Anote: I turn 33 today. Yay! Yay!What was looking like a tame and boring day is starting to pick up and I almost left the house without posting this week's installment! Enjoy!

Chapter 39- Three cups of coffee

SSA Derek Morgan looked up and down the street, squinting in vain to see his colleague in the dawn's weak light. Giving up, he juggled the carton holding the three cups of steaming coffee in one hand and hit the speed dial on his phone.

'Yeah, it's me,' Morgan greeted the genius profiler. 'Weren't we supposed to meet up at Hotch's place? I already bought you some coffee and yes I have your six packets of sugar in my pocket.'

The man on the line laughed quietly.

'Thanks Morgan,' the man replied. 'But can you handle this on your own? I am already at the office.'

The dark profiler frowned. There was no WAY that Reid would have forgotten the arrangement, the man didn't even have to write down phone numbers so great was his memory.

'You okay?' he asked in concern. 'Are you sick?'

The young doctor's sigh whooshed over the line.

'Yes, I am fine, Morgan.'

'Sooooooo…. Why are you there and not here?' the man pressed on relentlessly as was in his nature.

The silence that greeted him made him scowl fiercely at an innocent lamp post.

'Morgan, calm down,' his young colleague commanded almost clairvoyantly. 'I just want to give Hotch some space. We've been together a lot lately.'

The man holding the coffee started to walk towards the building. In his mind he flashed back on the scene yesterday when Reid seemingly appeared to know a lot more about Hotch than everyone else did, including his oldest friend, Rossi.

'Did the two of you have a fight? You know you can tell me anything, right?' Morgan asked.

Back in the office Reid fidgeted with his socks.

'I know and thanks for saying that out loud like you did. You can tell me anything too.' he replied. 'Hotch and I are fine last time I checked. Call me, if you need back up.'

And with that the two men hung up their phones companionably.

'Good morning,' the agent greeted the door man who obligingly held the door open for him.

Moments later, he was depressing Hotch's apartment buzzer.

A bleary eyed, FBI sweats clad unit chief opened the door with an 'I am about to swallow you whole' yawn.

'Morning, Hotch,' the dark man said in amusement, pushing the tray of coffee in his direction. 'Got any sleep?'

Hotch only nodded his head in reply as he was busy sipping the heavenly brew.

'I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?' Derek inquired as the man beckoned him inside.

'Good news first of course,' the man replied in a gravely sleep filled voice.

The younger man hopped up onto a bar stool in the kitchen area and looked around the room distractedly. There was something odd about the disorder in the apartment.

'Well the good news is that you can have this extra cup of coffee that I bought for Reid because he's already at the office,' the man announced.

Hotch dragged the spare cup towards himself.

'Is Reid okay? It's not like him to pass up on free coffee that he didn't have to make himself,' the senior agent asked knowingly, tensing his shoulders as he remembered that he had forgotten to call the young man last night.

'He's okay. I just talked to him,' the man said reassuringly. 'The bad news is that we have a case.'

For a fraction of a second the lead agent's back drooped before he automatically straightened himself, shaking off his mental and physical exhaustion.

'JJ didn't call me,' he commented curiously.

'She was going to, but I advised her to let you sleep for a few hours. She's prepping her folders and presentation as we speak and Garcia is already doing some preliminary searches at Rossi's request. Are you ready to go with me or do you need another day for yourself?' the man finished his report with this tentative question.

Slowly the dark man reached out a hand to clasp the other man's arm supportively, 'How have you been? Are you holding up?'

Taking a deep breath, Hotch put down his cup of coffee, 'I keep seeing Foyet.'

'In your head?' Morgan asked seeking clarification and raised an eyebrow when the man opposite shook his head negatively.

'Maybe I should sit this one out?' Hotch fretted miserably. 'Or maybe you can lead the case and I can still come along.'

The dark profiler's eyes widened in surprise at this suggestion but then he shrugged it off. Hotch was a true leader who knew that leadership had to do with respect and not with job titles.

'Well just this once,' the Morgan sighed playfully like a martyr, 'because your job sucks big time.'

Hotch smiled appreciating the light hearted spin that Derek was trying to place on the situation.

'Thanks for this,' he added picking up his cup of coffee. 'I really don't want to be alone. But don't put me in the field and should I tell the rest of them about the hallucinations, you think? Yes, I will. At least everyone will have their guard up,' the man thought out loud staring at the fridge door handle.

Morgan let him ramble on as he glanced around the living room with a frown. It was the sound of the shower turning on unexpectedly in the next room that made it all snap into place. With a sinking heart he noted the unusually large volume of plates in the sink, the two mugs on the coffee table and the black brassiere draped artistically on the arm of a chair which somehow he had missed before.

'Oh man….' Derek muttered in shock. 'At least tell me it was a friend!'

'A friend what?' the unit chief asked distractedly.

'OH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!' Morgan roared in anger and dismay, 'You paid for it? Tell me you used some protection. Do you know the kinds of diseases that are out there? Man, this is fifteen shades of illegal! You could lose your job!'

Hotch stared at him as if he had two heads. Undeterred by this appearance of innocence, the dark profiler leapt off his bar stool and stalked towards the bedroom.

'It's not a prostitute Morgan,' he remarked stonily suddenly catching on to what his colleague was ranting on about.

Naturally, the young man shuffled embarrassedly from one foot to the next, feeling all kinds of stupid now.

'Errrr…sorry sir,' he apologized firmly. 'I didn't know you were seeing anyone. That's really good. I think it's a good move in a positive direction for you and Jack. Do I know her?'

'Yes,' the unit chief supplied unexpectedly.

Confused Derek crossed his arms across his chest and raised one eyebrow, 'I do?'

For a full half a minute Hotch toyed with his cup of coffee which of course lead to Morgan walking back over to sit next to him.

'I think you know Emily fairly well,' the lead agent finally replied.