The Impending Storm: Criminal Minds (Mostly Hotch/JJ, a little of everyone else)

[24Me]

I'm hoping this is good...I've never seen the show. (Takes place after Reaper incident)

JJ knew something was wrong with her boss the moment she walked in the door of the BAU and to the bullpen. She frowned as she saw him standing in front of the coffee machine-sure, Hotch drank coffee, but he must have been running late that morning to still be there when JJ was there. He looked exhausted, too. Aaron was leaning against the counter, staring at some point on the floor without really seeing it. His eyes were vacant, his lips parted slightly. JJ felt her brow knit in concern as Hotch grabbed a napkin from the counter and suddenly sneezed harshly into it.

"HehHRSH! TSSCH! HhhhrrrrrSHH!"

They fairly exploded out of him, which jolted JJ to two new conclusions: they were probably the only two people there at the moment if he was displaying weakness that loudly, and she was staring. She cleared her throat lightly, but Hotch still jumped, his hand reaching unconsciously for his gun, before turning to the side. He pinched his nose and viciously stifled a sneeze.

"Bless you, Hotch." JJ murmured, blushing to her toes. This was awkward.

"NGTuhhhh....bordig, Adget Jareau." Hotch said, but quickly blew his nose softly to alleviate the congestion a bit. He shifted a bit awkwardly, clearing his throat, before speaking again. "Um...how long were you standing there?"

Immediately, JJ decided that honesty was not the best policy. A little white lie couldn't hurt anything-not while she was still blushing.

"I just walked in. I don't mean to pry, sir, but are you alright?"

Aaron Hotchner himself was mortified after sneezing in front of JJ. She'd probably been standing there for more than she was telling, but he was grateful for her respect of his feelings. In fact, he probably wasn't alright, but it had been so long since he'd done anything but put on a brave face that he wasn't sure anymore. Hotch, too, decided honesty wasn't something he was willing to employ

"Yes, I'm fine." He said gruffly. JJ averted her eyes so he couldn't see her skeptical look. "I just put pepper in the coffee instead of sugar." He added, raising the mug.

JJ mustered a weak smile. In truth, even if he wasn't lying-which she knew he was-Hotch would never make that mistake if he were in full possession of his physical and mental health. It had only been-what, three months? Since Haley had passed away, and Hotch had never let himself grieve. Needless to say, JJ had been watching like a hawk, and she was well aware that he was starting to slip. Hotch had been more tired, listless, and disoriented the past week or so-now the sneezing simply confirmed JJ's suspicions that her boss was ill.

She wished that Hotch trusted her enough to let his guard down just enough to say "I'm under the weather." Or something. Still, she knew that after Haley, Hotch would struggle to trust anyone. JJ didn't want to embarrass Hotch, but she needed to comfort him somehow, to let him know someone was there. Her solution was to gently brush her shoulder against his as she squeezed between him and the counter to get to the coffee machine.

Hotch felt close to tears as he felt JJ bump up against him. He was overwhelmed by how much she cared, and how much she knew about how to handle his grief without embarrassing him. The other members of the team tended to push him to talk; give him shoulder squeezes or sympathetic glances; JJ went about her normal business, comforting him in small ways that let him know she was watching him, but allowed him to continue to maintain a brave facade in front of his team.

Now, he quietly thanked JJ as he took a cup of coffee she had poured for him before retreating to his office and shutting the door. It was going to be a long day, and he had a hunch that this crappy morning would be the best part of it.

JJ, meanwhile, headed to her desk, a stack of files in her arms and a frown on her lips. She was worried about her boss-if he was as tight lipped and brave-faced around Hayley's sister as he was around her, she knew he wasn't giving voice to his grief. JJ knew he didn't speak to anyone at the office, he never spoke to Jack about it(other than to comfort the little boy or ask how he was) and from the way he had been working, she doubted he spent time with a counselor.

She sighed, and rubbed her collarbone from anxiety. JJ didn't want to be worried about Hotch, but how could she not be? The empathetic woman didn't need a sticky note to remind her to watch her boss, but she did need to get to work. With a sigh, JJ grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, to begin choosing their next case.

Hotch, too, sat down at his desk to begin working. He found it more difficult to concentrate, though, as he tried to force himself not to think about anything but the report he was attempting to write. Try as he might, he couldn't block out Haley's screams and moans of pain and fear as she died while he listened. The haunting sounds lingered in his nightmares, preventing him from getting any more than three hours of sleep per night.

Aaron knew he couldn't keep going like this, that he would crash eventually, but he just couldn't slow down. He was drowning, and didn't know how to swim. The horror of what he had been through had changed him noticeably, inside and out. The guilt that ate him alive caused him to have very little appetite-or to make him too sick to eat-and so he had lost enough weight that his suits were becoming slightly baggy. Dark shadows looked like bruises under his eyes due to lack of sleep; he was exhausted and listless; and he never was able to sleep.

The profiler shut his eyes and massaged his temples as a wave of exhaustion washed over him. Hotch wanted so badly to rest, but he simply couldn't, due to the nightmares and to work. A tickle in the back of his nose made him sigh: he didn't want to sneeze again. Why couldn't he just get a break?

Hotch grabbed a tissue, and sniffed lightly as the burning irritation made his eyes water and nostrils flare erratically. He sat, poised with the tissue ready to catch and muffle any sneezes, for what felt like minutes. Finally, he snapped forward.

