A.N.- I figured after the last, OC heavy chapter, I should get right back to Hotch and Rossi. Well first, the end of the phone call between Rossi and Ness, then we return to our boys.

I have (clearly, lol) lost the ability to write one-shots, but I'm itching to after rewatching some of the first season of CM. Specifically, I have an idea in mind for Gideon and Hotch. So, given my lack of impulse control, that might be written soon.

Warnings: references to/discussions of spanking in addition to the act itself, corner time

Disclaimer: I still don't own anything, and while I've been trying to think of clever ways to phrase that, I realized that probably only the first chapter needs one.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Smiling back on the memory, Ness spoke into the receiver.

"Dave, just hear me out before you protest this idea," she said ominously.

-o-o-o-o-o-

October, 1995

Well, Dave certainly didn't like the sound of that.

"Do I even want to know?" he waved a hand carelessly in the air despite the lack of physical audience, "that was a dumb question, of course I don't. So just… just say it, please." He wanted to scowl as he heard the other voice on the line chuckle softly.

"Oh, just be glad that I don't stammer like a fool trying to talk about this stuff anymore. Which means I have the liberty to be totally blunt with this idea- you might want to consider… changing positions. Namely, you might want to try over the knee." Dave opened his mouth to respond, but Ness cut him off, "Yeah, I know how it sounds, and believe me I wasn't into the idea either. Cass suggested it based on research, you know how she gets." Dave did not, in fact, know much about Cassity Verity, having met her only a handful of times in the years since she and Ness started dating, but he didn't bother pointing that out. He'd trust her word for it.

"Anyways, it doesn't matter where the idea came from. What matters is that it works, Dave, as insane as that sounds. It's close, personal… and comforting, at least as per a very drunken Mads." Dave had met Madison Owens fewer times than he had Cass, though Ness frequently brought up that he should 'come spend some time with us, and bring that boy of yours along too, I need to properly meet him.'

"It's comforting for me too, if that helps," she probably sensed Dave's disbelief, "you know how you want to hug them the whole time?"

"Uh huh."

"It also makes me way more attuned to Maddy's reactions; I think I notice any problems earlier, now. I can't explain it, but you're the profiler- body language, all that jazz." Dave hummed in response, thinking. After what had just transpired with Hotch, that sounded useful- like a way he could feel more secure when punishing his protege, and could actually let him see the whole endeavor through. Hotch needed him to be consistent, but he didn't see why switching things up wouldn't hurt- so long as there were consequences provided, enough for Hotch to rid his guilty conscience and, Dave hoped, to restore equilibrium to their currently very off-kilter partnership. All in all, it didn't sound like a totally horrible idea, except…

"How'd you propose it?"

"Honestly, Cass had been on my case about it for a while- turns out she was right, which she often is but don't let her know I told you that. Mads was trying to distance herself, thinking I was still about to drop her like a hot potato if she weren't quote unquote perfect. Anyways, she obviously had to be present for the concept to work, you know? So I sort of just… tipped her over my knee and watched her closely for distress before I went forward with things," Dave snorted in response to that.

"I hardly think I'd be able to just 'tip' Aaron over like that," he said, to his friend's answering laugh.

"No, no you wouldn't. Plus, Aaron seems like the sort who would appreciate knowing in advance."

"You aren't wrong."

"You know, you could just say I was right, for once."

"Never gonna happen," Rossi sat silently after chiming into their banter, thinking. Finally, Ness broke the silence.

"Dave, go make things right with that boy of yours," she said in a tone that brooked no arguments. "Call me after, please. Let me know you both survived."

"Really funny, Ness."

"I wasn't aiming for humor, Dave. Good luck and remember what I told you."

"Yeah yeah, how could I forget?" And wasn't that the truth; he was finding it exceedingly difficult to cease ruminating on her suggestion about the whole 'over the knee' thing. He trusted Ness, and it had clearly worked for Maddy, but what was to say it would work for Hotch?

