Part 2 - Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Rachel was reaching the end of her patience. It was near closing time but the two male customers were being awkward about their purchases, and their remarks were bordering on harassment. She was beginning to wish that Tom hadn't taken the evening off.

After one small squabble about which brand to take, they finally approached her till to dump two meager tins of beans and one packet of biscuits on the counter. The oldest of the pair leaned forward giving Rachel full view of a nasty scar across his cheek.

"Well, pretty lady, why don't you just add those up and then come with us for a drink and maybe something more?" he winked suggestively.

Rachel shuddered. "I don't think so. I have to tend this shop and my husband is just out the back."

"Oh really? That's not a very convincing story, lady."

Rachel's heart was pounding in her chest. "Believe what you like. Look why don't you just take the goods and go." She really didn't care about the money as long as they left her alone.

The man was just about to answer when he spotted Sheppard over his shoulder. The ruffian sized him up before turning back to Rachel. "That's mighty good of you, kind lady. We don't want any trouble so we'll being going now to have us some free beans for supper." Scooping up their goods, the two undesirables left the shop.

John watched them until they drove away. "Were they bothering you?"

Taking some calming breaths, Rachel only managed to nod. It took her a few more minutes before she could speak again. "Thanks for coming back in."

John smiled. "You're welcome. They looked like trouble. Do you know them?"

"No, I've never seen them in town before and I hope I never see them again. And before you ask, I don't usually run my shop alone in the evenings. Only that my assistant's wife is ill and he wanted the evening off. "

"So this is your shop?"

"Yes it is. I'm Rachel Blake and it's about time I closed the shop for the night."

John held out a hand. "John Sheppard."

Rachel shook it warmly before locking the door and starting to cash up. "So Mr. Sheppard what brings you to Bracton?"

"Please call me John. I'm just staying overnight." Then he thought of something. "Can I ask you why there aren't any decent bars in town?"

Rachel chuckled. "Oh, you obviously haven't found Murphy's place yet. It's about the only bar with any good entertainment and drinkable beer."

John smiled as it gave him the perfect opening. "Feel like showing me where this place is and going for a drink? That is if you haven't really got a husband out the back?"

"So you heard me?" John nodded. "Nope just divorced but that's a long story. As for that drink…" Rachel hesitated. She didn't know anything about this man but he looked decent, wasn't wearing a wedding ring and he had saved her from the ruffians. "I don't normally go out on a weekday evening, having to get up early for the shop and all that, but just give me twenty minutes to clean up and I'll be with you."

"Great. I'll go wait in the car. Oh, and is there an ATM near here?"

"It's by the bank. We can stop on our way to Murphy's." Rachel answered.

"Okay."

Rachel let him out and watched him go with a smile before relocking the door and rushing upstairs to get change.

Getting back into his car, John was grinning too. It seemed the evening wasn't going to be a total washout after all.

Pushing the appropriate button to raise the roof against the cooler evening air, John pulled his gun from his waistband and returned it to the glove box, shoving it well out of sight. After all he didn't want to scare the lady off.

True to her word, Rachel appeared out of a side door some twenty minutes later. John watched her approach his car. She had changed into a soft feminine looking blue dress and her dark hair was tired back making her look years younger than in the shop.

The drive to the bank didn't take long but their conversation had been limited to the how nice the car was and the weather. Not exactly a great start.

John pulled into the bank's parking lot and walked over to the ATM only to find that the machine's display showed an out of service message. Feeling annoyed, he got back into the car, "Would you believe it but the thing's not working."

"That's strange I've never known it to be out of order before. If it hasn't been fixed before tomorrow morning the bank opens at 9.30. In the mean time please let me pay for your drink. That's the least I can do."

"Oh, I've probably got enough cash for at least a couple of drinks, although…I guess I can only have one anyway as I'm driving. So thanks, I'll take you up on that offer." His words pleased Rachel because here was a man who wasn't too proud to let her pay.

Murphy's bar turned out to be rather a lively Irish style pub. Moving through the crowds Rachel managed to find them a small table at the back and no sooner had they sat down when a waitress arrived to take their order.

The pretty blond winked at John and smiled at his companion. "Hi Rachel, we don't usually see you in here on a Wednesday."

