Chapter 43

So it's been a while since I've done any work on this story. My bad. Hopefully this chapter will be enough to make up for that, at least for the time being.

Instead of a healthy knock at the door, Hotch was woken up by a crashing sound.

"Get up! Get up!" Alecta was shaking him, 'Wakey, wakey….Come on Aaron, we didn't even do the long program; you gotta get up!"

"What's the rush, sweetheart?" He was rolling over and in the process of pulling her back down to the bed with him.

"Oh no ya don't mister. You had your chance last night. Right now you have to get up."

There was commotion out in the hall as some of her friends were running past getting any gear they could grab and seeing to one another.

Alecta ran to the door, 'Rachel the children!"

"I've got it Momma. They'll be taken care of."

Alecta ran back across the room to the bed, stopping by the window to look out onto the Bosphorus Strait.

"Aim for the bloody bridge you assholes!" she yelled in a most un-lady-like fashion out of the window. "Seriously, of all the things in this city to try to destroy, this palace? They could take out that eyesore of a bridge, that would be the better idea." She was mumbling almost to herself as she grabbed one of Hotch's hands in both of hers and pulled him into a sitting position on the bed, throwing some clothes at him.

There was another crashing sound which startled Hotch, causing him to jump.

"What the hell…?"

"Bastards wanted to serve us breakfast in bed. I'll be sending them a 'Thank You' note around tea time; don't worry about that, southern women never forget their manners." He looked at the arched eyebrow she shot across the strait to the men in the ships; he had no doubt that whatever she was going to do to them would be something else altogether.

"What will you be like when your batteries are fully charged?"

She grinned at him, 'Even more magnificent that I am now. How will you ever tolerate it? Now, get dressed. I don't know how long we have."

"For what?"

"They're moving us to Topkapi Palace. It's larger….it will be able to better accommodate the reinforcements we have coming in; and besides, that's where the Janissaries have made their preparations."

"How many….reinforcements….are you expecting?"

Alecta looked out of the door of her room wistfully, watching the people scurry around, 'As many as will come to me. I have grown weary of my own judgment as of late. I don't want to look like a fool again."

Hotch finally finished dressing; Alecta looked…..she looked like she had stepped right out of 'Tomb Raider' video game actually. And it was kinda hot; the dark cargo pants, the camisole top, her hair pulled back in a fast/sloppy bun

She could feel Aaron's eyes following her around the room, causing her to blush profusely as she sat to lace up her boots.

"Stop starin'…..you've seen it before. It's nothing new." She continued on with what she was doing, tossing a bag at Hotch. "Come on, we don't have much time. In an hour, maybe two, this place will be over run and I would rather not be here when that happens."

Hotch joined her in the exodus; Radar had already made sure that Rachel and Yildiz, as well as some of the other women, had made it to Topkapi with the children safely. The only children that weren't in his entourage were Henry and Jack; they refused flat out to go anywhere without their parents…..More to the point, Jack wasn't going anywhere without Alecta, mostly because he knew his father wouldn't go without her. Jack had, however conceited to staying with Reid while they waited in the foyer for Alecta and Hotch to arrive.

JJ and Will had been told to keep Henry as close to them as possible. And they had tried, but he saw Emma running back to meet the group, followed closely behind by Sofie. The two girls it seemed had an urge to check on their little friends. As soon as Henry saw Sofie and Emma he made a bee-line for them; Jack took off after him to try to bring him back, or perhaps to join them. Just as they were about to clear the walls of Rumelihisarı castle an enemy strike broke loose part of the wall; the path of the collapse was heading straight for the boys, and as well as worrying about their safety, Alecta had the added worry that her daughters would be bombarded by chunks of masonry that fell out of bounds.

Alecta began running for the boys, knowing she'd never get to them in time, but she had to try. In just a flash, the blink of an eye really, there was someone there….standing with the boys. This figure grabbed them and held them close to their own body. As that portion of wall came down, this new figure and the boys were buried under the rubble. As expected, there were some large chunks that had broken free of the general distruction and would have fallen on Sofie and Emma had Radar not interceded on their behalves.

Once she saw that Radar had grabbed both of her daughters, she nodded her thanks to him and then, like everyone else turned her attention to the pile of rubble that used to represent a stone wall.

JJ began to scream for her son, not hearing a sound, she and Will feared the worst…as one might imagine. Hotch and Will stepped forward, soon joined by Reid, Rossi, and Morgan to start clearing some of the rubble away. Alecta climbed onto the edges of the pile and began digging as well.