Well, there was one surefire way to figure out, and though it took a minute, he talked himself into going back to the living room where Hotch was- hopefully- still occupying the corner. He really didn't want to have to dole out additional discipline.

Fortunately, he found Aaron still in the corner in much the same position as when he left his protege there to call Ness; the younger man was slightly slumped over, resting his forehead against the wall. While Hotch was typically very attuned to his surroundings- Dave now knew exactly where the younger man's hypervigilance stemmed from- he didn't respond outwardly to Dave's presence. Rossi's concern only increased as he walked over to where Hotch was standing, making sure he announced his presence in a soft murmur before he set a hand on Hotch's shoulder.

Still no outward reaction, though Hotch's shoulder felt tense. Ness's words about Maddy trying to distance herself because she thought her mentor was going to leave floated through his head- maybe Hotch and Maddy were more similar than he thought, after all. It was, at the very least, worth trying.

Probably.

When Rossi's continued presence still failed to produce any reaction from Aaron- even just a verbal recognition of his presence- he pulled on his protege gently to return him to an upright position. He wasn't expecting Aaron to all but snap to attention, though really, he should have expected that. The younger man had a drive to please, which was only exaggerated when he found himself in trouble.

"At ease, Aaron," he murmured softly; while he did look like he relaxed- marginally- the hand he kept on Hotch's shoulder belied the younger profiler's outward appearance. Hotch's muscles were incredibly tight, his 'relaxed' position totally unnatural, forced, and Dave realized that this too was likely a product of Hotch's childhood- don't look scared, but be ready to run at any moment. It was a behavior he had seen on more than his fair share of cases, and he hated that his protege felt that way. Dave could only hope that, over time, Aaron would let his guard down increasingly as he learned that Dave had every intention of sticking around.

The look in Hotch's eyes was still far away, too. What was the word Ness had used again? Right, grounded; he needed to direct Aaron's attention to the present and away from whatever nightmares haunted his past. Everything Dave saw pointed to Ness's advice looking sound, but it was sort of hard to have a conversation about what position to punish Aaron in if Aaron wasn't mentally present. He could, of course, always take the gamble of not discussing it with Hotch before…

Discipling him has never been this difficult before, and he realized with a start that the only thing that changed was him and his resolve. Otherwise, Hotch had always had the same skeletons in his closet that he revealed to Rossi that night- it was just that Dave didn't know, before. Dave would argue that his knowledge of Aaron's past was a good thing; he'd know when a case was a potential minefield for his protege, and he would definitely never spank the kid with his belt instead. However, a double-edged sword, knowing Aaron's personal history was causing Dave to falter at a time where his protege needed him to show that him knowing his past wasn't going to change anything, that Hotch wouldn't be cast aside because of it.

He needed to trust his gut- more often than not it steered him in the right direction. He could sit all day thinking of what to do, deliberating. But that would get them nowhere, and so he decided instead to act on instinct. Hotch still looked more than a little dazed, Dave noticed, and he easily led his protege to the couch with no resistance. This was the hard part- the logistics and mechanics of the whole thing. He didn't have time to deliberate the physics, though, as Hotch seemed to come to- at least partially- and made to move like he was going to bend over the arm of the sofa once more.

"Not this time, kiddo," Rossi's gentle grip on Aaron's arm stopped him, and he turned to Rossi with confused eyes. Tortured eyes. He wished that the night could just be over already, wanting to hug his protege. The time for comfort would come later, though, and Dave readied himself for an argument. Unexpectedly, Hotch's eyes went from confused to terrified, and Dave wondered what Hotch was worried he was going to do to him.

