A/N: Oh wow, it's been awhile. Nope, haven't abandoned this fic, just haven't had a spare moment to do much updating lately. Hope you'll forgive me…

Anyways this chapter is strongly Hotch focused. Reid will move back into focus in the next chapter. And with that… Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.

Chapter 23:

Hotch leaned back against the ballroom wall, nursing a scotch, his second in less than an hour. Maybe an open bar wasn't the best idea.

He watched the room with a grim look on his face. Everyone seemed so happy, so light.

And he'd tried to be the same. Honestly he had. He'd danced with Vanessa numerous times. JJ, Emily, Alex and Bree, too. He'd made pleasant conversation with his date, did all the things you were supposed to do.

But time and time again, his gaze was drawn to the one person he'd been trying to avoid steadfastly that night: Maizy. Until, that is, she began to notice. Then Reid noticed. And then things just got… awkward.

He'd since removed himself to this dark corner of the bright room. Brooding alone so as not to affect anyone else's good time with his melancholy.

In the minutes he'd been in said corner, Hotch's eyes, of course, landed on the angel in the room.

She was coming off a dance with Morgan. They met Emily on the edge of the dance floor. Maizy laughed at something Emily said.

The BAU team—both its current and past team members—was a tight-knit bunch. It was a testament to Maizy's likeability that she seamlessly fit into their group.

Hotch wasn't surprised. She was a lovely person, he knew.

He stared at her hard. A tell-tale warmth fluttered inside his chest, one he hadn't experienced in a very long time. Oh God, I'm fa—

"There you are, Aaron," a loud voice cut into his whirring thoughts.

"Vanessa?" He looked to her, startled by her sudden appearance, but more so by the fact that she was wearing her coat. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Aaron," she said, voice patronizing. "Listen, you're a great guy. But I simply don't have time for a man who's hung up on someone else."

She looked pointedly at Maizy. He opened his mouth to protest; unfortunately stuttering was all he could manage. "It's not—I'm not—"

A patronizing look now. "For what it's worth, she's charming. Go for it." There was the blunt Vanessa he was just beginning to know.

"At least, let me drive you home," he argued.

The blonde shook her head. "I called a cab."

"Vanessa—"

She put a hand on his arm, silencing him. She leaned up and placed a kiss on his cheek. "If it doesn't work out, call me." And with a wink, she as off.

Hotch watched her go, feeling awful. He really hadn't meant to make a blunder of all this. Hadn't exactly meant for any of this to happen. It was a mess.

So what was he going to do now?

It was becoming increasingly clear to him that his feelings for Maizy weren't something he could easily sweep under the rug. He cared for her. Deeply.

And maybe she still had feelings for him. Who knew? He wouldn't, unless he tried.

And there is was. Would he try for her? Fight for her, as Jessica told him to do, as even Vanessa encouraged him to.

So help him God, he wanted to. Wanted to badly.

Hotch looked back across the room to see that she'd been reclaimed for a dance by Reid.

Reid. His friend.

Actually the younger man was more like a brother to him, more so than his real brother. Hotch didn't want to hurt him. But, he also knew he was already doing so by pining for his girlfriend.

If he let this go… Never explored the possibility of an 'us' with Maizy. If he let Reid 'win' just to spare the genius's feelings, would that be fair? To him? To Reid? To Maizy?

What if he could have something truly amazing with the schoolteacher and he'd just let it go because Maizy was Reid's first girlfriend? What if this relationship was holding Reid back from something even greater?

Wouldn't it be worse to settle, than to never know if Maizy truly cared for one or the other?

It was a lot of what ifs. And a lot of flawed logic on his part. But, at the moment, everything made sense to him.

Hotch would fight for Maizy.

"And then I married Joan Rivers; she was older, but I like that sort of thing," Maizy heard from a distance.

"Mm hmm…" she murmured.

She couldn't help her dazed state. She was searching the ballroom. For Aaron. At one point in the evening, wherever she turned he was there. It had been comforting to know that he was near. She felt protected.

