"Haley?"

"I'm sorry Aaron. I'm so, so sorry."

"What do you mean? Why are you calling?You're suppose to be in witness protection."

"You were right...about everything...about George...he found me…."

"How?"

"I...I...he…"

"Hello Aaron."

Foyet!

Aaron bolted awake, like he always did, before Foyet put Haley back on the phone and she told Aaron that she loved him. It wasn't exactly a dream, although he was sleep. More like a reliving of what happened. Every night. For the past six weeks. At least this time he didn't wake up shouting her name.

Beside him, Jack lay sleeping peacefully. His nightmares had ceased a few weeks ago, but he still crawled into bed with Aaron almost every night. Spencer was so understanding. He was sleeping on the couch, to avoid any awkward moments when Jack came into his room.

He could hear Spencer making his way down the hall, the light 'thump' of his cane on the floor. Spencer had been his rock during this whole time. So patient, so caring. Holding Aaron every night when he awoke from his nightmares, sometimes screaming, sometimes crying. Gently urging Aaron to eat when he had no appetite. Reading to Jack and showing him magic tricks to distract him.

"Aaron?" The door creaked open and light began to fill the dark room.

"I'm OK Spencer."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Ok," Spencer turned and started back towards the living room.

"No, wait."

Spencer turned. "Yes?"

"Stay with me."

Spencer looked cautious, his eyes shifting to the sleeping five year old in the bed. "Are you sure?"

Aaron nodded. There was no one here to pass judgment on him, at least no one who mattered to him and could take Jack from him. So why not?

Spencer climbed into bed on Aaron's side so as not to disturb Jack. Aaron immediately wrapped his arms around him and curled around him.

Aaron slept peacefully with him for the rest of the night, and the night after that, and the one after that. For the next week, when Spencer was in the bed, there were no nightmares. When Spencer went away on a two day case in Jersey, he woke up sweating and panting both nights. Then Aaron met with the U.S. Marshals to be debriefed on the case. They had completed their investigation and Aaron had asked to be notified of their findings.

Aaron couldn't believe his ears. He had just come from his debriefing with the Marshals and he was still reeling.

Haley had contacted Foyet. She had led him straight to her and he had killed her. And almost killed Jack.

He could have killed Jack.

Aaron was angry. Angrier than he had ever been in his life. One word kept reverberating in his head. A word that was considered a curse word as far as his mother was concerned. He had his brother weren't allowed to say it. Stupid.

Stupid, stupid STUPUD!

How could Haley do something so damned stupid? Had she not listened to his constant warnings and advice of what to do in case of an attack on their family? She went and did the exact opposite of what he had drilled her about.

She snuck a drop phone past the Marshals, and contacted Foyet. She led him straight to their location, straight to her death.

Haley's parents blamed him, and probably always would. He could see it in their eyes at the funeral. It was his fault the marriage fell apart, his fault that he didn't come running back, his fault

Haley went back to Foyet, his fault that he got stabbed nine times and nearly killed, his fault that Haley broke protocol and contacted the psychopath that had abused her and would eventually kill her, his fault that he was even messing with her. He had been right, right all along, and there was no comfort in that. When you were right in this business, people ended up dead.

Aaron totally hadn't planned on telling Spencer. In fact, the Marshals asked him to keep the information quiet, it made them look just as bad as Haley. Outsmarted by a suburban housewife and her psychopathic lover. But that night, as he sat, staring at a picture of the beach, the ocean foam along the sand, and someone had carved "A loves H" inside a heart with the date of their wedding. It was an anniversary gift from Haley to Aaron. She had hanged it in the living room and wandered if he would notice. Jessica had bets that it would be there at least a week before he noticed.

Jessica had lost. He noticed immediately, he loved the gift and never once questioned as to why she had it made A loves H instead of the other way around. Now, as he stared at the picture, he could feel nothing but anger. He had even turned the living room chair to stare at it.

"Aaron?"

Aaron turned in the recliner to see Spencer leaning up against the wall. No telling how long he had been there.

"What's on your mind?"

Spencer knew better than to say 'what's wrong'? Everything was wrong. This had totally turned out just as Aaron had feared. Aaron had been right. Which was worse than being wrong in this business.

Aaron opened his mouth to say 'nothing'. But that's not what came out.

"She contacted him, Spencer."

"How?" Aaron was glad he didn't have to go into long background explanations with Spencer.

"She snuck a phone past her protective detail...she contacted him...she fucking called him Spencer!" Aaron erupted. He then took a deep breath and apologized.

"No need to apologize. You have a right Aaron."

"A right to what?" Aaron wanted to know.

"A right to how you feel. A right to be angry. Let it out Aaron."

Aaron half laughed and sat back. But he suddenly became overwhelmed by anger. It was white, hot, and bubbling under the surface. Aaron hurled his glass at the picture. There was a double shatter, both the picture and the glass as it hit the floor.

"Stupid! How could she be so goddamn stupid?" Aaron leapt up and started pacing the floor.

"I drilled her on the protocol. Numerous times. You don't contact anyone, not me, not your mother and definitely not your fucking boyfriend who was the reason we were in this mess in the first place!"

"Twenty six years," He said pacing. "I gave that woman twenty six years of my life. My best years, gave her everything she wanted. There was only one thing I couldn't do, one thing I had for myself, my job. But no, she couldn't handle that. Had to have control over every freaking aspect of my fucking life."

Spencer watched Aaron pace and vent. He had been waiting for this. Some kind of breaking point so that they could move on. Aaron needed this.

"I told her, TOLD her that Foyet was nothing but trouble. Why wouldn't she listen to me. She wasn't one of these abused women who didn't know better. Why couldn't she just…" Aaron's fist slammed into the wall where the picture once hung.

"And for the rest of my life this will always be my fault, everyone will blame me. Your parents, myself, even Jack…" Aaron trailed off, with tears in his eyes. Spencer wanted to speak up and tell Aaron that wasn't true, that he would always be Jack's hero, but now wasn't the time.

"Well as usual, I have to clean up the mess. So thanks for that. Thank you very much, Haley. Your dying gives you automatic absolution from every sin you committed. The cheating, the lying, putting our son in danger…" Aaron balled up his fist again.

Suddenly, Aaron was tired. He was ready to put all of this behind him, and just move on. Haley was dead, that was the new reality. He would have to deal with it. It was up to him to make sure Jack turned out to be a responsible, respectable human being without too many issues. He could do it. He would do it.

Now that his little emotional spate was over, he was left to clean up. Spencer intervened, insisting on cleaning up the mess while Aaron showered and went to bed.

That night, with his arms wrapped around Spencer, Aaron knew that he would be alright. Spencer seemed to bring a sense of peace to him that he desperately needed.