Sirens had been silenced moments before the scene played out in front of the agents who stood around the dishevelled home they found themselves in. Blood covered a number of places, but the place that most watched was the splatter that ran along Hotch as his red eyes crinkled with tears and unspent panic. Though late to the scene, Cecile quickly walked around as she looked for him.
Stumbling through to the dining room, Hotch was sat with his face blank as he gulped regularly. Blood was already drying as police walked across the scene. 'Hey, Hotch,' Cecile mumbled in an attempt to do what the rest of the team had failed to do, pull him out of his trance.
Slowly, dark hair turned at the voice as Hotch looked for who had spoken. Catching a glimpse of her brown eyes and dry tears, he fumbled a smile as she walked up to him and stood beside his chair. However, before any words could come to mind, strong arms wrapped around Cecile's waist as he gripped her with all the strength he had in his heart. Tears falling once again as he sobbed into her chest as her hands fell to his hair and back, soothing him quietly as she whispered sweet messages into his ear while her hands gently calmed him.
Pressing her face into Hotch's hair, Cecile closed her eyes as tears quietly fell as she fought off sobs, trying to remain quiet and calm for him. However, as a crackling sob ran down her skin from his throat, and liquid quickly rolled down her chest, she gulped back a sob of her own as she began to shake. Trembling fingers wiped her tears away before Cecile sniffed and let go of the hug.
Crouching in front of Hotch, Cecile managed a sad smile as her hands held his face. Closing his eyes tightly, Hotch felt her careful thumbs wipe his tears away as she finally settled on her knees. 'Hey, let's get you home and changed,' she suggested quietly while staring at his contorted features.
Knowing that Hotch didn't have the strength to open his eyes, Cecile carefully took his hands and held them in her hands, resting them on his knees as she tapped the backs of his hands to her forehead while firmly holding him. Hotch's squeeze against her fingers relaxed some of the tension in Cecile's chest as she let out a deep breath before pulling back and meeting his eye. 'What have I done?' He choked out.
'You've just survived a traumatic experience, and you saved your son. But now is when the battle gets harder. So, let's take the next step together. Are you ready to leave now?' Cecile asked calmly as her thumbs continued soothing him.
Nodding, Hotch slowly stood as his body ached from the fight he was recovering from. 'There is no shame in leaning on me,' Cecile commented as she hooked his arm around her shoulder and her hand rested on his side to support him.
After some gentle persuading, Hotch got appropriate medical help before scooping Jack up and returning home in the back seat beside Jack as Cecile drove them. Hugging his son for the entire journey, Hotch refused to look anywhere other than at his blood ridden clothes. As they arrived, Cecile unbuckled herself before getting out and opening the door for Hotch and Jack to climb out. 'Daddy, we're here,' Jack mumbled as he wiped his face, tired.
Suddenly realising where they were, Hotch unbuckled them both before climbing out of the car. Closing his eyes for a moment, the three of them stopped in the car park before enough strength was found to keep going. Keys jangled as the door was found and unlocked, Jack quietly walking while tiredly drooping his eyes as they made it up to the front door.
Once stood inside, Jack dropped his head and played with the torch in his hands. 'Why don't you get washed? I'll watch him,' Cecile offered. As her voice met Hotch's ears, he jumped and turned around at the unexpected noise.
'I, uh, I didn't hear you come in,' Hotch quietly confessed as he stared at the ground sadly. 'Thank you,' he soon added before quietly walking towards the bathroom.
Jack was left biting his lower lip as he watched his dad leave, a woman he barely recognised stood in front of him. 'Hey, Jack. Why don't we get you changed into some pyjamas? While you get dressed, I'll make us something to eat. What do you fancy?' Cecile asked as she moved to her knees and carefully began removing his shoes.
'Toast, please,' Jack requested politely while scanning the woman's face in front of him.
Agreeing quickly, Cecile sent him on his way before walking into the kitchen and hunting for bread. Although a little squished, some was found and then pushed into the toaster before she stepped out and walked towards the bathroom. Knocking loudly, she heard a faint grumble asking what was wrong when she unlocked the door with the help of her ID badge in the small bolt before she unlocked the door, refusing to look above the ground. 'I'm not here to do anything silly. But I'll bin these clothes, if you're happy for me to deal with them,' she quietly explained while pushing the door closed behind her in case Jack came out.
