Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds

A/N: Well, I move tomorrow, so…yeah. I will try to get more up later, no promises, because I shall be job hunting, which is time consuming.

WARNING: Violence, abuse.

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Hotch woke up pleasantly warm and comfortable, despite the dead weight that rested on his body. Slowly opening his eyes, he glanced around, and found himself in Reid's apartment. A glance at a clock on the wall revealed the time to be just past eight. And that weight on his body was Spencer Reid. Hotch was lying mostly on his back, with Reid on top of him, draped over him. With some effort, Hotch managed to get out from under Reid without waking the young man. Hotch grabbed a blanket from the foot of the couch, putting it over Reid, smoothing it down over his shoulders affectionately, running his hand down Reid's back. His fingertips hovered over the fabric that covered the small of Reid's back before he pulled away, going into the little kitchen.

The coffee was already out, so Hotch didn't have to search the cupboards to find it. He put on a pot, and then looked around. Reid didn't have any notes, or papers in the kitchen, which wasn't surprising. He could remember addresses and phone numbers effortlessly, so there was no need for notes. As the pot finished brewing, a sleepy-eyed Reid came into the kitchen, eyes glued to the coffee pot with single-minded purpose.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up." Reid jumped, as if he had just noticed him. He rubbed his eyes, shaking his head.

"No, it's okay. It is too early to be asleep anyway, and I probably shouldn't sleep on the couch." Reid grabbed two mugs out of the cupboard, and filled them with coffee, taking the sugar off of the counter, and dumping a generous portion into his cup. He took a couple drinks, leaning against the counter, while shyly watching Hotch over the rim of the cup. He glanced down at his coffee, a small smile tugging at his lips while his eyebrows knitted together in amused confusion. "I'd ask you to stay the night, but it feels like it's too soon for that."

Hotch didn't even have to take a moment to think about it to come to a decision. "I'll stay, if you want." Reid blinked, and looked up, shock and confusion written on his face, and Hotch swallowed, taking a drink of coffee, trying to appear calm. "I'll just sleep on the couch, but I want to stay." Reid's expression was torn between hopeful, and suspicious, and he put his coffee down, frowning slightly.

"Why?" Reid looked so insecure, Hotch had to look away briefly, taking a deep breath.

"Because I want to be here, for you, if you need me."

It took a moment, but eventually the emotions in Reid's eyes shifted over, his lips parting slightly. He looked away, biting his lip before swallowing. "It would be…nice, if you stayed. You know you don't have to sleep on the couch. The bed's big, and I don't move around much when I sleep."

Hotch repressed a smile, knowing Reid just wanted the company, that there was no innuendo in his offer to share the bed. He'd already slept next to Reid once, and he had just gotten up from a nap he took sleeping under Reid, but he wasn't sure he was ready for sleeping in Reid's bed. "I appreciate the offer, but I think it would be best if I stayed in the living room." Reid tilted his head, looking a little put out, so Hotch added, "I'll be here when you wake up."

A shy smile pushed at Reid's lips, and he looked at the ground, pushing his hair behind his ears. "Promise?" he asked, glancing up at Hotch, his lips curling even more at the corners. Hotch walked over to him, and put one hand on his waist, the other around his shoulders, and pressed his forehead to Reid's, closing his eyes.

"I promise."

Reid's eyes fluttered shut, and he brought his hands up, sliding them to the back of Hotch's neck. "Thank you," Reid muttered, swaying slightly in Hotch's embrace. They stood that way for a couple more minutes, before Hotch pulled away.

"I have to go get my bag out of the car."

Reid nodded, reluctantly letting go of Hotch. "Hm, okay. I'll get some sheets and pillows for the couch." Reid pecked Hotch on the cheek, and then turned and went down the little hallway, disappearing into the unlit area. Hotch turned around and walked out of the apartment. As he made it to the door leading outside, the door opened. The man on the other side held the door for him, and Hotch walked out, muttering a thank you. He paused, standing in the cool evening air for a moment before walking to the SUV. He grabbed his bag and then immediately headed back into the building.

As he walked onto Reid's floor, the faint sound of raised voices floated down the hallway, getting louder as he got closer. Hotch walked faster, dropping his bag in the hallway, and as soon as he made it to Reid's door, he grabbed the handle, and flung the door open. He felt his chest become unpleasantly tight, and the next few seconds seemed to last forever.

Hotch assumed the stranger, who had held the door open for him, was Shawn. Shawn was mostly turned away from him, standing in front of Reid, who had his back pressed into a corner, staring at Shawn with eyes the size of dinner plates. Shawn was yelling, and for a moment, Hotch was frozen, the words not even registering in his brain. However, when Shawn slammed his fist into the wall next to Reid's face, Hotch reacted immediately, crossing the room in record time. Shawn was well built, and with his military and FBI training, he could probably beat Hotch in a fight, nine times out of ten, but he was caught off guard as Hotch yanked both of his arms behind his back, slamming him into the wall next to Reid. Shawn grunted as his body hit the wall, and struggled. Hotch didn't have his cuffs, but he managed to keep Shawn's arms behind his back.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" Hotch tried, and failed to keep his voice under control. Shawn tried to worm free of Hotch's grip again, and Hotch responded by pushing his arms further up his back. Shawn stopped struggling, taking in a slow, deep breath.

