Hi All. Welcome to chapter three of More Than A Team: Clash of the Geniuses. This is the second story my of More Than A Team series, I hope to write new stories for this series frequently. This story is complete and four chapters long. Updates should be weekly unless something drastic happens.

If you have not read the first story in this series More Than A Team: The Final Member, you may be confused about a few things, so I do recommend you read that one first.

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal minds, if I did then Aaron Hotchner certainly wouldn't have left, and neither would Derek Morgan! Pepper Rosanne Lee is my own original character, but all other recognisable characters belong to Jeff Davis, I just like to use them to do my bidding.

Series Summary: The Criminal Minds team is more than just a team, they spend so much time with each other, relying on each other, and wrapped up in each other's lives they are practically family. This is how the family makes sure they stay a family even when rules are broken.

Story Summary: Pepper has joined the team, but things are not going smoothly between her and Spencer, they can't seem to stop getting under each other's skin. What happens when they cannot keep it professional on a case. AU, OC, AaronXHaley, set during season 2 episodes 13, 14 and 15. Contains spanking. Full Warnings inside please read, rated M for good reason.

Warning: This story involves Criminal Mind cases, if you've watched Criminal Minds, you know what I mean, I've tried not to be too graphic, but there is abuse, kidnapping, torture, murder, and rape, if this is triggering, please be careful. This story also involves the spanking of adults, don't like, don't read.

A huge, huge thank you to my wonderful and amazing beta, Jules Ann, she is quite literally my Magical Muse Mender and when I get stuck just talking to her can help me figure my way past a block. She has helped me so much with all my stories and my writing, I would be utterly lost without her.

~o~

Jason tucked his phone back in his pocket, a new wave of guilt battering at his psyche. That Pepper genuinely feared he'd want her fired for what had happened to Spencer made him feel even worse than he already did, and he hadn't thought that was possible. It was ludicrous really, he knew precisely where the blame laid and it was at his feet, not Pepper's. Spencer was using his brilliant mind to work with Hankel and his two other personalities, giving them what clues he could, and he'd made the colossal blunder of trying to pass a on message to Spencer and it had cost him his life. Spencer owed his life to the very man who had kidnapped, beaten, drugged, and killed him, all because he'd exposed him. He glanced at the young man in the bed, somehow the tall gangly young man managed to seem so small and vulnerable lying in the stark hospital bed, like a small child rather than a brilliant twenty-five-year-old man with three PhD's to his name.

Jason had become almost accustomed to spending hours in hospital chairs and a dab hand at sleeping in them. Their job was dangerous, injuries happened, and although they did their best to lower the risks with their policies and procedures, it was still a high-risk job. It never felt right when one of his team was in the hospital, so he would be staying here until Spencer could be released, he would not leave the young man alone after what happened to him. He was just drifting off to sleep when he heard mutterings coming from the bed.

"No, no, please, I don't…" Spencer murmured in distress, shaking his head as the nightmare tormented him.

Jason was up and by Spencer's side. He gently shook him awake, "Spencer, Spencer, wake up," he urged.

Spencer's eyes sprung open, sitting bolt upright, his breathing fast and hard, his pupils wide and dilated as he looked around, still in the grips of the now fading nightmare.

Jason gave the kid a gentle smile, "there, you're okay, it was just a nightmare, you're safe now," he assured him.

Spencer's breathing eased as he looked around and recognized that he was still in the hospital, the tight fluttery panicky feeling in his chest slowly eased and he flopped back down onto the bed, feeling pathetic.

"You are okay son, go back to sleep, I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere," Jason soothed.

Spencer opened his mouth to try and say something, maybe explain his actions, he was certain there was a conversation coming in his future and he was hoping that perhaps he could talk his way out of some trouble.

"Later, we'll talk later once you're out of hospital and we're home," Jason insisted as he had every time Spencer tried to talk. Half the time Spencer wasn't even fully aware of reality when he woke up so holding off their conversation was definitely for the best.

Spencer accepted Jason's words but only because he was already fighting his eyelids. Who knew dying and then being bought back could be so exhausting? He let his eyes flutter closed and was quickly pulled back under into sleep, the drugs the hospital was giving him easing his way back to the land of dreams.

