(8) Rapport

You're in the middle of you lecture when you hear loud footsteps as someone is running down the hallway outside the lecture hall. It makes you turn your head towards the door that is yanked open a few seconds later.

Prentiss is coming in, seemingly a little out of breath. Furrowing your eyebrows, you walk towards her. She leans closer and whispers in your ear: "There is a hostage situation in Wakefield."

Before she can elaborate, you turn to your students that are looking at you confused: "I apologize but I need to leave." Briskly, you walk to the desk at the front and get your stuff. You point at one of your assistants and she nods, getting up from her seat to continue the lecture on your behalf.

With your briefcase in hand, you follow Emily to the parking lot. On the way, she tells you: "We've been called half an hour ago. Hotch sent me to pick you up."

"You certainly ignored some speed limits."

She chuckles: "Used the sirens all the way. It was quite fun."

Her demeanor changes when she goes on to explain what's happening: "Someone is holding hostages in a convenient store."

You're not sure why they involve you, since you're neither an agent nor a negotiator, but you're certainly glad that Aaron did. Just imagining arriving in the office in an hour, to find out everyone is in northern D.C. because of this, scares you. Especially when you think of Aaron.

You take a deep breath to focus on what's actually happening.

"I don't have a siren." You state.

"Just drive behind me."

You gulp but nod. Then you set a record for the fastest drive from Bethesda to D.C.

- - - - - - - - - -

The entire street is blocked with police cars, blue light flickering in every direction. Coming to a stop abruptly, you park next to Prentiss. Leaving your stuff inside, you forcefully shut the car door. Emily throws you an FBI jacket. Catching it, you hastily put it on and follow her through the barricades that have been set up.

She leads you to the van that serves as mobile headquarters. When you get inside, you see most of the team staring at a wall of screens. Aaron is the first one to turn to you. For a moment is stern face softens and he gives you a small smile.

You walk over to him and hunch over to look at the screens as well. They have several cameras in place but none inside. The door is made of glass, making part of the store visible but most of it is out of sight.

"We called the phone in the store, but he only told us to fuck off." Reid informs you.

"What does he want?"

Morgan looks at you: "For us to leave."

"Is anyone injured?"

"We asked but he didn't tell us. And we can't see enough."

"There are at least five people inside with him. Two workers and three customers. Maybe more."

Aaron adds: "Rossi and Garcia are working from headquarters to research for any information that might help us."

You nod but you have no idea how to help. You never assisted in this kind of situation. To make room, you step outside and look around. There are a lot of cops around, blocking the street and keeping people back. Walking towards the store, you see a sniper on top of the roof on the other side of the street. SWAT is here as well, waiting for instructions.

You only stop walking when you're behind the police car that's right in front of the store. "Who was first at the scene?" You ask the cop that's pointing a gun at the entrance.

He turns his head: "I was, Ma'am."

"Did he say anything?"

"There was a lot of yelling, I could not make out if he said anything specific."

"How long has he been in there?"

"Must be about two hours by now."

After you thanked him, you keep walking along the barricade of police cars in front of the store. That is, until you hear Aaron calling for you. He used your first name but no one else seems to notice.

When you're next to him, he tells you: "Please don't walk that close."

His voice is soft and pleading, not how he is talking to the others right now as he is ordering everyone around.

You nod: "Anything new?"

"We got his last name: Keating. There are security cameras inside, but we cannot access the footage remotely. Garcia is working on it."

You follow him back into the van. They are trying to reach him via the phone, but he disconnected it.

"What the fuck does he want?" Prentiss curses.

Reid turns around: "Maybe if we find out what he did before he came here, we'll know."

"Good." Aaron says. "Call Garcia."

The SWAT leader enters: "We found a vent we could get a camera through. Should we try it?"

- - - - - - - - - -

Now that you have a visual, you can assess the situation better. At least the team can. You're just looking at the people and if anyone is hurt. Keating is leaning against the counter, breathing heavily, pointing a gun at the others who are sitting on the floor.

You narrow your eyes and sit down next to Reid in front of the screens.

"Can you get a closer shot of him?"

