Chapter 26

Temporary Officer Housing

United States Marine Corps Base- Quantico

Quantico, VA

It was, Spencer thought, a very nice gesture.

Only yesterday they had watched the Sons of Liberty plant explosives in their basement and steal the contents of the computer he kept in the attic. Later last night, Hotch and Rossi had snooped with Garcia as members of the Tucker, Green and other families related to the Sons had watched video after video of his wife enduring every conceivable humiliation. Garcia had been able to remotely activate their web cams, allowing them to identify who was watching the now decoded videos. Spencer had not watched. He did not want to remember the expressions on their faces as they watched what they thought was his wife starring as a porn actress. He might have to kill them for that.

As a nice gesture, while their home was being torn apart by the bomb squad and Morgan to get the now explosive furnace out of it's hundred year home, while Emily sat with Garcia and monitored the computer activity, while Rossi set up the sting operation, and while Madeline and Gipsy spent the day with Uncle Hotch and Jack, they were spending the day in guest quarters on the Marine base next to Quantico. They had moved in last night, and would stay until after the hearing where they expected the Sons and their fathers to be arrested. It was pleasant enough, as comfortable as any hotel they stayed in when out on a case, and extremely safe. Once the head of that snake was snipped off, they ought to be able to return home to peace, privacy and a new furnace to boot.

Having Hotch arrange for a day off parenting duties was a very nice gesture.

Not that it was helping much.

Spencer rolled over and pressed a kiss to Gwen's shoulder. One would think, given the sudden free time, that they would be all over each other. So far that had not been the case, her lack of interest was quite clear. But getting back in bed established an intimacy, which was a beginning. "Okay, talk." He knew her well enough to know that she just needed a little push.

"It's the utter lack of privacy." She muttered into her pillow. "While I agree that this is a brilliant plan, and while I would do anything to keep Madeline safe, you know that by the time this is over, we might as well just shag on the courthouse lawn. It's not like it will be anything anyone hasn't already seen."

"And it bothers you that they will – have – seen you like that." There was no point in denying it.

"No, it bothers me that we have nothing private in our lives. Between the Vallejo investigation and then the fertility treatments and the home study and all the therapy and now this, we literally have nothing left in our life that isn't written down in a file somewhere. I just wish there was something special, something sacred to just the two of us."

He considered that a moment. Upon reflection, he rather didn't think that's exactly what she was trying to say. "Does it matter? Remember what Ethan used to call us, true companions, forever, no matter what? So what does it matter if everyone knows or not, that's not going to change what we are."

"I know." She sighed. "Everything just feels so torn open right now." She thought a moment, red curls falling over her face as she propped herself on her elbows to look over at him. "Well, except that."

"Except what?"

"Even when things were at their worst, when I should have been utterly humiliated, I knew that no matter what, you would love me; that I never had, or would have, anything to be ashamed of, ever, because you would always understand. That what we have was and would always be true, no matter what. Vallejo never understood that. Those bastards who are watching those videos right now will never understand that."

Spencer nuzzled her hair a moment. "We were discussing it once, back in school. Math is the one pure, true subject you know. Even if nothing existed, even if there was no sentient life to comprehend it, even it there was nothing but pure vacuum, the mathematics of the universe would still be true." He rolled back over to grab the laptop. "What do you consider to be the most perfect mathematical expression of truth?"

"Oh, that's easy, Euler's Identity, why?"

"I have an idea."

Later that night, as Madeline slept on the fold out bed, with Gipsy keeping her company, Spencer and Gwen met in the bathroom. Today's expedition had worked beautifully, Spencer thought, she had gone from melancholy to outright giggly. "Okay," she said, once they had carefully cleaned and treated the small red marks, "hit the lights."

Once the light was out the small black light she was holding revealed the small, hidden, matching tattoos on their forearms, tattoos of a simple, yet profound mathematical equation. Once they healed they would be invisible in normal light and yet they would always know they were there. It had to be mathematical, for the past they shared and the first love that had brought them together. And it had to be something very real, and yet the existence only known to them, much like the love they held between them.

"You know, there's a whole 'nother layer to this." Spencer felt he had to point out.

"What's that?"

"That first math seminar we attended together, the one where we met afterwards, was on Euler's contribution to mathematics. No one else would know that."

She looked up at him and gave him very slow smile. "Take me to bed."

Fredericksburg County Courthouse

Fredericksburg, VA

"This is an informal hearing concerning the placement of the minor child Madeline Martins." The judge began a week later, once everyone had been sworn in. "Now, just because it's informal does not mean we don't have to play nice."

Spencer felt the tension in Gwen's body. They sat on one side of the court, with their lawyer and social worker, well away from everyone else. Pastor Green, Bob Tucker, and a couple of other men also clustered in one space. Michelle Duplin, the CASA volunteer was there as well, sitting by herself as fitting Madeline's independent representative. And the representatives from CPS were there as well. Madeline was tucked safely in the Judge's chambers with a bailiff and an FBI agent to keep her safe.

"All right," the Judge began. "Why don't we begin with…"

"Your Honor," Pastor Green stood up fluidly, "If it please the court we would like to bring something to the court's attention."

