Author's Note: Set in the context of my other stories. The relationships are all established, the Sixers are re-integrated into the colony, and the Phoenix Group and Lucas are long gone. I just realized that I've never really ventured down the road related to the crate from the last episode.
This is pretty transitional, but it felt necessary. : ) It's also really, really long for one of my chapters, but I had fun with it. More to come…
Disclaimer is as usual – no profit, not mine, just borrowing.
For time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future. - John F. Kennedy
Alicia looks down at the girl in her arms, huffing out a breath. "Mark, a little help here?"
Reynolds jumps forward, scooping the girl up. "Sorry, Wash."
She gets to her feet and heads for the rover followed by Reynolds and Dunham. "It's OK, kid." She climbs in the back of the rover, and Reynolds gives her a funny look. She holds out her arms. "Mark, she needs to be with me if she wakes up. Didn't you see that she looked at both of you and then headed straight for me?"
He nods and passes the still-unconscious girl to Alicia. "Right. Good point." He climbs in the driver's seat and Dunham in the passenger side.
"Stay alert, Dunham, the slashers may still be around." The young man nods, and Alicia looks down to focus on the girl, Caroline, as the rover starts to move. She runs a gentle hand through her hair almost unconsciously, her heart aching for her, knowing that the chances of them getting her home are slim to none.
She hears Reynolds' voice sound in her ear, a private channel over comms. "Is she OK, Wash?"
She drops her ear to her shoulder to tap on her comm. "I don't know, kid. Would you be?"
He sighs over the comm signal. "Probably not."
"Call ahead to Elisabeth, Mark. I need her out there, because I need her checked out, in particular for infections or viruses. And tell Carter I said to keep his distance. I think men might freak her out."
They're closing in on the outpost when the girl begins to stir. Alicia braces herself, knowing she might panic, especially based on Alicia's guess that she likely comes from a time pre-dating motorized vehicles. A second later, Alicia's concern is confirmed. The girl sits straight up and begins to struggle, looking around frantically.
"Caroline, it's all right. You're safe. I promise." Alicia keeps a loose grip on the girl, but she gives her a little slack so she doesn't harm herself.
The girl turns wide, frightened eyes to her, but Alicia sees a wave of recognition in her eyes. "L, L-, Lieutenant?"
Alicia nods. "That's right. Lieutenant Washington, Alicia. Just call me Alicia."
They pull into the outpost, and Elisabeth is waiting for them with a concerned look on her face. Mark jumps out to allow Alicia and Caroline out. When Alicia stands, she quickly says to Mark, "Go back and get the dead man. We need to contain any potential diseases from their time. See if they have any plastic sheeting here. If not, take fabric. We either need to burn the body here or bring it back to Terra Nova. That'll be up to the doc."
Reynolds goes off in search of the plastic, and Alicia turns to help the girl from the back of the rover. She struggles out and stands. Seeing the fences and the young soldiers there, she shrinks into Alicia's side. "It's OK. They're my men. They won't hurt you, I promise." She looks towards the outpost door. "Elisabeth?"
Elisabeth approaches, her eyes widening as she sees Caroline. "Oh my God." She then shakes her head and appears to try to regain some composure. "Hello there. My name is Doctor Elisabeth Shannon. Welcome."
"Thank you." The girl looks confused, eyes casting back and forth between Elisabeth and Alicia. They finally land on Alicia and stay there. "Your men? You are in charge, and she is a doctor? A medical physician? Women are allowed to be leaders and physicians? What kind of place is this? Where am I?"
Alicia and Elisabeth exchange a glance, and Alicia in particular is surprised by the outburst. "Caroline, let's go inside. We have a lot to tell you, to explain, but it's complicated and will likely be hard for you to understand."
The young woman blushes lightly. "I apologize for my tone."
Alicia puts a gentle hand on her arm. "Caroline, you have nothing to apologize for." They guide the young woman inside. "Elisabeth, I need to call Nathaniel, but let's use your portable scanner first. I'm concerned about anything infectious."
Elisabeth nods. "Agreed. We can't bring her back to the colony until we check."
