Chapter 70-Epilogue

"My friends are my estate," by Emily Dickinson

Aaron Hotchner walked through the double doors of the BAU, and across the floor to the stairs leading up to the catwalk. It was his first day back at work after five months in the hospital and undergoing physical therapy once the casts were removed from his left arm and wrist. It was necessary if he was to regain full mobility of the limb. Also included were several more sessions with Doctor Amanda Carson who he had started to like despite her being a woman. That was even before he had admitted she had done wonders for him, and for that he would be forever grateful to her. After being discharged, he was then ordered by Strauss to stay home for another month to rest, and not to show his face in the BAU before that. It would be six months before he could return to the BAU. Hotch smirked at her recommendation of taking off an entire month, and tried pleading his case to Rossi to convince Strauss to rescind her order. But then Rossi had added that he would whip his ass within an inch of his life if he didn't obey. It was with a shake of his head that Hotch agreed reluctantly. Of course his son was delighted as was Alana.

Besides, he did have things to take care of that required his presence at home so the time wouldn't be completely wasted.

(Flashback – Five Months after the Assault):

First, he got in touch with Rossi who checked on the DNA results which confirmed what they already realized. Nathan Foyet's DNA was found to be a match with the semen collected from the sexual attacks on Hotch and Nurse Davies. They were also able to connect Foyet with several other attacks of young children and men in different states. Next, he got in touch with the Prosecuting Attorney Simon Gould, and had the agreement he reached become public, and Wheaton's charges reduced to time served. Darryl Wheaton was at long last officially released from prison and reunited with his daughter. It warmed Aaron's heart to see a smile on the young child's face after what she'd been through.

But with no money and no prospects for employment, Wheaton and his daughter had nowhere to go. But Hotch had planned for that eventuality also. So, until his friend had gotten a job and saved enough to be able to support himself and his child, Hotch offered his other spare bedroom to Wheaton. Alana would continue using the guest bedroom. In other words, Hotch urged Darryl and his daughter to stay with him and his son as long as they wanted with no hurry to have to leave.

A still guilty Darryl had argued against it, but Hotch eventually got his friend to see things his way in the end. The reasoning being that by staying with him and Jack, Alana would have another child close to her own age with whom to play. Also, Jack would love it as would he. In addition, it would give him and Wheaton a chance to reconnect with each other since college, and especially after what had happened. And also by staying with him, once he got a job, Wheaton would be able to save some money. And when both men were unavailable, Jessica had agreed to care for both children. Wheaton couldn't find fault with Aaron's logic and accepted reluctantly.

In addition, Aaron got in touch with several law firms with whom he had connections. He managed to get Wheaton a paralegal job so at least he could start earning a paycheck. This way he could earn money, and save it until he had enough so he and Alana could find a place of their own. Darryl was beyond grateful as he had convinced himself with his criminal record, a job with any law firm would be nothing but a pipe dream. But again his friend had come through for him, and Darryl swore to himself he would not let Hotch's generosity and hard work go for naught. He would do his best to prove his faith in him was justified. Also, he had a child he needed to care for, and to be the best parent he could be for her.

(End of Flashback)

Hotch glanced over to the bullpen as he walked up the steps to the catwalk, and didn't notice anybody at their desks. He understood that despite it being his first day back, he was still the first person there. He opened the door of his office, switched on the overhead florescent lights, and closed the door to allow a modicum of privacy. He approached his desk and sat his briefcase on top of it before sitting down in his leather chair. After putting his briefcase on the floor, he let out a deep breath through his mouth. It was so comfortable to be back in this chair, in this office, where he belonged. It was then he recalled the extra month off he had been ordered to take by Strauss.

(Flashback – One Month After Being Discharged):

"Daddy!" Jack shouted as he ran up to his father and wrapped his short arms around Hotch's legs, hugging them with all the strength he had. Hotch smiled down at his son. And once the boy released him, he crouched down to his level, and wrapped his arms around the child tightly pulling him close to him, inhaling his scent. Jack wrapped his arms around his dad's neck, burying his face into the crook of his shoulder. He never wanted to let his dad go, afraid if he did, he would disappear completely.

"Are you home for good, daddy?" the boy asked finally looking up at his father.

Hotch kissed the top of his son's head. "I'm home for good, son. The hospital let me go as I'm all better now. Also, I'm going to take a month off and relax at home."

Jack scrunched up his face and tilted his head. "Why?"

"Well, since I just got out of the hospital, I need to relax at home for awhile. So for the next month, Jack, I will be here every day with you."

But Jack still looked worried. "I don't want you to get in trouble with your boss if you stay at home."

