Love the sentiment at the end.

The loss of Aaron Hotchner is one we, as fans of CM, will mourn for a long time, most of all, because it was unexpected, not all enveloped in golden paper as it was Morgan's departure. Also, I believe, because they ended in bad terms, they will kill off the character. (Even if I hope they won't)

I don't want to think about it, but probably season 12 will be the last for the ageing series, so we will get to see Reid and JJ leaving together, as you portrayed it.

I did like this story, it reflects the grief we feel when someone too close, even family, has to depart, and follow separate ways.

Thank you.

This is so beautiful and heartbreaking and oh my gods why I just can't

Beautiful. Sad, too, but beautiful. I really hope they find a way to say goodbye to Hotch's character without killing him off or hurting him more. Or making him into a villain. He deserves a good ending. And an ending that makes sense. They need to find a way to have him leave with dignity, and a way to explain why he leaves now, after all this time. Jack could be a reason (although Jack was also the reason he did the work)- and you have given another reason. Thank you.

Lovely.

I like this.

Awww..I'm out of the loop on the show so don't know if Hotch is gone or "gone" but its all about that last line. :)

This encapsulates my sorrow over the developments of the last couple of days. A perfect rendering and a tribute to Aaron Hotchner.

LOVE this! But I wish there would have been a hug in there!

Very nice; particularly the ending. I like their mutual decision to leave together if one needed it. I thought you handled their reflections on their relationships with Hotch very well. I think you and I have slightly different views on Gideon, but I agree that over time Hotch definitely became a better, more stable mentor to Reid as a person, not just a profiler. Thank you for also injecting a little humor with the math part; it helped with the sad topic at hand.

It's still hard to process all of this with Thomas Gibson, but I only hope they come up with an appropriate (non death) way to write out the character we've all grown to love on his own and for his influence on the rest of the team.

I wonder if this is how they wil explain Hotch's leaving? Wouldn't be surprised! Well done. As usual an excellent account and great characterisation.

Amen to that. I like that plan. Here's hoping we don't have to worry about that happening anytime before whenever the show's series finale is, though! *Knocks furiously on wood*

But agh, yes, wow, talk about narrowing down the original gang, eh? That's the part that I think hurts the most out of all of this. We just keep on losing them, and with seemingly very little break in between people leaving to even try and adjust to the change :(. And I'm not surprised you'd touch on Reid's struggle to deal with yet another person he cares about leaving. That's going to be tough next season, seeing him try to deal with Hotch leaving while he's still reeling from losing Morgan.

That said, there's a maturity, wisdom, and understanding to his attitude about it here that I really like, and which I hope we do get to see next season. Obviously this'll be difficult for him, but he's been through this scenario enough times now to where he knows how to handle it better. He's talking to JJ about his feelings. He's choosing to focus on the good times and memories. He's aware of the toll this job has taken on Hotch, to where he could understand why things might have to change with him, be it with this assignment or anything else Hotch does in the future. It's a refreshing take on this sort of storyline, and I thank you for writing things this way.

And a perfect choice of the most notable memories Reid holds dear regarding Hotch. Everything with his memories of Hankel were so powerful, especially the way he outright stated how he'd saved his life (oh, the image of Reid in that forest all alone...*Shudders*. Thank goodness for Hotch indeed). And I loved the acknowledgement of Hotch's intelligence, and his ability to truly understand Reid's way of thinking to where he got the clues Reid was trying to send.

I was especially struck by Reid's realization that relying on Hotch in that moment was a shift in whom he'd come to trust between him and Gideon. As always, you're spot on with Reid's assessment of Gideon, and the relationship between them. I agree with Reid that I do think Gideon did actually care about him, that Reid kinda filled the space that Stephen had filled for him before. But just as he didn't know how to properly connect with his own son, it's only natural he'd have a similar struggle with Reid in that regard.

