Author's Note: I know this chapter is dealing with a lot more heartache. Just bear with me. There's a payoff at the end. Plus, there is a little payoff in the beginning that all of us CM fans would love to see.

This chapter also contains two sentences from a scripted CM episode. All rights belong to Criminal Minds, CBS, and ABC Studios.

Chapter 15 – The Healing Process

Dave walked off the elevator onto the sixth floor of the BAU. Emily and Derek were waiting to get on one. He knew where they were going. "Before you leave, please go into the conference room," and he quickly strode down the hall.

Prentiss tried to stop him. "Dave, we….." It fell on deaf ears. Emily looked at Morgan. "What do we do?"

"Emily, all I know is Rossi chewed an EMT's ass because he wanted to check Hotch out and I caught hell for it. But I trust that man. Especially with Hotch; we go to the conference room."

Dave went directly to JJ's office. "How you doing?" he said when he stuck his head in the door.

JJ just shook her head. "How's Hotch?"

"JJ, can you get Reid and Garcia in the conference room, as well as yourself. Derek and Emily are already on their way there. I'll tell you all at one time about Aaron and Jack. Plus there's more."

"Dave," JJ stopped him as he was about to leave. "We can't." Rossi raised his eyebrows. "Strauss already sent out an email. We are not to talk about what happened to each other until she convenes a Board of Inquiry. It starts tomorrow morning. I'm first up at 9 am."

"JJ, I'll handle Strauss. Please just get the rest of them."

"Give me five minutes." Dave had long come to admire her abilities. The trust she just showed him solidified his admiration.

Dave walked into the BAU and straight to the conference room. The agents in the bullpen noticed Rossi being followed by Morgan and Prentiss and looked at each other with questions. After they entered, Rossi nodded at Prentiss to shut the door and looked at Morgan and Prentiss and just shook his head. "You two are going to handle the notification?"

"We were on our way out to Haley's sister," Morgan explained.

"Please keep me in the loop on that," Dave said as Reid came in.

"Rossi, we can't be…." Reid started. Dave waved a hand in the air to stop her.

"I will tell you the same thing I told JJ. I'll handle Strauss." Garcia, with JJ, arrived.

"I know all of you are wondering about Hotch," Rossi got out before Strauss burst through the door.

"What the hell is going on here?" she demanded. "Do you not understand orders?"

"Erin, today, of all days, is not the day to mess with me. This team needs an update on Hotch. That's what we're here for. You're welcome to stay." Erin Strauss knew that tone from David Rossi. She walked to an empty chair and sat down.

Morgan, as acting Unit Chief, spoke up. "Is he at the hospital?"

"No," Dave said. "I took him home."

"Rossi," Morgan started to say but Dave cut him off.

"All of you please; just listen."

Rossi told them a short version about Hotch and Cait. "While she teaches, she keeps her medical license current. She's on the call list for every hospital in the area if they have a major emergency. I trust her; Aaron is in good hands. And she was right. The last thing Jack needed was being separated from Hotch in a hospital. She called me. His nose is broke which she already set. She thinks one rib is cracked; he has at least five more that are badly bruised. But his lungs are clear. Please just know he and Jack are in the best place they could possibly be."

While Dave was talking to the team, Cait had started to get things settled down in the house. Jamaal and Lisa came over and Lisa took over the kitchen, getting the beef stew ready. That gave Cait the time to get Aaron settled on the couch, using the ice pack on his hand to also take care of his nose. Jack was curled up in his lap and the boys sat on either side as close as they possibly could. Cait sat on the coffee table, one hand on Aaron's knee, the other gently rubbing Jack's thigh. No one spoke; they just simply needed this family time together.

Jamaal nodded to Cait over the planter that separated the nook from the great room. Cait looked at them. "Dinner is ready."

"Mom, I'm not hungry," Mike said.

"We all have to eat something." She took Jack from Hotch and gathered him up in her arms and they went into the nook.

About an hour later, Dave showed up. Cait had them all back on couch. He looked at Jamaal and Lisa standing in the kitchen and quietly asked, "How are they doing?"