"HESHuh! TSCCHAHah! HhrrrrSHuh! HTTTSCH!"

Aaron sniffed, then blew his nose. It was going to be a long day. With a soft sigh, he settled back into his case report. Who knew, maybe it wouldn't hurt so badly if he could just lose himself in his work. Besides, all he had to do was a report, then he could sneak into a conference room, lock the door, and sleep for a few extra minutes. Wait, no-he was Aaron Hotchner, and he would prove that he was strong.

------------------------------------------

"JJ?" The woman in question was jerked from her swirling thoughts of Hotch's health and cases by the Italian voice of David Rossi. She jumped in her chair, startled, before whirling to face him with wide, scared eyes and a panicked overall look.

Rossi frowned, and gently touched her arm as JJ's hand flew unconsciously to her collarbone: her tell-tale anxious sign.

"Bella? You with us? It seems like you're in another world." JJ nodded, desperately scrambling to regain composure.

"Um...sorry, uh...yes, sorry...I...I just..." She sucked in a breath, "Yes, sorry, I'm just thinking."

JJ finished. In truth, JJ was worried about the case and Hotch. It involved flying to Wisconsin-in the bitter cold of winter, nonetheless-and the victims were all females, shot in the chest and head. Rossi nodded, seeming to understand.

"Do you have the case selected?" JJ nodded, inhaled shakily, and tried to voice her concern, leaving out the part about Hotch's apparent illness and concentrating on her main concern-the M.O. of the killings.

"Yes. The nature of the killings is so similar to...to Haley-one of the vics was on the phone with her boyfriend when she died-I'm worried about him!"

Rossi sighed. He knew JJ's concerns about the nature of the killings was valid-he wasn't sure the younger agent would be able to handle it.

"We'll keep an eye on him, Bella, don't worry." JJ nodded, biting her lip anxiously.

"Conference room in 10." She said.

Please comment!

[matilda3948]

YAY!!! Love sick Hotch! Thanks for writing this--it's really good

[darkness-is-the-light]

This is great! Please continue, I love reading about Hotch being sick as much as the others too.

[ToothTen]

YES!! Please continue this, Hotch is definitely one of my favorite subjects of sneezefics. He is so stoic, and perfect for denial, and I love te dynamic between JJ and him...

[jezebel215]

this is fantastic. like, really really good.

[24Me]

YAY!!! Love sick Hotch! Thanks for writing this--it's really good

Thank you so much!!! You are my inspiration, actually, for this story. I kinda/sorta/definitely have read all of yours at least three times. You have no idea how happy your "it's really good" made me!

This is great! Please continue, I love reading about Hotch being sick as much as the others too.

I might have freaked out when I read your comment-I love love love your CM stories and drabbles!!!!!

YES!! Please continue this, Hotch is definitely one of my favorite subjects of sneezefics. He is so stoic, and perfect for denial, and I love te dynamic between JJ and him...

yay!!!! He's one of mine, too-I can picture him being sick very well! JJ seems like the mother of the group, and he's the father, so I just had to write this!

this is fantastic. like, really really good.

oh. My.Gosh. Thank you thank you thank you! This made me so happy!!!!!!!

I'll be continuing in(I think) the next week.

[Lexi]

Sick Hotch is one of my favourite things. This is super awesome

[24Me]

Hi guys! I'm sorry if this isn't very good-the Hotch/JJ interaction was kinda tricky. If anyone has constructive criticism, I'm happy to take it! Otherwise, enjoy part two!

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As soon as Rossi had left her desk, JJ stood up and walked briskly to Hotch's office. The door was shut and the blinds closed, which, for some reason, made her sick to her stomach. Of course it was natural to withdraw after a tragedy like Haley, but JJ didn't have to like it. With an inaudible sigh, she knocked gently on the door. A deep, quiet "come in" came from inside. JJ turned the handle, but found it was locked. Her cheeks flushed slightly. This was a little like talking through the bathroom door to her boss-wait, no, thinking that was even more awkward.

"It's locked." She called, softly but clearly.

Inside, Hotch had been massaging his forehead before JJ knocked. Even though she couldn't see him, he just felt weak by allowing himself to feel under the weather. The fact that the door was locked both confused and irritated him. He stood and rushed towards the door-or tried to. A wave of dizziness overcame him, and the world tilted crazily.

JJ heard the sound of someone walking to the door, and then a loud crash, followed by a thud, and then nothing. Her stomach clenched.

"Hotch?"

No response. Just as she was about to get Morgan, the door opened. Her boss was standing in front of her, blushing to his toes and looking absolutely mortified.

"JJ, I am so sorry, I don't know what happened, I'm sorry the door was locked-" The deluge of words stopped abruptly when the woman shook her head and gently touched shoulder.

"It's fine, it happens. Are you okay?" He nodded.

"I'm sorry, I just tripped over a...over a chair getting up and I knocked over some stuff on my desk." In truth, he had stumbled, grabbed for the desk, then knocked things over and fell awkwardly against it. The silence was caused by him having to powerfully stifle three sneezes. JJ, however, did not ever need to know that.

She nodded, but bit her lip anxiously as she removed her hand.