Pushing his hands in front of him in case she looked up, Hotch covered himself as his red-rimmed eyes watched her through the steamy shower with water running red down the drain. 'Uh, yeah. Thank you,' he replied, a sob stuck in his throat.
'Showers are my favourite thing. You can disassociate while crying, and your tears mix with the water. But you have a son out here who needs you to put him to bed within an hour, don't get lost before this new journey has even begun,' Cecile sternly remarked before carefully lifting each item of clothing from the floor and throwing them over her arm. 'I can't see a towel, I'll grab you one. Where are they?'
Not even flinching when his socks and boxer-briefs were tucked between his trousers and shirt, Hotch felt his eyes dry as she started humming a song he'd never heard before. 'Oh, there should be one in my bedroom,' he ground out as his mind grew foggy.
Without replying, Cecile left the bathroom and walked into the kitchen, finding his bin bags and filling one with his clothes before she then shoved the black bag into the main bin, planting more rubbish over it so that Hotch wouldn't even notice it if he happened to look inside. The toast soon popped, and Jack walked into the kitchen with his pyjamas on, the material twisted around him as he struggled to properly dress himself.
After buttering the bread, Cecile carefully twisted his pyjamas around before handing him his food to eat at the table. Still humming, she then walked to what she assumed was his bedroom as it was the only room with a closed door. Pushing in, pictures of Haley and Jack littered the room, a few even had Hotch in them as well. The room was blank, just like the rest of his house. Little to no furniture, and the items he did have were probably already in the property when he moved in.
Hooked over the end of his bed, a towel was draped. Not far from it, there sat a wardrobe. Sizing up her options, Cecile opened the drawers until she discovered comfortable clothes. A pair of grey joggers and a warm top were gathered along with a pair of underwear before she slunk out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Knocking again, Cecile waited for Hotch to grumble again before she opened the door she failed to lock after her previous trip while her eyes stuck to the ground. 'Jack's eating his toast. Maybe you can be ready once he's done,' she suggested while placing the material onto the cabinet beside the sink.
As the door closed behind her, water was cut off as Hotch stepped out and walked across to the towel where he noticed the pyjamas too. Still quietly crying, a small smile had dared to claim his lips as he noticed her attention to detail. Finally realising that she had handled his dirty underwear, and raided his clean underwear for him, an uneasy feeling passing through his stomach for a moment before his thoughts turned back to Haley.
Dressed and relatively dry, Hotch stepped out of his bathroom to hear Jack laugh while at the table with an empty plate in front of him. 'I can't believe you, Mr Captain America is a disgrace to his nation,' Cecile retorted with faux contempt.
'He isn't Mr Captain America, he's just Captain America,' Jack replied with a laugh. 'And he is better than Gandalf,' he added while standing up, acting like he was ready to fight over it.
'Now, you are young so I will give you a chance. This is your first and last warning, take that back,' Cecile threatened while pointing one of his uneaten crusts that had fallen to the floor. 'Or I will make you eat the crust.' Playfully glaring at him, Cecile watched his smile grow wider as he jumped and launched himself on her lap.
Giggling, Cecile stood and span Jack around as his arms wrapped around her neck. 'He has a shield,' he giggled out once they stopped spinning. 'And Gandalf is old.'
'I don't think you fully understand the plot of Captain America. But Gandalf has a cool stick to hit people with,' Cecile remarked as she held him, his legs sitting either side of her as she crossed an arm under him while one hand stopped him from falling back.
'But there are sticks everywhere, shields are cool,' Jack remarked while swinging his legs around.
Before Cecile could reply, she looked up from Jack's eyes and noticed Hotch stood with a vacant look in his eye and a smile on his lips as he watched them play. 'Buddy, we can finish this argument tomorrow. Daddy's going to brush your teeth and read you a bedtime story, okay?' She asked happily, calming down her antics as she pulled her eyes away from her boss.
Slipping down her body, Jack soon turned and ran towards Hotch who eagerly picked him up and gave him the largest hug he could. 'Come on, let's get your teeth brushed.'
