Chapter twenty-six

Spencer

That was Friday. Saturday morning Spencer found out that somehow Garcia had found Helena a coat and boots. With his spares of winter gear for now that meant she could go anywhere regardless of the weather. "Want to try?" He asked.

"I'd like to." Helena replied. "As cozy as this place is I'd like to see some of Washington."

"Feel up to the Metro?"

"Ummm….maybe?"

He nodded. "I'll bring cab fare. If it gets to be too much we can come up and grab a cab home."

She insisted he take his cane and wear his brace, pointed out that he might as well care for it now so he wouldn't have to in the field, would not leave until he agreed. They caught the bus just outside the door, which proved not to be a problem. The first problem came at the station, the elevators were out. "You know, I've, um…." She eyed the escalators with trepidation. "…never ridden one of those before."

"Never?" Well she did grow up in a rural area. And if they were trying to stay under the radar they may have avoided the city. He found one in a quieter corner and considered this. "Okay, get in behind me. Try to step in the center of one of the squares when I step forward as well. If you slip I'll catch you." He braced himself on both handrails, and used his greater stride to his advantage. He felt her hands go around his waist and when she was ready it was a big step…

Hey, it worked.

She clung to him, and they both laughed all the way down. Getting off was just as much fun. He had her wrap her hands around his waist and held them there, then all but pulled her off, letting her catch herself against him as she stumbled just a little.

Thankfully it wasn't too busy; they found a place to wait well enough away from everyone. The station itself was large and well lit enough so as to not feel at all claustrophobic, at least when it wasn't rush hour. The sight of the big, dark tunnel, so like the cellar, had her clinging to him. "It's all right, I'm not going anywhere." He murmured.

"I know." She replied. "It's just…." She wrapped her arms around his waist and curled into his shoulder, clearly not looking.

"Here, take a look." He distracted her with the well-lit system map, where they were going, where they were until they heard the rumble of the oncoming train. "Want to give the train a try?" He felt her nod against his side and so when the trains stopped he tugged her in with him. The next problem came with the large windows, so once he had her safely tucked in beside him he nudged her bag. "Pull out your knitting and don't look." He suggested.

"Good idea," Helena was working on something brightly colored, sock-shaped perhaps and probably too large for her. "You never told me where we were going."

"I thought you might enjoy one of the quieter museums." Spencer pulled a guidebook to the Smithsonian out of his bag. "The Renwick Gallery is all furniture, decorative and craft art, that kind of thing." And it did not involve a transfer at the dark cavern of Metro Center. They'd have to work up to that. He held the book so she could look while she knit.

"Oh, that does look interesting. Oh!" She stopped knitting, grabbed hold of his arm when the train started up again. "I think I'd better not. It's probably going to do that at every station, isn't it?" She tucked the sock away in favor of holding on, but she was grinning.

"Yes." He found he liked being held on to. "So you gave me the basics, but what did you do all week?"

"Oh all sorts of things; Garcia pointed me to lots of interesting stuff on the computer. I found all these radio shows and things. Let me tell you, much more fun to sit and sew in front of a big window listening to the radio." She looked up at him. "Can we get some bird feeders for the terrace?

"I can imagine." Anything would be better than a bare bulb in a silent tomb. "I don't see why not. I was going to ask if you wanted to put a garden out there, its set up for it." The terrace was actually the roof of a wing of the building. One of the previous tenants had reinforced it and plumbed it for a potted garden; he had just never done anything with it.

"Oh, I would love to! I was going to ask if we could. Once the weather turns nice again you'll probably never get me indoors."

"That would be all right. We should really talk to Morgan about some kind of an exercise routine for when you're stuck home as well. I still feel kind of guilty about that."

"Don't, I've been enjoying it so far. If that changes I'll let you know. And I don't need an exercise routine."

"Actually you should, it would be a lot healthier. Studies have shown that…"

She lightly touched his hand to stop him. "Grandmother already showed me one." She told him. "Something she learned from the soldiers. You have to pretend you have a sword; do all these lunges and things. If you do it quickly enough it really gets your heart moving."

"Sounds like some kind of martial arts form thing. I honestly have no clue what it's called, but Morgan would. That explains how you managed to stay physically strong down there."

She nodded and looked around as the train slowed again. "Is this our stop?"

Farragut North. "Yes, it is. Come on. We'll take the bus from here." They used a similar procedure on the escalators here, except he put his hands around her waist and guided her forward so that he could catch her if she fell. At the top they walked out of the concourse and into the city main with her on his arm. "I just realized something." He murmured as he led her to the bus stop. This is probably the first time anyone ever brought the Grail to a major city." Given that she either was the Grail or was wearing the last remnant of it around her neck in the form of her cross, or both, it rather universally applied.

Helena turned and smiled at him. "You're a brave man, Dr. Reid."

"I wouldn't go that far."

It turned out to be a perfect day. The walk from the bus stop to the museum was pleasant, cool but not too icy. The museum was in a large, former home so the rooms did not overwhelm, and it was one of the less popular and off the Mall, so it was not overly crowded. Afterward it was a walk through Lafayette Square, with its views of so many buildings and monuments, including the White House, and a wander through some of the historic buildings around it. They found a place nearby that looked interesting for dinner, a place that featured Southern style food that turned out to be utterly delicious. In the end they took a cab home, and sat and shared a last bit of tea before bed.

And all the while they talked.

They talked about the city, about the museum, about the wonder of, yes that really is the White House. They talked over a chess game they stopped to watch in the park, and over the items in the museum and the museum itself. They talked about Spencer's first few months in Washington, back when he was amazed that yes, he really live here, in a place so near to mythical and how it was so different from Vegas. They talked about how she had heard of such things before the convent, and even in it, and never thought she'd see any of it at all. They talked until they were yawning over tea and simply could not stay awake to talk any further.

It was a perfect day.

Sunday was a walk to the park for chess, and then she sent him to the grocery store with a list. They organized for the week, before sitting down to supper and a quiet evening. They talked all through Sunday as well, it seemed, even when they weren't making a sound.

By the time he returned to work on Monday he had to admit, he hadn't felt this good in quite some time. "What's gotten into you?" Morgan asked him in the elevator.

Spencer considered. "If you took a girl to a museum, walked her through a park, took her out to dinner, and ended up having tea at, let's say her place, before heading off to bed, would you consider that a date?"

Morgan nodded, "More or less. Why?"

"I had my first date over the week-end."

That left the older man chuckling. "And how was it?"

"Everything it was supposed to be."