Jason stayed by Spencer until he slipped back into Morpheus's arms and then returned to his chair. He ran a worried hand down his face, exhaustion making him feel extra weary. He was deeply concerned for Spencer, Dilaudid was highly addictive. Spencer might not have been in Hankel's hands for long, but he was repeatedly drugged, as evidenced by the marks on the inside of his elbow. They were going to have to keep an eye on him because Jason was not going to allow the actions of a psychotic unsub to cost the young man his job.

Jason was able to slip into a light doze sitting on the uncomfortable hospital chair, but for a profiler it wasn't a bad night's sleep. The usual nightmares plagued him a little, and a new one where they found Spencer dead repeated on and on in his mind. His heart only calming when he would open his eyes and spot his protégé sleeping in the hospital bed, the beeping from the monitor assuring him he was still alive and breathing.

The doctors released Spencer the next day, he was physically recovered from his ordeal and there was nothing else they could do for him, but they advised him to rest and take it easy for the next few days. Jason had no problem assuring them that he would, choosing to ignore the embarrassed flush this elicited in the young profiler. Fortunately, the jet was waiting for them, so they didn't have to navigate a commercial flight, and as soon as they took off, heading for Virginia, Jason felt something within him ease. He was glad to get away from the place Spencer had been so severely hurt and would be even more relaxed once he had the young man under his roof and in his care.

Spencer felt the same odd mix of embarrassment and comfort he always felt when Jason refused to leave his side after he was injured. There was a part of him that really liked how much Jason clearly cared for him, but there was another part that was just a little uncomfortable with the obvious care, he wasn't used to it. He knew Jason had gone out on a limb hiring him for the BAU, especially since he had to get so many exemptions for the physical assessments necessary to become an FBI agent. It more than stung his pride that Pepper, who was almost as smart as he was, needed no exemptions despite looking like an actual child and being a whole two years younger than he had been when he joined the BAU. Thinking about Pepper caused him to grimace, having mentally reviewed their argument he had to reluctantly accept that this time it was his fault, he'd been annoyed at her picking up things he should have noticed. He chanced a small glance at Jason wondering if his mentor would be keeping his word and was planning to 'talk' with him about their argument. He half wished this had been the first argument and their previous one was the last, at least that one he could definitely say Pepper had started.

Flashback

Approaching the house Spencer paid no attention to the numerous windchimes, they were annoying, and he didn't really see the appeal. He noticed Pepper was paying much more attention to them, but they were nothing special, even for windchimes, so he couldn't see the attraction. Though some people did collect odd things, "you like windchimes?" He asked.

Pepper turned to look at Spencer as if he'd grown another head, "no, they are made of bone, human rib bone," she intoned horrified.

"You can't possibly know that," Spencer corrected taking offense at her tone.

"That sound is human bone hitting bone, the human rib bone is the only bone with that curvature," Pepper stated as if explaining a simple fact to a two-year-old.

"She's right, it's human rib bone," Emily breathed just as horrified.

Spencer flushed in embarrassment, not liking that he hadn't been the one to figure it out.

Hotch was searching the inside of the house for Jane with Emily and that left Spencer paired with Pepper sorting out the outside, though they had a couple of the local police with them. Inside the house there were more of the whistles that Jane had been using back in the holding cell. Emily had been annoyed at herself for not recognizing it sooner and Spencer was a little embarrassed about that too, more so because Emily admitted it.

They were bagging and tagging the outside windchimes there was no conversation between them. Spencer was still on the backfoot from how he had introduced himself to Pepper and wasn't sure how to make up for his gaff.

"It's hard to believe you didn't recognize these as rib bones, it's basic human anatomy," Pepper shook her head amused.

Spencer grit his teeth annoyed, he wasn't sure how to respond to that, they'd just seemed to be windchimes to him, not worthy of his attention or focus. "I was focused on what we were supposed to be doing," he insisted.

Pepper smirked, catching the defensive tone her supposed fellow genius was trying to hide. "Sure, it's not like we were supposed to be paying attention to our surroundings too," she returned feigning innocence.

Spencer seethed silently, gritting his teeth in annoyance, trying hard to hold back a cutting response.

"So, what's your excuse for missing the rib bone whistle back at the precinct? Even Emily said she should have recognized it for what it was," Pepper probed under the guise of casual conversation. She hoped that maybe just some playful teasing and joking would get Spencer to just relax and stop being so on edge around her.

"Oh, like you would have recognized it from the brief glance we got," Spencer snapped irritated.

