A/N Sorry this chapter took so long to get up, real life has been kicking my ass the last couple of months. And, not that it's your fault or anything, but the lack of response from you guys has disheartned me a little bit. So to those of you who have stuck around thank you from the bottom of my heart. And now enough of my complaining on with the story.

This is going to be fun.

He sat in an uncomfortable chair outside of Strauss's office. Why is she such a bitch? Making the chairs people wait in uncomfortable, and then making people wait forever, why go to that effort? But he was going to sit here silently with a calm look on his face. He was not going to give her the satisfaction of knowing she got to him.

After what felt like an eternity Strauss opened the door. "Agent Hotchner. Come in."

Hotch, outwardly calm and serene, walked into the office.

"Sit down, Agent Hotchner."

Hotch sat down and waited for Strauss to begin the conversation.

"I think you know why you're here." She couldn't quite keep the smirk of her face. She had him and she knew it. And what's more, she knew he knew it as well.

"This meeting is in regard to my personal relationship with Agent Prentiss. And my actions during her recent abduction and after the false report of her demise."

"Yes. Were you unaware that the FBI has a strict no-fraternization policy? Or were you were aware and that is why you attempted to keep you relationship so clandestine?"

"I was aware of the rules."

"So you knowingly violated those rules?"

"Yes ma'am, I did."

"Was Agent Prentiss aware of those rules?"

"I have no knowledge of what Agent Prentiss was aware of or not aware of." He knew this – it was why they kept the relationship secret. They never talked about it. They didn't need to, but they both knew. There was no need to tell Strauss that. And since Emily had never actually told him that she knew of the rules, what he had just said wasn't a lie. Score one for being a lawyer.

"You never discussed it?"

"No, ma'am."

"Then why did you keep your relationship secret?"

"We wanted some time to ourselves, to figure out who we were as a couple before we invited anyone else to comment on our relationship." And we both wanted to keep our jobs.

"If the events following the death of Agent Prentiss's family had not happened, would you have disclosed your relationship?"

"In time. I felt that if we were together long enough we could prove to ... anyone that our relationship was not a hindrance to our professional lives. And if Agent Prentiss and I were to get serious, then of course we would have had to disclose our relationship."

"So your relationship is not serious? Why then would you disclose it?"

"What does it matter if our relationship is serious or not?"

"I don't need to remind you, Agent Hotchner, that in addition to consorting with a subordinate, you also destroyed government property shortly after hearing Agent Prentiss's 'demise.' You lost control of yourself and your team."

"I did all of those things except lose control of my team."

"I have a report here that you were in a catatonic-like state. How is that keeping control of your team?"

Who gave her that report? Not one of the team. Someone else must have seen it. Still, what am I going to say to that?

"Agent Hotchner, I'm waiting."

Hotch rubbed his hand over his face. He didn't want to be here. Nothing he said was going to matter. The decision, whatever it was, had already been made. All he wanted right now was to be with Emily. The rest of it, he'd worry about later. After Emily was home, safe, and recovered. "Ma'am I'm sure a decision has already been made in light of my recent actions. I would like to hear it now. I have some important things that must be take care of immediately."

"What could be more important than your career?"

"A great many things, chief of them the fact that Agent Prentiss is being released from the hospital soon into my care. So, ma'am, has a decision been made."

Strauss was pissed. This meeting had not gone how she had wanted it to. She had wanted Hotchner to squirm, but somehow he managed to wiggle out from under her thumb like he always did. "A decision has been made. This comes from the top. You are being suspended for two months. After which time you will be allowed back on probation. You will be stripped of the Unit Chief position, and be demoted to Supervisory Special Agent status. This was out of my hands. I thought you should have been fired."

"Is that all ma'am?"

Strauss couldn't keep the bitterness and anger out of her words, "That is all, Agent Hotchner." The contempt as she said agent almost made Hotch smile. But that would be in bad form.

He walked out of the office and into the elevator. He didn't let his mask slip. There were still cameras around. He didn't want footage of him smiling or flipping Strauss off making its way to her desk. That would get him fired for sure. He climbed into his car, let out the air he had been holding, and let his head collapse onto the seat. That had gone better than expected. After everything, he was expecting to get fired. Especially with Strauss still around. But it seemed the gods were on his side. Now on to the important business of the day.

/

The drive home after picking Emily up from the hospital had been silent. The tension was too much for Emily and when they stopped in the doorway she blurted out, "What happened in the meeting? Did you get fired? Did she mention when she wanted to meet me?"

Hotch smiled and stepped close to her. "Shh, slow down. I'm not fired. Not yet anyway. I've been suspended for two months. Which works into my advantage since I would have asked for the time off to care for you. She didn't mention when she wanted to meet with you. My guess is in a couple of days she'll come by. Your punishment were probably be similar to mine, although not as long. But they know you're going to be out for a couple of months anyway, so it's kind of a moot point. But all of that is unimportant at the moment. What matters now is you taking some of the pills the doctor gave me and getting some sleep. I don't know if you know this or not, but you've been shot."

"Is that why my arm's in a sling?"

"Yes. I hate to have to be the one to tell you."

"Well if it had to come from someone, I'm glad it's you."

"So you'll take the pills and get some sleep?"

"Normally I'd fight you, but I just don't have the strength right now. ... Will you stay with me?" Her voice was small and scared, like a little child.

"Forever."

/

He lay next to her on the bed and stared at her calm features. So far she hadn't crashed. But he knew it was coming. He knew it was all going to hit her, the loss of her family, being kidnapped, tortured ... ... raped. It was all going to hit her like a thousand tons of bricks.

What am I going to do then?

A/N So not much happened, at least on the surface, but fear not more is going on than you know. And now hit the review button and let me know what you think.