moonstruck//Aaron hotchner

ch.75

Camilla trudged into the bullpen an hour late. Her hair had started forming ringlets from the rain, her clothes were sopping wet and her coat was draped over her arm. Her umbrella, of course, had a malfunction due to the rain. Un wantingly making a scene she went over to her desk and plopped down in her seat.

Garcia walked over, "It's raining kitties and poodles out there."

"Don't remind me," Camilla told her trying to catch her breath.

Meanwhile, Morgan had taken it upon himself to grab her a strong cup of coffee. He brought it over, "Here, this should help."

Camilla grabbed the coffee and nearly chugged half of it. "By the looks of dark circles around her eyes, combined with the tiredness in her glare, along with the unorganized and messy way she entered the bullpen I would say it was definitely a late night."

Morgan kept himself from laughing. JJ and Garcia's eyes got big and they took a step back from an impending outburst.

Camilla looked across her desk at the genius glaring at him. She grabbed a blank piece of paper, crinkled it into a ball and threw it at Reid's head.

"What was that for?" Reid asked.

"Don't be stupid you little asshole. I'm going to get more coffee," she said getting up.

"Pretty boy, let me give you a piece of advice, never point out a woman's flaws about her appearance, especially that one of Camilla Perez."

'What do you mean?" Reid asked, "I was merely stating the truth."

Morgan threw his hands up and went back over to his desk and began working on some case files.

...

While normal bullpen antics had unfolded between the team, Rossi was waiting in his office anxiously anticipating a phone call. The cell phone lay in the middle of his empty desk as he waited and stared and finally his cell started to ring. He took a deep breath and answered without it going to a second ring, "David Rossi."

"Dave it's Melvin Maxwell, we found her." The news purged from his mouth as if to hold it in would be unbearable a moment longer.

Melvin heard Rossi's breathing become insufficient and uncontrolled. So many years of suppressed torment was now forced to the surface, but there was good news to come. "We were finally able to infiltrate their illegal adoption ring. Currently, we are recovering many of the children. . . It's been heartbreaking. Good families have been ripped apart. They had no idea what they were doing was illegal."

Rossi could hardly wait a moment longer. He wanted to know about his daughter. "How did you find her?"

"The illegal adoption agency kept records on all children that were taken. We have been running their pictures against pictures in our missing children database and we found a match. "I know it's a little too late for Ellen," Melvin told Rossi, his voice shaking, forcing the words through poignant breaths of air. "I wish she could have been alive."

It had been 28 years since his daughter was taken from their home. "Ellen would be happy to know you found her. She loved you Melvin and knew you would never give up, even if it meant the rest of your life." Rossi told Melvin, trying to offer the slightest bit of comfort.