A collection of one shots on moments I wondered what would have happened had the episode been different. These mostly will center around Hotch as he's my favorite character of the series. But hopefully if I come up with something else, I'll definitely let you know. Also please feel free to comment any ideas you have. I'm excited to see what we can come up with together.

So without further ado, please enjoy!

Chapter 1:

Episode it's based on: Season 9 Episode 24 Demons:

This fight was starting to get extremely tiring. The more Hotch fought this deputy, the more he was getting tired. Completely caught off guard the moment that he rounded the back of a 15 passenger van, Hotch lost hold of his gun. The man who attacked him had a hold of him and forced the senior agent onto the hood of one of the many cars that littered the junkyard. The whole fight consisted of them both fighting either on the ground or on top of one of the cars. Most of it was Hotch trying his best to make sure that the man didn't choke him to death.

Hand to hand combat wasn't something the Unit Chief had to utilize often if at all. It wasn't that he didn't know how to fight if he needed to. But t he was a shoot first, throw fists at the UNSUB later type of guy.

There was also a more tactical advantage to keep your distance. You avoided any sort of injuries that involved knifes, fists or frankly anything else that someone could hold.
The fight continued though. McGregor threw Hotch to the ground for what felt like the fourth time and almost got a punch in. But Hotch managed to push him away with his feet just in time. McGregor must have seen something though for the moment Hotch knelt to begin grabbing the gun strapped to his ankle, the man ran over to the gun that the dirty cop had dropped in the skirmish. With no hesitation the UNSUB leveled the gun and pulled the trigger.
Hotch had no time to pull his gun free of his pants leg and soon it was too late.
The unsub fired five shots. Three of the bullets hit Hotch's bullet proof vest, one hit Hotch's left shoulder and the other hit his side right where the straps of the vest covered it.
Immediately, Hotch was on the ground groaning in pain. He had been shot at before, but not this many times and not a combination of both bullets tearing through flesh and hitting the small amount of protection he did have. Usually he was at a safe enough distance and the men or women firing back were bad shots. However, now Hotch was barely holding onto consciousness. It was so bad that he didn't realize that the man he now identified as McGregor had come closer to finish the job.

"Looks like you're at the end of the line Agent." McGregor pointed the gun toward Hotch once again and was smirking. But the moment he went to pull the trigger, the sound of a far off shot echoed throughout the junkyard. Hotch sighed in relief and then rolled over onto his injured side to protect his arm.

"Hotch? Hotch!" It was Morgan Hotch heard above everything else. He tried to turn his head, but the pain in his shoulder stopped him in his tracks. So, instead of moving, he just laid still and tried to breath through the pain and keep himself from blacking out. "Where are you hit man?"

Morgan pushed McGregor's body away from Hotch's and knelt down. Grabbing Hotch's good arm firmly to keep him still, he used his other one to reach down underneath his boss to check his sides for any injuries.
"Where are you hurt man?" Morgan tried to match Aaron's gaze, but it was unfocused. The Unit Chief was losing his battle for consciousness fast.

"Morgan…" Hotch's voice was a whisper and pain was definitely evident in his voice. "He's behind you."

"Drop the gun agent!" Morgan froze at the nature in which the man caught him in. He was torn between turning around and shooting the guy or dropping it to prevent Hotch or himself from eating hurt.

Morgan raised one hand and took his time moving his other hand down to the gun at the holster on his hip, removed it and put it on the ground next to him.

"Kick it away." Derek pushed the gun away. Not far enough to be out of reach if he dove for it, but far enough to hopefully satisfy this man holding him and his boss hostage. "Now slowly, I want you to sit on the ground."

"Agent Hotchner needs help man. Call 911, please." Derek decided that negotiating with the man was out of the question but he could at least try and get him to sympathize with what was going on.

"He can die as far as I'm concerned." The man sneered. Obviously whoever was behind him was part of the whole plot.

"This man has a kid back home. You don't want him to become an orphan do you?" Morgan sat down, but wasn't sure if the guy behind him wanted him to remain seated with his back turned or if he could turn around.

"You all got yourself into this mess when you came and started to disturb our way of life. No one who tries to do us dirty is going to get away. Not even your friend down there."

Morgan looked down at Aaron, who for some reason had begun to curl into a tighter ball then he had when Derek found him. But then there was a glimmer of hope when Morgan caught the glint of Hotch's gun still held tightly to his ankle. Morgan gave a subtle nod to his boss before making sure that his pant leg rendered the gun invisible.

