Vodka Haircut

They planned to have a spring wedding and set the date for 19th April. She was going to wear a wedding dress that JJ and Garcia had helped her find. It was so beautiful. She was staying the night at JJ's with Lucy while Will stayed at hers as the boys were all staying there that night.

Emily put Lucy to bed and gave herself an early night as tomorrow was her big day. They'd decided to have a big wedding unlike her first one that had been small and intimate.

Jack and Adam were at home with the guys. Adam and Jack were both in bed as Aaron, Will, Dave and Derek downed vodka shots. Spencer sat on the armchair sipping on an appletini worried about what they were going to do as they got more and more drunk.

They were mostly drunk when Derek suggested, "Hey, maybe you could get a new haircut for your wedding. Maybe we could cut your hair."

"Yes," Aaron's drunken eyes lit up while he slurred. "Cut it all off."

"All off?" Spencer asked worried. Their boss had the longish hair he'd had when Jack was born twelve years ago and now he wanted to cut it all off whilst drunk. Wouldn't he regret it in the morning when he was sober? "You sure?"

"Yer, shave it off, shave it off," he exclaimed bouncing up and down. "Make me bald."

Will and Derek shouted, "Yer," while Dave snickered and Spencer's eyes widened even more. Aaron jumped up and ran to get the equipment while Spencer put his head in his hands. Oh god, there was no stopping them now! He just hoped he wouldn't regret it in the morning and Emily wouldn't kill him. He wasn't going to fight with his drunken boss while he was holding a razor.

He just went to the kitchen bar and stared at the tabletop while Aaron sat in front of Derek and Derek started shaving their boss' hair off with the clippers. Aaron had a huge grin on his face but would it still be there when he was nursing a huge hangover and wondering what the hell did he do.

Halfway through Spencer heard the sound of tiny feet coming down the stairs and knew it was Adam. He must have had a nightmare; poor kid. He was still suffering from the kidnap mentally. He still had the occasional nightmare about Aldous Swann.

Adam came in calling for his daddy but when he saw him with only half his hair and the clippers taking his hair off and Will running a razor over Aaron's arms and legs he shouted his name in alarm and ran out scared. Aaron looked up but was too drunk to process what had happened at first.

Spencer ran up after him as he must have come down for a reason. Someone had to take care of him and what good was he doing letting all that shaving happen. Someone had to tend to the poor boy. He'd do it in Aaron's shoes knowing Aaron would grovel to Adam in the morning when he was sober and had a blinding hangover.

As Spencer had left Aaron realised what had happened and ran out with half his head shaved. He wasn't as drunk as he looked even if he knew he was going to have a hangover in the morning. He was still aware of what was going on around him even if his thinking wasn't completely clear.

He found Spencer trying to assure him everything was alright and adapting his experience as Tobias Henkel's hostage to help soothe Adam that his nightmares would one day disappear. Of course Spencer was never going to bring up his drug addiction but he would do his best to assure him everything would get better and Adam was safe.

Aaron smiled at the way Spencer was trying to deal with Adam's nightmares. Spencer looked up to see Aaron and ruffled Adam's hair then left him to his father. He was glad to know he'd misjudged how drunk Hotch was really but was still taken aback that he'd agreed to have his head shaved. This wasn't like him and he'd never had one before. Also it was the night before his wedding and a spontaneous decision.

"Daddy, why do you look funny?" Adam asked innocently.

"Because I'm halfway through getting my hair cut," he answered running his hand over his head which felt weird as he felt both hair and stubble.

"Did mummy let you?" he didn't think so but he only ever got a haircut because mummy said he needed one. Had daddy asked mummy to cut his hair?

"Adam, I'm an adult. I don't have to ask mummy," he said gently stroking his son's arm.

"Does mummy know?"

"No it will be a surprise for her."

"A surprise she'll like?"

"I hope she won't mind it...£" he smiled nervously. "Now buddy what woke you up?"

"I had a bad dream," he answered quietly looking down.

He moved to sit next to him and pulled Adam close to him wrapping his arm around his shoulders. "Do you want to tell me what it was about?" he asked.

"I was back in that dark room and he was hitting me but you didn't save me...Why didn't you save me?" he whimpered.

"Adam, it was just a dream," he answered him stroking his hair. "I'm here and you're home. It's been seven months now. He's behind bars, Adam, and mummy and I will never let anything happen to you again. We'll make damn well sure of it."

He nodded. "I know, daddy, it's just..."

"The nightmares?" He nodded again. "Adam, they're just nightmares they can't hurt you. We're all here for you and the nightmares will fade completely in time. I mean they're beginning to fade, right?"

He looked up and nodded as he was right; daddy was always right. Daddy was his hero. He'd saved him from the nasty man that kidnapped his class and beat him. He'd put the bad man away. "You can finish getting your hair cut now, daddy," he said quietly.

"You sure?" he asked feeling his head again. Adam nodded looking down so Aaron pulled him closer and asked, "Would you like a story?"

"But daddy your hair?"

"Can be finished later. Adam, you're more important."

He smiled up at him and answered, "Ok then. I love you too, daddy."

He kissed his son's hair and pulled him closer then begun the story while Adam snuggled into his side. Soon enough he was fast asleep and he very gently took his arm out and laid his head on the pillow kissing his forehead.

He then went down to the other guys and found they were back at the vodka apart from Spencer. Aaron downed two more vodka shots then turned to them. "Let's finish it," he said sitting down in front of Derek again. Before he did so he'd thanked Spencer and assured him Adam was alright.