Fighting Fire and Fire

Chapter 9 - Time, Time Again

Warnings: Descriptions of gore, violence. Cursing? 

"What?" Aaron asked, pressing his phone close to his ear, making sure he doesn't miss the sweet honey of your voice.

It'd been a week since Aaron knew you'd been taken by your brother. A week where all he needed was you, he missed you. He needed to hold you in his arms again, so when he heard your voice it was a relief to know that you were alive.

The team had been hiding in Edward's penthouse, not leaving in case Riley was watching or had something planned. Paranoia got to all of them.

"He wants you, not me, he thought by-." Your voice quickly became muffled, but quickly quieted down.

"Aaron, Aaron... Aaron." Aaron could feel Riley's breath on him, making him tense up, "I hope you said your goodbyes." Riley's voice slowly became quiet.

The dial tone was blaring in Aaron's ear, but he couldn't do anything. He balled his fist up, leaving the knuckles of his hand go white, and his nails digging into his palm.

"Aaron." Rossi spoke calmly, "We have the address, if you want to save her, we have to go." Dave reasoned.

Aaron's head slowly nodded and hung up the phone and pushed it into his pocket, "Morgan, drive." He ordered, trying to be sensible.

Aaron drove all the time, unless he really didn't want to - or was inebriated - the sense of control he had over driving, how he could go at what speed he wanted, how fast he turned the corners. He got to control all of that, but today, he didn't know how much control he had to keep it safe for the other passengers.

"Yes, sir." Derek spoke, getting the keys.

The team drove in silence, even the fact that they'd split into two cars to make room for themselves. Even the car without Aaron was dead quiet, too nervous to say anything.

The passing of the building slowly dripped into the suburbs of New York, it was a long drive if there was any. For Aaron it felt like time stopped, that he stood on the street of New York standing in the rain in the middle of Central park, just like he did when he was 21 and freshly out of his mandatory education his father put him through.

This time while he was hypothetically standing in Central Park, it felt as if the world was spinning a bit too fast, no one was around. Aaron was alone, rain dripping down his sharp features. His partner, his wife, was either dead or alive. God he wished he could be with her.

Guilt racked his stomach, the deepening pit of his stomach made him feel like throwing up, despite practically not eating a full meal for the past week. His hands were shaking, not that he'd noticed given that he was too busy looking out of the window.

For some reason, Aaron Hotchner wondered what he'd done to deserve this sort of suffering, but then he remembers what sort of life and business that he leads. Whilst Aaron Hotchner had never tortured someone or got someone else to do it, he did have a heavy list of people who would definitely have it out for him.

Regret and guilt had all bottled up in him. Leaving him quiet, quieter than normal, his lips thinner.

"He wants me." He spoke softly.

"What?" Derek asked, making quick eye contact with him.

"Y/n, told me that he didn't want her, he wanted me." Aaron explained looking and feeling guilty

"Then you shouldn't go in, Aaron." Rossi spoke looking towards his friend

"That's my wife," he stressed, "that's he's torturing. He's laying his hands on my wife." His voice broke, still strong enough to hold back the tears