Of all the outcomes they predicted and expected, it was one of the responses Reid had simply listed (without going into detail) that actually happened. Hotch probably should have known, given how abnormally well his son accepted almost everything else in his life, but it still surprised him.

Jack came running out the front door of Jessica's place and threw himself into Hotch's arms with an exclamation of, "Daddy!" He then noticed Reid and looked confused for a moment, and both men held their breaths as Jack tilted his head. "Spence smells weird," he remarked. He then wriggled in Hotch's arms, reaching for Reid.

Hotch caught Reid's eye and gave him a questioning look, but Reid didn't respond except to hold his arms out for Jack. With only a slight sense of unease, Hotch deposited his son into Reid's arms, a little anxious as he waited for the potential tantrum Jack could throw. "What part of me smells weird, Jack?" Reid prompted, and Hotch could only watch as his son tentatively smelled the Omega.

"You smell like you, but you also smell like Daddy," Jack answered, still looking perplexed. His brows were furrowed in thought, and Hotch followed Reid's suit, waiting in silence for a more concrete response. "Kinda like the way Mommy used to smell before we lived with Aunt Jess. She still smelled like Mommy after, but I didn't like it as much." Hotch's entire body tensed at Jack's description of his and Haley's bond dissipating. That was a reminder he didn't like to think about since the main reasoning behind Jack's dislike had been because Haley smelled like another man. Even if she hadn't bonded with the man, his scent would still be on her.

Hotch's gaze snapped to Reid as the younger man cleared his throat. Reid was watching him with a concerned expression, but his gaze shifted back to Jack as he asked, "And how do you feel about me smelling like your dad, Jack?"

The six-year-old was silent as he rested his head on Reid's shoulder, breathing in the mixed scents. Finally, his lips curved into a smile as he pressed himself further against the genius. "Good. It makes me happy." The intense relief Hotch felt had him stepping closer to Reid and gently rubbing Jack's back; the boy turned his head to look at Hotch without lifting his head off Reid's shoulder. "Is Spence your new mate?"

"Not exactly," Hotch answered truthfully. "Why don't we go inside and talk about it with Aunt Jess?"

Jack nodded his approval of the idea, and his arms tightened around Reid's neck. "Can I sit with Spence?" he asked timidly, almost as if he were afraid he'd be denied such a request.

The dark-haired man nodded, hating that his son thought he would tell him "no" over something like that. "Sure, buddy. As long as Reid is all right with it," he replied, glancing up at the younger man. Jack picked up his head to look at Reid, as well, and Hotch couldn't keep from smiling at the puppy dog eyes his son gave the Omega.

"That look isn't necessary. Of course you can sit with me while we talk to Jessica," Reid answered, and Jack's face lit up in a way that Hotch had only seen sparingly since Haley had died. It made his heart thump painfully in his chest, and he turned around to keep his response hidden. He managed a smile for Jessica, who was standing in the doorway with a patient smile.

"Come on in, Aaron, Dr. Reid. I have a full pot of coffee waiting for you both," Jessica called out.

Hotch chuckled softly and replied, "I hope you have plenty of sugar. Reid likes a little bit of coffee with it."


Jack clung to Reid the entire time they were at Jessica's, barely even letting go of the genius long enough to hug the blonde woman. They managed to get him to sit in his booster seat in the back of Hotch's car with little fuss, thankfully, but the moment they stopped to eat, Jack was adamant about staying at Reid's side. Hotch didn't particularly mind, but he was slightly concerned by the way Jack was reacting. Reid didn't look too worried, however, and that in turn was enough to relax Hotch.

Surprisingly, Jack was willing to sleep in his own bed that evening, and after they had gotten him settled, Hotch gently pulled Reid down the hall and into his bedroom, closing the door behind them. Hotch's nose twitched as Reid stepped past him and moved to lean against the foot of the bed, and he closed his eyes against the sudden urge to pull Reid into his arms.

"Hotch?" Reid prompted softly, his tone somewhat apprehensive.

Hotch swallowed thickly, opening his eyes and smiling weakly. "Jack's scent is on you now," he explained.

"I know," Reid replied with a wry smile. "I didn't notice it was happening until it was too late to stop it. It's usually common for young children who have suffered a parental loss to sort of bond with either a male or female the parent was close to. In this case, the most likely option would have been Jessica, so I was extremely surprised when she didn't smell like him even a little bit."

Hotch noticed Reid's hesitation, and he frowned slightly before asking, "What is it?"

Reid bit down on his lower lip. "Did Jack see a doctor after his mother died? Any doctor, not just a therapist."

"Of course. It was a requirement for both of us before I would be permitted to return to work," Hotch answered. He didn't understand what any of that had to do with Jack's scent lingering on Reid, but he knew the genius would get around to that. Reid had done well not to elaborate uselessly during the past few days, so Hotch was trusting that it was all important.

