Chapter 34

Hotch moaned and stretched as he came awake. He smiled as he realized Kahlan was already awake, but still lying next to him. "Hey, you," he told her as he put his arm around her again.

"Feel better?" she asked him as she snuggled back up against him. He had only cried out once in his sleep and when she put her leg across his and her arm gently across his neck, he'd settled right back down.

He looked at his clock, 10:38. "Yeah. Damn, I almost slept twelve hours," he told her and he gave her a kiss on her head. "Thanks, I needed that." He couldn't remember having any nightmares.

"Well, I don't know if it was me being here, or you talking about them, but I'm glad it helped." She turned and gave him a kiss on the lips.

"I could get used to you sleeping next to me," he told her seriously.

"Yeah, I slept petty well, too, but I have to get up before my bladder bursts," she told him with a smile and slid out of bed.

"You could have gotten up."

"You were sleeping so peacefully, I didn't want to disturb you."

He watched her leave and got up and went in his own bathroom. He made his way out to the kitchen. He stretched a little more and made some coffee. He smiled as he realized he actually felt good.

"Want something to eat?" she asked as she came up behind him and put her arms around his waist.

"I can whip us up some eggs," he suggested as he turned to face her.

"Or you can relax, and I can make them."

He smiled and got out of the way as she grabbed the eggs from the fridge. "You have any plans today?"

She eyed him suspiciously. "I need to go get Wyatt and my phone. Why?"

He smiled. "Dave wants us to come to dinner at his house," he told her, keeping his face passive.

"Scrambled?" He nodded, and she broke the eggs and whipped them up. "Why does Dave want to make us dinner?"

Damn is this how everyone else feels when I question them? "I don't know why. Does he have to have a reason other than just being Dave?"

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Dave being Dave is always something to be suspicious of."

He laughed. "Yeah, well then you can call and tell him that we won't be coming because you're suspicious."

"No thanks. I'll just go, smile, and gracefully take whatever he has planned."

Damn, she does know. "Good," he told her as he fixed them both a cup of coffee.

"You want to ride with me to get Wyatt?"

"You want me to meet your sister?"

"Don't sound so shocked."

"Well, I'm not actually at the top of my game right now. I don't know how good the first impression will be."

"Well, you look pretty damn good to me, and that's all that matters. Besides, they'll love you," she told him as she plated the eggs and took them to the table. He grabbed the coffees and sat down beside her.

"They?"

"Her and her family, if they're around that is. Her youngest is ten years older than Wyatt."

They ate and talked and she left to go get ready and let him get ready. He was a little nervous. He hadn't had to meet anyone's family since Haley's and that was way back in high school. He quickly called Dave and told him they would be there. He could hear the smile in Dave's voice as Dave told him to make sure they were there by 7:00.

XXX

The ride to, the visit, and the ride back was enjoyable. Hotch relaxed as soon as he met Kahlan's sister and her family. They were very down to earth and very friendly. Kahlan smiled at him as she walked up to his door with him. "You only have two more sisters and a mom left to meet."

"Not fair. I only have one brother."

"And he's nothing like you, is he?"

Hotch gave her a questioningly look. "Why would you think that?"

"Oh please, like one family could make more than one Aaron Hotchner," she told him with a smile as she followed him into the house. "You're an alpha, you're tall, dark; he must be shorter, blonde, more laid back, not an alpha, but definitely a beta. He's also probably good looking in his own right, too." He stared at her, dumbfounded. "What? Am I wrong?"

"Not in any way. You've talk to someone."

"I'm hurt," she told him as she put her hand over her heart.

He studied her. He couldn't tell if she had talked to someone or not. "You couldn't tell all that on your own," he told her as he sat on his couch. He was a profiler, and a damn good one, yet he had never learned how to tell a person's siblings. He didn't know of any studies on the topic either.

"It's simple genetics. No two adults could produce another son with such high quality genetics after they had produced such a great specimen the first time."

He just stared at her for a moment. "I don't think Sean would like to think of himself as genetically inferior."

"Not inferior, just different."

He still wanted to think that it was all bullshit. He eyed her suspiciously. "Then how do you explain siblings that look alike?" He smiled because he thought he put a crack in her reasoning.

"Because their all just alike genetically." He opened his mouth to say something. "They're all just average." He shut his mouth. She smiled as she proved her point.

"I still say you're full of shit," he told her with a smile.

She just flicked her eyebrows and smiled. "I'm gonna go get ready." She kissed him on the cheek and left.

He shook his head as he watched her leave.

XXX

Kahlan groaned when she saw all of the cars parked along the street by Rossi's house.

"Cool! Henry's here, too," Wyatt yelled from the back seat as soon as he noticed JJ's car.

"Yeah, everybody's here. Isn't that awesome?" Hotch asked him with a smile to Kahlan.

"Yeah," Wyatt told him and he got out and ran to the door.