"Okay. Sir, we're meeting in the conference room in-" She checked her watch, "four minutes. We have a case." Anxiously, she rubbed her collarbone and then the back of her neck before turning away. Hotch sighed quietly, and even though he knew JJ had heard, he appreciated that she didn't turn around.

Hotch gathered a notepad, a pen, and his phone before heading to the conference room. He didn't want to fly anywhere. He didn't want to work a case. He wanted to go home, sleep, and wake up with Haley by his side-and to not be sick. The man sat down between Morgan and Reid-he didn't want to deal with sympathy, and they were the two whom he thought were the least likely to show it.

A moment later, Garcia bustled in, her computer in her arms. JJ cleared her throat before addressing the group.

"Um...obviously, we, uh, have a case." Hotch frowned slightly. JJ never stumbled over her words, or played with a bracelet while casting her eyes about nervously, as she was doing now. She bit her lip before continuing. "The Milwaukee PD contacted me- a substantial number of suspiciously similar murders have been committed. The Police Cheif noticed the M.O. of the killings was the same in each victim, and is worried that an Unsub might be to blame." Reid raised his hand. JJ frowned internally.

"What is the M.O, exactly?" That made JJ freeze. She didn't want to share with Hotch in the room, but now she didn't have a choice.

She paused to take a breath before continuing, her posture noticeably stiffening as it did when she became nervous. Aaron didn't miss the glance she and Garcia exchanged, or the nod from the spunky "Oracle". JJ shifted her weight a bit while she spoke, as if she were choosing her words carefully.

"The victims were Caucasian females, all in their early thirties. All were divorced with one child, shared custody. Each was shot once in the back of the head, and then had their wrists and throats slit postmortem."

She looked at Hotch briefly, and didn't like what she saw. His eyes had closed, and instead of looking at her, he now had his head resting on his clasped fists, his elbows propped on the table. It was obvious that he was struggling with his emotions. Now that the damage had been done, JJ felt she should plow ahead so she could talk to Hotch in private before they left.

Garcia had noticed Hotch struggling, too, and decided that showing pictures of the victims on their bedroom floors was not a good idea.

"I'm having computer trouble." She announced. Reid immediately stood up.

"I can take a look at it." Garcia held out a hand to stop him.

"Do you doubt my technical goddess status?" The young genius knew better than to respond, and sat down. JJ thanked Garcia internally.

"Okay, so far we have eight victims. Wheels up in an hour." She announced, before fiddling anxiously with some files in the corner while waiting for everyone else to leave so she could talk to her boss. Rossi tapped her on the shoulder.

"Smart move, kiddo." JJ bit her lip nervously.

"What should I do?" David gave her a soft smile.

"Stay with him. Let him work through what he's feeling for a few minutes. Let him know he's not alone. I have faith in you-you need to have some faith in yourself."

When the wise agent had left the room, JJ walked to the water cooler in the corner and filled a cup with water before sitting down across from Hotch. He still didn't move, even as tears spilled down his cheeks.

She wanted so badly to touch him, hug him, let him cry on her shoulder, but instead she sat and tried to focus on the case file. JJ gave it up a moment later. He was so pale and beginning to shake...she checked her watch. Two minutes. If he didn't snap out of whatever dark place he was in, she would help him.

------------------------------------------

Aaron felt like he was coming up from underwater, or just waking up. Things trickled in slowly-the conference room was half darkened. Everyone was gone. He was alone. Then, more embarrassing details: He, Aaron Hotchner, was trembling slightly and crying, and he had to sneeze. Quickly, he grabbed for his handkercheif and snapped forward into it.

"HHHHRRsssh! TSCHuh! Hhhih'KTSCH'ooo!" As he drew in a shaky breath, a quiet voice spoke up and scared the hell out of him.

"Bless you."

Aaron stood bolt upright, and nearly fell over. Instantly, JJ was next to him. She put an arm around him and helped him back into the chair. Hotch quickly stifled three more sneezes nearly silently-though it hurt his throat far less, the instant sinus pressure was hard to ignore.

"Ggxccxt! G'xzzt! Hhhxxxzt!...uhhh." He couldn't help but let out a pained gasp. "Thank you. I'm sorry, this-" Aaron gestured ruefully to his tear-stained face, "This is highly unprofessional." JJ waved him off, and pushed the cup of water closer to her boss. He took it gratefully.

"Bless you, bless you, bless you. Hotch, it's okay. Really, it is." She added, seeing his obvious disbelief. "I would be traumatized, as well." The young woman added quietly, looking at her hands as she spoke. A heavy silence hung between them for a moment, before she broke it again.

"Sir, may I ask...a slightly personal question?" Hotch stiffened.

"I may not answer, but yes." It might have been a joke had his tone not been so serious. She sucked in a breath, and took the plunge.

"I know what it's like to lose someone close. It takes a toll emotionally and physically. That said...are you feeling alright? Physically? I think this is the most I've ever seen you sneeze." Hotch chuckled uncomfortably.

"I tend to sneeze in darkened conference rooms when I think I'm alone, not in front of my colleagues." JJ noticed he dodged the question. She also laughed uneasily, suddenly becoming aware of how awkward this was.

"Aaron?" She used his first name to get him to listen. His eyes widened in shock. "If you need anything, it doesn't matter what, please promise me you'll call someone?" He nodded stiffly, and JJ's heart sank. She knew that face. He was lying. "Wheels up in half an hour." She finished, before exiting the room quickly.