Reid zooms in but the picture gets blurry. You still can make out how Keating is wiping his forehead repeatedly, his legs looking like they are spasming.

Leaning back, you go through your mental folder of symptoms and what they are indicating. Suddenly, he leans down and pukes on the floor. It doesn't last long but you can see how he is pressing one hand against his stomach.

"He's clearly agitated and nervous." Aaron states. "Maybe we can get through to him after all if he is this afraid."

You shake your head; this doesn't look like simple nervousness to you.

About a minute later, Garcia calls with more information. She found a video of Keating in a pharmacy yesterday morning. He apparently tried to pick up something but for some reason didn't get it.

"Get a hold of that pharmacist." Aaron orders.

You add: "And send over the CCTV footage."

"Faster than a Hotch-Rocket." Garcia blurts out.

It makes the corners of your mouth twitch.

The computer makes a sound as the footage arrives a few seconds later. Reid opens the file and plays the video. This time, you get a high-resolution picture of Keating's face.

You notice how small his pupils are and finally put the pieces together.

Raising your voice, you look at the others: "He's in withdrawal."

"What?" Morgan asks stunned.

"The symptoms he's showing. He isn't nervous, he is in withdrawal." You point at the footage from yesterday: "Look at his pupils. He had a high dosage of opioids in his system."

Astounded, everyone stares at you.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Let me talk to him." You argue with Aaron.

"No. You're not trained for that."

"I'm trained to attend medical emergencies. And this is one."

Aaron stares you down. You see in his eyes that he kind of agrees, but also that he is absolutely mortified at the thought of you getting anywhere near Keating.

"It's the best we got." Prentiss supports you.

"He's been in there for over two hours." You repeat the information the cop gave you. "There isn't much time left before he crashes."

"Then we wait for that." Aaron tells you.

You sigh.

"We should give it a try." Morgan chimes in. "He's likely to get violent before that happens. He's desperate."

Aaron's jaw clenches. He's angry that the others are arguing with him.

Eventually, he states: "You're not going alone."

You immediately get out of the van and walk to the paramedics on site. They hand you a bag with all the different pain medication that they have as well as the equipment to use it.

Aaron follows you with a bulletproof vest. You take off your jacket. He pulls the vest over your head and straps you in, clipping a microphone to it. You notice that his hands are shaking.

Putting your hands on his, you calmly tell him: "It will be fine."

He stares into your eyes and turns his hands so that your palms are on his. You look at each other quietly. Trying not to think about what could go wrong, you just tell yourself that you will touch Aaron again soon. "Okay." He whispers.

You pick up the bag the paramedics prepared for you and determinedly walk towards the entrance of the store. You see JJ and Morgan come out of the van to walk with you and Aaron. They flank you as you get closer.

Taking a deep breath, you walk past the police cars. As soon as Keating sees you, he yells: "Stay the fuck away. I will shoot."

You take another step so that you're right in front of the glass door.

"I'm Professor Byrne." You announce.

"I don't care. Fuck off."

"What's your name?"

He doesn't answer.

"I know that you're in pain. I'm here to help you."

He still doesn't answer.

You reach for the door handle.

A shot is fired and the window next to you shatters. Aaron immediately puts himself between you and the door, shielding you from any more bullets.

"Hold your fire!" He yells at the cops so that they don't shoot back.

His arms around you, he keeps you away from the door. You're breathing heavily but the adrenaline keeps you focused.

JJ puts her hand on your shoulder to gently make you walk back.

"Let me talk to him."

"Back. Now." Aaron orders, pushing you by the shoulders.

You jerk out of his and JJ's grip.

"What do you need?" You yell into the store.

The others circle you, but you don't stop.

"Morphine? Vicodin? Fentanyl? Dilaudid?" You pause between every word.

Finally, Keating answers: "Come in. Only you, Professor."

You sigh in relieve.

"Okay." You yell back. "But I need you to let someone else go."

Aaron looks surprised as you negotiate with Keating.

Suddenly, you hear someone run to the door. A woman is yanking it open, her eyes red, tears streaming down her face.

JJ grabs her and you take a step into the store before Aaron can object. The door falls shut behind you. There are more people sitting on the floor, staring at you with wide eyes.