"Just let me go and we can talk this out, okay? You're hurting my arm."

Shawn seemed calm, so Hotch let him go. Shawn turned slowly, holding his hands up, but Hotch soon regretted letting him go as a solid fist made contact with the side of his face. He stumbled backwards, tripping as pain temporarily overrode his thoughts. He stood back up, forcing himself to focus, just in time to see Shawn pulling Reid up by both of his shoulders, blood on Reid's lips and chin.

"Baby, I'm sorry, but you can't do that, you just can't…" Shawn whispered, trying to pull Reid into an embrace. Reid pushed him away, and tried to step back, but made contact with the wall just as Shawn grabbed his arm, yanking him forward. Hotch took a step forward, but Reid reacted first, kneeing Shawn in the groin, which instantly led to his arm being released. Reid then darted to the tea table a couple of feet away, and grabbed his gun from the holster where it sat, pointing it at Shawn, who stared at him, disbelief and pain written on his face as he tried to stand up straight.

"Get out," Reid ordered, coldly, swallowing past a lump in his throat.

"You little slut…" Shawn muttered through gritted teeth. Reid clicked off the safety on his gun.

"Get out," Reid repeated, more firmly. "And…if I see you again, I'm calling the cops."

Shawn's gaze darted around, but he reluctantly turned and left. As the door clicked shut, Reid's shoulders sagged in relief, and he clicked the safety back on, setting the gun down, before turning to Hotch, breathing heavily, looking shocked and terrified. Hotch approached Reid slowly, the pain in his head fading and leaving his mind clear.

"I'm…I'm so sorry," he began, but Hotch shook his head, framing Reid's face with his hands, his heart pounding.

"Are you okay?" Hotch asked softly, doing his best to remain calms. Reid stared at him, incredulous.

"Yeah…I'm okay…we should probably get you to a doctor, and have you checked…you might have a concussion."

"No, I'm fine, it doesn't even hurt any more, here sit down," Hotch said, guiding Reid to sit on the couch, when he moved to leave, Reid grabbed his hands, pulling him down next to him.

"I'm serious, Hotch! You could have a concussion. Do you feel dizzy or have muscle weakness?" Reid began, tilting Hotch's face towards the light, checking his eyes.

"No, I'm really fine." Hotch stood, despite the way Reid tugged at his sleeve to get him to sit back down, staring up at him with terrified eyes. Hotch pulled away from Reid, and went to the kitchen, grabbing a washcloth, and getting it wet, before sitting back down next to Reid, gently dabbing at the corner of Reid's mouth. Reid flinched slightly, but then relaxed, closing his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Hotch…I really messed up. I lied to you, and you got hurt because of me." Reid's voice was quiet, and harsh, and once he finished, he swallowed hard, letting out a shaky breath.

"It's okay, Spencer. We can talk about this later."

Reid opened his eyes, which shone abnormally bright. "You going to stay out on the couch?"

"Yes," Hotch answered, finishing cleaning the blood from Reid's lip.

"Could I stay on the couch with you?"

Hotch shook his head, and put the washcloth down on the tea-table, and then stood up, gently guiding Reid to his feet. He wrapped his arms around the thin frame, pressing his cheek against Reid's hair. "I'll lock up, you go ahead and go to bed."

"I don't want to be alone...Aaron, please…"

"You won't be," Hotch whispered, kissing Reid's forehead. Hotch's heart was hammering in his chest, his thoughts still revolving around what had just happened. "I'll see you in a minute."

Reid nodded, pulling back and staring at the floor before getting up and heading into the bedroom. Hotch locked the front door, and put on the chain, before going down the short hall into the little bedroom. Reid was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at his hands in his lap.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered, looking up as Hotch sat next to him. He still looked terrified, which was the last thing Hotch wanted. He wanted to comfort Reid, and make him feel safe. He felt his heart break at the insecurity and terror in Reid's eyes.

"It's not your fault, you didn't do anything wrong…I still love you. I do want some answers, but we can talk about this tomorrow, after work. Right now, you need some sleep."

Reid hesitated, but then nodded. "You'll stay?" he asked, nervously. Hotch nodded, and guided Reid to lay down, following him as the both lay facing each other. Reid curled up against him, and Hotch could detect the stress in his body. He stroked Reid's hair and waited until Reid had relaxed further to speak, gently whispering into Reid's ear.

"Don't worry, I won't leave, I'll be here when you wake up. Just try to get some sleep, and we'll talk about this later."

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TBC…

A/N: If this chapter sucks…it's because I'm tired. Sorry. It's late, but I wanted to put something up before I left. I will keep posting, don't worry, it just won't be as frequent as usual.