"Okay man, that makes sense. You are angry at us for that. But that doesn't mean anyone else has to die. We can work something out together to where we both get what we want." Morgan slowly turned around and crossed his hands behind his back. Both as a way to make sure that the man didn't think he was trying anything and to let Hotch know to put his gun in Derek's hands.

"I don't want to work out anything with you feds. You have been nothing but a thorn in our side since y'all got here!" The man, that Morgan started to identify as McGregor, started to point the gun in Derek's direction. Apparently, Morgan's shot didn't hurt the man much. Which didn't surprise him. His goal was to swiftly protect his fallen boss, not kill the man.

"I get that man, I really do. But please put the gun down. We don't have to talk, but I won't let you point a gun at me or my friend here. Please….Put it down!"

"No!" Now the gun was leveled directly at Morgan's head. "I'll kill every last one of you. Starting with that agent already at the hospital!"

It was now or never for Derek to make a move. And he took it. The moment that he felt the plastic of Hotch's second gun in his hands, he swiftly aimed and shot. It hit McGregor directly in the chest sending him sprawling out on the ground.

Morgan sighed in relief that it was all over. He looked up from the ground and saw JJ standing there with her own gun drawn. The moment though that she noticed her two co-workers, she holstered her gun and ran over to them.

"Morgan, what happened?" JJ knelt down next to Hotch and checked for a pulse. Luckily, she found one.

"I have no idea. I found Hotch like this and then McGregor snuck up on me."

"Hotch? Can you hear me?" JJ called out as well to Aaron and tried to get him to open his eyes. "There's a lot of blood. We need to call for help."

"Already way ahead of you." Immediately, his phone was up against his ear after dialing 911. He explained to the dispatcher where they were at and what had happened and then once he was clear, he hung up and turned his complete attention to their fallen leader.

"Looks like he was shot, Morgan." JJ had managed to roll Hotch onto his back. Slowly and carefully, she also began to remove his vest. Her assessment came from the three bullets sticking out from the fabric cover.

Morgan started to panic slightly. Very few times in his tenure in the BAU had he ever seen Hotch hurt. The first time was when an unsub almost choked Hotch to death with his own tie. Then there was the time Hotch and Agent Joyner had been hit by an explosion mounted to their car. Hotch had a severely damaged ear and a limp for a few weeks after that. The next was when Foyett attacked him in his own home. That was probably the worst Hotch had laid up for weeks in the hospital, everyone fearful that if Hotch was to return home, the Reaper would come to finish the job.

Now, it was more important to him that Hotch live through this. Jack depended on his father and if it was up to Morgan, he would instantly trade places with Hotch.

It was no news to anyone that knew any of the members of Aaron's team that every single one of them loved Jack and would do everything in their power to make sure that Hotch got home after every case to see him. It was always harrowing whenever Hotch was hurt because Morgan knew that if he didn't make it, that Jack was now an orphan.

"Hurry up, please." Morgan prayed a silent prayer to the Paramedics that they would get here. He knew that they were Hotch's only chance at not bleeding out. JJ worked tirelessly to make sure that Hotch remained conscious until then, but she was having no luck. Obviously ever now and then he would wince and every time Morgan would join in on the gesture.

About ten minutes after the silent prayer was sent up, Morgan started to hear the sound of the sirens.

"They're almost here. Just hang on Hotch." Morgan emphatically shook Hotch's shoulder hoping for some sort of reaction from his boss. Surprisingly, Hotch opened his eyes just a little bit.

"Hey!" JJ smiled down at him. After all, his head and shoulders were in her lap. She knew he was bleeding from his shoulder and side right onto her pants, but she didn't care. Right now she was just happy to see brown eyes peeking through his half closed eyelids. "You're awake."

"Hey." Hotch winced when he adjusted himself. "Wh..what happened?"

"You were shot twice." Morgan nodded and knelt down beside the two of them.

JJ and Morgan just watched as Hotch just stared at the two of them before he started to fidget. The ever stubborn nature of Aaron Hotchner came through as well when he tried to sit up, wincing the whole time he tried.

"Hotch! You need to lay down. The paramedics are on their way." He laid a gentle hand on his boss' shoulder and tried to force Hotch into reclining back against JJ.

"They're still out there… Morgan." Hotch tried to push his way back up and speak at the same time. His breaths came out very labored. This was taking an unnecessary toll on the fallen Unit Chief.

Morgan chuckled and shook his head. The idea that Hotch would not stop even if he was physically unable to do the work was always astounding.