"Did the doctor encourage you to have Jessica and Jack spend a lot of time together? Or for all three of you to do so?" Reid inquired, and Hotch shook his head, furrowing his brows. "Then the doctor you saw was an absolute moron," Reid bit out harshly. "Children scent mark their parents for a reason. It's a biological response when they feel safe and secure, and that in turn is why they later feel that way whenever they're around their parents. If they scent mark two people at first, then they need two people for the first fifteen years of their lives. It's the way we're made, and if something disrupts that normalcy, it causes all sorts of emotional distress for the child. Sometimes it even makes the child more likely to be physically ill or develop potentially fatal illnesses, and in about two-point-six percent of cases, the child has even died—"

"Reid," Hotch cut the younger man off, stepping forward and cupping Reid's face in his hands. Startled hazel eyes snapped up to his brown ones, and his Omega swallowed loudly, lips pressing together firmly to keep himself from continuing to speak. "I understand how much this must upset you. I never would have allowed Jack to continue like this if I knew it caused him distress. I honestly thought he was simply grieving for his mother."

"I know you did," Reid whispered, and he managed a trembling smile. "I'm not angry with you, Hotch. But I am trying to explain to you just how important this is so the same mistake doesn't happen again. After two years Jack feels like he finally has two parents again. He noticed my changed scent because that biological response was partially being fulfilled. His father's scent was on someone else, the same way it was on his mother. But it was weird to him not because I had a different scent but because you don't smell like me."

Hotch's brows furrowed, and he reluctantly dropped his hands from Reid's face so that he could hold up one of them to halt Reid's explanation. "I don't quite understand what you mean by that, but I need the short and simple version before you continue."

Reid sucked his lower lip between his teeth as he thought, and then released it and licked both his lips as he nodded. "All right, so you know mates smell like each other because it's how most people know to avoid someone who's already mated. For children, that mixing of scents on both parents is common. If one parent starts to smell different, the child doesn't like it, but so long as the child's scent is still present, then typically he or she is fine. Innately, we all have the capability of determining when people are bonded. We don't understand exactly what it means until much later, but we still notice it. Jack, like most of the population, hasn't been around a couple with a half-bond before. So when he smelled me, his brain picked up on your bond, but since your scent hadn't changed, his brain zeroed in on how odd it was, and because of that, I smelled weird to him, even though it was really you who smelled weird because in his life he's used to both people being bonded. Had we bonded like normal, then Jack wouldn't have commented on it at all; it would have seemed natural, even though his brain would register that we were mates. Neither one of us would have smelled weird to him, then, even though it wasn't technically a scent he was used to."

Hotch hummed softly, nodding. "I think I follow. Continue."

"So, once Jack was able to accept the scent, it soothed him. I'm not sure why, but the most likely reason is because he missed having someone smell like his father. If Haley stopped smelling like you when she was still staying with Jessica, then it's been at least three years, if not four, since he's smelled his father's mate," the genius detailed quietly. "And after that settled in, he steadily felt more secure, and it triggered the biological response he needed to have two years ago. But that's where our problem lies.

"In at most three months, I won't smell like you anymore, and my reason for staying here will become nonexistent," Reid stated firmly. "That leaves Jack in a similar predicament as before, and without enough exposure to me, he won't have sufficient feelings of security and eventually his scent on me will dissipate, leaving him in the same state as when his mother died."

Hotch sighed, closing his eyes briefly as he shook his head. "Reid, I don't know what you're trying to say. If you think you need to spend time with Jack intermittently after the temporary bond is gone, then that's fine. The last thing I want is for my son to be distressed." The way Reid's gaze skittered away from him as he looked at the younger man had Hotch narrowing his eyes. "I know that look. Tell me."

"I think you should try to expose him to Beth." Reid rushed the words, and it took Hotch a moment to register them. But when he did, he growled, and Reid swallowed audibly. "Just listen, all right? You've already gone on a few dates with her, and I believe you should continue it since you obviously wanted a relationship with her before. She's met Jack already, and maybe he'll scent mark her, and we won't even have to worry about our time limit. It's our best—"

"No," Hotch snarled, and Reid's eyes widened. "I don't cheat."

"But you wouldn't be—" Reid attempted to retort, and Hotch bared his teeth.

He managed to leash his anger, unwilling to let it get out of hand. "Reid, do not make me force you to desist," he growled quietly. He had never used his Alpha voice on his subordinate; Reid always quieted at the gentle but firm requests. That didn't seem to apply to the current situation, however.

His Omega went rigid, nostrils flaring angrily. "Fine," Reid muttered indignantly, pushing off the bed and shoving past Hotch. He watched as the younger man pulled a pair of pajamas out of one of the drawers they'd cleared out for him earlier that day, and then he frowned as Reid headed to the door of the bedroom.

