Chapter FOUR

EJ pointed the gun at the door, prepared to eliminate any threats to his or the Sister's safety.

Tosh stepped into the room and held his hands up in a gesture of surrender, quirking his lips. "Was it something I said?" Suddenly, his eyes widened and his face fell, "Oh god, don't tell me she's up and died on us and now we've got the clergy on our tail as well!"

Sister Mary Agnes crossed her arms and glared at Tosh. "I hope ya don't mean me and all?"

Tosh's head snapped round to the nun sitting on his bed. "Oh she's alive!" he exclaimed, looking up to the heavens with heartfelt gratitude, "God doesn't hate me after all!"

Sister Mary Agnes put an unsteady hand to her chest. "Did ya not tink dat would be da case? Do a lot of women not leave dis place alive?"

EJ lowered his gun and gave Tosh a pointed look. "I was just telling the good Sister she is completely safe with us."

Tosh plastered a nervous grin on his face. "Oh yes, the safest of the safe, you couldn't be more safe, that's how safe you are right now with us-"

"Stop talking Tosh."

Tosh blew out a relieved breath. "Thank you." He grabbed EJ's arm and gave his opinion of the situation in a loud whisper. "Newspapers and zebras!"

Sister Mary Agnes frowned. "What did he say?"

EJ waved a hand at her. "It's not important. Sister Mary Agnes I'd like you to meet an old and occasionally lucid friend of mine, James McIntosh."

Tosh gave an awkward little bow. "At your service Sister, and you can call me Tosh, everyone does." He looked over at EJ. "And I couldn't find any ice."

"It's alright; our guest seems to have come good without it."

Sister Mary Agnes gave him an interested look. "You're Scottish."

EJ couldn't help himself from teasing his friend. "The accent is worse when he's stressed... or drunk. Guess which one he is now?"

Tosh threw EJ a displeased look then turned his attention back to Sister Mary Agnes. "I am indeed Scottish, Sister and proud of it, but I was educated in England."

"Sister Mary Agnes comes to us from the Little Sisters of the Compassionate Heart in Zurich, Tosh."

Tosh gave her a considered look. "You're a long way from home."

"I'm doin' da Lord's work."

Tosh gave EJ a sideways look who helped fill in the blanks. "She's looking for a man."

Tosh blanched. "Can nuns do that? Boy, things have changed since my time at the orphanage, chasing down men was rather frowned on then."

"Not in that way, idiot. She has a message to deliver to him that his mother has passed away. It was his mother's dying wish and the Sister is intent on honouring that wish."

"Alone?" asked Tosh in disbelief.

"Oh no Tosh," said EJ straight faced, "She has the Lord with her."

Sister Mary Agnes put her hands on her hips and glared at EJ. "Are ya mockin' me and Our Heavenly Father?"

"I wouldn't dare."

"Maybe ya know him?" She dove in the folds of her habit, drawing out a scratched black and white photograph.

EJ stepped forward and accepted the picture and studied the grainy picture of the smiling blonde man who looked to be in his early twenties. "Who did he fight with?"

"He was in da Duke of Cornwell's light infantry, da second battalion. You said you were in da war – perhaps ya may know of him?"

"No, I don't, I'm sorry Sister. Tosh?" EJ handed the picture to his friend who looked at it carefully. "We were stationed near the Somme for most of the war. I believe those chaps were nearer to Belgium from memory."

"No, doesn't ring any bells," said Tosh slowly, "but we were in the Royal Flying Corp and didn't have much to do with the ground oinks."

"Dey let da likes of you two fly planes?"

Tosh chuckled. "And no one was more surprised than we were, and we only lost three of their planes so I think they did quite well out of us."

"Four," EJ corrected him absently, taking back the picture and looking at it again. So this was the man that had this little nun traipsing all over the countryside looking for him. EJ hoped he was worth that kind of devotion from both his mother and this woman.

"That fourth one didn't count," argued Tosh, "We brought the plane home."

"With a wing missing, no engine and no landing gear."

"Still doesn't count. That plane wasn't lost – just streamlined."

Sister Mary Agnes shook her head. "How did da two of ya survive da war?"

"Friends in low places and being drunk an incredible amount of the time," Tosh informed her happily.

EJ was still staring at the picture. "So you said this William person-"

"Lewis, William Lewis."

