Finding the Way


Part 16: Dinner and a Show


[Author's Note: Sorry, but this post kept on expanding. So now it's two posts.]


Danny Hebert stood in his bedroom, humming a jaunty tune. He tied his bowtie to perfection, then reached to take his jacket from the bed –

"Arrrrgh!"

The sound from the bathroom was accompanied by a feeling of intense frustration and despair. Strolling casually from the bedroom, he pulled on the jacket and set his cuffs just right before leaning in at the bathroom door.

"Is everything all right, kiddo?" he enquired cheerfully.

Taylor leaned over the bathroom sink, glaring at herself in the mirror as she scrubbed her face clean. The pinkness of her skin indicated that this was not the first time.

"Fuck fuck fuck, arrrgh!" she snarled again.

"Not an answer, Taylor," he replied with some amusement.

"Tell me again why we're even doing this," she said, turning to him.

"Because we both need a little romance in our lives," he reminded her patiently. "We live together, but neither of us has outside connections. We need to go out with people we trust, who can surprise us with nice things." He brushed stray hair back from her face. "What we have will never change, but we need to see what the world will offer us."

She folded her arms. "Well, you're gonna have to tell Chris the date's off. I can't do this shit."

"Do what?" he asked mildly.

She threw up her hands. "Everything! I haven't got any really nice dresses, and I have no fucking idea how to do makeup. I know what I want to look like. What I actually end up looking like is an epileptic clown." She sat down on the toilet lid, put her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. "I suck at being a woman."

"You realise, you're still a teenager," he said mildly. "You have years to go yet until you have to really worry about that."

She sighed. "Fine. If that's how it's gonna be." She stood up, pushed past him on the way to her bedroom. "I'll be in my room."

He raised an eyebrow. "Get back here, kiddo. You give up too easily. Credit your old man with some problem-solving skills."

She frowned, but made an about-face.

He led her into his bedroom, and opened the closets on her mother's side of the bed.


Opening the doors, he found a row of dresses on hangers. "Your mother wasn't much taller and only a little larger in the bust than you are, Taylor. But these should fit you reasonably well." Taking one one dress after another, he passed them over to her. She held them up against her body, discarding them one at a time until he found one in a delicate blue pattern; powder blue fading to navy.

"Try this one on," he suggested, turning his back discreetly.

She did, wriggling into it. It fitted well enough.

"Nice," he said. "Now, there should be a pair of shoes to match that. Your mother never bought a dress without the matching shoes."

Taylor quickly found them; they fitted her as though they'd been made for her.

"Stand up," he said. "Take a couple of steps."

The heels were only medium height, and she soon mastered the trick of walking in them.

"Now, you've got your hair done, right?" he asked.

She nodded. "A brush and a hairband should work there. But my makeup –"

He smiled. "Leave that to me."

She frowned. "You can do makeup?"

He chuckled. "Oh, god no. I'd probably foul it up worse than you did. But I do know when to call on a friend."

"A friend?" she asked.

He nodded. "Where is Hannah at the moment?"

She put her hand on his, and he knew. A puff of purple-brown smoke, and he was gone.


Amy finished the final dabs of the lipstick just as Victoria entered her bedroom. "Hi, Vicky," she said happily. "Ready to go?"

Vicky nodded. "Or, you know," she said, "we could just stay right here and pretend we went out." She indicated the bed. "We could do each other's nails and make out and ignore the outside world.."

Amy giggled and kissed her sister playfully on the lips. "No," she said, wanting to do it again but knowing she had to be good. "We'll go out, have another fun date. But you can kiss me any time you want. I don't want to force … us. I want what we have to be perfect."

Vicky held Amy close, cheek to cheek. "It already is perfect with you, Ames," she said softly.

Amy snuggled into her embrace.


Hannah hummed to herself as she put the brush through her gleaming black hair. She was looking forward to this date. Danny was nice and kind and sweet, and he did so love his daughter.

There was a puff of purple-brown smoke behind her, and she turned with a .50 caliber Desert Eagle in her hand before she registered that it was Danny.