"Where are you going?" he queried softly, and Reid snorted.

"I'm going to change and then sleep on the couch. Or is that not allowed?" the genius retorted, looking back over his shoulder and baring his teeth in a mockery of a smile.

Hotch sighed and motioned towards the bathroom. "Just change in there, Reid. You'll need your glasses and your contact case and solution. They're already set up on the counter." Hotch watched Reid argue with himself, the emotions flitting across his face, and he finally settled on a pout as he turned and walked into the bathroom.

Running a hand through his hair, the Alpha tried to ignore the restlessness creeping through him. He had honestly forgotten about Beth when everything started. They weren't in an exclusive relationship, and he knew she would be understanding of the situation, but the thought of continuing to date her while he was bonded with Reid made his skin crawl. It didn't matter if his Omega was fine with it, which meant it would be more like a polyamorous relationship for the time being. He couldn't stand the thought of it. And for once in his life, the Alpha part of him was in agreement. No part of him currently wanted anything to do with Beth.

The sound of Reid opening the door pulled Hotch from his thoughts. The younger man studiously avoided his gaze as he walked to the bedroom door. "Goodnight, Reid," Hotch called out quietly as Reid opened the door. The only reply Hotch received was the sound of the door shutting firmly behind the other man.

Hotch angrily jerked his brown polo shirt over his head, tossing it at the wall where it made a not-even-remotely-satisfying smacking sound as cloth slapped against plaster. Why was it so difficult for Reid to understand his aversion to seeing Beth when, to the Alpha in him, Reid was his mate? Yes, it would be nice to have a backup for Jack when Reid inevitably left, but why couldn't they wait until then to worry about it? It wasn't like Jack would understand if Reid just left and never came back to see the six-year-old again.

He wasn't sure when he'd picked up his shirt, but both it and his jeans were in his hand as he walked towards the hamper and dropped them in it. As he headed back to the bed, he realized he'd even set his cellphone on the nightstand. After checking it one last time, he slipped underneath the covers of his bed and closed his eyes. It took him far too long to realize he was calming down abnormally fast, and then he noticed he was smelling Reid on the sheets. A soft whine escaped him, but Hotch refused to give into his Alpha's wishes. They both needed the space.

And so Hotch settled in for another night of broken sleep.


Things were still a little tense the next morning. Hotch was up in time to make pancakes for Jack and bacon and egg sandwiches for him and Reid. Then, Jack had asked Reid to help him get ready for school, and Hotch had cleaned up the kitchen. The ride to the school had been mostly uneventful, and Reid was oddly quiet as Hotch drove them to work afterwards. The Alpha part of Hotch was pitching a fit by the time they parted ways in the bullpen, but Hotch ignored it. He was glad he could finally do it again; being unable to control his responses had been one of his least favorite things.

It was nearly half an hour later that Rossi finally showed up at his door. "Hey, Aaron, you got a minute?" the other Alpha inquired, and Hotch gestured for him to come in without looking up from the report he was reviewing.

The door clicking shut had Hotch lifting his head immediately, however. "Dave?" he questioned, studying his coworker. It was rare that Rossi came to see him in the mornings, and even rarer that Rossi closed the door behind him, so whatever it was the senior profiler wanted to discuss, it had to be important. And personal.

"Before we get started, how are you feeling? You look a little worse for the wear this morning," Rossi remarked as he sat down in the chair across from Hotch.

Hotch smiled wryly. "I didn't get much sleep last night. Or the night before. We're both having issues adjusting. Otherwise, I feel fine. Mostly normal. I'm having to keep my Alpha on a short leash, but I'm used to that." Rossi hummed softly in reply, and Hotch finally prompted, "I have a good bit of work to do, Dave. Mind explaining what this is about?"

"I think it's past time we address what's up with you and the kid," Rossi answered, steepling his fingers. "And I don't mean what happened the last few days. I mean what led up to it."

Hotch tensed but kept his expression neutral. "You've heard the story, Dave. Reid asked me to help him through his heat, and after discussing it with him, I agreed."

"Cut the crap, Aaron," Rossi rejoined. "You and I both know exactly what caused your one-sided bond. I'm honestly surprised the kid hasn't put it together. Everyone knows most bonds form from the combination of deep emotional attachment and sex. So let's try this again. What possibly made you think helping Reid through his heat was a good idea when you were already mooning over him before it?"

Hotch glared at his best friend before retorting, "I wasn't mooning."

Rossi raised both his eyebrows, a smile playing at his lips. "All right. Then why did you agree to it when you knew you had feelings for him, and the statistics he spouted wouldn't be accurate?" Hotch didn't want to answer, and after a moment, Rossi answered for him. "Even though you had no reason to, you were hoping he had feelings for you as well, weren't you?"

Hotch's flinch answered the question for him, but he still made himself whisper, "Yes."