Endings And New Beginnings
"It's time."
Aaron Hotchner turned around when he heard his best friend's voice from behind.
He had been standing in the door of his now empty apartment, the place he and his son Jack had called a home for the last six years, and stared ahead, the memories of these years almost overwhelming him. It was over, too dangerous for him and Jack to stay here any longer.
Aaron cleared his throat.
"Yeah," he whispered, fighting back the tears that were threatening to fall from his eyes.
He wouldn't cry, not in front of Jack, who was standing there, right next to David Rossi, desperately wondering why he had to leave everything behind for the second time in his young life, to go into hiding.
He wanted to lash out at his father, but Dave had a strong arm around his shoulder, holding him in place.
"Let's go."
They cast one last look into the empty apartment and shut the door behind them. Come tomorrow they would start their new life, God only knew where. New names, new job, new school, new beginning.
Aaron had briefly talked with the US marshals assigned to him about their new identities, but he still had no idea where they would take them. No one was supposed to know, not even Dave, who was coming with them to the airport to see them off.
He knew that, unless the danger could, by some miracle, be eliminated, they would never see David Rossi again. Or any other member of his now former team at the BAU.
He'd decided that having to say goodbye to them all would have been too hard, too painful, so only Dave knew what was going on. His friend would inform the others tomorrow.
They got into the government SUV, Dave behind the steering wheel, a marshal in the front passengers seat, Aaron and Jack in the backseat, and slowly pulled away from the neighborhood. With another SUV with marshals behind them, they began their quiet drive to the airport.
It didn't take very long and once they arrived at the tarmac, the marshal got out, giving them a few minutes to say their goodbyes in private.
A million thoughts were running through Aaron's mind, of all the things he wanted to tell his best friend, but no words would come out.
"Take care of yourself and Jack, Aaron," Dave finally said, his voice thick with emotion.
"You, too, Dave," Aaron replied.
Then they got out of the vehicle.
Dave turned to Jack and gathered him in his arms.
"You take care of your dad for me and make sure he'll be okay, will you?"
Jack nodded against his chest, desperately clinging to his Uncle Dave.
"I don't want to go," he whispered, " not when you're not there, Uncle Dave."
"I know, buddy. But I'm sure we'll see each other again soon." It was a lie and he knew it. And he was pretty sure, Jack knew it, too.
Their suspect was in the wind, so to speak, and unless he decided to show himself, they had no way of tracking him down.
"It's going to be okay, Jack. You and your dad will be okay."
Dave gave him a kiss on the top of his head and released him from his embrace.
He turned to Aaron as the marshal cleared his throat, urging them to go on. Without another word the two men embraced each other in a quick, tight hug.
Then Aaron took Jack's hand and they followed the marshals into the private jet that was waiting for them.
Dave stood and looked after them until the plane disappeared in the clouds.
Come tomorrow, Aaron and Jack Hotchner would cease to exist.
Two days later, a man named Ben Shepherd was woken up at 6:30 a.m. by the beeping of his alarm clock.
In two and a half hours he would start his new job as an English teacher at their neighborhood high school in Stillwater, Minnesota. His eleven-year-old son Chris was set to attend the local middle school.
He was nervous
His son hadn't spoken to him at all in the past few days, and he had no idea how to go from being in law enforcement for most of his adult life to dealing with teenagers day in and day out. He would have to make the best out of this challenging situation, for his boy's sake and he could only hope he would be able to get through to him again at some point.
It wouldn't be easy, but he had never been one to back down from a challenge.
At least they were safe here.
For now that was all he needed.
The end