Hotch chuckled. "Not to worry, son. My boss is the one who wants me to take the extra month off from being a superhero. She knows how much time I lost with you when I was in the hospital. She ordered me to stay home with you."

"She did?" Jack's eyes widened as the corners of his mouth curled upward.

"She sure did."

"Does that mean we can go to the park and the movies?"

"Yes it does. And we can even go to the museum together."

"Yaaaaayyyy!" Jack shouted excitedly bouncing up and down on his feet. He hugged his father again.

Hotch chuckled while hugging his son tightly. He had to remember to have Rossi send Erin Strauss a token of his thanks.

(End of Flashback)

Hotch smiled recalling how much he enjoyed spending time with his son and Alana. The little girl loved her 'Uncle Hotch' so much, that it often became a contest between her and Jack. A contest to see who could reach Hotch first whenever he came through the door. Sometimes they reached him at the same time, and if that be the case, Hotch got hugs from both of them, one on each side of him. He recalled Wheaton, using his own cell phone, took a picture for both of them. He and Darryl also talked a lot, and found they were able to relax around each other after awhile, and were even able to laugh together again. After what both had been through, being able to laugh again felt good to both of them.

Hotch, taking notice of the stack of folders in his in-box, reached for the top one when he spotted a single sheet of paper on top. Curious, he picked it up to read it. He chuckled when he saw it was from Dave.

'Aaron, Morgan and I did most of your files while you out. But we didn't want you to be bored so we left a few for you. So get your lazy ass back to work as you've had enough time off, and need to pull your weight around here. Welcome back. Dave.' Hotch laughed, balled up the note and tossed it in his wastebasket. He then reached for and grabbed the top case file to begin his first day back at work.

It was nearly two hours later when someone knocked on his office door. With his tenth case file open in front of him, he didn't pause what he was doing. "Enter," he called out as he continued writing. He had an idea as to who it was anyway.

The door opened and Dave Rossi walked into the office. Without asking, he sat down in one of the two chairs in front of Hotch's desk and crossed his legs, waiting. He clasped his hands around his top knee, and smirked. He waited for his best friend to look up at him from what he was doing, all the time knowing Hotch was purposely ignoring him.

"You wanted to make sure I got your note welcoming me back, Dave?" Hotch said still having not looked at the older man. He was still focused on the open case file in front of him.

"Not at all. I just wanted to personally welcome you back. So, welcome back. How are you honestly?"

"Honestly?" Hotch asked this time looking up at Rossi. He sat down his pen and clasped his hands together on top of the open file. "I'm fine. Jack wasn't too happy about me having to go back to work, but he understands why I had to do it."

"And what about Alana?"

Hotch's eyebrows shot upward. "Why would you ask me that question?"

Rossi got a smug look on his face. "C'mon, Aaron, you're talking to me, not a wet-behind-the-ears newbie. I know you. Both Darryl and his daughter are staying with you, aren't they?"

Hotch sighed. "Not that it's any of your business, but yes they are. Darryl has no money, no job, and a child he needs to care for in case you forgot. So tell me, where are they going to go? Hmm?" He didn't wait for an answer. "I have a three-bedroom apartment, so I offered him use of one spare bedroom for as long as he wants. Alana already has use of the other bedroom, so it works out fine for everybody."

Rossi nodded slowly and looked down as he now interlaced his fingers in his lap and twiddled his thumbs. After a minute, he looked back up at Hotch. "And uh, how's it going sharing your place with one of the two men who assaulted you the first time?"

Hotch paused as he shifted in his chair a little before answering. He hoped Rossi hadn't noticed the subtle change in his posture but with the man studying him so closely, he didn't think it likely.

"I…It's been a little tense at times I'll admit, especially in the beginning. But I'd like to believe as time went on we managed to get past it. Right now things are good."

"And Jack?"

"What about Jack?"

"Does he have any idea Darryl is one of the men who hurt you?"

Hotch straightened in his chair. "No. And I don't ever want him to find out. He's seemed to have taken to Darryl, and Darryl to him, and I don't want to jeopardize that. Also, Jack and Alana have taken to each other like a real brother and sister, and I'm glad. In addition, Alana's starting to talk to Jess, and I don't want anything to interfere with that. Do I make myself clear, Dave?" Hotch stared hard at his best friend.

Rossi nodded his understanding. "You'll have no trouble from me or anybody else on the team. I'll make sure of that. So don't worry."

"Thank you. Anything else? If not, I have a lot of work to do thanks to the generosity of you and Morgan." A small smile appeared. He picked up his pen.

Rossi chuckled. "Derek and I didn't want you to be bored your first day back." He started to get to his feet. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have my own paperwork to handle, so I'll bid you adieu until later." He got to his feet and approached the door. Once he gripped the door handle and started to turn it, Hotch called out to him causing him to pause and look back over his shoulder. "Aaron?" He spotted the younger man smiling at him.