Comments are always appreciated!

[jezebel215]

he can fight it for a while longer, as long as JJ gets to take care of him at some point :-)

[darkness-is-the-light]

Continue this! I'd love to see where this story is going!

[matilda3948]

"I know what it's like to lose someone close. It takes a toll emotionally and physically. That said...are you feeling alright? Physically? I think this is the most I've ever seen you sneeze." Hotch chuckled uncomfortably.

"I tend to sneeze in darkened conference rooms when I think I'm alone, not in front of my colleagues."

This story is so good! I especially like this bit ^^^

[silentdreamer789]

So good

[24Me]

Thanks for the kind comments! They are always appreciated!

Aaron climbed the stairs to the plane slowly, his whole body beginning to ache. With a soft sigh, he walked to his usual table and placed his go-bag in the overhead compartment. He couldn't help but cast a longing look at the couch, though-a nap sounded like heaven, and it was going to be a long flight. However, Hotch was already embarrassed enough about shutting down in front of his entire team-no way would he admit that he was ill by napping, too.

He walked to the back of the plane and put a pot of water on the coffee machine. If he had a prayer of staying awake, he'd need it. Hotch sighed when the tickle in his nose that had been present all morning peaked once more, and grabbed a napkin.

"Huh...HAHNXGT! Hngxg! Gzzcht! Hihh...huhh...hxt! Nxt! Ngxt!" Aaron pinched off the sneezes before blowing his nose softly. He massaged the bridge of his nose-so much sinus pressure. The headache was growing, and Hotch sighed for the billionth time that day.

The coffee was ready in minutes, and the team leader poured himself a steaming mug before walking back to the table. He set it down on the table, pulled out the reports, and began bracing himself to deal with the case.

Quiet footsteps startled him a moment later, but Hotch was too embarrassed to look up. If he could pretend that he was absorbed in the case, maybe whoever it was would leave him alone. Please don't be JJ! He begged silently. Aaron wasn't sure he could deal with her quiet understanding without breaking down-again. When the person slid into the seat across from Hotch, he almost groaned. The only person on the team who wouldn't give him space when he needed it was Rossi. Sure enough, when Aaron looked up, the older man was watching him.

"Aaron, is this case going to be too much for you?" Blunt and right to the point-Rossi to a "T". The team leader sighed heavily.

"I hope not." His voice was quiet. Rossi frowned.

"It's forgiveable to take the case, you know." Hotch nodded.

"I know."

"Then why don't you?" When Hotch didn't reply, Dave pressed on. "If I were you, would you let me work on this case?" He stiffened.

"Rossi..." His tone was warning. The older man groaned.

"Just. Answer." He said in exasperation. The younger man relented.

"No."

"So why won't you take the case off, Aaron?"

"I don't...dohngxt! NXGT! Hxctsh! Huhh...huhh...hihhh....hih-huh-huhxgt! It's differedt." The sneezes tumbled out in squelchy, congested stifles. Immediately, the pain in Aaron's cheeks bones, forehead, and temples worsened dramatically. Rossi frowned.

"Bless. Are you coming down with something?" Hotch rolled his eyes.

"For god's sake, Dave, let this drop. I'm fine and I am taking the damn case." He growled. Rossi threw his hands up.

"Fine, Aaron. Suit yourself." The Italian man snapped. He pulled out his own files and began studying them, making notes on a legal pad every few seconds. Hotch bit his lip-lately, it seemed like he could do nothing right. He was the reason Jack was without a mother. The reason Jessica was missing her sister. Now, he was even screwing up the team dynamic.

Over the next half-hour, the other members of the team filed onto the plane. Morgan went straight to the chairs in the back, pulled out his iPod and headphones, and tuned into his music. Prentiss and Reid sat down at another table to play chess. Aaron and Rossi exchanged an anxious glance when, five minutes before they were due to began taxiing, JJ still hadn't arrived.

With two minutes to spare, she rushed through the door, stowed her bags, and then huddled into a chair by the window, her whole body tense, and positively radiating stress and anxiety. Hotch and Rossi exchanged worried glances, their earlier...disagreement, if it could be called that, forgotten in lieu of concern over the sweetest member of their team. Unfortunately, the plane began taxiing right at that moment, so there was no way for Hotch to go over and ask if she was alright.

Takeoff proved to be exceedingly uncomfortable for Aaron. The sinus pressure-and pain-increased dramatically as the air pressure changed, and he couldn't help but wince a bit and raise a hand to his face. That earned him a look from Rossi, so Aaron quickly dropped the hand, embarrassed to have shown weakness. He could have stomped his foot in frustration as the tickle that had lingered in his sinuses, and been ignored successfully, rapidly reached overwhelming heights. Hotch knew it was absolutely impossible to hold back his cold sneezes, and didn't even bother to try. Instead, he focused on trying to stifle it as silently as possible. He took in a slightly shaky breath, then jerked a bit in his seat with the powerfully restrained explosions.

"Hhhh...hmp't! Hngt! Ngt!" The tickle gave him half a second of respite, then came back again. "Ngt! Ngt! Hah-chngt!" Rossi gave him a calculating stare.

"Bless."

Hotch sighed. It was going to be a long, long case.

