A/N: Bit of an emotional chapter for Hotch coming your way. This is my take on what happened after Hotch revealed to Morgan in 3x03 that Haley had left. Thanks to for still sticking with me for these series of prompts. Enjoy.

Mid-July 2007

In the 8 months Emily had resided at the BAU, never had she seen Aaron Hotchner look so… Null and Void. Something profound had been bothering him; a dead relative perhaps? Unresolved trauma resurfacing? She then shuddered at the thought that maybe Hotch could have undiagnosed depression. Whatever it could be- and let's be honest, with his career it may have been a dozen reasons- sucked more and more life out of him by the day, and the brunette couldn't help but feel an overriding concern.

From the thick blankets draped over the edge of his sofa, and an extra suit and tie hanging up behind his door, Emily could tell that he had pulled a few all-nighters. She'd dropped off a field report into his office one night and could have sworn that the man had passed out; Hotch's eyes were barely open, and his head had been tilted slightly forward, almost like someone had zombified him. Not only that but during team conversations, his expression seemed glazed over as if he was in another world, and minor mistakes had been made on his half. The fact that it had been impacting his work made Emily inches away from telling Strauss. Even though she hated the woman's guts, at least she'd see to it that Hotch could get help.

Hotch had the most extraordinary poker face Emily had ever seen, however, even with his direct and undulling expression, you could spot emotions swirling through his eyes. They usually were filled to the brim with harsh judgement or had that mischievous sparkle in them whenever he found something amusing. But in the past few days, the bags under his already exhausted eyes had grown, the sparkle had dissipated. Some days Emily swore he even looked like a lost puppy.

Perhaps it could have been because of Gideon resigning. After all, Hotch and Gideon had known each other for years and formed an incredibly trustworthy and close relationship. Those two men had bounced ideas off each other, put their lives in each other's hands. And now, Gideon just up's and walks away, leaving Hotch to find somebody completely new to fill his position.

No goodbye.

No explanation.

And no clue as to where he may be.

Gideon was a great agent with insight and knowledge that was only unique to him, a true chameleon. Profiling was one thing, but Gideon had this innate ability to disguise himself as someone else. He could put himself in other people's boots so quickly and know without hesitation what their thoughts were, how they felt in certain situations.

There would never be an agent quite like him, and Hotch and Spencer were taking his departure the hardest out of everyone.

But Gideons resignation couldn't be the only thing that bothered Hotch. Agents arrived and departed like the ebb and flow of the tides. It was apparent Hotch cared deeply for the team, but not to the point where he felt depressed concerning their absence. Emily noticed Hotch became so intense when he didn't feel himself. Some days she would try and talk to him about something personal, something as simple as 'how are you?' caused him to change the subject. She tried muttering a joke, and he wouldn't flinch a muscle, not even a sparkle would appear in his eye.

Unless what you asked him was work-related, his silence dominated.

The first time she'd noticed this odd behaviour was the day after they returned from the Milwaukee case. And Emily genuinely thought it was merely one of those days. A day where nothing worked, a day where life threw everything it had against you. Everybody had them occasionally. And not to mention, everybody was getting back into the groove of having the whole team back minus Gideon. She felt the day would pass, and he would return to work the next day back to his old self.

However, that day turned into 2 days. Then those 2 days turned into a week. And the week transformed into a whole month.

Not only had Emily noticed, but everyone else saw it too. And they were just as perplexed as her. "Has he ever been like this?" Emily had asked JJ in the car during a case. JJ's mouth had opened slightly, and she shook her head.

"In the 4 years I've known him, I've never seen him like that…"

Those were the only words Emily needed to hear to know that something serious was wrong with Hotch. It didn't help that he never talked about his personal life much, not unless you dug deep and asked a specific question you wanted answered. The pit in the bottom of her stomach grew, knowing that at some point Hotch would reach rock bottom. She'd rather see him angry at her than see him wholly lost in his own mind.

The moment the plane parked up at Quantico, Hotch sprinted off the jet as fast as he could, not even mentioning a 'goodbye' or 'great case guys' as he usually did. Emily watched as he left abruptly, letting her tongue press to the roof of her mouth. "Okay." She began, "What in the hell is up with him?"

Everybody's expressions were blank as canvasses. All except one… "Morgan?" Emily asked him, quirking an eyebrow. The man closed his eyes, shaking his head.

"I think that it's Hotch's story to tell… Not mine." Morgan confessed, grabbing his bag. "Anyway, we all know how much he hates it when we profile each other, especially him."

Emily bit down on the bottom of her lip, figuring that Morgan wasn't going to reveal anything she didn't already know. He was right, it was wrong to talk about Hotch behind his back. But, part of her disagreed. This had been going on for a whole month, and it was getting to the point where Emily couldn't just sit around and watch the man crumble to pieces. She needed to know what was going on with him. "Well… Is he at least okay?"

Morgan shrugged his shoulders, "I honestly can't say." With that, he left the jet, leaving Emily with more questions than she had before…

It didn't take a profiler to know that Hotch had left to go immediately to his office, and Emily needed to drop a few things off at her desk, so she figured she would chase after him. Arriving back in the unit, closed blinds and a tightly shut door greeted her eyes. After grabbing bits and pieces from her desk, she hesitantly made her way up the stairs, knocking gently on the door. "Hotch?"

