Memory turned Nightmare

I Do Not Own Criminal Minds nor do I own Spencer Reid...

Summary: After a recent case where Reid gets hurt and requires crutches, Hotch has Reid staying with him since he cannot make the flight of stairs to his apartment and out of the rest of the team Hotch was the first to offer since the last time Reid was on crutches no body had him stay with them and he didn't require the help. But this time Hotch offers [orders] Reid come stay with him.

Character(s): A. Hotchner/Hotch, S. Reid, Diana Reid, Other characters possibly mentioned.

Warning(s): Screaming, possibly cursing, angst?, mentions of possible abuse, nightmares, flashbacks, violent episodes of a schizophrenic, Hurt/Comfort, trust issues.

THIS IS A ONE SHOT ONLY

From Memories to Nightmares

Startled awake with his heart pounding away in his chest Hotch laid there in his bed confused as to why he had awoken. It took a moment, a moment far longer then he would've liked, for Hotch to register screaming coming from...just down the hall?

Fumbling out of his bed with the grace of a drunk elephant, Hotch stumbled down the hall as quickly as he could with his gun out and ready to fire. All he could think of was Jack.

Did the Reaper come back?

No no the Reaper was dead. He knew that.

It wasn't until Hotch kicked open Jacks bedroom door and was greeted with utter silence that he even remembered that Jack wasn't there, he was at his aunts house for the weekend and wouldn't be home until Monday.

So who was screaming?

Hotch's eyes widened in shock as he remembered his house guest, 'Reid' he thought as he turned and bolted down to the other end of the hall and without hesitation he flung open the guest bedroom door.

"Reid? Reid!" Hotch ended up yelling, trying to be heard over the screaming that was quickly giving him a headache.

Hotch honest to god didn't know what to do, he never had to deal with something like this with Jack or anybody else. Other than Reid and himself, there was absolutely no one else in the room with them. There was no physical reason for Reid to be screaming. Tucking his gun into the back of his pants, since he didn't have his holster, Hotch kneeled down next to Reid who was thrashing around underneath of the covers with his eyes firmly screwed shut.

'A nightmare?' Hotch's brows knitted together debating what he should do. He remembered how he would calm Jack down whenever Jack would have a nightmare with a simple back rub, maybe that would work with Reid? Hotch decided to give it a shot regardless of it working or not, despite Reid being a grown man and one of his Agents, but was startled when Reid violently flinched under his touch.

Normally Hotch would've backed off, especially since receiving an reaction like that, but Reid was still screaming so Hotch reached out once again and gripped Reid's shoulder tightly and shook him awake.

After shaking Reid in an attempt to wake him for almost ten minutes Hotch gave up, however seeing how Reid's shirt was practically soaked in sweat Hotch stood back up and quickly snatched a T-shirt from his closet before coming back to the room, thankfully or maybe not so thankfully, Reid's screaming had become nothing more than hoarse whimpers and groans of pain.

Carefully reaching out as so not to startle the sleeping man, Hotch swiftly began unbuttoning Reid's dress shirt he had fallen asleep in. It was just as he undid the last button and was about to pull the shirt open that Hotch jerked back startled as a raspy voice suddenly asked,

"W-What are you doing...?"

Looking down Hotch saw Reid staring at him oddly and raise shaking hands to pull his shirt shut, Hotch gaped at Reid as he suddenly realized exactly what it looked like he was trying to do.

"It's not what you think!" Hotch blurted out and mentally hit himself at how cliché that sounded before carrying on much more calmly, "You weren't waking up and you're covered in sweat. I was trying to change your shirt."

Blushing, Reid nodded but refused to look Hotch in the eyes.

Narrowing his eyes, Hotch knew he needed to clear this situation up quickly, "Reid you know I wasn't trying to do anything right?"

Reid finally looked up at him confused, "What?"

"Uh.." Now Hotch was confused.

"OH!" Reid's eyes widened almost comically, "I-I didn't think that! Besides I know you would never do that to me." Reid smiled a small smile though it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Reid?" Hotch started slowly, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Talk about it? Well last I knew you are straight and the likelihood of you even considering-"

"Not that! Your nightmare I mean!" Hotch quickly interrupted.