They'd made eye contact on a number of occasions, exchanged small smiles. It had been pleasant. Until Spencer had caught one such exchange. That's when she started to avoid Aaron's gaze. She felt bad. But she'd also felt guilty. So she couldn't help it.

Then, when she looked for him to see how he was doing, he'd disappeared. He was still here, or so she believed. Sure that he wouldn't leave without saying goodnight to his friends at least.

"My sixth wife was a feisty one. Ever heard of River Song?"

"River Song?" she echoed, finally focusing on her current dance partner.

"There she is." Dave smiled at her warmly. "Figures it would take a Doctor Who reference to regain your attention."

She winced. "Sorry. I got lost in thought."

He nodded, giving her a look that she remembered her father giving her on occasion. The 'I'm so onto you,' look. Maizy tried her best not to fidget in his hold, to not give herself away. But just like with her father, she was so busted.

"He's right over there, by the way." He nodded to a direction just over her shoulder and she resisted the urge to spin around and look.

"Who?" she asked, nonchalantly.

Just like she'd attempted with Alex and Emily, her acting skills failed miserably.

"Maizy, come on," Dave simply said.

It was all it took. She let out a sigh, turning to follow Dave's earlier directive. She found Aaron, standing in a corner of the ballroom, alone. He looked surprised to see her look his way. Like he'd been hiding from her. And maybe he had. He looked embarrassed too. She gave him a wave. And he waved back, giving her a warm smile, despite his embarrassment.

She turned back to Dave, ready to resume dancing, to act like nothing had interrupted them. But the grin on the older man's face told her that clearly wasn't happening. She was beginning to understand how Aaron could compare him to her aunt. They both had one-track minds.

"Sweetheart, what are you doing?" he asked gently.

"What do you mean?" The confusion wasn't feigned; she really had no idea what he was getting at.

"You like him."

"I like Spencer," she replied automatically.

Dave shook his head. "I know you do. But you really like Aaron."

"Dave, I—" she began to protest.

"Wait, hear me out. I get it. He screwed up somehow. I don't know all the details. But doesn't he deserve a second chance?"

It was her turn to shake her head. "He didn't do anything wrong. He was right. I'm his son's teacher. It's best to remain professional. For Jack's sake."

"Bullshit!" he exclaimed.

Her mouth dropped open at his reaction. "Dave… I… I… It's complicated."

"It doesn't have to be," he said, tone soft once again.

"It is. Despite what you might think, I really do care for Spencer," she said, voice shaking.

"You do," he agreed. "But, how much, Maizy? One thing is certain, honey, if you keep going the way you're going one of them is going to get hurt."

"I know," she answered contritely. God, did she know. Even without Alex and Emily's reminders or even Dave's, she knew caring for two men wasn't the norm.

"You want my advice?" he asked after a moment's deliberation.

She had a feeling she was about to get it whether she wanted it or not, so she just nodded her head.

"Follow your heart."

Maizy waited for more. However, once it became clear that that was it, she gave the man a chiding look. "Dave…" It was her turn to protest. "Seriously?"

"What? It's only become cliché because it's been used so much. And it's been used so much because it's obviously the right thing to do."

She shook her head at the man, though a smile played at the corners of her lips. Maizy couldn't fault his logic that was for sure.

"Fine, I'll take your advice under careful consideration."

"Of course you will," he said, as if there was never a doubt.

"Hey, kid."

Reid turned to look over his shoulder. Morgan was standing right behind him, watching him with a curious look on his face.

"Hey," he answered simply.

"What are you doing here all by yourself? Where's Maizy?"

"Dancing," he said, pointing to where his girlfriend was being twirled around the floor by Rossi.

"Nice." Reid caught the look of hesitation in his best friend's eye. "You all right?"

Was he? Still, he nodded. He resumed watching the lovely brunette. When she was near, he was hard-pressed to take his eyes off Maizy. "She's beautiful," he commented.

"Yeah, she is."

Morgan came to stand next to him. Waiting. The older of the two could obviously sense that there was something on his mind.

