Episode - The Stranger

Derek watched Hotch as his Unit Chief's head dropped down to his chest. There was a beat of silence and then Hotch's hoarse voice broke through it.

"I know you knew. I know that everyone knew but nobody's talking about it and I just wish that someone would speak up."

Derek dipped his head and sighed gently, not meeting Hotch's eyes.

"We didn't say anything because we didn't want to intrude."

"Right. You and Rossi definitely didn't plan out anything." Hotch rolled his eyes, leaning back in his chair, annoyed.

"We did. And neither of us regrets it. You two deserved each other and we wanted you two to be happy."

"Happy. You think I'm happy now?"

"I think that if things had gone differently than you would have been."

"Key words: If things had gone differently."

"We didn't do it to hurt you, we did it to help you because you seriously needed to loosen up."

"Morgan, I never said-"

"It didn't need to be said."

Hotch closed his eyes, looking away from Derek as he did.

"We didn't know this would happen. There was no way to predict that Emily would have gotten caught up in all this and we wanted you to be able to live the life you once did."

"I'll never have the life I once did. For some reason someone or something out there decided that the only thing I'd ever have would be this job."

"What about Jack?"

"What about him? I see him maybe twice a month if I'm lucky." Hotch finally looked up, meeting Derek's eyes with such an air of raw finality that it stung the other man.

"I fell in love with Hayley in high school and she was killed because of this job. I realised I'd fallen in love with Emily at the compound with Cyrus and she was killed because of this job too. Everything I love is taken from me and all I can do is put my head down and keep doing this godforsaken job."

And with that, Hotch stood, turning away from Derek and rushing out of the door without a word, leaving the other man to bite his lip in thought and wonder just how such a great man could be so defeated.

Only the Young – Brandon Flowers