I told Nat my plan, although I planned it for myself alone.
“I'll help you, and we'll both have something to do tomorrow.”
Her offer sounded more like a demand and turned my quiet holiday at least a little noisier. She said she had to work on Monday, so going home wasn't possible. The twelve hundred mile ride to Chicago cost too much for a day trip, by car or plane.
I had to admit that this version of Natalie differed pleasantly. I wondered if I actually scared her off in my time, like Linda said. Another thought for another time. And I did owe her, way more than just a Christmas dinner.
“You got a deal.” I unpacked what little I'd bought and she asked what else we'd be eating. Her suggestive grin teased and this time that's what she intended—teasing. “That's all I had planned.”
“Good. Then I didn't shop for nothing.” She walked out to her car and took out four plastic bags. My counter soon filled with sweet potatoes, marshmallows, mayonnaise, a loaf of rye bread, pumpkin pie and heavy cream. “You have powdered sugar, don't you?”
“No idea.”
One bag contained vegetables for enough salad for a week, and she'd picked two different dressings.
“Were you planning this?” I asked.
“No, just hoping. Besides, we need to work up a plan. We should be ready when the next thunderstorm arrives. No reason to be hungry while we do.”
“So do we cook the turkey tonight or tomorrow?”
“Tonight. That way we can decide on a meal at the table, or sandwiches and a game.”
“Game?”
“Football, Ash, but if you have another in mind, you might need to teach me the rules.” This time she wasn't teasing.
We got busy, put everything away and loaded the turkey in the oven. Without stuffing, the sixteen pound bird would take a couple of hours and I didn't have anything else for dinner. I told her I didn't feel like cooking, but we couldn't go anywhere until the turkey finished roasting.
“Duh. Really? One thing has crossed dimensions, Ashley. You don't plan very well. Good thing I'm here. So this is what we're going to do.” She said she'd run to the store and she'd make dinner. But she needed to hurry. “It's Christmas Eve, you know.”
“Duh. Really?” I had a feeling we were going to have a fun Christmas.
In a half an hour, the signature putter of her car shut off. I went to the door and she waved me out.
“Need some more hands,” she purred. “I got a case of beer.”
“Just the place for my hands.”
“Well, one of the places.” I just shook my head.
While the turkey cooked, she took out two pads and sat across from me. “Let's start with a timeline. What brought you here?”
“You know the story.”
“No, we should write all the details, not from before, just here. That way, you'll know how to get home when you find your friend.”
“Let me get the books.”
When we were settled, I started to explain. I could see almost everything. “Since coming here, I've seen Robert E. Lee, Hitler and Churchill. Before the change, I went to see Wilbur and Orville Wright. Fritz had been there. They asked about the future. When I spoke to Lee, he said he could see his entire lifeline. I went to Churchill, and he remembered me, and said he'd seen Fritz, but he couldn't see his timeline, and I went to him after Lee.” She wrote, but I stopped talking. Why could Lee know, even that Fritz would be at Appomattox, and Churchill not know? “I've changed the dynamics. Not a lot, but enough of a bump to bring other me back here, and change Churchill. I wonder if I've made a change that affects Fritz.”
“What happened the day you got here?”
“On the drive to school, the sky changed, the radio shut off, the car stopped. Then moments later, it started again. Something happened at that moment, I'd bet on it. I parked in my usual place, and when I grabbed the handle on the school door…” I looked at my hand. “The door buzzed like it does when I open the portal, and I couldn't let go until I stepped over the threshold. Nat, that's it. That's when I got here. Exactly when. The door to the parking lot is another portal.”
“Didn't you say that a door-shaped light forms when you're in the portal? Is there one?”
“No. I didn't choose the change either. I just walked through.” When she started to talk, I held up my hand. “If there's no rectangle, then…”
“Then you have no way back.” I raised my eyes from the pad to her. She told me that I should take a deep breath, and close my mouth. “You still have your worry ruts, Ash.”
