When Hotch woke the next morning, he was alone and there was sunlight streaming in through the small window. And, as he rolled over, he realized that he wasn't chained to the cot. Quickly he got up, pulled on his clothes, and started towards the door. He was almost there when it opened revealing his two guards.
"Good, I see you finally woke up," 415 told him with a grin. "Must have had a busy night."
"She left here several hours ago with a smile on her face," the second man added. "So, I guess it's time for you to leave, too."
"Heard a lot of noises last night," 415 commented as the two men began herding Hotch back to his cell.
"Just doing my duty as it was explained to me," was Hotch's brief reply. "You're taking me back to my cell?"
"To your room," the second man corrected him. "For now, this is where you will continue to live."
"My cell," Hotch repeated stubbornly. "Where I am being held against my will."
When they reached the door of Hotch's cell, it was unlocked and standing open and, when he walked into the small room, Hotch quickly realized that it had been thoroughly cleaned.
"Housekeeping been here?" he inquired dryly.
"Can't have you living in filth –Especially now that you are earning your keep," was the explanation from 415. "Make yourself at home while I go get something for your breakfast. However, first - " The second man held up the manacle for his ankle.
The two men made quick work of chaining Hotch to the cot and then he was left alone to listen to the now familiar sound of the lock being fastened.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Hotch spent the remainder of the day chained to his cot and thinking about his previous night's experience. The woman had been more than willing and he had done his best not to brutalize her. But, at what point was the line crossed from consensual sex to rape? And, was he guilt of that? As a former prosecutor, he could definitely see both sides of the issue. And, as for the question of morality -
It was early evening when the two men again showed up to escort him down the hall. For a second day, Hotch was allowed to shower and put on clean clothes before being taken to what he now thought of as the 'Conjugal Room'. When they arrived there, he noted that the sheets had been changed and that all evidence of the previous evening's activities had been removed.
"Better get your mask on," the second man (Hotch had yet to learn his name) told him gruffly. "I think your partner for the evening has already arrived."
Hotch had barely had time to arrange his mask before the door to the room opened and the same woman as the night before walked in carrying a tray containing his dinner. Hotch looked at her closely. She was wearing another cotton print dress, but this one had ribbons trimming it and appeared to be quite new. Also, something about her demeanor was different. It was as if she was looking forward to seeing him.
"I made sure you got an extra large piece of pie," she told him as she placed the tray on the cot next to him. "It looked like you really enjoyed the one last night."
"I do like pie," Hotch told her truthfully. "Especially if it is homemade."
"Cook said that most men prefer pie," the woman reported happily. "And she is usually right."
She sat down on the other side of the tray and removed the cover.
"So, Cook knows about feeding men," Hotch commented as he picked up the fork.
"She knows about feeding just about everyone," was the reply. "She's been overseeing the kitchen here for as long as anyone can remember."
"What did you do today?" Hotch asked curiously. "Did you work sewing tops?"
"No," Hotch was certain that under the mask the woman was blushing. "Since it is 'My Time' I'm exempt from working for the next few days. So, this morning I went for a walk – Down to where the cows are pastured. And then, after lunch, I spent some time in the nursery with the children."
"How many children are there?" Hotch was trying to get a picture of the settlement and the people in it.
"In the nursery, there are currently eleven," the woman reported. "Including two new ones. And then there are the older kids who are currently working at various places on the farm since they aren't in school during the summer months."
"In school?" Hotch questioned. "What do they study?"
"Oh, you know," the woman told him. "The usual - How to read and write and do math and science."
"Yes, I do know," Hotch assured her as he took a last bit of his meal. "And, this pie is very good. Please be sure to tell Cook that I really liked it."
"I will," the woman assured him as she placed the tray on the floor. "Now, are you going to do what you did last night?" She looked at him hopefully.
"That depends," Hotch told her. "What did you enjoy the most?"
As he leaned over to begin nibbling at her neck, Hotch could smell – He had to think about it for a moment. He was smelling 'Woman' he realized. In the past, he had been mesmerized by expensive artificial scents but now – This is what a woman really smelled like. He could feel himself getting hard.