* I want to clear up any confusion I may have caused. Each of these Halloween Horror AUs will be several chapters long, and instead of posting several little ficlits under different titles, I am posting them back to back under the one title. I will make sure it is obvious when one story ends (with the good ol' stand by 'The End') and then the next day, the totally new and not connected story will start. I hope that helps.
Story I – Chapter 2
Rossi knew as soon as he saw Kahlan come through the emergency doors that she already knew that Hotch was dead. He had cried all of his tears and finally let Hotch go about two hours before she'd arrived. Chuck walked in behind her and he gave Rossi a quick nod, but he didn't say anything.
Rossi silently thanked God that Kahlan hadn't been alone, and he stood up as she stopped about three feet from him. She was trying hard to keep it together, but the red rims of her eyes told them all that she had spent the flight crying her heart out, too. She swallowed. "Where is he?"
Rossi motioned with his hand towards the back of the ER. "Come on. I'll take you to him. They knew you were coming, so they haven't moved him yet."
She nodded and then looked the team over, but she didn't say anything. That might have seemed cold to someone who didn't know her, but the whole team knew it was taking all of her strength just to stay up right, so they weren't offended. She followed Rossi as Chuck went to the team.
Rossi slowed to bring Kahlan beside him, but when he went to put his arm around her, she ducked away. "Please don't, Dave."
He nodded and kept his hands to himself. He knew she didn't blame him, that she needed to see her husband before she could let herself be comforted, and he understood. When he reached the little room, he opened the glass door that had been shut and moved the curtain aside and let her enter first.
Her breath froze in her chest as she took in the skinny, metal, gunnery type table. She could see Hotch's form laying on it, but he was covered with a sheet. Her hand went to her mouth as her resolve diminished and tears started; it was the saddest thing she'd ever seen and something she'd hoped would never singe her eyes. She took one step towards him, forced herself to calm down, and then went the rest of the way.
Rossi allowed the curtain to close and shut the door. He wanted her to be able to grieve in private.
She pulled the sheet back and folded it on his chest with a neat crease. More tears escaped as she looked at the face of the man she loved more than life itself as her hands absently smooth the sheet out even more. After a few seconds, she slowly picked up his hand and had to fight back the urge to throw up with how cold it was. She shook her head. "I am so going to kick your ass when I see you again! How dare you leave me like this? You're always the one preaching about growing old together and our future plans, and what do you? You go off and leave me to face them alone!" She smacked the side of his shoulder. "I so want to hate you right now!" she blurted out as her face scrunched up in anger. When she looked over the smooth features of his face, though, she smiled. "But I could never hate you. No matter what, I will always love you, Aaron," she got out and then collapsed on top of him and let herself break.
She wasn't sure how long she'd laid there and cried, but she eventually felt herself calming down and she realized she was running her fingers through his hair over and over again. She took a deep breath, stood up, wiped her face on her sleeve, and smiled at him again. "You have been the best thing to ever happen to me, Aaron, and I will miss you more than were words can convey." She leaned down and gently kissed his lips. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you, but I swear on my father's grave that I will find out who did this to you and they will pay!"
She ran light fingers over his face as if trying to commit it to memory even more than it already was, and she leaned down and kissed him again. "Until we're together again, I love you," she whispered as she closed her eyes and sent up a silent prayer for him to hear her words and feel the love she would always hold dear.
She wiped her face again, took one more long look at him, and turned on her heel and left the room. Rossi quickly stood up and looked her over. "I'm so sorry, Kiddo."
She went to him and buried her head in his neck and let herself break again. He held her close and rubbed circles on her back and let her cry. Once he felt her calming down some, he pushed her away enough to look into her face. "His last thoughts were of you and the kids," he told her as his own tears started anew.
She smiled and wiped her face again. "And of you, I bet."
He chuckled. "Yeah."
She pulled away from him completely and stood up straight, squared her shoulders in proper Hotchner fashion, and inhaled through her nose putting up a steel wall around her emotions. "No more tears, no more grief. Not until I find the son of bitch who did this."
He winced. "They're not even sure what 'this' is, Kiddo."
Confusion filled her eyes. "But they have to know something. He's in too good of shape to just die! I heard his screams. Pain like that is not caused by anything natural. There has to be something!"
He licked his lips. "My first thought was that he was poisoned, but they haven't found anything yet."
She ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "There are hundreds if not more kinds of poisons and not all of them can be traced in the body. They might never identify it."
He nodded his agreement. "And that means we may never find out who did it."
She huffed. "I won't stop looking. What the hell was this case about? I was under the impression that it wasn't anything more than some sick son of a bitch attacking women."
He pinched the bridge of his nose, and when Kahlan saw him do the normally Hotch move, her heart clenched, but she didn't say anything. He took a deep breath as he shook his head. "That's all it has been. You can come down to the station and look everything over if you want."
She studied him and knew he was holding on by a thread, so she took a deep breath and put her anger back in check. "Tomorrow. Right now, I think I'd like to go to the hotel."
He nodded and put his arm around her and led her towards the exit. "Yeah. I think we could all use a moment or two to catch our breath." He'd already sent the team back while Kahlan was in with Hotch because he knew she wouldn't want to face them just yet. He'd also tried to send Chuck with them, but Chuck wasn't budging and he insisted that he'd drive them both.
XXX
Rossi opened Hotch's hotel room door for Kahlan and she stepped in and looked around. She took a shaky breath when she saw all of Hotch's things laid out for the day and tears started again. Rossi shot Chuck a look and Chuck silently went to get his own room as Rossi advanced to his unofficial daughter. "You want me to stay?"
She shook her head. "No, thank you, but I think I need to be alone for a while."
He nodded as he pulled her into a strong hug. "We'll get through this."
"I know," she assured him as she squeezed him and then pulled back. "I just miss him so much already," she cried. Her vow to not let anymore tears fall didn't last quiet as long as she'd hoped it would.
He pulled her back to his chest. "I know, Kiddo, I know."
Once he felt her calm down, he pulled back and gave her a small smile. "The rooms yours if you want it."
She nodded. "I'd like that."
He nodded and stepped back from her and went to the door. "I'm right next door and just a text or call away."
"I know. Thanks, Dave. I love you."
"I love you, too, Kiddo," he assured her and then went out and shut the door softly behind him.
She walked over to the dresser and ran her fingers over all of Hotch's personal items that he carried in his pockets. When her fingers graced the keychain he'd loved so much, she paused. I'll have to get me a brown one, she thought sadly and suddenly had trouble breathing. She turned and fell onto the bed and lost it again.
XXX
After what seemed like forever, she heard a soft knock on the door, so she forced herself up and answered it. Chuck was standing there with a bottle of Devil's Spring, 160 proof vodka. He held it up. "I thought you might need some help getting to sleep tonight."
She moved to allow him entry and shut the door. "Tonight, hell! Open that bitch now."
He smiled. "It's five o'clock somewhere," he offered as he grabbed two plastic cups from the counter and filled them both up. He handed one to her. "You know we will get this figured out."
She took a long drink and blew out a breath as the liquor burned away some of the tightness in her chest. "I know."
He took a sip of his. "And you know we will all help you through this."
She took another long drink and nodded. "I know that, too."
He pulled one chair away from the little table and motioned for her to sit and then grabbed the other for himself. Hotch's case files were spread out over the table where he'd obviously had spent the night before going over them. Chuck reached up and closed them and put them in a neat stack. "And Hotch wouldn't want us to be sitting here crying."
She laughed a little laugh. "You're right."
He held up his cup. "Then let's celebrate one of the best men that have ever graced this planet."
She gave him a cold look. "One of the best?"
He shrugged. "I was putting myself in that category, too."
She giggled and smiled and touched her glass to his. "I love you."
He smiled. "I love you, too."
XXX
Chuck had stayed about an hour and they'd spent the time drinking, her way more than him, and sharing stories of times spent with Hotch. Once he left, emotional exhaustion and alcohol let her pass out in the bed that was permeated with the scent of her husband.
God only knows how long she slept, but her fogged filled mind finally registered that someone was opening the hotel room door. She figured it was Rossi coming to check on her, so she rolled over. The movement caused her to moan as her head started throbbing, and she tried to wipe sleep filled, tear swollen eyes enough to get them to focus.
She sat up and had to rub her eyes again as the dim light in the room told her it was already dark out and she couldn't quite make out who was standing in the doorway. When the light flicked on, she had to blink away the spots and when she could finally see, her heart stopped. "Aaron?"
