Chapter 2: Too Many Questions

"There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered" Nelson Mandela

Jack rolled over in his bed onto his side and instantly curled up in the fetal position. His ribs and side hurt too much. He rolled onto his back again. That was better. Now, it could have been the light streaming in through the window, or that he heard someone walking around downstairs that woke him up. Which ever it was, it made Jack stir from his sleep.

Jack opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. The fan was on and created a nice cold breeze on his face. Jack gingerly sat up and winced at the pain. He looked in the mirror. Yup, my face looks like crap. He was able to make it down stairs without too much pain. As Jack entered the kitchen, he found his dad making coffee.

"Morning." Hotch said. He couldn't help but smile at his son's morning appearance. Jack wore a white t-shirt and sweatpants. His black hair was ruffled.

Jack did a little wave, but didn't speak. It was too early to speak. Jack was clearly like the majority of the teenager population and not a morning person. He went over to fridge and pulled out the orange juice. He poured himself a cup and started to drink it. "Morning." Jack eventually said as he started to perk up.

"Did you sleep well?" Hotch asked. It had been a few years since Jack had slept in that room, let alone the house. The room was still blue and had very little decorating, besides bookshelves with some of Jack's old belongings.

"Well enough." Jack said. He did not mention how it hurt to sleep on his side and stomach.

"Good." Hotch watched how Jack held himself. He recognized that type of pain from his own personal childhood. "How are your ribs?"

Jack looked at his dad surprised. "How did you know?"

"I recognize bruised ribs. Are you okay?"

"My ribs are bruised and my face is a mess. I'll be fine." Jack put the orange juice back in the fridge. "It's a consequence of being in a fight, nothing more."

"What was the fight about?"

Jack studied his dad for a few seconds. Sure, it was his dad, but he was never around. "Nothing you would find interesting. I have Physics homework." Jack reached into the freezer and grabbed an ice pack for his ribs.

Hotch nodded his head. He hoped, but did not expect his son to talk to him. "Start small." Hotch thought over in his head. "Start small."

Jack was about half an hour into Uniform Circular Motion problems when his cell phone started to vibrate. He picked it up an answered it. "Hello."

"Where the hell are you?" Came the voice of a girl teen.

"Hi CJ. I'm at my dad's. Why?"

"Oh, so that explains it. I'm just trying to get into your house, but it's locked." CJ thought about what Jack had said. "Wait, you are at your dad's house?"

"Yes. All thanks to you."

CJ slightly laughed. "Have a fun time with that."

"Ha ha ha. You're so hilarious."

"That's what I'm here for baby."

"What are you doing at my house anyways?"

"My house is extremely small right now. Todd is a nervous wreck. He keeps wondering what The Times and New Yorker is going to think of his book." CJ's father, Todd, was a writer. His latest book was just published.

"How is the remodeling going?"

"Well, Donna does not like the shade of the living room anymore. I believe she mentioned something about going shopping for paint and some other stuff." CJ's mother had died of cancer when she was nine. Her stepmother, Donna, was an artist and could get on CJ's nerves fairly easily. "So, how do I get into your house?"

"Right, go to the back yard."

CJ walked around the house and with a little trouble was able to open the gate to the back yard. "Stage one is a success."

"Over where my mom keeps all of her gardening stuff is a ceramic frog. Lift up the top lid and the key should be in there."

CJ followed instructions and found the key. "I got it. Thank you."

"You're welcome. In my room there should be a twenty in the drawer, so you can order pizza, Chinese, or whatever you want."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. CJ?"

"Yeah."

"If you need to hang, I'm sure my dad will understand."

"Thanks Jack, but I'll be okay."

"Okay. Later hon."

"Later." CJ hung up.

Jack noticed that his dad was looking at him as if he was trying to figure something out. "What?"

"Is she your girlfriend?" Jack started to laugh. That was the most ridicules thing ever. "I'll take that as a no."

Jack held his ribs as he finished laughing. "No, CJ is not my girlfriend. There is no way in a million years CJ and I would date. I'm not exactly her type." Hotch looked confused. "Hon is just a pet name I call her."

"Why wouldn't you two go out?"

"Well, CJ plays for the other team."

"Oh. Does she come over often?"

"Well, yeah. CJ and Ben are my best friends in the world. They usually come over on the weekends, we watch movies, or just hang." Jack said as he continued to work on his physics.

"What are you working on?"

"Physics."

"Wow, I can't believe you are taking Physics already."

"Well, it was that or AP Chemistry."

"So, you're good at science."

"I guess."

"I was good at science to."

Jack nodded his head. "Mom told me that." Jack did not mean to come off harsh, it just happened. "Sorry." He mumbled.

"So, what do you like to eat?"

"Almost anything, just nothing with peanuts. I'm allergic." Jack was not sure if his dad knew that.

"Do you like pizza?"

"Yeah."

"I'm going to go order a pizza then."

"Okay."