"Whoa, before you worry I'm about to torture you- I'm not," Hotch weakly- very weakly- returned Dave's own weak smile. "Seriously, Aaron. I won't intentionally hurt you," at Hotch's snort, he amended his statement, "Hey, that's meant to teach! But, other than a sting to your rear, I don't want to hurt you- physically yes, but emotionally too." Hotch was staring at the ground at that point, his face a bright red. "Can you at least promise me that if I do anything that reminds you of your father, or otherwise causes you distress, you'll let me know." Aaron nodded, prompting Rossi to sigh internally as he prepared to be the disciplinarian, "Verbal answers please, Aaron."

"I promise," the response was a strangled whisper, but it was audible.

"Good," Dave said, and sat down on the couch as he guided Aaron so that he was standing to the right of him, and watched as realization dawned in Hotch's eyes.

"You can't mean-"

"Oh, but I do."

"This is because you think you have to treat me like a kid now, right? Like I'm something easily… broken," he spat the last word with such distaste that Dave nearly flinched.

"No, this is because I'm in charge, so stop stalling," because Dave had a feeling telling the kid that it would make him feel better about not going too far would only play into Hotch's fear that he was broken and needed to be handled with kid-gloves.

"I'm not-"

"Give me one legitimate reason for why I shouldn't, then."

"Uh," Hotch rubbed the back of his neck; he looked caught off-guard- maybe the kid was actually arguing for the principle of it and not because Dave was suggesting anything particularly damaging, "it's embarrassing?" He didn't smile at his protege's faltering tone as the younger man realized that he didn't have any reason that would fit the bill of 'legitimate.'

"Uh huh." Still, Dave waited to see if Aaron would produce any further argument, willing to hear him out. When the younger man failed to find another argument, he dropped his eyes to his sock-clad feet and slightly shifted back and forth from his heels to his toes. Dave swallowed a fond smile at how young his protege looked, taking his wrist gently. He had considered doing this part slowly, so as not to spook Aaron, but prolonging it would likely only increase Hotch's anxiety and embarrassment. Instead, he, while still gently, quickly tipped Hotch over his knee and adjusted his position so that the younger man's torso was resting on the couch, but his legs were hanging off Rossi's lap.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Hotch heard the embarrassing squeaking noise come from his mouth as Rossi positioned him over his knee; the younger man just buried his head in his arms miserably, becoming silent. He had failed to produce a reason as to why this was a legitimately bad idea, but he could at least try to be a little stoic about it. He rejected this position on principle- it was embarrassing to be treated like a kid after his breakdown earlier, and though Rossi tried to convince him otherwise, Hotch knew that his personal history was at least partially to blame for the way Rossi was changing things up. If not the position, then the instrument of ass destruction- there was no way Rossi could effectively swing a belt with Aaron over his knee, and as Rossi began to methodically work his way through covering the kid's backside in hard swats, Hotch realized that Rossi was only using his hand.

Like he was too weak for anything else.

A small voice in his mind tried to remind him that Dave wouldn't agree with that assessment, but Hotch knew that his mentor was trying to spare his feelings. It was the only explanation. While Rossi did lack a lot of the same personal boundaries that Hotch upheld, claiming they were overly strict, Hotch figured that his mentor did have some definition of what it meant to be a man. Aaron had failed his father's definition, and now he was failing Dave's. He was rapidly proving himself to be a failure of a man, rapidly.

Hotch had learned to silently take his father's harsh beatings as a child, he could certainly take this watered-down version silently. He practically owed it to Rossi after his earlier breakdown. However, there was something that he didn't factor in; Dave did something Aaron's father didn't ever do- talk. Aaron knew that he could take the pain alone, but trying to stay silent in response to a rapidly increasing sting across his rear was far more difficult when Rossi asked him questions. To make matters worse, Dave's sentiments frequently utilized a motif of 'I care about you,' and Hotch wanted so badly to believe his mentor. He just… couldn't; couldn't believe his mentor wanted him around not for his usefulness, but because he legitimately cared for Hotch's company.

"So, tell me why we're here, Aaron." It took him an embarrassingly long amount of time to recall the relatively minor infractions that led to the mess that had just unfolded.

