Chapter 15

A sudden quiet descended on the Hotchner residence. Prentiss, Garcia, JJ and Reid got into their respective vehicles, waved at one another and drove away. Hotch stood in his front doorway, watching Morgan fumble in his pockets for his car keys. As a way of saying 'thank you' to his team for all of their unwavering support, Aaron had asked Sean to help him host a large 'family' brunch. It had been a relaxed, cheerful affair with a lot of the team's usual good-natured teasing. Hotch hadn't realized just how much he had missed feeling a part of it all. The thought brought a pang of anxiety. He was still waiting for the results from his psych evaluation and Strauss' subsequent decision on if/when he could return to work. After the events in the hospital, the agent felt ready. His team had responded to his directions without question; they still trusted him. Hotch knew he was doing the right thing for them and for Jack by returning to the BAU; the delay was making him restless.

"Uncle Morgan, are you looking for these?" young Jack Hotchner appeared by his father's side with a set of car keys in one hand.

Morgan ruffled the boy's hair. "Nice work, kid. Thanks!"

Jack grinned, hugged his dad and skipped back inside.

"Hotch, that's one great son you have."

Hotch nodded. "Yep, I'm a lucky man." He hesitated, "Lucky for a lot of things... Morgan, I..."

Morgan held up his hand to stop the rest of the sentence. "Forget it, man. I've lost count the number of times you've saved my ass, or kicked it when I needed it." He started to walk towards his car, then turned abruptly and came back.

"Hotch? You never really said anything about returning to work... You ARE coming back to us, aren't you? I mean, you were on fire the other day! How did you know when to shoot?"

Aaron smiled slightly. "Don't worry. Yes, my intention is to come back. But I still haven't heard from Strauss. I'm beginning to wonder what her intentions are. She's never been my biggest fan... As for the shooting, Clarke had a nervous habit of chewing his bottom lip. But he seemed to be in greatest control when he stopped it. His face would relax and he seemed to find some confidence. So I watched his bottom lip."

"Nice profiling boss. And come on man, you know those evals are just a formality!"

Hotch sighed. "I hope so Morgan." He held out his hand. "In any event, thanks."

The two men shook hands. Derek headed towards his car while Hotch returned to the living-room where Rossi and Jack were working on a puzzle.

"Where's Sean?" asked Aaron, putting his hand affectionately on his son's shoulder.

"In the kitchen, I think." Dave said, not taking his eyes off of the jumble of puzzle pieces. "I wasn't paying attention... any distraction and this monkey has half the puzzle done!"

Jack giggled. Chuckling in amusement, Hotch went in search of his brother.

"Hey bro, pass me that pan would you?" Sean's arms were half submerged in soapy water.

"I thought we agreed that the cooking was your department and the dishes mine?!" Hotch handed over the pan with exaggerated exasperation.

Sean laughed. "Gotta leave you with some reason to invite me back! But you can grab a tea towel; I'm running out of room."

Aaron did as he was told and soon the kitchen was back to its sparkling, pre-brunch condition. As he opened the frig and pulled out a couple of bottles of beer, Hotch said, "Sean, I'm really glad you came back. Thanks for all your help... and I'm sorry for being an asshole in the hospital."

The younger Hotchner wiped his hands on a spare towel and looked upon his brother. He tried unsuccessfully to keep a straight face. "It's okay Aaron I'm used to it by now."

Hotch rolled his eyes.

"Ok, seriously, I'm grateful too... not that you got shot, obviously, but that you're such a stubborn s.o.b and you lived to enjoy my cooking." He grabbed a beer out of Hotch's hand, managed to avoid the dish towel that flew towards him, and laughing, sauntered into the living-room.

Hotch stood at the doorway and surveyed the view in front of him. 'All the people I care deeply about.' He smiled to himself. Sean lay on the couch watching football on TV. Dave and Jack had finished the puzzle and were now sprawled on the floor arm wrestling. Jack's giggles of pleasure were music to Aaron's ears.

'You're incredibly lucky, Aaron. You have your health back, your family and some incredible friends... just one thing missing...' he sighed and, moving his brother's feet out of the way, joined him on the couch.

No sooner had he sat down, however, when the doorbell rang.

"Morgan's forgotten something." Guessed Rossi, his voice slightly muffled by Jack, who was sitting on the agent's front, trying to pin one of Dave's arms to the carpet.

"Jack, be careful... Uncle Dave's not as strong as you are." Hotch called over his shoulder as he opened the front door.

Section Chief Erin Strauss stood on the bottom step, looking stern. She was dressed in a business suit and carried a large briefcase.

"M'am." Hotch greeted her politely.

"Agent Hotchner." She replied. "I'm sorry for just dropping by unannounced but we need to talk. May I come in?"

The pang of anxiety returned. 'She doesn't look happy.' Thought Hotch. 'But to hell with the psych results, I'm ready!'

"Please." Aaron held open the door. He led the way into the living room.

"Jack, would you take your Uncle Dave and Uncle Sean into the kitchen please. You can watch them arm wrestle and take on the winner."

