A/N: Hello again friends! It's been a little while since I posted anything in my usual angsty style. This should definitely make up for that. I'll go ahead and warn you now, this one was tough to write. Anything involving abuse is. It has bothered me for five years that the writers of CM hinted at the possibility of Hotch having an abusive past and then never going any farther with the story. It sent my imagination into overdrive! And so this story was born.

I did mess with canon a little bit. I made Hotch and Haley friends at a younger age, which you'll see in Chapter 2. I needed someone whom Hotch trusted implicitly, and in my opinion that person has always been Haley. I don't like messing with things that have already been established in the show, so I apologize and I understand if that bothers anyone. I would normally say I hope you enjoy this, but that really doesn't seem appropriate for a story like this, so I'll just say that I hope this strikes an emotional chord with you. Thanks for reading...

Warning: This story involves mentions of child abuse.

PAIN

Aaron Hotchner and David Rossi stood against the wall in silence outside the hospital room of twelve-year-old Ian Kessler. The boy had been beaten and nearly strangled to death by his own father. Luckily for Ian, his mother came home early from work that afternoon surprising her husband, causing him to release his son and turn his fist on her before storming out of the house.

It was a scene that hit way too close to home for Aaron Hotchner. And David Rossi knew it. He knew, as did the rest of the team, how cases involving children affected their Unit Chief on a deeper, more personal level. But the team didn't know Hotch's history. Dave did. He knew this case would bring back demons buried by his friend long ago.

Hotch had already spoken with Mrs. Kessler. Her husband was the prime suspect in the beating deaths of two other children in the area. They were certain her son was to be his final victim; that he would use the previous deaths as a screen to sway suspicion away from him and toward an unknown serial killer. Thanks to her, they now knew that his method was identical to the methods used in the two previous murders and a search was underway to find him.

He also informed her they would need to question her son, who had barely spoken a word since he was brought into the Emergency Room. Now they were waiting, giving her some time to prepare her son for what was sure to be a difficult few minutes for the boy.

"You don't have to do this," Rossi spoke softly. "One of us can do the interview."

Hotch shook his head. "I have to."

Dave sighed and nodded. He placed his hand on Hotch's shoulder. "You're not alone. Remember that."

Hotch nodded and turned toward the boy's room. Morgan quietly moved into Hotch's position beside Rossi. He looked concerned.

"What's going on, Rossi?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're coddling Hotch. Like you're trying to protect him from something."

"I do not coddle." He scoffed, but he didn't sound convincing.

"But you're definitely in protective mode. Is there something we should know about, Rossi?"

Rossi sighed and turned his attention to the boy's room. Morgan's eyes followed.

"Stay close and listen, Derek. You're about to find out."

Hotch took a deep, settling breath before entering Ian's room. He'd hoped to never have to come face to face with the demons that haunted his childhood, especially not publicly, but if he could help this boy find some understanding, some comfort, maybe even a little closure, then it was worth it. He and Prentiss entered quietly, leaving the door open.

Hotch nodded politely at Mrs. Kessler before approaching Ian slowly.

"Hi Ian. My name is Aaron. This is Emily. We're with the FBI. We need to talk to you about your dad, okay?"

At the mention of his father, Ian pulled his knees to his chest and curled up tight, trying to protect himself. Hotch recognized all the signs. It broke his heart to witness the boy's pain. He knew it all too well.

"Is it okay if I sit here with you?" Hotch asked, pointing to the bed. The boy nodded shakily, but remained tense, clearly still afraid. Hotch sat next to him but was careful not to touch him. His eyes and his voice were soft and gentle toward the boy. Prentiss had only seen him this gentle with Jack and knew immediately that there was something much deeper going on within her Unit Chief.

"I know how hard this must be for you," he spoke quietly. "I understand your fear. I know what it's like."

Ian looked up at him skeptically, but saw something in Hotch's eyes that made him relax ever so slightly.

"How do you know?"

Hotch looked down, closed his eyes for a brief moment and took a deep breath before facing the boy again.

"You see this little scar over my eye?" he asked, pointing it out. Ian nodded. Hotch smiled a sad smile at the boy before revealing his deepest secret.

"My father gave me that scar."