Chapter 1

Rossi hadn't left one piece of rope on Hotch's desk since he'd received the BDSM catalogue, and he was sure that Hotch thought the whole thing was over. Rossi was dying to start up again, though, so he made his way into Hotch's office early one morning to lay out a few things for his selected son. A sly grin spread on his face as he made his way safely back to his office without getting caught. You're the one who had the catalogue sent, so you're going to be the one who gets to deal with the merchandise. He sat down at his desk and started in on the couple of consults he had while he waited for his victim to arrive.

Hotch really wasn't paying a lot of attention to anything as he made his way into his office. He took a drink of the coffee he had picked up on the way as he sat his briefcase down on his couch and turned towards his desk. Coffee sprayed all over everything as soon as he saw what was waiting for him. After coughing and choking for a few seconds, he wiped his face off. "God damn it, Rossi!" he screamed not caring if the whole building heard or not.

Dave's laugh was almost as loud as Hotch's scream and the couple innocent people who had arrived in the bullpen quickly left to go do other things not wanting to find out what had the Unit Chief so upset so early. Once Dave finally stopped laughing, he sat at his desk for a few seconds, waiting to see if he could figure out what Hotch was going to do. After a moment or two, he got up and approached Hotch's open office door with caution. He peaked around the corner and pulled his head back just in time as a well-aimed, padded, hospital type restraint cuff shot out of Hotch's door. "You missed!" he teased but stayed hiding behind the wall as he talked through the open door.

"I can't believe you!" Hotch roared and threw another cuff.

Rossi moved to pick both of the cuffs up. "What?" he asked as he finally got brave enough to walk into the office. He choked back another laugh at how red Hotch's face still was. "These won't leave ligature marks like rope. You can use them and no one would know," he tried with a grin as he sat down. "And the D-ring on them allows them to hook to anything, rope, chain. . ."

Hotch shook his head as he still fumed. "You really think I want to be tied up after what I went through?"

Rossi shrugged. "You know what they say about being bucked off a horse, you have to get back on to prove to yourself you still can."

Hotch's eyes went wide as his face turned an even darker shade of red.

"What? You're the one who got me the catalogue. I figured you were too embarrassed to order them and that's why you had it sent to me."

Hotch half growled. "If another thing from that catalogue shows up in my office. . . I swear, Dave. . . I'll. . ."

Rossi held up his hands. "Ok!" he agreed with a grin.

"I mean it, Dave!"

"Alright, Aaron. I won't order anything else and bring it to your office."

Hotch eyed him warily and shook his head. "Get these out of here," he demanded as he threw the last two cuffs that were still on his desk at the man.

"You don't want to put them in your bag, maybe you should take them home. . ."

"David Michael!"

"Alright, alright," Rossi told him as he laughed and left to go back to his office. Just because I can't bring them here doesn't mean I can't have them sent to his house. . .

XXX

After a case briefing, the team was headed out to Leadville, Colorado, a small town south-west of Denver to help catch a serial killer who was targeting tourists in the Rocky Mountains. Four bodies had been found so far, two men, a woman, and a teenaged girl; and they were all sexually assaulted and tortured before being dumped like trash along four different hiking trails. Hotch knew the case wasn't going to be easy with such a diverse victim pool because that meant either multiple offenders or one omnivore. He sighed heavily as he looked over the photos on his tablet. He also knew the remoteness of the area and the vast mountain forest was going to make catching whatever unsub even more difficult. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought back to another case in the mountains. They never caught Shane Wyland and they had never heard anything about him since, but he knew he was still out there; still trolling the Appalachian Trail for young boys. He shook his head and tried to focus on the current case.

It was the ones who got away that haunted him in quiet moments. He knew they couldn't catch every bad guy, and he knew that they had caught more than any other team, but the ones who were still out there; still able to hurt someone else, those were the ones that bothered him the most. We'll catch this son of a bitch!

