=Flashback=

"Dammit, Hotch! It's fucking two in the morning!" Her voice was sharp and annoyed. "You better not tell me that I have to go back to the bullpen already!"

"Haley, she-she's gone." He explained, ignoring her tone. He sounded depressed, barely whispering into the phone. Her eyes widened and she eased a bit, realizing that he wasn't looking for a tired, bitchy woman who could care less about anything he had to say.

"Oh, god. Your wife… left you? Shit, I'm so sorry for yelling at you." He nodded to no one in particular and took another sip of his whiskey.

"That's fine."

"Alright. You just stay there. I'm coming right over."

"Wait Emily, you don't-" He was cut off as the phone line suddenly went dead. She was there within minutes, 15 to be exact. He let her in without complaint.

"Would you like a drink?" He asked as she was hanging her coat on the hanger.

"Sure. I'll have what you're having."

She took the glass of whiskey from him and sat beside him on the couch.

"She took Jack, Emily. Why do I have to be such a damn workaholic?" He grumbled, burying his hands into his face. She listened to him attentively, taking a drink of whiskey. She hadn't had it in a while. The liquid burned her throat as she took a sip, but she didn't mind.

"I don't know why I didn't take that transfer. I wanted to spend more time with Jack. I wanted to spend more time with Haley! …I guess she was just tired of me not ever being there when I should have. She doesn't understand how much my job means to me. I don't blame her for leaving, though. I would have done the same thing." She had never seen him like this. He had always been so reserved, so professional. Now he seemed so frail, like one simple gesture would cause him to crumble. She felt so sorry for him.

And for some reason, as he lifted his head to look at her through deep, saddened eyes, she felt some sort of connection between them. A spark, of sorts. A connection that she would never forget.

=Present=

The car ride was rather quiet; pure silence for 20 minutes that seemed more like forever. As Hotch went over some papers and Emily drove, the only sounds were that of rustling sheets and the whirr of the car wheels as they turned. They pulled up to a small, two floor house with calming blue siding and a cute frame to the doors and windows. As they got out of the car and stopped to admire the quaint little building, Hotch let out a long sigh and seemed to be lost deep in thought.

"Hotch?" She questioned, coming up beside him on the sidewalk.

"I was just thinking about how the boy is left without his parents. I can't imagine how Jack would feel if he was caught in the same situation." He replied calmly. He always tried to stay at a professional level with all his missions, but he couldn't help but feel a bit sickened when a child was involved. As she placed a hand on his shoulder, he almost jumped at the sudden contact.

"Let's not get too personal, now." She smiled lightly.

The door was answered by a 50-60 year old Asian man and a 40-50 year old white woman. They both took their badges out to show the couple that they meant business.

"My name is Aaron Hotchner, and this is Emily Prentiss. Are you Mr. and Mrs. Kamato?" Hotch greeted with a question. The woman nodded while the man answered.

"Yes. You must be here about my sister's death. Please, come right in."

As they entered the house, the sound of a TV could be heard from the living room. Emily followed the sound into the room while Hotch followed the Kamatos into the Kitchen. A 13 year-old boy sat on the rug, holding a black videogame controller. His eyes were fixed on the TV, controlling a small overcalled man who was running across the screen and squishing little brown monsters with his hammer.

"May I play?" She found herself say. The boy was startled by the sudden sound of her voice, but quickly recovered. He nodded and handed her a controller as she took a seat behind him on the couch.

"Sure. You can be Luigi."

When she pressed the 'A' button, a taller, skinnier man appeared beside the other. She tried to mimic the boy's moves, and soon played without flaw.

"So, your name's Harold?" She finally asked.

"Yea, but my friends call me Harry." If he had any emotions, he sure didn't show them.

"What school do you go to?"

"St. Kyle's Jr. High. But it's a crappy school. All the teachers are creeps." Her ears perked at his statement. Putting down the controller and grabbing her notebook, she asked,

"Can you give me the names of the teachers who are most creepy?"

"Sure." He began. "Mrs. Goodwin, my science teacher. Mr. Kapeheart, my art teacher. Mr. Lefleur, the assistant principal. And Jenny the Computer Technician." She nodded as he spoke, jotting down the names on paper. Her ears then picked up the sound of footsteps and turned to see Hotch standing behind her, signaling that it was time to leave. She got up off the couch and kneeled beside Harold.

"Thank you, Harry." She got up to join Hotch, but he pulled her back down. His small, dark eyes suddenly showed a composure of sadness.

"I know you're here about my mom and dad. Promise me that you'll find who did this to them."

-()-

"I got a list of potential UnSubs." Emily told Hotch as they left the house. She passed him her notebook, which in turn he read. "They're all teachers at Harold's school, St. Kyle's Jr. High. He described them as creepy. I'm not sure if he just doesn't like his teachers or if there's something else going on, but I thought I'd ask anyways."

"Thank you, Emily. I knew I could count on you." He complimented her. His praising moved her, making her heart jump. She let out a sigh but quickly regained her composure when she felt him staring at her.

"Er, thanks. What did you find?"

"Nothing much. They did mention that the Yoshihurus talked about a strange hooded person that rode around on a black bicycle in their Neighborhood, and that they suspected this person to be stalking them." Emily was about to speak again, but was interrupted by Hotch's cell. He stepped away to answer it. The conversation was brief, and he soon returned to Emily at their car.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Rossi just called. There's been another murder."

Author's Note: Yes, Emily was playing mario. No particular game, though. Mario Bros. and other related things belongs to Nintendo.