"I thought you weren't picking me up until seven," she said, tucking the pocket pistol into a small thigh holster.

He nodded. "That was the plan. But I have a crisis and an upset teenager, who needs a woman's touch."

Hannah's lips quirked upward. "That sounds interesting. How can I help?"

He smiled at her. "Your expertise with makeup is needed."

She held out her hand. "Let us go, then."

He took it, smoke billowed around them, and they vanished.


Taylor didn't even look up as they appeared in the bathroom next to her.

Danny nodded at Hannah. "I'll leave you to it." He strolled from the bathroom, leaving them alone.

Hannah took Taylor's hand, bringing her to a standing position. "Let's see now. Hold still." She examined the makeup kit open on the washbasin stand. "Your mother's?"

Taylor nodded. "She could make herself so beautiful with it. I make myself look like an angry raccoon."

Hannah chuckled. "Well, all the basics seem to be there." She took foundation, dabbed it on. Then she added eyeshadow, lipstick and just a touch of blush, her hands moving swiftly and surely.

"There," she said, in far less time than Taylor expected. "See for yourself."

Taylor looked in the mirror, and gasped.

She was transformed; her eyes were larger, her cheekbones higher, her lips fuller. And the makeup wasn't even visible as makeup.

"Oh my god," she said. "Dad … come here and tell me what you see, please."

He stepped in through the door and nodded approvingly. "Nice," he said. "Very, very nice."

Taylor hugged Hannah. "Thank you," she said. "I was totally lost there. All I know how to put on is lip gloss."

Hannah smiled. "I can show you how, later," she offered.

Taylor nodded. "Yes, please," she said. "That would be so great."

Hannah tied back her hair and helped Taylor put a hairband in hers, then turned to Danny. "We're ready to go," she said with a smile.

Danny pulled back his sleeve and checked his watch. "And still five minutes to go," he said. "We're doing well." He looked to Taylor. "Where's Chris?"

Taylor blinked once. "Ready and waiting. Wow. He looks really nice."

Danny nodded. "And so he should." He took her hand with his left, and Hannah's with his right. "Ready?"

Hannah nodded; Taylor didn't even have to do that. Smoke billowed, and they were gone.


Chris jumped as the three of them appeared before him in a cloud of smoke. "Jesus!" he exclaimed.

"No," Danny corrected him with a grin. "Just us. Ready to go?"

Chris nodded jerkily, and took Taylor's proffered hand. "You look –" he managed, before smoke billowed again.

" – really nice," he finished, as they appeared on the Boardwalk, between two buildings.

"Thank you," she said with a smile. "So do you." She took his arm and nodded to Danny. "Thanks for the lift. We'll see you."

Danny grinned. "Anytime. Just let me know."

Turning in opposite directions, the two couples strolled away along the Boardwalk.


"So where to first?" asked Victoria as she carried her sister aloft.

"I was thinking a meal down on the Boardwalk," said Amy thoughtfully. "That new café that's just opened. It's really popular. And I hear they do a great fettucine."

"Boardwalk it is," Vicky grinned. "Hang on to your tonsils." And she dived.

Amy's delighted shriek of mock terror followed them down.


Danny, with Hannah on his arm, strolled casually along until they reached a restaurant just off the main drag; it was not flashy or glitzy, but seemed to get by on understated elegance.

She looked up at the tall man at her side. Perhaps at one time he had been skinny and gawky, but since Panacea's treatment, he was lean and tough, and moved with a certain assurance. He also cleaned up remarkably well; his attire might be just a little old-fashioned, but he wore it with panache.

Danny looked down at Hannah. She had a trim, fit body, strong without being muscle-bound. The dress she wore clung to her like a second skin, and he found himself appreciating the view.

Their gazes met, and they smiled. Each knew more or less what the other had been thinking, and did not mind at all.

"I'm glad you talked me into this," he said. "It's been too long since I was on a date."

She smiled up at him. "It's been too long since I had someone I wanted to go on a date with," she replied.

The maitre'd took their names and found their booking, and a waiter escorted them to their table. Danny helped Hannah out of her jacket and then seated her, drawing a pleased smile from her. Old-fashioned indeed,she thought. I like it.

