Hotch pushed his front door open carefully to the sounds of Rossi's SUV u-turning back towards the direction of his own home. He was unsurprised to see the house fully lighted in the early hours of the morning. Feeling a wave of fresh guilt for the worry he'd put the kid through, he padded quickly into the living room.

The feeling of guilt immediately intensified.

Reid was curled up in a sad little ball, with his knees tucked under his chin and his eyes firmly closed. His iPod was resting in his hand and it was clear he was trying to lose himself in his eclectic taste in music. Such was the volume that the kid didn't hear the elder man cross the room.

Stooping down, he gently tugged the headphones from the kid's ears.

The brown eyes shot open in surprise, which quickly transitioned into screaming relief when they took in the form of the unit chief.

"Hotch" he all but squeaked as he leapt up from the sofa.

"You're ok!"

Aaron smiled warmly as the young man shot into his chest for a hug, and gently wrapped his arms around him.

"I'm ok" he affirmed softly.

The doctor broke away first and looked up with those doleful eyes.

"I was so worried. When I saw you'd gone…"

Hotch grimaced.

How could he have been such a selfish, hypocritical jerk?

"I know Reid, I'm sorry" he murmured sadly, placing a hand on the kid's shoulder and guiding him back to a sitting position on the couch.

The boy sat obediently and watched silently as Hotch propped himself on the foot rest in front of him.

"What happened?" he younger agent blurted out before the team leader could utter a single word.

Closing his eyes briefly as the night's weariness washed over him, Hotch took a deep breath and began speaking.

For a solid ten minutes the deep tones of the elder man's voice filled the living room that was beginning to become bathed in pre dawn light.

The young doctors eyes widened in certain parts and his heart constricted in certain parts until such time as the tale was told.

Hotch ended the regaling at the point at which Rossi had arrived on the scene, and a silence descended over the two men.

"Uhh…" Reid began awkwardly.

Hotch raised a brow, having a distinct and non-profiling related idea where this was going.

"I uhm…I didn't mean to get you into trouble with Rossi and I'm really sorry if I did" Spencer blurted out all of a sudden and without a breath in between his words, "I swear I didn't mean for you to get busted by him."

Aaron nodded slowly.

"Didn't I tell you that it was my decision as unit chief to choose the manner in which I dealt with this case on my own terms?"

Reid blanched somewhat at the stern tone, but nodded his tousled brown head dolefully.

"And hadn't I just reprimanded you for undermining my authority on this case?"

Again, the sandy brown head bobbed up and down…mournfully.

"And didn't I specifically tell you that I would deal with the breakthrough in this case, alone, if it ever happened?"

Reid's eyes widened miserably as he forced his head to once again move up and down in agreement.

"So you blatantly disobeyed me yet again, by calling Rossi, didn't you?"

The question hung in the air like wildfire as the younger agent fidgeted and twitched in his seat.

"Reid?"

The kid gulped down some air and forced himself to look his boss in the eyes.

"Yes sir."

Hotch nodded thoughtfully and stood up.

Looking down at the now miserable looking kid, he crooked a finger at him.

"Come here."

Reid looked up pleadingly and put his best puppy dog eyes to good use.

"But…but I-"

"Come here" Aaron interrupted firmly.

Sighing loudly and forlornly, the young agent forced himself up and landed himself squarely in front of his boss.

"What's my punishment then?" he asked miserably, shuffling from one foot to the other in his oversized t-shirt and cotton ends.

"This" Hotch said simply, as he reached out and pulled the kid into his arms.

Holding him tightly to him, he spoke quietly to the stunned genius.

"You had the guts to call me on a bad, selfish and reckless decision. You had to sensibility to call for the help that I was too arrogant to ask for and you had my back, as always. Thank you Spencer."

With that, he released the staggered boy and squeezed his shoulder tightly.

"Proud of you, Reid."

Spencer stared gapingly at the man in front of him before managing to splutter out some speech.

"Huh?"

Chuckling, Aaron began guiding the doctor into the kitchen and set about making his much coveted pre bed hot chocolate.

"You're…you're not angry with me?"

Pulling out a mug, Hotch shook his head fondly.

"Nope. Not angry."

Hoisting himself up to sit on the kitchen counter, Spencer supervised the hot chocolate making with his face showing signs of deep thought.

As Hotch began microwaving the milk, he spoke again.

"So you didn't get in…in trouble?"

The elder man grimaced as he threw the milk back in the refrigerator.

"I wouldn't say that exactly."

Reid frowned as his boss poured the cocoa powder into the now steaming hot milk.

"But then…I ratted you out! Why aren't you angry?"

Hotch grinned as he threw an amount of sugar he didn't agree with into the chocolate.

"Because you were doing the right thing. I'm not angry, I'm impressed."

Spencer watched silently for a moment as the older agent stirred the hot drink in front of him.

"So uhh…Rossi, he wasn't too hard on you? Did he just yell?"

Hotch inwardly berated himself as he heart the guilt ridden and anxious tone in the kid's voice.

Giving the hot chocolate a final stir, he strode over to where the young man was perched and placed it on the counter beside him.

Leaning against the cabinet he folded his arms and sighed.

"What would I do to you, if you did what I did tonight?"

Reid snorted loudly.

"Break your hand off my butt?"

Hotch chuckled and nodded, rolling his eyes at the kid's dramatics.

"Uh huh, I would and Rossi…well Rossi has the same views on putting yourself in danger as I do."

The doctor's gaze once again contorted in anguish as he read between the lines.

"I didn't mean for that to happen Hotch, I'm so sorry" he moaned, closing his eyes in misery.

Sighing, the elder man placed himself right in front of the morose kid and planted a hand on either side of him.

"Look at me."

He waited patiently for the young agent to comply.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I crossed a line, and I set a bad example. Rossi was right, and I deserved it. Now, I don't want to hear another word about it, it's over. Ok?"

Spencer looked directly into the eyes staring back at him and his instincts told him the man meant every word.

"Ok" he agreed softly.

Smiling his rare smile, Hotch nodded.

"Good. Now come on, drink that up. It's a ridiculous hour of the morning to be awake."

Feeling sleep drag his eyelids down with every passing moment, the young man obediently began to gulp down his hot chocolate.

A couple of minutes and some relaxed chatter later, he had hopped down from the counter and rinsed out his mug.

"Right, bed" Hotch instructed firmly, as he began flicking off lights and gently prodding and pocking the sleepy kid up the stairs.

Pausing at his bedroom door, after bidding the elder man goodnight, Reid called after his retreating back.

"Hotch?"

Turning immediately, the team leader ran a tired gaze over his youngest team member.

"Yeah Reid?"

"Staying here…it isn't all that bad I guess."

With that, the young man scampered into his room and shut the door quietly.

Chuckling, Aaron pushed the door open to his own bedroom.

"Yeah yeah, you're not all that bad either kid."

….

TBC

…..

A/N: I was going to end this story, but I've decided to leave it as an indefinite work in progress, for the time being anyway, so anything you guys want to see, please don't be shy in letting me know. Also, thanks for your patience for the break in updates, back to frequent writing again now.

This chapter is shameless fluff btw!