"Mm, this Lewis character was meant to be in Bratislava after the war according to his mother. Why are you looking for him in Budapest, Sister?"

She gave a regretful sigh. "He'd moved on when I arrived. I asked around and was told he was headin' ta Constantinople. I was on da way to dere as well but thought I should ask along da way in case he changed his mind and stopped at any of da places."

"You're looking for a needle in a haystack you realise that, don't you? People come to these places to disappear and there is a reason for that. Perhaps this William Lewis of yours doesn't want to be found? How long are you going to continue on this fool's errand if that turns out to be the case?"

"Steady on, old boy," said Tosh, looking at the Sister nervously.

EJ scowled. "Well someone has to tell her she is being a damn stubborn fool. You're just lucky you haven't met a nasty end already, Sister."

Sister Mary Agnes' chin went up in defiance. "I don't fear death, Mr DiMera."

"There are worse things than death, Sister, as you were about to find out about that in the alleyway if Tosh and I hadn't come along."

She waved a hand at him and his concerns. "But you did so dere is nothin' more ta say on da matter."

EJ looked over at Tosh in disbelief, who just gave a helpless shrug. He opened his mouth and closed it again several times before the words finally came. "Those men could still be after you, you're not safe."

"I'm stayin' at da Sisters of Mercy tonight and den will be boardin' da Orient Express for Constantinople. I don't see myself crossin' paths wit does men again in dat time."

Tosh snapped his fingers. "Did you know they've just opened up another Orient Express line in April? It does a more southerly route from Calais to Constantinople and missing Bucharest completely. It's called the Simplon Orient Express and is apparently quite popular." Both EJ and Sister Mary Agnes stared at Tosh for that essentially redundant piece of information. Tosh gave a weak smile. "Just thought it was interesting." He grabbed EJ's arm again and tugged his ear down to his level so he could whisper hoarsely in it. "What are you doing? You're not responsible for this woman. Let the little penguin leave already, the whole thing has nothing to do with us."

EJ shook his arm free, his attention back on Sister Mary Agnes. "Look, to continue on with this would be nothing short of madness, Sister. You need to turn yourself around and head back to Zurich right away."

Her eyes went wide. "And who are ya ta be tellin' me what ta do?"

"The man who is trying to save your pretty little neck!"

"My neck is no concern of da likes of you, Mr DiMera! And I'll tank you ta keep ya opinions ta yourself on da matter!"

Tosh began to wring his hands. "Okay, everyone is shouting now. Perhaps we should all just calm down, eh?" He gave EJ a warning look. "It's bad luck to yell at a nun."

"I should imagine it is even worse luck to let the little idiot go off and get herself killed!"

Sister Mary Agnes scrambled off the bed and glared fiercely up at EJ. "Oh I'm an idjit is it now?" In her bare feet she really had to crane her neck to look up at him. "And why would I be listen' to da like of you about anytin'? Look at ya! Ya-ya look like a mangy dog, ya do!"

EJ bit back. "I've been out of polite society for a bit. You'll have to excuse me, Sister!"

"Prison," Tosh supplied.

EJ glared at him. "Unhelpful."

"But accurate."

Sister Mary Agnes took a step backwards, looking between them. "Why were ya in prison?"

"A misunderstanding."

"Stealing."

"I'm not loving this sudden penchant for the truth, Tosh. Where was this willingness to share when I was being dragged off to prison exactly?"

"You know what they say old boy, silence is golden."

"They also say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing." To demonstrate EJ threw a nearby book at Tosh's head, taking his cue from Sister Mary Agnes.

Tosh was too slow to react and the thing hit him square in the face. "Steady on, old boy!" Tosh looked down at the book on the floor as he rubbed his nose. "I haven't finished reading that yet."

Sister Mary Agnes sucked in a horrified breath. "So you're a violent tief; I might have known! And you'd raise ya hand against ya own friend!"

Tosh gave an approving nod. "You tell him, Sister."

EJ snorted unsympathetically. "It was just a book; I've seen the man take an entire goose in the face when he flew directly into a flock of the buggers on one of our missions."

Sister Mary Agnes looked wide eyed at Tosh.

"It did sting a bit," Tosh admitted and then patted his stomach, "Mind you; we all ate well that night."

