Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

A/N: I really don't know what they do on BAU consults, and I'm not a profiler, so I'm just making stuff up. Also, sorry it took so long. Had more to do than I thought I did.

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By the time they'd talked out the profile for the Baltimore P.D., and actually made it there, Hotch was, to say the least, tired. It wasn't late, not yet past three, so they decided to go straight to the station, but Hotch found himself of little use, and he was glad he brought Reid. The young man noticed Hotch's exhaustion, and basically took over the consult, only stumbling over his words a couple times as he gave presented their profile to the cops. Afterwards, he answered all of the chief of police's questions, seeming more confident than Hotch had ever seen him. Maybe it was because, with the rest of the team gone, and Hotch keeping mostly quiet, he was, for the first time, in control. As Hotch talked to a detective, Reid drew a rough geographic profile for the P.D., while giving profiling tips for other cases they might have later on.

Once they finished up, it was getting late as they got into the SUV. Reid was idly sipping at a half-full Styrofoam cup of coffee from the police station, looking alarmingly wired as he tapped the fingers of his free hand against his thigh, bobbing his head to the music of the radio.

"I hope you don't mind staying in Baltimore for the night," Hotch said as he drove towards the hotel he'd set up, just in case they decided to stay. It was looking like staying would be the best idea, as Quantico was a good three hours or so away.

"No, I don't mind," Reid answered, turning to Hotch with a slight smile. They had already eaten while at the station, so he went straight to the hotel, pulling into the parking lot with a sense of relief. It had been a long day, and he was looking forward to a hot shower, and a soft bed. As he stood in the shower, his tired mind wandered, more so than he would allow it to while on the job. Unsurprisingly, the first thing to come to mind was Reid. Nothing explicit came to mind. When he closed his eyes, he could see him, smiling, a simple image. As he came out of the shower, retired from his suit and tie in favor of sweats and a tee-shirt, he was presented with that same image. Reid was curled up on his bed, wearing blue pajamas, his glasses, and an absent-minded smile, a book open in his lap. He looked up from his book, the smile on his face turning a little shy.

"Hi," Reid greeted, closing the book. Hotch smiled, sitting down on his own bed.

"What are you reading?"

"It's Rocketship Galileo, by Robert Heinlein. It was actually written for adolescents, but I never got around to reading it as a kid." His expression changed, turning thoughtful. "It's actually rather…" Reid paused, looking for a word, pursing his lips thoughtfully. "It's really stupid." Reid closed the book, and tossed it to the side.

Hotch smiled, it was rare Reid used a term like 'stupid'. Reid managed to get the covers out from under himself, and crawled under them, despite the fact he still looked wired. Hotch sighed in relief, too tired to talk any longer, and turned off the light, he set the alarm clock, and got into bed.

When Hotch woke up, he could think of no immediate reason for being awake. Groggily, he turned his head to the digital clock, the red numbers giving the time to be four in the morning, definitely too early to be up, and not the time he had set the alarm to. A soft murmur from the other side of the room revealed the reason for his sudden consciousness. Hotch had never been a light sleeper, always alert, even in his sleep as a child, for footsteps in the hallway. So the sound of Reid, whimpering softly, brought his attention to fullness immediately. Hotch got up and stumbled over to Reid's bed, and found the younger man curled up with his arms around his midsection, his face turned into his pillow. His breathing was harsh, but he only let out the occasional murmur or whimper as he slept.

"Reid?" Hotch called softly, leaning forward. When there was no response, Hotch leaned in closer, laying a hand on Reid's shoulder. "Spencer?" He called, a little louder. Reid stirred, groggily opening his eyes, and blinking as Hotch came into focus.

"Hotch?" Reid asked confusedly.

"Everything okay?" Hotch asked, smoothing Reid's hair away from his face. Reid nodded, the groggy, confused look still on his face.

"Yeah…Yeah, I'm okay. Why? What's happened?"

"I think you were having a nightmare."

"I don't remember it…sorry if I woke you up, I know you wake easily…sorry, you were tired, go back to sleep," Reid was sitting up, brushing a stray strand of hair from his forehead, absently touching the spot where Hotch's fingertips had skimmed across his skin. "I'll just, go for a walk." He sounded unsure, but stood up, stretching.

