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Chapter 35 - Lance at Home

Jane finished up her last phone call and read over an e-mail to her clients. Satisfied, she pressed 'Send' and turned off the computer. She looked up at the window behind the computer. It had gotten dark outside on the island. The palm trees danced in the wind and the moon was covered by clouds. She looked around Lance's spare room in his flat where she worked. She couldn't believe she had just been in space, on a proper space ship, only hours ago.

She stood up, and pulled on a jumper from the back of the chair where she had been working. The evening had gotten chilly. She picked up the coffee cup that still was half full. She smiled as she remembered Lance bringing her the cup of coffee as she worked. So focused on her work, it had long since been forgotten and grown cold.

She carried the cup downstairs. Her bare feet on the steps helped her quietly move around the flat. Arles had been sleeping when she had gone upstairs, and she didn't want to wake him if was still asleep.

She heard the telly playing a football match as she stepped into the living room. Lance was sitting in the floor, leaning against the sofa. His arm was still in the sling.

Arles, lay on a thick blanket next to Lance on the tile floor. He wore a light blue sleeper and pulled his feet up to his mouth. He was coo'ing as Lance used his one hand to tickle the baby's chest. The football game forgotten, he was completely engrossed in a story he was telling Arles.

"And then, just as the ship was about to come apart around them, Legate transported John and Tony out! The ship fell apart as they departed."

Arles kicked his legs and coo'ed.

"Tony was frightened at first. Had the Vesuos transported him and John? No… John is clever. He had known all along that Legate was there. Cloaked, in the darkness of space."

Arles waved his arms and kicked his legs, playfully.

"And the next adventure will be when Rose smacks John. Oh, he's really done it now."

Jane giggled and walked into the room. "How long has he been awake?"

Lance looked up at her and smiled. "A while. We've been chatting."

Jane sat down next to Lance on the floor. "Sounds like another mad story."

He grinned at her. "Completely true. It just happened. Tony Stark is going to be surprised to hear John has destroyed his ship."

"Oh, he has not-"

"Well, it was actually a Vesuos. But, Soli is safe."

She looked surprised, "You're serious."

He looked back at her. "I'm completely serious."

"How do you know this?"

"They're all talking." He pointed at his head. "Right now, in my head. Getting everyone….where they need to be."

"Is everyone alright?"

He grinned. "Yes, they are fine. Legate has John and Tony Tyler. And Chiron, remember the short guy?"

"Like I have a lot of room to talk."

He laughed. "Maybe you are an Arov, too."

She rolled her eyes. "I doubt it."

"He's piloting an escape pod back to Lewis. Lewis is in John's ship, where we just were. Chiron has Soli, Rose and Pete Tyler. A lot of responsibility for a recruit."

She rose her eyebrow. "Rose is going to smack John?"

"He's not talking about why. I have my own ideas why, though."

Arles continued to kick his legs.

Jane smiled, "He's playful."

"Yeah. We just finished changing a nappy." Lance smiled down at his nephew.

"A nappy? How did you do that with one hand?"

Lance grinned proudly at Jane. "I'm just that good."

"You got lucky."

"Totally got lucky. Yes." Lance laughed.

She smiled as rose up on her knees and kissed his lips. "Wine?"

"You're finished?" He asked in surprise.

She stood up and walked towards the kitchen. "Yes. It really didn't take as long as I thought it would. I'm grateful everything was here."

Lance pulled his leg up and rested his arm on his knee. He watched her walk around in the small kitchen and fetch glasses and Arles a bottle.

"Everyone was very kind that I spoke to. Very understanding."

"What did you tell them?"

She opened the refrigerator and smiled. "Lance?"

"Oh, there's something for you in there."

She laughed as she pulled out a large vase that contained pink and white flowers. "This is so sweet. Thank you, Lance."

Lance looked back down at Arles. "She likes your flowers, Arles."

She smelled of them. "These are known as the national flower of Venezuela."

Lance looked back up at her and smiled, "Yes. I had to look it up. But, I won't try to pronounce it."

"Cattleya Trianae."

He smiled at her. "I love how you say that."

"They are beautiful, Lance. Thank you."

"They smell odd."

She sat the vase on the cabinet. "They smell like home. But, they need to be out of the refrigerator."

"Wherever you like, then." Lance nodded his head. "Smell like home, huh?"

She looked back at him from across the room. "How did you do this?"

He looked back down at Arles, "Shhh….don't tell her that Adriano just came back from South America for me."

Arles coo'ed and pulled his feet to his mouth.

"Thank you, Lance. You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to do that. Thank you for taking care of me."

"Well, I wanted to help you. Sometimes, you need to ask for help. And it's a hard thing for people who are so independent."

