TIME MACHINE CHAPTER FORTY ONE

A/N I thought I'd make Lily a lovely person in this chapter.

The others hugged Dylan and gently wiped his face. Slowly he took a few shuddering breaths and then said:

"We'd better use this cash to get a hotel for the night if we can. It's freezing here, Lucius needs his bed and Jess needs rest."

Once again, Cal took charge and was able to get them all booked into a decent hotel for the next couple of days, despite the fact that it was Boxing Day. The cash from the wallets helped, but the oafish Brad had also written down his pin number and kept it in the same wallet as his credit card, which really boosted their fortunes especially as Brad had just received a fat payment from Hanssen.

Cal booked in a single room, while Jess and Ethan shared a double. Dylan and Lucius had a triple room between them; despite his own misery Dylan wanted to be close enough to comfort Lucius if he awoke weeping.

The sullen-looking man on reception told them there was no room service until the next day:

"In case you don't know, it's Christmas."

Ethan pointed to Jess.

"In case YOU don't know, she's pregnant. We're all exhausted and " - he lowered his voice – "My friend here was recently bereaved. Now what can you do about this?"

"You could try walking round till you find an all- night supermarket" the man on reception said, and went back to reading the sleazy magazine he held.

"Get the manager please" Cal requested.

The man huffed, but went to fetch his manager.

She came back with him a moment later. A small, pretty girl.

"Hello Sir, my name is Lily Chao and I'm the manager here. What seems to be the trouble?"

Cal thought that if only he'd met this girl at a happier time, he would be feeling the start of something good.

"My friends and I have been travelling for a long time. We've just found out your room service isn't available. Now that's fair enough. But it's your receptionist making it clear that he doesn't care a fig that's upset us."

"Duncan, I'd like you to come to my office tomorrow morning so we can discuss the meaning of customer service. Now Sir…" Lily smiled at Cal, "I'm afraid it's true about the room service but if you'd like to remain seated a little longer, I'll drive over to the Pizza Palace and bring back hot meals for you. Does your party all like soup and pizza?"

"Yes thank you-" Cal pulled out his wallet.

"No, Sir, on the house! I presume you've not yet unpacked?"

Cal shook his head.

"Duncan! Upgrade all their rooms to superior ones, please. The charge will be the same."

Duncan glared, but knew he would be in trouble if he gave these new guests any further grief, so he was busy on the hotel computer for a while, and then said, forcing a smile:

"All done."

"Thank you."

Dylan thought how Ben would have loved a superior hotel room and felt even colder inside.

Finally settled in their rooms, they enjoyed the hot food that Lily had brought for them. There were more than enough tea and coffee supplies and each room had a mini fridge with ample cold drinks. It was a sign of how much Ethan had matured when he made sure Jess had eaten all her soup and some pizza, and only then had eaten his own meal.

Dylan finally managed to sleep and to dream of Ben. In his dream Ben was warm and alive, and his usual tender self. Then he awoke to the misery of his loss and turned his face to the wall. Lucius slept quietly over at the other side of the room.

As Dylan lay there brooding, there was a frantic knocking on his door. He wondered vaguely if it could be the police.

Ethan stood there, his eyes like saucers, a newspaper in his hand.

"Page 15!" he gasped.

"I'm not interested in gossip-" Dylan began to growl.

"Please! Read it!" Ethan's voice was urgent.

Dylan turned to page 15… and almost dropped the paper.

"DIAMONDS MEDITERRANEAN RESTAURANT AND CABARET… FOR TWO NIGHTS ONLY… BEN CHILTERN SINGS A SELECTION OF MUSICAL THEATRE FAVOURITES AND STANDARDS."

"It's somebody with the same name" he said dully.

But his Ben had sung and had loved Musicals.

"I held him dead in my arms. I saw the wounds in his chest" he babbled to Ethan.

Then Dylan remembered something else. Long ago before all this travelling. Ben had been enthusiastic back in the hospital because he'd just got himself a couple of gigs as a singer, with Mrs Beauchamp's permission.

"Fuck."

The expletive seemed the only possible word Dylan could use under the circumstances.

"Only one way to find out for certain and we've got plenty of cash" mused Ethan. Then, to lighten the tension, he said:

"I hope they serve big meals."

"Greedy bugger." Dylan was almost his old self again.

All of them, not just Dylan, were on edge for the rest of the day. They walked round the cold but dry streets of Cardiff, they took Lucius to look at Cardiff Bay, but none of them could really settle.

Finally the evening came.

They knew three things before the evening was out.

Miraculously, it was Ben. He was alive, unharmed, with the voice of an angel. Cal and Ethan wanted to go and speak to him afterwards but Dylan said urgently:

"No. Please. He's on tomorrow night as well. Let me get my head round this for a bit longer."

"The way I see it" Cal said, as they sat in the bar afterwards, "Is that Ben didn't belong in 1914. None of us did. So when he died, his soul just came back here and he carried on as normal."

It sounded ludicrous, but then, being saved from armed killers by a dragon was also implausible.

Ethan looked miserable.

"In that case, you'd better put plenty of food in my coffin when I die because we'll be going back to bloody Andromeda."

"Just keep a couple of croissants in your pockets for the rest of your life and you'll be okay" Cal teased.

It all sounded fine but Dylan had misgivings. Tomorrow night was their last chance. What if Ben didn't recognise them? What if he didn't even… well, like Dylan?

Supposing he didn't recognise Lucius.

And yet, he, Dylan, had to know.

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