"Come in…" She heard.

He was busy writing, pretending to immerse himself in his paperwork. However, little did Prentiss know that only moments prior was he standing by the window, contemplating his marriage. He heard her footsteps approach his desk, and when he glanced up, he saw concern embedded in her dark eyes. "Can I help you?" He asked quizzically.

Emily didn't really know how to begin the conversation, so she sat down, taking a seat opposite him. At the same time, he continued 'pretending' to write. She had done that enough times in her lifetime to know what that looked like. "Is everything okay?" Prentiss huffed, "I don't mean to intrude on your personal life or anything, but you've just seemed…" She searched for the right words, "not yourself."

He'd already admitted to Morgan his failed marriage, the last person he really wanted to admit it to was Prentiss. She would judge him, he would feel ashamed, and he'd spiral further into this void that seemed no way to escape. "What did Morgan tell you?" Hotch finally asked after a few moments of contemplation. He figured that Morgan must have mentioned something to the team, but he was one of the only few he trusted to keep a secret.

"Nothing I didn't already know…" Prentiss quietly muttered back.

Dropping his pen, he leant back in his chair with that lost look in his eyes as he glanced at the night-time sky outside. Emily stood up, suddenly feeling like she was pressuring him to share, which is not what she came here intending to do. "if you don't want to tell me, I understand… I'm just… Concerned. And everybody else is too."

Hotch closed his eyes and motioned for her to sit back down. There were a few moments of silence as Emily waited while he built up the courage to tell her about his personal life.

"My marriage is failing…"

Emily almost wanted to cry for him as she saw tears pool in his eyes. It took a lot for Hotch to get emotional and to see him literally on the verge of tears really belittled her. Haley meant so much to him, and it was a powerhouse battle to balance his personal life with his job.

That explained it…

"I'm so sorry… Is there… Anything I can do to help out?" He shook his head. "Are you sure? Paperwork?"

"Yes, Prentiss… I am sure." He was so stubborn. She nodded, letting out a sad sigh for her superior. It really must have sucked. Emily had experienced plenty of breakups and rejections in relationships throughout her years, and no amount of time together or coping mechanisms made it easier. But to be in a marriage for many years and see it crumble to the floor, that must have been heart-breaking.

She nodded, "I'm glad you told me, Hotch… I'm so sorry, and please, let me know if I can help out with anything." She stood up, then turned around, "Oh and one more thing… Getting a good night's rest in your own bed really helps. Don't cause more harm to yourself by sleeping here." An emotionless expression greeted her. "Goodnight Hotch…"

"Goodnight, Emily. Thankyou." The brunette smiled at the door, noting that he'd used her first name rather than her last. She nodded before forcing herself to leave his office, feeling a mixture of disbelief, sadness, and pure heartbreak for Hotch. Both he and Haley were so suited to each other, and it just seemed incredibly upsetting to see them drifting apart and Hotch being so distraught over it.

Aaron had spoken with Haley a few times over the last month, and when he did, their conversations were brief. Mainly, it was about Hotch asking if he could see Jack. The distanced couple had touched upon Haley moving out; however, the conversation had been interrupted multiple times by Jack as well as Haley's relatives.

And neither of them liked to argue in front of others, especially in the presence of Jack.

So, the last month, Hotch had been giving her as much space as possible because he knew better than anyone how irked and irritated Haley became when he pressured her into talking. But the conversation was long overdue, and Hotch had been at the end of his tether for days, wondering if this situation would ever be resolved.

Hotch knew the reasons why she'd left, his job, his absence as a father and husband, the drifting apart. And he could only imagine how frustrating that had been for Haley. Hotch tried as best he could with his job to be at home as much possible, but it still wasn't enough for his wife. He just didn't know what to do anymore without having to quit his job.

Picking up his cell phone, he dialled Haley's number, and to no surprise of his, she declined almost instantly. It was a warm Thursday night, and although the paperwork piled up by the minute, Hotch hadn't seen his little boy for a whole week. As he glanced at the clock, he figured that Jack would most likely be in bed asleep, but that didn't stop Hotch from getting into the car and driving over to Jessica's house (Haley's sister).

When Hotch pulled up, an inside light dimly lit the outside front porch. Knocking quietly on the door, he heard muffled voices before Haley's sister revealed herself dressed in a pale blue dressing gown. "She'll be with you in a sec." The woman whispered before disappearing further into the house. God only knows the stories that Haley had told her sister about him, and frankly, Hotch never wanted to know.

Haley emerged moments later, with a face as blank as a canvas. She leant up against the outside wall after flicking on the outdoor light and shutting the door behind them, "what do you want, Aaron?"

"I need to talk to you. You declined my phone call so I figured that I might as well come here and talk in person." This conversation would happen tonight whether Haley liked it or not.

She huffed before rolling her eyes, "I was about to go to sleep… Can't this wait until the morning?"