XXX

After six days and nine more bodies, two of which had been obviously killed since they had arrived, and Hotch started to think that maybe they wouldn't catch this unsub either. Morgan had suggested a break from the case and talked the team into going to the local bar for a drink and a chance to relax and recharge. Hotch sat up at the bar by himself nursing a beer as most of the team was unwinding by playing pool, playing darts, or dancing. The case wouldn't let his mind rest and his focus was inward and not on the bar around him. He felt someone sit down beside him, but his eyes didn't leave the bottle of beer in his hand, and he sighed heavily as the thought of another brutal unsub escaping justice made the acid in his stomach churn.

When a slow song started the person who had sat down next to him elbowed his arm. "Care to dance?"

Hotch glanced at the new comer from the corner of his eyes. "I don't think my wife would appreciate that," he told her without looking at her.

She shrugged. "She'd never know."

He huffed.

"What's a little innocent dance?" she tried as she nudged him again.

He took a drink of his beer and finally looked at her. "Maybe she wouldn't mind, especially since it's just a dance," he told her with a grin that revealed his dimples.

She smiled. "Maybe if you're a good enough dancer, I'll take you to my hotel later," she told him as she flicked her brows.

He took a deep breath and pulled her to him. "I'm the best dancer you'll ever meet," he boasted and pulled her to the floor.

She laughed. "Let me be the judge of that." After he pulled her close and they started swaying to the music, she giggled. "You're alright, I guess."

He chuckled and pulled her even closer as he nuzzled the hair away from her ear. "I can do other things even better."

His seductive tone heated her cheeks. "Oh yeah?"

He ghosted his lips over the edge of her ear making her earrings jingle. "I can do things that would make that blush on your cheeks match the pounding in your heart."

The breath hitched in her chest as his lips feathered down her neck. "God, Aaron."

He chuckled lightly in her ear. "I'm glad you came. I needed a break."

"I could tell by your tone last night on the phone that you were letting it get to you too much," Kahlan told him with a small smile.

He took a deep breath and squeezed her to his chest. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too, Hun," she mumbled into his chest because he was still holding her too tightly for her to pull back. After several more moments, she looked up at him. "Aaron?"

He took another deep breath and finally looked down at her. "This case is really starting to suck."

She gave him a squeeze. "You're trying too hard. Let it go for a night and you'll figure it out." His look told her he didn't agree. "You'll solve it!" she insisted.

He sighed and pulled her back to him. "I sure hope so," he muttered.

She shook her head at him as she pulled back from him. "Aaron. . ." she stopped as the song ended and pulled him from the dance floor. "Come on. You need to loosen up and relax. Your brain is wound too tight to think straight."

His brows furrowed but he let her lead him.

She stopped at the bar and bought a bottle of tequila. His raised brows made her laugh. "What? This will get you relaxed faster than scotch."

He huffed. "I'm on a case. I can't afford to get drunk tonight."

"I said relaxed, not drunk. Trust me," she told him with a sly grin as she paid for the liquor and started pulling him toward the door. She gave Rossi a slight nod before she slipped out the door; his smile thanked her for coming and taking care of their Unit Chief.

The team's hotel was only a couple blocks down the street so the Hotchners walked hand in hand as she told him all about what he had missed at home. "And Wyatt hit another home run in tonight's game."

He chuckled. "That's twelve now, isn't it?"

She nodded. "Yep, and Jack only let three players hit off of him in the five innings he pitched."

He smiled. "I would have liked to have seen it."

"I taped it," she assured him.

"I know, but it's not the same as seeing it live," he mumbled.

She sighed mentally. "Maybe you'll be done with the case by Friday's game."

He shrugged. "Maybe."

He led her to his door and opened it for her. She went in, grabbed two cups off the sink and poured them both a drink. She handed him his. "Get stripped."

He chuckled. "Is that an order?"

"You know it," she joked as she sat down on the bed. He down his drink and the grimace it left him with made her laugh. "It's not that bad." He huffed as he put his cup down and started to pull off his shirt. She smiled as she flicked her brows. "Need some help with that?"

He wiggled his brows and threw the shirt at her. "Sorry I don't have any buttons for you to rip off." He had been wearing more casual clothes with trekking through the forest because of the case.

She got in behind him and reached around and undid his belt. "You had to go back a hole. Aaron! You haven't been eating, have you?"

He stepped away from her. "I've been eating just fine," he tried as he quickly took his pants off and threw them on the chair. She would know which hole I normally use.

