Undercover Love

Sean

"How was PT?"

"Hmmm?"

Rossi, since slacking off on paperwork is such an acceptable thing from him, picks Hotch up from PT everyday. Which means that when Emily gets home he's about as lively as a grumpy old man.

"Physical therapy," Emily picks his legs up and seats them on her lap.

"Exhausting."

She pats his hip," have you eaten?"

"A poptart," he grumbles.

She lifts his feet, his hisses as it moves the sore muscles in his chest, and she gently places then back down. "Well you're gonna have to get up. Grown men can't survive off of a pop tart."

She makes her way to the kitchen and eyeballs for food. "I think we might have time to go see Jason."

"Mmm." He pulls himself up and into a better seating position. "Today?" He doesn't want to come off like he doesn't want to see his son but he doesn't know if he can make it.

She picks up on what he means. She can see the pain in his eyes," honey, if you don't think you can make it don't push yourself."

She turns back around and watches him wince as he throws himself up from the couch.

"We'll make it." He promises holding his side and limping away from her to thier room.

Emily holds her breath," alright. Alright. I lied. I just didn't want to tell you that Sean's coming over."

The pain of betrayal is written clearly across his face. "Aaron, he was there for me. He's still trying."

Hotch shakes his head makes him exit without another word. 

Things had been thin between them since Hotch was sent to boarding school. Leaving a seven year old brother at home to watch his father slowly become sicker and sicker. Until Aaron came home. Sean's older brother was no longer the easy punk looking kid that he had been when he left. His smoking habit, which often got Sean out of the house and gave him the opportunity to learn about people, gone and in its place a habit to instead tell Sean what to do. His green jacket with all the patches gone and instead he wore a business like jacket that Sean hated because it felt like plastic. Sean hated Aaron because he left him and then he changed. He was just a bigger version of their father... without the beating.

"He doing all right?" Sean had been using the Nicotine patches while his brother was in the hospital, his fingers still each to touch a cigarette to his lips though. 

Emily smiles motions him into their apartment. "A little mad at me at the moment but he just woke up from a nap so he should be better."

Sean doesn't enter the house anymore," mad at you? It's not because me is it?"

Emily offers her best smile and Sean looks to the ground. 

Before Emily can comfort Sean on her fiance's behavior said fiance staggers in. 

Hotch looks over his brother," Em, are my sweats still in the dryer?"

 Emily brushes past Sean," no but I have a pair in the dyer that I put in there so they would be warm."

Sean has seen his brother carry many looks. Battered at bruised is the most common and his least favorite. In fact, he prefers the cigarette smoking, green jacket, self-destructive look over it.  Sean and Aaron have always been so opposite and is most likely why they have so many problems. 

Emily comes back and beckons him to the kitchen.  "He is, in fact, in a better mood. however, i would not attempt any conversation that may lead to arguments. He hasn't been able to get out hi s usual amount of arguing and he is taking git wherever he can get it. 

"Ok."

Simple as that right? Not with ex prosecutor Aaron Hotchner on the lose.

"What lie did you tell mother so you could slide up here?" Two bites. Two.

Looks like he's going for a record.

"Cooking class." Sean answers truthfully, finding himself no longer hungry under the heavy gaze of his brother.

"Doesn't she know you've given up on that dream? Or is she still under the impression that you still want to be a photographer?" Emily looks up to the ceiling, praying that there is a God so that He may strike her from the Earth.

Sean takes his brother's jab. "She thinks I want to be a Chef."

Hotch shakes his head and keeps eating. "It's amazing how easy it is for her to look over the obvious."

Sean's eyes burn with anger," now that's not fair. If you hadn't hidden it from her she would have helped."

Hotch throws his fork on to the plate," really? Sean do you really know why I left when you were a kid?"

Sean just looks at his brother.

"I finally told someone. I told Haley and when Mom found out she didn't even try and stop him. She told him where to find me because she was more scared to lose him than to even care about me. He left me in the hospital for a week and with just enough money to get a ticket. They sent me to boarding school not because I fought a kid but because I fought for you." Hotch stands up, leaning in on the chair. "The Sheriff's boy beat Jake. Jake was my friend and so dad used that as the cover for why I left." Hotch turns away from them both," but you wouldn't know that because you always took their side. Don't you remember running to the hospital? Don't you remember me begging you to run?" Hotch pushes away from the chair and ambles away. "You never even bothered to ask me how boarding school was."

Emily closes her eyes and places her head in her hands. "That couldn't have gone worse."

Sean stays in his chair, in shock. "He's right," he whispers to no one in particular.

Emily stands, gathering her plate and Aaron's. 

"Sean, if you'd like you can sleep on the couch. I am, however, going to go back here and calm him down." Emily points out a blanket and a pillow," make yourself at home."

Their room is dark and for a second it is hard to spot him along the shadows but his hair, sticking this way and that, points him out.

"Aaron?"

He flinches and draws his body tight. "Please don't Emily. I don't want to talk about."

Emily seats on the edge of the bed," we won't then."

Softly, he whispers," I don't want you to-" touch me even thought he doesn't say it it hurts.  "I'm sorry."

She reaches to rub his side but stops. "You have nothing to apologize for."

"Sure I do." That's all he says; maybe because he's exhausted and maybe it's because he doesn't know where to start. 

"Just sleep," she whispers placing a blanket over him. "Just sleep."

I'm sorry I haven't updated this in forever but I am thinking about writing another story.

I just want to see a little vote of how many of you would read it. It's pretty much gonna be the team of the Jet crashed. It'll have Hotchniss and I am sure some other ships if you ask.

I hope you guys liked this update!
-SH