"What were you thinking? You could have been killed!"

Derek glared at Hotch, a firm frown marring the lines of his face. "Like you would really care if that happened!" he shot back before turning on his heel and stalking away from the crime scene. The others were staring at them, wondering what that exchange was about, he could tell just by the way they looked between them. "What?" he growled out at Reid as he pushed past his friend and made his way over to the SUV.

"You really took some risks in there. What would Jack say if Hotch had to tell him that yet another person he loves has been hurt?"

The soft words broke through his anger and he shrugged. "I don't know."

"It's obvious that he loves you. Do you love him?"

Derek looked over at his lover, seeing beyond the stony façade that he was presenting to the others, acknowledging the pain that was in his eyes, the way his mouth was drawn a little too tightly, the way his right thumb wouldn't stop moving, and felt his entire body slump slightly as he saw his actions from Hotch's eyes. "Yeah, kid, I do."

"Why don't you take him to lunch, then? Neither of you are going to be of any use to us at the moment. We can all fit in the other SUV to head back to the precinct. Don't let this fester, all right?"

Slowly, Derek nodded and climbed in the passenger side of the vehicle, pulling out his phone and scrolling through the pictures that Jack had taken last weekend. Hotch had finally convinced him to run together in the FBI half marathon, and they had both managed to finish quite well. Jack had captured every moment about that day that was important, from Derek crossing the finish line first to Hotch completing the race not five minutes later. And then there was the kiss that had outed them to the entire team.

"Hey, Reid said that I had to take you to lunch, something about our fights needed to be fair?"

He looked up at his lover and nodded. "He told me the same thing. He said that I wasn't looking at things from your perspective. All I could focus on was saving that little girl."

"And all I could see was your funeral." Derek swallowed as he nodded, closing his eyes as Hotch got behind the wheel. Once the SUV was in motion, he dared to look over at his beloved and saw that he was crying.

"I didn't mean to make you cry, you know. It's just, I have to save people, the way I was never saved. There wasn't anyone who came to my rescue back then, and I just can't let that happen to another kid."

"I know. I wish and hope every day that Buford is rotting in Hell. And that might make me a bad person, but, he stole something from someone I love, something I can never return to them, and he deserves nothing more than that." Hotch sighed deeply. "I just, I knew that you could end up in a bad way, if things went awry. I pictured all the awfulness first, rather than focusing on your heroics."

"It just tells me that you love me. That you were trying to look for ways to save me just in case I got into trouble. I'm sorry that I blew up at you."

"And I'm sorry I didn't trust you enough to do your thing. We both reacted badly. Forgive me?"

"As long as you forgive me."

"You know that I could never stay angry at you for long. All you have to do is turn those eyes on me, let some of that wounded look come to life into them, and I'm putty in your hands. Now I know where Jack gets that from."

Hotch let out an exasperated laugh and Derek shrugged, finally feeling more at ease with his lover now that they had made up. "I thought he had inherited that from Haley. Jessica's told me that as well. But, she also said that he's picked up some things from you, too."

He smiled at the teasing tone in Hotch's voice and looked at him, a fake frown on his face. "And just what has he picked up?"

"Well, it seems like he's started calling all the girls in his class by pet names. He has his own Baby Girl, his own Sugar, his own Mama. The latest one, which earned Jess a call, was when he called his teacher his Foxy Lady."

Derek let out a loud laugh as Hotch shook his head. "My man! Come on, you have to admit that that is adorable."

"And could also get him expelled. He's ten, he has five years before he even should be thinking about flirting with girls."

"Don't hold my junior G-man back, Hotch. He is what he is."

"No thanks to you," Hotch muttered as he pulled into the parking lot of the local Red Lobster. "And for that little crack, you get to buy lunch this afternoon."

Derek tried to look like he was outraged, but he was glad to see the warm smile come back to his lover's face. He would do anything to see that smile turned on him, to have some of the taciturn, dour, work persona slip off his shoulders, if only for a short time. "Fine. The things I do for the ones I love."

"I'm sorry?"

"You heard me. I love you."

Hotch let a dreamy smile briefly cross his lips before he nodded. "I love you, too. Now let's go eat. I'm starving." Once more, Derek laughed before clapping his hand around his lover's shoulder and walking him inside. If he had his way, he was fairly certain this was how all their fights would end.

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