It's my birthday today, my gift to myself…a day off work. lol :)

So I had time to get two more chapters out to you.

Thanks once again for your reviews. They're like fuel for my creative bus. :)

Chapter 23

"DADDY!" screamed Jack.

In the midst of the chaos, no one had noticed Hotch's son standing behind them at the edge of the living room, with just enough space between Rossi and Morgan for his wide eyes to see his Daddy and Auntie Jess.

He was hurting her!

Daddy's the bad man?!

And like a hiccup, time restarted and Morgan wouldn't be able to say later how he did it, but at the sound of Jack's scream, as Morgan depressed the trigger of his gun, he twitched his wrist an inch to the left sending the bullet that would have ended his friend's life a hair's breadth away into the wall by his head.

Later, he'd say with haunted eyes to those who asked that it was Jack who had saved his father's life that night.

Out of the corner of his eye Morgan watched as Prentiss spun and raced towards Jack; scooping up the now sobbing child, her body blocking his view as she ran from the living room towards the hallway running into Reid whose shocked face startled Jack who started screaming again and struggling in Prentiss' arms.

"Alice is in Jack's room, he ran out before..." started Reid.

"Get him out of here!" Prentiss' voice, a frantic order.

She poured the screaming child into Reid's arms and raced back to the living room.

"Is Hotch..." Reid began to ask, but Prentiss was gone.

Swallowing heavily, Reid stared in the direction of the living room, then holding onto his friend's son raced back down the hallway to Alice who was sitting on Jack's bed.

Alice's eyes were wide, fearful. "What happened?" she asked. "I heard a gunshot…"

"I'm not sure yet," he deposited a screaming Jack into her lap where she automatically started to soothe the boy, drawing him closer to her and rubbing small circles on his back.

Reid glanced around the room spotting a child's music player with headphones attached on the floor nearby, he grabbed it placing it on the bed next to Alice.

"Please..."

Alice stared at Reid for a moment, understanding, then pulled the music player closer.

"I'll take care of him, Spencer."

Reid nodded his thanks then left, quickly closing the door tightly behind him.

Alice looked at the child in her arms and her heart went out to him; he saw something he never should have seen, that was for sure.

"Sweet boy." she murmured rocking him gently.

Jack had quieted somewhat laying in her arms his thumb in his mouth, sad eyes, tears staining his chubby cheeks.

Alice smiled a smile she didn't feel and raised the headphones near him.

"Let's listen to something fun, why don't we?" she said, her eyes glancing at the bedroom door, her heart dreading what lay beyond it.

It was finally screaming…good...good. Hotch smiled.

But...suddenly someone else was screaming too.

Hotch's eyes landed on a little boy standing behind the BAU team. Not even noticing the sting of air as the bullet Morgan fired whizzed by his ear into the wall next to him.

The boy was staring straight at him, what did he say?

Daddy?

He didn't have a son, why would the...why..?

His mind seized, making him cry out, his eyes squeezing shut.

Images swirled around him like jagged pieces of glass, painfully scraping across his brain, then suddenly they all came to a jarring halt and he could see them all in their harsh clarity.

Hotch gasped, his eyes snapping open.

"Jack?"

He saw Prentiss sweep the boy up and run out of the room…

"Jack!"

He went to make after his son, when he heard someone shouting his name.

"Hotch!"

He glanced across the room to find Morgan and Rossi starting towards him, Morgan holstering his weapon.

Why was….?

Hotch looked down and lost his ability to breathe.

He was holding up someone, a woman, there was blood everywhere; when he saw that he was gripping a knife, some of it already embedded in the woman's back, the shock made him let go of the knife and the woman and press back against the wall behind him horrified, gasping for breath.

Morgan grabbed onto the now unconscious Jessica as she slipped from Hotch's grasp and lowered her to her side on the floor, checking the knife wound and exhaling softly when he saw that only half of the blade had made its way in.

Jack may have also saved his Auntie Jess' life too, this night.

When Morgan had lowered the woman to the ground Hotch got a look at her face, his eyes widening in horror.

"J-Jessica?!"

He stepped forward to go to her but strong arms gently pushed him back. Confused, he looked to see Rossi standing in front of him.

"Dave?" he grabbed onto one of Rossi's arms. What's going on? Where's Jack?"

"Hotch...stop. Stop!" Rossi shook him by the shoulders.

Hotch looked over at Prentiss who with a phone by her ear, was suddenly standing over Jessica.

He didn't understand, were they on a case? He saw Reid enter the living room, his mouth ajar, eyes wide.

What's happening?! Hotch gasped for breath, his legs slowly collapsing under him.

He could feel Rossi's strong arms holding on as he slid down the side of the wall.

"He's going into shock!" Hotch heard Rossi now crouched next to him shout, but his voice sounded muffled.

"Aaron!"

He watched as if in slow motion, Reid crouching down next to Rossi.

"Hotch, it's okay…it's okay..." Reid said.

But Hotch could barely hear anything now, except for his strained breathing and as he stared at the blood on his trembling hands, he whispered…

"What did I do? What did I do?"

Hotch closed his eyes slipping away into the beckoning darkness unaware of the hands of Reid and Rossi holding on to him as the rest of his body sunk slowly sideways to the ground.

With heavy eyes Rossi stared at his friend.

They had gotten him back, but at what cost?

-TBC-