"Seriously?" Reid spluttered. "Hotch, I need your assurance that I will walk out of here alive."

The look he received in response would have slain a rattlesnake in its prime.

"You call me Hotch one more time and you won't have to worry about that for another second," the older man countered sternly. "Just spit it out, Reid. Just spit it out and it'll be done. All this stalling and bargaining is just making life harder for both of us. I am pretty sure that you haven't killed someone and so therefore I am sure you will survive whatever punishment I deem appropriate once you've told me what it is you need to tell me. So, here are your options. You can either talk while you're standing in front of me… or… I can put you back over my knee and you can talk there, except this time you're losing the pants. It's entirely up to you. Option A or Option B, what's it going to be?"

The boy wonder paled rapidly but finally found some semblance of self-preservation.

"Option A, Sir."

Hotch nodded in approval, a headache nibbling violently at his temples.

"Thought so. Start talking. I'm all ears."

Reid shuffled on the Hotch Spot; his eyes fixated on the painfully familiar carpet tread. He'd been in this position often enough that even if he didn't have an eidetic memory, he'd remember the exact diameter of the coffee stain at his feet. He knew that there was no way to phrase what he was compelled to confess that painted him in a better light and finally accepted his fate. Chewing his lip, he cut off the rebuke he knew was coming by dragging his gaze up and meeting Hotch's stern stare.

"I'm in trouble."

This was muttered in a very strained, very quiet voice and Hotch fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"Yes," he acceded with a patience he did not feel. "I know you are in trouble. That's why we're here, Reid, because you're in trouble. I already know that but what I don't know is-"

"No," the kid interjected softly. "I'm in real trouble, Hotch. The kind that isn't fixed with an unpleasant trip to this room or your house. The kind of trouble that even you can't fix and I guess the stress of that realisation had me a little… uhm… testy in the field. That's why I was less than professional and had a bad attitude on this case. I know that's not an excuse and I'm not trying to make it into one but it's the explanation you were looking for at least…"

Panic immediately infested Hotch's gut.

"Tell me everything," he commanded firmly. "Leave nothing out. I want to know the beginning; I want to know the middle and I want to know the end and I want to know now. What kind of trouble are we talking about and what kind of people are we talking about?"

Reid nodded with a gulp before vomiting out an explanation that reverberated around the room.

"I've been researching alternative treatment options and medications for my mom's condition," he blurted out, speaking with such rapidity that Hotch knew he had been burning to confess for a long time. "Most non-FDA approved meds are nonsensical; they'll never work and the FDA will kick them to curb as soon as they run them through the accreditation process but one… one showed promise. One drug made real chemical and clinical sense. I… I won't bore you with the details but I know a guy who works at the pharma company that holds the patent to this drug. He's uhm… he's not the most scrupulous of men and I… I was desperate. Mom… she's not doing so well and the clinical trials this drug will have to go through to be market ready will take months if not years. She doesn't have that kind of time…"

Hotch's eyes were burning a hole in his innards, but the man didn't interrupt his fast-paced confession.

"I've been buying the meds from him under the counter for the last couple of weeks. I wanted a stockpile before I gave them to my mom for the first time. I had nearly a three-month supply when I suddenly realised the seriousness of what I was doing. As… as much as I want my mom to have a better quality of life, I can't give her an experimental drug. I don't know how I ever thought I could so I safely disposed of what I had and told Devon, that's the guy's name, that I didn't want to buy anymore. Problem is… he had gotten used to his second revenue stream and threatened to turn me in to the Bureau unless I kept buying…"

Hotch's eyes were practically bugging clean out of his head as the kid rattled on.

"It doesn't take a profiler to know that even if I did keep buying, he would never let the threat go. So, I called his bluff and turned the threat back around on him and like any blackmailer, he's a coward. So, he caved. He knows it is a case of mutually assured destruction if ever there was one and he's not going to open his mouth but… all that back and forth was going on during the case. I was stressed as hell and I took it out on you…"

He took a final, dizzyingly deep breath.