Jack had moved to stand next to his father and was hugging one of Hotch's legs, sensing the tension in the room. He looked up at Hotch, then at the stranger. Reluctantly, he let go of his dad. "Okay... "

Rossi nodded a greeting at Strauss and placed his hand on Aaron's arm as he passed by, a gesture of support.

Section Chief Strauss took a seat on the couch and opening her briefcase said, "Agent, I've got the results from your evaluations. But before we go through them, we have to talk about what happened at the hospital last week."

"M'am, I realize that I hadn't yet been reinstated but..."

"Correct, Agent. You should have turned over the negotiations to Agent Rossi as soon as he arrived. No 'buts'."

Hotch gritted his teeth in preparation for a further tirade, but none came. Instead, Strauss suddenly smiled.

"Alright, that was the official slap on the wrist. In reality, I'm pleased that you took control. Everyone at the Bureau knows you wrote the book on negotiation and you managed to get a successful outcome under very trying circumstances. Well done."

"Thank you." Hotch said. 'Come on let's just get on with this! Do I get my job back??!'

Strauss pulled a folder from her briefcase, opened it, and pulled out a sheet of paper.

Aaron's heart began racing. 'She's literally holding my future in her hands...'

"'Return to active duty' evaluation results" read the Section Chief. She stopped and eyed her agent over the paper. 'How does he always manage to seem so calm?!!' she wondered.

"'Weapon handling: excellent. Physical fitness: excellent. Emotional and psychological summary: SSA Hotchner appears to have made a complete recovery from his injuries. He has demonstrated that he is able to accept what has happened and I foresee no danger to the agent or his team from his return to the field'."

Hotch didn't react. He knew that his supervisor still had the final say. Strauss put the evaluation back into her briefcase.

"Now as you are aware, I look beyond the evaluations when deciding on an agent's return to duty, especially those in leadership positions. I've asked for feedback from your doctors and health practitioners and considered the requirements of head of the BAU."

'Get on with it!' screamed Hotch inwardly.

"... and I am very pleased to say that as of now, you may return to your job as Unit Chief..."

Her words were drowned out by loud whoops erupting from the kitchen. Hotch frowned. "Sorry..."

Strauss laughed. "Agent Hotchner, if I were going to deliver bad news, do you really think that I'm cruel enough to do so at your own home?" She jerked her head towards the kitchen and said loudly, "Why don't we ask the eavesdroppers to join us?!!"

Looking slightly sheepish, Sean and Rossi entered the room followed by Jack.

"SSA Hotchner, I can't imagine what this whole ordeal has been like for you and your family. I wouldn't have blamed you for choosing to change careers... but I'd like you to know that I'm extremely proud of your strength and courage. The FBI and BAU in particular, are fortunate to have such talent and dedication."

"Amen." Murmured Rossi. Hotch glared at him, but his facial expression changed when Jack scrambled onto his lap.

"Do you get to go back to work, daddy?" he asked, not understanding Strauss' words.

The Section Chief answered before Hotch could formulate a reply.

"Yes, sweetie, your daddy can start work whenever he's ready." She again dug into her briefcase with one hand and used the other to motion to Jack. He looked a little unsure of what to do.

"It's okay, Jack, this woman is my boss, and she won't hurt you."

Jack shyly approached the couch.

"Jack," Strauss presented him with a small object. "Would you please give this to your dad?"

Jack nodded and cradled the item in his hands. He walked over to Hotch and gravely dropped it into Aaron's outstretched palm. Hotch hugged his son as his fingers closed over the familiar article.

"What is it, daddy?"

"My badge, Jack. It tells people who I am and what I do."

Jack beamed proudly at him. "But you don't need it. You're my daddy and the bestest in the whooole world!"

Hotch coughed in embarrassment.

Strauss got up to leave. "Well, I'll leave you to your day. Aaron, I'm sorry again for the intrusion but I thought that you would want to hear about your reinstatement ASAP."

"I'm grateful, thank you." The pair walked towards the front door. Strauss reached into her briefcase for a final time and passed him two Glocks. "I didn't want to return these in front of your son..."

"Thanks, I appreciate it." They shook hands.

"SSA Hotchner, BAU Unit Chief, I will see you beginning of next week."

"I'll be there."

"Good-bye, Aaron. I'm glad that you're back."

Hotch shut the door and rejoined his family in the living-room. The others had turned on the football game again. He sat down in a chair and let his mind wander.

'Well, Aaron, somehow you're received everything you could want... a beautiful son, a renewed relationship with your brother, a dear friend and a job that you were always meant to do...'

His eyes fell upon an unopened envelope on the mantelpiece which was propped up by the lion statue that he had received from Jack. It was the last of Dr. Ben MacDonald's card-opening challenge; the one from his team. Hotch admitted that he still had some unresolved emotional issues. But he also realized that he now possessed the ability (with help from Ben) to begin to work through them. In the meantime, he felt a renewed confidence and energy. Rising from the chair, he picked up the card and began to tear open the envelope.

'Welcome back, Aaron... recovery complete.'

"A man who won't die for something is not fit to live."

(Martin Luther King)