Goodbye Gwen
XXX
"Why don't we go on home guys?" Derek suggested to Ashley, and Jack when Hotch walked into Courtney's hospital room. With that Derek, and the two kids left the room leaving Hotch, and Courtney alone.
"Hi Courtney." Hotch greeted as he walked over to the bed and sat down.
Courtney looked scared, now that her father now knew the truth. "Please don't be mad." Her eyes held tears.
Hotch gently took his daughter's hand. "What happened?"
"I wasn't running away." Courtney replied. "I just … I had to get out of there. Away from her. So I ran. Next thing I knew I was near the horses, so I grabbed one and took off down a path, I wanted to clear my head. Then the next thing I know is the horse is getting spooked by a horse and I'm falling off, hitting the ground hard." She looks away as more tears roll down her cheeks. "We meet at camp. I've never met you, and Kelsi felt the same for Mom, so we decided to switch." She couldn't hold her sobs anymore.
"Hey." Hotch gently moved to the side of the bed and gathered Courtney in his arms. "I'm not mad." He said softly as he gently rocked her. "I'm not mad."
Courtney snuggled into her father's chest. "Daddy."
XXX
"It was the camp." Kelsi told her mother, and grandmother as the three sat in the dinning room with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk. "That's how we meet. At first we didn't care of each other cause we had never seen each other and it was like looking in a mirror. After we got into hot water we were forced to share an isolation cabin, while there we bonded and found out the truth about each other … that we are twins." She paused to left that sink in. "I never met you. And Courtney never met Dad. We taught each other how to be each other, then at the end of camp … we basically switched lives."
Emily watched her, feeling guilty. "Oh honey." She reached for Kelsi's hand. "I'm so sorry." She squeezed her daughter's hand.
A tear rolled down Kelsi's cheek. "So I guess you have to switch us back now huh?"
Emily nodded. "Yes. I'm afraid I have to … legally you belong to your father. And Courtney belongs to me … at lot of things changed when Aaron, and I separated."
Kelsi let out a shaky sigh. "But I don't want to loose you." She looked at Elizabeth. "Ether of you."
"Dearest." Elizabeth reached for her granddaughter's free hand and squeezed gently. "Life is never fair."
"But don't worry." Emily told Kelsi. "We'll make things right." She squeezed her daughter's hand again. "I'm not going to loose you now."
XXX
Courtney closed the passenger door of her father's Durango and looked up at the house as she stood in the driveway. When Sammy came running up to her, Courtney gasped as she backed up bumping into the car in the process.
"Sammy!" Hotch yelled at the dog, but Sammy ignored him as the dog sniffed Courtney before licking her hand.
Hotch shook his head. "Looks like Sammy figured your not Kelsi."
Courtney petted Sammy's head. "Yeah." She looked up when a car pulled into the drive. "Daaad." She whined when she saw that it belonged to Gwen.
Hotch looked up after grabbing a small bag from the backseat. "Court honey, go inside." He ordered as he handed her her bag.
"I'll be inside." Courtney nod. "Come on Sammy." She walked inside the garage with Sammy next to her, she opened the door that lead into the house, let Sammy in first before following and closing the door behind her.
"I see you found the kids." Gwen said as she got out of her the car.
"You abandoned my children." Hotch growled at her. "And now my youngest has a cast on her arm because of you!"
"I can explain." Gwen tried.
"You were supposed to be watching them!" Hotch continued. "Instead of ignoring them. My kids mean the world to me!"
"I was making arrangements for our big day." Gwen said. "I didn't think they would do something foolish like that. I mean come on, kids do stupid things just to get attention."
"Not mine." Hotch retorted. "Yes mine do stupid things." He agreed. "But they don't do it just to get my attention!"
That's when Gwen made a mistake. "The day we get married is the day I ship your brats off to boarding school! They are not going to ruin things for me!"
"Those brats, are my whole world!" Hotch yelled. "They are staying, I will not let you take them away!"
"Then it's ether me or them!" Gwen demanded.
"You serious?" Hotch folded his arms. "I am not choosing between you, and my children."
"Take your pick." Gwen said stubbornly.
Hotch pretended to think. "Them." He said pointing at his house.
"Excuse me?" Gwen gasped.
"My children." Hotch answered. "You wanted an answer, now you have it." He turned to head into the house. "Now please remove yourself from my property."
XXX
Inside Kelsi's bedroom, Courtney was lying on her good side on the bed, Sammy was lying at her feet.
"Court?" Jack asked when he pocked his head inside the room.
Courtney sat up and looked at him. "Hey." She smiled. "Come in."
Jack walked into the room and he grabbed the computer chair and sat backwards in it. "I see that Sammy's gotten use to you. How's your arm?"
Courtney shrugged. "It's heavy." She smiled. "You wanna sign it?"
Jack smiled. "Yeah!" He turned to the desk and began to look for a marker, finding one he moved to the bed as he opened it.
Just after Jack signed it Hotch walked into the room.
"Hey guys, what's going on?"
"Just signing Courtney's cast." Jack closed the lid of the marker. "Wanna sign it?"
Hotch reached for the marker. "Sure."
Jack walked back to the computer chair. "What happens now?"
Hotch finished signing the cast and closed the lid of the marker. "Well, you guys don't have to worry about Gwen anymore."
"Why?" Courtney asked.
"Yeah, what happened?" Jack asked.
Hotch reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a ring. "She through this at my head."
Courtney suddenly felt guilty. "Daddy, I'm sorry. She was a nightmare. But you were happy."
"Yeah Dad." Jack agreed. "She was more then a nightmare, she was a bi."- He cleared his throat. "You were happy."
Hotch shrugged. "Aw it's ok." He sighed, he looked at Jack. "Come over here Jack."
Jack got up and walked over to his father's side. "What's up?"
Hotch wrapped his arm around Jack's shoulders as he says. "All I need." He took Courtney's free hand. "Is right here." He looked at both his children.
"Really?" Courtney smiled.
"My children are my world." Hotch told them. "Outside of BAU, you two, and your sister. Are my everything."
