I don't know what to say other than I'm sorry. The chapter was finished but I just don't get around to send it to Nebula2, my beta. I hope you are still interested in the fic : D I also want to thank everyone how read, alerted, review and added this story to your favorites. I'm so glad you followed me through the slow but amazing and fun journey of writing this story. Each one of your words mean a lot to me. Thank you!

Also, as some of you may have noticed, the title of the chapters and the story was taken from Lifehouse's song Broken, so the credit goes there. So, enjoy it and remember, any comment or criticism will be appreciated.

I want to thank Nebula2 for the beta.

I don't owe Criminal Minds or any of his characters.

OoOoO

Chapter V: I'm holding on, I'm barely holding.

"Look Daddy, look, I finished!" Jack shouted excitedly, taking his drawing and running toward the master bedroom, where Hotch was folding laundry.

"Wow Buddy, you were pretty fast." Hotch replied with a smile, taking the sheet of paper from Jack's hands.

Jack climbed up the bed, kneeling next to his father. "Look this is Sulley," Jack said, pointing to a big figure in blue. "and this is Mike." This time, Jack pointed to a small green ball.

Hotch smiled, recognizing the characters from the movie ´Monsters, Inc.´, that Jack had seen at least four times in the last couple of weeks.

"This is great Buddy, good job." Hotch praised his son, rubbing his hair playfully. His smile widened at the sound of Jack's laugh. "So, what do you want to do now Buddy?"

Jack thought for a moment. "Can we watch a movie? Please?"

Hotch pretend to think for a moment, watching Jack's big brown eyes. "All right. Why don't you go pick the movie and I'll make popcorn?"

"Yay!" Jack shouted, jumping out the bed and running out of the room.

Hotch laughed, putting his socks in one of the bottom drawers before leaving the room, Jack's drawing in his hand.

He had just reached the living room when the doorbell rang. Frowning, he left the drawing on the table and went to answer the door.

Looking through the peephole, Hotch blinked a few times, surprised by the person on the other side of the door.

"Hey," Hotch greeted, opening the door.

"Hi, I hope I'm not interrupting." Dave said quietly, bouncing on the balls of the feet, hands in his pockets.

Hotch shook his head, stepping aside. "Come in."

"Uncle Dave!"

Catching sight of the other man, Jack jumped up and ran towards him. The little boy circled Dave's legs with his little arms, burying his face in Dave's pants. "I've missed you."

Dave hugged Jack back, rubbing his back gently. "I've missed you too, Kiddo."

Hotch smiled at the scene before him, relieved and grateful that Dave had listened to him.

Jack pulled back, smiling widely at Dave, who rubbed his hair gently.

Dave lifted Jack in his arms, and started walking toward the couch. "So, your Dad told me you went to play with Henry today."

"Yes! We had lots of fun. Uncle Will played trucks with us and Aunt JJ made us cookies. She makes the best cookies ever." Jack said matter-of-factly.

Hotch laughed, arching an eyebrow at his son. "What about Aunt Jess' cookies?"

Jack looked from his father to Dave warily, before answering in a whisper. "Don't tell Aunt Jess, but Aunt JJ's cookies are better ´cause she makes them in cool figures and puts a yummy paint on them."

Hotch's cell phone rang, and Hotch started walking towards the table where it was.

"You mean sugar glaze, because paint doesn't eat Buddy." Hotch corrected gently, before picking up the cell phone.

Dave didn't miss the grimace on Hotch's face when he saw who called, before responding with his usual 'Hotchner', but just returned his attention to Jack, asking him what else he had done at JJ's.

It wasn't long before Hotch hung up, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Everything okay?"

Hotch turned to face Dave. "Yes, everything's okay, it's just that Strauss needs me to go to the office right now."

A frown appeared on Dave's face.

"I thought the team had the day off." He said, recalling the piece of information Emily had shared yesterday when she had called him.

Hotch nodded, the phone still in his hands. "And they do, it's an administrative thing, so it's just me."

Jack turned to his father, sitting on Dave's lap. "Do you have to go catch a bad guy, Daddy?"

