AN - The character of Grace Mason of course belongs to Jem, and you can read Grace on it Jem's fic, Heartbeat Away From Death. Story ID: /10691430/

Chapter 18: From Here To There

Avery Churchill climbed out of her plane as easily as if she were climbing out of bed. Casey swapped Etta into her other arm and peered around Weaver to get a better look at their visitor. A couple of dozen or so members of the 2nd Mass gathered around the bright red plane, everyone cautiously watching the new arrival. Avery had an carefree ease about her that Casey couldn't understand – especially considering Weaver still had his fighters surrounding her.

Avery pulled a backpack through the window of her plane "I've been flying over a 50 square mile search area for the past week and a half trying to find you." She said.

"Where did you come from?" Hal asked from beside his father.

"I'm one of four pilots who left Charleston, South Carolina, in search of survivors." Avery said. "We each took a compass point and-"

Weaver stepped forwards. "On whose orders?

Avery took a brown folder out of her backpack and handed it across to Weaver. "Direct orders from the Continental Congress."

"Are you saying there's a government in Charleston?" Tom asked.

Avery grinned and shouldered her backpack. "Elected by almost 3,000 civilians in the new capital."

"How have you been able to fly with all the Beamers around?" Weaver asked. His face was unchanged, he looked as suspicious of Avery as he had minutes ago in the hangar when they'd all heard the plane engine.

"I fly low - just a few hundred feet above the ground," Avery said casually. "And the aircraft's made of spruce, plywood, and a fiberglass cloth skin, so radar's not an issue. The plane's a neat trick," her expression suddenly became more serious. "But the important thing is to get your asses to Charleston."

"What's the state of the military in Charleston?" Weaver asked. He may as well have been discussing the weather, his tone was all business.

"We've been assimilating the disparate militias that popped up post-invasion." Avery said. "But re-establishing a unified central command is key to taking back the planet."

Tom's voice lacked the firm tone of Weaver's, Tom's excitement was quite audible. "You mean you've made contact with other parts of the world?"

Avery nodded. "In Europe, yes, via shortwave radio. In fact, my mission is to continue heading north, making contact with as many survivors as possible, until I hit Greenland. Then hop over Iceland to the U.K. And, ultimately, the rest of Europe."

"With all due respect," Weaver said slowly. "What proof do you have that anything you've said is true?"

Avery's easy smile returned. "I get you. Is it a leap of faith? Hell, yeah. But if it's nothing that interests you, no harm, no foul." She took a step backwards. "I'll just be on my w—"

"I'm sorry, but we can't risk you giving away our location, intentionally or otherwise." Weaver said to her, though his voice had no trace of regret. He nodded to his soldiers and they stepped forward to block Avery from getting into her plane. "I'm going to have to ask that you stay with us until we move out."

Avery raised an eyebrow. "You're detaining me?"

"Think of it as a layover on your way to Greenland." Weaver said dryly. "In the meantime, I hope that you will accept a limited hospitality. Casey, would please accompany our honoured guest to the mess tent?"

"Sure." Casey gestured with her head to get Avery to follow her. The guards kept their guns pointed at Avery, but they didn't follow as Casey lead her inside.

Avery waited until they were inside the hangar before she questioned Casey. "So, what are you, the unassuming face whose supposed to make me feel comfortable about being held prisoner?"

Casey looked at her sideways. "Something like that."

"The baby's a nice touch." Avery said. "He's cute. What's his name?"

"Her name is Etta."

"Like the singer?"

"Like her-name-is-Etta," Casey lead Avery into the mess tent. Everyone who had been outside gawking at Avery's plane was slowly filing back inside. "So, is Charleston better than here?"

Avery politely nodded at the people staring at her. "Well, we have fewer armed people wandering around."

"Don't exaggerate"

"So, that's not a revolver sticking out the back of your denims?"

"Maybe." Casey was yet to find a better way to carry her gun.

"Well, it's certainly not this quiet in Charleston." Avery said. "Who died?"

The few people within earshot daggered Avery with nasty looks. Jimmy's condition was grave and the boy was on everyone's mind, so the callousness of Avery's statement hit a raw nerve. Granted, Avery had no clue about that. And she was nice enough, Casey didn't want her to be ostracised in her first few minutes of being with the 2nd Mass. "Hey, everyone?" Casey called out those in the vicinity. "Come listen to what Avery's got to say about Charleston."

Hal arrived with Grace at his side. "Sounds pretty perfect to me."

"I'm not saying it's a paradise," Avery said as she sat herself atop one of the tables. "Far from it. But there are people all helping each other. And there's electricity and hot water."

"There's hot water?" Grace grinned, and more people started crowding around. "How is that possible with all those people?"

"All I know is that every day we get a little closer to normal." Avery addressed the growing crowd around her. "I mean, before I left, I went to a wedding."

Someone pushed in front of Casey to ask Avery a question. "So, you've got food?"

"Yeah, and lots of it." Avery said. "It's a good setup. That's why I'm here, to invite you all to join us."

Etta made an irritated little grunt, so Casey backed away from the group to get the baby back to bed. On her way out of the hangar, she noticed Pope leaning against the doorframe of the exit. As Casey walked towards him, he flicked his chin towards her to get her attention.

"So, this is fun," He said as Casey stopped beside him. "We got someone drop in from the sky with the promise of paradise in Charleston." He was eying off Avery like he expected her arms to extend into Mech guns.

"She's not so bad," Casey watched Avery chatting to the 2nd Mass, the woman certainly seemed to have them enthralled. "And she says it's good there, in Charleston." Casey pulled Etta's blanket up around her to keep the chill away and headed outside.

"Yeah, I'll bet she does." Pope eased up off the wall and followed Casey out into the night.