They take the girl to an unoccupied room and have her sit on a cot. Alicia looks at Elisabeth. "Do you need to go check on the doc? Carter would call if he needed help, but just in case? And let Miss Cartwright know that she isn't crazy."
When Elisabeth leaves, Caroline asks meekly, "There are other doctors here?"
Alicia grabs a chair and pulls it over. She's about to turn it around and straddle it backwards when she realizes that doing so might shock the young woman. She just sits normally. "Not medical. He's a botanist, studies…"
"Plants." Her voice is quiet. "Do all of the women dress like you and carry weapons?" She indicates the gun strapped to Alicia's thigh and the knife on her ankle. It occurs to Alicia that Elisabeth also carries a pulse pistol on her leg now, the holster a gift from Alicia, when they're OTG.
"No. I'm second in command of our military. There are other women in the service, but women also are scientists, medical workers, teachers, merchants, and some stay at home with their children." She smiles. "And the men run the same gamut. Elisabeth is only armed because we're away from home – you've seen what's out here."
Caroline's eyes widened as Alicia spoke. She looks down, and then she looks up and asks, "Where is the doctor from? Her name, it sounds Irish, but her accent sounds more like London. I do not believe I have ever seen a Londoner or Irishwoman with such coloring. Do you know of her family?"
Alicia blinks at the question, not sure how to respond. Elisabeth lets her off the hook, though. "Sri Lankan. My background is Sri Lankan." She comes over and sits on the bed next to Caroline. "I was born and raised in London, but the hospitals and medical schools I went to and worked in were in the United States."
Now Caroline blinks. "America?"
"Yes." Elisabeth nods. "That is where I met my husband, Jim, and gained my Irish last name." She holds up a small scanner. "This won't hurt at all. I'm just going to touch it to your skin briefly, and then run it up and down hovering over you."
She nods, but she looks very nervous. Appearing to try to distract herself, she looks at Alicia. "And you, Lieutenant? What of your family?"
Alicia winces slightly. "My parents are long gone. I also grew up in the states, but I was mostly on my own by fourteen." She looks at Elisabeth. "How does she look?"
"Good. No viruses or infections, but we'll need to destroy her clothing to be on the safe side." She looks at Caroline, who appears shocked. "I'm sorry, my dear. I know this is likely very difficult for you to absorb. I think you're very close to the age of my daughter Maddy. I'd hate to think of her in this position."
Alicia stands, and, in what appears to be an automatic response, Caroline stands as well. Shaking her head and smiling, Alicia motions to the bed. "You can keep your seat. Elisabeth, I'm going to go call this into Nathaniel. I'm guessing he'll have the Bug around too, so it might take a while."
"A bug? Nathaniel?" The girl sinks back down, looking more confused.
Alicia and Elisabeth exchange a quick smile. Alicia puts a hand on Caroline's shoulder. "The Bug is my little girl's nickname. Strange, I know. Her name is Gracie, and she's three. Nathaniel, Nathaniel Taylor, is my husband, but he's also the leader of our people and the head of the military," she looks back at Elisabeth, "I'll be back as quickly as I can."
As Alicia walks away, she has to swallow a laugh at the next stream of questions from their young guest. "She is a mother? And her husband is your leader? And I thought she said her name was Washington, but she said the leader's name is Taylor? And is she not too old to have a child so young?"
She's tempted to stand in the hallway and listen Elisabeth attempt to respond to those – especially that last one – but she knows she needs to call Nathaniel. As she heads for communications, she hears Carter's voice. "Wash!"
She turns to see him hurrying towards her. She beckons to him to walk with her. "Carter, shouldn't you be with our patient?"
"He's stable, and the blood transfusion is helping considerably. He's OK. But Wash," he takes her arm, getting her to stop and look at him, "What the hell do you think this means?"
She sighs. "I don't know, Carter. They may be the only ones to come through. But the man Reynolds and Dunham are bringing back was armed and looked to be wearing a uniform of some sort, and to be honest, Caroline hasn't asked about him."
"Caroline?"
