Chapter 9
"Loyalty and devotion lead to bravery. Bravery leads to the spirit of self-sacrifice. The spirit of self-sacrifice creates trust in the power of love." Morihei Ueshiba
JJ sat at her desk. She was reviewing the cases that Garcia and Hotch had assigned for her to do. They were all waiting to see if they were going to catch a case for the weekend. She was hoping that they weren't. She had gotten some new information and she knew that she needed to talk to Morgan as well. If she didn't tell him what was going on soon, he was going to start dogging her about it until he found out what he wanted to know.
Hotch came out of his office. He looked down into the bullpen at his group of detectives. He was happy that he was going to be able to give them a rare weekend off. His smile must have been infectious. He saw JJ smiling back at him. He knew that she knew that they hadn't caught a case. They were going to be able to spend the weekend with their children. He wondered if he should ask if Henry wanted to come over and play with Jack.
"JJ, a word?" he stated from the balcony overlooking their desks.
JJ got up from her desk and went up to him. He ushered her into her office. She sat down in the chair across from his desk, just as he sat down behind it.
"What's up, Hotch?" she asked him.
"We've got the weekend. I was wondering if you wanted me to take Henry. He could play with Jack and I know that Jack would like the company."
"Are you sure?" JJ questioned, knowing that she would say yes and then she could focus on Emily without feeling bad.
"Yeah, I'll take them to the park or the zoo. You need to get some rest. The last few cases have been hard on us all, but they seem to be hitting you harder. Go out, blow off some steam and get some rest. I'll come by after dinner and get Henry. That should give you enough time to pack him some clothes and stuff," Hotch stated.
"Yeah, sounds good. I'll call Garcia. I am sure that there is a bar we haven't hit yet."
"Just make sure that you make it home in one piece. And, don't do anything crazy. I don't plan on coming into town to bail you two out if you get caught," Hotch teased her.
"Then, I guess we shouldn't get caught," JJ quipped smiling at her boss.
"Go on and tell the rest of the team we got the weekend. Then, get out of here. I'll be by around seven," Hotch told her dismissing her from his office.
JJ just nodded as she left. She walked down to her desk. She picked up her phone and dialed Garcia's office.
"Office of the Empress of All Knowledge, how can she assist you today?"
"We got the weekend. We're going out tonight. I need your office," JJ told her in all one breath.
"Going to talk to Morgan?" Garcia asked her.
"Yup, he needs to know so he'll back off."
"He won't. He'll want to help. You know that," Garcia warned her.
"I'll deal with it."
"I'll que up the files," Garcia replied.
"We'll be down in ten," JJ stated and hung up the desk phone.
She packed her briefcase. She made sure that she had her weapon and credentials on her. Then she grabbed the burner phone out of her desk drawer. She put it in the case behind the one that the Bureau issued her as an agent. Once she had everything together, she gave Reid a smile. He returned it and wondered what JJ was up to. But, seeing her leave like she was, he knew that they had the weekend off. He could only wonder what lead she was going to follow up on about Emily now.
"Where you going?" he finally asked her.
"To talk to Morgan," she answered as she walked down the small hallway at the back of the bullpen that went to Morgan's office.
She knocked on his door, surprised to see it closed. She heard some rustling and then footsteps. Finally the door opened to reveal a concerned looking Morgan. He looked her up and down. His eyes didn't miss a thing. He saw the confident smile, the gleam in her eyes, and that she was ready to go home for … the weekend. A small but tight smile crossed his face.
"What's up?"
"We've got the weekend and we aren't on call."
"Got plans?" he asked, hoping that she would open up and tell him what was going on with her.
"Something like that."
"Ah," he replied.
"I need to talk to you."
"Come into my office?"
"No, get your stuff and meet me in Garcia's Liar. It would be better if I showed you. You've got five minutes," she told him, but she turned on her heel and headed out to the elevators.
He didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed his gun, badge and jacket. The cases on his desk would still be there Monday morning. Whatever JJ was doing was more important at the moment, and he wasn't going to let the moment get away from him.
He caught up to her at the elevator. They got in together and he pushed the button that would take them down two floors to where Garcia's office was. They were watching each other and Morgan could only think that they were both waiting for the other to break down and speak first.
The elevator stopped. JJ calmly exited and walked down the corridor to Garcia's office. She stopped in front of the door and knocked twice. She wasn't surprised to see Reid had already beaten her down there. She knew that they were all there for her moral support while she told Morgan about the case with Emily.
Morgan came in just behind her. He looked around the room. He wasn't sure that he was going to like what he was about to hear. This didn't like a simple talk. It looked more like an intervention on his behalf. He sat down in Garcia's chair as soon as she motioned for him to do so. Once he was seated, JJ started to pace.