"I'm going to have to fight for her, you know."

When Morgan didn't respond right away, Reid took his eyes off the woman in question to see Morgan watching him knowingly.

"How do you feel about that?" the profiler finally asked.

He shrugged his shoulders like it was no big thing. But, it was. The biggest. "I've never fought for someone before."

"Is she worth it?" Morgan wondered out loud. Except the look on his friend's face told Reid that they both knew the answer to that.

"Of course," he stated anyways. "I love her."

Finally, a surprised reaction from Morgan. "Reid? Does she know that?"

"Not yet."

Morgan was shaking his head now. "You need to tell her, Reid. Because Hotch loves her, too. And I guarantee he'll be fighting just as hard."

"Did he tell you that?"

He gave him a wry look. "He didn't have to."

Reid frowned. No, he didn't. One look at Hotch's face when Maizy was in the room said it all. His friend loved her, too.

Question was who did Maizy really want? Cause as much as he loved her, he didn't want her to be with him just out of some weird ploy to spare his feelings.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. Enjoy tonight, I guess. See what comes tomorrow…" Reid said resignedly.

"Just don't give up, Spencer. If you think she's worth it, let her know."

"May I cut in?"

Maizy looked away from Will, her current dance partner to the man she hadn't heard from all night. Aaron. For some reason, she'd been resigned to not speaking with him for the rest of the evening. It hadn't sat right with her. But she had respected his decision. Now that the night was winding down and Spencer gone, getting her coat, apparently the decision to remain aloof wasn't sitting well with him either.

Will gave her a questioning look and she gave him a smile in return. "Sure, Hotch. Looks like JJ's ready to get out of here anyways. Merry Christmas, you two."

"Merry Christmas," they both murmured.

Aaron came to stand before her, holding his left hand out to her silently. Looking from his hand to his dark eyes, she took it without question. She settled her own hand onto his shoulder. And, admittedly, when his hand came to sit at her waist, she couldn't help the bit of shiver at the intimate touch.

The song was slow and she managed to follow his lead. Never taking her eyes from his. The electricity between them was tangible.

"So," she said after the silence became unbearable. It was the kind of silence that weighed heavy with all the things unsaid between them. The kind that threatened to be broken with all the words that should be left unsaid.

"So," he echoed, saying nothing more.

He glided them to a stop in a shadowed corner of the room, letting her go. Looking around, Maizy realized it was the same spot from where he'd watched her earlier. It wasn't exactly private, but the dimness obscured them a bit.

And he was still watching her, carefully, as if she were the most delicate piece of glass he'd ever seen, ever in danger of breaking. Maybe once. She was stronger than that now.

She sighed, pressing her back into the wall, letting it support her weight. She didn't know how tired she was until that moment. It was a good kind of exhaustion. The night was perfect. Well, almost. It had been missing one key ingredient. Him.

"So," she tried again, realizing they were both staring. "What happened to Vanessa?"

Maizy couldn't help the slight curl to her nose at the woman's name. It was unwarranted. Vanessa had been nothing but nice to her.

Aaron shared his own grimace before turning slightly to hide his face. "She left," he answered. And then, "She wasn't too happy with me. Said she didn't want to waste time on a man who only has eyes for one woman."

"Oh," she gasped out, her face pinking instantaneously. Get a grip, Maizy. It isn't you, it can't be you. He turned back to face her. The look he gave her was unmistakable. "I'm… sorry…" Was she? I should be, she chastised herself.

"Don't be." Aaron took a few steps closer, leaning his shoulder against the wall, next to her, standing adjacent. "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on." She gasped. It was her. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No…" she said tentatively. "Only… Spencer said something similar to me tonight."

He smiled. "See. Then it must be scientific fact."

She laughed lightly. That's when he moved closer, to stand in front of her. There wasn't much space between them anymore.

Aaron's gaze swept across her face, as if memorizing every detail. Maizy had to hold her breath when his eyes met hers. The look of intensity, the pure longing in his dark eyes… "You are breathtaking."