I leaned back in my chair, my bottom lip between my teeth, and looked at the kitchen, as it had been before Jane changed the way I looked at my life. Would Natalie be act two? I picked up the beer bottle, still almost full, and stood. “I need something stronger.” Since my arrival, I hadn't purchased any liquor, and hadn't even looked for any.
“It's in the cabinet on the right above the sink,” she said, when she heard the doors open and close. “Get me one of what you're drinking.” I poured two small glasses, half way, with Irish whiskey. A couple of ice cubes, and I sat down again.
“Slainte,” she said.
“Yeah, that,” and I took a sip. “And Merry Christmas.”
“Ash, come back. Figuring this out is even more important now. You can't change anything right now, so while the turkey cooks, let's keep looking for clues.” I met her eyes, and I thought she might gouge mine out. “Stop it now. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. We have work to do and you being a crybaby won't help. You've only started the story. You've been here for a month. Face it. Thunderstorms are going to be scarce. So get it together.” She stopped shouting and smiled. “Besides this could be funner.”
“Fritz said that. Funner. Maybe you're related.”
CHRISTMAS EVE passed quietly. We hardly left the table. Nat broiled up some hamburgers, sliced a tomato and put chips between us. Soda replaced the beer and booze. I talked, she wrote. We agreed that I'd said or done one or maybe more things that altered history, and made things worse. Not Lee. His change happened before Sandy and I arrived. Hitler and Churchill were the targets. At least one because other me had come back.
“Let me look for time travel on the computer,” I said. “Maybe there are some articles that try to explain other dimensions, alternate universes, beside Star Trek reruns.” When I got up, so did she.
“Ash, we need to talk.” She picked up the empty plates and carried them to the sink, so I couldn't see her face.
“That's what we've been doing.” I dodged the fact that she meant something else.
She wiped the trash into the can, and rinsed the plates, before turning to look at me. “I can make a lot of excuses, it's late, we'll be busy tomorrow, but you and I have never had this kind of closeness. Your doppelganger has a different personality. I'd like to stay the night, but you need to be comfortable with it. If I do, I need to go home and get some things.”
I didn't know if she was testing me, but I was definitely testing me. If I couldn't get home, she would be a fun companion, maybe even more down the road. I hoped I could trust her, a critical component now. But I love Jane, I reminded myself, knowing I might never see her again.
“Natalie,” I began, “I don't want a one-night stand or a casual fling. Being here is difficult enough and you're already wrapped up in it. Like you said before, I've only been here a month. In a normal world, I couldn't be more flattered or more interested in exploring our relationship. Really.” Her face changed emotion with each sentence. “You're welcome to spend the night. But we should let this take some time.”
Taking a deep breath, she slowly smiled. “That may be the nicest, most genuine refusal ever. I can't lose what I never had, but other you cared only for himself, regardless of how much time I spent here. When I introduced him to Linda, we were done. I moved out a few days later, and Linda moved in that day. They are too much alike. It showed. He's mean and she's self-centered, and they get along great. Perfect together
.” She pursed her lips, making some kind of decision, and looked up at me. “I'm going home and maybe I'll be back tonight. Let me think about it. Don't wait up. I still have a key.” Before she could get by, I hugged her, and I could feel her shaking. I held on for longer than I should have, as we adjusted to the comfort of our embrace.
“I'll be back by morning,” she said. The door closed and the VW started down the street.
Not knowing when she'd return, I quickly cleaned up and went back to our notes. I read hers first. She'd set up an outline for each event, like Fritz did with yellow pads. Fact, then detail, like she had discussed in my classes. She put stars next to where she thought I'd changed the past. She titled a page that said, “Finding Fritz,” with a list of questions. Two struck me. Could I bring him back here from a different dimension? He couldn't get back either. The second asked if I could bring him here, how would either of them, us, get back if I didn't know what had started the jumbled history in the first place. I read a little farther to the last question. “If you've changed history, can you change it back?”