"I'm really sorry," he whispered. "I know how bad this is…"

Hotch felt a whirlwind of emotions course through him. Fear, panic, rage and then fear again. Fear that this Devon wouldn't go away quietly. Panic that this unknown man could derail the kid's life with one phone call. Rage that the boy had the audacious stupidity to do what he had done. Repeat fear that he potentially couldn't protect him from the repercussions of his own moronic actions. Scrubbing a hand through his hair in frustration, he forced himself to think logically and triage the situation. His voice trembled with barely contained anger when he spoke and he saw Reid gulp at the sound of it.

"This pharma contact, this Devon, how sure are you that he'll keep his mouth shut?"

Reid didn't hesitate.

"I'm one hundred percent sure and he has no proof in any event. I made sure of that."

Hotch trusted the kid's assessment of the situation implicitly and felt the constriction across his chest ease slightly. He let out a deep breath he didn't realise he'd been holding and wondered what in the good hell he should do with the information he'd just been beaten up with. Whatever he was expecting the kid to say, it wasn't what he'd just heard. A part of him wanted to reach out and shake the boy until he saw stars and another part of him wanted to reach out and pull him into a hug. The bond between Reid and his mother was unique and he knew how much pain the kid had to have been in to do what he had done… but that didn't excuse his actions.

"Do you realise what you've done, Reid?"

His words were, even to his own ears, terrifying but to Reid's credit he held his nerve.

"Yes, Sir."

Hotch fixed him with a glare with would accelerate global warming. Ten-fold.

"Do you realise I am duty bound to take your gun and badge and inform the Director of this?"

Reid nodded a jerky nod, paling to a shade of white that most Doctors would take to be a sign of death.

"Yes, Sir."

Hotch felt his heart sink as he decided upon his course of action. His mind drifted back to the full confidence he had felt in his ability to turn Elle Greenaway in had he been able to prove that she had shot and killed that UnSub. Looking into Reid's brown eyes, pooled in pain, he had no semblance of that confidence in him. He would cover this up. He would cover this up and deal with it in his own way. The boy would be punished but he would protect him, come hell or high water, from the unforgiving churn of the FBI machine which would chew him up and spit him out without reprieve or regret. He watched as the kid swallowed deeply and unclipped his badge and gun from his waist and hold them out to him.

"I'm really sorry that I let you down."

The sincerity in the boy's words was deafening. Hotch glanced down at the badge and gun under his nose and solidified his decision with a sigh. Shaking his head, he watched as confusion shot across Spencer's face.

"Put them back on your waist, Reid. I'm not taking them from you, even though I damn well should."

Hope, tainted with bewilderment, sprung up in the deep brown eyes.

"You're… you're not?"

Hotch shook his head, his mind working double time.

"No, I'm not but Strauss will have your head for this before you can blink if she gets wind of it. If you are satisfied that Devon is going to keep his mouth shut, so am I. That element of the threat against you is therefore neutralised. The other element of the threat against you is whoever else knows about this and I'm pretty sure the only other people who know about this are standing in this room. Is that correct?"

Reid nodded, for the first time in his life, rather dumbly.

"Good," Hotch muttered, more to himself than anything. "Then here's what's going to happen. You are never, ever going to speak of this to anyone other than me. Not JJ, not Morgan, not anyone. You will take this monumental lapse in judgment to your grave. I will do likewise. Accordingly, the Bureau will never have to concern itself with this… situation and you can continue doing what you need to be doing, which is saving lives. Do you understand me?"

Reid shook his head hotly.

"No way. You're not covering for me on this. It could end your career. I won't let-"

"It is not for you to let me do anything, Special Agent Reid," Hotch thundered in interruption. "I am Unit Chief for a reason. You are not Unit Chief for a reason. I get to say who does what, for a reason. You will therefore do as I say and you will do it without question. I will not tolerate this team having the blood of innocent people on our hands because an integral member of said team got themselves fired for sheer, staggering stupidity. You want to make this right, then you do as you're told and you repent while saving lives. Have I made myself clear?"