"I certainly wouldn't have handed a rib bone over to someone without realizing what it was," Pepper snapped back.

"That was Emily!" Spencer defended himself heatedly.

"You were there! You're the supposed genius. Some genius if you can't even recognize a human rib bone when it's practically in your face," Pepper argued harshly.

"You weren't there! You don't know anything!" Spencer yelled back.

"I know how to recognize a human rib bone!" Pepper yelled back.

"Reid! Lee! Inside. Right now!" Aaron barked absolutely furiously. He glanced at Emily, silently asking her to take over processing outside while he read his two young agents the riot act.

Pepper froze, wide eyed, and paled drastically. She ducked her head and hurried into the house as she was directed moving swiftly.

Spencer cringed, his face flushing in utter humiliation. He couldn't help but look around at all the eyes on them and felt his face heat up even more. He wanted nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow him whole. He hunched his shoulders up and stared down at the floor as he dragged his feet into the house, feeling the burning gaze of all the eyes on him.

Aaron made sure Emily was okay to take over outside before he followed Spencer and Pepper inside, just barely restraining the absolute fury he felt at their utterly disgraceful behavior. He stared at the two, his fury appeased slightly by how completely shamefaced they both appeared, at least they were acknowledging that their behavior was downright unacceptable.

"Hotch I…" Spencer started wanting to insist he wasn't the one to start this.

Aaron narrowed his eyes at Spencer, giving him a warning glare, the kid should know he was not Hotch right now. "Do not speak! Right now, I do not want to hear another word out of either of you," he scolded harshly. "Eyes on me!" He demanded, waiting until both young agents were looking at him before he started his lecture, "what were you thinking? I was under the impression that both of you were fully professional adult members of the BAU, not a pair of children! Do you have any idea how unprofessional you have both just made the BAU appear? I never would have thought either of you to be capable of such disgraceful conduct!"

Pepper curled in on herself, barely able to keep eye contact.

Spencer's face flushed a brilliant red, utterly humiliated by Hotch chewing him out in front of Pepper.

"I never thought I would have to explain appropriate behavior out in the field to anyone on my team, least of all the two supposedly smartest members, but here we are. Disagreeing with one another is fine, arguing and screaming at each other like children is not! I would have thought this would be quite obvious and did not need explaining," Aaron continued. He levelled both of his young team members an extremely disappointed look. "You should both consider yourself extremely lucky we are incredibly busy right now or I would send the pair of you to a corner for an apparently much needed time out."

Spencer gasped, "Hotch! You can't do that!"

Aaron's eyes narrowed and he stepped up into Spencer's personal space. "You know better than to be referring to me as Hotch right now Special Agent Reid," he growled.

Spencer's eyes opened wide with fear, and he leaned back, "sorry Sir."

Aaron regarded Spencer for a moment before stepping back, "if you really think I can't send you to a corner then continue to test me Special Agent Reid. You have already thoroughly embarrassed and humiliated yourself by acting like a child so the officers seeing you stood in the corner like one would only appear appropriate."

Spencer grimaced and had to break eye contact, staring at the ground his face burning in mortification. He couldn't believe Hotch was doing this to him in front of Pepper.

Pepper's jaw had dropped when Hotch threatened to send them to the corner, her face red with humiliation. However, when Spencer spoke and Hotch got up in his face, she was able to regain some of her composure, mostly out of relief that it wasn't her Hotch was growling at from a distance of mere inches. She did not envy Spencer at all right then and felt more than just a little bit of sympathy for him. She had started the argument, she had been needling him a little, it had just been supposed to be a joke, but when he'd been so annoyed, she should have backed down and let it drop rather than keep pushing. Her conscience won over her desire not to focus any additional attention onto herself. "Sir, it wasn't… I started it," she murmured softly.

Aaron's head whipped around to look at Pepper, stepping up into her personal space and glaring down at her fiercely. "Explain," he demanded.

Feeling about two inches high, Pepper did, "Spencer um annoyed me, when he just dismissed my observation about the windchimes being made with human bone. I wanted to get back at him, so I teased him about not recognizing it. I saw he was getting annoyed, and it amused me that I was getting under his skin. I took it too far and when he snapped at me, I snapped back," she confessed.

Aaron paused to look at Spencer to see if he disagreed with Pepper's statement.

Spencer felt a grudging smidgen of respect for Pepper then, he didn't think he would be willing to get Hotch's ire focused on him right then with how angry the Supervisory Special Agent was. He gave a small nod to Hotch when faced with his slightly questioning look.