"Caroline Mary Ashford, our guest," before he can ask, she goes on, "She's scared and confused, but outside of cuts and bruises, she seems all right. I'm keeping it to women right now because, if my guess is right just based on her clothes and on the pistol the man had, she's from late 18th or early 19th century England," she gives him a self-deprecating half-smile, "I've read enough Jane Austen to know that the societal norms were very different back then, especially with gender roles. Elisabeth and I have already blown her mind by being a doctor and being in charge, respectively."
He holds up his hands. "OK. But you know we're going to be around her for the ride back, right?"
She nods. "I do. I just want to give her a little time, Carter. Now if you'll excuse me, I get to go try to explain this to Nathaniel."
Carter laughs. "Have fun with that, little sister. Tell him I said hi."
She shoots an obscene gesture at him, making him laugh harder. Grinning and shaking her head, she keeps going towards communications. A short time later, she hears Nathaniel's voice over the line. "How are things there, Alicia? I assume that since we're just now hearing from you, you won't be heading back until the morning?"
"Affirmative, Nathaniel. We needed to transfuse Doctor Scott to get him stabilized, but…" she hesitates, not even sure how to explain her afternoon.
"What is it, Alicia?" His voice suddenly sounds concerned.
She takes a deep breath. "You know those crates of stuff from other times in Earth's history?"
"Yes. I haven't thought about those in a long time. What about them?"
"I have an idea about how some of that stuff got here, and I have an idea of when and where they came from."
"That's cryptic, but I'll bite. What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking they came from early 19th century England. I'm thinking that because we found a few more…things…from that time."
"What did you find and where?"
"It was in the woods north of the outpost, heading towards the Badlands, and we found a dead man, his flintlock pistol, and the woman I think he was chasing."
"What makes you think he was chasing her?"
"I don't know, but I'm going to ask her soon."
"What? She's alive?" His voice is full of disbelief.
"And kicking, so to speak. She's young, maybe twenty, very proper, very scared, even more confused, and her name is Caroline Mary Ashford."
"OK, Alicia. I need you to start at the beginning."
She does, and almost fifteen minutes later, he blows out a breath. "That poor girl. Even if we could find the portal she came through, I doubt we could re-engineer the technology to send her home."
"I need to find out if that man was chasing her, Nathaniel, because if he was…"
"More might follow, if only by accident."
"Yes. They wouldn't pose a tactical risk to us unless about a thousand of them came through, but they do pose biological risk. There were diseases back then that we don't even immunize for anymore, Nathaniel. Things that we'd eradicated decades ago. Miss Ashford is clean, but we're going to burn her clothes. Mark and Dunham are bringing back the man's body, as we'll need to test and then destroy that too." She rubs the back of her neck with one hand. "What are we going to do with her, Nathaniel?"
"We'll find someone to take her in for now. I have one idea."
"The Shannons."
He chuckles. "Great minds think alike. They know how to handle young people, and since Josh moved in with Hunter, Max and Tasha and Maddy married Reynolds, they have an empty room. Mention it to the doc, and I'll get Shannon and Guz here to brief them. After that, we'll have to talk to her more, see if there's anything she'd like to learn to do."
She nods and changes topics. "How was Gracie this morning?"
He sighs. "She didn't like that you weren't here when she woke up, but I promised her a bedtime story tonight. I pretty much told her you'd be back tomorrow, so it would just be a good surprise if you got back tonight. She's at school now, went surprisingly easily."
"OK. I'll get the video feed set up for tonight. We've been reading The Velveteen Rabbit at bedtime, and I have it on my plex. I'll read more of it to her tonight."
"Can I listen too?" She can almost hear the smile in his voice.
"If you behave." She smiles too.
"Will do my best. See you tonight, Alicia. Love you."
"Love you too, Nathaniel. Washington out."
A short time later, she finds the young woman, Caitlin, sitting on her bunk in a section of a large sleeping area set aside for women. Miss Cartwright, who Alicia thinks is named Leah, is also there, stretched out on her own bunk and cradling her injured arm. They look up when she approaches, both moving to stand. Alicia holds up her hands, motioning to them to stay down.