"And you are?" The judge asked.

"Pastor Robert Green, Your Honor. I am a member of the bar in Arkansas, and I have information I should like to present as a friend of the court."

"All right, proceed Reverend Green. Be aware that you are under oath."

"It has come to our attention that this woman, Gwendolyn Reid, is not fit to be granted custody of this or any other minor child."

"And why is that, Reverend Green?"

"She has taken part in the creation of pornographic materials. She has starred in a number of unfortunate films of the most disgusting and perverse nature."

"Is that so?" The judge asked, quietly and evenly.

"Yes, Your Honor. We can show you right here." With that he picked up his laptop, turned it to the judge, and hit play.

The sounds that came out of that thing, the way Gwen gripped his hand, it was all Spencer could do not to go over there and punch the bastard. Patience, he thought, patience and trust.

"Mmm-hmm." The judge said, after watching a moment. "You can stop that now, Reverend Green. May I ask where you found those?"

"A few young men from our church family discovered them and brought them to our attention."

"By our, you mean…?"

"I mean myself, Mr. Tucker…" He introduced the other three men with him.

"And why did these young men bring these videos to your attention?"

"We are their spiritual leaders; we provide them with moral guidance and direction in their lives."

"I see. So you are the leaders of the young men who acquired these videos?" The judge asked.

"Yes, Your Honor. We provide them with direction and guidance so that they might better follow the will of God."

"Would they do something without your direction, for example, acquire these films?"

"No, Your Honor, these are good, God-fearing young men who follow their father's leadership in all things. We asked them to help us make sure the minor child in question was going to a good home."

"And then they, what, report back to you? For example, they reported back to you when they found those videos?"

"Yes, Your Honor, they share their successes or failures with us."

'And would you consider their activities on the night they found those videos a success?"

"Well, yes Your Honor." There was the sound of someone clearing their throat from the back of the room. "To protect the minor child, but I don't understand why that's relevant."

The Judge looked to the back of the room when someone had cleared their throat. "Is that enough Agent Hotchner?"

"Yes, I believe so Your Honor." Within moments FBI agents were swarming the courtroom. "Robert Green, you are under arrest." Hotch seemed to take particular pleasure in that one.

"On what charges?" Pastor Green demanded, clearly outraged.

"Domestic terrorism," Hotch replied.

"On what grounds?"

"Well, let's see." Rossi was utterly unflappable as ever. "You just admitted to being the leaders of the Sons of Liberty, that they do nothing without your direction and they report their successes or failures back to you. Given that they stole those videos on the same night that we have evidence of them planting a bomb in an FBI agent's home, I'd call that admitting to being a terrorist leader, under oath."

It took a few, but eventually the courtroom was quiet again. All the while Spencer sat there, keeping Gwen close to him shielding her with his body from the fuss and anger in the room. It was bad enough having to tell everyone else involved what they expected to happen, what they might see. Even though they all admired her for being willing to do that to keep Madeline safe, even though she knew she had nothing to be ashamed of, it had been so hard. "Now," the Judge started again. "I'm assuming CPS is aware of the nature of the Vallejo case and Dr. Reid's involvement in it?"

The CPS lawyer stood to address the court. "Yes, Your Honor, we have received full disclosure. And the agency is quite comfortable with the way the Reid's are handling the situation, we do not believe it will be detrimental to the child in any way."

"Very good. Moving on."

Old Peterson House

Fredericksburg, VA

Spencer sighed. On the one hand, they had arrested every known member of the Sons of Liberty, basically by arresting every male member of the Green, Tucker, and a handful of other families who were old enough to drive. That would be enough to stop them and have this whole mess shake out. The whole thing was in the hands of Homeland Security, and now that the profiles were presented, no longer a BAU problem.

On the other hand, thanks to all the excitement, even though all the reports were uniformly positive, they were going to take another three months before finalizing the adoption, just to be on the safe side, or so they said. "Is it just me," Gwen had leaned over and whispered when that decision was made, "or are they punishing Madeline and us for Green and his cronies making pains in the ass of themselves?"

"I think it's just us." Spencer had whispered back.

But in the end they were home. A home with some work done on the foundation wall, and a chunk of that flower bed gone. "At least they didn't pull out any of the roses." He said as he came around the car and surveyed the damage in the moonlight. They had been taken out to dinner by a jubilant team, happy to have the Sons behind bars at last.

"No, it's fixable." Gwen replied. "In fact," She looked over at Madeline, who was climbing out of the back seat of the SUV, "How would you like to design your own part of the garden?"

"That would be cool." Madeline grinned and the two of them wandered over to look at the size and shape of the bed in question.

Is it wrong to think of them as my ladies, Spencer thought as he went around to get the dog out of the car, is that horribly patriarchal? Just as he was going to unlock the back his phone rang. "Yeah Hotch." He said as he answered it, as he turned and watched Gwen unlock the house and the two of them go inside.

"They didn't get Benedict."

"DHS said they got all of them."

"One of the other brothers gave Benedict's name. They didn't pick him up in the sweep. He's still out there."

Just then Spencer felt himself falling as the pain flared.