This is very much not a happy chapter, for one of our fine men shall pass (somebody's gonna die)


Time seemed like it slowed down to a physically painful speed. Three shots were fired in quick succession, but only a loud grumble of white noise was heard.

Aaron Hotchner fell to his knees; three red circles on his chest slowly expanded and merged into one another.

"NO!" Reid screamed as he watched his friend fall to the floor. "Why did you have to shoot him?"

Already becoming emotional, Morgan's voice cracked. "Reid, I'm sorry, you know I didn't have a choice!"

"Shit!" Rossi exclaimed, stepping into the hall to call for an ambulance.

Morgan could not move. He only stood silent and still while he watched Reid drop to his knees beside their one-time friend. Reid let Hotch fall into his arms and laid his head gently on his lap.

"Hotch," Reid said tentatively, "Hotch, look at me."

Hotch struggled for a breath and coughed weakly. "I-I'm sorry," he choked out.

"I know," Reid assured. "And it's okay. I forgive you for everything."

"I'm a monster."

"No. No you aren't."

Reid could not look Hotch in the eyes when he denied it. There was no honest way to deny what Hotch had turned into. He had been so strong throughout his ordeal with Hailey, keeping joy in the fact that he could still be a good father to Jack. Then Foyet came along and threatened the lives of both his son and his ex wife who he still loved very much. On Jack's birthday all Hotch could do was watch a video and wish with what was left of his broken heart that he could hold his little boy. Instead he wasn't even allowed to know where he was, but he kept comfort in the fact that his family was safe. They didn't stay safe, though. Somehow that sadistic, sorry excuse for a human tracked his family down. Hotch tracked him down.

George Foyet killed Hailey Hotchner.

Aaron Hotchner killed George Foyet.

After that, Hotch simply did not have the strength to be strong for his son anymore. He fell apart and let himself be consumed by the rage he still felt for the Reaper and the agonizing grief he felt over the loss of his beautiful Hailey. The pain and anger destroyed him and he became…

A monster.

Reid felt Hotch relax against him. "Hotch, look at me. Stay here. We still have to figure something out for Jack, remember? I still want to help you."

Hotch gasped for one last breath. "I …I want…I want her back."

Reid began to cry and mumbled a chorus of pointless pleas when he felt Hotch's head role heavily to the side and his body go limp.

Rossi re-entered the apartment to find Reid knelt on the floor weeping and cradling his friend's lifeless body, Morgan standing over then dumbfounded in an almost catatonic shock.

The gray haired man let out a shaking breath and shook his head. "Good god, Aaron. Why?"

Rossi's voice seemed to have broken Morgan's trance and he slowly turned his head to face him. "Rossi, I'm –" Morgan tried n vain to apologize. Even had he finished his sentence, he knew it would have been nothing but empty words. He was sorry, but the fact meant little now.

Rossi interrupted. "Save it, Derek."

Rossi left. His footsteps echoed down the hall and down the stairs before they could no longer be heard, leaving Reid and Morgan alone, in silence aside from Reid's quiet sobs.

It took several minutes for Reid to calm down enough to stop crying, and when he did, Morgan slowly knelt down in front of him, the body of their dead colleague between them. He already knew from before that an apology would be useless and empty, but they could not jus sit in silence forever; someone had to bring the situation back to a manageable level, and Morgan could tell that that someone was not going to be Reid.

Morgan had not choice but to speak the empty words. "Kid, I'm so sorry."

"For what?" Reid finally looked up from Hotch and straight into Morgan's eyes. His tone was both sarcastic and hurt. "For killing Hotch, for not inviting me to lunch or for getting mad at me now that you know that I was right all along?"

Morgan hung his head in regret. He was sorry (he very nearly hated himself) for all of those things. "Everything, Reid. I'm sorry for everything that's happened today."

The young agent's tearstained face softened. "It isn't your fault, Morgan."

Reid's sentence was punctuated by the distant sound of sirens growing closer and closer, and the two agents realized someone must have called in the gunshot.

Reid didn't blame Morgan. Morgan knew cognitively that it was not his fault, but that didn't stop him from wanting to blame himself. There was no time for that though; soon they would have to explain this to the police, not to mention the girls and Strauss.

The DC Phantom case was far from closed. There would be no time for placing blame.


I hate how I ended that! There will be one last chapter to make up for it, though. Please R&R.