He sat opposite, and just looked at her as the waiter placed menus on the table. She caught his gaze and flushed dark. "What?" she asked.

"We're not going to have the chance to do this often," he said, putting his large hand palm-up on the table between them. She placed her hand delicately in his. "I want to remember every moment.". His fingers closed over hers, warm and strong.

She nodded. Miss Militia was too prominent, too needed, to go out on dates every other day. Compass Rose and Pathfinder were likewise usually so busy that an evening off such as this was unthinkable. However, their teamwork in taking down first Coil and then the Merchants had made them very much the flavour of the month, and Director Piggot had seen her way clear to approving the time off.

The waiter brought the wine list, and Hannah selected a bottle. They made their orders, and the waiters bore the menus away in triumph. He lifted her hand from the table. She looked at him questioningly. He nodded toward the small dance floor nearby, where a slow waltz was playing.

"Shall we?" he asked.

She smiled, and rose with him.


"Your dad is really amazingly cool about this," commented Chris as they walked along. "Most fathers would be all intimidating and 'touch my daughter and die' and stuff."

Taylor sighed. "Chris," she said, "Yes, he's amazing. He's my dad. But we're not here to talk about him. We're here to talk about you and me.".

She squeezed his arm tighter, moved in closer to him. He gulped.

"So tell me," she said softly, "something about you that I didn't know before."

"Um … well … I suck at math," he blurted.

She looked around at him quizzically. "What, really?" she asked with a grin. "But you're a –"

He nodded. "A Tinker, yeah," he agreed. "But what I build, I build by eye. I don't have to work out the maths for it; I just build what looks good."

"Cool," she said. "I definitely didn't know that about you."

"Okay," he said, "now you tell me something I didn't know about you."

"Umm," she said. "Have you read my file?"

He shook his head. "Nope. I just know that you can find things, and Pathfinder can teleport."

She took a deep breath. "I nearly committed suicide before I got my powers."

He stopped, shocked. Stared at her. "Christ. I didn't know."

She let go his arm, moved into a hug. He held her awkwardly.

"It's not something that many people know," she said softly into his ear. "I was bullied, terribly, for more than a year. Shadow Stalker was one of the bullies. You know that bit."

He nodded. "Yeah, I know." He didn't sound happy.

"I ... the beginning of Christmas break, they took something I valued highly. A flute belonging to my mother. I was heartbroken. I was broken. That night ... I was going to do it. End it all. But Dad spotted it, pulled me through."

"And then you got your powers?" he asked.

She nodded. "And then I got my powers. And Dad got his. And it's all good now."

"Wow," he said. "That's big. That's really big."

She nodded. "You asked."

He chuckled. "You have a point." He squeezed her one last time – it was nice, hugging her – and released her. She took his arm once more. They continued on.


Their destination was an upmarket cafe, trendy and hip. Definitely aimed at the teenage crowd. Chris noted with some satisfaction that very few of the girls there even began to measure up to the standard that Taylor set.

One exception was a girl he knew. "Hey," he said. "Isn't that Vicky Dallon? Glory Girl?"

Taylor looked. It was Vicky, all right, in the middle of an animated conversation with her sister. They were eating some sort of fettucine that looked delicious.

Then she looked farther, and stiffened slightly. "Great," she muttered.

"What?" asked Chris. "What's the matter?"

She indicated with her head. "See that table down the back? The redhead and the cute brunette and the others with them?"

Chris nodded. He'd already spotted them; the redhead was the only one who rivalled Taylor for looks and poise. "Yeah," he said. "What about them?"

"They're the other two," she said flatly. She didn't have to elaborate.

"Shit," he said. "Do you want to go?"

She shook her head. "I'm not letting Emma fucking Barnes make me take one more step back, ever," she growled. Head high, moving with purpose, she walked into the cafe on his arm.


"Amy!" said Taylor, when they got close enough. "Vicky!"

The sisters looked around, and both smiled. "Taylor!" said Amy, half a second ahead of her sister. "And ... Chris, isn't it?"