Just as they began to clear the first few bits of debris away, a rumbling began. Hotch and the rest backed away; he was pulling Alecta back as if to shield her, not knowing what might happen. As the debris rumbled and loosened, a figure stood straight up, their back to the crowd, setting the two boys down without a scratch on them; there wasn't even a speck of dust on either boy.

"Raphael! Oh you don't know how glad I am to see you!" Alecta ran to the figure that turned to her….his face was beautiful in a ruggedly handsome, masculine way. His hair was golden of course; he looked very much like what you might expect. His wings were so white you'd almost go blind if you stared at them for too long.

Reid, ever curious, walked up and poked him in one of his wings a bit earning him an odd sort of glare from the figure.

"They're real boy, if that's what you're wondering." Raphael spoke to him.

"Sorry. Besides, you have a bit of dust just here." Reid pointed to a spot near the figure's shoulder.

"Thanks." Raphael made a movement to brush the dust off, and then looked back at Alecta, winking.

"So you missed me then, doll face?"

"Oh shut up and come here boy." She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him like her life depended on it.

"You've got Michael here already, I see….though, I never doubted he'd be first."

"But I'm just so glad to see another face I know." Her tone was sad, 'it's been ever so long since I last saw any of you."

"Well, we're coming in now, that's for sure. The others will be arriving soon. Let's get to Topkapi and get settled before another attack."

Raphael managed to pull her back from him a bit to look into her eyes, 'no more tears M'lady. Tears won't fix this mess."

"Yeah, I know. And thank you, by the way, for that whole thing you just did there. I think my friends feared the worse for a second…..as did I really."

"I am almost hurt. You think I would let anyone harm a hair on their heads…..it's like you don't even know me."

"I know you better than most…." Alecta turned to make her way back to the rest of the team and began to introduce them all to her friend Raphael, the archangel. And of course, Rossi, the Catholic was verging on stupefied. Alecta grinned at him and winked when she saw the astonished look on his face. Walking over to him and wrapping an arm around his waist, Alecta hugged Rossi a little, 'There's ever so much more to come old man. Prepare yourself." She grinned at him, a mischievous look in her eye.

The group was finally able to make their way fully to Topkapi Palace with no other problems…..although Alecta and Selim kept their eyes on the trees and any out-croppings around them.

"What's wrong baby?" Mrs. King asked her daughter.

"There are eyes on us….I swear it. Go on Momma, get inside the gate. I'm coming."

Once the friends all crossed the threshold of the gate, they were greeted by an even more magnificent palace than the one before. The ornate colorful tile work, the sweeping archways…

"Come we must get everyone settled. There's little time." Alecta led the way through the palace.

"Where is your friend, the Sultan?" Morgan asked, holding one of Penelope's hands.

"He is making ready. He's seeing that the weapons and armor that some of us will need is all in order and that we have plenty. He's making the palace ready for all of the guests we will be receiving, he has to turn a wing into a make shift hospital. Mac is helping with that, arranging some equipment to be furnished…."

"Yes. But for all the power that I have there are some things that I cannot do." The Sultan came through the courtyard at a brisk walk, 'Here these belong to you, wake them up."

Alecta caught the bundle that the Sultan tossed to her as he passed; he kept walking.

"And where are you going old man?"

"Munitions. We need some…..things."

"What kind of things?"

"Arrows, bows…..we need a catapult."

"Geese, what do we have?"

"Cannons, lots of them, and their balls. Don't worry I have had someone working on these items for weeks. I am just going to go and check the progress. Horses, we have them, and plenty of blades, more than enough for the hand to hand combat."

"What about more…um…..up to date weaponry?" Reid asked.

"Come with me Master Reid, I have something to show you."

Reid and the others started to follow the Sultan. Except he turned to Alecta.

"No. You go deal with this!" pointing to the stack of books that he had tossed to her.

Alecta glared at him. "Please, would you?" The Sultan amended himself quickly.

"Sure, why not? I wouldn't want to see the new shipment of weaponry that you've gotten in." She turned away briskly and began walking to a wing of the palace at an angry pace.

"Sultan Mehmed, I think I will go with her….." Reid looked back to where Alecta was still going in the opposite direction.

"I figured as much, you and your books. I suppose you will be joining her as well, Master Hotchner."

"Yes. I had no intentions of letting her go alone." Hotch and Reid both turn to jog in the direction that Alecta is going.

"Master Morgan, you and the rest are welcome to follow me and see what we have at our disposal."

"Thank you that would be great." Morgan agreed to the idea.

