Chapter Forty-five

It was a gray and blustery day in DC. Hardly seemed like a day for making history. Likely it was for the best though, kept the tourists down to a minimum. "Don't wander where you can't see me." Hotch told Jack, who looked bored anyway.

"There you are." Dave said as he approached the small group. "That's quite a hill. Do not say I'm getting old."

"Why are you here?" Spencer asked. "Not that I'm complaining, but..."

"You're making history. I have a thing for history these days, given that I'm rapidly becoming a part of it." He looked around. "They really put the graves that close?"

"Yes." Hotch replied. "At the time The General had been winning the war, the quartermaster in DC had lost his son in battle and wanted to take personal revenge. He deliberately chose this site for the cemetery and started the burials close to the house so no one would ever be able to live here again."

"The family must have been thrilled." Dave said with all due sarcasm.

"Actually Clara said it was Mary Anna who was the most angered by what happened." Spencer said. "This was originally her father's house and the only home she'd ever known. According to family legend The General wasn't that upset."

"He never turned a soldier away for anything." Hotch said, "Even a final place to rest."

Just then the front door of the large building opened and Clara stepped out with an older man in a suit. "...wanted my nephew here for this." She was saying. "My grandmother would have wanted that."

"She would have." He agreed. "Martha was a remarkable woman." Introductions were made all around, before he held up a ring of keys, mostly modern but one was old and brass. "This should come with a formal apology." He said.

"But we know that's not going to happen." Clara said with a gentle smile.

The man took a deep breath. "All I can say is welcome aboard." With that he handed her the keys.

A couple of curious tourists had wandered over. "What's going on?" One asked.

"Oh! The house and museum are getting a new curator in a few weeks." The older man said. He gestured to Clara. "Dr. Clara Lee."

"Ohhh," the tourist said as Clara nodded the acknowledgement, "Any relation?"

"Yes, actually," she looked down at the key in her hand and smiled. "I hope you enjoy your visit."

"Oh! Um, thank you."

They took their leave of the older gentleman and meandered away from the shocked tourists, Clara tucking her hands around Spencer's arm. "That's going to be fun." Hotch said, as he looked at what she was doing.

"It's going to be on the new brochures." She replied as Hotch stopped them. She stepped out of the way as he adjusted Spencer's arm to the proper position for a Tidewater gentleman escorting a lady. "I doubt many will read them, or care, but it will be out there, and for what we're doing I could use the social capitol."

"What are you planning?" Dave asked.

They started walking again. This time when Clara took Spencer's arm it was a graceful, natural movement. Hotch hadn't said a word but he nodded his approval. "That." She said, nodding at a site just passed the house that was cleared for construction. "We're re-creating the old slave quarters."

"Are you excavating?" Spencer asked.

"We can't. We can't disturb the cemetery. But we can base it off other sites, give a good idea. Usually when you see an antebellum home you only see it from the planter's point-of-view, if you want to see the slave's side recreated you have to go to a special, separate museum. We want to show balance, both sides of the coin here. A fair representation," she sighed. "That's all that ever mattered to Nana."

"She'd be proud of you for this." Hotch said. "But she'd be proud of the work you did at the school as well."

Clara turned a warm shade of pink. "She was." She said. "You know, I expect you to help with one of the new displays."

"Oh?"

"You too," she said to Spencer."

"Um, what can we do?"

The General was known for his unique ability on the battlefield." She said. "He was able to take everything he knew about the opposing leadership, from how they had behaved in previous battles to their education to their background to how they acted in daily life and use that knowledge to get into the mind of his opponents. To walk around in their shoes, he would say. From that he was able to predict their movements. That was how he won so many battles against such odds."

Dave started to chuckle. "You mean Robert E. Lee was a profiler?"

Clara nodded. "That's the only way it can be explained. I'd like to put up a display explaining that, maybe making the connections to the present day."

"I guess it runs in the family."

"I'd be honored to help." Hotch said, with Spencer nodding his agreement.

"Can we go decorate the tree now?" asked a clearly bored Jack.

"Tree?" Clara asked.

"We're adding to your collection today." Hotch held up another ring of keys.

The building was a remodeled factory, on the banks of the old Chesapeake and Ohio canal, looking over Georgetown. "Two blocks to the street car." Hotch said as they got out. "Three blocks to the University shuttle to the metro system. Four blocks to the main campus. And a fifteen minute ride to Arlington, all on bike paths."

"Perfect!" Clara agreed.