"First, Miss Cartwright, Leah, I'm guessing you've heard about our guest?"
The young woman nods. "The corporal came and told us. I'm so glad I said something."
Alicia smiles a little. "So am I. Thank you for doing so. She'd surely be dead if she'd been out there on her own much longer. She's definitely not from a more modern time – what kind of clothes do the two of you have? We need to destroy hers just in case she brought any bacteria or viruses with her. It's probably too late anyway, but we don't want to bring anything dangerous back to Terra Nova. I'm guessing no one has a dress, which is what I imagine she'd prefer, but do you have anything that isn't terribly fitted and will cover her up well? She's about the same size as both of you."
Caitlin sits up straighter. "I have some soft sweats and a long-sleeved t-shirt. We'll have to see what we can do about shoes. I'm a 7, and I have some trainers she could use." She jumps up to pull out the clothing, clean underwear and a pair of socks as well as what looks like a toiletry bag.
Leah pipes in, "I'm an 8, and I also have some trainers with me."
Caitlin gathers the two pairs of shoes to try and hands them along with the other items to Alicia. "Though it might freak her out, maybe she'd want a shower? My soap, shampoo, comb and brush are in there, and there are towels in the restroom."
"Thanks, Caitlin. I'll get this back to you later."
"No problem, Lieutenant. Can we," she hesitates, "Can we come by and see her later?"
"We'll see. I don't want to overwhelm her, because if we take her back to Terra Nova tomorrow, it's going to be a lot."
"Yes ma'am. Just let us know?"
Alicia nods. "I will. Thank you both." She heads back to the small bedroom where Elisabeth is with Caroline, stopping to find Reynolds along the way to ask him to set up the video for her call to Gracie later.
The door to the room where Elisabeth and Caroline are is closed, so Alicia raps lightly on it. Elisabeth calls out to ask who it is, and when Alicia identifies herself, she hears a quiet, "Come in."
Alicia enters, turning and closing the door behind her. She sees that Elisabeth has set up a curtained area, and Elisabeth emerges with a sack in hand. "All of her tests are clear. She's not carrying anything that will harm us." She holds up the sack. "Her dress and underthings. She's wrapped up in a big blanket right now."
"Do you want to take them to Mark? I have clothes for her and things she can use to shower if she wants to."
Elisabeth nods. "She's pretty upset. I had to tell her about the portal and that…"
"We probably can't get her home?"
Elisabeth looks troubled. "Yes. Poor thing is in shock, I think."
Alicia puts a comforting hand on her arm. "OK. Go ahead. Can you get all the men except Carter and Doctor Scott the other end of the outpost? I don't want her to have to deal with seeing men when I take her to the bathroom. Just tell Carter to keep the door shut next door."
Elisabeth turns to go, but she stops, her voice soft. "Alicia?" At Alicia's questioning look, she goes on, "When we get back, with Josh moved out, we can, I mean, I have to talk to Jim, but…she's not even eighteen, Alicia."
Alicia reaches out and hugs Elisabeth to her. "Nathaniel and I both thought of that too. We were hoping you'd be willing."
"I am. Jim will take one look at her, and he will be too. She'll remind him of Maddy." She steps away. "She reminds me of Maddy. So curious and innocent. And Zoe will love her. I'll get the men moved and go call Jim. I'm sure Taylor has briefed him by now."
Turning, Alicia approaches the curtained area. "Caroline?"
The girl sniffles. "Come in, Lieutenant."
Alicia comes in with the clothes and other items. "Caroline, I told you to call me Alicia. The title isn't necessary. Alicia or Wash, short for Washington, is fine."
She's looking down. "I cannot go home, can I? That is what Doctor Shannon said."
Alicia squats down in front of her, and she looks up to meet Alicia's eyes, her face streaked with tears. A wave of maternal protectiveness washes over Alicia. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I wish we could do it, but we don't know where your portal was, when it will open again, or how to make it go the other way."
