The case had indeed taken an entire week to close, and while he had spoken to Jack and Erin every night, Aaron found himself missing being with his family, and the jet ride back from Texas just made him antsy to be on the ground in Quantico, heading towards home, and not having to stay at his office and finish up the backlog of paperwork that he was certain awaited him. "How was the transition back to work, Hotch?"

He looked up at Morgan, giving him a small shrug before gesturing for him to take the seat across from him. "It was more difficult than I had thought it would be. I was itching to be out in the field and catching unsubs, but once I was there, all I could think of was home and Jack. I feel like so much of his life is passing by without me, but I'm more driven than ever to take down unsubs. Because I need to protect him and make the world a better place for him to live in. I'm just so glad that Jessica is with us, because she has been a godsend."

"She does seem really levelheaded. Was she there with you for the whole two months?" Dave asked as he took a seat next to Aaron, handing him a mug of coffee.

"Yes, which helped the transition, as well. Jack is still feeling a little lost about certain things, and having family surround him has made him fell a little more settled. Or, at least I hope that it has. I hope that Foyet hasn't fucked him up for the rest of his life." He very carefully stepped around any mention of Erin, since he wasn't quite ready to share her with the team yet, not even his best friend, since he wasn't entirely certain of how to explain the fact that he had met a woman from the past and managed to fall in love with her over the span of six weeks. "But now Jack seems to think that the mansion you call a cabin in the words is his property, and has mentioned wanting to go back."

Dave laughed as he shook his head. "I suppose that I could be open to letting you all spend more time there, since Jack deserves a happy place to go, away from all the shit we see and unconsciously bring home. Just let me have an extra key made, and then you can just let me know when you want to head up there, so that we can make certain I don't have a hunting trip planned for then. And it is not a mansion."

"That's what Jack calls it, since it's much larger than our house. And thank you, by the way, for getting everything moved back into our house. I was so relieved to not have to deal with that when we got home."

"It was the least I could do, after what the two of you had been through. But, I do have a question. Penelope never really explained why she kept going up there. Care to share?"

Aaron brought the mug to his lips, using that to create a small space between them before he answered. "She just wanted to make certain that we were all doing okay. And truthfully, I think that she also wanted a little of a break from the horrors she sees every day. You and I both know that she's more sensitive to the things that she sees. And after she had to listen to that phone call…well, I would do anything to protect her soft heart."

"Hey, that sounds a lot like you're planning on moving in on my girl. Is this the point where I have to tell you that if you hurt her, I will break your knees?" Morgan teased, and he shook his head as he laughed.

"No, Penelope is a dear friend, and things are going to stay that way."

Derek nodded as he leaned back in the seat. "Good. Besides, I don't think that Cruz would like it if the Boss Man started dating our technical goddess."

Aaron said nothing in response, merely sipping at his coffee as a small bit of quiet filled the cabin. Glancing around the plane, he saw that Emily and JJ were fast asleep, their heads resting together in a sweet display of friendship, while Reid was rapidly devouring some thick Russian book. All seemed to be well with his team, and he was grateful that his extended time away had not affected them in any discernable way. "Are you headed home as soon as we get back?" Dave asked once Morgan had turned his music on, shutting them out from his thoughts.

"I wish that I could say that I was, but I know that there is probably so much paperwork to catch up on that that won't be possible."

"Did you think that we would leave you with a backlog? Hell no. Derek and I kept up on everything. And your report can wait to be written Monday."

"I'd rather get it over and done with, rather than have it loom over my shoulder for the weekend. Usually it doesn't take me too long to pull the preliminary data together, and Jack will be going to sleep by the time we touch down, anyway, so I won't be missing any time with him. I need to get accustomed to the rhythm of things again."

"All right, Aaron, you've made your point. Just, don't be afraid to ask us for help. Derek and I were taking care of the paperwork half of your job while you were out, so we both know how to do it. We can support you, and we will."

He gave his best friend a small smile as he nodded. "I truly appreciate that, Dave. Especially since Jack seems to be acting a lot like me, in that he holds his pain close to the chest. I'd rather he act out, but that doesn't seem to be his way of grieving."

Dave gave him a sympathetic look. "I can sympathize, since I know that grief is a tricky beast. When I lost James, I just shut myself away from the world, because I was certain that no one else could understand the grief that I was going through, not even Caroline. It's why we drifted apart. All I can tell you is just like you're going to be there for him when he needs to let it all out, I'll be here for you, when you need that shoulder to lean on."

"Thank you," he replied as the plane started to prepare for landing. Once they were on the ground and taxiing to the hangar, he pulled out his phone to check for any messages. There was one from Jessica letting him know that Jack had gotten to sleep without incident, and that she and Erin were going to spend some time together talking as she had been asked to spend the night again. He tapped out a quick reply, letting her know that was fine, and that he would be at work for a couple of hours still, since he needed to finish up the report before he headed home. "I am going to try to be more open, at least with you. I don't think I can afford to shut myself up again." Dave nodded as he smiled at Aaron, and as they arrived at the hangar, he knew that things would be all right with time.