Loss.
"Daddy?"
"Yeah, Jack?"
"Why is Spencer staying the night with us?"
Hotch sighed. That was always the hardest thing - explanations. And Jack was still... at least partially innocent. There was so much that weighed on him from his mother's death. And to hear about another so soon...
The water was boiling, the noodles were cooking. It meant he could turn away from the stove to crouch and squeeze Jack's shoulders.
"Do you remember after Mommy's funeral, how I let you sleep in my bed? How you said it helped you sleep?"
So very solemn, Jack nodded.
"Well, Emily was a really good friend to both me and Spencer. We weren't as close to her as you were to Mommy, but it still hurts to lose her. So having him stay here will help both of us sleep."
"Will he be sleeping in your bed?"
The nightmare reared its ugly head again, the memory of seeing Reid in bed beside him-- "No. He'll be staying on the couch. For some people, that's close enough company."
"Oh. Okay."
Hotch gave his son a little smile, then leaned in to kiss his forehead. "Go find your dragon movie. I don't know if Spencer's seen it, but I bet he'll like it."
That was enough of a reason for Jack to give him a wide smile and run off to his room. He envied his son the ability to bounce back like that. He stood up and prodded the sauce. Soon, it'd be Jack's favourite part of spaghetti night: testing the noodles. And he was pretty sure Reid would appear at his doorstep before long.
Hopefully before Jack decided it was time to see Toothless again.
"Yeah, Jack?"
"Why is Spencer staying the night with us?"
Hotch sighed. That was always the hardest thing - explanations. And Jack was still... at least partially innocent. There was so much that weighed on him from his mother's death. And to hear about another so soon...
The water was boiling, the noodles were cooking. It meant he could turn away from the stove to crouch and squeeze Jack's shoulders.
"Do you remember after Mommy's funeral, how I let you sleep in my bed? How you said it helped you sleep?"
So very solemn, Jack nodded.
"Well, Emily was a really good friend to both me and Spencer. We weren't as close to her as you were to Mommy, but it still hurts to lose her. So having him stay here will help both of us sleep."
"Will he be sleeping in your bed?"
The nightmare reared its ugly head again, the memory of seeing Reid in bed beside him-- "No. He'll be staying on the couch. For some people, that's close enough company."
"Oh. Okay."
Hotch gave his son a little smile, then leaned in to kiss his forehead. "Go find your dragon movie. I don't know if Spencer's seen it, but I bet he'll like it."
That was enough of a reason for Jack to give him a wide smile and run off to his room. He envied his son the ability to bounce back like that. He stood up and prodded the sauce. Soon, it'd be Jack's favourite part of spaghetti night: testing the noodles. And he was pretty sure Reid would appear at his doorstep before long.
Hopefully before Jack decided it was time to see Toothless again.