"You speak from experience."

"Absolutely." She walked into the sitting room with them and sat the wine, bottle and glasses on the floor with Lance.

She looked back at the flowers on the cabinet. "That just….looks right."

"They are lovely." Lance agreed.

"They grew all around where I lived when I was small."

"I can't imagine you small." Lance smiled.

Jane opened the bottle of wine, "That's because I'm so small now."

"No, there's another word for that."

"Petite." She giggled.

"That just….sounds strange to me. That word." Lance told her.

She picked up Arles and cradled him in her arms. She took the bottle and gave him a feed as Lance poured them both a glass of wine.

"I could do that." Lance told her.

"With one arm?" She laughed. "You're in charge of refilling wine glasses. That's a one armed job."

He nodded. "Well, let's get off of the floor then."

He stood up and helped her up. Once they were settled on the sofa together, he sipped his wine. He sat sideways on the sofa so he could watch her.

"Who's playing?" Jane asked.

He glanced back at the football game. "Oh, I don't even know. I just…had it on. "

"For a noise?" She smiled as she continued to feed Arles.

"I suppose."

She smiled at him. "I told everyone that I was not going to be available for the next two weeks. I had a family emergency arise and needed to go out of town."

He looked impressed.

"I'm curious. What would you have told them?"

"Ummm…you've had a security breach."

She giggled as she looked back at Arles. "That's exactly what Lewis said."

Lance became serious. "I realize that I've rather, forced you here-"

"You haven't forced me anywhere, Lance."

"Well, I feel…that….I should have given you the option-" He sat down his wine.

"You were unconscious." She teased.

He smiled and rubbed his forehead. "Yeah, I was."

"And, the Vesuos in my place…."

He bit his lip.

She looked back at him. "What is it?"

"I want you to be here, because you want to be here. Not because you don't have any other choice."

She nodded her head.

"I mean, does that make sense?"

She smiled, "It makes complete sense. Lance, I'm fine being here."

"It's just…" He struggled to find the words.

"You don't want me here-"

"I want you here! Don't worry about that."

"Are you looking for something to worry about?" Jane asked.

He sighed and picked back up his wine. "Maybe I am."

She giggled and looked back at Arles. He had started to go to sleep. "And this one is sleepy again."

Lance smiled at his nephew. "He's such an easy baby."

She looked back at him. "Lewis told me you are over 200 years old."

He nodded, "That's true. 218."

"So, that's a long time."

"Not really. Seems short to me."

"Have….well….have you ever been around many babies?"

He sat down his wine and put his finger where Arles could grab it again. "Well, Legate and Lenox. I helped take care of them. I remember Legate never slept. But, when he did, no one could wake him. That was nice. But, he screamed a lot. He always wanted his Mum. She died, shortly after Lenox was born. Legate became very….angry. It wasn't something he could understand."

"I imagine not. How old was he?"

Lance thought. "Ummm….he was really small. I doubt he even remembers her."

Jane nodded. "That's hard to imagine. He seems so close in age as you are."

Lance sat back and thought. "Legate is…. 87."

"87?" She asked in disbelief. "That kid?"

Lance smiled, "Well, he is a kid. Yes. And there is also another version here who is 105."

She giggled and shook her head. "Arles, your uncle speaks of such strange things."

Arles had fallen asleep. Jane took the bottle out of his mouth and handed it to Lance. He sat it on the table and handed her a glass of wine.

"Okay, I suppose, what I really am asking…."Jane started and looked back at Lance.

He rose his eyebrows. "If I have any children?"

"I'm sorry, I'm just-"

"No, that's alright. That's something you should know." He picked up his glass and began to drink it again. "Well, there was a woman. A very long time ago. We were…to make the Promise."

"So, you were engaged."

He nodded as he finished his drink. He sat it back down on the table and refilled it.

"Wow. How long ago was this?"

"A long time ago. I don't really remember a lot about it."

"How could you forget something like that?"

"I really wanted to."

"Interesting. What happened?"

"Her…boyfriend…had a problem with our engagement?"

"Oh, Lance. I'm so sorry-"

"Nah. Better it happen then, than after we had made the Promise. My brother told me about it. It was probably the hardest thing he's ever had to do."

"I imagine it was. What happened to her?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. But, there was a child, born shortly after that."

"Yours, then?"

"I honestly don't know."

"Oh, Lance. I can't imagine."

He shook his head. "The man who claimed to be his father, was a good father to him. So, I decided to not interfere. But, I never knew either. He's a grown man, now."

"Have you seen him?"

"No. The brothers have. Lewis has offered to break his leg so John can test to see if he's mine."

