As the months passed and Mr. Brooks had to be put into assisted living, Jessica began spending more and more nights in her suite above the garage. Hotch and his team traveled in and out of town on cases. Jack continued playing soccer and Paige moved up several levels in the skating world, making it through Regionals competition and on to Divisions. Both Laurel and Tovah decided to return to college – Laurel to her long-delayed law school studies and Tovah to become and architect/engineer, specializing in designing ice rinks.
Meanwhile, Reid utilized Rossi's jeweler ("I should be asking for a commission," Rossi groused with a smile) and formally proposed to the young coach, with the exact wedding date yet to be determined.
Hotch and his family continued on with their lives in the accepted fashion until -
It started out with a routine request for a consult from a small town in Ohio. However, after Reid had examined the evidence, he had immediately called the initial assumptions into question. He had then requested that Garcia pull up more information and, within hours, the team was headed to Dayton where it took them three days to help the locals locate and arrest the various unsubs.
When the team finally got back to the office it was mid-afternoon and Hotch immediately settled down to get caught up on his paperwork. Suddenly, he realized it was after 6:00 p.m. Opening up his cell phone, he called Laurel to tell her that he would be late getting home that night.
"No problem," she assured him. "The kids, Jessica, and I have already eaten dinner and the two of them are in their rooms working on their homework. I'll leave dinner in the warming oven for you. Just drive carefully. Love you!"
"Love you too!" Hotch replied with a smile. "I'll see everyone in the morning."
It was almost midnight when Hotch pulled into the driveway. He could see the nightlight on in the suite over the garage, indicating that Jessica was spending the night there. Mr. Brooks' condition had recently worsened and the small apartment was rapidly becoming her permanent home. Hotch smiled as he thought of all her help over the years and realized how glad he was that Laurel had made arrangements for her to join them in their home.
As promised, his dinner was waiting in the warming oven and, as he sat at the kitchen table eating it, Hotch thought about how his and Jack's lives had changed over the past few years. First off, as he and Jack frequently kidded, the bathrooms definitely smelled better. Then, there were the little things, like the warm dinner he was eating and the clean clothes and fluffy towels that seemed to appear as if by magic. And, there was the house itself. The house he and Haley had shared had definitely been Haley's with formal rooms and everything always shinning and in its place. This house was frequently messy and chaotic, with soccer kneepads behind the couch in the family room and blade guards lying on the coffee table in front of it. But it was home – It was their home.
Hotch finished eating and packed his dirty dishes into the dishwasher, adding several plates that were lying on the counter, and then headed upstairs. After a quick wash and tooth brushing, he changed into the pajama bottoms and t-shirt that had been laid out for him, and then snuggled into bed cuddling up close to Laurel.
"You're home," she muttered, half asleep.
"Yes, I'm home," he confirmed as he softly kissed her. "And, thank you for leaving dinner for me."
"No problem," she murmured as she dozed off again.
He smiled as he buried his head in the soft pillow.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Several hours later Hotch woke up and realized that he was alone in the bed. Concerned, he got up and began prowling through the house. He soon found Laurel in his study, standing and staring out the window into the side yard.
"Something wrong?" he asked, concerned.
"No – Not really," she replied, turning her head to look at him. "It's just that, for some reason, I missed you more than usual this time. I mean, I usually miss you but this time it was just – "
"I'm sorry I'm gone so much," Hotch apologized as he walked over and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "But, it's part of the job."
"I know," she replied a she snuggled up against him. "And, that is something I accepted when I married you. It was part of the deal." She tilted her face up to look at him and he leaned down to passionately kiss her.
"Now I know why I am glad you are back," she breathed when they broke apart. She pressed her body against him and, as he smelled her hair, Hotch could feel himself getting hard.
"Do you want to go back upstairs?" he whispered in her ear.
"If we go upstairs we will probably be joined in bed by two kids who want to say 'Hello' to you," Laurel replied as she reached up to kiss him again. "You do know, don't you, Mr. Hotchner, that you are a very popular person in this household?"
"What would you suggest?" Hotch asked, trying to control his growing excitement as her hand began teasing his rapidly enlarging package through the cotton pajama bottoms.
"There is always the couch in here," Laurel suggested.
"The couch it is," Hotch was breathing hard as he picked her up, carried her over to the couch and, after putting her down, began rapidly stripping off his clothes.