I hope you all are enjoying it so far!

[darkness-is-the-light]

I absolutely can't wait to see what's going to happen next! You're a great writer! Please continue.

[24Me]

I absolutely can't wait to see what's going to happen next! You're a great writer! Please continue.

omigosh, thank you so, so much! I'm still working on part four(haven't started it yet *cough cough*) but it will be up in a few days!

[24Me]

And here is part four, as promised!

Around four o'clock, the jet pilot announced that they would soon began their descent into Milwaukee, where they would be landing at a small airport only forty minutes from the station where the team would set up shop. Hotch had successfully kept the rest of the team-excluding JJ and Rossi-in the dark about his illness by stifling every sneeze that came and burying himself in the case report. He was thankful that the cough that he was sure would develop later hadn't picked now to make its presence known.

With the change in altitude, though, coupled with a cold and stifled sneezes, had come uncomfortable sinus pressure and popping, plugged ears. Aaron tried to keep from grimacing as he lightly put pressure on one ear, then the other, after stifling a fit of particularly nasty sneezes. Rossi shot him a look, then scribbled something on the pad and turned it nonchalantly to face his friend. Aaron arched an eyebrow, but read the message anyway.

Bless you. Are you okay?

Hotch rolled his eyes internally. He scribbled back on his own pad, flipping it towards the Italian so he could read it.

Excuse me. Thank you, yes, I'm fine.

This earned him an eyeroll from Rossi.

We both know that's not true.

Let it drop, Dave.

Rossi scribbled something back, but Aaron didn't look up. Instead, he tucked his pen back into a small case of writing utensils, stowed his pad in his bag, and stood up to go to the bathroom.

Once there, he leaned up against the wall, pulled his handkercheif from his pocket, and let loose with several quiet but intensely ticklish half-stifles.

"Hxct-ch! Ngt-shuh! Hhp'sh! Tssh! Huhh...hihhhh...hnx-sh! Tsh-oo!"

Hotch blew his nose as quietly as possible, refolded his handkercheif, and then washed his hands. A quick glance in the mirror showed that the six-hour flight hadn't done him any favors.

Aaron's eyes were glassy, red-rimmed, and lined with bags and shadows. His face was pale, but his nose and cheekbones were both tinged pink. Hotch sighed-so far, he only looked exhausted, but he knew that soon, the fact that he was ill would become known. He settled for splashing some cool water on his face before returning to his seat.

Rossi sighed, and looked at the piece of paper covered in his writing.

Aaron, please take care of yourself. We are all here for you-if you need anything, don't hesitate to talk or ask.

Heaving another soft sigh, he folded the paper and tucked it into his pocket. The plane began its descent minutes later, and Rossi tried to prepare himself for this case. With eight women dead so far, it wouldn't be easy on anyone.

------------------------------------------

Hotch stood and addressed the team once the plane had touched down. He cleared his throat softly-he was sure that after hours of not speaking, he would be hoarse.

"Everyone, we'll need to move quickly on this one. He-or she-is getting more comfortable with the killing method-" Aaron swallowed, images of his wife mixing with the pictures of the current case, "-which means he or she is less likely to hesitate before taking another victim. Prentiss, I need you and Morgan to go interview the victim's families at the station. Reid, you'll be working with Garcia via webcam to establish connections between victims. Rossi, I need you to start profiling the Unsub more deeply-everyone, stay in touch with Dave."

Hotch felt a tickle behind his eyes make its way to his nose, and closed quickly.

"JJ, you and I will be with the police chief, establishing what's known already about the Unsub and the case. I have faith in you all-now let's move quickly and catch this son of a-catch this Unsub." The leader finished his lecture, grabbed his bag, and walked down the steps of the plane. He did his best to stifle the four sneezes, leaving him with more congestion and a pounding head.

"Hhmph! Tssxt! NNNGT! Hmptsh!"

The cold Wisconsin air was biting into his hands and face, and Hotch found himself wishing he had brought a scarf and gloves. His warm winter coat and hat-perfectly reasonable back home-now seemed positively skimpy amidst the blowing snow and wind. Against his will, Hotch found himself shivering. Quickly, he tensed every muscle and locked his jaw to keep the weakness from showing.

Prentiss disembarked next, and made a face at the weather as Aaron took her hand to help her down the steps.

"This is shitty weather." She groaned. Aaron was inclined to agree, but didn't want to say so aloud. Reid and Morgan had similar reactions when they came down the stairs, all thoughts of Mall of America driven from their minds.

"Jesus, it's cold." Morgan swore, tightening his thick scarf and adjusting the hood on his coat. Reid nodded.

"Did you know that it's often cold enough for large trucks to drive across the ice on frozen ponds?" Morgan rolled his eyes.

"No one knows that but you, pretty boy." Hotch strode towards a man coming towards them, ignoring the chatter of his team members.

"Are you Chief Murray?" He called. The man narrowed his eyes.

"Who the hell wants to know?" That shocked Hotch a little, but he recovered his poise and flashed his badge.

"I'm Senior Special Agent Hotchner, BAU. I was instructed to meet Chief Murray here when we touched down."

The portly police chief blushed to his toes.

"Oh, right-that's me. I'm sorry, sir-the media and all...they've been all over me since this morning."

