Smell
It was her specific scent, Dove soap and baby powder.
"Just tell me, Aaron. Did you love your goddamn job more then your wife and your son?"
He couldn't breath. "No."
"I asked you to leave it, and you didn't. You went right back to it and left us here. Abandoned us."
An autumn wind, carrying wet earth and crystallized water. She knew what those words were to him.
"No. Not like that. I didn't do that."
Of course he's desperate. She's going, going, gone.
"Yes you did. You left us. Now he got to us, you see. Jack doesn't have a mother and only half a father. He sees Jessica more then you."
"Haley, I'm trying. Please just come back. Please. I'll make it right."
The smell of baby powder running into blood. "There's no making it right anymore."
Hotch woke up, dripping wet, Jack sitting up in the bed, saying "Daddy, wake up, it's a bad dream, Daddy, wake up."
"I'm awake, buddy. I'm awake now."
They both breathed in the silence, then Jack crawled back into Hotch's arms. Hotch wrapped him up. "Sorry, buddy."
"It's a bad dream, Daddy. You don't gotta be sorry unless I gotta be sorry."
"Touché," Hotch agreed.
Just when he thought Jack had dropped off to sleep, his son asked "Was it a bad dream about Mommy?"
"About Mommy being gone," which was true.
"I'm glad you're not gone too, Daddy."
He tightened his grip on Jack. "I'm glad you're not gone, either. I-"
"What, Daddy?"
Jack smelled like soap, too. "I don't want to be alone."
"Me either."
On that note Jack settled down into sleep.