the contents. Then she tilted her head, there was a sign of a smile. Morgan held his breath. Strauss didn't avert her gaze, that meant nothing with Strauss, she might get angry, she might get defensive, but she didn't blink.

Emily handed the file back to Morgan. "Didn't find what you were looking for?"

Absolution.

Morgan, as smooth as silk, and he could play any lady he chose, except Garcia, and his Mother, and JJ, when he thought about, and Emily. He couldn't play Emily, but she owed him, and Strauss had a much of his capital had been used when he by passed Strauss and handed Emily the file, he had blatantly asked her for a favour. He prayed Garcia wouldn't look for him. His phone was off, to allow him to step out of the sight of Jason Gideon.

Morgan picked which piece of truth he should tell, for which piece of the truth was Emily asking? He would keep Garcia's secret, and Reid's.

"Jason Gideon?"

Emily and Strauss looked one to the other, cautiously relieved.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

from CNN Teach, March 7, 2013, Michael Martinez , (CNN)-

"Aaron Swartz, an Internet savant who at a young age shaped the online era by co-developing RSS and Reddit and later became a digital activist, has committed suicide."

Author's notes:- Sort of technical bridging chapter. Sorry I took so long to do this. I haven't been on top of anything for a while—just the average chaos of a fan-girl's life. I felt like I needed to get on with this, I need to return to the surveillance state, and CISPA, while it is dead for now it is like the living dead of legislation, and snitches. Aaron Schwartz also held develop "creative commons", a replacement for traditional copy right law.