Wow, just wanted to say thanks for the reviews, you guys have no idea how nevous I was about writting this especially since I dont really preplan it. Having said that I am really glad you guys are enjoying it! let me know if theres anything you like to see and i'll try to work it in.

Chapter 2 Dad.

Spencer was the first to pull back; he stared at Aaron fingers to his lips completely stunned. Aaron Hotchner had just kissed him; the night had gone from painful and nightmarish to bizarre. Aaron Hotchner, certifiably straight, captain of the football team had just kissed him! He had to be dreaming, that was it. He had passed out from struggling against the post, he was still tied to the post and his own mind was torturing him further, which was the only logical explanation. There was no way that this was real, no way.

Aaron was going through his own torrent of emotions he hadn't meant to do that, Christ he didn't even know what possessed him. It felt right in a way that it never had with any of his girlfriends, Spencer's lips were soft and tasted sweet but held a trace of bitterness like the taste of that first delicious cup of coffee in the morning. But the boy standing before him was vulnerable; Aaron was supposed to be looking out for him, not taking advantage of him, but damn! He wanted nothing more than to kiss Spencer again. No, he was going to do what he had promised, he was going to take Spencer home, nothing more. "Spencer, I, uh, I'm sorry I shouldn't have done that. " Was he imaging it or did Spencer actually look disappointed, no, no, no way would the kid even think about him in that way.

Spencer stood there trying to absorb what Aaron was saying, he was regretting it already and of course he would. Why would anyone like Aaron be interested in Him? Running his tongue over his lip Spencer could still taste him, god he tasted good. Spencer must have looked weird because Aaron was looking at him worriedly. "Spencer, did you hear me?" "What?" damn, what had Aaron been saying? Smiling slightly Aaron looked at him again "I said my car's in the lot, come on let's get you home." Blushing slightly Spencer nodded and followed him from the field, half expecting to be accosted by the team as they reached the parking lot and Aaron's car. No Aaron wouldn't do that to him, he knew that know. Whatever had passed between them, Spencer knew he wouldn't stand by and let that happen again. Thanking Aaron he gave him his address and got in the car.

The drive to Spencer's was quiet, each boy lost in his own thoughts so Spencer was surprised to see they had pulled up outside his house, he turned to Aaron to thank him for the ride, well for everything really, even to him it sounded like goodbye. Aaron just smiled.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow Spencer"

"I'm not coming back to school Hotch" Aaron frowned.

"I told you, it's Aaron, and what do you mean you're not coming back? You can't let those idiots scare you off, I told you I won't let them anywhere near you again and I meant it."

"I know, but you can't protect me twenty four seven Hot… Aaron, it's not possible and I can't keep doing this."

"Sure I can, you're in Sean's year, right? Problem solved, if I'm not around you stay with him." Aaron looked so determined that Spencer couldn't help but laugh.

"I'll be here to pick you up in the morning; please don't make me barge into your house at seven thirty to drag your ass to school, because I will Spencer. Just ask Derek, I've done it to his lazy ass on more than one occasion." And Spencer knew that any further argument would be useless. Sighing he nodded and thanked Aaron again, promising him that he would indeed be ready in the morning and went inside.

After watching Spencer go inside, Aaron put the car into drive and headed home, he was surprised to find he only lived ten minutes from Spencer. That would make tomorrow easier, because as much as Aaron wasn't lazy, he hated to have to leave too early in the mornings. It was late by the time he pulled into the drive but not late enough for his father to be home, thank god for small mercies Aaron thought, he'd be able to call Morgan, finish his homework and be asleep before the eldest Hotchner even got home. His mother was away visiting friends, again, so it would just be the two of them and Sean. Sean had told him earlier that he was going out with his girlfriend Prentiss and their friends after school, so when Aaron couldn't see Sean's car in the drive, he prayed his younger brother would make it home before their father, he didn't have to imagine what would happen if he didn't.

