A/N: Warnings for mentions of suicide and rape.
Hotch stared at the brunette woman, watching as she slowly advanced towards him. He wanted to turn and ensure his son and Reid had made it into the building, but every instinct told him that was a bad idea. He could feel Reid's anxiety, but he had to assume that they'd made it inside. He trusted the younger man to do as he'd asked, but he didn't know how quickly Reid could safely do it.
"Why couldn't you just listen to me?" Vanessa questioned as she finally came to a stop less than three feet away from him, effectively gaining his full attention. It wouldn't do him any good to be distracted when someone who was potentially psychotic had a gun trained on him. "Everyone's so concerned about the poor Omegas and their rights. They've completely forgotten about other important issues."
"What issues, Miss Warren?" the Alpha queried, keeping his tone gentle.
The counselor snarled. "Don't patronize me, Agent Hotchner!"
He held his hands up placatingly. "I genuinely want to know. What happened to you to instill so much hatred towards Omegas? Did you lose someone?" He was fairly certain he knew the answers to those questions, but profiling her would do him no good. He needed her to tell him, to get wrapped up in her story and her delusion. She watched him silently for a long moment before finally nodding.
"My older brother," she answered softly; he could barely hear her even with his enhanced hearing. "Michael was an Alpha like you. Handsome. Intelligent. Selfless. He was in graduate school studying to be a lawyer when he met Nicholas Stafford, an Omega he foolishly fell in love with. Nicholas knew how Michael felt about him—everyone knew—and the bastard didn't care. He strung him along with empty promises and sweet words until he finally got what he wanted." Her lips twisted into a bitter smile. "Michael bonded with him. It was one-sided. And still it wasn't enough for Nicholas. He made Michael do everything for him, and then one day he didn't need Michael anymore." Her eyes glossed over in reverie, and Hotch subtly inched closer. "Michael was dead long before he killed himself. And that whore of an Omega went onto a different Alpha. And then another. And another." She paused, getting lost in her thoughts before her eyes cleared and narrowed. "The fourth one was given the proper help, and Nicholas was charged with negligence and rape. He'd purposely utilized his biology against four different men, all Alphas, and he was found innocent simply because he was an Omega.
"It's gotten worse ever since these damned Omega's Rights movements started. If an Alpha were to do to an Omega what so many Omegas have done to Alphas, he would be found guilty with no extra questions asked. That's why I've taken it upon myself to seek justice for Alphas who find themselves in the same predicament as my brother. As you. I've helped so many men, Agent Hotchner. Just as I plan to help you. It was fate that brought you and I to the same restaurant this evening. I didn't even have to seek you out as I have others. I'm meant to free you, to save you from yourself." Her eyes were turning wild, and Hotch knew he would have to make a move soon; he started a mental countdown. "You won't be controlled by that Omega any longer. I hate that it's come to this. You remind me so much of Michael, and the world is a better place with you in it. I just can't stand to see you suffer. Goodbye, Agent Hotchner."
Hotch moved at the same time the gun went off, taking Vanessa to the ground and causing her to lose her grip on the firearm; it skidded across the ground, out of her reach. She released an angry scream and tried to buck him off of her, arms moving wildly as she fought against him. She managed to score her nails over his left eye, leaving a sting in their wake. It was only after she also scratched his left cheek that he was able to finally pin her arms down, and even then it was only with a good deal of effort. He then proceeded to headbutt her, hissing as his vision swam. It served its purpose, however, and he felt Vanessa go limp.
"Aaron!" he heard Rossi exclaim, followed by the sounds of slamming car doors and running footsteps. He slowly pushed himself to his feet, blinking away the black spots creeping into his vision as he stumbled. He was caught around the waist as he fell forward, and he was vaguely aware of the senior profiler grunting, "Damn it, Aaron." He was pulled further into a more solid embrace, which he would have fought against if he didn't feel so weak.
"He needs to go to the hospital." The younger Alpha frowned, turning his head towards Blake so she could actually see his disappravol of her suggestion. She met his gaze challengingly, and he briefly wondered how the Bureau had managed to get their hands on two very defiant Omegas, as well as what possessed them to allow both Omegas on the same team.
The next voice that spoke had him attempting to push away from Rossi, but the older man's hold was too strong. "I called for an ambulance right after I heard the gunshot, just in case," Reid stated, moving in close enough for Hotch to ensure he and Jack were all right.
"Daddy?" the younger Hotchner queried uncertainly, his face scrunched up in confusion and concern.
He smiled at his son and reached out to ruffle his hair. "It's all right, buddy. I have to do a few things for work, but Reid will stay here with you until Aunt Jess comes, okay?"
