Okay, chapter 2. BTW, I barely know the laws of my own state much less those of Virginia, D.C., or Georgia so I'm making up the custody stuff. There will be a few OC's, mainly Dave's family and a housekeeper. As always, they ain't mine. If they were, they'd be having a lot more fun in their off hours.

Chapter 2

Rossi bolted up from his chair. "She did WHAT?" he asked, almost screaming.

"Please calm yourself," she said.

"I will not calm myself," he shouted.

"You will if you wish to continue this conversation," she said. They stared at each other for several seconds. Finally, Rossi growled as he rubbed his face and sat back down. "Thank you," she said. She continued. "After talking to Dr. Holden on the phone, I flew to Atlanta where the institute is located to see him in person. I had every intention of taking my granddaughter out of that place."

"But you didn't," he said.

"I am not her parent or legal guardian," she said. "Dr. Holden allowed me to see her but he couldn't release her to me. You, however, are listed as her father on her birth certificate."

"You want me to take custody of her?" he asked. "I find that hard to believe."

"She is my granddaughter and as much as I dislike you, I would rather you have custody than leave her in that place," she said.

"Why did Elizabeth put Skylar in Bradford in the first place?" he asked.

"From what I was told, she stopped talking," Evangeline said. "She hasn't said a word in five years. She doesn't read or write. Dr. Holden said they don't know if it's because she's unable to or just doesn't. Because she doesn't talk, they can't test her."

She pulled a file from her bag then stood up and laid it on his desk. "I realize you no doubt have your own lawyer but I consulted mine prior to coming here. He said you would probably have no problem with getting temporary custody which would allow you to take her out of that place. Once Elizabeth finds out, you will more than likely have a fight on your hands. Everything you need is in that file, including a DNA profile for paternity testing. I'll leave you to your plans." She turned and headed for the door.

"Evangeline," he said. She stopped and turned to face him. "Thank you," he simply said.

"You're welcome," she said. "There's one more thing you need to know. I understand that your retirement was quite lucrative and you are very well off."

"I am," he acknowledged with a nod.

"So is Skylar," she said. "Her late grandfather left her a trust fund that is eight figures. The details are also in the file." She gave him a nod then opened the door and walked out, leaving Rossi to the file and his thoughts.

The other members of the BAU watched as the woman depart Rossi's office. After she had left the BAU, Emily motioned Anderson over.

"So who was the lady in Rossi's office?" she asked.

"No clue,"Anderson said. "All I know is she showed up wanting to see him. From her accent, I'd say she's from New England." He turned and walked away.

"I wonder what's going on," Emily asked.

"She seems a little old to be one of his conquests," Morgan said, "and she didn't look like she really wanted to be here."

"A case?" Reid asked.

"If it was a case, she'd be talking to Hotch, wouldn't she?" Emily said.

"Maybe she knows Rossi," Morgan said. "It certainly looked like she did."

"If it a case, we'll find out soon enough," Emily said with a sigh. "We always do."

Rossi looked at the file for a minute or two before he actually opened it. When he did, the first thing he saw was a picture of a little girl. She has her mother's green eyes, he thought. Even without a paternity test, there was no doubt she was his daughter. With the exception of her eyes, she looked just like his sisters when they were younger.

He groaned. His family was going to kill him. The fact he hadn't known about her would mitigate some of the anger but they had always said his running around, his mother's words, would get him into trouble. Well, at least she'd have the grandchild from him she always wanted.

He moved the picture and started looking at the rest of the file. Her birthday was April eighth, two thousand two. Most of it was notes from the institute, clinical and dry. As he looked at everything, he felt something was missing but he couldn't put his finger on it. It finally dawned on him what was missing. Everything in the file was about the patient.

There was nothing about the little girl.

What was her favorite color? Favorite flavor of ice cream? Did she prefer hot dogs or hamburgers? Had she ever ridden a merry-go-round?

Rossi slammed the file shut, leaving the picture out. He pulled out his cell phone and punched a number. "Maggie, it's Dave Rossi," he said. "I need you to book two tickets to Atlanta for tomorrow morning. I'll also need a suite at the Windsor Marriott, three bedroom...At least a week...Send the info to my cell and fax it to my home...Thanks."

He dialed another number. "Mark Edwards, please," he said. "Tell him it's Dave Rossi...I don't care if he's in a meeting. Let me talk to him."

It was a minute before another voice came on the line. "Dave, what have I told you about growling at my secretary?"

"Tell her not to argue and I won't growl," Rossi said.

"What's going on?" Edwards asked.

"Are you any good at family law?" Rossi asked.

"Someone suing you for child support?" Edwards asked, smiling. "I warned you that was going to happen one of these days."

"I do have a child but I'm not talking about child support," Rossi said. "I'm going for custody."

"Whoa," Edwards said. "That's a big step, Dave."

"I'm aware of that, Mark," Rossi said. "Long story, short. She's eight. Her mother dumped her in a psychiatric facility when she was three and she's been there for the last five years."

"Does she need to be there?" the lawyer asked.

"Not according to the doctor's notes," Rossi told him. "He says he would have released her but the mother threatened to put in another one if he did. Are you licensed in Georgia?"

"Yeah, but I'm not an expert," Mark advised. "I can get the ball rolling. What we'll need to do is get you emergency temporary custody which will allow you to get her released and bring her back home with you. After that, Sam can take over the case since that's what he normally handles and you can file for permanent custody here."

"Adoption."

"Excuse me?"

"Not custody," Rossi said. "I want to adopt her."

"That'll be harder," Edwards said. He took a deep breath. "Let's just get her back here and we'll figure the rest out afterwards. When are you leaving?"

"In the morning and I'll be at the Windsor Marriott," Rossi said. "I'll call you with the details when I get them." He paused for a moment. "You didn't ask if I was sure she was mine."

"Do I have to ask?"

"I haven't done the paternity test but I'm sure she's mine," Rossi said.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow in Atlanta," Edwards said and hung up.

Step one, Rossi sighed. Now for step two. Getting up, he grabbed the file and headed for Hotch's office.

TBC

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