Alicia moves to sit next to her and is surprised when the girl whimpers a little and turns to hug Alicia. "What am I going to do? I do not want to be a burden."
"Don't worry about that. We'll help you find something to do, and we'll find you a place to live, likely with a family."
"With you?"
Alicia's heart breaks a little, and she's also surprised at how much the girl has taken to her. "Likely not, sweetie, only because we don't have the space. Our home is only two bedrooms, one for us and the other for Gracie."
"I understand." She sits up straighter and wipes at her eyes. "I am sorry. I usually am more composed."
Alicia laughs quietly. "I can't imagine being even a little composed in your situation." She stands up. "I have Elisabeth clearing the men out. I don't have a skirt or dress for you, but I found some clothes from one of the other women that are modest. We'll have to work on shoes for you, not sure what size you need. Now, would you like to get cleaned up? And do you need to use a bathroom?"
The girl nods and gathers her blanket around herself. Alicia picks up the clothing and motions to her to follow. As they walk, the girl huffs out a breath. "Lieut-, er, Wash, what is a bathroom?"
Alicia's laugh is louder this time. "I'll show you."
Forty-five minutes later, Alicia leads a freshly scrubbed and dressed Caroline towards the kitchen. Elisabeth is there, preparing some food for the three of them. She looks up when they enter, smiling. "The others got themselves some food and retreated to the barracks."
Caroline looks embarrassed. "It is all right. The others can come in, including the young men. I imagine I will have to get accustomed to being around them, will I not?"
Alicia nods. "You will. We're a little outnumbered in the colony, but not by too much."
Elisabeth motions to a dining table. "You two sit. I just made some sandwiches from what was in the kitchen, and there are some cookies and some fruit." Alicia gets them each a glass of water and goes to the table, followed by Caroline.
The tray of food Elisabeth brings over is large and well-loaded, and there are four plates and silverware. "Elisabeth, how hungry do you think we are?"
She laughs as she fixes herself a plate. "I'm taking mine to go. I thought the first male we could let her talk to should be Carter. He's been sitting with Doctor Scott all day, and I imagine he's hungry. And being around you," she nods to Caroline, "Will keep him from acting too grumpy."
Alicia smiles. "Good idea. Thanks, Elisabeth."
"Anytime, dears." She takes her plate and goes.
After preparing a plate for each of them, Alicia almost laughs out loud at the way Caroline eyes the food suspiciously. "It's just meat, bread, some lettuce and probably a spread of some kind. It's good, I promise. And at least the fruit is apple. I'm guessing you've seen apples?"
Caroline gives her a small smile and nod, so Alicia picks up her sandwich and takes a bite. Once again, Caroline looks shocked. Alicia puts her sandwich down, and, after wiping her mouth, explains, "You pick it up with your hands, but if you prefer, you can try to use the knife and fork. Might be a little challenging, though."
Alicia goes back to her sandwich, and out of the corner of her eye, she sees Caroline do the same, taking a dainty bite. She almost laughs when she sees the young woman's eyes widen slightly before taking a larger bite and then another. "Good?"
Caroline blushes lightly and nods. "I did not realize how hungry I was. I cannot even recall the last time I ate."
Alicia puts her food down again. "Caroline, can I ask you something?"
"Certainly. With all you have done for me, I owe you nothing less than candor."
"Wow. If we get this one together with the middle Shannon, they'll vastly improve our grammar." The women both jump slightly at the sound of a man's voice, Caroline drawing herself in and leaning towards Alicia as they both look up to see Carter standing there.
He obviously notices the girl's reaction, as he holds his hands up in a conciliatory manner. "I'm sorry, ladies. I didn't mean to startle you. I do that to Skye all the time too. If I do it more than once in a day, I know I'll spend that night relegated to the couch." He approaches the table and gives a little bow. "Miss Ashford, I'm Carter Mitchell. You can just call me Carter."
Alicia motions to the chair, shaking her head in irritation as she puts a reassuring hand on Caroline's back. "You and Nathaniel. I keep telling him that if he doesn't stop sneaking up on me, I'm going to put a bell on him. He knows I'm bluffing, though, since he's been doing it for over twenty years."