Security was excellent, of course. Once inside the apartment Hotch blocked her view of the public rooms. "You have to do this in order." He insisted. "Go see your bedroom."

Spencer took her down to show her their private space. It was done in a beach cottage theme with antiques, more than a little familiar. "Go see the rest first." He said as she turned to him, love and wonder in her eyes. "We can come back here."

"We will." She replied.

The other bedrooms had been made into Spencer's office, the better to keep case files out of sight, and a deliberately plain guest room just waiting to be changed in the future. In the main room Hotch stopped her and deliberately covered her eyes. "Dining room last." He said.

"Why?"

"Trust me." He walked her to one point and stopped, making sure she couldn't turn. "Look."

The room was large, with a wall of glass in the old mullions looking over the park like canal. It had a fireplace, a piano, the antiques they had found, and a big sectional couch with lots of room to find places to cuddle or to sit with friends. "I love it!" She said. "But who are these?" She went to the two fluffy balls on the couch and touched one, which then unfolded and stretched and started to purr.

"Company for when we're on the road." Dave said, "Not that Munchie won't miss you."

"I enjoyed his company." She replied with a smile.

"Look! Look Aunt Clara!" Jack was practically jumping in the corner of the room, which was currently occupied by a large Christmas tree safely tied to two pillars.

Clara tugged on a rope. "Good idea with kittens in the house."

"Once the tree comes down this would be a good place for a hammock." Spencer said.

She smiled at him. "It will be."

"Everyone is coming over with pizza in a few. We're decorating your tree tonight. Not the dining room yet." Hotch covered her eyes again and walked her to a different part of the space, "Edwardian enough?"

"Ohhh!" As it turned out all they'd had to do with the kitchen was paint, change the cabinet doors and the light fixtures and add a few details and bits of trim. Out with the sleek dark brown wood and dark grey walls, in with rustic cream cabinets and pale blue-green walls. Even Hotch had to admit that it made it a lot lighter in here, and the light made it easier to work. "It's perfect!" She said. "I love it!"

"And now the dining room." Hotch turned her to face it and couldn't help but grin as she gasped.

Her entire collection of teacups was on display.

"I thought they were all broken!" She said, "How?"

"I had Kim introduce me to your alumni coordinator, who let me join your class's Facebook group. Then I explained what happened, and everyone sent a replacement." He said with a smile. "But that's not all." He tugged her over to the cabinets to have a look. "This one is from DAR headquarters."

"Given not nicked?" She asked with a smile.

"I know taking a souvenir is traditional, but this one was given I swear." He replied with a smile. "And this one is from the UDC."

It was mostly black with a heavy, gilded design, perfect for a princess in mourning. "Not a surprise." She said, "What about those two?"

Those two were simple, modern designs, one bright red, the other a bold blue. "That one's from the Congress Park Bloods, this one's from the Southside Crips." He explained. "This one is from the PTA at Bishop Walker, when the gangs heard about it they insisted." Clara just started laughing. He pointed out the simple, Italian design from Dave, the frilly one from Garcia, the ones from Will, JJ and Henry, from Morgan and Savannah, from Kate and her family, from Alex and James and even one with a Union Jack sent from Emily. "And then there's this." He said, pointing to the tea service, done in a delicate black and white pattern.

She picked up a cup and looked at it, "Colonial Virginia Toile?"

"All of Mary Anna's china was lost in the war. But this would have been known to her and to her family before her." He smiled. "I picked up a set for eight..."

"Enough for a family." She came over and hugged him. "Thank you. This means so much."

"You're welcome."

"Why the space though?" She asked, pointing to two empty slots in the middle of the display.

"That's for these." Spencer said from behind her.

When she turned he was holding two cups and saucers. Unlike all the others they were very nearly plain, a classic shape in cream with only a simple, gold band around the rim. She picked one up and turned it over. "The Wedding Band pattern?" she asked.

Hotch stepped away. "Jack." He called to his son, who was petting the cats. "Let's go start bringing in ornaments."

"Okay."

"I'll come help." Dave said. But before they left he turned just in time to see Clara step lightly into Spencer's arms.

He did like seeing his family happy.

.

And so we come to the end of another story. Once again much thanks goes out to my Beta reader, the amazing REIDFANATIC.

Now I have another story kicking around in my head, one that might be set in Europe and such, but first I have a story to finish. I have to get JJ home. Just be a bit patient, I haven't written very far ahead so it might take a couple of days to get back to my regular posting schedules.

Thank you all for reading. Your comments mean so much.

- TKL