"What happened this morning?" JJ asked. Hotch jumped-he hadn't noticed that she had come up behind him. His own misery over his burgeoning cold was cast aside as he took in the way she was shivering.

"Perhaps we could talk inside?" Aaron asked, pointedly. The man nodded.

"Ah! Yes, certainly-right this way!" Murray led them across the tarmac to a van, which was waiting to take the team to the station. Aaron opened JJ's door, but she shook her head. Instead, she walked to the back of the van, opened the trunk, and loaded her bags. With a flash of guilt, Hotch realized she had also lugged his over. He moved to her side, and helped her lift his bags in.

"Thank you, JJ." He murmured. She blushed-she hadn't wanted him to know. JJ knew he was feeling sicker than he was letting on, and was trying to save his pride while also saving his health.

"Anytime, Agent Hotchner." Her eyes were downcast, and Hotch felt his stomach twist. He didn't know how to fix this anxious tension between the two of them, and, quite frankly, he wasn't sure he had the energy. With a soft sigh, he climbed into the passenger seat and focused his energy on staying upright.

The police chief began explaining what he knew about the case-very little, as it turned out. So far, ten victims had been killed in the same way. All looked similar and had similar lives. They had all been killed within the past three weeks.

Hotch held up a hand to stop the man as it became obvious that the tickle he had been ignoring since becoming chilled couldn't be held back any longer. Face burning in embarrassment, he sneezed into his handkerchief.

"Hhh...hhngxt! Ngt! Tsht! Hppsh! Uhh..hhh...hx'tch! Nxxgtz! Hnngtz! Nxxgtzz! Hhhh...hhh'psh'huh! 'Tschuh! Hahh...hhh...hhhh...hngxt! Nxgt! Gnntzzx! Hhh'tsch! Excuse me, my apologies. Do go on." He said congestedly immediately after the fit finished, pocketing his handkerchief again as he did so.

"Bless you!" Chorused JJ and Chief Murray.

"Are you catching something?" The chief asked nervously. Aaron shook his head.

"No-this always happens when I experience a quick and extreme temperature change."

Liar. Thought JJ, but she was wise enough to stay quiet. Hopefully, they would solve the case quickly so Hotch could rest his body and his mind.

Please comment and comment and let me know what you think! He'll cave soon, and the caretaking can begin! Sorry this is so cruddy!

[darkness-is-the-light]

It's not terrible! Don't tell yourself that! This is great! I wait for an update all the time. Please continue!

[jezebel215]

SO GOOD! i could eat this up all day.

[silentdreamer789]

This is great! Can't wait for more

[jezebel215]

truly delicious. had to comment again because i just read it a second time :-)

[24Me]

Thank you all so much for your patience! I have a lot of fetishy story ideas swirling right now, so focusing on any one story is hard!

Hours passed uneventfully at the station. Hotch and JJ moved between different members of the team, aiding in whatever they could. Currently, JJ was helping Reid and Garcia by pouring over extensive medical, legal, and phone records to find a link between the ten victims. Aaron himself was in that same room, looking over the pictures and trying to keep his mind clear and objective as he thought about how the victims were staged.

Their arms had been folded so the hands were laced together over the belly button. Each woman had been stripped and dressed in different clothing-a long white nightgown, diamond earrings, and satin slippers. A single red rose had been placed beneath the hands of each woman. It was a difficult case for him, no doubt about it.

A phone call interrupted his thoughts, and Hotch stepped outside the room where he, JJ, and Reid were all working.

"Hotchner." He rasped, and quickly cleared his throat.

"Hotch? That you?" Prentiss sounded bewildered.

"Yes."

"Sir, are you alright? You sound..." She trailed off, struggling for the right word.

Aaron rolled his eyes in exasperation. He was so tired, and his head was pounding, and he just wanted to rest.

"Prentiss, what do you need?" He dodged.

"Morgan and I just finished interviewing the vic's families-or at least, 6 of them-and we have a few links for Garcia and Reid."

That was promising, at least. Hotch told the young woman to hold on, went back inside, and put her on speakerphone.

"M'kay, the first is that all the vics were Roman-Catholic, and all attended a church on Main Street. Surprisingly enough, there's about five thousand members that meet there every Sunday, and every victim attends. There's a coffeeshop down the street where two victims worked part time, and it's where the others always went to buy coffee." She paused, and Reid jumped in from where he was furiously jotting notes.

"'S that it?"

"No-there's one more thing. Apparently, a divorced father just joined the church, and he was fired from the coffeeshop because of sexual harassment claims filed by various women-including our victims."

Reid nodded appreciatively, tapping his pencil against his chin.

"Garcia, can you do your tech-y thing and figure out who his old wife is, and what she looks like?"

Penelope nodded. As she began to respond, Aaron felt a tickle rise up so suddenly that he had no time to leave the room, or even pull his handkerchief out of his pocket. He spun away from the camera and sneezed.

"Hhngsch! Nxxgtsh! Ggnsgh! Hhh...hpsht! NNNGT! Hhxt! Uhh...hnnngschoo! Ttschoo! Hhhh...hihhhh....HGXT! NXGT-GNXT! Hrshuh!"

The final sneeze refused to even be partially stifled, and Aaron blushed furiously. The room had gone completely silent, and everyone was staring at him.

Hotch felt his cheeks burn, and his eyes began to fill up. He told himself he wasn't crying, but the embarrassing truth was that he was.