"I was late," he started before interrupting himself with a yelp- cursing himself for showing weakness; it was harder to stay completely silent without the ability to clench his jaw shut tight, grinding his teeth. "And, ow!" Another exclamation of pain had Hotch biting down on his tongue, resolving to stay silent; Dave, however, had no such plans of letting him do so.

"And what, Aaron," Dave said, increasing the force behind his swats at Hotch's answering headshake.

"Dave, please," he tried; Hotch didn't think begging was particularly dignified, but it was less mortifying than vocalizing the sounds of distress that he figured a simple child's punishment shouldn't evoke in a grown man.

"No, Aaron. And what."

"Everything else today?" he offered in a rush; not expecting that answer to have actually satisfied Dave's question, he wasn't surprised when his mentor didn't accept that answer.

"I want specifics, Aaron."

"For being disrespectful," he said quickly, clamping his jaw shut when another sound of pain threatened to escape. He racked his mind for any other apology he should be offering, finally suggesting, "and for breaking down, earlier."

The onslaught of swats to his behind stopped for a moment, and Hotch could feel Dave tuck him closer into his stomach. The feeling of restraint momentarily resurrected his feeling of panic from earlier, but he quickly realized that it was a completely different feeling than before. That realization surprised his own self, because he thought any restraining feeling when being punished would feel panic-inducing, a promise of a harsher beating to come. This didn't spike the same fear, though the fact that Rossi had yet to resume swatting might have helped in that.

"No, Aaron," Dave sounded sad, and Hotch blamed himself. "Not for anything that happened earlier tonight- just for being late and, really, to a greater extent, your disrespectful attitude over the day," with that correction to his mentee's statement, Dave started spanking once more, but Hotch still didn't feel the same fear from earlier. Instead, he felt safe- and that was far too much to unpack in that moment.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Dave found himself a little at a loss as he noticed the swats starting to more consistently affect Hotch's stoicism. The kid's misbehavior had really been minor, and Dave was intending to let him off with maybe a dozen strokes of the belt, tops. He didn't want to discipline his mentor disproportionately hard in relation to his relatively minor infractions, but he couldn't risk Hotch thinking that Dave stopped prematurely due to him being too 'broken.' Rossi, of course, didn't believe that at all- he just knew how Hotch tended to think. After all, he and Jason basically created the field of profiling. This, of course, meant that Dave was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He wished he had thought of that earlier, on the phone with Ness. David Rossi was a confident man with an excellent understanding of psychology and human behavior; he rarely didn't know what to do in a given moment, and he didn't like finding himself at a loss.

His gut told him to see this through to the end- that was what was going to matter to Hotch, he didn't think the younger man would question the severity of the correction. Hell, the kid hardly had enough experience to compare to- well, experience that wasn't actual abuse, that was. More important was Hotch knowing that he could cry or otherwise show emotion without Dave berating him or beating him for it.

It didn't mean that he didn't feel like an absolute monster for doing it, though.

Before his resolve could falter, he dropped one of his knees slightly and began aiming his spanks from where Hotch's bottom met his thighs to the kid's mid-thighs, knowing that the previously mostly untouched area was more sensitive to the feeling of pain. He upped the tempo of the swats and slightly increased the strength behind them, spanking in no real pattern- it served to help keep Aaron present in the moment, as well as making it psychologically harder to endure as his protege lost the ability to prepare for a swat, knowing where in the pattern it would land. He wanted to finish the unpleasant task before he could lose his resolve even more- he was more than ready to hug Hotch, offer the kid a nightcap, and call it a day.

While he had previously been skeptical of Ness's 'over the knee lets me react quicker' claim, it was only at the end of the spanking that he realized that there was a great measure of truth to his friend's words. While he made it a point to keep a close eye on Hotch's reactions, always, for the sake of safety, there were times where he had wondered how long the younger man was silently crying before Rossi noticed. With a hand on Hotch's back, monitoring tension, he thought that he was good at catching when the kid had had it, but he found that he sometimes had lingering doubts.