Carter chuckles and takes a sandwich. He looks over at Caroline. "I really am sorry for startling you, Miss Ashford. I didn't mean to."
"Please do not worry, I am fine." She smiles hesitantly. "Who is Skye? Such a lovely name."
He grins. "Skye is the poor girl who was crazy enough to become my wife last year. You'll meet her when we go back to the colony. She works in the clinic with Doc Shannon."
"Is she also a physician?"
He shakes his head. "No, at least not yet. We don't have formal medical schools and stuff like that anymore, but she's sort of apprenticing with the doc. I think she wants to become a doctor at some point, though."
"Do you have any children?" Alicia smiles a little, glad that the young woman is relaxing a little and also enjoying the uncomfortable look on Carter's face.
"Not yet. Hopefully soon." He winks at Alicia, and she rolls her eyes.
As Carter grabs some food for himself, Alicia gets serious again. "Caroline, especially now that Carter's here, I did have some questions for you." At the girl's curious expression, Alicia explains, "Carter and I are both trained as what we call field medics – we can triage and provide emergency medical treatment when we're away from home, trained mainly for battle situations, but we're both part of security for the colony."
She looks a little confused, but after a moment, she nods. "Ask your questions, Lieutenant."
"The man we found. He looked to be an officer of some sort. Who was he, Caroline?"
"Was? He is dead, then?" At Alicia's nod, she sighs. "He was a constable from Falmouth, in Cornwall."
"And how did you both end up here? What was happening right before you found yourself here?" Alicia presses her gently, but tears still spring to the girl's eyes.
"He was chasing me. I ran, ran to the beach, thinking to throw myself into the sea. I instead found myself in the forest." Her voice is barely a whisper.
Carter puts his food down, and he and Alicia trade a worried glance. Alicia puts a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Caroline, what was going on? Start at the beginning."
She takes a shaky breath and looks down at the table. "I am almost eighteen. My mother passed when I was a young child, and my father raised me alone. He was a professor at Oxford, a teacher of the sciences. I spent most of my childhood in his office or the library." She wipes away a few tears. "He passed last year, and my extended family, a rather horrid aunt, was attempting to force me into marriage with my third cousin."
She looks up at them, blinking. "He was even more horrid than my aunt, more than twenty-five years my senior, lecherous and a drunk. He always smelt of whisky. But he had money, and my aunt was convinced that I should be married off so that they need not support me."
She looks back down. "I refused. I told them I would rather work as a governess or tutor for my entire life and die a spinster than marry that awful man. He did not like my response. He came to my father's house where I was still residing with our housekeeper and butler, and he attempted to assault me." Her voice is back to a whisper. "I ran from him, ran towards the stables thinking to take my horse and escape him."
Alicia sees Carter's hands ball into fists, and she puts a restraining hand on his arm. "Caroline, what happened to get you targeted by the constables?"
"He was inebriated. He chased me into the stables, followed closely by the housekeeper and butler. He was running, and he fell, impaling himself on a pitchfork we used for the hay for the animals. He died there. It was awful, but the constable believed us that it was an accident."
She takes a deep breath, and Alicia waits to see if she goes on. After a moment, she does. "But then, his family got involved, and they insisted that I hated him and must have lured him to his death somehow. They were very rich, and I believe it possible that they bribed the constables. I was terrified. My housekeeper was in town and heard the constables talking, and she came home immediately. She and the butler, also her husband, sent me to their family in Cornwall, at Falmouth."
"A few weeks after I arrived, the constable you saw came. I ran away, as I said, intending to throw myself into the sea." She looks back up with more tears in her eyes. "I did not intend to harm him, I swear. I just did not want him as my husband. I had no one left, nowhere to go. Please believe me."
Alicia hugs her awkwardly from the chair she sits in. "I do, we do, Caroline."
Carter's voice is nearly a growl when he asks, "He didn't hurt you, did he? You said he tried. Did he succeed?"
"No, I swear, he did not. I have not been shamed in that way."