"No, I'm just showing Mr. Sheppard Bracton's only decent night life and buying him a drink." They placed their order and then the two women got into the reason as to why. John began to feel a little embarrassed by the waitress's look of hero worship. Luckily, the girl was called away before it got awkward.

Then Rachel asked the million dollar question, the one he'd been anticipating. "So what do you do for a living, John?"

He contemplated lying but what was the point of hiding his profession. Hoping she had nothing against the military, he answered. "I'm a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force."

She didn't even seem all that impressed. "Well that would explain your protective streak. Are you a pilot?"

Before John got to reply, the waitress returned with their drinks and the noise level grew progressively louder as a live act got onto the small stage. Everyone started to clap in time to the vigorous Irish folk music making conversation very difficult, so John decided to leave his answer until later.

As the evening progressed with more singing interspersed with quieter interludes, John was finally able to relax and just enjoying the company of these people. Understandably, Rachel was well known by everyone, and by the time they decided to leave, John had been introduced to almost everyone in the bar.

The drive back to Rachel's shop was spent in laughter as she told him some of the funnier stories about the town folks and before they knew it, John had pulled up in front of her door.

She looked at him awkwardly, suddenly feeling like a silly teenager. She was out of this game and somehow suspected that he was too. "Well…thanks once again." Rachel started uneasily. "I…never got an answer to my question."

John racked his brain for a moment wondering what she meant. "Oh, that…yeah, I fly helicopters."

"Really?" She glanced at her watched. It was late but to hell with the time. "I'd like to hear more about it. Feel like coming up for a coffee?"

John smiled. Maybe this vacation was good for him after all and it didn't take him long to make up his mind. "Thanks, I'd love to."

-oOo-

The insistent ringing of his cell phone brought John out of his deep slumber. He reached over the side table and fumbled for his phone wondering who the hell was calling him so early.

Not really looking at the display, he touched the phone on and muttered. "Sheppard."

"Hi John!"

Hearing his brother's voice, John rolled over and sat up, "Dave, good to hear from you at last."

"Sorry about that but I didn't know about your message until this morning when my housekeeper rang and told me. Look…I'm currently away on business in Canada but if all goes well I should be back home by Saturday evening at the latest. So you're welcome to come by on Sunday and stay for as long as you like. Although I do have some important meetings and things to attend to next week, so I can't guarantee how much free time I will have."

John nodded even though his brother couldn't see him. "I understand, Dave, I didn't expect you to drop everything for me."

"No…well…since Dad's death my free time has been, let's say, less frequent. But despite the economic crunch, the company is doing better than ever."

"That's good to hear," Although John felt like saying, it wouldn't have been if the Wraith had come calling, but it wasn't Dave's fault that he had to keep him in the dark about his work. "I'll look forward to seeing you on Sunday then."

"Yes, John, see you then." With that, Dave signed off leaving John staring at the phone thinking. That went well.

Not letting his brother's attitude bother him, John shifted towards the night table and starred at the clock radio in shock as the white numbers proclaimed it to be 9.06 already.

God, he hadn't slept this well since…? He couldn't quite remember when he'd last slept so soundly, must be something to do with being back on Earth or more then likely the pleasant company of one store owner last night. A small grin crossed his lips as he got out of bed and moved to the bathroom.

After showering and shaving, John switched on the TV and went about getting dressed. The last viewer had left the tuner on a news station. John grabbed the remote to change it but froze in mid-action when the news presenter announced. "Mystery still surrounds the UFO sighting last weekend over the pacific." John promptly sat down on the bed to listen.

"Experts are now saying that the glowing object seen soaring across the sky could have been a meteorite. However, they still haven't explained why it suddenly disappeared without a trace. Questions are now being asked as to whether this event is linked to the small tsunami that formed that day when there were no reported seismic events in the Pacific at the time. And why has the navy cordoned off a large area of San Francisco bay, bringing inconvenience to all forms of shipping? The latest anonymity concerning this area comes from a group of bird watchers who have reported seeing birds suddenly disappearing and reappearing over this classified area for no apparent reason. To date the navy has declined from answering any of these questions, but stick around and the minute we have anything to report, CETV news will be the first to let you know. On to the other news item we mentioned earlier this morning. The Air Force have finally confirmed that the damaged done to a building at Area 51 was caused by a plane crash. It has been reported that during a test flight of a prototype military fighter, the pilot lost control and plunged into the building killing at least ten people, although the pentagon has yet to confirm that number. In financial news this morning yet another bank has posted losses in the region of twelve billion…"

Not really interested in that, John quickly hit the off button. He sat quietly for a moment, deep in thought. He was in two minds to contact Woolsey but what was the point? It wasn't as if Woolsey, the IOA and the military wouldn't have everything under control, so he told himself to stop worrying and relax. But that was proving very difficult. Like he suspected, learning to switch off after nearly five years of nonstop action was causing some serious withdrawal symptoms.