She shook her head at him as she filled his cup all the way up. "Drink this then lay down on your stomach."

He took a step to her instead and pulled her to his chest. "Maybe I want to relax another way."

She giggled and pushed him back. "Get on the damn bed. You're too tense to enjoy anything right now."

He down the drink and did as he was told. She straddled his legs and started massaging his lower back as soft moans started to escape him. "You better watch it. You're going to put me to sleep."

She giggled. "You haven't been sleeping well either, so that would be alright." His questioning look at her as he craned his neck back to look at her made her giggle again. "The circles under your eyes are a dead giveaway, Hun."

He took a deep breath and settled back down into the pillow.

By the time she was done with her massage, she had gotten him to drink a couple more cups and he was out before they took it any further. She giggled softly as she stroked his hair back from his forehead. The look of peace on his face made her heart swell as big as her grin. She got up and changed into one of his t-shirts and snuggled up against him, threw the covers over them, and then turned out the light. "Goodnight, Hun. I love you," she whispered and then kissed his chest.

XXX

Hotch stretched as he woke up and smiled when he saw Kahlan sitting at the little table reading over his case files. He got up and went up behind her and leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Thank you. I slept like a baby last night."

She smiled as she turned towards him. "Good. That's why I came."

He gave her a quick peck on the lips and then went to the restroom. He emerged wearing his sweats and chuckled at her wearing his shirt. "I was wondering why I couldn't find it." Her legs were drawn up on the chair and his shirt covered her up completely.

"What? My bag is still in the car at the bar," she told him as she flipped through the file.

"Sorry. I didn't think about that last night."

"It's fine. I like the way this one smells," she told him with a grin.

He shook his head at her. "Are you staying long enough to have breakfast with us?"

She sat the file down. "Actually. . ." she started and then stopped at a knock on the door.

Hotch got up and looked through the peep hole and smiled as he opened the door. "Morning, Dave."

Rossi walked in with a cup carrier holding three large coffees. "Morning. Looks like you actually slept."

Hotch nodded as he shut the door and then motioned for Rossi to take the only other chair available. Rossi sat the coffees down on the table and leaned and gave Kahlan a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for coming, Kiddo."

She smiled and took the offered coffee. "Had too. I missed your handsome face," she joked.

Hotch took his coffee and sat down on the bed as he shook his head at them. "So are you staying for breakfast?"

She sat her coffee down after taking a drink and then fixed him with a serious look. "I've been reading your case files, and I think I know what you all need to catch a break."

Rossi and Hotch both sat up a little straighter. "Oh yeah?" Rossi asked with raised brows.

"You need bait, someone who can take care of herself, someone who can actually do something against this asshole."

Hotch immediately shook his head because he knew who she was suggesting be the bait. "No!"

Rossi appraised her for a moment and then looked at Hotch. "She just might have something there."

"Dave! You know what this bastard does to these people!"

"And I can. . ." Kahlan started.

"And she can take care of herself," Rossi put in.

Hotch stood up. "No!"

"We don't have any other leads," Rossi tried.

"That's because he's too good. We'll find another lead," Hotch insisted.

"But I could. . ." Kahlan started again.

"No!" Hotch yelled.

"Aaron! You cannot possibly think this man could best me," she asked with raised brows.

He went to open his mouth and then shut it as he shook his head. "Anything can happen. It's too dangerous!" He looked at Rossi. "It's too dangerous!"

Rossi held up his hands. "Alright! I'm sure we'll find another lead."

Hotch finally took a deep breath and got up and put his hands on Kahlan's shoulders. "Thank you for offering, but we can handle this. The break last night just might let us see something we missed." She looked at him dubiously. "We'll figure it out," he assured her and then went to his bag to get his clothes.

She smiled. "I'm sure you will."

Rossi caught the tone of her voice and shot her a look. She gave him a slight shrug with a sly grin that disappeared quickly when Hotch turned back towards them. Rossi cleared his throat and stood up. "Well, I'm going to make sure the rest of the team is up."

"I'll get dressed and go get your bag," Hotch told his wife as he made his way to the bathroom.

Rossi shared another look with Kahlan before he went out the door. She winked at him and he shook his head.