"Shamed?" Alicia pulls back in surprise. "Caroline, if he had, the only shame would be his, not yours. In our time, if a man forces himself upon a woman, it is the man who will become the shamed, not the victim. He would also spend some quality time in jail."
"Truly?" The young woman looks relieved.
Carter nods. "Truly. And he'd only make it to jail if someone didn't kill…"
"Carter!" Alicia cuts him off, releasing Caroline and thumping Carter on the arm.
He shrugs and rubs his arm where she hit him. "What? You know it's true."
"Just because something is true doesn't mean you have to broadcast it!"
Caroline giggles, making them both look at her in surprise. She grins, the first full smile they've seen from her. "Are the two of you siblings? Though you do not favor one another, you quarrel as if you are brother and sister."
Alicia rolls her eyes while Carter smirks. She shakes her head. "Sometimes we definitely act like we are."
They sit and talk for a while until Alicia sits up and looks at her watch. "Damn, I need to go call Terra Nova."
Carter grins. "Story time?"
With a nod, Alicia stands. "Yes. We're reading The Velveteen Rabbit. Carter, can you walk Caroline to her room?"
The girl pipes up, "May I come with you? I do not want to impose, but I love to hear reading aloud. My father used to read to me."
Alicia thinks for a moment. "Yes, but you'll need to stay out of sight at least at first. I don't know what Nathaniel told Gracie about you, if anything."
She smiles again. "Thank you, and thank you, Mr. Mitchell, for sharing our table."
"You're very welcome, Miss Ashford, but please, call me Carter."
She blushes slightly. "I apologize. I am used to formality, no matter how awkward it is. I will call you Carter if you call me Caroline."
He nods and actually pats the young woman on the shoulder. "Deal, Caroline." He looks at Alicia. "Tell the Bug Uncle Carter says good night."
"Will do." Alicia motions to Caroline. "Come with me."
A few minutes later, Alicia is in front of the video feed, Caroline off to her right. She flips a few switches and the screen comes to life. She hears Caroline's intake of breath and has to swallow a smile. She'd explained the video as best as she could, but it was pretty far out of the girl's realm of understanding.
Suddenly, a miniature near-carbon copy of Alicia appears, her blue eyes wide and curly black hair up in pigtails. "Mama!" She shakes a tiny finger at the camera. "You weft without saying good-bye to Gwacie. Not very nice!"
Alicia stifles a laugh, and she tries to look remorseful. "I know, Bug, but it was really early, and you and Auntie Laura were still asleep."
She crosses her little arms and huffs out a dramatic breath. "Dat's what Daddy said too."
"See, Bug, I told you." Alicia smiles as she hears Nathaniel's drawl, and he picks Gracie up and puts her in his lap. "How are things out there, Alicia?"
As Gracie giggles, Alicia looks over and sees Caroline's eyes transfixed on the screen. She looks back at Nathaniel and Gracie. "They're OK, Nathaniel. Did you tell the Bug?"
He nods. "I told her you made a new friend for us."
"Mama, I talk to her? Gwacie wike new fuh-riends." Gracie literally bounces in Nathaniel's lap.
Alicia grins, and she looks over to see Caroline with a small smile on her face. She winks at Nathaniel and inclines her head slightly towards Caroline, and he nods, clearly getting her meaning. "Well today is your lucky day, little Bug." She turns the camera so that it focuses on both of them.
Gracie's eyes get even wider, if that's possible. "Hi new fuh-riend! I'm Gwace Ai, um, Ai-ani, Taywor. You very pwetty! What's your name?"
The girl smiles shyly. "Thank you, and I am Caroline Mary Ashford, Miss Grace. You are very pretty too, with hair just like your mother's."
Gracie nods solemnly. "Yes. But my eyes are wike Daddy's."
Looking directly at Nathaniel for the first time, she says, "Yes, I see that Miss Grace. Sir."
"Miss Ashford, feel free to call me Taylor. Most people do." His smile is gentle, as if he can sense how shy she is. "Welcome to the very distant past, young lady."
