A/N: Well, this is it, friends. Here is the final chapter of "Pain". I hope you've enjoyed this little journey. Thank you all for the alerts and favorites, and especially for the reviews! Your feedback is always welcome and appreciated! Until next time...

Morgan found Hotch sitting on a bench in the hospital courtyard. He had his elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped in front of him, and his head down. He watched Hotch take slow deep breaths as he tried to calm himself down and quiet his mind. Morgan shook his head at the irony. All those years ago when his own past returned to stare him in the face, he had been so angry with Hotch for pushing so hard. He'd tried to protect his darkest secret so ferociously that it nearly cost him his freedom. But after what he just discovered, he couldn't help but wonder now if Hotch recognized the signs of childhood abuse and was trying to tell him that he understood without actually saying the words. That maybe he was trying to tell him he could trust him with such a dark, damning secret because he had a similar one of his own. He walked slowly across the courtyard and sat next to Hotch, mimicking his position. Neither spoke for several minutes, Morgan simply offering his silent support. It was Hotch who broke the silence.

"I haven't spoken about that day in 30 years."

Morgan looked at him curiously.

"Rossi guessed it when I was a new agent. I used to get overly worked up whenever we caught a case involving abused children. I confirmed his suspicion, but always refused to talk about it. Haley, of course, already knew. The only time we talked about it was when we started trying to have a baby. She knew I was afraid I'd become like him if I had a child of my own. She used to tell me all the time that it would never happen, that I was too good a man and would love my kid too much to let it happen. But we never talked specifically about that night. Not even Shawn remembers that night."

"What happened to your father?"

Hotch shrugged. "The police caught him that night. He went to jail, my mom divorced him before he got out, and I never saw him again. She remarried to a lawyer a little over a year later. That's the man Shawn knows as his dad. He knows that he's not his biological father, but he was his dad in every way that counted. Mine too, really. He's the reason I became a lawyer. I never reminded Shawn about our real father. I always considered it a blessing that he didn't remember."

"I can understand that," Morgan replied. "I guess we never really outrun our demons, do we? We keep trying, but it seems no matter how deep we try to bury them, or how fast we run, they somehow wind up right back in our faces."

"Yeah," Hotch whispered and hung his head again. They sat in silence a while longer before Morgan spoke up again.

"You know, it was a long time before I could stand in the same room with you and Gideon without constantly wondering if you were judging me because of my past, that maybe you thought I was weak or something. I knew neither of you would do that, but still, once that fear gets into your head, it's tough to turn it off, you know? It's difficult to trust anyone with a secret like that."

"I know. I hope it's another 30 years before I ever have to trust anyone with that again. If ever."

Morgan nodded his understanding.

"And for the record," Hotch continued, "we never once considered you weaker because of what Buford did to you. We thought you were stronger because of how you used the situation to make yourself a better man than he was."

"Let that be a lesson to you," Morgan countered. "We don't consider you weak either. Especially not after what I just witnessed. That little boy in there is going to be okay because he knows somebody out there cares about him. You made him believe that. You've always been the strongest person I know, Hotch. That hasn't changed. And it never will."

"Thanks, Morgan."

Morgan stood. "Anytime. Come on."

"I'll be in in a second. I need to make a call first."

It was then that Morgan noticed the cell phone and business card in Hotch's clasped hands. He smiled.

"You think he's still around?"

"Yeah," Hotch answered. "I had Garcia check. He's the Chief now."

Morgan nodded, clasped Hotch on the shoulder and went back inside. Hotch dialed the number from the business card and waited for the man to answer.

"Chief Miles, I don't know if you remember me. This is Aaron Hotchner."

The End.