"Well, she smiles too much to be lying." Casey said, and she kept talking before she could catch herself. "Although my mother always told me to be wary of people who smile too much."

"Why?"

"Ah," Casey swallowed nervously, she hadn't meant to tell mention her mother. Aside from Etta, Casey didn't talk about her mother with anyone. "Because they were always after something."

"Good advice. You don't talk about your mother, why is that?"

"Why don't you talk about your kids?" As soon as she said it, Casey knew she shouldn't have, and the flash of hurt that crossed Pope's eyes confirmed that she had crossed a line. "Sorry," she said. "I didn't mean-"

Pope shook his head, reached out and squeezed her arm. "Forget it." He started back for the hangar. "Get that kid to bed."

Casey half-smiled as he left, grateful he didn't lay into her given he very easily could have. Pope's children were his business, but Casey's mother was her business. And it was a memory she preferred not to share, let alone think about. But she realized Pope's memories of his children probably weren't thrilling to think about either. Maybe he was holding onto his true reaction until a moment when Casey wasn't cradling Etta.

Jimmy died during the night.

He stopped breathing, and Anne couldn't revive him. Casey was sitting in the mess tent with Maggie when it happened. It was very early in the morning when Grace's anguished voice cried from within the medbus. Casey looked up just in time to see Ben flee down the bus ramp and out of the hangar. A few moments later, Weaver came out and broke the news to the 2nd Mass that, despite Anne's best efforts, Jimmy had died. No one burst into tears, no one swore or tossed aside furniture. Everyone was just quiet.

Maggie went off to find Hal, so Casey went back to her tent. Etta was asleep, but Lee was sitting on her bed and tying up her boots. Casey knew she must have had an odd look on her face because she could feel Lee watching her as she came in and sank down heavily onto her mattress.

"What's up?" Lee asked.

"Jimmy died." Casey said. The words sounded odd in her ear. Like they weren't English, or something. "He's dead."

Lee stopped tying her laces and looked up. "No way."

"Way." Casey sighed heavily. "Christ, he was just a baby."

Lee was quiet while she finished tying her boots. "You been up all night?"

Casey nodded. She had tried to get some rest after she'd laid Etta down, but Avery's arrival and the idea of Charleston had kept her eyes open, and eventually she just gave in and went to the mess tent.

"Well, sleep it off with MB," Lee got to her feet and shrugged on her jacket. "I'll cover for you with Pope, he can suck it."

Casey gave her an appreciative smile as she left the tent, and then looked over at Etta. She was dozing peacefully in her basket, with her little hands twitching as she no doubt dreamed something sweet. Casey kicked off her boots and laid down on her back with her knees up. She laid her arm across her eyes and tried to get the image of Jimmy's pale, unconscious face from her mind. A few hours ago, when she had been in this same position, all she'd been thinking of was Charleston. Sure sounded like a good idea, but Casey had come to trust the instincts of the 2nd Mass. And with Weaver so uncertain, and even Pope's scepticism, Casey wasn't sold on the idea.

But now all she could think of was Jimmy. He'd never woken up from when Ben carried him into the camp. Had he known, then, when he closed his eyes that he would never open them again? Had he even been aware of what was happening? Or had he been in too much pain to comprehend anything? Casey had asked herself these questions before, but just like with her mother, she knew she would never get an answer.

"Knock-knock."

Casey jolted awake at the sound of Tom's voice. She hadn't realized she'd fallen asleep, but from the glare of the sunlight coming through the gaps in her tent she could tell it was at least midday. "Yeah, come in," Casey cleared her throat and sat up. Etta was awake, too, but she seemed content enough just chewing on her fingers and looking around.

Tom came in with his rifle over his arm. "Good, you got some sleep." He said.

"What time is it?" Casey asked as she stretched her arms out.

"Lunchtime," He smile and tossed her a granola bar. "I just put Matt down for a nap." He chuckled as he sat down on Lee's bed opposite Casey. "Haven't done that for years, but he hasn't slept in a day."

"How are all the Masons?" Casey asked, ripping open the granola bar.

"Ben and Grace are helping Weaver dig Jimmy's grave," Tom let his head drop into his hands. "Hal and Maggie are watching Matt."

"And you?" Casey asked through mouthfuls. "How are you?"

"I dunno." He looked up and gave her a sad smile. "Look, Casey, I wanted to apologise for yesterday. What I said about you letting Grace go out there."

It took Casey a second to even remember their disagreement. "Oh, it's okay, don't worry about it."

"No, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that." Tom said. "Grace would have gone back out looking for the compass even if you'd chained her to the ground."

"Well, she is a Mason," Casey finished off her granola bar and tucked the wrapper into her bag. She pulled out an empty baby bottle, her canteen of water and one of the cans of formula "And I probably would have done the same thing if I was her."

"You getting her packed up?" Tom nodded at Etta.

Casey added water and formula to the baby bottle and shook it. "Weaver decided where we're headed yet?"

"He's still thinking Catskills, I'm thinking Charleston. Either way, he wants us to move."

"Could be good," Casey lifted Etta out of her basket and strapped her into her car seat. "Especially if there's some sort of government there. Might be nice to have someone else in charge for a while." Casey slipped her revolver in the back of her jeans and tucked the baby bottle under her arm. "Maybe that's why Weaver isn't so ecstatic about heading there?"

Tom stood up and readjusted his rifle over his back. "How do you mean?"

"Maybe he wants to keep things like they are," Casey thought aloud.

"Yeah, maybe," Tom agreed. "But with Jimmy… maybe he'll see we could use the change."

"Well, I'm ready to go." Casey kicked at her packed backpack and diaper bag underneath her bed and picked up the car seat by the handle. "Wherever we're headed."

xxx