Hotch watched his team having a good time on the dance floor – Rossi included – and allowed a small, rare smile to grace his face. He was glad that he'd been cajoled into spending the evening with his friends; his family. He laughed quietly to himself as Reid showed off an uncharacteristically good dance move to yet another overplayed Christmas song and Morgan reciprocated with a slightly less impressive move but still much better than anything Aaron himself could muster. It was good, he thought, for them all to have times like this together where they could just be friends laughing together and having a good time meanwhile forgetting about the horrors that face them at work everyday. He'd gotten lucky with his team – they'd quickly accepted and welcomed one another into their dysfunctional family, maybe because each had a secret pain or trauma in their past. Either way their team had bonded to the point of no longer just being a team and he knew he was extremely lucky for that.
"Hey, stop daydreaming. Come and join us." Emily sat down next to him having left the group in favour of keeping their boss company.
"No thanks. Go. Have fun, you deserve it." Aaron dismissed her politely with a gesture towards the team who were still very active and very loud on the dance floor.
"I know, but I can still have fun whilst having a conversation with you, Hotch." Prentiss pointed out. "And anyway I've been over there for a while and Garcia and Morgan are two minutes away from grinding on one another which is something I'd rather not see." Both dark haired agents winced at the mental image imposed upon them. "I've barely spoken to you all night; I don't think anybody has. Is everything okay?"
"I haven't really been in the mood for talking." Her unit chief pointed out helpfully before taking a drink of his lukewarm beer. The one he'd been nursing practically all night.
"Are you ever?" Prentiss had meant it as a joke but given the half glare she received from her boss she knew it had fallen flat. "Sorry."
Neither agent spoke after that. Emily left briefly to get a beer before returning, both sipping their drinks intermittently in companionable silence. Garcia and Morgan did indeed dirty dance making Rossi drag Reid to the bar where both were hit on. Rossi loved the attention whereas they could tell that Reid, even from where they were sitting, was having trouble flirting. Sometimes, Hotch felt sorry for the younger man in how difficult it must have been for him growing up the way he did.
"It's hard, not having Jack here. I've missed Christmas with him before but I've always known that I'd come home to him. Now I'm going home to nothing." Aaron confided in his co-worker some time later. It was quite a disturbing thought no matter how true it was. He loved Jack, he was what mattered most to him and he'd do anything to protect him no matter the cost. Unfortunately, that cost was sending him and Hayley away into Witness Protection and though Hotch knew undoubtedly that it was for the best, it killed him not being able to see his son. It made him think of how Foyet was winning everyday he didn't get to see his family and in turn that just fed an ever growing ball of hatred and fury towards the Reaper, the only UnSub Hotch had ever truly wished he could kill.
"I'm so sorry Aaron." Prentiss' voice was soft and sincere. There was an undercurrent of pain there like she hurt for him and he had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. He didn't need her pity; he didn't even know why he'd mentioned it. "We'll find him and when we do and you've got Jack back, you can make it up to him."
"Yeah." His tone was dismissive and even to him it was harsh given that she'd taken the time to talk to him and sit with him. However, before she had the chance to reply, the team sat down and he'd never been more grateful.