"Thank you, sir, er, Taylor. I am grateful to your people for being so kind to me and for saving me in the woods."
"Mama, stowy time! Pwease?"
Alicia chuckles, not surprised that Gracie is ready for the story, as it's very nearly her bedtime. "All right, little Bug. Now where were we?"
Gracie sits up straight. "The skin horse!"
"That's right," she and Nathaniel exchange a smile before Alicia begins to read. "The Skin Horse had lived longer in the nursery than any of the others. He was so old that his brown coat was bald in patches and showed the seams underneath, and most of the hairs in his tail had been pulled out to string bead necklaces. He was wise, for he had seen a long succession of mechanical toys arrive to boast and swagger, and by-and-by break their mainsprings and pass away, and he knew that they were only toys, and would never turn into anything else. For nursery magic is very strange and wonderful, and only those playthings that are old and wise and experienced like the Skin Horse understand all about it…"
Alicia sees Caroline curl up in her chair, listening intently, and Gracie does the same in Nathaniel's lap. Twenty minutes later, both of the girls are asleep. Alicia marks the spot and powers down her plex. She looks at Nathaniel and says softly, "I'm going to get this one to bed, and then I'm going to type up a report on my plex. There are things you need to know, as more could follow. Will there be someone on call to forward it to you?"
He nods. "Yes. I'll alert them to watch for it. I'll miss you tonight, Alicia."
She smiles and offers quietly, "I'll miss you too. I love you, Nathaniel. Good night."
"Love you too, Alicia. Good night. Terra Nova out."
She powers down the equipment and turns to see a sleepy looking Caroline watching her. "He is not what I expected. I expected someone hard and cold, as with the military men I have known. He is not."
"You're right. He isn't. But don't tell anyone. He has kind of a scary reputation, and he likes it that way – helps keep the young soldiers in line." Alicia helps her up, and they head towards the room where they had Caroline earlier. Carter and Elisabeth are staying with Doctor Scott, so Alicia and Caroline will have the room to themselves while the others bunk down in the barracks.
As they near the room after another bathroom break, Caroline asks, "He is older than you are. How long have you known him?"
Alicia smiles a little. "Since I was your age. It's been over twenty years." They enter their room, and Alicia kicks off her boots and sits on an empty bed. Caroline removes her shoes too and slips under the blanket on her bed.
"But your child, she is three?" She looks confused.
"When I first met Nathaniel, he was married. For years, I was more like a member of his family than anything else. He and his wife, Ayani, just kind of adopted me." Before Caroline can ask, Alicia says, "Ayani was killed over fifteen years ago. Their son, Lucas, is also gone. Nathaniel and I have loved each other for some time, but we've only been married for a little over four years."
"Little Gracie is named for his late wife, is she not?"
"Yes, for Ayani and for my mother, Grace." The girl's eyes are closing rapidly, so Alicia gets up and turns out the lights, so that the only illumination in the room is Alicia's plex. She sits back down and watches the girl sleep for a moment, and then she quickly types out the report for Nathaniel, recounting Caroline's story and getting angry all over again. She notes in the report that she's concerned that people searching for the dead constable might find themselves here.
She sends the encrypted report to Reynolds and asks him to send it to Nathaniel and asks him to let the female scientists to come by to meet Caroline in the morning. She gets a message a moment later that he's doing so, so Alicia settles down to sleep.
A few hours later, she's awakened by a whimpering sound. She sits up, blinking, almost jumping out of her skin when she sees Caroline standing there, face streaked with tears and the blanket around her soldiers. "I am sorry, I had a terrible dream. My cousin, the one who died, was here and trying again to force himself upon me. May I move my bed nearer to yours?"
Alicia's heart breaks again, but instead of saying yes, she scoots over in her own bed and lifts the covers. "Come here."
The girl blinks a few times, but then she scrambles into the bed, practically burrowing into Alicia's side. Alicia wraps her arms around her, and within seconds she feels her relax into sleep. After a long while just sliding a comforting hand through the girl's hair, Alicia falls back to sleep, fantasizing about doing great bodily harm to the people who treated this innocent child badly.