"We actually cleared the place. The only remaining people here were some of the trafficked people I found." JJ took Morgan's cue and wrapped her arms around Hotch's broad shoulders and pulled him back down. Once he finally relented and settled back down against her, she absentmindedly started to play with his dark brown almost black hair. She watched as Hotch slowly closed his eyes.

"Just relax Hotch. You've lost a lot of blood. Just hang in there for a little longer. I can hear the sirens. They're almost here." Morgan took a hold of one of Hotch's hands and just gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Hotch squeezed Morgan's hand and then slowly drifted off for now. The only indication that he was in any pain was a lengthy wince the moment that he finally relaxed enough.

The paramedics soon arrived and they didn't hesitate for one second to get Hotch to the nearest hospital. Apparently neither of the bullets made its way through completely so they'd have to perform surgery to make sure the damage was repaired. Hotch remained absolutely still at this point. The obvious pain he must have been experiencing must have been too much to handle.

Morgan joined the paramedics in the ambulance and sighed. This whole case was too much. First Reid, now Hotch. The unsubs were not taking chances.

That almost cost them dearly.

Once they arrived, Morgan found the closest waiting room to the surgical wing of this hospital and just waited for news. Knees began to bounce off and on as the nerves started to take completely hold. But there was nothing he could do now. He just had to trust that the surgeon was doing his absolute best to make sure Hotch made it through this.

Rossi, Blake and Cruz joined them in the waiting room shortly after they arrived. Everyone was looking rather ragged. Three of their team members had ended up in the hospital throughout this entire trip. That was three too many.

"How is he?" Cruz walked up, hands in his pockets and tried not to look so upset. Cruz highly respected Hotch not only because the man was a legend amongst the BAU and the FBI, but he had earned Cruz's trust after Hotch and his team helped rescue JJ and himself from the terrorists.

"They wheeled him into surgery as soon as we arrived. He was unconscious even before that. But we've received no news. So hopefully nothing drastic has happened." Morgan placed his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together as JJ described what was going on. It was like you could hear everyone exhale in worry.

"Has anyone told Reid and Garcia yet?" Blake crossed her arms in an attempt to not gnaw on her fingers, a habit she formed when she was nervous.

"No." Morgan shook his head and then sighed. He stood up and stretched. "I'll go tell them."

Sauntering out of the room, Morgan slowly began making his way to the room that housed some of the youngest members of his team. He knew that they would want to hear about their fearless leader, Especially Garcia.

The trek to the room seemed to take forever as Derek remained nervous to tell them of their plight. It wasn't that he wasn't used to telling bad news like this, but he was never used to it when people he cared about were involved.

Standing in the doorway, Derek smirked when he saw Garcia getting flustered when Reid wasn't doing what she was trying to get him to do. But when the two of them saw Derek their smiles grew.

"Hey you. How did it go?" Garcia was the first to voice the thoughts Derek assumed Reid was thinking too.

"We got all of them. Rescued some hostages along the way too." Derek started to fidget where he stood. The news he needed to tell them was extremely uncomfortable.

"I can sense a but." Reid sat up a little bit more in his bed nervous for the news.

"We didn't come out unscathed." Morgan fidgeted more and even took the road of gazing down to the ground to try and avoid their gazes. "Hotch got shot twice."

Garcia's mouth fell open and Reid just started to look concerned.

"Is he alright?" Reid sat up more and began to look even more sorrowful than before.

"We think he is. But he's in surgery right now. The bullets were still inside of him. No clean shots."

Garcia started to cry. She hated this. It seemed like every time they won, they lost.

"Hey baby girl, he's going to be okay. You know how stubborn Hotch is."

"I know! I know. I'm just so….I'm just so tired of constantly having my best friends hurt and Hotch…Hotch is like the icing on the cake." She wiped tears off her face. "I…Ever since Haley died, I made a silent oath to make sure he always remained okay. And then things like this happen. I….I just can't…."

Morgan walked over and wrapped her in a hug to end her ramblings.

"I too made a similar oath to myself. But no amount of that can control others." Morgan sighed and then pulled away. "He's going to be okay."

"I know." Garcia wiped angrily at some tears that were skating down her face. "It just sucks."

"I know that too." Morgan gave her a small smile. "I also know that we'll all get through this together. We almost lost Reid. We aren't going to lose Hotch. Just keep that in mind."

Garcia gave a small smile toward Derek before she promptly turned around and found her seat again.

"I know that too." Reid chimed in and gave Morgan the most Reid-like grin he'd given all week.

"I know you do. I'll come tell you any news I hear about Hotch okay?"