The air smells of sweat and vomit. You wrinkle your nose.

Keating is still leaning against the counter. The kit in one hand, you raise your other to appear as non-threatening as you can.

"I'm nod a Fed." You explain. "I'm only here to help you."

He scoffs but lets you come closer. You step between the legs of the people that are sitting down.

"What's you name?" You repeat your question.

"What do you care?"

"I like to know the name of my patients."

His eyes widen a little when you call him that.

"Leonard. I'm Leonard."

You know that the others heard his name via the mic you're wearing and probably are already working on finding out more.

"Okay, Leonard. I noticed that you're showing symptoms of withdrawal. What do you need?"

His eyes dart between your face and the bag in your hand. He wipes his forehead again. His lips tighten: "This didn't need to happen! My fucking insurance…"

"I'm sorry." Your eyes wander down his body, and you ask: "When did you take your last dose?"

"Two days ago."

"Your blood pressure is extremely high, that's why you feel dizzy, and why you're sweating so much. I need to give you something or you will be in even more pain soon."

Hesitantly, he nods.

You put the bag down and squat next to it to open it.

"Slowly!" He demands.

You look at him, slowing down your movements. After you opened it, you show him the contents of the bag.

"Dilaudid." Leonard snaps at you.

You rummage through the bag and until you find the right bottle, taking out a syringe as well.

Drawing up the syringe, you get back to your feet.

"How do I know you won't give me something else?" He points the gun at you when you get closer. Your heart is pounding so hard, you're sure the others can hear it through the mic.

"Because I only care about helping you."

"Not good enough."

You have no idea how to convince him. It surprises you that you even got this far. Now you understand what Aaron meant by you're not trained for that.

Your eyes dart around the room. You point at one of the workers: "Get water and a banana."

To your surprise Leonard doesn't object but gestures with his gun towards the shelf with water bottles. The worker scrambles to get what you asked for.

He hands it to you, and you open the bottle. Then you offer it to Leonard. He takes it and sighing downs half of it. Meanwhile, you peel a banana. He takes it as well and devours it within seconds.

"Better?" You ask.

Leonard nods.

"Okay. Now think about your options. Let me help you or wait for the FBI storm this place and see how that pans out for you."

He drinks the rest of the water and throws the bottle on the ground, making the hostages flinch. Somehow, you manage to show no reaction.

"You use some as well." He points at the syringe.

"I can't do that. It's highly potent and I'm not used to it as you are. If I pass out, I can't help you."

"Either that or I start shooting people. Your trusty FBI will not be in here fast enough to save everyone. Now you think about your options."

You can basically feel Aaron rage outside.

"Okay."

Kneeling back down, you draw up a second syringe, making sure Leonard can see that it's the same bottle.

"I'll put it in my leg, so it doesn't take effect as fast, and I can inject you as well, okay?"

Finally, he agrees with you.

You take one of the syringes and push it through the fabric of your pants over your calf. You inhale sharply when the syringe scratches your skin.

Showing the empty syringe to Leonard, you take the other one and step closer. He extends his arm. You sanitize the crook of his arm before pushing the syringe into it. He lets out a sigh when he feels the dilaudid enter his system.

Taking a step back, you put the used syringes back into the bag and walk further away. You wait for the dilaudid to hit. Seeing how Leonard's eyes get droopy, you let out a breath. Only a few seconds after that, he collapses onto the ground.

- - - - - - - - - -

Stumbling, you follow the paramedics that are carrying Keating away, and tell them what they need to give them. When you turn around, you get overwhelmed by the noise of people yelling and more sirens in the distance.

Everyone is rushing around while you're just standing there. Shaking, you take off your vest.

You feel the adrenaline wear off and simply fall to your knees in the middle of the road. Hands on your thighs, head hanging down, you close your eyes and try to calm yourself by taking deep breaths.

Suddenly, you feel arms around you. You recognize Aaron's scent instantly and lean into him. One hand on the back of your neck, the other arm hugging you tightly, he holds you close.

"It's okay." He repeats whispering.