Sean had always been more reckless than Aaron and liked to push his luck and normally he liked to do this when their mother wasn't around to take the heat. Aaron sighed as he grabbed his book bag got out and locked the car making his way into the house. The problem was Sean didn't know when he had pushed their father too far and that was why Aaron stepped in, much to Sean's annoyance, his brother could be such an idiot at times.

As predicted the house was empty as he made his way through to the kitchen, turning the light on he put his bag on the kitchen table and grabbed a plate of left over's from the fridge. While he waited for the meatballs to warm in the microwave he grabbed the cordless phone from the wall and dialled Morgan's number, knowing the boy would have been waiting for this call.

"Hey Hotch; you get the kid down okay?" This was met by a stony silence on the other end so Morgan continued.

"Look, I'm sorry okay, I should have put a stop to it. I had no idea Anderson and Tobias were up to anything until I got down to the pitch, I was running late to practice." Aaron almost smiled, Morgan was always running late to practice, he had the rep of a dog, a reputation he did nothing to discourage, but Aaron knew the real reason he was always late and he approved of the bubbly computer genius, Penelope Garcia was good for Morgan and he knew it, before they started dating Morgan was one bad grade away from being booted from the team. Aaron hadn't wanted to ask how his grades had sky rocketed overnight, it was best he didn't know. What was that old saying? What you don't know can't hurt you? That was certainly true when it came to Garcia and her computer activities. Still he was pissed at Morgan so he wasn't about to smile.

"If you know you should have put a stop to it Morgan, then why didn't you? You saw the poor kid, he was fucking terrified! I thought you of all people would know how wrong that was"

"Hotch man; I was trying to stop them!"

"Yeah? So you were going to get Spencer down from the pole using only the power of your mind then were you? Why didn't you tell me you were fucking telekinetic? Certainly would have helped to know that during some of your last games!" Okay Aaron new that was harsh, but he didn't really care right now.

"I didn't say I did enough Hotch! Damn I know what they did was fucking awful and I know I should have done more to keep them inline, to help the kid, I feel fucking horrible about it"

"So you should! And the kid has a name Morgan, His name is spencer. You realise he's thinking about dropping out of school over this!"

"He is? Aw fuck man, I… did you manage to convince him not to?"

"I told him I was picking him up in the morning and that he wasn't ready, I'd do what I do to you and drag his ass to school." Morgan laughed at that, it was true, there had been a few times that Aaron had walked into his room and unceremoniously dragged his ass out of it.

"I'll make sure Anderson and Tobias leave him alone"

"You better, because he's talking about pressing charges and if I find out anything like this as happened again, I'll drive him down there myself."

Morgan Sighed. "I hear you Aaron, I'll kick their asses myself if I find out their bothering him, but-"

"But what Derek?"

"But what about the rest of the school? You have to know it's not just the team that pick on him."

"He will be with me or Sean where possible"

"Sean? What you don't trust me to do it?"

"It's not that Derek. I just don't think Spencer is going to trust you"

Sighing again Morgan had no choice but to agree, it wasn't like he'd ever given the kid reason to trust him.

"Alright, I gotta go man, got a history project to catch up on, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow man" Sighing Aaron hung up. He put the phone down on the table and hid his face in his hands.

One thing that could be said for his father, the man had the grace and stealth of a cat when he wanted. This was why Aaron hadn't known he wasn't alone while he was talking to Derek. Aaron wasn't aware that his father was home until he felt someone grab a fist full of his hair and pull him from his seat at the table, hands flying to his hair; he tried to loosen his father's grip. His father moved him around using his vice like grip in his son's hair until Aaron was facing him.

"What the hell was that Aaron?" he spat at his son.