It warmed her to the core to hear him saying such things. At the same time, he shouldn't have been saying them.

"Aaron…" she said slowly, backing away a few steps.

As if coming out of his daze, he too took some much needed steps backwards, effectively putting an arm's length of distance between them. "You're right, you're right. I'm sorry."

She let out a sigh, pushing away from the corner she'd backed into. Maizy didn't want to hurt him, didn't like to hear him sound so regretful.

As she closed the distance between them once again, she could see the look of complete vulnerability on his face. Aaron was essentially baring it all for her. Something, she was starting to learn, was not easy for him. She just couldn't push him away, not then.

Could she ever?

Maizy reached a hand out to touch his cheek. She could feel the beginnings of stubble; the roughness of it felt good against her fingers as she caressed him. Her thumb rubbed at a barely there lipstick mark, most likely left by Vanessa. She savored the moment, erasing traces of the other woman, leaving her own mark on this man instead, as he began to lean in to her touch.

"Uh…" she started, realizing how this might look. She dropped her hand. "You had a lipstick mark… it's gone."

His hand went to his cheek, just where she'd touched him. "Figures everyone would let me walk around with it," he stated jokingly.

She tried to smile, to laugh, something other than to look completely drawn in by his charms. She was failing miserably. Taking a few steps backward, she stopped when her eye was suddenly drawn to something hanging above them.

Mistletoe.

Aaron followed her gaze, seeing it there between them. She met his eyes head on. She knew she should run; knew that this moment should have been completely terrifying. But she didn't and she wasn't.

Holding her breath, Aaron leaned forward and pressed his lips to her cheek. She'd expected something else, but she wasn't disappointed. From his touch, a heat radiated across her body, warming her soul. Holding there, savoring the moment, Maizy breathed him in, using every sense to memorize him, as his lips inched closer to her ear. She shivered when he spoke.

"I like you, Maizy, a lot. I was an idiot before. I think… I'm going to fight for you. I want to fight for you. If you'll let me."

Maizy pulled back, watching him in a daze. Trying to make sense of his words. He didn't want to be just friends anymore? He wanted her?

She struggled to part her lips, to make some sort of sound. She couldn't. Nonetheless, the smile that bloomed on his face told her he had his answer anyways.

She'd let him.

"Maizy?"

Turning around abruptly, she found Spencer standing there, watching her with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Spencer…" she breathed out, the taint of guilt in her voice was unavoidable.

"It's time to go," he said simply.

"All… all right," she stuttered out.

She began to turn back towards Aaron, to say something, to acknowledge what he'd just confessed, to say goodnight even. But the press of his hand to the small of her back, urging her ahead, told her it would be best if she just left.

Because he knew, like she knew, that she'd be having a difficult time just explaining their exchange without adding anything more to it.

So, she left. Part of her heart going along with her, the other staying behind.

That's it for this one. Hope you enjoyed. And I hope you'll let me know what you think.

Thanks everyone who's been reading and thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter: XxXMorgnXxXLEAHXxX (lol. Sorry for the wait. How much do you hate me right now? Don't worry next chapter will primarily be a Reid one); nebula2 (lol. I don't know, why do you? Suggestions on how to off Hotch? Lol); LianaRamsay; Whitney; DestructoGrl (I'll try. :) ); marcallie (I've definitely got an ending to this story. And eventually they're all going to live happily ever after. We just got to get there. Lol.); Ecda (I think so too. But, then I write the Maizy/Reid scenes and I feel the same way. :D ); SSA . TimeLord; TheMysteriousGleek2345; 2amWritersClub (It's a sucky situation for sure. Reid, as you see in this chapter, isn't going to roll over. But yeah, I understand, in the end things are going to be different.); and Annber03 (I'm glad you're still loving all the drama and conflict cause there's still more to come).

I will try my hardest to update soon. Oh and just a reminder, the next chapter is a Reid one. So, don't shoot me yet, all you TeamReid-er's. :)

See ya soon.