In Spirit
Hey guys, this is just a really short piece in honour of our favourite UNIT chief. I couldn't let the holidays pass without a nod to the legacy of Aaron Hotchner. ENJOY R&R PLZ!
Aaron – Thomas – was walking through his house the day before New Year's Eve with slow steps and a heavy heart. It was the first holidays he'd spent away from his team and he wouldn't dare deny how much it hurt. Jack missed them as well and he had to spend a good bit of time explaining why they couldn't call them. Sadly his son had his own experience with Witness Protection so while Jack was insistent, he also understood and tried not to push too hard. All in all, it wasn't the best holiday season for the former Hotchners.
Pouring himself a drink, he walked to the front window and looked out. Snow blanketed the ground with a smooth white surface and the frosted trees twinkled in the sunshine. With a deep sigh, he fished out a picture of the team from his wallet. "Merry Christmas guys, happy new year," he whispered, taking a sip. He wondered where they were, if they had a case, if they had done dinner at Dave's, if they ever thought of him, if Garcia had done her tech magic and looked in on him and Jack from some camera. Every thought was another pang to his heart and his eyes pricked with unshed tears. A light rapping on the door broke through his reverie and slipped the picture into his pocket before going to get it. As always, he was cautious but he recognized the local mailman and opened the door wide enough to not be suspicious but at an odd enough angle that he wasn't easily seen from the street. "Hey Jason."
"Hi there Mr. Gibson," the younger man greeted affably. "Package for you."
"Thanks," Hotch took it and signed for it.
"You're welcome," Jason nodded. "Happy holidays!"
"You too," Hotch returned and shut the door. The package was a medium-sized box wrapped with brown paper and was quite heavy. It didn't have a return address but there was a lot of stamps and what looked like international postage. Confused and a bit wary, he opened the box and found a note on top of tissue paper-covered contents.
We're with you in spirit XXXXX
Hotch thought he might actually cry in earnest especially when he pulled back the tissue paper to a variety of gifts. Some were obviously for Jack like the video games and brand-new iPad in his favourite colour but there was also a bottle of scotch, cigars, a box of ties, a new tie pin and enough cookies to give both father and son sugar-highs well into the New Year. A bundle of blank cards with pre-printed sentiments made him smile. He didn't want to think about all the favours they must have called in to pull this off and frankly he was glad they did. "JACK! Come downstairs, there's a surprise for you!" Footsteps signalled his son's impending appearance and he pulled out the picture one more time. His team, his family, they were strong and nothing, not even Scratch, could break them.