Chapter 13: Epilogue
Five years later, Penelope Garcia Hotchner was sitting on the swing with her husband. He kissed her forehead and she kissed him back.
"I love you, Mrs. Hotchner," Hotch blushed.
"I love you too SSA HOTchner."
The car door slammed.
"We're back!" Jack called. The sixteen year old had recently got his license and had taken the twins Noah and Renee out.
"Yeah! Jack got us ice cream!" Noah exclaimed.
"And what do we say?" Hotch prompted.
"Thank you!"
Penelope laughed. It still hurt to laugh, but she was getting there. Penelope's face looked better. She knew she would never look the same, but she had to accept it. Luckily, Hotch was there every step of the way.
"Oh, and Uncle Dave called by the way," Jack announced, "he wants us all to have a cookout at his place. And don't worry, this is definitely gonna be better than the last one."
"Did you invite Michael and Antonio?" Hotch asked.
"They're gonna try to make it," Jack answered .
"Oh dear. Is Antonio having one of his bad days?" Penelope asked.
Antonio lived with Michael in a house down the street. Sometimes he could get around easily. Others, not so much. The poisoning also affected his motor skills.
"Didn't say," Jack answered, "but I'll call him when we get there."
"I'll grab the car seat ," Penelope said.
"I've got the kids," Hotch answered, "come on!" He picked up Renee and swung her around.
As they drove to Rossi's, Penelope thought about how her life had changed. She had a wonderful husband and three awesome children. She's been through a lot in the last five years, but she had reconnected with her good brothers. Gabriel and Lucas were now just a speck of dirt. They showed her just how strong she really was. As they pulled up to the mansion, Penelope thought it's come full circle.