Controlling the urge, he finished getting dressed. Next up, he needed to get some breakfast and a welcome cup of coffee, and then a trip to the bank for some cash. After that, he'd look for a travel office and book a flight out from Denver to visit Dave. He certainly wasn't going to drive the all the way there now, even if it meant killing a few days before going to the airport. A smile crossed his lips. Maybe he'll stick around Bracton for a while longer.

After having breakfast at an eatery across from the Valley Trust Savings bank, John decided to leave his car parked where it was and take the short walk over the wide avenue to the red bricked building.

It was a beautiful day and he soaked up the sun as it beamed on his face. There was hardly any traffic around and he made it across the street without having to stop. Although there were on number of citizens on the sidewalk and he nearly plowed into an old lady when she suddenly stopped for no apparent reason. He quickly apologized after she gave him a look that would have stopped a Wraith in his tracks. I could have used you against Kolya, John thought. Putting the matter aside, he crossed the bank's wide parking lot to find that the ATM was still out of commission. Meaning he had no choice but to enter the building.

The slightly cooler interior made a sharp contrast to the warm air outside. Like many modern banks there was just one teller on duty at a tall, light colored wooden counter divided by several partitions. As there was a customer before him, John waited at a discreet distance.

He'd been waiting for about five minutes when he heard the doors whoosh open and turned to see Rachel Blake enter holding a large linen cash bag.

She looked at him and smiled, "Good morning, I see ATM is still out of order."

John smiled back. "Yeah, unfortunately. What brings you here?"

"Paying in some checks. Some of my regulars still prefer to pay that way."

They fell silent as the first customer moved away allowing John to step forward. The young female teller flashed him a brilliant smile as he requested 500 dollars from his Visa check card.

The transaction didn't take long and before pocketing his cash, John moved up the counter a short way so that Rachel could be served. They chatted together quietly while the teller dealt with her checks. When Rachel had to turn away to sign some slips, John noted that the teller wasn't alone after all when a middle-aged, brown haired man with glasses perched on the end of his nose, moved into the back office. Probably the manager, John thought.

Just then a mother with a small child in a rather large three wheeled stroller entered. John decided to move away to give them more room. While he waited patiently near a large rubber plant at the back, John's cell phone started to ring. He quickly pulled it from his pocket but it fell silent before he could answer it.

Busy concentrating on the display to see who had tried to contact him, John didn't notice as another female teller opened a new position to serve the waiting mom just as two men dressed in jeans and oversized jackets entered the bank. Without pausing one of them quickly made his way towards the counter, while the other stayed near the door.

Rachel had just finished her transaction and was busy putting away the receipts when a man walked up to stand near her. At first she thought it was John, but from the overwhelming smell of booze and sweat, she knew that it couldn't be. She turned to look at the person and froze when she saw a revolver being pointed at the teller from under his loose jacket. Trying to look unconcerned, Rachel turned and moved away to look for John. She spotted him bent over his phone, totally unaware of what was transpiring. For everyone's sake, she decided not to say a word as she made her way towards him.

Things would have stayed that way and the robbers would have left without any trouble if Mr. Franks, the manager, had put the lives of people before money. But being an over-protective guardian of his customers savings, he had tracked the robber's actions and seen the gun. Unnoticed, he pushed the silent alarm, which was directly connected to Sheriff Richards's office just a few buildings down the street.

By the time John became aware of a problem, police vehicles were already screeching to a halt in front of the bank.

Rachel lightly touched his arm and quietly mouthed, "Please don't try anything," as she encouraged him to move further away from the young robber stationed near the door.

The man by the counter became quickly agitated. He turned to the manager and shouted angrily. "Why the hell did you have to go and do that for, master!"

John froze, he knew that voice and so did Rachel. They exchanged a look before John lightly grasped her arm to guide her even further away from the now visibly armed young thief.

tbc

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