"And speaking of books, it seems like we're judging them by their covers, hmm Sister?" EJ put his hands on his hips. "And if that is the case, I'm not going to be too bothered by the opinion of an uptight, judgemental little twit who doesn't know good advice when she hears it!"

Tosh put a hand to his face. "And we're all shouting again. How about everyone just calms down?"

Sister Mary Agnes drew herself up to her full height and ignoring EJ she addressed Tosh. "Tank ya for da safe haven of ya house, Mr McIntosh, but I must be goin' now."

EJ draw dropped at being so summarily dismissed.

A grin split Tosh's face. "Oh, what a jolly shame and we were all having such fun. I'll call you a cab, eh?"

oooOOOOooo

EJ and Tosh walked up the stairs back to the apartment, having deposited Sister Mary Agnes in a local taxi.

Tosh blew out a relieved breath. "Well thank goodness that is over and done with."

EJ pouted. "Did you see the look she gave me when she got in the cab? Completely unwarranted considering I was the one to pull her bacon out of the fire in the first place." Annoying little woman – he didn't care if she was a nun – some people couldn't buy good sense.

Tosh sent his friend an amused look. "A woman who doesn't fall at your feet in adoration – how trying for you, it's all I can do not to burst into tears of sympathy, old boy."

EJ ignored Tosh's sarcasm. "And what right does a nun having being that beautiful anyway? Everything about this is just so wrong." He stopped at the second floor of the stairwell and looked out into the street.

Tosh came to stand beside him. "What are you looking at?"

"I don't know. I rather felt like we were being watched just then. I thought I saw the reflection of a man watching us load our ungrateful houseguest into the cab in a nearby window."

"Really, are you sure?"

EJ made a frustrated face. "No, when I turned around, no one was there."

"Well I don't see anyone. But after our little run in with Anghel and his boys perhaps we should take a little jaunt out of the city for a week or so, let things cool down a bit?"

EJ gave a grunt. "Maybe."

"I'm just glad she is no longer our responsibility," said Tosh breezily as they continued up the next flight of stairs and back into his apartment, "I feel like I've aged ten years in her presence, funny little thing she was."

"Did you find anything strange about her story?"

Once in his apartment, Tosh immediately headed towards his secret stash of semi top shelf liquor and poured them both a big drink. "Everything related to the clergy is bound to be strange," Tosh reasoned, handing EJ his drink. "I mean who in their right mind takes a vow of both poverty and chastity? It's pure madness. If you're rich you can live without sex and if you're getting sex you don't care about being poor but to willingly relinquish both-". Tosh gave a little shudder. "Inconceivable." He downed his drink in a noisy gulp.

EJ didn't join him. "What kind of order allows a young woman to go traipsing all over war torn countries on her own?"

"I think there would be an easier answer to that question if at least one of us was drunk. How about I take that particular bullet, eh, old boy?" He poured himself another drink while EJ just stood there looking at his.

"I mean it's just odd, right? Her story, the whole thing – tell me you think it was odd too, Tosh."

"I have no opinion on the subject. All of those who devote themselves to such ideals are an enigma to me and I wish to keep it that way thank you very much."

"But surely she must understand how dangerous this is?"

"Oh no," said Tosh, sitting down heavily on his chair and looking up at EJ, "Not again."

"What are you talking about?"

"I've seen that look before," said Tosh unhappily, "It was the same look that convinced me to come with you to take another look for those German trenches."

"And we found them."

"Yes, but then I promptly got shot down! You got me shot EJ!"

EJ gave a dismissive shrug of his shoulders. "You caught some shrapnel in your ass."

Tosh sucked in an offended breath. "I was injured and behind enemy lines!"

"And I came looking for you behind said enemy lines, didn't I? Only, I might add, to find you in a French whore house drunk out of your mind and having the time of your life!"

Tosh gave an affectionate smile of remembrance. "Those women had healing hands they did." He waggled a figure up at EJ. "But that isn't the point."

EJ folded his arms. "No, the point is that I risked my life to save your drunken, ungrateful life and it all turned out fine."

"I am too sober to be having this conversation!" declared Tosh, grabbing for his bottle and pouring himself yet another drink. "And if you had any common sense you'd realise the same, old boy."

EJ snorted loudly. "Advice about common sense from you Tosh, I'll consider the source." He scratched his beard thoughtfully as he was again bitten by one of his unwanted passengers. "I need a bath," EJ muttered.