"Excuse be." He murmured softly, and left the room as quickly as possible. Forgetting about how cold it was, he strode outside and leaned against a wall in the back, where no one could see him. He felt terrible. The temperature change sparked a coughing fit, and he sat down on the cold concrete and just let himself feel sick. Aaron was mortified and exhausted and unable to function anymore.

---------//--//--------

No one in the conference room was sure what to do. It was pretty obvious that Hotch was not okay-no one(besides JJ and Rossi) had ever even seen the tough leader sneeze before-much less have a fit like that. JJ and Rossi exchanged a look, and the blonde woman stood up and left the room abruptly, leaving the others in stunned silence.

-/--/-/--/-/--/-/--/-/

JJ checked every room in the tiny police station before coming to the conclusion that her boss had gone outside. She wasn't surprised. Before heading out herself, she wrapped up in her coat, scarf, hat, and gloves-then grabbed a cup of coffee from the break room before braving the cold.

The wind hit her instantly, and her stomach dropped. If Hotch was out here, he would be making his cold-or whatever the hell this bug was-a heck of a lot worse.

"Aaron?" She called softly. JJ forced herself not to panic. He was out here somewhere, not hitch-hiking or abducted or something. Shivering, the sweet woman walked around the building. She stopped when she saw her boss sitting on the ground in the back. He had his head buried in his hands, and was alternating between sobbing, gasping for breath, and coughing raggedly. JJ's heart went out to him as she approached.

"Oh Hotch." She whispered softly.

He didn't look up when she sat down next to him. This close, she could see that he was shivering. Seeing her boss that vulnerable, trembling with cold in only his thin work clothes, made JJ want to cry. Without a thought for herself, the petite woman shrugged out of her coat, took off her scarf and gloves and hat, and ignored the instant pain that shot through her as the bitter cold bit into her skin. As gently as she could, she looped the scarf around his neck and tugged her coat up over his shaking form.

Aaron looked up to see JJ kneeling next to him, a coffee mug in her hands and her cheeks turning pink in the cold Wisconsin outdoors. He tried to stop crying-really he did-but couldn't and wound up burying his face back in his hands as he sobbed like a little kid, trying to turn away from JJ so she couldn't see how pathetic he looked.

JJ's heart broke for him, and she didn't hesitate as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled her boss's head to her chest as she hugged him. He tried to pull away at first, but eventually sank against her as the strength he'd been somehow drawing upon faded away, leaving him exhausted and weak.

Neither of them knew how much time had passed before Aaron's heart wrenching sobs turned to soft, hiccuping gulps of air and ragged coughing. JJ rubbed his back and handed him the coffee, trying to get the coughing to stop so he could breathe properly. Once he stopped, he leaned back against the wall, drained and freezing cold.

"Oh, Hotch, you shouldn't be out here." JJ murmured, rubbing his shoulder. Aaron nodded, drew in a ragged breath, and sneezed harshly into his cupped hands. He didn't have the energy to stifle.

"Hhh...hhh'PSH'uh! TSCHoo! KKTSSH! Hhh...hhhnKKKSH!" Hotch sniffled desperately, and JJ wordlessly handed him a tissue. He took it and blew his nose, then shivered fiercely again. They sat in silence for a moment, before JJ handed him her hat and gloves. The gloves belonged to Will. Hotch put them on without a fight.

"JJ....I'b sorry." He said.

"For what?" She asked.

"For everything. I dod't dnow whad to do!" He sighed, then coughed again. The coffee helped once again.

JJ blew on her hands to warm them up-she was well aware that she was shaking badly. She wanted to go inside, but Hotch needed to work through this.

"It gets easier, I promise you." She soothed, squeezing his shoulder again. JJ suspected he was running a fever. "You shouldn't be out here. You need to get warm." She reiterated as Hotch sneezed again. The blonde was sure that her boss had caught a chill.

Hotch looked blearily at his friend with red, swollen eyes. She could see that he felt terrible, and wished there was something she could do.

They sat there for another few minutes before he nodded.

"Ogay."

She took his hand, and helped him to his feet. The leader swayed heavily, and would have gone down had JJ not been there with an arm wrapped around his waist. Quickly, she grabbed his arm and slung it over her shoulders, trying not to let her teeth chatter too badly when she spoke.

"Wh-whoa. Easy there." She whispered.

"JJ...I dod't feel good..." Aaron trailed off, trembling, before taking a tissue from his pocket and sneezing into it. "HHHNKSG't! TSSCH! Kkknsg!" The sneezes took a lot out of him, and he stumbled. JJ barely held him up.

"It's okay, Aaron. Just lean on me-you'll feel better o-once you g-get ins-inside." Try as she might to hide how cold she was, she couldn't stop her teeth from chattering. Hotch didn't seem to notice.

The walk back inside seemed to take forever. Once there, JJ steered her boss into another conference room and sat him down in a chair before taking one of his hands between hers and rubbing it vigorously to warm it up. With the other, he covered a near continuous stream of soft but congested sneezes.

"HNNNTSh! KKK'TSCHH'aghhh! Hhhgsh! Hh...hh'pshuew'uh! Ttscho! Ahh...hhh...hhhpsh-tssh! Hhksh! Uhh...hhpsh! Tssh! Tsshoo-hhsh-SCHOO!"