Your forehead leaning against his shoulder, you put your hands on his thighs to hold yourself up. Gently, he caresses the back of your head and neck.

It takes you some time to calm your breathing, but eventually, you manage to look up. Aaron is smiling at you, sitting down next to you, not a care about being in the middle of the road.

"Do you need to go to the hospital?"

You shake your head, pulling your legs from under you to sit down and show him your calf: "I didn't inject it."

Aaron touches the spot where the syringe scratched your skin, he understands when he feels that your slacks are wet next to it.

"Good job." He chuckles. "I will never let you do something like that again."

You let out a tired laugh: "Aww man, I was looking forward to it."

Quickly, Aaron presses a kiss to your cheek before getting up and helping you get on your feet as well. Morgan and Reid come over.

"Well done." Morgan bumps the fist you offer him.

Reid asks: "Did you overdose him?"

"Oh, yeah." You nod. "He'll be fine though."

"Everyone go home. Use the weekend to rest. I'll see you Monday." Aaron orders.

Turning to you, he declares: "I'll drive you."

The others comment on how that's a good idea since you still look like you might faint.

Your head falls back when you finally sit down on the passenger seat of your car.

"What about your car?" You ask Aaron with closed eyes.

"We drove here with the SUVs, mine is still at headquarters anyways. I thought you might give me a lift on Monday."

All you manage to get out, before you slip out of consciousness, is an affirmative hum.

- - - - - - - - - -

You get woken up by the clicking of your seatbelt. Opening your eyes, you find Aaron leaning into the car to get it off you. He smiles when he finds you looking at him. He leans closer to your face and kisses you. You push your hands into his hair and kiss him back, pulling him even closer to you.

Inside your house, you throw your stuff on the table in the living room. Aaron asks: "Do you want to lay down?"

Nodding, you walk up to your bedroom with him trailing behind you. He helps you take off your clothes without giving it any kind of sexual undertones. It's sweet and heartwarming to see how careful he touches you.

Just in your panties and a shirt, you get into bed, closing your eyes with a sigh when your head hits the pillow. You hear Aaron strip as well and the sheets rustle when he crawls into bed next to you. Rolling over, you put your head on his shoulder and your arm around him. He kisses the top of your head and draws circles on your back.

Suddenly, you realize that your arm is touching naked skin. Your head shoots up and you look at Aaron. The blanket is covering his chest, but you see that his shoulders are naked as well. Which means… "You're not wearing a shirt."

He shakes his head. Your eyes start to water, and you have blink repeatedly to not start crying. And you didn't even see his torso yet. Leaning down, you press a kiss to his lips.

With one hand you, caress his cheeks, tracing his cheekbone, then his jaw.

Aaron sighs and deepens the kiss by opening his mouth. You gently nibble on his bottom lip. When you lean back up, both of his hands grab your face. His voice is rough and quiet when he tells you: "I realized today that there are things way scarier than letting you see my scars."

You smile and put your hands on his: "You don't have to just because I scared the shit out of both of us today."

He lets out a low chuckle: "I'm still mad at you by the way; but that's besides the point. I know that I don't have to. You didn't push me in any way and now I want to. I want you to fully see me."

"Oh, baby…" You lean in for another kiss.

You grab the blanket and pull it off Aaron's chest. Your eyes brush over the scars, but they linger on his toned pectorals and coin-sized nipples that you only got to touch but never see. He's observing your face and notices how you're not looking at his scars at all.

"Fuck, you're even hotter that way. Didn't think that was possible."

That makes Aaron laugh. Not chuckle, but fully laugh. It's a laugh way higher than one would expect it to be and you feel it giving you serotonin immediately.

Then you properly take a look at his scars. Tilting your head, you let your eyes follow the lines crossing his abdomen. They are thick and you understand why it can be straining for him to stand up straight. You swallow hard at the thought of him being in pain so often. You also understand why he has nightmares every other night.

"I like them."

"You like them?" Aaron props himself up on his elbows and stares at you in disbelieve.

"You always look authoritative and whatnot. These…" You point at the scars: "These make you look indestructible."

And that's the first time you see Aaron Hotchner cry.