Hotch felt his lover step out of their embrace upon hearing the killer's taunts. He turned to face the psychopath defiantly, when the headbutt startled him. In a split second, he saw Foyet slide Derek's gun from his holster, and tensed instinctively...anticipating the bullet...before being violently tackled to the ground.
The senior agent's head cracked the wall as he fell, disorienting him. He instinctively shielded his head, as a barrage of bullets, splintered wood, broke glass, and ultimately, cut the murderer down. Foyet was dead before he hit the floor.
Aaron was bleeding profusely from where his temple had hit a support beam. Vision blurry, he struggled to get up, but it felt as if his legs were pinned. He called out to Spencer, but got no answer amid the din of agents and medics that now swarmed the room. He swallowed thickly, and closed his eyes to stave off the dizziness. Intellectually, he knew the truth...the only one close enough to have tackled him was Reid. Emotionally, he wouldn't accept that it was Spencer's inert body lying over him, preventing him from moving his legs.
"Aaron? Reid?" hollered Rossi frantically as he ran through the door. "Oh god...Aaron." said his friend, kneeling down to check the two agents. "Can we get the medics over here?"
Hotch opened his eyes again. The room was still swimming, but he was able to reach out for Dave's hand. "Dave...Spencer...is he...did he...?
As Rossi reached out to check the young man, Reid suddenly coughed, and rolled off his lover, onto his back. His body was shaking, and it took a few moments for the two men to realize that Spencer was laughing.
"Oh, god, Babe. You're okay?" questioned a frantic Hotch. "Are you hurt?"
Hardly able to catch his breath from the giggling fit, Reid nodded. "Of course I'm hurt...I'm shot!"
Aaron pulled the young man closer. "Babe...if you're hurt, why are you laughing?"
Still chuckling, Reid pushed back a lock of Aaron's hair so that he could examine his bloodied head. Focusing again, he answered. "I'm laughing, because. Because, of course...of course, he shot me in the knee!"
oOo
Reid awoke from surgery to find Garcia fluttering around, decorating his room in Dr. Who figurines and pictures of Hotch and Jack. The young man's dry cough brought her quickly to his side, ice chips in hand.
"My poor, poor baby!" cried Garcia, before pulling him into a tight bear hug. " You're awake! How are you feeling? Are you okay? Do you need anything? What can I get you?"
Spencer smiled to himself at the tech analyst's enthusiasm, but closed his eyes to prevent additional sensory overload. Once she had calmed, and had limited herself to gently stroking his shoulder, he spoke.
"Hotch? Is he okay?" croaked the young man. "I don't really remember much."
"Oh, my young hero, he is just fine. He, had a mild concussion from hitting the wall when you tackled him. He received twelve stitches...right at the hairline, so it will not affect his exceptionally handsome visage. He is currently waiting, in a wheelchair manned by Rossi, outside of this very hospital, in anticipation of Jack's arrival."
Spencer smiled at the thought of seeing his family.
"Everyone would have been here, but other than Rossi and myself, both teams are back at the BAU counting bullets and explaining how the psychopath got my Chocolate God's weapon. Derek feels terrible, by the way."
Spencer grimaced a little as he tried to adjust himself in the bed, his injured leg currently being held in a traction sling. "It wasn't his fault...at least not in the grand scheme of things. I think this...the knee...was just another one of those inevitable events."
Fluffing his pillow, suddenly Garcia cried out. "Oh, oh, oh...I am so sorry. Boss Man made me promise to give something to you in case you woke up before he got back." Searching frantically through various bags and packages strewn around the room, the hyper young woman was finally triumphant.
"Here it is!" she cried. In her hand, she held a cup of lime jello and a spoon.
Spencer grinned. In their relationship, jello was more romantic than a bouquet of roses.
oOo
It was nearing eight o'clock, and visiting hours were ending soon. Jack was asleep, curled up next to Spencer in his hospital bed, his fist tightly grasping the front of the young doctor's hospital gown. The team filed out, at Spencer's insistence. He needed to sleep, but made them promise to come back the next morning with lots and lots of coffee. They left with promises of candy and caffeine on their next visit.
Hotch smiled and gave Spencer a gentle kiss. "You look about ready to pass out. I'm gonna walk out with them, then stop by the nurses station and finish my discharge paperwork. Will you be okay with Jack there while I'm gone?"
Reid chuckled. "This is not the first time he's slept with me in a hospital bed, and I'm sure it won't be the last. He's fine...the sides of the bed are up, so neither of us are in danger of falling out...go get yourself discharged."
"Okay. I'll be right back. Haley called and said that she was sending Jessica over to pick up Jack. Do me a favor and ask her to wait until I get back, so I can kiss him goodnight before they leave."
"Of course." said Spencer groggily, "Hurry back though...I need a kiss goodnight too!"
oOo
The young genius was just teetering on the edge of sleep, when he heard someone step into the room. "Aaron?" he asked quietly, while tightening his grip on the toddler sleeping next to him.
"No. No, it's not Aaron. My name is Jessica...Haley's sister." answered the woman in a whisper.
Spencer smiled, and grabbed his glasses from the table nearby. He tempered his enthusiasm at seeing the woman who had become like a sister to him...realizing that in this reality, they had never met. "Jessica...hello. I'm Spencer. Jack talks about you all the time. Nice to finally meet you."