"No Buddy, Daddy needs to go to the office for a while."

Hotch start dialing in his cell phone when Dave stopped him.

"What are you doing?"

"I need to call Jessica, to ask her to come and take care of Jack while I'm gone."

Dave shrugged. "I can stay here if you want."

That got Hotch's attention, who looked at Dave, a surprised expression on his face.

"Yes Daddy! Can Uncle Dave stay? Please?"

Hotch looked at Dave carefully. "Are you sure?"

Dave shrugged again. "Yeah, why not? You said yourself it's an administrative thing, so it won't take long."

"Please Daddy, Please?"

Hotch narrowed his eyes at Dave for a bit, unsure if Dave would be okay taking care of Jack right now.

"Okay, I'll go get changed." Hotch said before disappearing down the hall.

Less than ten minutes later, Hotch appeared in the room, jacket and briefcase in hand, and his tie hanging around his neck. He quickly left his jacket on the back of the chair and his briefcase on the table and began to tie his tie.

"Are you sure you want to do this? I can still call Jessica."

Dave gave him an amused look. "Yes, I'm sure. It's not as if this is the first time I looked after him."

Hotch nodded, reaching for his jacket. "I don't think it'll be long, but if Jack gets hungry there's some mac and cheese in the freezer. I don't think he will, but just in case and feel free to eat something if you want too."

Hotch adjusted his tie, before taking his briefcase and walking to the couch where Jack and Dave sat.

"Be good for uncle Dave, okay Buddy?" Hotch said, kissing Jack's forehead.

Jack smiled. "I will Daddy."

Hotch turned to Dave. "I'll get back as soon as I can."

Dave nodded. "That's okay, I'm sure we'll be fine. Right Kiddo?"

Jack nodded eagerly.

With a soft smile on his face, Hotch nodded too, and left.

As soon as the door was closed, Dave turned to Jack. "So, what do you want us to do now Kiddo?"

"Me and Daddy were going to watch a movie."

"Sounds like a good plan. You already have one picked out?" Jack shook his head. "Mmm, you want some popcorn?" This time Jack nodded excitedly. "Okay you choose the movie and I make the popcorn, okay?"

When Dave returned to the living room, a bowl of popcorn in his hands, he found Jack sitting on the couch, legs swinging back and forth.

Dave frowned at the unusual quietness.

"Hey, have you picked yet?"

Jack nodded dutifully, handling Dave the movie he had chosen.

"Cars, hmm?" Dave commented, taking the movie and leaving the bowl on the coffee table.

Dave was about to walk toward the bookshelf, where the dvd player was, when Jack spoke, his voice small.

"Daddy said you didn't go to my game 'cause a friend of yours went to heaven and you were sad."

Dave stopped in his steps, taken completely by surprise. He forced himself to turn around, putting what he hoped was a friendly smile. He waited until he was sitting next to Jack to answer, and had to clear his throat to do so.

"Yeah, that's true. A friend whom I loved very much went to heaven, that's why I wasn't with you at your game. I'm sorry."

When Dave looked at Jack, he found the little boy biting his lip, a guilty expression on his face.

"What's wrong?"

After a moment of hesitation, Jack answered. "Daddy told me I shouldn't ask you 'cause it would make you sad. I didn't want to make you sad Uncle Dave."

In spite of himself, Dave smiled at the little boy. "You didn't make me sad, I'm sad because I miss her, but you didn't make me sad Kiddo."

Jack looked at him skeptically, but finally nodded.

"Aunt Jess said it was okay to miss Mommy, but I shouldn't be sad 'cause she was in heaven with the angels." Jack paused for a moment, a curious expression appearing on his face. "Is your friend in heaven too, Uncle Dave?"

Dave felt a lump in his throat. "I hope so," he whispered.

Jack tilted his head. "Was she a good person like Mommy?"

Dave just nodded, unable to speak.

"Then she's in heaven with Mommy." Jack told him firmly.

Dave allowed a small smile at Jack's conviction and took a moment to contemplate the irony that he was being comforted by a six year-old boy, who had already suffered in his short life more than what most people did throughout their entire lives.