She noticed the clicker in Garcia's hand. She would flash the files and pictures up on the screen as JJ talked about them. She gave Reid and Garcia a weak smile, but she knew she needed to tell him. He deserved to know what was going on.
"Six months ago, we went to Europe to rescue Emily from a deranged man."
"Yeah…" he replied.
"We all went back to London with her. We debriefed and in the end, we all came home. I just came home a few days after you did."
"I know."
"Well, when I went back a few weeks later, Emily was gone."
"What the Hell do you mean she was gone?" Morgan asked, the anger rising in his voice.
"She'd fled London with the help of Aimee and Elizabeth," JJ answered.
"She fled?"
"Yes, she is on the run and from who we don't know. I've been trying to find her for months. Garcia and Reid have been helping the last few months, but it was with my reluctance."
"You could have asked me," he stated.
"I know. But, I didn't know…I still don't know who is after them. They are on some sort of hit list and they are trying to figure out who is the one burning them. They are on the run. They haven't had contact with anyone really in those six months. Those that they have talked to or got anything from have been limited. They are functioning on what intel it seems they can get directly and cash, a lot of cash," JJ explained.
"Figures," Morgan mumbled.
"But, two weeks ago, I got a call from Justice."
"About?"
"A blood sample in New York City."
"No…"
"She isn't dead, Morgan. She had been wounded. Somehow someone found them there. Their apartment was raided and Emily had been shot. She managed to kill the two unsubs, but she left her blood at the scene," JJ explained.
"And, why would Justice call you about that?" Morgan asked her.
"I might have done something while I was working there."
"Like?"
"I had all your names, aliases, and blood types marked. If anything ever popped, locally or federally, I would be notified immediately and the case would be taken over by Justice. As soon as the sample came back as Emily, I was notified," JJ told him.
"Okay, so what does that have to do with me being in here?" Morgan inquired.
"I know that you are worried about me, but you don't need to be. I have been trying to track her movements for the past six months so that I could help protect her. She is in the States and she is being hunted. The incident in New York forced their hand, well, more of Aimee's hand."
"O….kay," Morgan replied.
"You don't need to follow me. The phone call that I took the other night was from Aimee on a burner phone which I am sure that she destroyed after the call was made. She won't tell me where they are, but she is giving me information in order for us to try and figure out who is after them. She has also given me enough information for me to give it to the detectives in New York to close their investigation and not pursue them for murder," JJ explained to him.
"So, have you met up with them, yet?"
"No."
"Then, you just talk to Aimee and you believe everything that she tells you?" Morgan asked.
"Yes. Everything that she has told me has been verified, either by Garcia, myself or Reid. I've even had somethings vetted by Justice. They are safer if I don't know where they are, Morgan. I am trying to help them and the longer I can give them on their own, the safer we are."
"What?!" Morgan yelled the question.
"Morgan, honey, calm down," Garcia told him.
"How do you expect me to calm down? Emily is out there and she is being hunted. We are here doing nothing. She would be safer with us and you all know it."
"No, she wouldn't," Reid told him. "If she was with us, it would make the target on her back bigger. We are a liability for her. She is out there with Aimee hunting her hunters to protect us."
"I cannot believe that," Morgan replied.
"You have to!" Garcia yelled at him.
"Look, Morgan. I don't like it any more than you do, but I've come to realize that it is true. Aimee is out there without her family. Diana and Charlie are in hiding as well."
"They aren't with Elizabeth still?" Morgan asked them.
"No, Diana can handle herself. She is a former Special Forces and Intelligence officer. It seems that Diana, Emily and Aimee made the choice that she would go off on her own. Elizabeth receives cryptic messages from Diana periodically. She knows they are alive and safe. They are all in a self-imposed WitSec like adventure."
"Is that why Elizabeth won't talk to Hotch?" Morgan inquired.
"Yes, she knows too much and anything that she could tell him could be used against Emily and Aimee. The more information about them that is on paper in the agencies of government, the easier it would be to find them. Everything that Justice has on them is just the case from New York. That is something that I am still dealing with to make sure that the information doesn't get leaked and is redacted to the point that it is useless."
"You can do that?"
"I have a clearance that I don't want, Morgan. I only use it when I need to. And, I've only used a few times since Hastings. One of the biggest things that I did was get Garcia vetted so she could help me on any case I deemed her worthy of doing."
"Meaning?" Morgan questioned staring at the quirky, computer whiz, blonde.
"You know those things I threaten I can do?" Garcia asked.
"Yeah."
"I can do them, hide it and make it seem like the government did it," Garcia replied.