The fit ended a few minutes later, and Hotch seemed to slump into the chair. JJ could see that he was miserable.

"Hotch, give me a few minutes here, then I'll take you back to the hotel." She said. He looked at her through half-closed eyes.

"I cad work-we deed to solve the case..." JJ shook her head.

"You're in no condition right now." She replied gently. "A few hours of sleep will make a huge difference." Aaron was too woozy to argue. JJ left the room and hurried back to the conference room.

Rossi blanched when he saw her. Sans two splashes of color on her cheeks, she was ashen faced. Not only that, but her lips were tinged blue. Her arms were wrapped around her middle, and she was shaking. Quickly, he stood up and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Her entire body felt frozen.

"Oh, JJ..." He sighed. She leaned into his warm body, trying desperately to get warm again. Ten minutes inside had done almost nothing to warm her after half an hour in the cold.

"What happened?!" Garcia exclaimed from her view on the screen.

"Hotch was outside." She explained through stiff lips as Rossi rubbed her arms briskly. "He didn't have a coat or anything, so I gave him mine." Rossi frowned.

"And you've been out there the whole time? With no coat or anything?" JJ nodded. He groaned.

"Cara Mia, Bella." He groaned. Reid broke his silence after staring at JJ.

"JJ, are you confused? Sleepy? Dizzy? Can you remember everything?" She nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just really cold." The young genius frowned, and came over. He took JJ's pulse, asked her a few cognitive function-testing questions, and had her walk across the room. Finally, he seemed satisfied that she was not hypothermic-just chilled.

He gave her a quick hug. Shocked, JJ stiffened, then hugged him back.

"Sorry, Spence, I didn't mean to scare you." She said. The combination of being close to Rossi or Spencer, being inside the slightly over-heated room, and getting out of the wind had warmed her significantly.

"It's okay." The youngest member of the team said with a shrug and a sheepish grin. "You should still go back to the hotel and take a shower to get warm, though." JJ nodded.

"Actually, I'm heading back with Hotch anyway."

Garcia broke her silence.

"How is the poor darling? He didn't look well at all." JJ decided not to tell the team about their leader's breakdown-it wasn't something she thought he would want shared.

"He's not feeling well at all. I convinced him to let me take him to the hotel-he really needs to rest."

That satisfied the curiosity of her coworkers, thankfully. JJ turned to leave, but motioned for Rossi to come with her. He joined her in the hallway, and shut the door.

"I know Aaron-no way you convinced him to go back easily. What's going on?" JJ sighed.

"He's really out of it-he cried a lot outside." She admitted. "Then, when we went in, he kept sneezing and was just so exhausted...he's not himself at all." Rossi nodded, and followed JJ to the conference room. Aaron had slumped even farther over in the chair, and was fast asleep. The two concerned friends shared a shocked look.

"I'll leave you to wake him." Rossi said, and left to go grab the younger agent's winter things. JJ made a face at his retreating back, and walked to Aaron's side, kneeling next to his chair and gently rubbing his arm to get him to wake up.

"Hey, Hotch, you need to wake up. You can sleep back at the hotel, I promise." Her voice was soft and gentle as she spoke. The man stirred, but didn't wake up.

Now that her hands were a bit warmer, JJ could tell that her boss was running a fever. No wonder he wasn't acting like himself. She reached out and jiggled his arm again-still gently, but a bit more insistently.

"Aaron-you need to wake up. I promise, you can sleep more at the-"

JJ was cut off as Hotch suddenly bolted to his feet, eyes wild in panic. He immediately hit the ground.

"Oh God, Hotch!" The petite blonde had had no warning, and was thus unable to catch her friend. He was already sitting up.

"Sorry, sorry-I'b ogay." He gasped out, before turning away to cough into his elbow. JJ rubbed his back gently, waiting for the fit to pass.

"Hey, shhh, it's okay, don't worry. Just don't do that again-I just about had a heart attack!" That made Hotch smile a little.

Rossi entered then, carrying his winter things and Aaron's. He frowned when he saw that the leader was on the floor.

"Out of curiosity, do you do anything halfway?" Rossi sighed. Aaron didn't answer, but submitted wordlessly as the Italian helped him into his coat and gloves. JJ and Rossi wrapped up, too, then prepared to take Hotch to the car. "Aaron, just lean on us."

Forty minutes later, Hotch was resting somewhat comfortably at the hotel. It had taken a while to get him inside, but JJ and Rossi were glad that he was taking a few hours to sleep. The two friends walked back inside the station, doing their best to push his illness out of their minds and solve the case A.S.A.P. The sooner they could go home, the better.

[darkness-is-the-light]

Continue!! I swear this is like my drug right now.

[matilda3948]

Aww...poor sick Hotch. This is a wonderful story!!!

[jezebel215]

this is so good. i second the drug comment, i am addicted. it's just playing out so deliciously!

[24Me]

truly delicious. had to comment again because i just read it a second time :-)

Oh my gosh! Thank you so, so much!!!!

Aww...poor sick Hotch. This is a wonderful story!!!

you are my idol in CM writing...the exploding emoji literally just made my day!!! Thank you!!!

Continue!! I swear this is like my drug right now.

aww, Sophie, thank you so much! I'm stalking your story now, too, FYI-it's incredible and I like.