Chris smiled. "The same," he said. He looked at Vicky. "Haven't seen you around much, recently," he commented.

Vicky smiled. "I've been busy," she said. "How about you? Any new projects?"

He nodded as he sat down; Taylor noted with amusement that it was altogether too easy to deflect a Tinker from any topic. All you had to ask him what he was working on, and he was all too happy to give you chapter and verse. "Yeah," he said. "I've got this idea for something I call an Alternator Cannon. It's got some interesting possibilities."

Amy was looking at the pair of them. "Wait a minute," she said. "Are you two ... on a ... date?"

Taylor grinned at her and nodded, putting her handbag on the seat beside her. She reached across and took Chris' hand to illustrate.

Amy looked a little surprised. "Your father knows about this, right?"

Taylor giggled. "Sure," she said. "He's on a date with Miss Militia."

Amy's look of bemusement increased. "How did that even ...?"

Taylor shook her head. "I'm just glad it did. I think she'll be good for him."

"Wow," said Chris. "Girl code. You two just had an entire conversation inside that conversation, didn't you?"

Taylor started giggling. "Something like that," she said fondly. She took both of his hands in hers. "So," she invited. "Tell me about this Alternator Cannon."


Danny was a little rusty at dancing, but it came back to him. Hannah was an excellent partner; she followed his movements exactly, and made him feel like the best dancer in the world. She pressed close to him, her head against his chest, as they moved smoothly around the dance floor.

The music was soft, the beat was slow, and he had a beautiful woman in his arms. Danny danced, and enjoyed every moment.


Hannah had not danced for some time, but she never forgot anything. The moves were there for her to use as soon as she stepped on to the floor. It wasn't hard to subtly guide Danny until he got back into the rhythm of it, and he was a surprisingly good dancer. She snuggled close, and put her head against his chest.

The music was soft, the beat was slow, and she had a strong and gentle man holding her in his arms. Hannah danced, and enjoyed every moment.


Halfway through the meal, Chris was still talking. Taylor was getting about one word in three, but she understood it to be a fairly advanced weapon, one with multiple applications. Usually with the word 'damage' appended, or at least heavily implied.

He was just trying to explain, with gestures, how the anti-gravity turret was supposed to work when a new voice cut across the conversation.

"Taylor? Taylor Hebert? Is that you?"

Chris stopped talking and turned toward the speaker. Taylor did also.

Emma Barnes stood there, with her coterie at her back. She was staring at Taylor, as if seeing her for the first time.

Taylor looked calmly at her. "Hello, Emma," she said in a level tone of voice. "Fancy meeting you here."

Emma looked at her face, her hair, her dress, and obviously could not find a thing to pick at there. Then she looked at Chris. "Christ, Hebert," she said. "Are you on a date? How much did your father have to pay him to come out with you?"

Chris stood. "Miss Barnes," he said formally, "I asked Taylor to come on this date with me. Now, I'm going to ask you to move along, so that we can enjoy it in peace."

Emma's eyes opened just a little wider as he addressed her by name, and then much wider as he gave her the request to leave. Madison whispered to her.

"You know she's had a nervous breakdown," she said spitefully. "Spent time in the wacky ward." She looked at Taylor. "I'm surprised your father could even afford to pay for something like that. Maybe he just wanted you out of his hair for a while."

"You should leave now," said Chris, very quietly, "or I will call the management and have you thrown out."

"Fine, I'm going," said Emma, and moved past the table. Madison followed, but she dropped her handbag as she brushed past the table. She knelt quickly and retrieved it, then stood and went to follow Emma.

"Give it back," said Taylor clearly.

Emma stopped and turned. "Give what back?" she asked innocently.

"Madison just took my purse out of my handbag," said Taylor, not moving. "It's in her bag. Give it back, right now, and I don't call the police."

Chris noted the involuntary flinch from Madison. "Did you take her purse?" he asked.

"No, I didn't," retorted Madison. She stared as Chris moved forward and took a firm hold of the strap of her handbag. "Hey, let that go!"

"Not until you give Taylor her purse back," he said flatly.

