A/N: Well, we made it to the end. I hope everyone enjoyed my version of events. Thank you all for reading! And special thanks to everyone who reviewed! It is, as always, greatly appreciated!
A Leader's Strength: An Evaluation of Guilt
Epilogue
Early Monday morning a soft knock on her office door alerted Erin Strauss of her expected visitor.
"Come in."
Aaron Hotchner appeared in her doorway. "You wanted to see me?"
"Yes, Aaron. Come in. Sit down." He did as she requested.
"I got your Grief Assessment Report from Agent Rossi this morning." Hotch remained silent, though trepidation tried to creep its way up his spine. "I want you to know why I was so adamant that you speak to someone. Your team has been through a great deal in a short amount of time, but you have been through even more. Letting that much grief build up isn't healthy for you or the Bureau. And the Bureau needs you right now. And it needs you as close to 100% as possible. And according to Agent Rossi, you are."
The look of surprise on Hotch's face lasted only long enough for Strauss to catch a slight glimpse. She gave away the briefest of smiles before getting back to business.
"There are some things going on that may require that I be away from the Bureau for a few months. If that's the case, I may need you to help supervise some departments in addition to your work with the BAU. I need to know that you are still on top of your game and are mentally capable of handling the additional workload."
"What's going on?" he asked, slightly confused.
"I'm not at liberty to say yet. Once I'm certain that I'll have to be away, we'll discuss everything. I should know for sure in a few weeks."
"I understand."
He started to get up from his seat to leave when she stopped him.
"Aaron?"
"Ma'am?"
"Contrary to popular belief, I'm not always the cold-hearted bitch everyone thinks I am. I do care about the well-being of my Unit Chiefs and my teams. I'm glad to see that you're all coping with the loss of Agent Prentiss as well as can be expected."
"Thank you. You really didn't have to hold my job over my head, you know," he smirked.
She outright laughed. "I know how stubborn you are, Aaron. Would you have ever spoken to anyone, including Dave, if I hadn't?"
He thought very briefly. "Probably not," he conceded.
"That's what I thought," she said. "If you or your team need anything, please come to me."
"Yes ma'am. Thank you."
She nodded, signifying the end of their conversation. He got up from his seat and walked to the door, then stopped.
"Chief Strauss?"
"Yes?"
"You can come to me too, you know."
She smiled slightly. "Thank you, Aaron."
He nodded and walked out, closing her door. He took the elevator to the sixth floor. Dave was waiting for him when he stepped off, knowing that he'd be meeting with Strauss first thing this morning.
"Everything okay?"
"Everything's fine. Let's get to work."
~THE END~
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