Lost In Japan // Aaron Hotchner

XIV

Arden loved doing field work. It was where she could shine. A field she more than excelled in. There had been a case that involved undercover work. Some kind of weapons deal. Gideon had chosen her to go under cover. She would be working with another unit which meant that the team would no see her for a while.

Aaron walked into the office after a week. He had been busy with errands and changing all of his accounts to personal as he completely erased Haley from his life. It seemed he didn't get the memo that Arden was doing undercover work because that morning he walked in to see everyone looking to him for answer.

"Where's Carter," Morgan asked.

"Ask Gideon."

"We did," Reid.

Garcia said, "Mom said to ask you."

Aaron snorted. "So if Gideon is mom then what does that make me?"

JJ chuckled, "I'm pretty sure you know the answer to that one. But where is she?"

"I don't know. I've been busy with personal things," he responded. The team knew he had divorced Haley. But only Arden and Gideon knew why. It was a catch 22. There had been no right answers. No right way to go about it. He knew that if he hadn't made the move then she would have. Initially Haley had fought saying that there was no grounds. It seemed she hadn't expected Aaron to pull out a file with evidence that she had been having am affair. Of course Haley had not been trailing him. The woman had no idea that he had succumbed to the same temptation. The only difference between him and her was that he waited until there was no hope. Until he knew that their marriage had failed long before. Haley? She had given up. He had fought long and hard for something she had given up. The divorce lawyer asked him if he wanted to divide the house. The house that had been completely his. The money Haley brought into the marriage had remained untouched since the day they married. He had fulfilled his promise to provide. But he agreed to divide the house. What could he even do with the house? He felt disgusted by it. Repulsed as he imagined what she had done in their house. At least he kept his affair locked tight. She had violated the sanctity of their home.

Aaron walked into Gideon's office. "Jason, where is Agent Carter?"

Gideon chuckled, "This is the first time you didn't read my memo. She's undercover with another team. Weapons bust. Strauss asked to loan her. Arden was more than happy."

Aaron knew very well that it was well within her character. Arden was a fighter by all means. "Do we know when she'll be back?"

"No, but she did tell me that you have been sleeping at her apartment," Gideon responded.

Oh shit. That was all Aaron could think of. Moments like these he thanked his usual poker face. "That is true. After the divorce I had nowhere to go. She let me crash on her couch," Aaron carefully articulated. "The original plan was until Haley left the house. Now it's become more of a matter of I have no where else to go."