"She's delusional!" she retorted. "I haven't got her purse!"

"Taylor," said Chris, without taking his eyes from Madison, "what does your purse look like?"

"Dark blue, with a white stripe across it," Taylor said, still not moving from her seat.

"Let go my bag!" shouted Madison. "He's trying to steal my bag!" Across the cafe, heads turned. Chris felt heat rising in his face. Madison gave him a look of triumph, and wrenched at her handbag strap. He didn't let go.

Two waiters approached. "Can we assist in some way?" the older one asked.

"Yes," said Chris immediately, his voice carrying as well as Madison's had. "This girl stole my date's purse. It's in this handbag, right here. I want her to give it back. Can you get the manager, now, please?"


When they got back to the table, the meals had been served and the chilled wine was ensconced in an ice bucket. Danny worked the cork out carefully and poured them both a reasonable measure of the sparkling beverage. It was dry and tart, and went wonderfully with the meal.

Over dinner, they spoke inconsequentially of many things. She was interested in his personal crusade to get the ferry service up and running again, and of his work with the Dockworkers' Association. He told her about Taylor, and about Annette, and how she had died. She squeezed his hand sympathetically, and he smiled gratefully.

She told him about her childhood, and how men had come to the village and killed her parents and all the other adults. How she had manifested her powers when in the extremity of peril. How she had been discovered as a parahuman, and brought to America. And how she loved America, for all its faults and flaws, because it was a nation that truly tried to better itself.

Partway through the meal, he paused and frowned.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"Something's wrong ... Taylor's concerned and irritated ... but it's being dealt with," he said. "She'll let me know if I'm needed."

She raised an eyebrow. "The bond between you is that strong?" she asked.

He nodded. "Since we got our powers, yes. We were close before; now we're two parts of the same person, almost."

She nodded in turn. "I confess, I feel a little jealous of that. Your closeness, your togetherness. You and I, we do not have that." She smiled. "But I suppose we're just going to have to make do, like everyone else does."

He grinned back at her, and squeezed her hand.


Taylor felt her father's reassurance in the back of her mind as she watched the confrontation. It was good to know that he was there if she needed him.

But right now, it didn't seem that she did.

The manager had been summoned, and had listened to Chris' assertion that Madison had stolen her purse and that it was now inside Madison's handbag. However, Madison's loud denials, and her outright refusal to allow anyone to look into her handbag had stalled the process somewhat.

"My father's a lawyer," announced Emma firmly, "and he will sue this place down to the bedrock if you continue to hold my friend against her will like this."

The manager began to waver. Amy leaned across the table and spoke softly and vehemently to Vicky, who sighed and stood up.

"Excuse me," she said. "I'm Glory Girl, with New Wave. What seems to be the problem?"

The manager's look of relief was patently obvious. "We have a case of alleged theft," he said. "If you could get the police –"

Vicky raised an eyebrow. "I can go one better," she said. Grabbing the bag, she pulled it open, despite Madison's best efforts to hold it closed. "Oh, look," she said. "A blue purse with a white stripe across it. Whoever's could that be?"

"That's mine!" shouted Madison. "Leave my property alone!"

"Taylor," called Chris from where he still held the handbag strap. "Do you have any ID in your purse?"

"I do," called Taylor back. "My school identity card."

Madison tried to grab the purse, but Glory Girl got there first. She plucked it from the bag, opened it, and displayed the ID within to one and all. "School ID in the name of ... Taylor Hebert." She showed it to the manager. "Looks like it to you?"

He read the name. "Yes, Glory Girl, it does," he agreed.

"So you're satisfied that this is the property of that girl, there, rather than this girl, here?"

He nodded. "It certainly looks that way."

"Thank you," she said, and tossed the purse back to Taylor, who caught it neatly and tucked it back into her handbag. "Now," said Vicky to Madison. "Would you care to explain why you took her purse?"

"It was just a joke," said Madison sulkily. "I was going to give it back."

"Some joke," commented Victoria. "Seems like felony theft to me." She turned to Emma. "And you're an accessory, seeing that you tried to deflect blame from her."

