Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds
Title: Promise Me
Author: ReadingRed
Chapter One: Coping
"I want him to believe in love, because it is the most important thing. But you need to show him. Promise me."
It had been a year since Foyet had kidnapped Haley and Jack. A year since his son had lost his mother. Aaron Hotchner knew that the one thing Haley had wanted in her life was for her son to be happy, and now it was up to him, and him alone to make that happen. For months he had been at a loss on how to fulfill the promise he had made to Haley. How, exactly, do you teach someone about love?
Jack and he had had a rough time of it in the months after Haley's death, and it wasn't long before he was leaning on his sister-in-law Annie for help. She would come over and watch Jack when Aaron went out of town on a case and in the afternoons after Jack came home from preschool and before Aaron got home from work. Annie had been a godsend. After a few months it had started to get easier. Jack stopped asking for Haley at bedtime; Aaron stopped seeing her bloody face every time he looked at Jack. They still thought about her. Jack and Aaron still loved Haley, and Aaron would tell Jack stories of when Aaron and Haley were young, what they were like when they fell in love just like Haley had asked. But they had both started to heal.
Aaron was home for the evening and he and Jack were saying goodbye to Annie.
"Bye, Jack, I'll see you Monday okay?" Annie said knelling down in front of Jack and hugging the five year old.
"Okay Aunt Annie." He said before breaking out of the hug and running upstairs to play.
"Aaron, how are you? Are you dating yet?" Annie asked in her gentle way. Aaron was shocked by her question none the less.
"Annie, it's only been a year since…"
"I know how long it's been Aaron… She wouldn't want this. You know that. She'd want you to be happy. To be loved. You, but Jack especially, she would want him to know love."
"That's… that's what she said. She wanted me to show him love. It was the last thing she said to me, but that's why I've asked you to spend so much time with him, so he would have that."
"Oh, Aaron, I don't think that was what she meant sweetie." Annie said placing a comforting hand on his forearm. "Do you mind telling me exactly what she said; maybe I can tell you what she really meant. I am her sister you know." Annie said.
"Fine. Come on, there's no reason to do this in the doorway. You might as well sit down." Aaron said leading Annie away from the front door to the living room.
He sat down and took a deep, calming breath.
"Foyet let her call me. He wanted to make sure I knew what was going to happen. After I sent Jack upstairs and she said her goodbyes to him she told me 'I want him to believe in love, because it is the most important thing. But you need to show him. Promise me.' And right after I said I promise he shot her." Hotchner said. He couldn't look at Annie, he was afraid to see the emotions playing across her face.
"Oh, Aaron. See? She wanted you to move on, to find someone else, someone else to love so Jack could see what it was really supposed to be like. Remember when you two were in high school? That's the type of love she wants Jack to have, but first he has to see it's possible. I'm not saying that she wanted you to go out and marry the first girl you saw, but she wanted you to find someone to truly love, so Jack could grow up in a home with parents who love each other and who love him."