"Reid, wait, lay down." Reid paused, and then sat down, yawning. Hotch sat next to him, putting a hand on Reid's arm. "I wish you would talk to me." Reid looked up, his emotions more prominent than usual, drowsiness impairing his ability to hide them. With his mouth half-open, Reid stared at Hotch, before licking his lips, looking away.

"I'm talking to you right now…" Reid muttered, sounding a little confused.

"I mean about the nightmare," Hotch said, gently rubbing circles on Reid's back. Reid leaned into the gentle motion, closing his eyes.

"I don't remember it…" Reid yawned, and leaned closer, just a little, as if seeking more contact, but fearing that any sudden movements would scare Hotch away. "You're tired," he stated gently, opening his eyes. Hotch pulled him close, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, hoping the comfort would make him open up a little.

"This is the time I usually get up in the morning. I'm fine. I want to talk now." Reid's face lit up a little, and he unconsciously pressed against Hotch's side.

"I'm a little tired, but…I mean, if…"

"It can wait till you've had more sleep, if you want."

"No." Reid tensed slightly, putting arm around Hotch's waist, and laying his cheek against Hotch's shoulder. "No, I'm okay. We can talk now. I'm just not sure how this talk is supposed to go."

"I'm not really sure either," Hotch admitted.

"If we…were to start a….relationship…I mean, how would you want it to go?"

"Well, I think I'd have to take you out on a date, first, before anything else."

"You'd woo me?" Reid asked, laughter in his voice as he tried to hide the smile on his face by nuzzling Hotch's shoulder.

"Is there something wrong with that?" Hotch asked, his eyebrows going up.

"No, no, not at all…I think I'd like that," Reid whispered. "What kind of date?"

"Dinner, at my house."

"More personal than a restaurant."

"We've known each other long enough for that level of comfort, I think."

"Mm-hm. What else? Dinner, then what?" Reid sounded like he was drifting off to sleep. Hotch knew that he was screwed, he hadn't expected to start a relationship with Reid, but there was no going back now that he was planning their 'date' together. Somehow, he found himself not caring, even relieved that he was letting himself hold and talk to Reid like this, gently stroking his fingers through Reid's hair, talking softly.

"Dinner, then we'd watch a movie in the living room." Reid was smiling, relaxing more and more, his breathing deepening. Hotch gently eased him back onto the mattress, but Reid reached up, not grabbing, but gently laying his hand on Hotch's arm. Hotch hesitated, and then lowered himself down next to Reid.

"Movie?" Reid asked sleepily, rolling onto his side to cuddle with Hotch.

"Get some sleep, Spencer," Hotch answered, pulling the comforter around Reid's shoulder.

"You're sweet," Reid muttered, but then his breathing evened out as he fell asleep. Hotch continued to run his palm over Reid's hair, smoothing wayward strands from his face. As Hotch lay in the dark, Reid curled against him, he began to wonder if he could really be enough for Reid, and if he could find out the truth about Shawn Jay.

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As Hotch woke up, he found himself alone in the bed, the sound of running water floating over from the bathroom, barely audible over the insistent screeching of the alarm clock. Shutting it off, Hotch stood, and stretched before getting dressed in his suit, tie and jacket. The shower in the bathroom shut off, and a couple minutes later, Reid emerged, buttoning the cuffs of his dress shirt, a yellow tie with red diamonds draped over his shoulder. He smiled at Hotch as he entered the room, but then looked down at the floor, wet strands of hair falling into his face.

"We should probably head back," Reid muttered, fussing with the button. Hotch nodded, grabbing his and Reid's bags. They walked out to the car, Reid silently avoiding eye contact with Hotch. As they got into the SUV, Hotch put the bags in the back, and got behind the wheel, glancing at Reid.

"Is everything okay? You seem a little quiet."

Reid looked up, his eyes wide. "Yeah…everything's okay."

"What's wrong?" Hotch asked as he backed out of the parking space. He expected Reid to say that nothing was wrong, to hide what was bugging him.

"Shawn called…"

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TBC…

A/N: Yeah, I'm just going to leave it there. I'm going to have no internet by the 29, but I might not be able to get on and write before then, so this might be the last chapter for…awhile. But I will be updating, it'll just take awhile, depending on how busy I am. If I don't get internet, I can always go somewhere with free wi-fi, but then I still have to find time to write it. I will try to update, at least once every two weeks, if not more often.