Route 66
AU
Yes, this is slash guys so please leave if you're not into that or the ship H/R
"Hi Honey! I saved you a seat." Haley spoke with the same love put into their broken marriage years before.
Aaron could only sit down as tears filled his eyes and Haley's smile grew unbelievably wide.
He stared at her, feeling the dimmed pain from her years ago rise in his chest. "You look so beautiful."
"You're not so bad yourself," the blond woman said, as if they were two teenagers acting like fools on their first date.
"I miss you," he stated the obvious. Staring at her, in this moment she was his life line, a script to a play that was buried away and rewritten and edited thousands of times over.
She smiled, seeming clearly obvious to his emotions. "I know."
The two of them sat in a content silence as Aaron continued his watery eyed staring before Jack and him appeared on the theater's screen, the memories the two had made since Haley recollected into a abstract film of one constant feeling, comfort. The two parents took in the image laid before their eyes. Haley was filled with joy at seeing her son and ex-husband's memories and knowing that they'd slowly relearnt how to smile together.
Then much like it all happened in real life, because Hotch knew deep inside that this wasn't real life, George Foyet came. And of all shocking things and reason, the intrusion was because Haley had invited the bastard.
Then the pictures of Jack and him were joined by another familiar face. Spencer Reid, Aaron's safety blanket, someone important. They hadn't gone into details about their relationship but they kissed and slept together in the same bed, never taking it further. Joking, going to lunch, light teasing, Spencer and Jack lighting up the darkest days, sly comments from Jess and Sean about the phrase, 'Just friends'.
"Isn't that Dr. Reid from your work honey?" Haley grinned at him even as the memory of Spencer and his first kiss flashed before the three pairs of eyes.
"Wowie, didn't expect that from you. But, he is handsome I could have some gruesome fun with him." Foyet added causing Aarons shoulders to tense.
Haley held his hand as he whispered, "Yes, I'm sorry."
She completely ignored his apology as they watched Reid and Jack playing magic tricks and reading together, throwing fist fulls of popcorn at Aaron. She seeming just as joyous, although it was slightly unexpected and odd, as more and more scenes played out with just Aaron and Spencer. Light banter between Foyet and her as they commented on his relationship.
Then George pulled out a gun, and shot her in the abdomen. He was frozen, stunned as she acted unaffected, still paying attention to the screen."Wow he's so good with Jack Aaron, I guess your diagnosis of 'The Reid Effect' was wrong. And look at the two of you there, you're smiling Aaron."
As she talked he immediately placed his coat over the wound at the first sight of blood stained on green silk appeared. "No, no there's too much blood. I can't, I can't save you."
She looked happy at that, and softly spoke. "You're not supposed to."
And all to quickly the film stopped along with the bleeding. As he frantically followed the duo out into the entrance and Aaron's suit returned to the white hospital gown.
"I want to stay here with you!" He told the once love of his life, father of his child.
"Jack needs you, and you have Spencer who is waiting for you and loves you."
"I don't know how to do this without you." He tried desperately, not in the mood for reason.
"Happiness is a choice, so choose!"
"But how? How do I choose?"
"Get out of your head, the heart is the one that knows, so follow it."
The three adults walked outside saying goodbye, it seemed just as hard as the first time. Maybe more.