Aaron knew whatever he said was just going to piss his dad off even more, his father wanted a fight and he was going to get it, so Aaron didn't answer. When he didn't answer, his father backhanded Him it hurt like a bitch and Aaron wanted to say so but he wouldn't give the man the satisfaction. And so Aaron stood there as his landed punch after punch to his gut, thank god for years of football practise, it was the only thing that stopped him from doubling over in pain clutching his stomach. The elder man ranted at his son. "You need to learn to keep your nose out of other people's business boy!" He roared hitting Aaron with a particularly savage blow that brought the hiss of pain Aaron had tried so hard to keep inside, he knew any kind of noise at all would just spur the eldest Hotchner on even more.

Aaron had long since given up on anyone calling the cops, the neighbours had stopped doing that years ago, they were used to the regular yelling matches that would take place within the Hotchner residence, used to the sounds of things being thrown and the screams of Mrs Hotchner for her husband to leave the boys alone. For years, when the raised voices had become too much, they would call the cops but eventually after continuous refusals from the boys or Mrs Hotchner to press charges they just stopped calling, how could they help someone who wouldn't help themselves?

But right now, home alone with no one there to intervene, Aaron prayed that someone would call the cops, he couldn't take this much longer without fighting back, and he knew from experience that the bruises would be much harder to hide if he did.

"You will listen when I speak boy!" Shit, he had been so busy making sure he didn't make a sound he hadn't heard his dad speaking and clearly he wanted Aaron to answer him.

"I'm sorry" Aaron replied about to ask what his dad had said when he was cut off by a vicious punch to his face, he was in trouble now, his dad was always careful to hit him where the bruises wouldn't show. The first punch had split his lip.

"Oh you will be sorry boy!" his dad yelled as he hit him in the face again, this time when the punch landed Aaron heard something crack and knew that his nose was broken when something warm and wet poured over his mouth. The next punch was to his stomach and was enough to drive all the wind out of his body and as his body doubled over trying to find air; his father landed one more savage blow, to his chin. After that there was only darkness.

When Aaron came to, his father was gone. He winced in pain as he sat up, his right eye already swelling up. He couldn't stay here; he needed to get out of here now. Standing up Aaron was about to climb the stairs to his bedroom to grab some clothes when he heard his father moving around upstairs, no way he could get up to his room without another encounter with the man, so walking stiffly he went back to the kitchen, grabbed his book bag and left. He was just pulling out of the drive when his father wrenched the front door open, screaming at Aaron to get his good for nothing ungrateful ass back in the house right now! Yeah Aaron thought, because that was really going to happen.

The drive to Morgan's was difficult; for one thing it was getting increasingly difficult for him to see clearly and for another he couldn't for the life of him figure out what had pissed his father off so much that he would break his own no face rule.

It was late when he pulled up outside the Morgan residence, but Aaron knew he would be welcome there whatever time of day it was, parking the car, he took a look at his reflection in the rear view mirror, shit he looked bad, he hadn't even thought to wash the blood off his face he was in such a rush to leave that house. For the second time that night Aaron got out of the car with his book bag locking the door behind him as he made his way slowly up to the porch. The door was open before Aaron had reached it.

Fran Morgan had heard the car pull up outside the house and looked at the clock, it was close to midnight, Derek had been upstairs for hours, so she knew right away something was wrong. Fran called Derek downstairs before she opened the door, she could see someone walking up to the porch but it was too dark for her to see who, so she switched on the porch light. Fran gasped when she saw her son's best friend, Derek had clearly seen him too and rushed out of the house, throwing his arm around Aaron to help him inside. She stepped aside as the two boys came in, she had seen Aaron in some states before, well both of them really (Football was a rough sport after all) but in all the years her son had been friends with Aaron she had never seen him this bad before and she knew without a second thought who was to blame.

"Derek take him into the living room, I'll get the first aid kit" Derek dutifully obeyed his mother and led Aaron to the living room and sat him down on the couch. The only thing Aaron said as his mother cleaned the blood off his face was that he needed to call Sean; he couldn't let Sean go home to that, pulling out his phone Derek text Sean and told him he needed to stay out tonight. He promised Aaron it was taken care of as his mother finally convinced his friend to sleep. Jesus, Derek thought that man was a bastard! He didn't deserve the title of dad.