"I just want to say thank you. Thank you for everything you and the team did for me. I understand it couldn't have been easy, and each of you must have thought I was losing or had lost my mind at times. But for what it's worth, all of you have no idea how grateful I am. I can never repay…"

"No need to thank us, Aaron," Rossi interrupted holding up a hand stopping him. "We all did what we had to to protect you and keep you alive. And we'd do it again if need be. And for what it's worth, yes we did think you had lost your mind several times..." He chuckled seeing Hotch's glare. "We're just glad everything worked out favorably and Foyet's dead." He stole a glance through the partially opened Venetian blinds in the door. "I see all the children are arriving, so I'm gonna go now. Maybe we can have lunch, you and I?"

"I don't see why not," Hotch replied. "Now get out of here and leave me to my paperwork." He chuckled as he resumed reading the open file in front of him as Rossi left his office. Rossi smiled realizing Hotch hadn't noticed the subtle nod he gave the others who were watching him from their desks. The older man spotted Morgan and Prentiss both pick up their phones and press several buttons. He knew who they were calling…Morgan was contacting Garcia, and Emily was contacting JJ. With a smirk, he closed the door to Hotch's office and returned to his own to wait.

It was well after lunch time when there came a knock on the door. Hotch had gotten midway through the stack of files in his in-box. "Come in," he announced hoping it wasn't Dave again as he had worked straight through lunch and didn't meet the older man. But he believed it might be Rossi who he suspected was probably pissed because he had backed out of their lunch date. In fact, he hadn't even stopped for lunch but worked straight through it. He put down his pen as the door opened. He smiled as he saw the bright blue eyes and flowing blonde hair of one Jennifer Jareau who smiled warmly back at him. She held up the folder in her hand.

"We've got a case, Hotch. Sorry it being on your first day back. Shall I gather the troops in the conference room?"

"Yes. And don't worry about it, JJ. It was bound to happen eventually." He started to get out of his chair but saw the blonde standing in the doorway. "Is there something else?"

"No. I just wanted to say welcome back. You've been sorely missed around here."

Hotch smiled. "Thanks. Good to be back. Okay, gather everybody in the conference room. I'll be there shortly."

JJ nodded and closed the door to his office. Hotch meanwhile, organized the files on his desk in neat piles. This was so when he got to them again, he'd remember where he left off, then left his office. As he stepped outside and closed the door, he spotted Rossi leaving his office about the same time.

"Dave?"

Rossi turned and glanced at the younger man. He smirked. "Still glad to be back, Aaron?"

Hotch and Rossi walked side-by-side on the catwalk in the direction toward the conference room. He sensed something was off with his friend.

"Dave, is something wrong?"

"No, why? Am I acting like something's wrong to you?"

Hotch paused and grabbed his friend's arm. "Now I know there's something wrong. You never answer a question with a question unless you're trying to hide something from me. So what is it? What's wrong? Is it this case? Is that it? Or are you upset because I skipped our lunch date?"

Rossi shook his head. "You skipping our lunch date doesn't surprise me at all. I had a feeling you would anyway. So I'm not upset about it in the least." He paused and gently pulled his arm away, and looked his friend directly in the face, his own unreadable. "You know what your problem is, Aaron? You're always looking for something to be wrong before you know whether there even is something wrong. Give it a rest, will ya?" He then turned away from Hotch and continued toward the conference room with the younger man close behind him. Hotch was even more positive now something was amiss and was determined to find out what it was. He really hoped Rossi wasn't angry at him for skipping their lunch date. But for now, he'd have to push that thought in the background. There was a case to review and an UnSub to catch.

With an amused grin, Rossi opened the door to the conference and subtly shifted his eyes indicating Hotch was right behind him.

As Hotch stepped inside the conference room, he froze at the sight greeting his eyes. On the round table were assortments of cold meats, salads, and a half of chocolate sheet cake. The cake had chocolate frosting on which was written: 'WELCOME BACK HOTCH' in vanilla. There was also a punch bowl full of punch and dozens of bottles of water. The entire team was gathered around the table except for Rossi who stood close by Hotch with a grin on his face as he closed the door. The entire team got to their feet applauding and cheering.

Hotch blinked his eyes to keep the moisture in his eyes from rolling down his cheeks. He chewed his lower lip before he was enveloped in a bear tug by Garcia which just about cut off his breath. She kissed him on the cheek, then set about wiping off the lipstick.

