I honestly don't know how to thank you guys. I know it's like the second chapter, and that's why I'm so overwhelmed and floored that I got almost 30 reviews off of the first one! I'm honoured and touched and scared to my bones because now I have to live up to your faith in me! I hope this is another good start...

December 2

He was, honestly, unsurprised when the phone rang. He was sitting on his couch, staring at the wall, trying to focus on something other than the fact that his ex-wife was now dead, killed at the hands of the man that had probably broken him. And Emily had called almost daily after he'd been released from the hospital. He hadn't thought much of it at the time, but he'd actually appreciated her checking up on him. She'd been able to find that illusive balance between hovering and letting him have enough space to think and just be miserable.

"How are you holding up?"

There was no hello, but then again, there rarely was when she was checking up on him. Hotch looked down at the floor in front of the couch, down at his son playing quietly. He'd been a little concerned with the violence he sometimes exhibited with his soldiers, but he'd told himself that it was normal. "We're... here."

"It's a start," she agreed, her voice warm and soft. "How's Jack?"

Jack was confused. He couldn't understand why Mommy wasn't around. He knew there had been a bad man and knew that that bad man had hurt his Mommy, but Hotch hadn't had the heart or the words to explain to his son that his mother was dead and she was never coming back. So Hotch stood, moving into the kitchen, unwilling to talk about it with Jack right there. He'd grown to trust Emily immensely after his attack, though it was easier to do on the phone than in person.

"Confused," he admitted to her, looking at the cupboards, one hand grasping the ledge of the counter. He found himself choking on words, unsure of what to say and wanting to say too much.

"Are you boys going to be okay?"

He knew what she meant. There had been many-a-time once he'd returned to work and she'd chewed him out for throwing himself in front of an unpredictable gun that she'd simply come over and sat there. She wanted to know if he wanted her to just come and sit with them. She wanted to know if he needed her support.

And he wasn't sure. He didn't want to burden her – though he was absently aware that she would scold him for even considering that it was a burden – and he didn't necessarily want Jack getting used to her. At the same time, he'd come to rely on her strength, on having her there when he was falling apart. This, however, was different. This wasn't about the fact that he needed to know there were others out there that understood his predicament and wanted him to succeed. This was about his son, his ex-wife, and how he blamed himself for what happened to Haley. He wasn't sure he really wanted a lecture right now, no matter how gentle she made it.

"Hotch, it's not going to burden me to say 'no' and it's not going to hurt me if you say 'yes'," her quiet voice broke through his thoughts.

He found the corner of his mouth tilting up slightly, despite the despair and depression pushing on his chest. Leave it to Emily to be able to read his thoughts, even over the phone.

"I don't know what we are," he finally decided on. "Jack… he asks about her."

"He's young, Aaron. He doesn't understand," she soothed, even though they both knew he was well-aware of it. "He just wants his mom."

Hotch swallowed, trying to hold the tears at bay again. "He can't have her." And it's my fault.

"I'm going to come over, okay? I won't lecture you, I promise."

She'd stick to that promise and he knew it. And even he had to admit, a few minutes reprieve from having to be strong for his son was probably worth it. He looked down at the counter. "Okay."

"Okay."

Twenty minutes later, and she was blatantly ignoring the fact that there was no way she could make it from her brownstone to his apartment in twenty minutes, she was letting herself into the apartment. She'd long had the security code and a key from everything she'd done for him before. Jack looked up.

"Hullo Em'ly."

"Hey there, sweetheart," Emily responded softly, crouching down to ruffle his hair slightly. "How are you?"

"I'm good," the five-year-old replied. "Daddy's not."

Emily managed to withstand the tears that flooded her eyes. This little boy was so incredibly perceptive. "I know," she answered. "But it's okay. Even Daddy's aren't okay all the time."

"Are you going to help him?" Jack asked.

She smiled slightly, running her hand gently through his hair. "I'm going to try," she promised. "Is he in the kitchen?"

"Mmhmm." Then he was back to playing as Emily pushed herself up. Her go-bag she left by the door, pulling her coat off to drop it on top. Then she made her way into the kitchen where Hotch was standing at the counter, holding onto the edge until his knuckles were white.

"Hey there."

He didn't turn, but his shoulders sagged and she knew that was as much of a greeting as she was going to get. It was fine with her.

She stepped forward, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Whatever you need to do, Hotch, you do it. I'll watch Jack."

She was surprised when what he did was reach out for her hand, grasping it tightly in his own. She worried about her bones chafing together, but allowed him that grip, that tether that he seemed to want.

"She's gone." My son's mother is dead and it's all my fault.

Her heart went out to him. "I know." It's not your fault, it's Foyet's fault, it's his problem.

Non-verbal communication was something they'd perfected and, as his shoulders sagged further, Emily stepped closer, her side aligning with his. He leaned toward her, just that little bit, enough that she could easily drop her forehead to his shoulder, offering him all the strength he was willing to take.

"I don't know what to do, Emily."

"You'll figure it out," she promised, her voice muffled in his shoulder. "It's okay."

But as his shoulders started to shake, his head bending down further as he started to cry, even Emily wasn't totally sure she believed herself.

Yay! Chapter 2! It was finished yesterday, which made me happy.

Okay, now that we all know what this fic's about and everything, I feel like I can kind of give my opinion on "100", especially after pretty much every review's made a comment on it.

I honest to goodness could not believe they'd killed Haley. I couldn't. I was shocked and terribly confused because they've just thrown the BIGGEST wrench into Hotch's life. And let's not lie, if TG leaves, we're going to be screwed. And I'd be terribly upset. But it wasn't even the fact that they killed her that really got me, it was the INTENSE emotion of that episode. Between her telling Hotch that he had to make sure Jack learned how to love, and the honest tears falling down Hotch's face as he was on the phone with her, then how the entire team heard the gunshot... I'm still reeling and I think that's why I could get this chapter out. And Haley's words about teaching Jack to love are going to come back in. They're actually going to play a huge role in this story.

Review, let me know if you're as intrigued by this chapter as you were by the last one!