Prompt: Outside.

She arrives unannounced at his door because he isn't answering his phone, and everyone is worried. Nobody expects him to spring right back from Haley's death, from what happened with Foyet, and obviously nobody expects him back at work. But he was doing the unfeasibly strong stoicism thing last time she saw him, and now he's unresponsive, and she's more than a little concerned. So she knocks the door. She's prepared for bad, but what greets her is worse. He's up and dressed, functioning, but his eyes… He lets her inside without a word, and he's so grateful for her in that moment, because she doesn't demand words. She tells him to put on some shoes, then goes into the living room to get Jack.

All the way to the park, she lets him walk in silence. She chats to Jack, tells him that it was such a beautiful morning that she just had to go for a walk in the park, and she thought they might like to join her. She tells him that she knows he's sad, but sometimes sunshine makes it feel a little bit better. When they get to the park, she takes a picnic blanket and a bag of bird seed out of her bag. Jack leans over curiously. "What's that for?"

"For feeding the birds. I thought you might like that."

He smiles a little. He likes birds. Hotch squeezes his hand.

Emily spreads the blanket and sits down. Jack joins her immediately, eyes fixed on the bag of bird seed, and Hotch follows. "Can you hear birds?" she asks. Jack tilts his head back, looking up at the trees and listening. He nods. "Me too. I think they're waiting for somebody to feed them."

Jack's feet wiggle in anticipation and he holds his hands out as she opens the bag. Before long he's up from the blanket, scattering seed all over. He's been cooped up for a few days at least, and he's half skipping as he walks around, giggling when the birds start to fly down from the trees. The birds are confident here, not too skittish, and if he's still enough they come pretty close to him. After a while, Emily turns to Hotch. "I hope you don't mind," she says. "I thought you might need to get out…"

He watches Jack in silence for a few more seconds, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. For the first time in days, Jack looks like the energetic, happy little boy he remembers. He's trying to do what's best for him, trying to keep it together and keep things normal, but it's been a bad few days. This is like a gift. When he turns to her, he can't meet her eyes. "Thank you."

"It's okay."

"I'm sorry I haven't been answering…"

"It's okay," she repeats. "If you want to talk, if you need a break, someone to take Jack out…"

"I know."