"My father's a lawyer," said Emma again, more weakly.

"Yeah? What's his name?" asked Glory Girl.

"Alan Barnes," Emma replied, a little more defiantly. "He works for -"

"I know who he works for," Vicky laughed. "My mom works with the same firm. Your dad's a divorce attorney. Mom's a criminal lawyer. Carol Dallon? Brandish? Ring a bell?"

It obviously rang a very large bell; Emma wilted some more.

"Good," said Vicky, obviously enjoying herself immensely. "Now sit down, shut up and wait for the cops." She nodded to Chris. "Thank you for your assistance in this matter, citizen. My sister will take your details; the police will contact you in due course."

Chris nodded, released his grip on Madison's handbag, and went back to sit with Taylor. Taylor grinned at him and squeezed his hand. He grinned back.

"Thanks, Amy," she said quietly to the biokinetic.

Amy nodded and smiled. "That's fine. Vicky's loving this. She hasn't had the chance to yell at someone in a while."


Danny put his dessert spoon down and rubbed his stomach. "That was heavenly," he said.

Opposite him, Hannah did much the same. "Oh, yes," she agreed. They had each had another glass of the wine, after demolishing their meals to great effect. She took his hand. "Danny," she said softly, "I'm really, really enjoying tonight. Thank you for being here, with me."

He smiled and squeezed her hand. "Sometimes it's a good idea to reconnect, on a personal level," he said. "It's too easy to let our public identities become more important than our private identities."

He called for the check and paid the bill, then stood and assisted Hannah in putting her coat on once more. She smiled and leaned back into him as he did so.

They exited the restaurant, and started along the Boardwalk to where Danny knew Taylor was.

"What's happening?" she asked him.

"Not sure," he said. "It's under control, but she's both pleased and aggravated." He shrugged. "I guess we'll find out."

"I'm sure we will," she agreed. She took his hand as they strolled along. It was a pleasant evening; the full moon was just rising over the ocean, leaving a gleaming trail of silvery light to the horizon.

They stopped, leaning on the rail, to look at it. A chilly breeze swept over them and she shivered. He took her in his arms, wrapping his jacket around her.

She looked up at him. "Danny ..." she whispered.

"Hannah ..." he replied, equally quietly.

They kissed.

His lips molded to hers, pressing warmly, firmly, sensuously. They held each other close, blind to everything except the kiss.

Eventually, they broke the kiss. She looked up at him, somewhat dazed. He leaned against the railing. "Wow," he breathed. "Wow."

She nodded, put her head against his chest, and held him close. No more words needed be said.


In the cafe, Taylor grinned. Wow, Dad just lit up like a Christmas tree.

"What's so funny?" asked Chris.

Her grin widened, and she shook her head. "Tell you later."


The police arrived while Taylor and Chris were still working on dessert. Taylor gave a brief statement, to the effect that she'd felt a tug on her handbag, had quickly checked, and seen it gone. She displayed the purse; the manager testified that it was the same one he'd seen Vicky take from Madison's bag.

Emma loudly and vociferously proclaimed her innocence in Madison's crime; however, several people spoke up, recalling her hurtful words to Taylor just before the purse went missing. Amy and Vicky were two of these.


After giving their details to the police, Taylor and Chris finally escaped. Outside, watching the drama with mild bemusement, were Danny and Hannah.

"It seems you can't go anywhere without getting into trouble," observed Danny with a grin. Taylor stuck her tongue out at him.

"So what happened in there?" asked Hannah. "All Danny knew was that there was a little drama, but not what it was."

So Taylor related the incident with Emma, and how Glory Girl had eased the path with her direct methods.

"You know, I could have just gotten it back for you," Danny pointed out.

Taylor grinned at him. "Yeah, but this is more satisfying."

Danny nodded judiciously. "I suppose it is." He grinned back. "So. Movies now?"

"Oh, yes please," said Taylor.

All four joined hands and vanished in a puff of purple-brown smoke.


They reappeared just around the corner from the movie theatre, in a dark area where few people would be observing. Casually, they walked around the corner and into the theatre.