Aaron turned his focus back onto Pepper when Spencer nodded, piercing her with a blazing look. "I see, and are you still amused now, Special Agent Lee?" He pressed icily.

Pepper shivered but shook her head, "no Sir."

Aaron grit his teeth together and forced himself to take a stop back to address both of his young agents. "I cannot even begin to express my complete and utter disappointment in the both of you. Special Agent Reid you know far better than to let anyone get under your skin like that, you have been part of this team for nearly three years now. We do not snap at each other, and we especially do not yell at one another when we are out at a potential crime scene! I am deeply disappointed in your behavior and conduct as the more experienced team member. As for you Special Agent Lee, you do not needle or tease your fellow team members, especially when you can see that your teasing is not welcomed and is annoying your fellow team member. You are supposed to be an adult, not a child looking to get under the skin of the adults around them! And you cannot get defensive when you have deliberately wound someone up to the point where they snap at you and escalate the situation to a screaming match! You have well and truly let me down with your dreadful behavior and conduct," he lectured.

Spencer cringed under the scathing lecture, and if Pepper wasn't stood right next to him, he would not have been able to fight back the tears. He refused to let Pepper see him cry however, it was bad enough she was witnessing him being scolded like a kid.

Pepper had to bite the inside of her cheek hard to prevent herself from crying, though the tears were welling up, she was holding them back by the skin of her teeth.

"Now, do either of you need appropriate field work behavior explained to you any further?" Aaron demanded.

Spencer shook his head rapidly, "no Sir."

Pepper shook her head just as Spencer did, "no Sir," she just barely refrained from sniffling.

Aaron nodded in approval but kept the stern, unyielding, furiously disappointed expression on his face, "good. Since apparently you were somehow mysteriously unaware that your actions were completely unacceptable, and I cannot in good conscience waste any additional time by putting you both in time out right now, then on this one occasion I am not going to punish you further. However, if either of you ever behave so appallingly again getting a time out will be the least of your problems! If there is a next time you will both find yourselves unable to sit down at the first possible opportunity, even if that means taking you into a briefing room at the police precinct we are at. Have I made myself perfectly clear?"

"Yes Sir," Spencer quickly replied. Anything to prevent Hotch from talking anymore about punishments and not being able to sit down. He couldn't even look at Pepper, not wanting to see the confused and questioning expression he was sure must be on her face.

Unbeknownst to Spencer, Pepper knew precisely what Hotch was referring too and though she'd been told that's how things were handled on the team, she hadn't really given it much thought before. She wasn't as distressed as Spencer, she'd faced plenty of dressing downs in front of others, and more than enough Hotch lectures with Sean right by her side, but she had no desire to push Hotch into actually giving her a spanking. "Yes Sir," she agreed.

"Fantastic, now get out there and do your jobs properly and professionally. I hope the pair of you do not make me question my leniency in deciding not to punish you this time… you will sincerely regret it if you do," Aaron warned, "dismissed."

Spencer was gone as soon as the last syllable of dismissed left Hotch's lips. Whilst he would have preferred the chance to hide and lick his wounds, Hotch was correct, they really didn't have the time to waste, and he was going to prove he was still a professional and capable of doing his job.

Pepper followed Spencer out more slowly, biting down hard on her lip so she didn't burst into tears. She hated that she'd disappointed Hotch so much on her first actual case, she knew he'd stuck his neck out for her to get her on the team and she was proving those who said she was too young and not mature enough correct. She had to do better; she would do better. She forced herself to concentrate on the job, bagging and tagging the rib bone windchimes.

Aaron left Emily in charge of bagging and tagging with Spencer and Pepper and continued the search for Jane in and around the property. The search came up empty and he returned to Emily, Spencer, and Pepper, relieved to see them working efficiently, "it's completely empty, she's not here," he informed them.

Flashback over

Spencer sighed to himself, he didn't know why Pepper annoyed him so much, no one else seemed to have a problem with her and everyone seemed to think they were similar and should get on really well. He wished, and not for the first time, he could know what his mentor was thinking. There was a part of him that hoped that maybe, just maybe, Jason would think he'd suffered enough and decide not to punish him. He considered getting the chess board out, but Jason wouldn't play if he was in trouble and as much as he wished to know he would rather not have it confirmed that he was in for it.

