Chapter 25

~~~~~CM~~~~~

Hotch stayed with Sean for three days, hanging around the apartment or the restaurant. Sean took Hotch's lead and didn't talk about the situation: explosions, Kate, or the hearing loss. He turned away when his brother clutched at his ears, giving him privacy.

Getting Hotch to relax was complicated. Food seemed to work, both at the restaurant or home. Sean had him taste test to determine if a dish should go on the new menu; they ended up with a special and two new appetizers.

At the apartment, Sean taught him two kid friendly recipes that could be whipped up quickly.

Hotch complained about his groceries going bad with his hectic travel schedule; Sean encouraged him to cook several dishes at one time, and then freeze them for later.

Hotch called Haley and gave her very little details, as Sean listened in from the other room. "I'm okay, yes. Having a little problem with my ears so I can't fly for a few days. Mm, yes. Fine. Can I talk to Jack?"

Hearing Jack on the phone was hysterically funny. Hotch joined Sean in the living room, and put the call on speakerphone. Jack was babbling incoherently for a good ten minutes. Finally, Haley took the phone away, telling them that Jack had walked around the house while pointing out different items as he spoke.

Hotch was finally cleared by the doctor for desk duty, it would be at least two weeks before he could be in the field.

He returned to the apartment to pack up his stuff. He had been wearing Sean's clothes so he ran those through the laundry. Hotch packed his blood free pants and shirt into his go-bag. While he truly appreciated Sean's efforts and consideration in cleaning his clothes, he planned on throwing them away as soon as he got home. He had already lost the jacket at the scene, he didn't need additional reminders of that evening.

Hotch folded Sean's clothes and put them in the dresser. He changed the sheets and made the bed. Running the vacuum, emptying the dishwasher, a quick swipe with a rag, and Sean's small apartment was clean.

He took a taxi to the FBI field office, and checked out a car. This had always amused him. The FBI allowed you to check out a car, gun, or a rifle, as easily as a citizen was able to go to the library and check out a book. Before he left, Hotch cut across town to Sean's restaurant to say his goodbyes.

"I really appreciate you letting me stay, Sean."

Sean wiped his hands on the white apron wrapped around his waist, and held out his hand. The brothers shook.

"Anytime Aaron, anytime. Um, hey, if you ever want to talk about this or Kate, I'm around."

Hotch held his gaze, trying to hold back the hurt at hearing her name, "Thanks, Sean. Really."

"You driving back yourself? Did you rent a car?"

Glad for the change in topic, Hotch smirked, "I checked out a car from the field office."

Sean's eyes widened, "They just let you check out a car? What kind? Do they have sports cars?"

"Chevy Impala."

"Lame. Have a good drive down."

They shook hands again, and Hotch headed out the door.

~~~~~CM~~~~~

A few hours later, Hotch was pulling up in front of Haley's townhouse. Haley didn't hover as he played with Jack until it was time for his nap.

"Are you okay, Aaron?"

He could see she was holding her arms stiff at her sides, fighting the urge to touch him.

"Just a few cuts and bruises. I have some hearing damage, but the doctor believes it will heal with time."

"That's good." Haley handed him her digital camera, "Watch this! It's Jack's side of the conversation from your call the other day."

Hotch hit play on the video and watched his son walking around with Haley's phone in his hands. The boy talked as he walked around the living room on unsteady feet. It looked like he was explaining what he was seeing, picking up items or pointing at things.

"That call got a good laugh out of Sean and I." Hotch told her, "You should send Sean the video."

"Yeah? You think so?"

Hotch nodded, handing her back her camera.

"I will be on desk duty for a week or so, do you mind if I take Jack a few evenings?"

They planned out the week and chatted about Haley's new job before Hotch headed home.

~~~~~CM~~~~~

Hotch sent the team to Seattle on a case while he stayed behind. He checked in on the case a few times, but mostly he caught up on the reports, vacation requests, and employee evaluations.

His dry cleaning was dropped off, groceries purchased, and he had made three meals to put in the freezer. However, it still wasn't enough to keep his mind off of Kate. He wanted to put it behind him, to move on, but the memories of holding her in the streets were haunting him.

He picked up Jack one night, leaving the office at 5:30 pm. Hotch played with him, fed him, bathed him, before putting the toddler to bed. The morning routine was slower, Hotch struggled to get both Jack and himself ready. By the time he had dropped Jack off with Haley, he was running late for work.

He walked into the bull pen as Garcia came out of the break room with her coffee, "Sir, I can't believe I beat you in."

"Sorry, I am late. Any news from the team?"

Garcia waggled her fingers at him, "Sir, office hours are 9:00 to 5:00. It's only 8:15. And the team is probably sleeping. They are on Pacific Time, Bossman."

As she headed for her lair, he could have sworn she said something about Morgan being in the shower. Shaking his head, he grabbed a cup of coffee before escaping to his office.

Meetings filled his morning so it was near lunch time before he had a chance to check in on the team. Dave informed him that a rookie cop identified the unsub after the profile was delivered. The unsub had inserted himself into the case as a witness. Morgan and Prentiss were going to handle the confession, and team would hopefully be returning that night.

That afternoon, Hotch's thoughts kept drifting during the human resources meeting on exempt versus nonexempt employees. He wished he was out in the field as cases required his full attention.

Calling it a day, he returned home and poured himself a generous glass of scotch.

~~~~~CM~~~~~

A/N: Alternate timeline to Season 4

Thanks to Natzinoo for Betaing. If you have a chance, check out her story, Forever a Family. I have dubbed her the Queen of CliffHangers.