"Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity"- Hippocrates.

Chapter 26-Epilogue-One Year Later

Aaron Hotchner was seated behind his desk in his office at the BAU attempting to go over reports, but found his concentration lacking. Laying down his pen, he leaned back in his chair, folded his arms, closed his eyes, and allowed his mind to wander. It had been one year since he had been rescued and returned to his families; both of them. And while most of his memory had returned in time, there were still some small gaps. He hoped the still missing memories would come back in time, but if they didn't, he couldn't allow their loss to dominate his thoughts. He let out a deep breath he didn't even realize he had been holding as he thought back to his first day at home with his family.

(Flashback):

He looked down at the little boy with the toothy grin whose arms were wrapped around his legs tightly.

"Hi, daddy! I missed you!"

He didn't know what to do, how to act, what to say. He could feel his panic rising making him want to turn and flee and not look back. He looked at Haley and then at Dave, both of whom smiled and nodded their silent encouragement. Taking a deep breath, Hotch bent over and released Jack's arms from around his legs, then crouched down to eye-level with the child. He smiled hoping it was friendly-looking enough.

"Hey, Jack," he said softly. "How you doing, buddy?" Jack suddenly wrapped his arms around his father's neck and held on for what seemed like dear life to Hotch and rested his head on his father's shoulder.

"You remember me, daddy!" Jack exclaimed excitedly. That made Hotch look up at Haley questioningly. She could tell he called their son 'buddy' but not remembering that he did or why.

"You always call him buddy," she replied with tears in her eyes.

He tentatively returned the hug and noticed how alien it felt to him. He stood up still holding his son in his arms and faced Dave. He took his go-bag from him.

"Thank you, Dave," he said gratefully. "I truly mean that."

Rossi smiled as he ran a hand over Jack's hair. "No thanks necessary. You just take your time and get better. And don't forget, if you need anything, and I mean anything, don't hesitate to call."

(End of Flashback)

Hotch opened his eyes and exhaled again. That day was so scary. Pyramiding his fingers against his lips, he let his eyes scan his desk until they fell on the framed photo of him and Jack sitting on one corner. Leaning forward, he picked up the frame and with a smile, looked at the photo and allowed one hand to gently caress the little boy's face. He thought some more about that first day.

(Flashback):

Hotch was seated on the sofa thinking about what he normally did while relaxing, or what it is he should be doing. Haley was busy in the kitchen preparing dinner so he was pretty much left to his own devices. Spotting the remote to the television on the coffee table in front of him, he reached for and grabbed it figuring he would watch some television. Perhaps that would keep him from thinking too much. Just as he turned on the television, Jack came running into the living room and climbed up on the sofa, cuddling up against his father. He looked up at him.

"Daddy, can we go to the park after dinner? I want to play on the swings again. Can we?"

Hotch started to panic. Park? What park? How could he take Jack someplace he didn't remember. He faced Jack nervously.

"I…I…I can't, Jack. I…."

"Why, daddy?" the child asked looking up at him with puppy-dog eyes, waiting.

Before Hotch could answer, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye and noticed Haley standing in the doorway leading to the living room. From the look on her face it was apparent to him she had overheard at least the last part of the conversation. She folded her arms and leaned against the doorway.

"Jack, sweetie, daddy just got home a short while ago and we don't want to overwhelm him. Look, I have an idea. Dinner won't be ready for at least an hour; why don't you and daddy go out into the back yard and toss the ball around. I'm sure daddy would enjoy that."

Hotch forced a smile to his face. "Sure, buddy. Go get your ball and we'll toss it around in the backyard until dinner's ready."

"Okay!" Jack said excitedly jumping off the couch and racing upstairs to his room. The dark-haired man glanced at Haley and silently mouthed 'thank you' to her. Haley smiled and returned to the kitchen just as Jack raced back downstairs with his football in one hand, and grabbing Hotch's hand in the other pulling him up from his seat on the sofa. "C'mon, daddy! C'mon!"

With a sigh, Hotch allowed himself to be dragged out into the backyard and then started tossing the ball with his son.

After dinner was when Hotch began to feel he had made a mistake in coming home with Haley. And he felt so uncomfortable around his son that he was nearly positive the little boy sensed it. He and Haley were seated on the sofa side by side after Jack had been put to bed. She sensed they needed to talk.

"Aaron, what's wrong?" she asked as she cupped his cheek with a hand only to see him pull away. She dropped her hand. "Are you all right?"

Hotch rubbed his forehead. "No," he replied gently. "This was a mistake."

Haley was confused. "What was?"

"All of it. My coming here with you. Interacting with Jack or trying to. I can't do this, and it was a mistake to tell myself I could. I'm afraid of doing or saying the wrong thing. I don't even know what it is I'm suppose to do right now both as a father and a husband."

"What are you saying, Aaron?"

"I think it would be better if I left and went to stay at a hotel or something until I can get my head together."

Haley warily touched his arm and was surprised he didn't pull away this time. "Honey, perhaps I was wrong to expose you to Jack today when you got home, but he was so excited when he found out you were coming home, I just couldn't say no when he said he wanted to see you. I'm sorry. Maybe after a goodnight's sleep you'll feel differently come morning."

Hotch vehemently shook his head. "I'm sorry. But I can't share a bed with you. It's too much to deal with. I'll sleep on the sofa and you can have the bed. In the morning, I will call Dave and see if I can stay with him for awhile."