I added questions after that. If you can change history back, does the change happen in all dimensions, and at the same time? Will that, in turn, change everything back to the point where the change began?
The possibilities flew at me, and I wrote furiously to keep up. Did our trip to Shakespeare, or anywhere we went, become the starting point? Was Fritz even the cause, or could it have been me? Was simply materializing or talking enough, or was the change caused by an action? I tried to remember what Tony had said. What if what we changed happened before we were born, and if we changed it back, would we then no longer exist? Would we live, but in that time?
Assuming I could even find Fritz, would I change things beyond repair? Would I be better off just leaving things as they were? I'd never considered any of these questions until now. I wondered if Fritz had.
“Thanks, Nat.” Her spotless analysis meant we'd have time to fill in more details as we went. I looked at the clock. Quarter past one. “Merry Christmas.” I leaned back and surveyed the house. Only a year had passed since my party, when I gave Jane the ring. It felt much longer, like a lifetime. Painting the place would make it look more like home. Except that I had to do it myself. I didn't have those extra checks from the president. I stretched, then walked from room to room. I missed the clutter of all my books, which snapped another idea. Where were the books? A teacher should at least have textbooks, but wherever I looked, none, anywhere. I flipped on the basement light, and piled one on another, cases of books jammed half the floor. I opened the closest box, curious to see if other me had the same tastes. Since we were now history teachers, I expected a different sort of collection. At least partially, I had guessed accurately, based on what I found. Books I'd never read, or even bought, began to stack on the floor. Some authors I'd never heard of. Not history or literature, but science fiction, time travel, physics books, none of which I would have in my library. I put them back and carried the box upstairs. Painting had just been postponed.
Chapter 20
Jane
I SPOKE TO the president last evening, only in part to wish him a good holiday, his last in office. Sadly, I hadn't made it to their Christmas party. I asked him what he planned to do about the portal, the airport, and me. His answer surprised me. He said he hadn't yet figured that out, nor had he briefed his successor.
“Jane, the transition team has been subtly inquiring everywhere about time travel. The official response is holding them back—that I had evened things with the press after eight years. Those who do know laugh at the question. I'll have to let them know eventually, but with both Fritz and Ashley inside, right now I think I would only decrease their chances to get back. As far as you're concerned, I'll give him a recommendation, but not draw attention, if that's okay with you.”
“Mr. President, what matters to me, besides getting our boys back, is ending the Caballeros. The portal has done its own damage, but we haven't caught Koppler. He's already ruined the lives of good men, not to mention the ones he's killed. I feel badly for Florian.”
“Don't. Florian made a choice.”
“I think that you can blame the portal changing things as much as Koppler's threats. I have a feeling that he truly wanted to help you in the development plan, and not for the money. And I don't think he expected that Koppler would sink his big ship. Koppler got to him later.”
“Maybe, Jane, but he didn't let us know. He could have. Jim Beech is devastated. He brought me his resignation yesterday, effective January first. He said he no longer trusts his judgment and wouldn't want anyone else caught in the mess. He also asked me to thank you. He said his greatest challenges and most fun came from working with you. He asked you to give him a holler from time to time. But he's taken his wife on a cruise until New Year's.”
“Are you coming to Linda's on Christmas?”
“Not this time. If we could use the portal, I could get away unnoticed. It's hard to believe it's been a year since Ashley's party.” That thought had run circles around my brain for the past few days. “Sorry, Jane. I forgot.”
“I hope next Christmas we might be able to do it again.”
“Me too. I still have a bet to win.” I appreciated his trying to cheer me, and I couldn't ask for a better gift than seeing the two of them play basketball. Ashley would be home.
“Merry Christmas, sir, and to your family. I'll talk to you again soon.” I didn't wait for a response before I disconnected.
