The next morning, after he had arrived at the office, Rossi spent some time on the telephone. Then, he walked over to Hotch's office to speak with him.
"I need to go to New York to meet with my publisher," he explained. "If it is okay with you, I would like to take Jack with me for an end-of-summer outing before he goes back to school. We can go see the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum, visit the 9/11 Memorial, and do whatever it is that kids like to do in New York City."
"Are you sure, Dave?" Hotch questioned. "An eleven year old boy can be quite a handful. Particularly if you aren't used to it."
"I'm sure this old man can take it," Rossi replied. "And, while we are gone, you can spend the weekend at my place with Christine. The two of you need to get reacquainted. And, I am sure there are some issues you need to discuss."
That Friday evening, as Hotch pulled his car into the circular drive in front of Rossi's mansion, he wondered where he should park. Magically, one of the garage doors rose up. Taking the hint, he pulled his vehicle inside.
As he got out of his car, the door leading into the house opened, revealing Christine standing there. "I was waiting for you," she explained. "With Dave gone, this part of the garage is empty so there's no reason why you should park out in the heat."
Hotch smiled at the sight of her. "It's good to see you," he exclaimed as he walked over and gave her a hug. "I'm glad Dave suggested this." He presented her with a bouquet of pink roses and baby's breath.
"Thank you!" she exclaimed as she accepted the flowers. She turned to lead the way into the kitchen. "I'm glad he suggested it, too," she told him. "Although, I get the feeling Dave was just as interested in making sure I had a 'babysitter' for the weekend as he was in giving us space to talk."
Hotch looked around the large, modern kitchen and sniffed. "Something smells good," he commented.
"You know Dave's housekeeper, Sonia," Christine told him as she placed the flowers on a countertop. "She's spent the last two days cooking. She wanted to make sure we don't go hungry over the weekend."
"Let me show you where your room is." She led him up the stairway to the second floor. "You can get cleaned up and then come back down for dinner."
"I hope you don't mind sharing a bathroom with me," she continued as she opened a door revealing a large bedroom. "It's right next door to you here. And, as you probably remember, my rooms are across the hall."
"I don't see where sharing will be a problem," Hotch smiled at her. "I'm used to sharing the bathroom with an eleven year old boy. How different can that be?"
Christine put her mouth close to his ear and whispered, "I smell better."
After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Hotch joined Christine in the kitchen, where his bouquet, now in a vase, was sharing space with two place settings on the kitchen's center island.
"I hope you don't mind eating here," she said. "It saves me carrying the hot food across the room, and it's easier when it comes to putting dishes in the dishwasher. Tomorrow morning, we'll eat in the breakfast nook. The early morning sun makes the side yard with all its plantings look absolutely gorgeous."
"Sounds good," Hotch assured her. "If you'll just tell me what you need help with?"
"There are two salads in the refrigerator, along with a couple bottles of dressing," Christine answered promptly. "If you can bring those over – "
It didn't take long for the various dishes to be heated and served, and they were soon sitting side by side on stools eating.
"What do you have in mind for the weekend?" Hotch asked between bites.
"Nothing strange or unusual," Christine told him. "I thought we would just take it easy this evening, and tomorrow morning you can take me to my yoga class and then shopping. I hope you don't mind driving. I'm still working on getting my drivers' license straightened out. Sunday afternoon, Dave and Jack will be back, and I am counting on you to fire up the grill so we can have a cookout."
"I think I can handle that," Hotch commented. "But, I would like to add one item to the agenda."
"What?" Christine asked.
"Tomorrow evening, I'm taking you out to dinner," he told her. "We have never been on a real date with just the two of us, and I want to take you on one."
"I think I would like that," Christine said slowly. She smiled at him. "That also gives me something special to shop for!"
"How do things stand with you and Reid?" Hotch asked carefully. "He's not saying much these days, especially to me."
"I haven't heard from him since you guys helped me move in here," Christine sighed. "I have called several times and left voice mails, but he hasn't called back. I know he is in a difficult situation with JJ and her mother, and sharing childcare and everything, but I was hoping to hear from him. There are some things concerning the twins that we need to discuss."
"JJ has taken some time off," Hotch updated Christine. "She wants to think things over. Some of her life choices over the past several years have been – questionable. I'm sure that she and Reid will manage to get their issues sorted out."
"I hope so," Christine commented. "Although, I think that part of the problem might be that she always viewed Spencer as her 'fall back guy'. Someone she could count on as a replacement for Will, if it came to that. Then, when I showed up, it kind of ruined that for her."
"I never thought of it like that, but you may be right," Hotch agreed thoughtfully.
"You miss her, don't you?" Christine asked.
"The same as I'd miss any other member of my team who left," Hotch's reply came a little too quickly. "And, what about you – Do you miss Reid?"
"It has been an awfully long time," Christine replied. "And, I guess I am just going to have to accept the fact that Spencer isn't all that interested in pursuing a relationship with me. That shouldn't surprise me. I know I really screwed things up."
"Don't blame yourself, he and I both contributed to the situation," Hotch reminded her. "And, I hope I can make up for the loss." He picked up her hand and gave it a squeeze.
"Thanks," Christine looked over at him. "Now, do you want dessert now or later?"
"Dessert – after all this?" Hotch looked around at the numerous dishes sitting on the island. "Definitely later."
"Let me help you clean up," he offered. "I'll put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher while you take care of the leftovers."
As they worked in companionable silence, Hotch casually asked, "What do you and Dave usually do in the evening?"
"When Dave is home, we generally sit in his study while he either writes or catches up on his e-mails, and I either watch TV or read," Christine replied readily. "Sometimes, if it's nice out, we walk down to the creek or over to visit his neighbors, the Coleman's. Or, we might play video games or watch a movie. If one of us is hungry, Dave will fix us a snack, but usually around 10:30 or so I'll head off to my rooms. Actually, we lead a pretty quiet existence."
"To your rooms?" Hotch asked carefully.
"Yes," Christine told him. "You know that since the door was cut between two of the guest bedrooms, I have a study attached to my – ". She stopped abruptly and turned to look at Hotch.
"Aaron Hotchner, is this your way of asking whether Dave and I are sleeping together?" she demanded.
"Well, you are two healthy, single adults, who are living under the same roof," he pointed out.
"Aaron, I consider myself to be a guest in Dave's home," Christine lectured. "We are not living together! A, Dave has never acted as anything other than a very protective uncle towards me."
"Very protective - Uncle?" Hotch questioned with a smile.
"Yes!" Christine asserted.
Hotch moved closer to her. "I just wanted to make sure I wasn't poaching," he murmured before kissing her deeply.
"Isn't this how this whole mess got started?" Christine asked as she put her arms around him and returned his kisses.