After the three of them had finished eating lunch, the remainder of the day was spent reviewing and physically inspecting the irrigation system 586 had helped design and build.
"This is quite impressive," Hotch admitted as he watched 586 and The Professor go over the equipment. "You say this has enabled you to raise another crop each year?"
"It has," The Professor confirmed. "Thanks to 586 here, we are now able to get water to an area that previously was bone dry and we can now include it in the crop rotation plan. I never would have thought of connecting the components in this particular configuration."
"You would have thought of it eventually," 586 assured him. "I just managed to spot the possibility a little sooner, that's all."
"Be that as it may," The Professor replied. "I think we've seen all that we can see here. Why don't we head back to the farm? It's almost time for dinner and I know there are a lot of people there who want to talk with you."
"Both of you," he added hastily, looking over at Hotch.
Does that include Four?" 586 asked hopefully.
"Indeed it does," The Professor replied with an amused smile.
"Four is the Farm Manager here," 586 explained to Hotch. "And he is really nice. However, his partner prefers to oversee the fruit processing operation instead of supervising the farm's workers like Commander does. So, somebody else handles that."
"You've worked with him in the past," Hotch assumed.
"Oh Yes," 586 smiled happily. "I helped him develop some new flavors of jams. And, apparently, they have been quite popular."
"We do keep getting more orders for them," The Professor confirmed.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Later that night, in the guest room Hotch had been assigned, he finally got an opportunity to speak with The Professor privately.
"You're the father, aren't you?" he asked the man as he sat in the armchair in the room while Hotch perched on the edge of the bed.
The Professor drew a deep breath. "I have probably fathered several children," he replied carefully. "You'll have to be a little more specific."
"The boy," Hotch specified. "Five eighty six's son – He looks a lot like you."
"It is possible he is my son," The Professor admitted. "I always knew that 586 was one of the women I had been paired with. Other than that – " he shrugged.
"You're not curious about the boy?" Hotch asked. "You have no desire to be a part of his life?"
"That's not the way it's done here on the island, Agent Hotchner," was the reply. "You have to have realized that. Besides, I know he is being well cared for, as are all the children on the island. On the whole, the children here are treated much better than most of those on the mainland. If I didn't believe that, I would have fought much harder at the beginning. But, I accepted things as they are done here and I know that eventually my children will be in my classes and I will get to know them then, even if they don't know who I am."
"What about you?" he concluded. "How are you handling it?"
"I have my guidelines as to who I will be with," Hotch replied slowly. "And, I always make certain the woman is there of her own free will. In addition, I make sure not to brutalize anyone. As for possible children, I'm really struggling with that."
"You have children on the mainland?" The Professor asked.
"A son," Hotch replied sadly. "And I worry that the longer I am away from him, the less of me he will remember."
"He is sure to remember the good times," The Professor pointed out. "And I am certain there are a lot of those."
"Good and bad," Hotch admitted. "And I can only hope that the good will prevail."