Curveball

Disclaimer: CBS pulled the rug from under me and now own Criminal Minds...

Summary: As Hotch ponders the decisions he's made life throws him a curveball and one that he never expected...

Timeline: Alternate Universe, Present Day

Special Thanks To: HPforever-after for the prompt, enjoy.

A/N: So I wanted this to be different from any other one that I done before. Don't dispense with the tomatoes...

Thanks for reading, please remember that reviews are welcomed.

Mark Twain said, "Humor is tragedy plus time."

Hotch walked into his apartment, tossing his keys onto the end table by the door, removing his winter jacket and placing it on the coat rack.

Walking over to the small couch, he sighed as he sat down tired, feeling as though he had been up for three days straight.

He couldn't stop the pounding in his head as the last few hours played out in his mind. Undoing the tie around his neck, he shrugged himself free of the dark suit jacket that he was wearing.

Though he was accustom to wearing dark suits, due to his career, this one that he was in felt tight. Like it was cutting off his air supply.

He knew this was because he was completely and utterly lost as to how everything changed in the span of a week.

He couldn't figure out for the life of him, how one day can change an entire lifetime.

Today wasn't suppose to be the day they were burying a relatively young brunette woman, one that dedicated her life to her career.

Rolling up his white shirt sleeves he tossed his gold watch off onto the coffee table in front of him.

Leaning back on the couch, he let his mind wander over to the previous week and the woman that had entered his life only to leave it just as quickly.

As he pondered over the woman that he had barely started dating learning more to getting to know and trying to grown close, he had yet to comprehend the feelings that were there.

It wasn't love, because he didn't believe in love at first sight anymore, not since Haley. Because she was different from Haley.

Even though he knew it wasn't love, that still didn't mean that it didn't hurt about her death, especially being killed in such a shocking and unfathomable way.

And though they had just started seeing each other less then a few weeks, he knew that it still meant a lot to him that someone wanted to see him outside of work.

The day started out like any other day since they started seeing each other in social settings.

She came by picking him up to watch a baseball game, her team, she told him. He was surprised by that, though he knew she was semi-athletic, he had no idea she was a baseball fanatic.

When they got to the game, she asked if he wanted to join the game but he respectfully declined due to the cold weather, and he sat in the dug out watching the game, cheering her and her friends on.

That surprised him, how many non-work friends she had. He had always assumed that since she was as much of a workaholic as he was that she didn't have much of a social life.

But then again, he knew he should have never surprised by her. She was always full of surprises.

She had always surprised him, her straightforwardness, her brutal honesty and her wicked humor were are sharp as her quick witted retort that she had an endless supply of.

That day had progressed like any other, when it came to her more athletic side, and when the lean and slender brunette approached home base armed with a bat ready to crack another home run.

That's when Hotch took his eyes off the game, when he heard his cell phone beep alerting them of an upcoming case.

While he was quickly reading the message Garcia sent out, he looked up and called out for her to let her know about the change in plans, he was horrified by the sight before him.

The baseball went straight to her head knocking her out as she collapsed like a ton of bricks.

"Somebody get a doctor" Hotch shouted, climbing from the dug out rushing towards the dark haired woman.

As he pulled her smaller frame to his he checking for a pulse when the realization hit him.

Before he could even realize what happened let alone process it, she was already gone. It was too late.

Hotch sat in his apartment, his mind going in three different directions, mourning the lost of an amazing brunette that he couldn't comprehend his feelings for.

He knew that it wasn't just the fact that she was taken from life so suddenly, but there would always be the possibility that she could or couldn't have been the one.

And that thought of never knowing is what hurts the most.

As he leans his head back on the couch, he contemplated this whole tragedy.

Could it all have been avoided? The pitcher didn't intend to throw the curveball that hit her in the head.

The sound of his doorbell pulled him from whatever thought that was about to cross his mind and he aimlessly wandered over to the door.

He already knew who it was before he even opened the front door, but he still unlocked it, allowing entrance.

"Hey" Emily's soft voice called out to him, "How are you?"

"I've had better days" Hotch told her walking towards the bar, "You want a drink?"

"No, thanks" Emily told him, "It was a lovely service, the team wanted to come over here but they didn't want to intrude on your privacey..."

"So they nominated you to be my shadow?" Hotch said, not angry or surprise. That's just how they operate now, "It's nice but you don't need to babysit me, I'm going to be ok."

"I know, I just can't help but worry about you" Emily told him, sitting down on the couch, waiting for him to join her, "You know it was an unavoidable accident right?"

"I know" Hotch told her, "If it wasn't the baseball, it would of been the aneurysm sometime later."

"The baseball triggered the already pre-existing aneurysm" she corrected, "There was no way to detect it without medical attention."

"Beth had been complaing about headaches and nauseas" Hotch said, placing his drink down, "She just thought it was either a stomach bug."

"Reid said that it was a caused by prexisting conditions like high blood pressure, head trauma or..." Emily started.

"I know, I know" Hotch said, a wry smile on his face, "He gave me the same statistics when he came up to give his condolences. I'm coping, but I'm actually going to be ok."

At the raised eyebrow, he continued, "I know that it happened so suddenly and without warning but having those few months with her, it was comforting."

"How so?" Emily asked puzzled by this behavior.

"I don't know if Beth was 'the one', you know the one I would have spent the rest of my life with" Hotch told Emily, "But having been a part of her life made me realize that I do have something to look forward to and to cherish my life for however long I'm lucky enough to be alive."

"That's great" Emily said giving him a small smile.

"You know what that is?" Hotch told her, seeing her nod her head, "Jack and you guys, the team. And whoever else comes along."

Looking down at the still full glass of scotch, she picked it up, "I'm glad your looking at the positive side of this," Emily told him, "It's best to focus on the good aspects of things and not dwell on the what-ifs. And you know you're right, whoever else comes along down the road, you can figure that out later on."

She takes a sip from the scotch feeling it burn down her throat and hisses as she passes him the empty glass, "Just know what you want, and don't settle for anything but the best, its what you deserve."

Hotch stood up, walking back over to the bar, "I do know that I don't want to spend the rest of my life alone, but I'm not going to worry about that now, whoever is 'the one' I'm sure I'll know it when she comes along."

Emily stood up, "Good to hear. I'm going to head home now." as she walked to the door, "And I'll pass along that you're doing ok to the team."

"Thanks, Emily" Hotch said turning around as she opened the door, "For listening, and everything. See you at work on Monday."

"Take care." Emily said closing the door behind her, leaving the dark haired man standing there with hope in his heart.

He doesn't know what the future holds for him, or who'll come along, but he knew he wasn't alone.

"Through humor you, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it." Bill Cosby

THE END

I hope you all enjoyed this, don't go pelting me with tomatoes for this fic.