Calling all CM readers and authors! Join us for our first Profiler's Choice CM Awards on ! Help us choose the best of the best of the CM stories on , and let your voice be heard. Anyone with a account is eligible to nominate. Please check out the nominating ballot and rules at Chit Chat on Author's Forum at .net/topic/74868/30888142/1/. All rules and information are on the forum.
Chapter 35 –
JJ quickly got out her cell and called Garcia at the office, she knew that the others needed to hear this as soon as possible and that with all her technology Garcia would have them all linked up within seconds.
"Garcia I need you to get the others on a conference call."
"Right away sweetie, I'll just go and get Hotch."
JJ walked along the corridor, stepping into an empty room it wasn't long before she heard Garcia's voice.
"All present and correct my wonderful communicator, we're all ears."
"Thanks Pen, first of all Natasha is off the ventilator and improving."
JJ paused for a moment as she listened to the breaths of relief come down the phone line.
"I managed to speak to Emily, I showed her some photos...she recognised the one of Petersen but she knew him as Tomasz and only briefly."
"Oh. Oh no."
JJ closed her eyes as she heard Garcia's voice, she should have known that she would have beaten all of the profilers to the answer.
"According to Emily, Chris Petersen is Natasha's father, all though she says that he never learnt that fact from her."
"The Ambassador?"
JJ opened her eyes as she heard Hotch speak, she stayed silent as listened to Rossi begin to speak.
"We need to get in contact with Erin, see if she has managed to find out anything. Morgan, Reid and I will go and speak to Mr Petersen again."
"Be nice to him Dave, we need to find out more before you guys go storming in, I'll get in touch with Strauss while Garcia you need to dig into Petersen's past, focus in on his time in Germany."
JJ stood up as she heard the others sign off, she put the phone back into her pocket, stealthily leaving the unoccupied room she made her way back towards Emily, not knowing how she would be coping with the unexpected news.
Elizabeth pursed her lips and looked at Strauss, mentally weighing up her options but she knew that for once the other woman held all the cards.
"I was based in Brussels at the time, liaising with the European Union, but I frequently travelled around the European capitals so I was known by many Embassy staff."
Elizabeth reached down and pulled up her bag, the contents that she had taken from the bank earlier weighing it down.
"I am sure you can imagine my reaction when Emily told me that she was pregnant, to say I have never been close to my daughter would be an understatement, but after the argument we had that day, well let's just say things have never been the same. Emily didn't tell me any details about who the father was, she said that it would be better for everyone if he didn't know. Four months later I took over at the German Embassy, just after the Berlin Wall came down, life in the embassy shall we say was rather hectic but one evening this was left on my desk."
Erin reached across and picked up the envelope that Elizabeth had timidly placed on the table, carefully she pulled out a series of photos, shaking her head as she saw the graphic nature of them. Quickly she decided that she didn't need to linger over them, as then her fingers felt a different texture and she gently lifted the piece of paper to the top, she squinted slightly in order for her eyes to focus as she didn't want to waste time fumbling around for her glasses.
If you want to keep these private transfer $20,000 into Deutsche Bank account 03187656
Erin shook her head as she put the contents back into the envelope and rested her hands on top of it.
"You paid the money?"
"Of course, I didn't want to bring further attention to Emily and her 'situation' and the money really wasn't any object."
"Did you find out who was behind it?"
"No, not then, I did some digging but the money had quickly been transferred out, it was only after Natasha was born that he contacted me again."
"After more money?"
Elizabeth shook her head as she reached for the glass of wine, quickly gulping the contents down, she stared down at the table trying to regain what little composure she had left.
"He revealed himself to me, it was then that I learnt that Chris Petersen was Natasha's father. In return for his silence he wanted my help."
"To further his career?"
Erin shook her head as she spoke, she reached across and lifted up the nicely chilled bottle of wine, carefully she refilled the Ambassador's glass and then her own.
"Does Emily know anything of this?"
"Of course not, the whole idea was to keep this quiet. I may not have been much of a mother to her but this I certainly could do for her."
"Until the demands kept on coming and became bigger and bigger."
Strauss let her words hang in the air, she knew that although the Ambassador hadn't considered the ramifications when she had set this game in motion they were certainly large now.
"I need to make a call."
Erin stood up and walked across the room and out onto the small balcony.
JJ opened the door, unsurprised to see Emily sitting with her hands clasped tightly around Natasha's and her head bowed low, resting against the side of the bed. JJ took a deep breath before she walked over, slipping down into the seat next to Emily, instinctively she reached out her left arm and wrapped it around the older woman as she felt the sobs escape from Emily. Bending forward JJ kept her hand on Emily's back, rubbing it gently as she softly rested her head against Emily's.
"It's going to be ok Em."
"What has she done?"
"We don't know yet, but we will soon."
Emily turned her head slightly and met JJ's eyes, surprised to see tears rolling down the blonde's face.
"JJ?"
JJ smiled to try and relax her friend but she knew how despondent she was feeling at that point but Emily suddenly jerked her head up and looked over at the bed, JJ followed suit, her heart beating fast as she watched Natasha slowly blink her eyes open.
"Mom, what's the matter?"