The petite, curly haired woman stared at him intently. He said nothing, waiting for her to pass judgment.
"You look nothing like I thought you would." she said quietly. "How old are you?"
Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Spencer ran his hand quickly through his hair, and pushed his glasses a little further up his nose. "I'm twenty six." he answered cautiously. "How old do I look?"
"Younger...definitely younger." Jessica slowly inched closer to the side of the bed. "From Haley's description, I guess I just assumed you would be more..."
"Whorish?" Spencer asked with a laugh.
Jessica barked out a laugh, before quickly covering her mouth. "Well...yes, actually. But I'm definitely getting more of a classic geek vibe..."
"It's the glasses..."
Jessica chuckled again. "That's probably it...and the fact that there are Doctor Who action figures on your tray table."
Spencer grinned. This was his friend, and whether she remembered him or not, they were still of one mind when it came to the world of Science Fiction. "My friend Penny brought them to cheer me up."
"I'll bet if you'd ask her, she'd say that you remind her of the Tenth Doctor. I see the similarities."
Spencer's eyebrows raised in surprise. "That is a compliment, I think. Well...to me it is."
Jessica's familiar smile soothed him. "It was meant as one. I'm too young for the older series...I started watching with number nine...but he was too broody...I'm much more attached to number ten."
Suddenly, Spencer was in his element, discussing a subject that both he and Jessica were passionate about. "Companions?" he asked provocatively.
"ROSE" they shouted in tandem.
oOo
Hotch had been gone longer than he had anticipated. He knew that Jessica was already there, so he opened the door tentatively, not knowing how she would react to his presence. She had always been very supportive of her older sister.
The sight before him was achingly familiar. Despite his fears, he found Jessica and Spencer huddled together on his bed, quietly arguing about Star Trek's contribution to current scientific discoveries.
He smiled, and cleared his throat to get their attention, before approaching the bed. "Sorry that took so long..."
His ex sister-in-law got up from the hospital bed, and gave Hotch a warm hug. Speaking quietly, she continued. "Not a problem." she said with a genuine smile. "I was just getting acquainted with Spencer." she kissed the young Doctor lovingly on the cheek, and stood, pulling the sleeping toddler into her arms.
"Good night, Superman."
Suppressing a yawn, Spencer raised an eyebrow at the woman. "I can't be Superman...wouldn't be in this bed. He's from Krypton, which has a much stronger gravitational field than earth...skin is more dense. He's bulletproof." The young man yawned again, and closed his eyes.
Jessica smiled. "He's Superman alright. A guy like that? He had the guts to join the FBI, and ends up saving the life of the indestructible Agent Aaron Hotchner? Yea...Superman in my book."
Hotch smiled. "He's the bravest man I know."
Looking squarely at Hotch, she said, "Haley has always been such a drama queen. She told me all of these horrible things about you...and about Spencer. She's dead wrong. You did good, Aaron. You did good for yourself, and good for Jack..." Nodding at Reid, she continued. "You've got yourself a keeper...an honest to goodness, one of a kind, perfect match...Don't mess this up!"
The shocked look on Hotch's face made her laugh out loud. "Kiss your son...I'm already late. And after I tell my big sister how enamored I am with your young sweetheart, it's gonna be a long night!"
Aaron kissed his sleepy son's head gently, and hugged Jessica. The young woman began to leave, before turning back to Reid. "Spencer...Aaron's got my number. I have always wanted to go to Comicon, and I think you and I would have a great time...think about it. Toodles!"
oOo
Happy at Jessica's positive reaction, Aaron approached his lover, and maneuvered himself into the bed beside Spencer, taking care not to jostle his injured leg. "You are quite the charmer, Babe."
Spencer hugged his lover close. "I'm not sure that charm was a factor, but thanks for thinking that. Jessica and I have just always had a connection...which apparently is not affected by time or circumstance. God...I didn't realize how much I had missed her, until she walked through that door."
"Do you think her opinion will have any effect on Haley?"
Spencer laughed at the thought. "Maybe? Well, honestly, no. From all of our conversations over the years, it's been fairly obvious that Haley only ever cared about Haley...Jessica was just too good of a sister to ever call her on it."
A look of frustrated confusion fell across Hotch's face. "How did I never see that?"
"Honestly, Aaron? I think that she made you feel so much guilt for joining the BAU, that your normal mindset became one of trying to do anything and everything to appease her. She manipulated you into enabling her narcissism."
Hotch placed a gentle kiss to his lover's lips. "I don't think that I have properly thanked you for saving my life today."
The young genius gave his lover a salacious grin. "Proper thanks will have to wait until I get out of here. But, hey...I took a bullet for you...you owe me some major sexcapades!"
Hotch laughed."You definitely did, and I definitely do..." he agreed. "Wait...Sexcapades?"
"Saved you..."
"You were very brave." Hotch could see that his lover was fading.
"Brave? No. Selfish. Needed you...couldn't bear it without..."
As Reid's eyes finally fluttered shut, Hotch took a moment to brush a lock of hair out of his lover's face. "Babe," he whispered, "selfish is the last word I would ever use to describe you. Kind, gentle, loving...all of those things...but never, ever, selfish. You are my heart."