Reid, realising the significance of what the man was prepared to do for him, felt guilt rip through him like shrapnel. Refastening his badge and gun, he nodded silently and dropped his gaze back down to the floor. The relief he felt at somehow managing to keep his job was short lived as Hotch's voice cut through his reverie.

"Get your eyes up off that floor this instant."

Not daring to disobey, Reid immediately did as he was bid. The extreme attitude and sass he had been harbouring for the last week was completely gone and without it, he was bereft. He had no shield for what was coming and he knew it. Hotch's gaze, when he met it, was nothing short of terrifying and it took every ounce of bravery he had not to break eye contact. Silence shrieked between them as Hotch let the kid squirm vigorously without a hint of remorse. When he eventually did speak, Reid immediately missed the silence.

"You are going to be severely punished for this, do you understand that?"

Gulping, the boy nodded slowly.

"Yes, Sir."

Hotch jerked his head in approval of the answer.

"When I held you back here this evening, I thought one sound spanking would be enough to snap you back into line and that thereafter we could go both go about our lives this evening. Clearly, I was as mistaken as I have ever been. Clearly, I need to administer a lot more than one spanking. Clearly,the kind of spankings I need to administer are going to take a lot longer than the brief timeframe this room provides. Wouldn't you agree?"

Wishing for the sweet release of death, Reid squirmed hopelessly on the spot.

"I… uhh…"

"I said wouldn't you agree?" Hotch thundered, sparks practically spitting from his eyes.

Reid wilted like three-day old lettuce left out in the sun under the quailing glare.

"Yes, Sir," he mumbled in despair. "I agree."

"Oh good," Hotch said sarcastically. "I'm so glad. So, here's what's going to happen. You are going to go home now. You are going to pack a bag. That bag should contain enough clothing and personal effects to last for a lengthy but as of yet undetermined period of time. You are then going to bring yourself and that bag to my house. You have one hour from the moment you leave this room to do so. If you fail to do so, then I hope you enjoy your new life and alias in Canada because that is the only way and place you will be safe from me."

His nostrils flared like a pair of intensely retro jeans.

"Do you understand me, Special Agent Reid?"

Running the possibility of a life in Canada through his mind, Reid quietly accepted his fate as a dead man walking.

"Yes, Sir," he confirmed miserably. "I understand you."

Hotch nodded sharply before crooking a finger towards the kid in a rather terrifying come-hither motion. Swallowing deeply, Spencer somehow managed to put one leg in front of the other and cross the very short distance between he and Hotch. He watched as the elder Agent placed one leg up on the chair in front of him. Before his brain could process what this meant, Hotch had placed a firm grip on his upper arm and easily draped him over his raised knee. The dull sting from his earlier impromptu spanking was suddenly reignited with a vigour as Hotch leathered his upturned behind with stinging swats eliciting from him pained yelps that he could not supress. This was far from a short, sharp shock as the spanking veered from one minute to two to three. Just as he was beginning to feel guilt laden tears prick the back of his eyelids, the unforgiving swats suddenly ceased and he was led back to his feet to face an impassive Hotch, blinking at him with puppy dog eyes.

Hotch merely raised a warning brow in response and pointed at the door, the unspoken commencement of his one-hour window obvious in his glare.

"You think that was bad? That was just to keep your backside warmed up. Just you wait until I get you home."

….

Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed. Poor Reid's in for a bit of a bad time I'm afraid but with a healthy dose of Hotch adorable-ness.

I am thinking of developing this into a longer fic which just tags along to spy on the various ups and downs of Hotch and the Boy Wonder. Please let me know if this is something you guys would be interested in as I do appreciate the show is over. Majority opinion will rule 😊

Inks x

….