This time, however, the increased contact with Hotch let him feel when his protege's muscles finally lost their tenseness; some slight shaking was indicative of the start of true tears. Though the position proved useful, and Dave liked the added security, he doubted that he would default to it; unlike Mads, who was a good deal shorter than Ness, Dave didn't have the same height advantage, and the way Hotch fit over his lap was a bit awkward- at least on a couch. He thought it would probably be better utilizing a bed, but he hoped his protege wouldn't give him cause to test that hypothesis anytime soon.

Grateful that it was finally over, Dave didn't have the heart to land even one more swat. Instead, he immediately stopped the spanking; soon, his once-punishing hands were gently rubbing Hotch's back as the younger man fought to regain control of his emotions. Dave didn't care how long Aaron needed, but it was clear that his protege cared about how long he was willing to show what he likely perceived to be a weakness.

Sooner than Dave would have liked, Hotch had his emotions collected and started to stir a little, making to stand up. The older profiler helped his protege up from the awkward position, standing up with him. Hotch shuffled his feet a little as he kept his now-red rimmed eyes downcast, looking awkward and a little lost. Quickly, Dave pulled Aaron into an embrace before the younger man could protest.

Not like Hotch seemed to want to protest, this time, at least. He quietly let Dave pull him into his chest, and rested a head on Dave's shoulder as the older man cupped the back of his neck soothingly. Dave took advantage of the moment, after having waited an entire night to get to this point. Hotch was worth it, though- Hotch was always worth it, regardless of emotions or time of evening. One day, Dave was determined to make his protege start to believe him when he said that the younger man was worth it.

"I'm proud of you, Aaron. Tonight wasn't easy for you, but you still insisted on seeing the consequences through, even though I offered you an 'out.' You're a good man, Aaron," he said, biting back a chuckle as his protege squeaked in reaction before burying his face closer in Rossi's shoulder, the red creeping up the back of his neck tattling on his embarrassment. "We'll work on that, then," he said simply, content to hold Aaron for as long as the younger man would let him.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Suddenly exhausted, Aaron felt the trying events of the night creep up on him as he tried to reorganize his thoughts into some semblance of 'adult' and 'not needy,' finding it much harder than normal. Fortunately, Dave didn't seem to care- not like Hotch expected he would- and seemed ready to hug the younger man for the rest of the night. As much as the hug felt nice as he tried to get his emotions in order, once his more logical thoughts were able to catch up with him, it felt largely embarrassing.

Pulling back from the hug, he rubbed the last of the tears from his eyes that he, once again, cast to the ground.

"Sorry," he said, "for all this," waving a casual hand around, intending to apologize for his display of weak emotions. Seemingly sensing where his protege was going with that statement, Hotch didn't have time to continue; finding himself spun sideways, he was unable to help the small exclamation of surprise and pain as Rossi's hand connected with his backside half a dozen times more before he was just as quickly folded back into the older man's arms, tucked tightly to his chest.

"If you're about to say for being weak or showing emotions or some bullshit- I never expected you to not, Aaron. It hurts, I know that, and I don't think any more or less of you for acting stoically or not acting stoically. I don't care, so long as you're honest with me. Got it?"

"Got it," Hotch responded sheepishly, only finding himself able to extricate from the older man's hug once he gave that confirmation. He tried to obscure his yawn, but Rossi's amused look told him that he did a terrible job of hiding it.

"You want to go to sleep?" he asked Hotch, "Or join me for a nightcap?"

