TIME MACHINE CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

A/N Disclaimer: The background history of the characters in this story is not necessarily the same as the ones used by the Casualty scriptwriters. I do not own Casualty.

"Thanks for understanding" Connie told the others, trying hard not to let her emotions get the better of her.

"We really do" Cal said earnestly, "This is a fine place to be right now and you two love each other."

Ethan put in tactlessly "And by the time things turn bad" – he was thinking of the Second World War and the invasion of Paris – "you'll be too old to care. And you're not quite in the centre, here in Montmartre, anyway."

Rita thumped him but it was a gentle punch.

There was a reason for Ethan's flippancy. Jess had been asked whether she would rather go on with the others or to stay safely in 1906.

"Wherever Ethan chooses" she'd replied simply. Ethan had been moved by this and was trying hard not to let it make him weepy now.

"I hope a miracle happens for you and you get to your parents safe and sound" Connie told Ben. She added:

"You know Ben, when you first joined the ED, I wasn't sure about you. Some days I could see you getting yourself fired within the year. But I tell you what. If we had that time over again, and you came looking for a job, I would hire you on the spot."

Ben's response was to pull her into one of his generous bear hugs.

"See, it's different for us" Rita didn't think she needed to explain but wanted to, "Connie lost her parents quite young; I had a horrible childhood with my stepmum finally succeeding in poisoning my dad's mind against me."

"We get that. Now, for myself, my mum's long gone and I'd spit in my dad's eye if I saw him again." Dylan was his usual dry self. Ben squeezed his arm.

"Stop fawning over me, Chiltern, I'm fine."

There was just time for Cal and Lucius to have their say.

"Connie, Rita, I've loved travelling with you two ladies. At one time I hoped to cop off with one of you" Cal said frankly, "But then I saw how things were so I resigned myself to a broken heart".

His exaggerated sigh and the way he clutched his heart reassured Connie that he was joking. But Cal sometimes joked to stop himself becoming emotional. You could never tell with the Cals of this world.

"And what about you, Lucius?"

"It's nice here. That new lady's ever so kind and I love her big cat. But I want my Dads… can I call you my Dads when nobody bad's listening?"

Ben hugged him.

"We'll look after you, don't ever worry about that. And there'll be more animals for you to love while we're travelling."

There was time for one final group hug, and then Rita lightened the mood.

"Okay, pressy time."

Connie handed the key to the Time Machine to Dylan, who put it carefully in his pocket.

With a huge grin Rita handed over a massive bag.

"Not all for you, mind, Ethan!"

A giant bag of French Pastries.

"They'll go well with a cup of coffee when we've landed again. Thanks, ladies."

They walked the short distance to the machine. Dylan operated the opening, everybody walked inside, with their final greetings.

"Love you, Connie. Love you, Rita."

"Take care, everybody."

"If my baby's a girl, I'm going to name her after you and Rita."

"Bye! Love you all!"

"So" said Cal to Dylan who seemed to have become the unofficial leader, "Which way now?"

"Let's try backwards again."

The machine moved on its way. Connie and Rita watched it till it had vanished, and then hugged each other, crying.

"Come on, Rita Skeeter. We need to get ready for tonight's performance."

"The show must go on" quoted Rita through her tears.

A/N If I'd given my chapters names this one would have to be 'For He's a Jolly Good Othello'.

The machine landed and as usual Dylan went out to spy around. He saw a couple of men strutting down the cobbled street in a doublet and hose, and heard them speaking for a while.

He went back, stood in the doorway and declaimed:

"Hey nonny bloody nonny."

He'd heard the two fops talking:

"Fie, Sir Lloyd, I adore those new hose! I did not know they could be found in purple!"

"Tush, Sir Denham! Everything can be found at Mistress Eve's fine store! I have a mind to wear these new hose when we see the new Shakespeare play, 'Othello', next week with the wonderful Sir Harry Harper in the title role!"

"They say that Good Queen Bess herself is to come to the village to see this play! I pray it will not be her last visit; every year I fear that we shall lose her."

Dylan went back into the machine and explained the situation.

"Our clothes will just about pass, if we're meant to be peasants, and Jess's look fine. But the coins we've brought from France would cause more problems if we try to use them. So we're back to making money again."

"Jack Point!" Ben said suddenly.

"What are you babbling about now?" Dylan snapped. Ben just smiled.

"That's it, keep up that sneer. Dylan, Jack Point was the one character in Gilbert and Sullivan Operettas who didn't have a happy ending. He died of grief."

"Well-deserved, considering the torture that sodding music puts me through. But what's your… um… point here?"

"He made money by entertaining the crowds with his sweetheart. Come on, Dylan… listen…"

The plan seemed good except for one thing.

"They had a habit of tipping entertainers who couldn't raise a smile into the river. Can you swim, Dylan?"

"Ye-es" said Dylan, with a sense of foreboding.

Ben and Dylan took up their stance at opposite ends of what appeared to be the Village Green. Ben began to sing 'Greensleeves'. A 'drunken' Dylan lurched over to him, knocking him down.

"Sir, you have interrupted my song to my sweetheart, and we must fight!"

"Such a poor song and bad voice cannot be ruined further! My horse has a better singing voice, has he not?" Dylan appealed to the children on the green.

Cal and Ethan ran out to join in; Cal playing the handsome flirt who loved to court the ladies, Ethan the innocent schoolboy. All four of them challenged each other to a fight, and all four of them invented excuses to save their own skins. By the time the banter was at an end, they had a fine pile of coins, some of them more than copper. Suddenly a voice boomed out:

"You four! Come with me!"

Hell, thought Dylan, we've been here five minutes and here we are in trouble again.

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