Summary: A car accident leaves Hotch and Reid stranded in a remote mountain cabin with a woman and her young son. The mysterious woman saved Hotch's life; will he be able to save hers?

Relationships: Aaron Hotchner / Emily Prentiss, Past Emily Prentiss / Ian Doyle, Past Aaron Hotchner / Haley Hotchner

Characters: Aaron Hotchner, Emily Prentiss, Declan Doyle, Jack Hotchner, Spencer Reid, Jessica Brooks, Ian Doyle, Elizabeth Prentiss, OMC, BAU Team

Tags: A little mystery, Secret Identity, a dog named Nutella, cabin in the woods, not a scary cabin in the woods, Family, Romance, Light Angst, Fluff, Happy Ending

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Hello Readers,

What? Another Hotchniss/Hotly relationship? I can't help it - I loooove them.

At least this story is different with a little mystery.

Enjoy!

GGH

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Nutella, the chocolate labrador retriever, barked unexpectedly, startling Thomas and Anna. The dog sped across the floor, her nails clicking on the hardwood, and stood at attention at the cabin door.

"What is it, Ella?" A skinny blond boy asked, getting up from the comfortable plaid couch.

Another sharp bark brought his mother out of the kitchen. Her dark eyes narrowed as she took in the dog's stance, "It's probably another car stuck in the mud, Thomas. Go ahead and put on your rain gear."

Anna pulled on her tall rubber boots and grabbed their emergency kit. Helping her son secure his raincoat, she donned hers, pulling the hood up to cover her long dark hair.

Opening the door, the previously muffled sound of the rainstorm roared in their ears. The dog trotted ahead, looking back to make sure they were following her. They followed Nutella for several yards, their boots squishing and sliding on the muddy forest floor, slowing down their momentum. The dog would circle back around them and issuing a sharp bark to keep them moving.

Noting they were heading towards the roadway, Anna sped up a bit with the assumption that someone was out there, spinning their wheels. As they came across the road, they could see where the flash flood had washed it away, leaving a jagged muddy cliff.

Thomas made it to the top of the road, hollering about a car, as the dog ran forward and down the side of the hill barking excitedly.

Finally arriving at the top, Anna saw a severely damaged car, overturned, and two men. One was unconscious, lying on the ground, and the other was staring at Ella as she danced around him in excitement. He raised his hand to wave to her and Thomas. Wiping the water from her face, Anna waved back. Rushing down the hill, Thomas ended up sliding on his bottom half way down.

Assessing the situation, she could see the standing man was injured, his right arm drawn up to his chest. The second man had a few cuts on his face but remained unconscious.

"I'm Spencer Reid. I can't get any signal on my cell phone. Do you have a way of contacting emergency services?

"Back at the cabin," Thomas told him as Anna nodded in agreement.

The mother and child sprung into action, opening their emergency backpacks for supplies before they rummaged through the car trunk. Finally, finding what she needed to help the strangers, Anna started to roll the second man on to a large plastic tarp, then binding his legs with rope.

Confused at Anna's actions, Spencer finally figured out that she found a way to get his partner to the cabin and out of the rain since they couldn't carry him in the rough terrain. He helped bind the tarp around "Hotch" and secure it so he couldn't roll out.

Spencer, wearing a sweater vest over a dress shirt and dress pants, was soaked through. He sloshed back to the car to grab duffel bags with his good arm.

"Thomas, can you carry the bags?" Anna asked her son, then turned to Spencer, "Can you help pull the rope?"

Nutella and Thomas trudged up the hill to the road leading to the cabin, as Anna and Spencer dragged the unconscious man behind them. Holding up one end of the tarp allowed them to keep the man's upper body and head from touching the ground while his lower body was dragged over rocks, sticks, and underbrush. The trek back was slow as they tried to find the smoothest path.

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As they approached a traditional log cabin, Spencer's head was swimming. He still could not believe the situation they were in. First, the car went flying off the road before flipping over as they hurtled downward. Now, a strange woman was helping him drag his unconscious boss into a cabin in the woods.

The little boy, Thomas was his name, ran ahead with the dog and opened the front door. He dropped the bags, disappeared in the house.

"Do you think you can carry his legs?" The woman asked Spencer as they approached the porch steps.

"Yes."

They laid Hotch on the ground slowly, then she bent down and scooped him under the arms as Spencer lifted Hotch's legs, groaning as the searing pain shot down his shoulder and into his arm. Counting three steps up, they placed him back on the ground so they could drag him into the cabin.

