Aaron Hotchner had been subdued all the way home. The team continuously shot looks at the always well dressed, keeping to himself, boss who was now looking out the window.
Nowadays, he was more then closed off… he was reclusive.
Never going out for drinks with them, he left work early. No reason to stay late at his home, he came in early, looking exhausted. One night Morgan had followed him, in the hopes of finding out what he did with his spare time. All he saw was a man walk into his house alone and not coming out. This made Derek Morgan ask himself even more… what is Aaron Hotchner's mysterious secret?
The team were all in the bullpen of the BAU on floor six of the FBI academy building except Hotch, who was in his office. He wrote his signature on the last paper. He gave the picture of his smiling son that was on his desk one last look, gave him a silent, 'I love you', and stood. He grabbed his jacket, switched off the lap sitting on his desk and the computer behind the desk, and walked out his office door, pulling the door closed behind him. He stared at his team subtly for a short time and smiled slightly. His team: protectors of the innocent, keepers of the peace. Aaron suddenly realised that the team truly had no idea how much those titles applied to him.
Morgan looked up. "Hey, Hotch, we're headed out, you comin'?" Morgan asked, knowing it would be in vain.
"I can't, I'm pretty beat, so I'm gonna ahead home." He smiled a little at his team. "Have a good time, though."
The team watched Hotch leave, uncertain to whether or not they should do a group intervention on him to try and get him to spill on what he does. But before they could decide Hotch had already rounded the corner and gotten on the elevator.
He hurried to his car and drove before the team caught up to him.
Over a year ago the team had gotten a call from Jim Gordon in Gotham City. The team was shocked. Gotham's streets were swimming with psychopaths and sociopaths and not once had they called in the BAU. A man dressing as a bat was taking care of all the psychos… so why did they want the BAU now?
Aaron's question was answered outside of the GCPD one night as he walked to his SUV, getting ready to go back to the hotel on his own, well after the others had gone.
He dropped his keys. He stood and, gazing, into the reflection in the Black SUV's tinted windows, he met the legend himself; the Dark Knight; the Batman.
He gathered all his energy so as not to freak out on the spot. "So you're real?" he asked, not turning around.
"Apparently so." His voice was deep, Hotch hadn't heard it anywhere before.
"What do you want?"
"I can help you on the case."
"Thanks, but I've been doing this for a while…"
"Not with Gotham's criminals… Let me help you."
"Gordon clearly doesn't want your help anymore."
"Gotham's changing… so is their guardian… I'm not as in control as I was. I nearly killed the Joker, Gordon didn't like that, he's refusing my help… I've re-evaluated my priorities, but Gordon doesn't want to know… I need your help. "
"Why?" Hotch asked, genuinely curious.
"Because I know the loneliness you make yourself feel." And he was gone. And Hotch was no longer staring at the heroes mask, but at his own: the ragged, tired mask he had been wearing since he joined the BAU. His agreement was an unspoken knowledge between the two.
And now Hotch had no idea had he had gotten here: in a crouching position atop the Capitol Building, overlooking the city, donning the Mantel of the Bat. A soft breeze blew around him and he took a deep breath, before standing up and letting himself fall from the building, grabbing the grapple before he fell to his death, and swinging from building to building, never ever feeling so exhilarated.