Hotch, very resolutely, was not going to think about how pleased that offer made him. It was reminiscent of family gatherings when he was a child, where he was always delighted to be invited to the 'adult table.' Granted, part of that was finding his peers generally too rowdy and childish; as a child, he found conversations with adults far more fulfilling. The offer, though, still evoked a feeling of misplaced maturity. He was 28 for god's sake, the fact that his mentor made him feel like a kid being invited to the adult table was maddening. Not that he'd actually refuse the offer, despite how maddening it might have privately been. He liked spending time with his mentor when he wasn't in trouble, and Rossi had a penchant for buying excellent liquor. Hotch smiled weakly, hoping that was enough of an answer.

Rossi's answering "c'mon, then," to his non-verbal affirmation let him know that he was totally and completely no longer in trouble with the older man. Smiling a little more strongly, he followed Rossi into the kitchen and waited idly as his mentor poured two bourbons. He was still a little more twitchy than he'd like, a far cry from his unshakable normal self. He didn't notice wrapping his arms around himself until he once again found himself crushed to Dave's chest.

Okay, yeah, that was much better than a self-hug. Eventually, again, he pulled away, feeling a little more settled. Dave looked like he wanted to say something or, perhaps more likely, continue to hug Hotch with an incredible force until the younger man was blue from suffocation. He quickly took a long drink from his glass, preferring not to think about how that made him feel warm inside. Now, at least, he could blame the warm feeling on the bourbon.

The two men enjoyed their nightcap standing around the kitchen island; mostly for Hotch's sake, he suspected, but his gratefulness over not having to sit down outweighed his embarrassment about having just been spanked by his mentor for the moment. While initially still embarrassed, Hotch found it difficult to converse with Rossi. However, the older man's jovial nature in addition to the alcohol progressively loosened his tenseness until he was able to converse almost normally with Dave, though Aaron knew he was still a bit quieter than his normal self; impressive, considering that his baseline was nowhere close to being described as 'verbose.'

Eventually, once he had finished his drink and the conversation had lulled, Aaron found himself yawning once more.

"Bedtime," his mentor declared, and he probably should have been a bit annoyed at having his bedtime declared like a child, but he was too tired to protest- he wanted to sleep. Part of the reason why he overslept his alarm that morning, sending him down the path of unfortunate events, was because he had a hard time falling asleep the previous night. They had returned from a case a few days ago, and it was only just starting to catch up with Hotch in the form of nightmares.

He really hated cases involving child abuse.

Rossi showed Aaron to the guest room, before declaring "hold on a moment, I'll get you something to sleep in." Aaron hadn't thought about his attire up until that point- he had removed his suit jacket and tie prior to Dave's first go-round at punishing him, leaving him in his button down and dress pants. While Hotch was more than able to fall asleep like that, having done so many times at his desk pulling an all nighter, or at home if they came back from a grueling case particularly late, he had to admit that the soft FBI sweatshirt and worn flannels that Rossi handed him felt much better to sleep in than his starched shirt.

And if he took comfort in the fact that the clothing smelled like Rossi's detergent, and therefore like Rossi… Well, that was a half-lucid thought that no one would ever be the wiser to.

-o-o-o-o-o-

After having changed into his own sleepwear, Rossi grabbed the phone by his bed off the cradle- he had a promise to fulfill. He punched in Ness's number before holding the receiver up to his ear and waiting. He wasn't particularly worried about the time; Ness had seemed plenty awake before when he talked to her, and these were her instructions, besides. Evidently her whole household was still awake, because the voice that greeted him on the other end of the line chirped her salutation.

"Bradley-Verity household, Madison speaking."

"Hi Maddy, it's Dave Rossi. Is your… uh, is Ness around?" he said, barely catching himself before he accidentally asked Maddy where her mom was. He knew how Ness felt towards the younger agent, but didn't know if she'd verbalized it yet, and Dave didn't want the wrath of Ness should he spook her protege. Maddy responded in the affirmative, and he waited patiently as he heard the receiver being jostled before his friend came on the line.

"Hey Dave, I take it y'all survived, then?" Ness got straight to the point, and based on her background, he sensed she was going to a more private room. Before she started speaking to him, again, he heard a pause before a muffled, "Mads if you have any more sugar you're never going to sleep. Cass, confiscate the cookies please." It was another moment before he heard Ness settle back on the phone, with a much quieter background.

