Chapter 11

BAU Headquarters
FBI Building
Quantico, VA

June 2012

"So, did she come to your study group?" Garcia asked. She had her knitting, JJ and Morgan had coffee and muffins, it was story time at the BAU while they waited.

"She did." Spencer replied. "And we had lunch again after class the next day."

"Awww, how romantic."

He considered this. "I would not consider the CalTech dining hall romantic. That week-end, however..."

Castle Green complex
99 South Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, CA

September 2001

Sunday morning Spencer dressed for church and drove over to the priory. He was passed into the complex, avoided the preparations for a wedding reception in the upstairs hall, made his way to the private lift and headed down to the sub-basement level. There he let himself into the vault.

He loved it down here. He didn't know if it was the library hush or the scent of the books and scrolls of parchment and papyrus around him or the sense of being part of history, of something bigger than he could ever be. All he knew was that the two hours he spent here were some of the best of the week. He stopped at the bin on the way in, pulled on a pair of white cotton gloves, picked up a wire bin and went to the cubby like container where he had left off the week before. He picked up the next books in line, took them to a carrel, nodding to the elder Knights as he passed, then settled himself, and quieted his mind in preparation for letting the words go straight into his memory for storage.

But he didn't get five minutes into it before the hush of the room was broken by the faint sound of heels tapping on the floor.

Female Knights, Dames, were not unusual any more. Heck, his own mother had tried for one, but as far as he knew there were five Knights of the Blue in the LA area and they were all male. So out of curiosity he looked up at the person who had replaced him as newbie.

He was shocked to see Shan stepping out of the stacks.

As she carried her own bin of books to a carrel he couldn't help but stare. She was dressed for the Sunday service after, in an honest-to-god skirt, soft and full, that seemed to tease at amazingly fine, slender calves as she walked. And when she slid off her sweater and hung it over the back of her chair the lace trimmed blouse she was wearing called attention to her figure in a way that made his throat go dry. The way her upswept curls teased at her cheeks did not help matters in the slightest. As she sat, so perfectly prim, she took a casual glance around the room.

And her eyes met his.

She immediately turned rosy pink and looked away, but then met his eyes again, a smile forming about her lips like she wanted to break out in giggles. She didn't of course. Instead she cut a very pointed glance at one of the other men in the room Professor Jameson was not only a member of the physics department back at school he was also the most senior Knight of the Blue at the LA priory. Spencer didn't know about Shan, of course, but he wasn't a full Knight yet, he was still being observed and tested. And even in these modern times being distracted from your duties by a women, even if she was a Dame, was not acceptable. From the way she looked at Jameson and smiled he suspected she was in the same predicament.

After two hours of reading all of four pages, and many small, curious looks exchanged a soft gong sounded throughout the facility. Spencer quietly gathered up his materials, returned them to the proper places, and headed for the lift to the chapel, trusting that Shan was somewhere behind him, having taken the time to put her sweater on. He entered the chapel with the others, took his place in the pew, and waited respectfully. He wasn't entirely certain what he believed in, but the service was a pleasant tradition and ritual, and he enjoyed it for the way it marked the days if nothing else.

Of course when he stood for the hymn he couldn't help but notice the figure on the other side of the chapel watching him. That was okay; he spent the rest of the time watching her right back.

After the service he stopped to check his internal mail, tucked the letter from Jason Gideon into his bag, and then headed out to his car. There he found a very familiar figure standing next to her bicycle. "Hi." She said as he approached, "Fancy meeting you here."

"Yeah, I know." This entire time he had been coming up with a plan. It was risky, daring, something he might regret. But what was life if you never took risks? "Um, do you have any plans for this afternoon?"

"Other than studying? No. Why?"

"Um, can you keep a secret?" She gave him one of those looks. "Right. Promise me you won't laugh?"

"Swear."

He opened the back of his car and pulled out a bike rack. "Lunch?"

"Sure!"

Madeline's Garden Café
1030 E Green St.
Pasadena, CA

It was the sweetest little place, all antiques and private corners overlooking sunny California gardens. This was Spencer's once-a-week treat for himself. The rest of the time he lived the life of a poor college student, but Sunday afternoons, between Chapel and heading to the market to stock up on cheap dorm food he indulged in a couple of hours of the life he'd always read about in books.

He just never thought he'd dare share that indulgence. "According to legend Albert Einstein worked on some project in this building." He said. "They say that the sensitive can feel the quantum energy he left behind."

Shan was an absolute dream, sitting at the quiet corner table in the light coming in the window. But she wasn't a dream; she was a real, living woman taking this time to be with him. It amazed him. Unfortunately she looked doubtful at his story. "Really?"

He chuckled. "Probably not," he said. "But this was a CalTech building once. Used to house the French department."

"CalTech had a French department?"

"I know." It was a beautiful old building though. Perfect for this purpose. "I just...like...old things? I come here for lunch every Sunday."

She turned pink again. "You're not the only antique lover. It's okay." She picked up a menu. "So what's good here?"

"Um, this is the part I'm hoping you won't laugh about." Was it possible to die of embarrassment?

"Okay..."

"They...serve high tea on Sundays." If it was he was about to find out. Her eyes widened, her lips pressed together, for a moment he swore she was about to laugh at him. But when she did it wasn't that kind of laughter. "What?"

"And you remembered that I am a tea drinker. I have always wanted to know what high tea was like." She handed the menu back to him. "Go ahead. I trust you."

Success! She was into it! He grinned and caught the waitress's eye and pointed to the items on the menu, the better to surprise her. When the waitress moved off he turned his attention back to his lovely companion. This was turning in to the best Sunday ever.