Once inside, the woman sprung into action. She stripped her boots and rain gear off, as her son approached with a first aid kit. "Grab extra blankets," she said quietly as she accepted the white plastic box with a red plus sign on the lid, "then change into dry clothes."

She pulled on the tarp until Hotch was situated in front of the fire, before dropping to her knees to unwrap him. Working methodically, she stripped him of his shoes and soggy socks. As she moved towards his clothing, Spencer bent down to remove Hotch's gun and backup piece. Noting the woman's shock, he assured her, "It's okay. We are FBI agents."

Nodding briskly, she resumed undressing Hotch, leaving his unit chief in his underwear. The boy re-appeared with a light blanket and a heavy down comforter, and together they covered Hotch up.

"Do you have clothes?" She asked Spencer then ordered him away when he nodded, "get out of those wet clothes."

Spencer picked up his go bag from the entryway and looked around. Thomas pointed him to a closed door, the bathroom. He dropped Hotch's weapons in his bag, stowed his gun as well. Undressing quickly, he tried not to jostle his sprained arm. Dropping his clothes on the floor, he pulled his dry pants and tried to button his shirt one-handed. He debated shoving his wet clothes into his bag before noticing a clothesline above the bathtub. Struggling with just one arm, he draped his soaking outfit on the line sloppily.

Returning to the living room, he could see the woman murmuring as she dabbed Hotch's cuts with antiseptic as the boy chatted happily on a CB Radio.

"Ranger Sam wants to talk with you," Thomas said holding out the wired microphone then ducking under the curling cord to join his mother.

Depressing the button on the side, Spencer spoke clearly, "This is SSA Reid with the FBI, I am requesting medical assistance for SSA Hotchner. He is unconscious, suffering from a head injury. We were in a car accident off of County Road 85. Do you need exact coordinates for our location?"

The ranger's brisk voice came through, "What is the condition of Hotchner? Over."

"Based on a cursory exam, a concussion. Over."

"Pretty boy, are you okay?"

Sighing in relief at the sound of Morgan's voice, Spencer answered, "Banged up a bit but Hotch is still out. Can you send an ambulance?"

"Negative," the ranger's voice was back, "Flash floods have taken out the main roads. We can try to get a chopper in the air when the storm breaks. Over."

Hearing a groan from behind him, Spencer turned to see Hotch waking up, raising his hand towards his head. He dropped the mic and ran to Hotch's side. The woman backed away, giving him room.

Hotch opened his eyes briefly, groaning again.

"Hotch, it's okay. It's me, Reid," he patted him on the shoulder, "we were in a car accident but we are safe now."

Reopening his eyes, Hotch tried to sit up, slurring, "I'm fine."

"Hold on, hold on," Spencer moved his hand to Hotch's chest, pushing slightly, "Lay back."

Morgan's voice came through the CB and Thomas picked up the dangling mic, "This is Thomas. The man is waking up. Over."

Spencer mumbled an apology as he lifted up Hotch's eyelids to look at his pupils, "how do you feel?"

"Dizzy," Hotch's voice was shaky, "gonna vomit."

The woman appeared at his side with a small lined trash can, "Help me roll him into a better position."

Together, they pulled Hotch up and slid him until his back was braced against the couch. Spencer stepped back as his boss began to wretch into the trash can.

"Gross, he is puking. Over." Thomas cheerfully announced over the radio.

Reaching for a box of tissues from the side table, the woman kept her tone soft as she wiped Hotch's mouth and chin, "You're okay. "

"Thomas, can you get Hotch a glass of water while I speak with Agent Morgan?" Spencer took the microphone, "Morgan, he has a nice goose egg on side of his head and classic symptoms of a concussion."

"Okay, Pretty Boy. We will get to you as soon as storm breaks. Rangers have your location."

From across the room, Hotch pushed the woman's hand away, whispering, "the case," then clearing his throat and his voice came out stronger, "the case?"

"Morgan, I think Hotch will be fine," Spencer chuckled, "He wants to know the status of the case."

"Unsub was at work; Rossi and the locals arrested him twenty minutes ago."

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A/N: My research shows that a person with a concussion should not be unconscious for more than five minutes (otherwise it's major head trauma / coma rather than a concussion) but for the sake of my little story please pretend Hotch's injuries are medically legit.

I'm on Tumblr if you want to chat: GoodGodHenry.