"You know, I'm going to end up returning to the kitchen to my wife and kid finishing an entire tray of cookies," she said, though Dave could tell that the only ire in her voice was false, for dramatic purposes.

"Well, you should at least ask them to save you one." Ness snorted, but stayed quiet- having been on the other end of the technique more times than he could count, Rossi was a little annoyed that the trick of getting someone to talk via awkward silence worked on him just as well as it did unsubs. Or Hotch. He probably shouldn't lump the two together, though.

"Ugh, you were right."

"It helped?"

"Yeah, it did. I don't think it's going to become a constant, though."

"Oh yeah?" Ness's voice sounded like a challenge. Dave knew that once she had learned that particular trick with Maddy, she hadn't looked back and, based on what she'd told him, she typically defaulted to turning the girl over her knee.

"It's not like Hotch is as tiny as Maddy is," he pointed out, "The position was just a little awkward to maneuver."

"Couch or bed?"

"Couch."

"Try sitting on the edge of the bed next time."

"I'm trying not to think of 'next time,'" he groaned.

"There's always a 'next time,'" his friend answered with a chuckle, "they're kids, Dave." Well, adults that were emotionally neglected as children to the point where they had massive insecurities about their bosses/mentors/surrogate parents, but neither adult felt the need to more clearly define that statement.

"I know, but I still don't want to think about it. Not this soon, anyways."

"That good, huh?" his friend's sympathetic voice prompted him to continue.

"He was totally numb and barely mentally present when I returned to where he was in the corner. I knew I was running that risk, and fortunately he seemed to snap out of it pretty fast. Then I realized that for him to believe I was truly seeing things through, I needed to dole out a much harsher punishment than I was going to originally. The kid was late and mouthy, Ness, and I spanked him until he cried!"

"That is typically what happens, yes," and Dave wondered how she could possibly be so casual about it, "so, continue."

"Then I hugged him. After he apologized for crying, then I swatted him a few times and hugged him some more before we had a nightcap. Then I gave him clothing to sleep in and showed him the guest room."

"You tuck him in?"

"No?" Dave said, perplexed as to why she'd ask. Although he couldn't say that the thought hadn't crossed his mind, now that he thought about it…

"You should try sometimes. They're sweet when they're sleepy," Dave nearly cringed at his friend's wording- while he wasn't averse to affection, the comfortable nature in which Ness expressed affection as compared to him made it seem like he was as allergic to affection as his protege. Ness must have sensed this, because she laughed, "you'll get there."

"Somehow, I doubt that," he grumbled.

"Dave, you're a big ol' softie," she said, and he could hear her grin, "Remember that time-" Dave cut her off before she could mortify him with her favorite recollection of him, drunk, during their Academy days.

"Yes I remember, no we're not speaking of it, thank you." Ness laughed but didn't continue down memory lane, sparing Dave that embarrassment, at least.

"So, what are you doing tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?"

"You know, Saturday? The weekend? Don't tell me that the big bad BAU agents don't get weekends off."

"You're one to talk," he snorted, "like you think I don't know how often you get called in on the weekends too? But yes, tomorrow is Saturday, and maybe this Saturday I can avoid a crime scene."

"Great, but what are you doing with Aaron?"

"Driving him back to the office so he can get his car?"

"David Rossi!" Ness's scolding tone made him jump, and he racked his brain trying to think of what he could have said to cause the woman's ire. "You're going to ask that boy to stay the weekend," she said, "He can get his car on Monday at the office."

"You know how he is about affection."

"Isn't that how you justified never bringing him home before? And look how that turned out."

"You mean when I gave him a flashback? Ness, he probably wants to get the hell out of here."