"Okay." They both said simultaneously prompting them all to share a chuckle.

Morgan smiled at the both and then walked out into the waiting room.

About an hour and a half later, a very tired and ragged looking surgeon came out looking like he had just seen a ghost.

"Anyone here for Aaron Hotchner?"

Morgan was the first to his feet at the sound of Hotch's name. The rest of the team were close on his heels.

"How is he?" Everyone held their breath in anticipation for the news they were about to receive.

"He's in recovery, doing completely fine. Thankfully the bullet in his shoulder was deep, but we managed to repair the damage. The only issue we had was with the one that hit his side. It unfortunately caused his right lung to collapse. But as I said earlier, we are able to repair the injury. We will have him on oxygen for a day or two or until we can confirm his breathing hasn't been affected and then he should be completely out of the woods."

"That's great news doc." Rossi was the first to speak as the everyone else exhaled in relief. "Is there any way we can go see him?"

"Yes. I can take you back to the recovery room right now." The surgeon gestured for everyone to follow him, "Just if he wakes up while y'all are all in there, please don't overwhelm him. We need him relaxed if he is to heal properly."

"Trust us doctor. This isn't our first rodeo with this kind of thing." JJ recalled them walking in as Hotch woke up from Foyett's attack. This wasn't the first time they were told to keep things as low key as possible.

Not far from the waiting room sat the recovery rooms. There were at least five in total lining one wall, and another four across the hallway. Each were their own rooms luckily. Not some area of a much larger one cordoned off into smaller makeshift rooms.

"He's in the room right at the end of the hallway. I also took the liberty to make sure that there was a guard posted at his door considering the nature in which he was brought in here."

"That is very appreciated doctor. Thank you." Blake shook hands with the surgeon.

"Well then, I'll leave you to it. Let me know if you need anything or have any other questions. He was my last surgery for the day so I'll be hanging out around here until my shift is done."

Rossi bid the surgeon farewell and then they all turned their attention to the doorway.

Inside, there was a nurse checking over Hotch's vitals when the team walked in. She smiled at the gaggle of people that entered the room.

Morgan sighed in shock when he saw Hotch for the first time since they got here. He was pale, but seemed to be gaining just a little bit of color in his skin. His left arm was wrapped in a very thick bandage from what looked like his shoulder down to his elbow and it was held tightly to Hotch's body by a sling. There was an oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth giving him the life giving air that his body apparently needed. Everything else was either out of sight or standard.

"How is he nurse?" Morgan smiled at her when he took notice of how careful she was navigating around Hotch's injuries.

"He's lost a lot of blood, but he is stable. Outside of the chest tube we have on this side to keep any liquids from entering his chest cavity, he's a rather normal patient."

"Do you know how long it will take for him to wake up?"

"I have no idea. But we need to let his body rest. He's going to need it to make it through this."

The team all seemed to nod simultaneously at the news. It all seemed to make sense.

"Alright. I'm done with my check and as soon as he's awake and we don't seen any complications, we'll wheel him into a normal room. But until then, I'll leave you all to it."

The nurse left, leaving a quiet room in her wake.

"I'm glad he's going to be alright." Blake broke the silence.

"Me too." Cruz seconded the emotion.

"Me three." Rossi chimed in as he gently patted Hotch's injured shoulder.

They all got silent again as if they were waiting for Hotch himself to chime in. But nothing came and no one spoke. About ten minutes went by like this before JJ had enough.

"I don't know about you, but I'm also going to go check up on Reid while we're here. Now that I know Hotch is okay, I'm dying to see him."

"You all go. I'll catch up." Morgan sat down in a spare chair next to Hotch's bed.

Everyone else left the room, leaving Morgan and Hotch to their own devices.

"Hotch, I never get to say it enough, but thank you for always having my back. You were extraordinary. I would not have been able to get my gun to you if I was shot. I really appreciate you always making sure I'm safe." Morgan reached out to Hotch's right hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. He just held it there, both as a silent plea for Hotch to wake up, but it was also a silent note of gratitude.

But then, movements so soft and tender made Morgan think twice about blinking. Morgan instinctually squeezed his boss' hand again to confirm that he felt it and after a second time, Morgan could feel Hotch's hand squeeze back.

In that moment, Morgan smiled. While Hotch might not be fully back yet, he was sure Hotch heard what he had to say. That was enough for him. Just knowing that his boss was going to be alright was enough.

And with that, Morgan gave a soft chuckle of gratitude, holding back the tears that he felt welling up inside of him.

Everything was going to be alright. And nothing in the world was going to change his mind.