Something's are easier than others.

As he pulled up on the drive outside the house, he sighed. It had been a strange day. Yes they caught there unsub, yes they saved a life. But in the process of the arrest Aaron Hotchner had taken a bit of beating. Nothing that required hospital treatment but it was enough to leave him sore and with a bruised jaw. He'd insisted on staying to see out the case of course but that was normal for him, he wasn't prepared to leave them to it when he could still help. For a brief moment the thought occurred to him that what if Gideon and Morgan hadn't been so quick to react, what if they hadn't used the taser, but he pushed it to one side as quickly as it came.

He got out, walked the few steps to the front door and went inside. It was quiet which was a very good sign; it meant his new born son was sleeping peacefully. Hotch smiled when he saw his wife stretched on the sofa watching TV.

"Aaron, Your home!" She got up and approached him obviously pleased, she was about to lean in to kiss him when she stopped and frowned. "What happened to your jaw?"

"Nothing." He shrugged it off.

"That.. is not nothing Aaron." She argued back, rightly so.

"Someone took a swing at me is all, its nothing."

"Does it hurt?"

"No." He said firmly but pulled away when she went to touch it.

"It does! I'll get some ice." She headed into the kitchen and Aaron smiled, he new she worried and fussed. He took his tie off draping it over the back of a chair and sat down on the sofa a little gingerly. Vincent was a big guy and the blows had been hard so his stomach was a little sore. He had no idea what Haley was watching but he didn't have chance to ask before she came back. "Here. Put this on.. What happened to your neck?"

He'd forgotten. He actually hadn't checked if there were any marks from the garrotte he'd just fastened his tie again when it felt okay to.

"Ah. Yeah. It's..."

"Aaron." She interrupted with a warning glare that he would have been proud of "Don't dare say its nothing."

"It's just a scratch. Don't even think about it."

Her fingers drifted beneath his shirt collar running her hand over the marks as if to satisfy herself that it wasn't to deep and wasn't anything to be overly worried about. He closed his eyes at her touch and let out a sigh, it was good to be home. Haley smiled and leaned in giving him the kiss she'd come close to giving him earlier. Her concern obviously easing off now she'd assessed his jaw and neck for herself.

"Is that better?"

"Much..." He opened his eyes and smiled at her, as she reached out and put the ice pack on his jaw content to sit there and help him as long as she needed to. "How's Jack?"

"He's been amazing, took his feed and straight to bed. Slept through since then." Haley pulled the ice pack away and shifted her position to lie back on her husband so they could watch TV. As she laid back she rested her head on him she heard the unmistakable sound of a sharp breath.

"Aaron…" She sat up and looked at him, just as he tried to hide the flash of pain that had crept up when she leaned on him. The look on her face said it all. It was one thing facing a violent (and large) unsub, but trying to explain it all to your concerned wife only weeks after the birth of your first child?

Damn.

Fin