Part 5

Chapter 30

Candlewood Suites
Watertown NY
Outside Ft. Drum Military Reservation

October 2011

"What are your plans now, Dr. Reid?" Dave asked as they came back to the hotel.

"Um, back to DC. Do what I need to do to get cleared. Go back to work..." Spencer replied.

"You're going to take your new wife, who's never lived in the city, and leave her in your studio apartment which does not even have a bed..."

"That's not going to work, is it?" Spencer had not been thinking that far ahead. "I've been considering buying a condo. Maybe it's time to finally do that."

Dave nodded. "Trust me?"

"Of course."

"Good. I know the perfect place. I'll set it up."

"Uh, you don't even know my budget..."

"Oh ye of little faith."

Just then Hotch's phone rang. He put it on speaker. "Yes Garcia."

"Okay, Sir, something weird has happened. I mean not like weird like panic weird but still really weird..."

"Garcia..."

"Okay, we're finishing the DNA results for Parson Farm first because their records are already digitized so it's a lot easier and while we're doing that we ran the one for Seaver's baby because evidence and it came back a sibling match to someone from Parson Farm."

"So the same person who fathered her child also fathered another?"

"Yes, but this is the weird part. It matched up to number 2711 and this file is saying that she's married to Reid and isn't that kind of weird weird?"

But Hotch was thinking. "Run every sample you have from men old enough to have fathered Talitha Jensen."

"We'll make those a priority Sir."

"Thank you Garcia." Hotch rang off.

Morgan looked at Tally. "Sounds like you've got a little brother or sister on the way."

Tally shrugged. "If the child's mother wants us to be sibling I don't mind."

"No." Emily said. "That child is your sibling. We've already determined that."

"No, that's up to...you call her Ashley, yes? That's up to Ashley. She gets to make those choices about her family, even if Master arranges something different. And I plan to respect that as best I can."

"But..."

"I think this tradition is likely about giving as much power and dignity back to women as they can." Spencer said. "They can't choose the biological father of their child, but they can choose the rest of their family."

"Exactly," Tally agreed. "And I see no reason to change that, regardless of what any tests say."

"All right," Emily looked at Morgan and they pulled back. "Arranges something different?"

"Sometimes the Master takes children away when they're born and gives them to Elder families. We never know when or why."

"Thankfully we'll be sorting that out as best we can."

"Speaking of family," Morgan said, "You should call Will if you haven't, talk to Henry."

"Will." Spencer replied.

"What about him?"

"If you had questions about Henry and JJ and Will weren't around, who would you go to?"

"You and Garcia. His Godparents."

"Exactly," Spencer pulled out his phone.

"What can I do for my Junior G-man?" Garcia sang out.

"Garcia, I need to find a Professor Larry Fleinhardt, he's a theoretical physicist. He used to teach at CalTech, I don't know where he is anymore."

"This shouldn't be too hard...yep, he's teaching at MIT."

"That traitor," Spencer said with a lighthearted smile. "Thanks Garcia."

"Tally's godfather?" Hotch asked.

"He might be our best source out there."

"Let's go."

The hard part was leaving the bubble of safety that the team had built around them the past few days, so quietly and subtly Spencer hadn't even realized it was there.

The first sign was the news crews outside the gate. Tally already disliked car travel, but when they surged forward to see who was in such official looking vehicles she shrank against Spencer. "It's okay." He said. "They won't bother you."

"There's just so many of them." She said.

"We'll keep them away from you." He held her close and looked up at Morgan. "I assume we're all over the news?"

"The slaves of Grindstone Island," Morgan replied. "They've been interviewing everyone they can get their hands on. Thankfully no one who ever lived there has gone in for an interview."

"Thankfully." If the press learned about the Night Barns they would have a field day.

Their next challenge came on the plane itself. The pilot actually came forward to watch Tally strap in to the seatbelt. They had to tighten it all the way, and then her feet didn't touch the floor. "Nope," the pilot said before he went forward.

"What's wrong?" Spencer asked.

"They weren't sure if she was within the minimum safe parameters for the restraint systems." Hotch said. "She is a little...small."

The pilot came back with a supplemental restraint system, a safety harness he set about installing for her.

"As I understand it, it's a side effect of how Midwife was keeping me from having children right off." Tally said. "I am honestly not complaining."

"Neither am I." Spencer agreed. The harness was a perfect fit for her. "I'm just surprised we have to use one here and not in the SUV's.

Hotch just sighed and pulled out his phone.

Morgan started laughing. "What?" Spencer asked.

"Regulations for government vehicles." Hotch said.

"Your girl needs a booster seat." Morgan added.

"I may be little." Tally said. "That doesn't mean I can't be fierce. Oh!" They started to taxi, and her eyes glued to the window and she held Spencer's hand tightly as they leapt into the sky.