Jason came out of the bathroom and rested his hand on Spencer's shoulder, "try and get some sleep," he advised gently. He wished he could let what happened go, Spencer had been kidnapped, drugged, beaten, tortured, and killed. He'd been forced to pick a victim for the unsub, had watched as they were brutally murdered. If that had been a direct result of the argument then Jason could have reasonably decided Spencer had been punished enough, but sadly it wasn't. It was actually the result of a different broken rule and had he not been kidnapped it would have been enough to earn him a separate punishment on its own. If he hadn't split from JJ, then they would have been able to have each other's back and he wouldn't have gotten kidnapped.

Spencer sighed at the lack of an invitation to play chess, that still didn't necessarily mean he was in trouble, Jason looked utterly exhausted, and he wasn't faring much better. Despite the drugs the hospital had given him to help him sleep, the sleep he'd gotten had been riddled with nightmares and it probably would be for at least a little while now. He decided it was best to try and follow Jason's suggestion and at least attempt to get some sleep, grabbing up one of the blankets he got himself as comfortable as he could and closed his eyes.

Jason kept an eye on Spencer as he slowly slipped off to sleep, relieved the young agent was able to get some rest. Only once he was sure Spencer was actually asleep, did he let himself relax back in his chair to try and get some shut eye himself; he wanted to be as rested as he could be before they had their much-needed conversation.

Spencer's sleep was fortunately nightmare free and when he startled awake it was at someone shaking his shoulder. He looked up into the face of his mentor and willed his heart to calm down some, "sorry," he squeaked.

"Don't apologize, you've been through a horrific trauma, it's understandable," Jason reassured Spencer softly. "We're going to be landing soon, you need to get your seatbelt on," he explained.

Spencer pulled himself into a sitting position and pulled the seatbelt on as the plane began its descent. He did feel a little better after his nap, but the tiredness still dragged at him. He yawned tiredly, casting a side glance at Jason, wondering if he could get away with just going home and sleeping or if Jason would insist that he came to his. His mentor kept him close when he was injured and well, he had technically died he supposed, and he wasn't sure there was a worse injury than death.

"I know you're still tired, you can go to sleep once we get back to my place," Jason informed him.

Spencer sighed, well that answered that question. He did wish he was going back to his own apartment, after all if Jason found the Dilaudid then any chance he had of maybe getting out of the punishment he'd been promised flew out the window. Jason had no reason to suspect or search him though so he should be fine. It wasn't like he was going to use it, not definitely anyway, it was just in case, at least that's what he told himself. He didn't need it, he just… wanted it. Going back to Jason's didn't necessarily mean he was in for a punishment, he always had to stay at least a couple days with Jason when he was injured, on or off the job. Still his knee bounced a little in his nervousness, the urge to ask, to get Jason to ease his worries was there again, but the risk of him confirming otherwise, saying he was in trouble, held him back.

Jason could see Spencer was nervous and wondered if maybe they should discuss things before he allowed the young genius to sleep, but the look of exhaustion on his protégés face convinced him otherwise. Spencer did not do all that well when he was tired, he became more emotional, more reactive, confronting him now would only lead to Spencer getting himself in more trouble.

Once the plane had landed, Spencer followed Jason to his car, tossing his go bag in the back and folding himself into the passenger seat. He wasn't sure how long he was going to be stuck at Jason's, but he knew his mentor would take him to his apartment if he needed anything.

Jason climbed into the driver's seat and glanced at Spencer, "do we need to stop at your place for anything, or can you make do for today and tonight with your go bag?" He wanted Spencer under his roof for at least a week, but they could go to his apartment anytime really, however if there was something Spencer needed immediately, he didn't mind doing the trip now.

Spencer mulled that over, thinking about the Dilaudid he had hidden in his go bag. Having the opioid in the Senior Supervisory Special Agent's house was about as stupid as one could get, using it whilst Jason was watching his every move was even more idiotic. "Yeah, can we stop at my place please," he requested softly. It would give him a chance to hide the drugs, though he would have to come up with something he needed to take with him, but he could do that once they actually got to his apartment.

Jason nodded and drove them quickly to Spencer's apartment, parking up and following the young agent inside, not using his own key out of politeness. He picked up one of the books in Spencer's bookcase, flicking through it as Spencer scurried to his bedroom. "Get enough clothes for a week," he called to Spencer's retreating back.