Jane smiled. "Well, that's….kind."

He sipped his drink. "I'm really good, not knowing."

Jane sat her wine down. "Do you ever think about having children?"

He grinned. "I try to not be seduced by the thought of it. Arles is such an easy baby. So is Samuel. But, then you also have babies like Legate. Woo. I really hope he has one…just like him."

"That sounds so mean."

He shook his head. "Oh, you just have no idea. He was such….good birth control."

She smiled and looked back at Arles.

He smiled at her. "Have you?"

She shook her head. "Not really. Arles is the first baby I've ever been around this much. They are a lot more work than I would think."

"And he's not that much work at all." Lance grinned as he sat his wine down and took Arles in his one arm.

"What are you doing?" Jane asked.

He held him in his arm. "It's alright. I'm just going to put him in his cot."

Jane sighed and curled up on the sofa with her wine. "Next time, just ask me to do that. I'm worried you're going to drop him."

Lance sat him down gently in the cot next to the sofa. "Ah. He's still really small."

She rolled her eyes as Lance sat back next to her. She finished her glass and held it out for him to refill. "How would you explain to Lewis that you dropped his son?"

"That was rather, unnerving." He admitted as he refilled her glass.

She playfully slapped his good shoulder. "Right!? Don't do that! Ask for help! Quauhtin."

He smiled as he looked at her. "You are lovely."

She ran her hand through her long, dark hair. "I probably look like hell. It's been such a long day."

"You look beautiful."

She smiled back at him. "Thank you, Lance."

"So, you don't have any appointments for two weeks?"

She nodded. "Yes. I thought that would be enough time to sort out, what I'm going to do. Lance, I really just don't even know."

"Well, I had a thought. And this is completely, up to you."

She smiled, "What?"

"I had planned this lovely, romantic evening for us tonight. But, Arles. My shoulder-"

"It's alright, Lance." She smiled.

He looked back at her and felt his heart skip a beat. She was so beautiful. Why did she even agree to spend any time with him?

She sat down her wine glass and ran her fingertips across his neck and chest. "You couldn't help that."

"I had the thought, of taking you to my place. Well, one of them."

She looked confused at him. "Lance. What are you on about? We're at your place."

"We're at my place…here. On Terra. I mean, Earth. But, I have several other places. One in particular is my favorite."

"And it's not here?"

He shook his head. "No. I have a lot of things I'm….considering, too. Sam has told me that even after I'm able to move my arm again; it will be a while before it is back to normal. I've thought about going back to spend some time there. I'd like you to join me."

"This is on another planet?" Jane smiled.

"Yes. It's not too far away. I could ask someone to borrow a ship." He held his hand out. "But, I don't want you to think I'm taking you-"

She looked at him in the eyes. "As a prisoner?"

"Oh, absolutely not." He insisted.

She moved to straddle his lap.

He cleared his throat. "You would be completely safe."

She leaned down and kissed his lips. She whispered, "What if I wanted to be your prisoner?"

He looked confused at her.

She ran her fingertips down his face and smiled. "I'm teasing you, Lance."

He smiled and held her bum with his one arm. "I wasn't sure-"

She whispered as she looked in his eyes. "Take me away, make love to me, until you get bored and decide to return here."

He told her quietly, "You are the most beautiful creature I've even seen. I'll never return if that's what it will take."

She put her palms on his face and began to kiss him. He ran his hand through her long hair.

She kissed the end of his nose. "Tell me about this medicine you are taking."

His trousers were getting tighter by the moment. He looked in her dark eyes. "What do you want to know?"

She smiled, "Do I have to run upstairs to get something? Or-"

Arles started to cry from his cot.

Lance groaned. "Arles, we're going to have to have chat."

Jane giggled and stood up. Lance grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him.

"No, no, no. Just…." He caught her lips with his.

Arles continued to cry.

Lance groaned. "We'll continue this later."

Jane smiled, "And maybe the shoulder will be better."

"Let's not wait that long."

Jane giggled as she walked over to pick up Arles. Lance watched as she had came back to him and handed him the baby.

He smiled at Arles who was still crying. "Shhh…..it's alright. Lance is here."

Jane handed him the bottle as he laid Arles back on his lap and started to feed him. Jane leaned down and kissed Lance's lips. "Your answer is, 'yes'."

Lance smiled. "What was the question, Jane?"

"If I would go to this other place with you. Yes."

He smiled, "Wonderful."

She ran her fingertips across his face. "I'm going to get cleaned up. Tonight, I have plans for you."

"They don't involve a shoulder, do they?"

She giggled. "They involve my lips. And something, a bit lower than your shoulder."

He closed his eyes tightly and grinned. "Oh, yes."

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