Once he and the others had followed the Sultan to the armory they were shown the collection that was already there. Longbows, crossbows, various swords and daggers, several bombs based on the old world style that the Sultan would have been familiar with. There were hundreds of them, verging on thousands.

"And there is so much more to come in the next few hours, as well as weaponry that your…..generation….will be more familiar with. We don't have nearly enough time to train you properly on how to use our ways; you will be outfitted, of course, with some of our weapons and given a cursory training with them…but anything more in depth than that, there is just no time."

The Sultan proceeded to show them the military grade weaponry that would be more suitable for someone from the modern world. There were semi-automatic weapons of various styles and sizes; bombs….Ivory was in her own little world with those.

"I can build more if needed; I can even build some that are better."

"Yes madam, I know. Alecta speaks highly of her girls." The Sultan says with a slight smile, nodding in Ivory's direction.

Immogene and Oona grabbed two of the semi-automatic machine guns, taking them apart, checking them for any imperfections and also checking their ammunition before putting the weapons back together without missing a beat.

"We are quite familiar with these. I rather like the night vision on this scope, and the 'smart' ammo." Immogene sighed almost wistfully.

"Smart ammo?" Penelope questioned.

"Yes. Once you aim at your target, with this style of scope, the gun is able to calculate height of the subject, approximate weight, etc. You pull the trigger; the bullet does the rest of the work. I'm not saying that wind current won't play a factor in things, perhaps slowing the bullet down marginally, but otherwise, you look like a professional sniper with one of these."

"I cannot wait to make those bastards eat a few of these…."Oona stated.

"Yes, yes, well there will be time for that, plenty of time. Those of you that intend to have anything to do with the battle later, pick your gear and go get yourselves ready. Pick your stations, pray, whatever it is that will get you prepared."

Immogene, Morgan, and Rossi readily nodded. The rest of Alecta's girls, as well as the travelers were busy grabbing at the weapons they knew they were aces at.

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Morgan walked with Penelope's hand in his as they were being led to a room that would be just for them. Because of Morgan's concern for Pen's safety, they were given a room that was housed closer to the inner sanctum of the palace. It would be one of the areas least likely hit by any immediate damage, giving anyone in that wing time to get further to safety.

Penelope was as good with a blade and a gun as Alecta's other girls, but Morgan knew she didn't really care for guns; it was knowing this that he had wanted her in one of the safest points in the palace that was possible to find, that way she would have a less likely reason for using a weapon.

The infants and the smaller children were given a suite of rooms that had few windows that could pose weaknesses to the structure; the windows that were there gave strategic views however, in regards to the people that would be guarding the children. As well as this, there were hidden panels in the walls that led to secret passages that could be used to move the children from point A to point B quickly and with as much safety as possible should the need arise for it. Pen's room had several of these panels as well. She also had someone that would be with her as a guardian and a guide to help her make her way through the labyrinth that was the palace.

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"Master Rossi, I don't know if it is advisable for a man of your years to engage in this war." The Sultan made his concern known.

"Mehmed, if I may call you by your name…."

"Of course…."

"I am a Marine. We don't back down from a fight just because we're too old. This son of a bitch has already pushed my buttons one too many damned times. I don't know much about him personally, but I'm not overly impressed with what I have learned."

"Very well, as long as you feel as though you are capable; I only wanted to let you know that it wasn't required if you weren't able."

"I am able and, as far as I'm concerned, it is required. Alecta is practically a daughter to me. Somebody tangles with her, they tangle with me."

"Well then choose your weapons wisely and get yourself ready. I will be busy making a few plans of my own." The Sultan bowed slightly as he left the room. He left a guard with Rossi that could lead him through the complex anywhere he needed to go.

Michael and Raphael busied themselves along with Radar, Selim, and Kong checking the battlements for strategic points that might benefit their side.

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"A-l-e-c-t-a….what are you thinking?"

"Not now, I'm plotting over how to get even."

"Um, with who?"

Alecta kept walking to the wing where she had been sent to, grumbling the entire way, ignoring Hotch's question. All Aaron could make out was something about …'Treats me like a second class citizen. If it wasn't for me he would have lost his stupid empire centuries ago. He forgets who he's talking to….' Beyond that he couldn't really make out much, and he wasn't 100% sure he wanted to know more.

Once Alecta, Hotch, and Reid reached the wing they were supposed to be at, Alecta reached up for the knob that would allow her to open the door.

With an almost gracious flare, 'Welcome, gentlemen, to the royal library of his Gloriousness, the Sultan."