"No, he probably wants to stick close to you and is too nervous to voice that because he's worried that he'll look weak, or be rejected, or any number of things he was probably told about showing emotion as a child, ad nauseam. C'mon, you know better than to think that a person's words say more than their actions; don't give me that crap, Dave." Feeling slightly admonished, he responded to his friend's short tirade.

"Damn, I feel bad for Maddy; my ears are ringing," he spoke the truth, albeit in a sarcastic tone.

"You can tell her that when you visit with Aaron," she responded in the same scolding tone.

"You know, I was wondering how long you'd be able to hold off on that suggestion."

"Ain't a suggestion, Dave. It'd be good for you."

"Why don't you come here?" he grumbled.

"Because Cass's schedule is more stable than ours."

"Ah, right. Listen, I know it's been too long, but psychopaths don't take breaks conducive to holidays."

"You have leave, Dave, and I know you haven't used it yet," Ness sounded thoroughly unamused.

"Fine, I'll talk to Aaron about it," he acquiesced.

"I know you worry about scaring that boy off, but I think you'd be surprised by how much he secretly wants belonging, and a family. He has that now Dave, show him. And do something nice with him tomorrow while you're at it!"

"Yes, dear," he drawled.

"I'm not kidding Dave. If you don't-"

"I know, Ness, I know. Just… give me ideas instead of threatening me, at least?" He could swear he heard the self-satisfied smirk appear on Ness's face.

"That, I can help you with. Does he like cooking? Baseball? You could always take him to the batting cages. Or movies? Not a theater, something fun at home. Make weird flavors of popcorn, no I'm not trying to insult your fine culinary tastes…"

-o-o-o-o-o-

Knowing that: one, Ness had a good point and two, she would cheerfully strangle him should he decide to ignore her instructions for the weekend, Dave had asked Aaron to stick around for the weekend. He was surprised by just how little cajoling it took for Aaron to accept the offer, and reminded himself to not tell Ness she was right about that as well. She was already an insufferable know-it-all in this area, though he would admit that she was the voice of more experience in that particular… skill set.

So, on Saturday, two two men had spent the day cooking and baking. Rossi had been surprised when Aaron decided on that activity, having pitched it as a suggestion due to the position it occupied in the forefront of his mind after Ness rattled it off as one of her suggestions. He wouldn't have been surprised if his old friend had secretly orchestrated the activity from afar via the power of suggestion- he wouldn't put it past her.

Hotch turned out to be a good study, and was fortunately competent enough as to not destroy Dave's kitchen. The older profiler cataloged the younger's actions with experienced eyes as the two recreated recipes from Rossi's own mother's kitchen. Dave's protege seemed more comfortable with sticking close, instead of putting some arbitrary Aaron-defined distance between them. When Dave tentatively started being more affectionate; Aaron didn't mind- in fact, the younger agent seemed pleased with his mentor's habit of resting a hand on his shoulder or gently patting his back when he passed by on the way to grab a pan or ingredient they forgot, or going to and from the range to stir the fragrant sauce simmering.

Unfortunately, the BAU ended up being called in that Sunday- it was a short case, and as they walked to the parking garage, Dave fought back the impulse to ask Hotch if he wanted to stay regardless. Instead, he let the younger man get into his own car after promising that, next weekend, they'd get around to their cancelled plans that day.

Maybe next time.

-o-o-o-o-o-

A.N.- And thus we have fully exited the nested timeline, with the story behind why Rossi is about to pull Hotch over his knee, present-day (if by present day you mean 2007, lol.) It's a shorter chapter than normal, but I wanted to exit the timeline-ception as well as finish up the memory of young!Hotch. Also, after such an OC-heavy chapter, I wanted to get back to Hotch and Rossi asap.

To all the kind reviews, thank you for the encouragement and suggestions! They make me super happy to read :)

I'm planning on getting around to a "Sibling Rivalry" update next, and like I said, I might write a Hotch/Gideon tag to s1e8.

Until next time…

- lms