Jack stared up at him silently for a suspended moment and then finally nodded. "Will you wake me up when you get home?"
The soft, sad question broke his heart, and he had difficulty swallowing around the sudden lump in his throat. "Of course. And tomorrow night we'll bake cookies and watch a movie to make up for it." A smile curved the boy's lips, and he leaned over to hug Hotch and allow him to press a kiss to the top of his head. "I love you, buddy."
"I love you, too, Daddy," Jack replied, pulling away and securing his arms around Reid's neck instead.
The younger profiler smiled slightly. "I already called Jessica, so she should be here soon. I'll change the sheets, but I doubt she'll agree to sleep in the bed tonight. Once she's settled, I'll call Rossi and join you guys."
"Thank you," he declared earnestly, managing to smile at Reid before the Omega turned and headed back towards the building. It was only after the door closed behind both males that he finally gave in and allowed himself to be supported by the other Alpha as a wave of pain caught him off-guard, sending nausea rolling through his stomach.
"Mind helping me out, here? It's a little difficult to apply pressure to a wound and keep him supported," Rossi muttered, sounding somewhat strained. He wasn't sure who the senior profiler was speaking to, but he attempted to lift his hands to help, only to have someone else's hands knocking his out of the way.
Blake's chuckle was quiet as she gently reprimanded, "Not you; don't move." She was closer than she had been a moment ago, and the throbbing at his side abated momentarily before returning almost sharply. He hissed through gritted teeth as the brunette woman murmured, "Sorry, but it has to be done."
Rossi snorted. "Don't apologize to him. He's the one who jumped at someone who was armed. He's lucky it's not worse."
Certain details fell into place as his best friend said those words. "Huh. I was shot," he mumbled almost absently, finally capable of relating how terrible he was feeling to similar instances of prior gunshot wounds. None of them had felt quite like the current one, however. He was almost groggy, his thoughts becoming slightly muddled, and the throbbing in his side was more painful than he recalled it being. Pain was good, though; it was when it started to feel numb that he knew he needed to truly worry. Plus, he wasn't sleepy or tired in the conventional sense. He didn't have the urge to take a nap, but he wanted to sit down because he felt a little weak.
The wail of sirens finally sounded at a distance, steadily growing louder. "About damn time," Rossi grumbled, and Hotch had to concur. The sooner he got to the hospital, the sooner he could come home—and, hopefully, the sooner he could hold his son and refuse to let go until the boy complained.
Somehow, perhaps through sheer determination, he and Reid managed to have their talk that evening. The Alpha would have preferred having it at home, but a private hospital room in the ER worked just as well. Rossi and Blake had left to go downstairs to the cafeteria and get something to drink. Hotch had been told he couldn't have anything just yet, but he had high hopes the senior profiler would bring him something anyway.
"So," Reid suddenly interjected into the silence before clearing his throat. "My lease isn't up for a few months. I think I could sub-let it, but I'd need someplace to put the rest of my things. We know my clothes will fit, but I have a lot more than just that."
Hotch smiled and shook his head. "I appreciate you trying to start small, but that's not really a concern that needs to be dealt with right this moment. I'm sure you've noticed I'm a bit of a minimalist, so there will be plenty of space for you to store the important things. And if for some reason there isn't, then we'll just look for a bigger place. With our combined incomes, I believe we can afford one extra room." He moved so he was sitting sideways on the bed and motioned with his hand for the younger profiler to join him. Reid hesitated but obliged, crossing the small space and sitting down beside him. "Now, what are your major concerns?" he queried, angling himself to where he could watch his Omega comfortably.
The brunette man bit down on his lower lip, hazel eyes shifting to the side in thought. "For starters, the pace. We've done things backwards since the beginning, and we've already started to keep up the trend by having me move in with you again. I was just curious how you wanted to continue."
"Whichever way you would like to," the older man answered simply. He chuckled when Reid stared at him in shock, and he gently gathered Reid's hands in his. "I love you, Spencer." He paused as he heard the other man's breath hitch, followed by the sound of him swallowing, and he gently squeezed the hands in his, earning a reassuring squeeze in return. "As long as you're with me, I don't care what we do or don't do. If all you're comfortable doing is watching a movie on separate ends of the couch, all I ask is for it to be appropriate for Jack. If you need space, tell me how long—even if you don't know, say that—and tell me if you want me to take Jack and go somewhere or if you're the one who wants to do the going. If you instigate something and decide you need us to stop partway through, all you have to do is tell me to stop. I'm not expecting anything from you, Spencer. You're choosing to live with me and my son. That's not an easy commitment to make, and I don't want you to feel obligated to do anything outside of that."
