A couple things: First, Jessica is Haley's sister, Jack's aunt. Secondly, I'm not sure how to end this. Should I keep writing, go through Hotch's recovery? Or should I just end it with him promising to get help?
Characters are a little OOC, sorry.
Morgan ended the call. "Hotch is okay. Rossi got there in time."
The team let out a collective sigh of relief. They were gathered in Hotch's office and had been waiting for word from Rossi.
"Are they coming back?"
"Not yet."
"Guys, what are we gonna do?" Reid asked. "We should probably tell someone..."
"Like Strauss? No way, kid. Hotch could lose his career over this."
"I'm pretty sure she would understand."
"Yeah, but he wouldn't want her to know. Chances are he doesn't want anyone to know. If he's gonna get help, he has to decide for himself."
"I hate to say this, but he's not exactly in a good position to be on the job right now, let alone calling the shots..." Prentiss pointed out.
"Then we convince him to take some more time off. Tell Strauss it's for personal reasons. Then if he decides to come back, he can do it with dignity." JJ suggested.
"Good thinking, J." Garcia was still wiping tears from her eyes. "God, I can't believe this is happening. He always seemed so...unbreakable. you know?"
"We've seen it before, Baby Girl. Guys like Hotch just keep pushing things down til they explode."
"Why didn't we see it?"
"Hotch has pretty much mastered the poker face. We didn't see anything he didn't want us to." Morgan replied.
"What now?" Prentiss asked. "We can't exactly leave him alone...but I don't think he'd benefit from us dropping him off at the psych ward..."
Reid frowned. "Yeah, I don't think that would help him. Maybe he could stay with one of us?"
There was a moment of silence as they considered it. "Sure." Morgan said. "I've got a spare bedroom."
"Do you really think he's gonna let us babysit him?" JJ asked skeptically.
"It's worth a shot."
"We can go back to the Bureau now."
"I think you should take the rest of the day off, don't you?"
"No."
Rossi sighed. "Look, no offense, but your head's not in the game. You can't lead this team until you've figured some things out."
Hotch shook his head. "You're right...I just...I don't know where to start."
"You need to talk to a professional."
"No. I don't do therapy."
"Well, you need to talk to someone! Would you talk to me?"
Hotch hesitated. "If the alternative is seeing a therapist, I guess."
"Another thing: I can't let you go home alone."
"Why? Do you think I would kill myself with Jack around?" He seemed offended.
"No, but from what I understand, Jack is spending most of his time at Haley's sister's house. It would be easy for you to send him there while you...you know."
"What, then? Are you going to take me to the psychiatric ward, make sure they look after me?" Hotch glared. "No."
"If that's what it takes." Rossi said quietly, and Hotch could see that his resolve wasn't going to weaken.
"I can't. I can't be there. I don't belong there."
"Then let me help you. Take some time off, stay with Jessica. Be around Jack so you can see how much he loves you, how much he needs you. If you feel like this again, call me. I don't care where I am or what I'm doing, I'll be there."
Hotch ran a hand through his hair. "All right. What about Strauss? I could lose my job if she knew..."
"If you start getting help, I won't tell her. Just explain that you need to take more time off to spend with Jack. She'll understand that."
"Okay."
Hotch felt extremely uncomfortable as he walked back into the BAU. Even though Rossi had assured him no one but the team knew, he still felt self-conscious.
"Breathe, Aaron." Rossi reminded him gently. He hadn't even realized he was holding his breath.
They reached Hotch's office and walked in, shutting the door behind them. The team was all there, wearing the same expressions of concern and sadness. Morgan was the first to react.
"Man, I don't know whether to hug you or knock your damn lights out."
Hotch gave a small smile. "Both?"
Morgan playfully punched his arm, then pulled him into a hug.
Garcia was the next in line. She looked up at him with tear filled eyes, and he couldn't bring himself to meet her gaze. "Don't you ever do that to us again, Aaron."
He wrapped his arms around her. "I won't." He said quietly.
"You can't leave us that easily, asshole." Prentiss tried to cover her anxiety with humor, but he could see right through it.
JJ looked into his eyes. "We need you."
"I know." He turned to Reid, who was watching with his arms crossed and his lips tight. He was clearly angry.
"Reid-"
"I can't believe you tried to kill yourself. You couldn't talk to any of us? Why didn't you tell us how bad things were? We would have helped you, you know that!"
"I-I'm sorry, I thought you would be better off without me." He admitted.
"We wouldn't be." Reid's voice broke. "You're like a father to me, Hotch. I can't lose you too."
Hotch felt ashamed and guilty. He hadn't thought about how this would affect Reid personally.
"I'm so sorry. I'm not going anywhere." He said, gently touching the young man's shoulder.
JJ cleared her throat. "I know that no one wants to talk about it, but we really need to decide what to do next. As much as I'm sure you wish we could just let it go, this is one thing that needs to be addressed. We were talking, and we thought it would be best if you stayed with one of us for a while."
"Rossi and I already discussed options. I will be talking to Chief Strauss about taking some personal leave time. Jack and I will be staying with Jessica."
Garcia nodded. "All right. But please, call if you need us. Any of us, you know we're here for you."
"Yes. And I thank you all for that." Hotch shifted his feet. The team had never seen him this uncomfortable before. "I'll go talk to Strauss now." He abruptly left the room.
Rossi slumped into a chair and began to rub his temples.
"What happened?" Prentiss asked the question that was on everyone's mind.
"I found him at the house where Haley died. He was sitting on the bed holding a gun to his head."
Garcia's hand flew to her mouth. "He was really going to do it, wasn't he?"
"Yes."
"How did you talk him down?" Morgan asked.
"I reminded him that he was needed. Us, Jack...we need him. You know Aaron, never does a damn thing for himself. But make it about those he'd leave behind...that was my way in."
"Smart."
"Yeah. Let's just hope it lasts." Rossi sighed. It was going to be a long road to recovery for Aaron Hotchner.