"..What nightmare...?" Reid asked looking away once more.

"Reid don't lie to me." Hotch said sternly.

Suddenly Reid looked at Hotch with tear filled eyes, but immediately Hotch knew it wasn't him that Reid was really seeing, but actually whatever it was he just dreamt about.

"Reid. You need to calm down now." Hotch ordered seeing as his subordinate had begun to hyperventilate, "REID!"

Reid's eyes snapped over to look into Hotch's as he flinched back the moment Hotch had yelled.

"M-M'fine..." Reid choked out, holding out his hand Reid pushing Hotch back and shakenly stood up only to wince at the sudden pressure it put on his sprained ankle.

"What do you think you're doing?" Hotch demanded standing up along side Reid and latching onto his bicep to keep him from moving any further.

"...want...need coffee...sugar..." Reid mumbled, refusing to look at Hotch, which seemed to be happening a lot tonight.

After a few moments Hotch sighed in resignation and carefully led Reid out to the kitchen. Reid sat at the kitchen table watching silently as Hotch prepared two cups of coffee and brought them over to the table. Gently Hotch set one cup down in front of Reid and another down for him before sitting down in the chair across from Reid.

Silently Reid picked up his cup and took a sip, he grimaced at the lack of sugar but continued drinking nonetheless.

"Now do you want to talk about it?" Hotch asked before adding, "Your nightmare?"

"What nightmare?" Reid tilted his head to the side in confusion.

Hotch glared at Reid for trying to avoid the question but then smirked as Reid began pouting at him.

"...Jerk..." Reid muttered causing Hotch to arch an eyebrow at him, "I was just...I was dreaming...b-but it was more like...a memory?"

"A memory?" Hotch prodded gently, he watched as slowly Reid's hand came up and rubbed against his throat where Hotch could still see the bruises marring al around the boys' throat. Suddenly Hotch understood, "You dreamt about the case?"

"What?" Reid stared at Hotch, "Oh...uh...no. No I didn't...it...it uhh...it made me...think of...my mom...when she," Reid gulped, "When she had...one of her...violent episodes..."

Hotch paused with his mug halfway to his mouth, "One of her violent episodes?" Hotch eyed Reid's throat and suddenly it came to him what his mother must've done.

Reid's eyes widened when he realized how Hotch was staring at him like...like he was a victim...he hastily said, "It wasn't her fault! S-She forgot who I was! S-She snapped out of it q-quickly enough!"

"Reid...How old were you?"

"..."

"How. Old." Hotch repeated angrily.

"H-Hotch seriously, it doesn't matter."

"Reid."

"...Umm..." Reid started squirming uncomfortably in his seat, "I-I was nine..."

"Nine."

"Y-Yeah.."

"You were nine."

"Hotch?"

"Nine years old."

"H-Hotch?"

"Nine years old and your mother choked you." Hotch repeated calmly but how he really felt was clearly shown, and he frowned when Reid flinched back.

"H-Hotch s-seriously, I-it's fine." Reid stuttered staring into his mug intently, "I t-totally forgot about it!"

"Reid-" Hotch began to say but was immediately cut off.

"Hotch. Let it go." Reid gave Hotch a tight-lipped, empty smile, "There was nothing you could've done...I think I'm gonna head back to bed now. Thanks for the coffee."

And then before Hotch could even protest Reid walking on his sprained ankle, Reid was already limping down the hallway and shutting the guest bedroom door firmly behind him.

Sighing and running a weary hand down his face Hotch sat there in silence until he finished the rest of his coffee and Reid's but neither had much affect in keeping his eyes open any longer. Slowly Hotch cleaned out the two mugs and put them away. Before going to bed however, Hotch peeked in on Reid and was struck by how incredibly young the man looked. Softly Hotch shut the door and made his way back to his own bed, laying beneath the covers, just as sleep began grasping onto his consciousness' Hotch's last thought was,

'He was only nine...'

For the rest of that night Hotch's dreams were plagued with the screams of a nine year boy slowly being choked to death by his mother and no matter how hard Hotch ran he could never find the little boy who he just knew was Reid.

Tada! A one-shot for Criminal minds!

PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!