"Haley, I've been waiting to have this conversation for a whole month…" Hotch sucked in a breath, not letting her reply before continuing, "You being out of the house, I… I have completely lost sight of who I am and what I stand for. I miss you… I miss Jack."

The blonde nodded, "Jack misses you too… He wakes up every day asking when is daddy gonna come home, and I have to explain to him that he's out catching the baddies."

Hotch pursed his lips together and looked to the ground, eternally grateful that nobody had bad-mouthed him in front of his son, "thankyou." He sat down in one of the outdoor chairs, intertwining his hands together. "I know that I haven't been there for you and Jack as much as you'd like me to. I do try, Haley, I've really tried, it's just… With work and- "

"You mean to say that a whole month ago when you had the chance to transfer to another unit, to…" She threw her hands in the air, "Live a normal 9-5 life. Let me remind you that YOU threw away that opportunity. So, don't sit there and tell me that you've TRIED to make things better for us when the truth is, you could have quit your job hundreds of times, Aaron." A tear started streaming down her cheek. "And you've chosen not to…" Haley finished, her voice trailing off to a whisper.

Aaron nodded, knowing that everything Haley had mentioned was entirely accurate. "You're right. I've had dozens of opportunities to leave. But… I love my job." He revealed with honesty. "Do you remember when we were in high school, and you said to me 'Aaron, I don't care what job you have as long as you are happy in it'"

She raised her eyebrows and smiled slightly, obviously remembering the memory, "that was before we were married and had a child." Aaron closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead, "I told you the reason why Jack and I left the house. We can't keep living like that Aaron. I can't keep living like that. You're home 50% of the time, you only see your son as he's about to fall asleep and the time we spend together is SO minimal that we might as well not know each other at all."

"I'm sorry…" He whispered under his breath, with the tears pooling at his eyes.

"And Aaron, I know that this is hard on you too. I get it… The BAU has done so much for you. It's made you happy, but it's come at a cost for me and not forgetting about Jack as well." Haley admitted, blinking back her tears. "You and I both know that our marriage has been… Deteriorating for a while. Don't make this harder on yourself by begging me to come back… Because it's not gonna happen."

Hotch made eye contact with a splinter in the wood, before shaking his head. "So, you're just gonna give up on us?" She crossed her arms together, glancing at him with tears of anger and sadness.

She sucked in a hesitant breath, holding it for a moment before answering, "I don't want to… But… I feel like I have no choice." Aaron nodded, starting to face the reality that Haley wasn't budging in her decision to leave the marriage. "Believe me, Aaron, I want what's best for our son. I just don't think that raising him in an environment where we are constantly arguing is what he needs."

"I agree." Haley and himself could disagree on several different issues, but when it came to Jack, their decisions were almost always unanimous. "If… If this is what you want, all I ask is that you don't keep him away from me."

Haley sighed, "Aaron… I would never keep Jack away from you. I mean, how could you assume? I… I would never do that." Hotch breathed a sigh of relief. It was hard having to let go of Haley, but he refused to let go of Jack. "Just because I'm mad at you doesn't mean that Jack is too. He loves you, and he needs his daddy."

Aaron bowed his head into the palms of his hands, letting every emotion and the reality finally sink in. He thought he could fix his marriage, convince Haley to come back to him, but the hope he felt before the conversation diminished into a void. It felt like someone had fired bricks at him from a canon, and there was no way of stopping them. "You're really not coming back, are you?" He asked, confirming that everything he'd heard was real.

She shook her head, "We've been together our whole adult life, Aaron. Things change… People change. I don't want to keep pretending that I'm happy in our marriage when I'm really not."

"You want a divorce." He muttered with what seemed no emotion in his voice, but his chest ached, and the tears were pooling at his eyes. After all these years, he'd be navigating this world without Haley by his side, and that terrified him.

The blonde took a moment to sit in a chair opposite and nodded sadly. "I think that's what's best for us, don't you?" Aaron gazed up whilst leaning back in the creaky chair, wondering what his life had come to. He wanted her back so badly, but he knew that Haley had made her mind up about their relationship and what Hotch wanted, he wouldn't get.

"Okay." He whispered quietly under his breath. An eerie silence fell over them, each party merely staring into space, beginning to accept the reality ahead. "How are we going to explain this to Jack?" Hotch finally said after five minutes, breaking the heavy silence.

Haley shrugged her shoulders, "He's barely two… And my guess is he won't understand that much. It'll be easier as he gets older to explain."

Will it though? Hotch thought to himself. As a child whose parents separated due to drugs, alcohol, and abuse, Hotch understood greatly how a parent's separation impacted children. He knew that Haley and himself separating would be beneficial for Jack in the long run. However, Hotch couldn't help but feel sorry for his little guy. All of this happening within the first two years of his life.

"Can I see him?" He asked his… What the hell did he call Haley now that they weren't technically 'together' anymore.

"He's asleep…" Haley whispered, glancing over to him in confusion.

"I know… I just want to give him a kiss."

Haley led Hotch inside the house, down to Jack's temporary bedroom. He tiptoed inside, careful to not disturb his sleeping boy. He planted a kiss to his forehead before sitting down on the edge of the bed and watching his son.

"I'm sorry buddy…"