never let school interfere with your education [ota; mtw]

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A great deal of noise came from a cabin not far from the library. Spencer Reid was moving desks around at what was to be the new school. The Weasley twins had been so kind as to somehow produce a number of desks which looked exactly alike. Strange, he thought, but there was nothing about the woods that he would classify as ordinary. He had

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[didntblink]

Spencer had been working on the school since the idea came up that dinner, and Aaron was glad to see Spencer having something good to work at. And though this place threw a lot at them, forced their hand in many ways, this school was something that Spencer and others were making happen. It also made him think of Jack. Aaron had gone longer than this without seeing Jack before, back when Foyet was alive. And this time, as far as he had any reason to believe, it was not his son in danger. And if time were for him as it had been for the others, then Jack didn't even have to miss him. It was a strange thought but mildly comforting that Jack possibly still had him...somehow. It didn't make sense, but a lot didn't.

Right, that was why Hotch often didn't go into the school area, but there was plenty of noise, and his mind had already traveled down the dangerous path. Well, there was still- Hotch walked into the cabin, face as even as always. "How is the school coming?" Aaron asked.

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Spencer turned at the sound of his boss's voice. Hotch always seemed strangely out of place here. He was always so meticulously put together, and the woods seemed to strip that away. Sure Spencer had seen him on rural cases when he had dressed more casually, and had seen him completely undone on several occasions, but this place was different. It was like camping without any gear or supplies. It was survival.

"I seem to have an appropriate amount of hardware. I'll next need to work on curriculum and determining whom exactly my pupils are going to be."

In a place where survival was paramount, school almost seemed inconsequential, but Spencer had read enough research to know that this was what the kids needed - something in their lives that was stable.

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Aaron checked out the classroom, which had more desks than he had anticipating seeing. They were practically the same, potentially more on that if he inspected. But he had seen wooden schoolrooms before, in many states. Those had always been tied into a case and completely functional. However, he chose not to think about any of those cases at the moment. They were hardly comforting. But his time in the woods rarely led him to happier lines of thought. None of what had happened, none of the joys, had made him forget that they were being held captive their against their will.

"Have you chosen how to structure the classes?" Hotchner asked. The children were of different ages and with different abilities. Hotchner had taught courses before, for the FBI, but Jack was the only child he had worked with on classwork. It was a good idea, he knew, both from the studies about stability and seeing it help Jack.

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"I'm still in the process of determining that."

Spencer brushed his damp hair out of his face. It was starting to get long again.

"Research shows that younger children respond more to hands-on type learning, though I'm not sure if I would be good at that form of instruction. I always learned by reading."

He was practically the definition of "independent study".

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Hotch nodded. Spencer was a genius, but he still was human and remarkably young. Plus, the task wasn't easy. The children were of different ages, background, experience in schools, and more. Teaching them all at once was going to be a trying task. They were still a team, and Hotch meant to help all of his team members.

"You've given demonstrations sometimes," Hotch remembered fondly back to a few instances. Those were good times. "Do you remember the Halloween when you made the film cannister fly across the bullpen?" Aaron asked. He did his best not to tell anyone their future, but his memory wasn't perfect like Reid's. But that was just the sort of thing Jack liked in school.

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Spencer brightened a bit.

"Yeah... you mean 'physics magic'? Science experiments are both hands-on and informative. I'm just unsure of where I will find such supplies for experiments."

These cabins didn't even have electricity.

[didntblink]

That definitely had been a good reminder for Spencer. He certainly had the ability to do what he was trying, if not the most experience. But none of them had really been trained for this sort of experience. And Aaron certainly wasn't used to living away from a city.

"Yes, I do," Hotch nodded a little, "Your experiments may be a bit rougher, but there is a lot in the woods." And Spencer had gotten all these desks. Aaron hadn't been without modern amenities this long before in his life, but given the three doctorates, Hotch was certain Spencer would be able to think of something.

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What Spencer had in intelligence and college degrees, he sometimes lacked in creativity.

"We could examine the flora... though that would require something to compare it to. We have no textbooks."

He rubbed the back of his neck. Of course, he could always teach from memory. He could probably give a lecture about the different types of leaves on the spot.

"I'll have to write on the board and the students will need to copy it. I need a board and they'll need notebooks."

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Hotchner didn't know much about plantlife. He knew some plants were poisonous, and his memory on cases where they learned anything about plants was excellent, but most of that unfortunately hadn't overlapped with what he had actually seen in the woods. They were not his place, and he did not know them. When they got back, Hotch was going to be even more grateful to have Ms. Garcia a phone call away. Spencer, fortunately, was right there.

While it seemed implausible to find a blackboard in the woods, Aaron knew he hadn't seen that many desks just lying around either. And there were people with...abilities he had not previously thought possible. He doubted Spencer had become a master carpenter in the time he had been here. "Okay," Hotch agreed, "How did you get the desks?" He was fairly certain each team member had a small notebook, but even if he stopped using his to take notes on their case, it wasn't enough for a school.

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"There's a set of twins here... they're in their late teens or early twenties and have red hair. They got these desks for me."

He gazed down at one before continuing quietly.

"I'm not quite sure how."

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Aaron had seen those two around. They were identical twins, and he hadn't observed them enough or interacted with them enough to be able to tell them apart on sight. He was not sure what to make of the desks they procured. Nothing in the Wood was free. The light from the old woman he had paid for in blood was a sure enough sign of that.

"They didn't require anything from you for it?" Hotchner asked. He did not want Spencer making exchanges that were dangerous to him. They would find another way, if need be.

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Spencer shook his head.

"No... they didn't ask for anything in return, at least not yet. I'm sure I'll owe them something at some point."

He imagined that creating these desks must have been a lot of work, even if they wouldn't tell him exactly how they'd done it.

[didntblink]

People rarely helped another person for no benefit. It was human nature. Even if there were no payment of the sort of money, a named favor, or such, most people felt either an emotional return or something that motivated him. Aaron still believed most people were good. The two were not exclusive. It was better for evolution to make people want to help others, as a society.

"Perhaps they can help us with other supplies as well for the school," Hotch commented. One of his hands ran along the top of a desk. They did have a community in the barracks after all, and they worked together. "If not," Hotch thought about it, "Do you know how to make paper?" That didn't help with the board or writing utensils. But it was something. And all of these thoughts engaged his mind. He saw a reason Spencer might like preparing the school.

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Spencer wasn't naive enough to expect something for nothing. He too knew human nature, though he was desperate enough to give it the benefit of the doubt in this situation.

"Paper..."

He squinted, recalling what he knew.

"Paper is made from cellulose derived from wood or plants which is made wet and then pressed together and dried. It's actually not that difficult to make rough paper. The students could even do it themselves and learn about plant parts and chemical processes while doing it..."

[didntblink]

They had different resources than the pioneers or other groups who had made their own paper. They had fewer animal products, but the Wood if nothing else was rich in life and potential supplies. A true blackboard with chalk was harder for Hotch to imagine Spencer finding or making here, but one step at a time. Paper was possible, and perhaps some sort of writing instruments

"You've already got your first lesson plans," Hotchner noted, "and it is a good lesson for all of them." He did not expect making paper to be one of the skills the children had learned already, even if their parents had taught them some basics about survival. There were more dangers than simply keeping oneself fed, clothed, and warm, but those lessons were also good for them.

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Spencer nodded in agreement.

"They can hopefully continue to do it on their own."

Spencer ran a hand through his hair as he thought, speaking more to himself than to Hotch.

"Old blackboards were made of slate... metamorphosed shale.. chalk is calcium carbonate... can be naturally occurring..."