Jack looked at the papers in front of him. Something was missing. He desperately needed a piano. He remembered that his dad used to play. He walked to his dad's office. The door was open. Why was he nervous? He knocked before entering.

Hotch looked up when he heard the knock. Jack was standing there. Hotch closed the case file on his desk. He did not need Jack to see the crime scene pictures. "Hi. Do you need something?"

"I was just wondering if you still had the piano. I know you used to play."

"Yeah. It's in the den."

"Right. Um, will it bother you if I play something?"

"No, go ahead." Jack left the room. A few minutes later, Hotch heard Jack playing the piano. He did not recognize the piece at all, but he liked it. Hotch got up and stood in the hall outside then den. He did not go in because he did not want to bother Jack.

Jack stopped playing and wrote something down on the sheet music. He played the bar of music over including the new cord. It sounded better, but not perfect yet. Jack finished the remaining bars of the song. He stopped when finished and added something else to the sheet music. Jack thought of something and began to play another song.

Hotch knew the second song that Jack was playing. It was the intro to: I Don't Like Mondays, an eighties song that Hotch was highly amused by. He was surprised by Jack's musical abilities. Both Hotch and Haley had taken music lessons when they were younger, so it was no surprise that Jack had also taken lessons. Hotch just did not know that Jack could play as well as he could. Then again, he did not know much about Jack.

Hotch heard the doorbell ring and went to it. The pizza had arrived. As he was paying for the pizza Jack stopped playing the piano and came out of the den. Pizza in hand, Hotch turned around and saw his son.

As they were eating the pizza in silence, the phone rang. "I got it." Jack said as he grabbed the phone. "Hello this is the Hotchner's resident. How can I help you?" Hotch was a little taken aback at how polite and professional Jack sounded on the phone.

"Hi honey."

"Oh, hi mom. How are you?"

"I'm good. How are you feeling?"

"Better, but I am sore."

"Well, take it easy. Can I talk with your father for a second?"

"Yeah, sure mom." Jack said and held it out for his dad. "Mom wants to talk to you."

Hotch took it and excused himself from the room. "Hi Haley, is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine Aaron. How is it going with Jack?"

"Good." Hotch slightly lied. He did not mention that he was yet to have a real conversation with Jack. "We are eating pizza now, but earlier he was playing the piano. Jack is a great musician. How long has he been playing?"

""You should ask him Aaron. It might possibly start a conversation with Jack." Haley wanted Aaron to get to know their son as much as possible before time ran out and it was going away quickly. She hated it that her son barely knew his father. "So, Jack's car was in the shop for a tune up and it is ready now. Now, I know that you have him, but he might want to pick it up. Then again, it can always wait until Friday."

"No. We can go picked it tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay then. I'll talk to you later. Bye Aaron."

"Haley?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry, for everything."

Haley was unsure of what to say. She was surprised and finally said, "Thank you." Haley hung up the phone and looked intently at it for a few seconds.

"Is everything okay?" Someone asked.

Haley brushed the conversation to the back of her mind and smiled at the man standing in front of her. "Everything is fine Jeff."

"Good." Jeff said before he kissed Haley. Jeff could not help, but notice how Haley's mind was somewhere else. "Are you sure that everything is okay?"

"I'm sure." Haley hugged Jeff and let her chin rest on his shoulder. As Jeff held her, Haley's mind was on someone else. To be exact, her mind was on Aaron Hotchner.

"How long have you been playing the piano?"

"Mom made me start taking lessons at seven." Jack said before looking back at his book.

"You are very talented." Jack shrugged his shoulders. He already knew he was good. He did not need to be told. "Do you play any other instruments?"

"Guitar." Jack did not see the point to this conversation and wanted it to end soon. "Before you ask, I've been playing since I was twelve."

Hotch nodded his head. "So do you ever play in public?"

"Sometimes." Jack said through gritted teeth. Clearly, his dad could not take a clue.

"Do you have a band?"

"Yes." Jack was about to lose it. He ran a hand through his hair. He wished the phone would ring. That would make his life so easy. He really needed to find a way out of this conversation. His dad opened his mouth but Jack stopped him. "Why are you so interested?"

"Sorry?"

Jack stood up and started to pace the room. "Why now? You have had years to ask me this stuff. Mom suddenly leaves me with you for a week and you become Dr. Phill? You have never shown an interest in me before. Why now? For both of our sakes stop asking. We both now what is going to happen, after this week everything will go back to normal and I will be the son you don't have." Jack grabbed his stuff and ran upstairs.

Hotch was left alone in the living room. He heard Jack run upstairs and slam the door behind him. Hotch felt as if he had pushed Jack too much. He was hurt by Jack's last words. "After this week everything will go back to normal and I will be the son you don't have."

Upstairs, Jack laid face down on his bed. He hated all of this. He wanted to disappear right now. He rolled over and grabbed his cell phone. He dialed a number and waited for someone to pick up. "Hello."

"Hey CJ. Can you just talk to me?" Jack stared at the ceiling. Why now?