"The library. Really?" Hotch looked at her sarcastically.

"Yes, what better place to read…..books. Isn't that right Dr. Reid?"

"Lex, what exactly are we doing here?" Reid pondered aloud.

"Inviting a few friends to the party."

"How many is a few? And, who are they?"

"You shall see."

With that she tossed the stack that she had been carrying into the air; they fell into place, suspended by some unseen force. There were figures on the 'pages' that represented some form of written language that was completely unknown to Aaron and Spencer; although Spencer was sure he'd seen bits of it before somewhere, a long time ago…..but he couldn't quite recall where.

As if reading his mind, 'It was the Hall of Knowledge. You were seven. I showed you some scrolls; they had this very language written upon them. You were only there for the night."

"What are you talking about?" Reid asked, dumbfounded.

"You were trying to figure out where you'd seen this style of writing before. You were about seven, if I remember correctly. You were such an avid reader, always driven to learn something new. Things at home had been rough for you for a few weeks; your mother's episodes…' Alecta looked saddened for a moment, 'I brought you to the Hall just for the night to let you read until I thought you would overdose on words. When you woke the next morning I had left you with the feeling that you had a lovely little dream about a huge house with all the books you could ever hope to read."

"That was you?"

"Well, in a manner of speaking. Most of my 'mortal' life I have had trouble retaining much of my former powers. They come and go, sort of like a form of Tourette's syndrome; although, I don't mean to make fun of anyone that may have that, just using the syndrome as a description on how this works for me sometimes. But the whole astral trip thing…..I have never been able to stop or control. Sometimes when I'd sleep, I'd be back There in my old life, from before I became like all of you. The trips never lasted so very long. Often times it was just long enough to receive a set of orders or to check in and I was back out again.

When I got my mortal life, I never imagined that….the boss would still be yanking my chain so to speak. Whatever. It is, what it is; there is no changing that.

On one such trip, I learned more fully of you.' Seeing Reid's shocked look…

"Oh my darling, I've known about you and the others for centuries…many, many centuries. Most of you have had more than one lifetime; some of you having enough lifetimes that you have damned near kept up with me. I learn a little bit more about each one of you each time I meet you. It has been one of the bright spots in my existence watching you grow as people each and every time.

Enough small talk, I have work to do. Either help or grab a book and settle in."

Alecta turned back to the floating tablets and began to read from them in some old, long dead language that neither Hotch nor Reid understood.

It wasn't until two hours later that Alecta was finally finished, turning to the boys and seeing them pouring over a book; this largely consisted of Reid explaining it to Aaron.

"Alright, time to go back into the palace itself. Lunch will be served soon, and the guests will be arriving. I want to be there to greet them if at all possible."

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Alecta, Hotch, and Reid made their way back to the main body of the palace and into the dining hall. There was a large table set, it was even more magnificent a table than the one had been at dinner the night before. It was a large round table; there was an opening in one side to allow the people who would be serving them to bring food out to the table and hand it out to the people dining, otherwise the table was wide and could seat no fewer than 50 people. Again, silver service was the standard, but it gleamed, the candelabras were beautiful. There were tapestries hanging throughout the hall depicting various scenes throughout the life of the Ottoman Empire. What wasn't covered by tapestries was occupied by a painting. One, hanging over the large fireplace mantle, drew your eyes to it and barely allowed you to look away. There was a small, dark haired woman, an all knowing look in her eye, dressed in Ottoman style clothing from centuries past, a cascade of curls falling over one shoulder, the rest having been secured behind the head by some sort of fastening; the gleam in the lady's eye was so lifelike, you expected her to blink any moment. Hotch couldn't take his eyes off of the painting if he tried; he knew that look, he'd come to love the owner of it. True to form, as they entered the dining hall more fully, Hotch tripped over his own two feet.

Snickering, 'I haven't gotten that reaction in weeks. I was beginning to wonder if I had lost my touch."

Leaning in to whisper in her ear, 'Not hardly."

Alecta was looking towards the floor; a mischievous smile on her face that was contradicted by the deep blush that spread across her cheeks.

"Is it done?" The Sultan was eager to know what the status of their little experiment was.

Alecta, still giggling over the conversation with Hotch, looked up….winking at the Sultan.

"Yes, my dear. Our guests should be here in 3…..2….."

There was the sound of the door to the dining hall being opened; the heavy door swinging open on its hinges…

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Post AN: Who were the guests coming to lunch? Tune in next time to find out. Love ya peeps.