"They're still processing," Jamaal said. "But they're starting to talk a little. I take that as a good sign." Dave knew Jamaal's impressive background. His PhD in childhood progression gave Dave a comfort the man knew what he was talking about.

Dave walked into the great room. He rubbed Cait's shoulder. "How's your patient Doc?"

"He's as comfortable as I can get him."

"Hey guys," Dave said, rubbing Matt's arm. "How are you?" Dave sat down next to Cait and put his arm around her shoulder.

"We're OK," Matt answered.

"Thank you Dave; for everything," Hotch said.

"Aaron, I'm going to tell you what I told Cait when this all started. She and these boys are more my family than any of them in Commack. You and Jack are now are a part of that. I love all of you. And I'll be here for you. So will Lisa and Jamaal. As tough as it is right now, you will get through this."

Jack smiled. "Thanks Uncle Dave. I love you too." His innocent voice, going through the worst time of his life, once again broke Dave's heart. But this child was now part of his family.

"I love you too Jack," Dave simply said. Yet, Dave knew he had to fill Hotch in on what Strauss was planning for tomorrow.

Cait, knowing Dave as well as she did, took the cue. "Boys, let's Aaron and Uncle Dave talk. You haven't worked on your homework yet. You're probably not going to school the rest of the week, but please get that much caught up. And Jack, how does a warm bath sound to you?"

Aaron said, "Boys, your mom is right. Jack, please go with Cait. A warm bath will be good for you."

"OK daddy," Jack said, as he reached for Cait. She picked him up off Aaron's lap. The boys got up as well.

During the next couple of hours, the house became a beehive. Morgan and Prentiss stopped by, after taking Jessica, Haley's sister, down to southern Virginia. They had the awful task of delivering the news to Haley's parents. However, Dave knew that Hotch wanted an update. That was why he asked them to stop. "Jess is going to drive them up here tomorrow morning so they can make funeral arrangements," Derek reported. They, along with Dave, also filled Hotch in on Strauss' Board of Inquiry. "I'm not surprised," Hotch simply stated.

Shortly after they left, the Pastor from Cait's church showed up. Jamaal had filled him in on what had happened. The weekends that Hotch and Jack spent there, they had attended services with Cait and the boys. His words of comfort, to not only the boys, who were still clearly hurting, but most importantly, to Aaron and Jack were wonderful.

Finally, the house started to quiet down and soon, it was just the five of them. Jack was clearly getting tired but balked at going to bed. Cait immediately recognized his problem. "Jack, would you like to sleep with daddy?" Jack just nodded.

"Is it OK if I sleep with daddy, too?" The last thing Cait wanted to do was upset Jack.

"Cait, I know you love daddy. And daddy loves you. It's OK." Aaron and Cait put him in their bed and then got the boys to bed as well. Finally, it was just the two of them.

They walked downstairs and locked the doors and met in the great room. Cait could see Aaron was hurting; and it wasn't just physically. He pulled her into a strong embrace. "Please talk to me," she simply said.

Aaron took a deep breath. "When I was talking to Haley, she made me make her a promise." Cait pulled away to look into his eyes. "She asked me to show Jack love. I was concentrating so much on what was happening I made the promise. But I didn't get what she was trying to tell me. I get it now. She knew what Jack had here. And yet, she was protecting all of us against Foyet. She was telling me…." a tear ran down his face "that she knew we have a family here."

Cait hugged him tighter as her own tears ran and simply said, "Let's keep that promise."

The next few days were a blur. Shawn, while he couldn't get away from the restaurant, talked with Aaron at length early the next morning. Aaron had to deal with helping Haley's family make arrangements, as well as Strauss' Board of Inquiry. Then there was Haley's wake and funeral. Yet, they got through it all with the help of the wonderful people they had in their lives. Hotch took a leave of absence from the Bureau to assist Jess with dealing with Haley's estate.

(TB)

It was on a Friday night that something special happened. Aaron and Cait had got Jack ready for bed. Finally starting to adjust, Jack had been sleeping in his own bed. As they tucked him in, the boys as always, entered Jack's room to join in his nightly prayers. "Hey you two," Matt said, looking at Aaron and Cait. "The three of us guys have been talking. We need to talk to you."

"Sure guys," Aaron said, 'What's up?"