Kahlan and Hotch got out, too, and they smiled as Jack and Henry ran out to greet Wyatt.

Rossi came out to greet them. "Well, it looks like you finally got some sleep," Rossi told Hotch as him looked him over.

"Yeah, I slept about twelve hours."

"Told you the pills would help," Rossi told him while giving Kahlan a kiss on the cheek. Hotch shot Kahlan a look.

"Yeah, I'm glad I listened to you," Hotch told him with a smile.

"What's all this about?" Kahlan asked Rossi as they followed him to the door.

"Just a little BAU get together."

"Then why am I here?"

He held open the door for them. "Same reason Will's here. If you're connected to one, you are a part of the whole family," he told her seriously. "Why? Don't you like parties?"

"Oh sure. As long as you don't try to get me to drink that shit again, I'll be good."

Rossi shook his head at her. "You know, for such a complicated woman, she sure does have simple tastes," Rossi told Hotch.

Hotch just grinned.

"Well, she likes Hotch, that right there shows how simple she is," Morgan joked as he winked at her.

"Hey!" Hotch yelled. "You're just jealous," he told him.

"Ohhhhh. Double-O agent's here!" Garcia yelled as she ran up to Kahlan and hugged her.

"Hey, Pen." Kahlan hugged her back.

"I never got say thank you for finding Boss Man."

"No thanks needed. Rossi, Morgan, and JJ are the ones who did all the work," Kahlan tried to blow her off.

Garcia gave her a wink and moved over to give Hotch a gentle hug. She knew she had to get them where she could because as soon as he was back to work he wouldn't let her do it again. Then she saw Wyatt, so she let go of Hotch and wrapped the boy in a big hug. "Aunt Pen!" Wyatt yelled as he tried to get away from her.

"Don't you Aunt Pen, me. I haven't seen you in several days," she told him and finally let him go play with the other boys. Mudgie chased them out into the yard.

JJ brought Kahlan a beer. "Where's mine?" Hotch asked her.

"Aren't you on pain meds?"

"Nope. Haven't needed them," Hotch told her honestly.

Rossi eyed him and looked at Kahlan who suddenly found his floor very interesting.

Morgan gave him one and they all went out into the yard. The air was chilly, but not cold. Rossi made sure everyone had a drink and was about to give a toast. Hotch noticed Kahlan wince and raised his beer in the air first. "Here's to all of you. Your hard work saved my ass again, and without you all, I probably wouldn't be here this evening to celebrate amongst such wonder people. I am glad I can call you my friends."

"Here, here," everyone said as they all clinked glasses and bottles. When Hotch got to Rossi, he gave him a look and Rossi knew to let it drop.

They spent the evening enjoying each other's company and eating a wonderful meal Rossi had catered. Reid talked Kahlan into a game of chess and they were all watching it as they continued to talk. Reid was taking forever to decide on his moves, but Kahlan just reached up and moved while she was having a conversation with Garcia about Wyatt's school testing. "Yeah, he'll be going in to the fourth grade right on schedule."

"So they tested him and the school he missed didn't hold him back?"

"Actually the tests showed he could go into the sixth grade, but I don't want him to grow up that fast. If he's still able to skip grades when he's older, I'll let him make that decision then." She paused to move her queen. "He's missed too much of his childhood already."

"That's awesome. He'll go to Jack's school won't he?"

"Yep," Hotch said as he sat down beside Kahlan. They heard the boys scream in the back yard. Kahlan tensed but Hotch just laughed.

"I get to get a dog!" Jack yelled from the back yard. Everyone laughed; they all knew how long he had been asking for one.

Henry went running up to JJ and Will. He made them lean down so he could ask them something in their ears. After a quick discussion, Henry pouted and went back out into the yard. "Thanks, guys," JJ told Hotch and Kahlan.

Hotch gave her a small smile. "Sorry," Kahlan said as she reached up and moved her knight. "Check," she paused and looked at the board. "Actually, that's check mate, I believe."

Reid frantically searched the board. "How. . . what. . ."

Everyone busted out laughing at the look on Reid's face. "Bout time we finally have someone to beat the Pretty Boy," Morgan said as he gave Kahlan a high-five.

"You over analyze it," Kahlan told Reid as she got up to get another beer and patted him on the shoulder. Reid just stared at the board, trying to figure out where he went wrong. They all laughed again.

"Don't worry, Spence. You can always teach the boys," JJ told him.

Hotch went over to stand beside Rossi. They watched Kahlan as she started kicking the soccer ball around with the boys. Hotch shook his head and sighed as heavily as he could.

Rossi gave him a look. "What?"

"I think I'm going to be in trouble with her," he told Rossi with a smile.

"Oh yeah, lots of trouble."

*** That's the end of the main story, but stay with me as I post some future glimpses into the lives of this wonderful group.