And I also agree with the exploration of the difference between how Hotch treated Reid and how Gideon treated him. "Gideon nurtured my talent. Hotch nurtured me." Bingo. That says it all. And it shows in the similarities they have regarding what all they've both been through over the years. If he hadn't been there for Reid in the wake of everything with Maeve... Another thing I don't want to think about. Same with the way he'd helped Reid after everything with Owen-and I loved JJ realizing that Hotch's ability to keep quiet about all of that was proof of just how trustworthy he truly was, and how much he cared about them, that he'd keep quiet and risk his own job rather than spill everything and risk theirs.

I love that JJ got to reminisce here, too. It was great to hear her memories about Hotch, and how supportive he'd been of her in the early days. He always was one to trust her opinion when she made the argument to take a case. For someone who was accused of not trusting women as much as men once, Hotch's treatment of JJ is evidence to the contrary. And I love the nod to her returning the favor by opening up about Roz to Hotch as a means of trying to help him feel better, and to show that she trusted him enough with her own secrets and painful past. That really was a very touching moment between them.

And YES to JJ's memories of the days when Hotch used to actually smile and laugh, and crack jokes. I definitely miss that part of Hotch, too. Like stated, after all he's been through it's certainly understandable that would change him some, but still...it's hard not to notice how striking the difference is between how he is in the first season and how he is in more recent ones. I fully agree that everything with Haley shifted how he related to the cases and the victims, though...and I also agree that it's easier to see where there could be burnout from how driven he was. I admire him for being willing to share in the pain others are going through, to let them know they aren't alone, but as noted, we saw how that impacted everyone else who's left, as well as those who are still there. It's a very tough line to walk, for sure.

As always, I love the interactions between Reid and JJ here. Reid's internal thoughts about wishing JJ hadn't left and hadn't gone through her own hell were incredibly poignant, as was JJ reflecting on her feelings of worry over Reid when everything with Hankel and Owen went down. And I love that she comes to check on him to make sure he's okay, and that even knowing her ruse to get him to open up, he still does it anyway, because even after all they've been through, after that whole mess with them and Emily, he still does trust her and knows he can turn to her and she'll be there. And I'm glad that JJ doesn't put on her typical front, that she allows her own emotions about this to show, too. It's good to see that more vulnerable side of her from time to time, as is getting to see Reid being the more calm, controlled one.

And that, more than anything, is proof of how Reid's changed in terms of his handling all these people leaving. He may acknowledge at the end that there's always a risk JJ could leave again, just like everyone else he cares about has, and yet instead of shutting down and closing himself off, that just makes him even more determined to open up to her and do what he can to keep her as part of his life. Coming over to spend time with his godsons is further proof of that :).

Very touching take on this dramatic change. I would absolutely LOVE it if we got a scene like this between these two on the show this season, but if we don't, then as always, I'm glad you've created it in fanfic for us to appreciate and imagine. Obviously this is deeply upsetting, shocking news, and to say I'm going to miss Hotch would be a massive understatement. But hopefully the show and the characters will be able to handle this as best they can under the circumstances, and hopefully us fans can weather this latest change, too. I'll definitely look forward to any other stories you may write about this situation when possible as well. Fantastic work, as per usual with you :).

Oh, this is a balm. What an awful few days it's been! I really appreciate you drawing together the comparison of Reid and his mentor and JJ and hers, which, I might add, i had not really thought of. Maybe JJ is the best person for unit chief, at least that part of it.

I also like that you left Hotch's true fate a mystery, as I hope the show does. I'm afraid I have no faith in the show anymore. While TG acted completely wrongly, I think the original punishment they spoke of - suspending him and taking his director duties away - were fitting punishment. Oh, well.

We fans may be left with a ridiculous show and some wonderful fanfic, but i'm glad you're still giving us Spencer as he should (still) be. Thanks.

I absolutely adore the ending. I have a similar agreement with one of the ladies work with and the day we plan out exit :-)

Very nicely done, and a great homage to Hotch. He will be so missed.
As for The "incident", I don't know what the feeling is in the fandom on here, but from what I've seen elsewhere, I'd have to say - like a previous reviewer has said - that I'm in the minority view, too. What's right isn't always what's easy, but it's still right.