So engrossed were they in their conversation that neither noticed Jack, wearing his dinosaur pajamas and clutching a worn teddy bear, come downstairs quietly.

"Daddy?" he asked. Both Hotch and Haley turned towards the stairs at their son, wondering how much he heard.

"What is it, buddy?" Hotch asked carefully. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

Jack came closer and the two adults could see tears streaking the child's cheeks. "Daddy, are you leaving again?"

"Jack…" Hotch began.

"Don't you like us anymore? Is that why you're leaving?"

Hotch exhaled deeply. He gestured for Jack to come closer, and when he did, he picked up the little boy and sat him on his lap. He then wiped his tears away with a hand and allowed a small smile.

"You misunderstood me, Jack. I'm not leaving in the morning. I was just a bit overwhelmed by everything because of the problems with my memory, that's all. I'm sure mommy told you about how I don't remember things."

"But I can help you remember things," Jack explained, sniffling. "Please don't leave, daddy. Pretty please." He looked ready to cry again.

Hotch sighed. "I know you can, and I'm gonna need a lot of help from you. Just don't expect too much too soon. It's gonna take a while."

"How long is a while?"

"It just means it's not going to happen soon so I don't want you to get your hopes too high. Okay?"

"Okay, daddy."

"Now, back to bed with you and goodnight, buddy."

Jack kissed Hotch and Haley each on the cheek, then hurried towards the stairs. " 'Night," he shouted as he disappeared up the stairs.

Alone again, Hotch and Haley looked at each other. "Well?" asked Haley. "Did you mean it when you told Jack you were not leaving?"

Hotch nodded. Jack's reaction to having heard him say he was leaving broke his heart, and even though he didn't have any memory of his life with Jack, he just couldn't do that to the child. He'd stay and find a way to work through his fears.

That night, at Haley's insistence, Hotch slept in the main bedroom and Haley took the sofa.

(End of Flashback)

Hotch sat the framed photo back in it's place on his desk, then leaned back in his chair again. It was a difficult year after that first day. But he never considered nor brought up leaving again. And over a period of months, he found some of his lost memories were returning to him piecemeal. He found also that most of his memories of the BAU and his team had come back, and what he had problems with, Rossi and the other team members helped him through and explained things to him as many times as necessary until it became part of his permanent memory. He found the small things he still didn't remember in relation to the job, the team was more than happy to teach him and help him re-learn. The small things he still didn't remember regarding his family, Haley was helping there.

Then, after one year to the day he went missing, Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan went to Section Chief Strauss's office and Morgan reminded her that if Hotch wanted the Unit Chief position back, he would gladly step aside. And Hotch had indicated that he felt he was now ready to reclaim his position. So, after going through a psych evaluation, a refresher training course, and re-learning things about the Bureau and the BAU, Hotch, after passing his tests with flying colors, was reinstated with the FBI and the BAU as Unit Chief.

Then, exhaling through his nose, he decided if he was going to get out of the office at a somewhat reasonable hour, he picked up his pen again and resumed going over the reports. He was soon interrupted by a knock on his office door.

"Come in," he ordered. The door opened and Dave Rossi, holding a bottle of Jack Daniels and two glasses, walked in followed by JJ, Garcia, Reid, Prentiss and Morgan; both Morgan and Prentiss were carrying glasses as well. As Morgan closed the door, Hotch arched both eyebrows.

"Drinking so early in the day? And the good stuff. What's the occasion?"

Setting one glass in front of his friend, and the other in front of himself, Rossi opened the bottle and poured some of the whiskey in each glass. The others gathered in front of Hotch's desk. "We're drinking to you being back where you belong." He picked up his glass as did Hotch and the others; then, everybody raised theirs. "Four years ago we lost you, and despite what people were saying, we never gave up looking for you. And then we found you."

Morgan picked it up from there. "And after we got you back, we were determined to help you regain what was taken from you as much as we could."

"We must've done something right," Prentiss chimed in with a smile. "Because you're here and you're Unit Chief again."

"Welcome back, sir," said Garcia

Reid remained silent but allowed a small smile to appear on his face showing how he felt.

"It's good to have you back, Hotch," JJ added.

Hotch, holding his glass in both hands looked down at the amber liquid. He waited until he had reigned in his emotions, not wanting his team to see him about to cry. Swallowing hard, he looked up at the people in front of him and slowly got to his feet.

"I want to thank all of you for not giving up on me when it would have been so easy to agree with others who thought I was more than likely dead. And for bringing me back to this point. So to all of you I again say thank you." They clinked their glasses together followed by each draining their glass.

As the team prepared to leave their boss's office and return to their desks, and Garcia to her lair, Hotch's desk phone rang as he sat back down. The team paused in front of the doorway as he picked up.

"Hotchner." The dark-haired agent listened carefully. "I understand. Send the information to our media liaison, Jennifer Jareau. Goodbye." He hung up the phone and looked up at the six people in front of him. "Conference room in ten, people. We have a case. JJ, the police in Phoenix are sending you what they have." As he watched the people leave his office, Hotch fell back in his chair and let out a deep breath. Then, a small smile appeared.

It was once again business as usual for him and his team, and he felt more ready than he ever had, and it felt good to be back.

The End