Thank you to everyone who has so kindly been leaving reviews. I can't tell you how much I appreciate them - and you. :)
So, let's jump right into it, shall we . . .
I do not own Criminal Minds or any of its characters. I think it's pretty clear that they own me.
XOXOXOXOXO
With lunch over and the dishes washed up, Hotch led Reid to the guest bedroom. Positioning himself beside the long side of the bed, he gave Reid a stern stare. "Slacks and underwear off please."
The young man's eyes opened wide and his jaw nearly dropped. The last time he had been spanked, Hotch let him keep them on. "But – I." Sigh. "Yes, Sir." Slowly, with shaking hands, Reid removed the items of clothing and placed them carelessly on the dresser. His shirt tails managed to cover his modesty, but he pulled down on the hem just in case.
Hotch settled himself on the small bed and waited. Though he was extraordinarily proud of Reid for not taking the dilaudid, he needed to make certain his youngest agent would think twice before buying it again. "When you're ready," Hotch invited Reid to place himself in position over the older man's knee.
Mouth dry, the young doctor tried to lick his lips as he took the two steps to reach Hotch. He hesitated only a moment before arranging himself in his allotted place.
The older man steadied him and ensured he was as comfortable as could be expected before placing his right hand on the boy's back and pushing the hem of the shirt up and out of the way. Taking aim, he raised his left hand and brought it down hard across both cheeks.
Reid gasped. As the smacks continued to rain down, he quickly recognized he wouldn't be able to control his cries for long. Trying to remember to breathe, he reached up for a pillow to hug. It was then that he realized he was facing the wrong direction. The pillow was at his feet. Grasping for anything he could, he crumpled the comforter in his hands and pressed his face into it. It wasn't as good as a pillow, but it was something.
Hotch wasn't wasting time. He was spanking hard and fast. Reid tried not to kick, but inadvertently let a couple fly. He noticed that each time he did, Hotch laid a resounding swat on the upper most part of his thigh, just below his buttocks. He could hardly believe how much that hurt, and he resolved to keep his legs from kicking again. Tightly crossing his ankles, he held his legs as steady as he could.
Above him, Hotch began his lecture. The young man knew it was coming. Vaguely, he wondered how he was so sure of that. Hotch had only spanked him once before. In a brief moment of clarity, Reid suddenly realized Hotch's pattern was exactly like Gideon's had been.
Continuing the barrage of swats, Hotch punctuated his reprimand, "Having drugs in your possession now or anytime is completely unacceptable. You are a Federal agent, Spencer. Even if you weren't fighting a drug addiction, simply having illegally obtained drugs could end your career." Reid gasped, and then began to whimper. "You also managed to evade Morgan again knowing, but not considering, how this might affect him. He wants nothing more than to protect you, but your actions wholly prevented that." This reminder distressed the young man greatly; he began sobbing in earnest. Hotch knew this was playing dirty, but if it made Reid think twice about doing it again, he was willing to use this to his advantage. "And then keeping the drugs hidden, when you knew you should give them up, was asinine. At any point you might have succumbed to them. You put yourself in completely avoidable danger." He was crying so hard now breathing was becoming quite difficult. "Even if, as you say, you didn't know you were doing it when you bought them, you certainly knew what you had done soon after." A frantic gasp between the sobs, made Hotch cease his assault. He switched to rubbing comforting circles in the young man's back, waiting patiently for him to calm down so he could finish. The wracking sobs continued for several minutes. The older agent maintained physical contact, but allowed him to cry. As Reid began to calm down to sniffles, Hotch ordered, "I need you to sit up now, please."
Taking a shaky breath, Reid attempted to comply, but as he began to pull away from Hotch the loss of physical contact was too much for him. He dropped to his knees in front of the older man. Though he was embarrassed to do so, this didn't stop him from burying his head in Hotch's knee and loosely wrapping his arms around his calf. Hotch rested a caring hand on Reid's head and let him take his time regaining his composure. It wasn't long before the young doctor sighed and turned his head to rub at his eyes. Hotch gently pressured him to sit up as he handed him a box of tissue. Reid cleaned his face, but leaned into Hotch as much as he could.