They were silent until Jack spoke, his voice soft.

"I miss Mommy's hugs and kisses sometimes. Daddy and Aunt Jess give me hugs and kisses too, but Mommy's were different." Jack paused, biting his lip again. "Sometimes I get sad 'cause I miss Mommy, but I didn't tell Daddy."

"Why don't you tell your Dad?" Dave asked, genuinely curious.

Jack shrugged. "'Cause I don't want him to be sad too."

Dave felt the tears stinging in his eyes. It never ceased to amaze him the great similarity between father and son. He couldn't feel more proud of the little boy in front of him, wanting to protect his father. Then he had an idea.

"Why don't we make a deal?" Dave proposed Jack.

Jack tilted his head, curious.

"When you get sad because you miss your mother, you can tell me, and when I'm sad because I miss my friend, I will tell you. What do you think?"

It was a bit of a trick to help Jack, make him share his feelings with someone, but just like with his father, Jack wouldn't share his feelings easy, but he would if he thought he was helping someone, helping Dave, which he definitely was- just not by listening to him. He was helping Dave just by being around him, making him forget everything, if only for a moment.

Jack wrinkled his little brow in concentration, thinking.

"So, what do you say Kiddo?" Dave asked him after a while.

Jack lifted his gaze, looking at Dave for a moment, before he nodded quietly.

With a grin, Dave extended his hand to shake Jack's. "Deal."

Jack offered him a shy smile in return.

"You want to see the movie now? Or we can talk if you want." Dave asked, staring at Jack.

Jack bit his lip again, "Can we see Cars now?"

"Of course we can Kiddo." Dave reached for the bowl of popcorn. "Here, take these while I put in the movie."

Less than ten minutes had passed since the movie had ended when the apartment's door opened, showing Hotch at the other side, a pizza box and his briefcase in one hand and keys in the other.

"Hey,"

"Daddy!" Jack jumped off the couch right away,and ran to his father.

"Hey Buddy. Can you close the door for me?" Hotch asked Jack, stepping into the apartment, and leaving his briefcase and keys on the entryway table.

Obediently, Jack closed the door and walked to his father's side.

Hotch turned towards him. "I brought some pizza, why don't you go wash your hands?"

"Yay! Pizza!" Jack shouted excitedly, before running down the hall.

Hotch smiled at his son before turning his gaze to Dave.

"Thanks for taking care him." Hotch said as he put the pizza box on the table.

Dave waved him off with his hand, going to stand next to him. "How did it go your meeting with Strauss?"

Hotch grimaced. "In the same way they all go. She being as hard as always and putting buts to everything I say, but agreeing with me at the end."

Dave grinned. Some things never change and it seemed that the resentment Strauss felt for Hotch was one of them.

"Do you want to stay to eat some pizza with us?" Hotch asked before disappearing into the kitchen.

"I don't know. I don't think I'll like cheese pizza." Dave joked, eyeing the closed box.

Hotch returned bringing plates, and rolled his eyes at Dave's comment. "I always order half pepperoni with mushrooms and peppers for me."

Waiting until Dave nodded, Hotch went back to the kitchen, this time bringing a glass of apple juice for Jack and two beers for Dave and himself.

"Jack didn't give you any trouble, did he?"

Dave waved him off with his hand. "Of course he didn't. He's a great kid."

Hotch smiled.. "Thanks for watching him for me. I really appreciate it."

Dave shook his head, and looked at Hotch straight in the eye. "You're lucky, you know. It's a wonderful kid you've got here."

Hotch's smile widened and his eyes shifted down the hall, as Jack's little steps sounded over the carpet before Jack appeared, a broad smile on his face.

"I know," Hotch whispered to Dave.

"Life is partly what we make it, and partly what it is made by the friends we choose." - Tennessee Williams.

OoOoO

So, I finally finished. This is my longest story so far, and all the fun I had writing and all your good comments just left me with the desire and intention of keep writing. So look out for more stories! Soon I hope.

A/N:Thanks to all who read it. I hope you all have enjoyed, and as always feedback appreciated. Thank you.