Moments later, Victoria landed outside, with Amy in her arms.

Inside, the line was fairly long, so Taylor was idly checking on the whereabouts of her friends when she realised that Amy and Vicky were three spaces back from them.

"Oh hey," she said. She got the attention of everyone else in the group, and they all moved back three spaces, so that she could chat with the two New Wavers.

"So how did it go with the police?" she asked.

"Oh, they took them in to be charged," said Amy cheerfully. Vicky looked satisfied with herself.

Taylor nodded to her. "Thanks for that," she said.

Vicky smiled back. "Not a problem. Once Amy explained things to me, I couldn't not help you." She grinned. "And it was seriously satisfying to deal with those bitches."

Taylor nodded. "So, what are you going to see?"

This devolved into a general discussion between all of them. Chris wanted to see the new Iron Man movie, Taylor wanted to see Tangled, Danny wanted to see Grown Ups and Miss Militia wanted to see The Expendables. In the meantime, Vicky wanted to see Clash of the Titans, and Amy wanted to see Flipped.

And then, farther down the list, Danny spotted a digital remastering of Casablanca. So they all bought tickets for that.


Danny was a long-time aficionado of the classic movie; he watched it with complete enjoyment. Hannah had never seen it before, but she was fascinated. Chris and Taylor were a little dubious going in, and were slightly disappointed by the lack of big action scenes, but slowly became immersed in the story, noticing lines that had since appeared in other movies. Amy and Victoria enjoyed it immensely, although they spent a good deal of the movie snuggling rather than watching the screen.

As they exited the cinema, Taylor turned to her father. "So that's where that line comes from, the one you used to Director Piggot," she said. "The 'this is the start of a beautiful friendship' one."

He nodded and grinned. "Now you see why I've been telling you all these years you should see it?" he asked.

She nodded. "It was a good movie. A really good movie," she agreed. "Chris?"

Chris nodded. "For a movie with Nazis in it, there wasn't much action, but it was a really good movie anyway," he agreed. "I'm gonna see if I can get the DVD so we can watch it on the big screen at the base."

Amy turned to Taylor. "Well, it was great seeing you again," she said. "Vicky and me are going to take off now. Have a good one."

Taylor nodded and hugged Amy and Vicky both. "You two take care now," she said. "And thanks again."

Amy smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "No thanks necessary. Really." And then Vicky gathered her into her arms, and they disappeared into the darkness overhead.

Danny looked around at the others. "Where would you like to go now?" he asked.

Taylor smiled.


There was a burst of purple-brown smoke in the middle of the Wards' common area, and Danny appeared, with Miss Militia, Taylor and Chris. A moment later, even before the smoke had had a chance to dissipate, the adults were gone once more.

Taylor looked at Chris, and he looked at her. She took his hand. They walked toward the corridor leading to the Wards' private quarters, down the corridor, to Chris' door. She looked at it, and at him.

"Well?" she said softly. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

He opened the door, and they entered.


Danny and Hannah materialised in the living room of his house. He shed his jacket; she shed her coat. They looked at one another. And then they were in each other's arms, kissing. She closed her eyes; there was not even a jolt, so she was mildly startled when she opened them again and they were standing in his bedroom.

He kissed her again and again, running his lips over her neck and shoulders. She arched her back and made a purring noise in her throat. Her fingers found the buttons to his shirt, and began undoing them. He began to ease the zipper down on her dress, sliding his hand inside and caressing the skin he found there. She breathed deeply through her nose, and kissed him again.

They were on the bed, just starting to get into matters, when both his communicator and hers went off, at the same moment. Emergency signal. Absolute priority.


Chris and Taylor sat side by side on his bed .

She leaned in and kissed him. He kissed her back.

Holding each other tightly, they began to explore that concept. This was the first time either one had been alone with someone they were really attracted to, and there were lots of things to learn.

And just as it was starting to get interesting …

... their communicators went off, at the same moment. Emergency signal. Absolute priority.


Danny and Taylor: "Shit!"

Hannah and Chris: "NOOOOOO!"


End of Part 16