Work Text:
Staring at him as he explained
Always knowing that one of these days
Something like this could happen
She remembered the week she'd spent that hotel
Because some freak had delivered an envelope to her
This wasn't the first time he'd been hurt
The bullet wound
The bruising around his neck
The gashes across his hand
"Nothing serious," he would say
All those other times, close calls he never talked about
This time? Full disclosure
And it scared the hell out of her
Made her wonder what he hadn't said about that Garner guy
So she bitched. She complained.
Because it was easy to do
Automatic
Expected
Because fucking SWAT had stormed her home
They scared the shit out of her while she was folding laundry
One of the men crushed Jack's toy soldier
Jack had wailed loudly upon seeing it
So yes
She shouted.
She bitched.
She was selfish.
Because she couldn't say the things that she wanted to say
Not with him looking like that
Bandaged
Hooked up to monitors
Ashen
Stoic
Swearing that he'd spend the rest of his life making this up to her
He would, of course
He spoke to Jack
So stalwart
Except for the tears in his eyes
And as he spoke, she saw the mask slip across his features
SSA Aaron "Hotch" Hotchner, Unit Chief of the BAU
His armor
Sealing himself off
A means of survival
She knew about that as well
And as she got in the car, holding Jack close to her
She mourned
Because the Aaron Hotchner she knew…
The one who courted
The one who sang off key
The one who…
He was gone