Walking across to the sofa, Cecile practically threw herself down as she felt the bones in her back click comfortably. As the minutes passed, it wasn't long before the door down the hall closed as Hotch tried not to wake Jack up again. His dark eyes dared to hopefully scan the house around him as he looked for evidence of his colleague. Though he would never admit it, when he saw her smiling face look up at him, his stomach dared to rise for a moment before it sunk all over again and his eyes became red.
Patting the chair beside her, Cecile didn't look up from the book in her hand as she looked at one of Jack's school books that had no more than ten words per page on. As he sat, closer to her than even he anticipated, his head almost immediately landed on her shoulder, making her whole body tense as her breath hitched in her throat from panic. However, Hotch was too caught up to notice as she choked on her breathing. Trying not to upset him, she moved her arm and gently wrapped it around his shoulder, pushing his head to rest on her chest as he shifted his hips further away from her.
Slowly, her hand began to trace circles on his shoulder before it moved up to his face as she ran her nail across his skin. Minutes trickled by as Hotch's body slowly relaxed into her body, as his eyes fell closed for a long while, her gentle finger moved to his hair as she then placed all five fingers through his hair with a soothing pattern against him. Without realising it, Hotch had slipped to her lap as he curled up on the sofa and hugged himself. But as his hand moved to rest in front of him and he brushed her leg, Haley's body filled his mind again, making him tense and want to leave the room, until her other hand moved to his hair as her nails moved down to his shoulder before she began dragging her fingers across Hotch's chest, her palm pushing against it from time to time. 'Aaron, it's not your fault,' she murmured when his tense body was felt.
'What?' Hotch asked as the statement had thrown him for a confused loop.
'It's not your fault,' she repeated quietly.
Jack woke the pair up from the sofa hours later, shocking them both as they had been so sure that Hotch wouldn't fall asleep. But when Hotch was dressed, he was shocked to find Cecile stood in the lounge in clean clothes. 'I'll drive you, nasty bruise,' she mentioned while nodding towards his face with a stern glance towards him. 'Why Strauss is demanding that you report to the team so soon is beyond me,' she added angrily while helping Jack get his shoes on.
Neither of them spoke to one another again for the morning. Their statements had to be given, but as Hotch left the office with a glum glance at the floor, he walked to the conference room where Jack was getting the attention he deserved. But their attention was ignored as Jack ran to Hotch and hugged him. Silent thanks were given to the team as Hotch then turned and carried Jack away. 'Aaron has lost a lot,' Rossi remarked. 'He may never gain that light back.'
'Yeah, and he just lost something else,' Cecile remarked with a far lighter tone than Rossi had used.
Eyes turned to Cecile who was rolling her eyes with a smirk on her lips. 'What do you mean? He won't lose his job because of this, right?' Garcia anxiously asked.
'Oh, no. But I drove him here, I don't know where he thinks he is going,' Cecile mentioned while she waved her key at them. 'I'll catch up to him before he realises what he's done. A lot going on in that mind,' she added with a smirk, practically running from the room.
Catching him at the lift, Hotch sadly smiled as he realised what he had done. 'Where are we going now?' Jack asked quietly as they stepped into an empty lift.
'We'll go home now,' Hotch replied sadly.
However, as they got in the car without another passing word, Hotch noticed that they quickly took a corner that didn't lead to his house. Watching nervously, he studied Cecile's expression as she focused on the road while refusing to look at him despite the fact that she could feel his eyes on her. All questions were answered when they arrived at Walmart. 'Why are you taking us here? I didn't even know there was a store here,' Hotch remarked while he watched her unbuckle and then look for something in her glovebox.
'You don't have enough food for yourself, never mind a kid too. Boy cannot live on toast alone. Mainly because you're out of bread and butter now. And I need to buy myself some food. Don't fret, I grabbed your wallet,' Cecile commented as she practically threw the leather pouch at him. 'Meet you back here in an hour at the latest. I'm not going to hold your hand.'
A/N: this was a bit sadder, but it had to be done and thankfully Cecile is on the case, hope you enjoyed it and don't worry, the chapters will go back to being frankly unhinged soon.