Chapter 9
"Michael Garcia?" Hotch asked over the phone.
"Yes?" Michael asked.
"This is SSA Aaron Hotchner with the FBI," Hotch stated, "I need to speak with you regarding Penelope Garcia."
Immediatley, Michael sensed that something was wrong.
"What about her?"
"Your sister was abducted and tortured by your other brothers Gabriel and Lucas. They burned her alive and stabbed her," Hotch explained, barely containing his anger.
"What?" Michael asked.
"I'm gonna ask you this one time," Hotch threatened, "did you have any part in her abduction? Yes or no?"
"N-no," Michael answered, dumfounded.
"Gabriel and Lucas hadn't seen her in twenty years, but still managed to stalk her, abduct her, and torture her because of her parents' death," Hotch retorted.
"My God," Michael said, "I can't believe it. I've only talked to Pen twice a year."
"Do you harbor any resentment towards Penelope because of the accident?"
"No," Michael explained, "we moved past it. It's just, I'm a professor and I'm always traveling. I'm writing new books constantly. And I was afraid that I would disturb Penelope's new life. She finally got over that dark phase in her life."
Hotch nodded.
"I was afraid she wouldn't forgive me," Michael continued, "after the funeral, Gabriel and Lucas more or less forced us to shut her out. When it became clear that they weren't gonna let it go, I had to talk to Pen. Wait...you're saying THEY did all that to Pen?"
"Yeah..." Hotch trailed off, "and worse."
"C-can I see her?" Michael asked.
"That depends on whether she wants you there. You hurt her," Hotch pointed out.
"I know. I wanna make it right. I'm on my way."
"Penelope," Hotch said.
"W-what?" Garcia stuttered.
"I just got off the phone with Michael," Hotch explained, "he's on his way."
It was clear Hotch was apprenhensive about the whole thing.
"H-he's coming here?!" Garcia exclaimed, "he can't see me like this!"
"Penelope," Hotch asked, "do you want to see him?"
"Yeah, sure," Garcia said, "it's gonna be awkward, but I'll manage.
"I will be with you the whole time," Hotch assured.
Most of the team had left at night, except Hotch and Morgan. Hotch was stroking her face when someone knocked on the door.
"Pen?" Michael asked.
"Michael?" Garcia asked.
"Hey," he answered, trying to hug her.
"Oooh," Garcia groaned, "please be careful!"
"I'm sorry," her brother apologized, "that bad?!"
"Well, with the bandages and all.." Garcia started to explain.
An awkward silence fell over the siblings.
"Look, I'm sorry I've been such a shitty excuse for a brother," Michael apologized, "and I know apology can make up for the way I treated you. But I just want a second chance and...God Penelope, they actually did that to you?!"
"And then some," Garcia answered, "they stabbed me in the chest, which is why it hurt when you reached for me."
Michael held back a weep.
"I'm sorry," Michael wept, "it's all my fault! If I had kept contact with you—and now it's too late to make amends."
"Micahel," Garcia started, "you hurt me. You abandoned me like all the others after Mom and Dad died."
"I'm sorry Pen," Michael sobbed, "I was busy with my new life and after you got arrested-"
Garcia held up a hand.
"Just let me finish. I also know your intentions are good. But to wait until I survived an abduction to make amends...I don't understand. But I also know that this is not your fault."
"Can you forgive me?" her brother asked.
Garcia took his hand.
"In time. And I want to make amends too. We have got to do better bro!"
Michael and Hotch laughed.
"Look, I don't want to be the bearer of bad new," Michael started, "but Antonio—they thought he had pancreatic cancer."
Garcia sat up.
"Oh my gosh! Why didn't you tell me?" she scolded, "I could've flown up!"
"Penelope," Hotch chided, "lie down."
Hotch's eyebrows furrowed.
"What do you mean they thought he had pancreatic cancer?" the unit chief asked.
"Well, he was throwing up all the time and just feeling crappy. The doctors mistakenly thought it was cancer because and MRI didn't turn up good."
"So what was it?" Garcia asked.
Michael took a deep breath.
"Arsenic poisoning. They thought he got it from working in his shed. He had rats in there all the time. But, in light of recent events-" he looked over at his sister, "it doesn't take a profiler to figure out who's responsible."
Garcia gasped.
"Antonio expressed interest in making amends. We talked about it and he said it was high time. He even talked about it to...the others but they didn't wanna hear it."
"So they targeted him,too," Hotch answered.
"Did he—did he survive?" Garcia asked.
"He survived, but he'll never be the same. He's in a wheelchair."
"Oh!" Garcia gasped. Hotch squeezed her hand.
"They didn't—they didn't target you?" Garcia asked.
"Kinda," Michael grimaced.
"Kinda?"
"After the funeral, they all but forced me to cease contact with you. Now, you remember we all got a portion of the inheritance and I was saving up money to go to Stanford. They threatened to keep all the inheritance for themselves if I kept contact with you."
Anger burned in Hotch and Garcia. They were kept apart for no reason at all!
Michael sighed.
"Please tell me you got them."
"They're dead," Hotch answered, "they won't hurt anybody else again."
"W-why did they hate me so much?" Garcia wailed.
"I don't know, sis. I don't know," Michael replied.
"WHY?!" Garcia screamed as Hotch and Michael held her. The two men shared a look, realizing how much these psychopaths took from them.