"Aaron, ring her," Rossi says as the two sit in Aaron's office.
"She doesn't want to talk to me."
"Of course she does. She'll be finding this just as hard as you are," Rossi says, trying to make things easier on his long term colleague and best friend.
"Why did she leave then? If this was hard for her, why leave? She should have stayed so we could work through this together," Aaron replies.
There is a knock on the door that interrupts their conversation. JJ opens the door, poking her head in and informs the two they have a case.
Fifteen minutes later, the team start getting ready to head off.
"Hotchner," Aaron says as he answers his mobile, not checking to see who was calling him.
"Have you been over there yet?" A female voice asks.
"Uh, no," he says as he quickly glances at his team. They enter the elevator but he stays outside. He motions that he will catch up with them.
"When you go can you…" her voice begins. Hearing her voice again, he could feel his wounds coming undone.
"I won't be going," he replies coldly.
'It hurts too much to go, tearing those old wounds open and then covering them back up again. It never gets easier it, just gets harder and harder with each passing year,' he thinks.
"Why aren't you going?"
He hears the surprise in her voice and chooses to ignore it.
"A case, which also means I have to go," he says, hanging up and getting on the next elevator.
'Pull yourself together Hotchner. The team needs you,' his mind chastises as he enters the elevator.
Jet
"Was it her?" Rossi leans over and whispers to Aaron.
"Yes. And I don't want to talk about it."
"You never do, Aaron. At some stage, you're going to have to."
"Like you talk about your past?"
"You're not like me, Aaron."
"Thank god," he replies, turning his head toward the window and staring out, giving Rossi the cold shoulder. Rossi moves back to the rest of the group, overlooking the abrupt dismissal from his long time friend and colleague, knowing he is hurting and more so this time year.
"What's up with the boss man, Rossi?" Morgan asks him once the older agent has taken his seat.
"Nothing for you guys to worry about."
Several hours later, they have touched down at their new destination and are busy working on the case .
Rossi watches Aaron closely during their case. To the team, he seems like his normal stoic self, but Rossi sees the quiet turmoil the others cannot. Rossi has no idea how the younger man gets through this time of year. Especially when the rest of the team doesn't know the private hell Aaron is going through.