"I don't care how unprofessional it may be, Mon Capitan, but that doesn't give me the right to brand my liege for the entire office to see. That being said, welcome back Bossman," she said giving him another hug which Hotch returned. She afterward wiped her eyes careful not to smear her mascara. That was followed by a hug next from Morgan.

"Welcome back, man," he said releasing his boss and clapping his shoulder.

"Thanks, Derek."

Emily took her turn and hugged Hotch tightly. "I'm so glad you're back where you belong, Hotch," she said with moist eyes.

"Thank you, Emily," Hotch replied returning her hug.

After Prentiss stepped back, JJ enveloped her boss and friend, resting her chin in the crook of his shoulder. "We missed you around here, Aaron. I missed you around here."

A small smile appeared on the face of the man she considered a big brother. He hugged her close. "I missed you too, JJ."

Lastly, Reid came forward shyly. The two men studied each other for a few seconds, their eyes saying everything they needed to say to each other. After a few more seconds, a small smile appeared on the young genius's face as he stepped forward, and his skinny arms encircled Hotch who returned the hug.

"Thank you, Spencer," Hotch said softly, his lips close to the younger man's ear. "Thank you for everything and for saving my life."

"You're welcome, Hotch. I'm just glad you're all right."

After Reid pulled away, Hotch turned and faced his best friend who had a huge smile on his face.

"Dave…"

Rossi chuckled and held open his arms. "Aaron…"

The two men came together and hugged each other tightly. As they started to pull apart, Rossi cupped his friend's face in his hands, and planted a kiss on each cheek. He released him afterward.

Hotch studied the man seriously with a stoic expression on his face, but there was a mischievous twinkle in his dark eyes. "Dave, I hate to tell you this, but Garcia, Prentiss, and JJ are much better kissers than you. Better looking also."

Rossi wrapped an arm around the younger man's shoulders and led him further into the conference room. "May be. But I'm Italian and trust me, we know how to kiss. And I gotta tell you, my friend, you ain't on my list of people I want to kiss anyway."

Everybody laughed before they surrounded the table and grabbed paper plates, napkins, and cutlery.

Before he put a forkful of salad into his mouth, Hotch paused and looked at the media liaison. "JJ, what about that case we have?"

"What case?" JJ asked with amused look.

"The case you brought to my attention in my office."

"Ohhhh, that case…" JJ put down her plate and picked up the case file. She opened it revealing the folder was completely empty.

"There was no case," The Unit Chief mused.

"Uhhhh…nope. Just an empty file folder. Blame Rossi. It was his idea."

Hotch chuckled as he stared at Rossi. "Dave, you faked me out, didn't you?"

Rossi smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, I told you before, I'm Italian. Devious is my middle name."

That brought chuckles from everyone including Aaron.

Morgan noticed it first. "Hotch, what's wrong? You okay?"

"I'm fine, really. That's not it, Morgan," Hotch replied slowly. He looked around at his team. "I already said this to Dave, and now I'm going to say this to all of you. I want to thank all of you for what you did. I realize there were times each of you suspected I had lost my mind…like you Morgan. But you all stuck with me till the very end, and for that I will be eternally grateful to each of you." He then focused on his youngest. "And to you, Reid, a special thanks. I understand what you were forced to do had to be difficult for you. But if you hadn't done what you did, I would more than likely be dead now. So to you, an extra thank you."

"You're welcome," Reid replied shyly.

"Enough of thanking everybody, Bossman," said Penelope. "This is supposed to be a welcome back party. So everybody let's eat, drink, be merry, and stay sober since my Chocolate Adonis helped me make fruit punch. Also, enjoy yourselves."

Hotch smiled. He never felt more close to a group of people right now than the people in this room. They weren't just co-workers but family to him. A family whom he could count on to be there for him through thick and thin without question. The only thing he knew for sure is that he would be forever grateful these six people were in his life. Grateful to whatever Deity was responsible for them being here. And one other thing for which he would be eternally grateful for, he had survived and another Foyet was dead.

But more than anything, for the first time since this nightmare began, he could relax. Fully relax and not check behind him anymore to see what or who might be gaining on him. Afraid to even close his eyes and sleep. He understood the dreams would gradually go away. And that alone brought a smile to his usually stoic face.

Also knowing Nathan Foyet was dead and never coming back, gave Hotch peace realizing his personal nightmare was over at last. But more than that, it gave him and the entire team peace realizing that the nightmare was finally over for them as well.

A/N:Just to inform my readers that after a short respite, I will be posting a Crossover between Criminal Minds and Hogan's Heroes under my pen-name of ColHogan in the crossover section of the Hogan's Heroes fan-site. This is the pen-name I use on the other fan-site. Unfortunately, the site no longer allows one to post the same story on two sites anymore. I hope all my CM readers will give it a look.

THE END