Spencer got his go bag out of the car and followed Jason up to his own apartment, letting them both inside. He slipped into his bedroom and quickly shoved the little vials into his sock drawer, nervously checking behind him, half expecting Jason to be right there watching with a disappointed look. Fortunately, he wasn't, so Spencer was able to let out a breath of relief. He dumped his go bag out on his bed and changed his clothes for fresh ones, reluctantly grabbing enough for a week. He knew if Jason had decided he was staying with him for a week, then he would be staying for at least a week, hopefully it would only be the one week, but he knew Jason wouldn't be persuaded to let him return home any sooner than a week. He cast his eyes around his room, searching for his excuse for needing to come in here, finally grabbing the book he'd been reading from his nightstand to use as his justification. He walked back into the main area of his apartment and waved the book at Jason, "got what I needed."

Jason snapped the book closed and slipped it back into the bookcase before he nodded, "okay, let's go then," he directed. He followed Spencer out, pausing so he could lock up his apartment, then lead back downstairs and to his car. He was pretty sure there would be another trip to the apartment for something else the young genius desperately needed, but that was okay with him. He drove them out to his cabin; it was more private and secluded than his apartment and better for the conversation they needed to have.

When Spencer realized that Jason was heading to his cabin rather than his apartment, he felt a fresh bubble of worry. If he just wanted to keep an eye on him because of what had happened, then they wouldn't need the privacy of the cabin. It still wasn't fait accompli, Jason could just need a break away from things, they'd had two traumatic cases back-to-back so his mentor could need to just get away from it all. In fact, the more he considered that, the more he was able to relax, it made total sense that Jason would want to get away. After Frank getting away from them and him getting kidnapped, he needed a break away after all that happened to him, and he knew Jason well enough that he knew his mentor would need the time and space to decompress. It didn't mean he was completely in the clear either, but it did mean it wasn't totally hopeless.

Jason flicked on the radio in the car, not wanting to drive in silence, but also not wanting to get into any kind of debate with Spencer. He'd had lots of time to think, but he still had a lot on his mind and things he needed to mentally process. He could not shake the guilt he felt about what had happened to Spencer when he was in Hankel's hands, he'd felt at the time that he'd had to do it, but the consequences of his actions were severe for Spencer.

The quiet of the car wasn't oppressive and Spencer felt no need to break the silence, the music was soft and soothing and along with the gentle motion of the car he felt himself being lulled to sleep. He didn't try and fight it, not as exhausted as he felt, and let himself get as comfortable as he could leaning against the side of the car and drifted off into a light doze.

It took a while to get to the cabin, and by the time Jason pulled onto the drive Spencer was still dozing in the passenger seat. Jason felt a little bad at having to wake the young man, but he would be much more comfortable sleeping in a bed then dozing in a car. To his relief it seemed Spencer wasn't too deep in sleep, as he woke up when the car came to a stop and the engine shut off. "Go straight through to the spare bedroom and get some sleep," he urged.

Spencer yawned and stretched awkwardly in the car, giving a nod of assent, fumbling to open the car door and stumble into the cabin behind Jason. He knew his way to the spare bedroom, almost as well as he knew his way to his bedroom at his apartment. He didn't even bother getting changed, just kicking off his shoes and climbing into bed, back to sleep almost before his head even hit the pillow.

Jason fetched Spencer's bag and carried it into his room, giving a fond smile to the sleeping special agent. Spencer looked so young and so innocent when he was asleep, he left the bag by the door and then pulled it too, so that if Spencer had a nightmare he'd be alerted. He'd told the genius to get enough clothes for a week, but he'd rather he stayed with him until he had no more nightmares. However, Spencer was stubborn as they came and would probably be all but chomping at the bit to return to his apartment in much less than a week. Shaking his head fondly he figured he could get his head down for a couple hours, but first he should phone Hotch and let him know where he and Spencer were at. He did just that and was pleased to hear they'd been granted seventy-two hours of downtime, barring an emergency. The downtime was much, much needed, especially since their last two leave allowances had been interrupted by emergencies, they had been on time off when the call for this last case came in. Feeling at least a little lighter than he had been, Jason ended the phone call and got himself to bed for just a couple hours of shut eye.

~o~

There you go, that was chapter three, I'll see you next week for the final chapter. Drop a review and let me know your thoughts, reviews really make my day and motivate me to write more.