I still had an hour, so I poured a cup of coffee. I rubbed my back against the chair to stop the itching. There were still places that hadn't healed completely, and I missed having Ash here to tend them. The medics at the airport had been gracious but they were gone now. I longed for Ash's gentle touch.
Despite all the good that the portal had made possible, it had left misery behind for those of us who were involved. I didn't need to cry. I'd done enough. I hoped that my knowing Ashley would be back would be more than wishful thinking. After all, my mother had worked so hard planning to make our wedding perfect.
Before I dressed, I stuck my head out the back door. Not too cold yet. Christmas snow had been predicted. So even though I didn't want to, I put on a pair of jeans and a soft, cotton blouse, and headed to Linda's.
The battle had begun before I walked in the back door. For a change, Tim had some unrelenting opposition. Linda's brother, Joe, and Natalie, were tag-teaming him with every outrageous thing he said. He received, and deserved, the worst in return. I wished them “Merry Christmas.”
“Am I late?” I asked. “Am I the last?”
“No, Jane dear, you're just fine,” Emily said. “We were just discussing the elections.”
“I must have missed something.” My sarcasm surprised even me. “Didn't the investigation show the machines were tampered with, and then the power failure?”
“Who are you again?” Tim asked. “Oh, I remember. You're the girl friend. I thought you were shot.”
I stopped the others from reacting. I could take care of myself. “That's me. And then I was mistaken for a side of beef. They tenderized Linda at the same time.” She looked shocked that I would take him on, but at that point, I didn't care. “You remember Thomas Koppler? The guy who tortured Linda. He's still loose, and thanks to you, he knows about us now.” For someone who never gets mad, hitting him sounded like a great first step. I stood up and faced him, unbuttoning my blouse. Above the hushed stillness, Emily laughed softly, the only sound.
As the last button opened, I held my blouse open and slid it off. I held my laugh at the look of distress on his face, but after he'd had a moment to stare, and then look to his wife for help, I turned around. My back was lined with vertical scars. Linda watched in silence until I unhooked my bra and let him see all the damage. She took off her tee and stepped next to me. She still could only wear loose fitting tops. Even the skin grafting didn't disguise the beating she'd taken.
The most inappropr
iate laugh broke the quiet. Emily said, “Okay, girls, that's enough of Tim's gift. He may have lost his appetite for now, but I, for one, am hungry.”
At that, TJ chirped what sounded like “Go, Nana.”
Later, Natalie said we'd put on quite a show, but she had never imagined the extent of the wounds. She had learned almost the entire history of the portal, in antiseptic form, and had notepads galore with the details. She knew we'd been kidnapped, but not the lengths to which Koppler had gone. “I know he didn't do it himself, but that's sick.”
“We were lucky, Nat. We made it out alive. I can't guess how many didn't.”
“Well at least it's one more piece of the puzzle. I have nineteen notebooks. Did he say anything that might provide an idea where he could be?”
“He didn't know about the portal until my father told Jim Sapphire. And he hadn't tied it to Fritz or the school until he snatched me.”
“Nat, could I read your notebooks?” I asked. “You may have picked up something that we haven't. Like you did with the suits.”
“Any time, Jane.”
“How about this afternoon? Sorry, Linda, but I'm not in a sociable mood.”
“Tony and I had plans, but I guess that can wait.”
“I'll take them home to read. No need to change plans. I'll take good care of them.”
“Do you think you'll find something?”
“Maybe. I know things you can't know, Nat. You might not be able to tie things together.”
Chapter 21
Ashley
CHRISTMAS MORNING
I was snoozing on the couch when Natalie opened the door. A book lay on the floor, a napkin acting as bookmark. The title, written in orange on a photo of the Milky Way, announced quantum physics as the subject. As she retreated to the kitchen, I said, “Merry Christmas. What time is it?”
The Portal At The End Of The Storm (Quantum Touch Book 6) Page 15