Title: Bathtime

Disclaimer: Not mine, no profit made.

Rating: K

Pairing/Characters: Hotch/Haley, Jack.

Summary: Jack's bath-time gets messy.

Prompt: Bath

A/N: Takes place during - kinda at the beginning of - Hotch's two week suspension from 'Doubt'

"Haley!" Aaron's voice echoed through the halls as Haley was just putting away the last of the now clean plates from dinner, "I need help!"

Haley's first instinct was to be concerned, but there was a levity in Aaron's voice that set her at ease. As she made her way up the stairs to the bathroom where Aaron was bathing Jack, she took a few deep breaths and tried not to let her excitement show. It was beyond wonderful to have Aaron home, and for a whole two weeks, but she couldn't let that show. He'd been suspended and it had been a big blow, she didn't want to make it seem as though she were glad he'd been reprimanded at work. There was a part of her screaming that she shouldn't have to hide happiness at time with her family as a whole and while she knew that was true, she also knew that hiding it was her choice. The idea of being the kind of person who reveled in her husbands unhappiness kept her from being honest about her true feelings.

As she rounded the door into the bathroom, the sight before her made her pause. Jack was covered in frothy bubbles which was to be expected of a 3 year old in a bubble bath. The part that made Haley's stomach flip and her heart warm was Aaron, a grown man, covered entirely in white bubbles.

Looking back, Aaron gave her a bashful look and mumbled, "I was attacked by Jack the Bubble Monster."

Haley's laughter echoed against the bathroom walls as she moved to kneel next to her husband. Jack was splashing his hands in the water, trying to aim for his father and Aaron submerged one of his own hands and splashed Jack's chest with it, careful not to get the soapy water near his eyes.

Jack squealed in laughter, "Mommy! Daddy splash me!"

Grinning from ear to ear, Haley gasped, "He did? Well don't worry honey, we'll get him!"

And with a conspiratorial wink, both Haley and Jack began splashing water out at Aaron who ducked for cover, "Ah! Tag team, no fair."

Haley laughed and continued soaking her husband, not even caring about the water on the floor. They finally stopped when Aaron – laid on the floor by that point - raised his hands and conceded defeat. He'd struggled to do so however through his laughter.

Aaron kept his hands up as he edged back towards the tub but Jack kept eyes on him. Apparently, Aaron had played this tactic before Haley arrived because the second Aaron's hand darted towards the water Jack squealed and ducked.

Haley wasn't so lucky however as a large handful of water splashed her in the face, "Ah! Aaron."

Aaron - husband, father, grown man and serious FBI agent – giggled and jumped up, darting out of the bathroom before either of them could retaliate.

As Jack's gleeful laughter resonated in one ear and Aaron's in the other, Haley decided that maybe she would have a talk with Aaron about his job.

She could ignore her own loneliness and feelings of dismissal for as long as she needed to, but she couldn't make herself ignore how happy Aaron was when he was away from that place. She didn't want to be the bad guy, the wife who cost her husband his dream job, but she also couldn't stand by and do nothing as the man she used to know, the happy man who'd made an appearance tonight was destroyed by the darkness in others. She needed to see Aaron, Jack needed to see Aaron, remember how to laugh.