A/N: Hello again, everyone!

Again, sorry for the delay!

My apologies if I had made any mistakes but do enjoy the chapter!

Also, I would like to credit ahowell1993 for helping me with this chapter.

As Élise and Reid stepped into the roundtable room,

"Hey, everyone."

The entire team minus Hotch and Jack.

"Hey." Morgan quietly greets them. "How was your Thanksgiving?"

"It went well, despite a few words I had with my mother."

"About what?" Prentiss asked.

Élise shook her head and hand, "I…rather not say."

Rossi exhaled a big sigh as he saw Hotch just walking into the bullpen with Jack, holding his hand through the blinds.

And Hotch looked drained and defeated.

"Hotch."

Élise released a breath of air, "Yeah." Crossing her arms, "I can't believe Strauss is doing this."

"It's just an internal investigation…" JJ was interrupted when,

"…Concerning I damn well know she will do whatever it takes to make sure Hotch is blamed for this."

"Well, we're not going to let that happened." Morgan vowed.

Prentiss agree. "We won't."

"And if she does, I will not mince my words with her." Élise sharply said.

"And when you, can you record it for me?" Rossi asked.

Reid and Élise were sitting in an FBI interrogation room, holding each other's hands.

As Élise took a sip of water, "I won't mince my words."

"It'll be recorded." Reid remained Élise.

"True." Élise agreed. "I just don't like being interrogated; makes me feel like an unsub."

"Same here. But we have to do with we have to do."

"Okay." Élise said as she and Reid saw Strauss walking in.

"Dr. Reid. Ms. Bastien."

"Ma'am." They said simultaneously with polite parenthetical.

As Strauss took a seat across from them, "How are you two today?"

Reid answered, "Good." Élise mentally rolled her eyes; wondering if she was still in elementary school when Strauss asked her that questioned.

Strauss turned on the recorder, "Please say your names and ranks for the record.

"Supervisory Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid, for the Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Virginia."

"And Federal Prosecutor Élise Bastien for the U.S. Attorney's Office," Élise said.

"You left for Marshal Kassmeyer's house immediately?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Wouldn't this be a job for a tactical team?"

"We felt that it would take too much time to get authorization for another operation"

Strauss sounded doubtful, "We?"

"All of us."

"Don't you mean Agent Hotchner wanted that?" Strauss corrected Reid.

Élise was ready to give Strauss another tongue-lashing when, "No, I mean all of us wanted that. I know what you're thinking and, I agree, it would be easy for us to blame him."

"Easy?"

Dr. Reid sarcastically said, "Yeah, why not just say it's his fault and then we can all just forget about it."

"And while we forget about it, why don't we go and get a nice drink while we're at it?" Élise gracefully snaps back.

"But, eh, the problem is I have an eidetic memory and that's not what happened."

"What happened then?" Strauss continued.

"We rushed immediately to the safe house, only to find Marshal Kassmeyer badly tortured by Foyet and as it turns out, he refused to talk despite being tortured by him."

"Do you believe it was Marshal Kassmeyer's fault that Agent Hotchner's family was compromised?"

"Absolutely not." Reid rapidly replies.

"You answered that very quickly."

"When you're being tortured, there's no end in sight, except giving them what they want," Reid said, being remained of his own torture at the hands of Tobias Hankel.

"And Kassmeyer didn't do that?"

"He withstood everything that Foyet had."

Élise mentally cheered at Reid when he said that.

"And you still didn't know where Foyet was?"

"The phone belonged to a U.S. Marshal. It was designed to bounce between towers, so we could not pinpoint his location." Reid answered.

"And Agent Hotchner was driving around aimlessly."

"No." Reid sharply replies before continuing. "He wasn't. We had Foyet's profile, and we knew if we followed it, we would know where he took Hotch's family. He had to be the one in control to prove his dominance and thinking about the phone call, we figured out Foyet to his family back to the house where they lived together."

"And now," Élise retorts. "We get to the saddest part. Morgan sent out a full tactical deployment and we were on our way when Haley called Hotch. When she realized Hotch was still alive and Foyet tricked them. Hotch tries to calm her own but of course, Foyet wouldn't. He just kept taunting her and blamed Hotch for not taking the deal, which was to stop looking for Foyet." Taking a deep breath, "Haley and Jack said their final goodbyes…" A tear fell down. "Knowing she was doomed, she and Hotch said their final goodbyes before he apologized for putting her in the middle." Taking a quick moment to hiss, trying not to cry, "She made him promise to tell their son how they met and how Hotch used to make Haley laugh. Because Haley wants Jack to know Hotch is not always so serious and wants Jack to believe in love because it is the most important thing. But he needs to show Jack and then…" Élise covers her mouth to muffle a cry.

Reid finished for her, "…And I don't know what happened after that."

Swallowing her gulp, "All we do know was the aftermath. Haley…there was nothing anyone could do. Not even Hotch. She was already…" Élise stopped for a moment. "And Jack…oh, Jack."

"I think that's enough." Strauss quietly said.

"Yeah." Élise agreed.

Élise and Reid held hands as they were walking back to the roundtable room,

"Lise!" Jack's face brighten when he saw Élise and Reid together.

"Hey there, you."

"How was the interview?" JJ asked.

"Honestly, I was seconds away from doing something unladylike. Three times. And I turned off the recorder at one point.

"Same here." Rossi raised his hand.

Élise and Reid looked up when Hotch walked in and Jack immediately got out of his seat and hugged his father with all his might.

"You know," Élise spoke up smiling, "There's a quote that remains me of who we are and what we will forever be." Clearing her throat, "Poet Haniel Long said, "So much of what is best in us is bound up in our love of family, that it remains the measure of our stability because it measures our sense of loyalty." Don't you think?"

"Perfect." Reid wraps his arm around her.

As Élise just left the ladies' room and into the hallway,

"Élise."

"Strauss." Élise coolly said.

"How are you?"

"I'm fine." Élise replied before saying, "I heard the panel ruled Hotch's actions acceptable under the circumstances."

"Yes." Strauss quietly agreed. "It was good enough for me."

"I'm sure it was." Élise exhaled before saying, "Look, uh…I know you and Hotch have had some history in the past. You had the impression that under Hotch's leadership, the team was disorganized and posed as a threat to the BAU and with Prentiss…"

Strauss interrupts Élise, "My job is to protect the team and the Bureau. That's all I want."

Élise was doubtful herself, "Sure it's not something else? Like, say, ambition? Wanting to climb high up in the FBI leadership food chain?"

"As I said, I want the best for the team. And the Bureau."

Nodding her head. "Okay. Oh." And before Élise could forget, "And…one more thing." Élise goes into her briefcase and pulls out a file, which she gives to Strauss. Once Strauss opens it,

"Where did you get this?" Strauss softly asked.

"I can't tell you that." Élise answers. "And I made a copy. I just want to make sure we do understand each other."

Strauss nods her head, "We do, Ms. Bastien. And tell Hotch if he needs anything…"

"I will. Have a good day, ma'am."

"You too."