Hotch realized Reid was drained. He looked like he was about to fall asleep. This was confirmed when he yawned deeply and blinked up at his supervisor before tiredly dropping his gaze. Hotch would allow him to rest soon, but he needed to make one more thing very clear. "Look at me, young man." When he had Reid's full attention, he gravely continued, "Should you ever slip like this again, I expect you to give the drugs up to me or Morgan immediately. Am I understood?"
"Yes, Sir!" Came the emphatic reply accompanied by a frantic nod.
Relenting a bit, Hotch said, "You won't be in trouble if you do, Spencer, but it must happen immediately."
Reid offered a small, sheepish smile of understanding, "I-I'm sorry I screwed up so badly. It won't happen again."
"That's why I'm here, Spencer. If you get off course, I'll help you find the path again. Okay?"
Reid again nodded, and then stifled another yawn.
Now, Hotch needed to figure out how to get this kid to rest without making him feel like he was being treated like a child. He tried, "Why don't you get dressed, grab a book and join me in the living room? I'll make us some tea."
It worked. The young man's face lit up at the prospect of not being left alone again. Hotch left him to his dressing and went to the kitchen to brew his secret weapon – a tea of passionflower, chamomile and catnip. The boy should be asleep within the hour. While he waited for the water to boil, he called Morgan and asked him to come by around 5pm.
Morgan didn't hesitate to accept the invitation. After he had left them on the jet, he realized the anxious young man was probably eating himself up with worry about Morgan's anger. He wanted to clear the air between them as soon as he could.
Hotch hung up just as the tea kettle came to a boil. He poured the hot water into two mugs (his own containing only a green tea mix) and carried them to the coffee table to steep. Grabbing a pile of case files, Hotch sat on one end of the sofa and began to study them.
It wasn't long before an exhausted young agent appeared. Hotch noticed he had changed into a pair of soft sweats. He looked like he should be dragging a teddy bear and worn blanket behind him. Instead he carried a large technical book. The older man didn't think it looked like very interesting reading, but the point wasn't to get him to read. Perhaps the dry material would put him to sleep all the sooner. With a friendly nod, Hotch welcomed him to take a seat on the other end of the sofa.
Reid sat gingerly, curled his legs up around him, clutched his mug and sipped at it as he began reading. Not 15 minutes later, Hotch watched the young man's eyes begin to flutter shut. Occationally, he would rub at them trying to stay awake. 'It won't be long now,' the older agent thought.
He was startled when the young man spoke, "Hotch?" he started timidly, "Can I ask you kind of a personal question?"
The older man wasn't sure how comfortable he was with being asked personal questions, but considering what they had been through, he was at least willing to hear the query. Giving a simple nod, he assented.
Reid didn't know how to ask other than to just say it, "How often did Gideon punish you?"
Hotch was completely side-swiped by the question, but he kept his features carefully schooled in an unaffected mask. "Have you been profiling me, young man?" He was stern, but not angry.
Reid knew he had stepped over the line as soon as the question was out of his mouth, "I'm sorry, Hotch. It's just that you use the same methods of punishment as he did, so I just figured . . . " He let the thought fade out and die. Judging by the look on Hotch's face, he had definitely gone too far.
Hotch gave him a long, thoughtful stare before surprising Reid with an answer, "When I first started with the Bureau, I was a bit of a hot-head. I would run into situations without fully thinking things through, I would start arguments with suspects and uncooperative witnesses, I thought I knew it all, and I acted like it. Gideon must've seen some potential in me, because he certainly had more than enough reason to fire me. Instead, he – took me in hand – so to speak. He had a very persuasive way about him." He ended with a sly smile, and then pointedly returned his attention to his files.
Reid continued gawking at his boss trying to take in this new information. Once he was able to accept it, he started reading again feeling more drained than ever.
10 minutes later Hotch carefully pried the empty mug and large book out of Reid's hands. The boy never woke up. Then, Hotch covered him with a light blanket before returning to his files. He relocated himself in the chair next to the sofa to allow more room for Reid to stretch out as he fell into a deeper sleep.
XOXOXOXOXO
Yeah, I know. It's short. But this felt like a good stopping point. Hope you enjoyed!
The goddess holds a special place in her heart for those who leave a review. :)