"Well, remind me to never piss you off, Baby Girl," Morgan stated.
"That is a wise idea."
"It also means that she can access things that she couldn't before. It also means that when she accesses these things, she has the government's approval. Should an outside government or force decide that she has accessed the wrong information, Justice will deal with the aftermath and make sure that no punishment or consequences come to her for her work," JJ said.
"Well that's good," Morgan added.
"So, what are you doing this weekend?" JJ asked him, realizing that he wasn't going to freak out on her for not telling him sooner, but he was glad that she told him without him having to spy on her to get the information.
"I dunno, what?" he asked with a gleam in his eye.
"Up for a road trip to New York. There is a detective up there that I need to talk to and some intel that I need to run down. Of course, this is all off the books," JJ told him.
"Sounds like a plan. I'll pack my go bag. I'll come over to your place, around?"
"Be there after seven and we'll start the drive tonight. There are some places that we could hit up tonight if we get there in time. I know of a club or two that I want to visit," JJ said giving him a wink.
"I'll be there," Morgan said as he got up. "Be sure to bring whatever you've got so far. I'll review in the backseat of the car. I assume they're coming, too. So, I'll see you later."
They all watched in wonder as Morgan left the office. JJ was surprised that he didn't blow up at her. Garcia believed that it was just because she came clean with her about what was really going on with her free time. Reid was oblivious to the tension in the room but he could tell that it had dissipated. He smiled at JJ and Garcia.
"So, when were you planning on asking me if I was up for a road trip?" Garcia asked teasingly.
"I thought that you wanted to go," JJ stated.
"I do. I am just wondering when you were going to ask I wanted to go. I mean I can't you get my hunk of chocolate thunder in a car by yourself for hours at time all the time, JJ. You need to share. And, I am definitely not letting you have him alone in New York without me," Garcia teased. "I have to make sure that he is taken care of properly, Kitten."
"I'm sure he will be," JJ replied with a huge smile on her face.
"You both realize that it will take around five hours to get there, right?" Reid asked them.
"Yeah, so?" JJ inquired.
"Where did you want to go so late in the day to get intel?" Reid asked her.
"It's called a club, Reid. You do know that they stay open late. We have stayed in a few here until the very wee hours of the morning," JJ reminded him.
Garcia only laughed as they walked out of her liar. She turned around and made sure the door was locked. She was still laughing at their small discussion as they entered the elevator to head downstairs to the garage.
"I'll just follow you," Garcia told her as she got into her car.
"Reid?"
"Yeah, JJ?"
"You gonna go too?"
"I'll be over after a while. I need to exchange my clothes. I am sure that you have something for me to review on the way there. I'll read over it on the way. I'll be sure to be at your house no later than six thirty. I have something to get to Henry," Reid told her.
"You might want to come over before that," JJ replied.
"Why?" Reid asked her confused by her statement.
"Henry is going to stay with Hotch for the weekend."
"I'll be there at six fifteen, then," Reid replied as he wondered off to his car.
JJ just smiled at him as she watched him get in the car and then pull away. She was heading to her car when Garcia pulled up next to her. The quirky blonde rolled down her window.
"I'll take a cab over to your place after I get home. I should be there before Hotch gets there. I'll help you with Henry so you can pack up your notes and stuff. Wouldn't want Hotch seeing your 'crime boards' in the dining room when he gets there," Garcia told her.
"Okay," JJ replied. "I'll see you in about thirty minutes. I'll order us some pizza. I am sure that the boys won't mind it being cold when they get there."
Garcia just nodded and waved. JJ just smiled as her friends drove off. It was barely five thirty. She had plenty of time to get everything together before they left tonight for New York. She could only hope that she wasn't wrong about the lead detective on the case and that they could finally get them to close the case and let it be. She didn't need any loose ends once they had finally gotten Emily and Aimee safe and free from whoever wanted them dead.
JJ got in her SUV and drove home. She sat in the driveway and stared at the logo for her Range Rover. She was remembering the day that Emily made her buy it because she was pregnant. She was hoping that she would be able to see Emily again and soon. She wanted to thank her for doing so much for her even though she never told her that she loved her. All she wanted was her chance. She just hoped that Emily would finally give her the chance.
There was a knock on her window. She turned to see Garcia standing there, waiting on her to get out of the car. She turned the car off and got out. Just as she did her phone rang. It was the burner phone and not her other phone.
She answered it, "Gutten Tag…Ja. Ja. Wir gehen zu New York…Ja…Ja…Ja…Stimmt…Ja…Es ist in Ordung…Bald…Ja, bald…Bis dann."
"Loyalty and friendship, which is to me the same, created all the wealth that I've ever thought I'd have." Ernie Banks