"We've talked to Jack," Matt stated. "And he's totally cool with this." He looked deeply into Hotch's eyes. "Mike and I were wondering if you mind if we called you 'dad'?"

Before Aaron could answer, Jack looked intently at Cait. "And can I call Matt and Mike my brothers?" the young, innocent voice questioned. Yet, his clear voice continued. He looked at his father. "Mommy is in the stars; just like you and Cait said daddy. When the stars are out and they shine in my window, I know mommy is here with me. But, daddy, remember that weekend when mommy brought me here? She looked at my room and said I had a special place." He pointed to the TV/DVD unit that Cait, with the help of the boys, had set up. "When I miss mommy, I have my DVD. Cait," he looked deeply into his father's eyes, "And my brothers made that happen." Cait eyes glistened with tears.

Aaron didn't have to look at Cait to know her answer. "That's special buddy." Looking at Matt and Mike, Aaron added, "I would be honored if you called me 'dad'. I hope the three of you know how much we love you."

Later that evening, Hotch and Cait were sitting together on the couch, watching a movie. By the sounds upstairs, the two older boys had gone to bed. Aaron pulled Cait tighter to him and said, "Remember that first letter I wrote to you?" She nodded. "I told you I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a gorgeous diamond ring. "Can I make that official? Will you marry me?"

For the second time that evening, Cait eyes welled with tears. "Yes," she simply said. Aaron pulled her into a deep kiss. As he ended it, he reached for the remote and turned the TV off. With everything that had happened, they had not made love since Aaron had returned. That changed as they made sweet love into the wee hours of the morning.

Two days later, the Sunday before Thanksgiving, Dave sat in the sixth chair around the nook table. The family that lived on Deer Valley Road had returned to a normal routine. Hotch, with Cait's full backing, had informed Strauss that Wednesday prior that he was ready to return to work, starting that Monday. While the wounds were still fresh, Dave got the sense that stability was returning to their lives. All three of the boys laughed and joked as they enjoyed one of Cait's wonderful dinners. Even Aaron looked totally at ease with their life. Dave rejoiced at what he was seeing, when his cell phone went off in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at it. "Is it a case?" Hotch asked.

"Yes," Dave simply replied.

"Why didn't JJ call me?" Hotch queried.

"Because, you're technically not on duty until tomorrow."

"Today is the start of the work week, and I clearly stated to Strauss that I was starting back this week. Dave, you know how much you mean to this family. But I will not let you hold my hand. I'm ready to get back to work."

Dave looked at Cait. "With my blessing," she simply replied.

Aaron looked at Dave. "I appreciate the wonderful job Morgan has done. But this is my team, and we have a case."

The team got ready to get off the jet late that Wednesday night before the holiday. Usually the last off, Hotch clearly stood in the team's way of disembarking. "I need to talk to all of you before you leave." He punched a button so Garcia was on the screen.

"I know two things: my family that is waiting for me at home; and the family that I have here." Reid looked at Morgan and Prentiss. This was not the Hotch they knew. Dave stood in the back of the jet and smiled.

"Both of these families mean the world to me. When I needed all of you, you were there. Derek, I can never thank you enough for filling in for me. You exceeded my expectations and the Bureau's."

"So have you Hotch," Morgan said.

"That said, I've been talking to Cait… at length. I know how much this case has screwed up your holiday plans. And my family also knows how much all of you put on the line for us. We pay it back. Thanksgiving dinner is at 4:30 tomorrow afternoon. 'No' is not an answer. And don't be late. As Dave will tell you, the wonderful lady in my life is pretty adamant about eating times. In fact, I would highly recommend that you come early. The fridge in the garage is only stocked with Miller Lite. So if that beer choice doesn't agree with you, bring your own. Cait's family owns a vineyard. We've got the wine covered. If you want something different, or stronger," Hotch said, looking at Dave, "It's BYOB. JJ, call us tomorrow morning; Cait wants to know what you and Will have for a seat for Henry. Morgan, please bring your guest. And Garcia that means you and Kevin as well."

Yes sir," Garcia replied. "Can I ask what the dress code is?"

"Cait prefers people wear clothes to the table," Hotch smiled. "See you all tomorrow."

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