The younger man sighed and leaned forward, surprising him by pressing their foreheads together. "You do realize you are quite possibly the most selfless human being I have ever met?"
"Hm. I don't think you can quite call this selfless. I still get to have you in an emotional and intellectual capacity. Those are far more important to me than anything physical," Hotch explained, resisting the urge to nudge their noses together. "Other concerns?" he prompted gently.
"Strauss. We won't be able to keep this from her, and it's definitely against Bureau policy," Reid murmured before pulling back some. "I don't have anything to use in our favor this time."
He grinned and shook his head. "I'm not worried about her. We've already proven we can continue to work cases even if our personal lives have gone awry. If that isn't enough to satisfy her or the Director, do you honestly think the rest of our team won't do everything in their power to cause problems for them? Dave and Garcia alone should frighten them."
That brought a smile to Reid's face, and he felt his heart stutter at it. "They are rather scary when they want to be, aren't they?" the younger profiler agreed, his tone tinged with fond amusement. "Those are the most pressing matters I was concerned about. Now it's your turn."
Hotch hummed softly, debating on bringing up a topic he'd left alone for months. "It's not necessarily a concern—or at least I hope it isn't—but I couldn't help noticing that every Sunday, you disappeared for a short amount of time. I don't mind you doing it, and I don't need to know what it is you're doing, but from now on, could you at least tell me the general area you're going, in case something happens?" he inquired, smiling sheepishly. "I know I sound paranoid, but feeling that something is wrong won't help if I don't know where to start searching."
"I should have known you would notice that," Reid muttered wryly. "I really need you to keep it from the others, okay? It could be dangerous for her if everyone knows because they won't let it be, and she doesn't want our help. I've asked her seventeen times."
"Did you not listen to a word I just said?" the Alpha asked. "You can keep your secrets."
The brunette profiler made a face. "No, I'm not doing that to you. I don't want you thinking I'm hiding her for the wrong reasons, and if I don't tell you, eventually it will start to weigh on you. She already knows about this, and she even gave me permission to speak to you about it if you brought it up, so for once in your life, allow yourself to be selfish." Pressing his lips together, he nodded for the younger man to continue. "Thank you. Her name is Maeve Donovan. She's a geneticist, and we've been in contact for some time. It started as letters, and at the time she had a fiancé. However, six weeks before my heat, she became aware she had a stalker. She broke things off with her fiancé, worried he would become a target, and instead of letters, we came up with a system where I would call her on Sundays, at different times and never from the same payphone twice. I've been trying to get her to agree to let us help her find her stalker, but she's adamant about not putting anyone but herself in danger."
Hotch was silent for a moment as he mulled over what Reid had told him. "She's the one who helped you with your migraines." It wasn't a question, but his Omega nodded in affirmation. "And you're telling me all of this not only because you want me to know, but also because you think I may be able to convince her to let us find her stalker." Another nod. "All right, but only if she agrees to speak with me. We aren't blindsiding her by calling her and having me on the line when she expects you. That would frighten her unnecessarily."
"Yes, of course! Only if she wants to talk to you. Which she does, or at least she's said before that she thought you'd be interesting to speak to," Reid babbled slightly, his face breaking into a grin. "Thank you, Hotch."
"I haven't done anything yet," he retorted with a shake of his head. "Also, please don't get your hopes up. There's no guarantee she will agree; in fact it seems less likely she will if she's already said no to you seventeen times."
Reid shrugged, managing to grin wider. "I'm optimistic. You're very charming when you want to be." He sighed softly, already regretting what he'd just agreed to do because he didn't want to disappoint the other man. "Oh, and you bringing up Maeve reminded me of something we need to talk about: your habit of keeping things to yourself."
Lips twitching against a smile, he nodded sagely. "I know. I will aspire to be more open with you." The younger profiler didn't look convinced, and he widened his eyes innocently. "I promise. Obviously, I won't be able to change it overnight, so I was thinking I could do it in steps. Maybe start off writing things down on a notepad?" He couldn't help but grin when Reid pouted, wrestling one hand out of his grip and lightly shoving him.
"Sometimes you are such a jerk, Aaron Hotchner," the brunette man announced petulantly.
Hotch chuckled before gently pulling Reid closer, brushing a kiss against his temple. "I know," he agreed quietly before adding, "but when I am one, I'm your jerk."
A lovely blush colored the other man's cheeks, and hazel eyes peered up at him through dark lashes. He grinned in response and barely bit back a laugh when Reid turned his head away. "Yes, well, a jerk is still a jerk." Hotch didn't hold back his laugh that time, and he pretended he didn't see the proud smile barely curling the corners of his Omega's lips.