TIME MACHINE CHAPTER FORTY TWO

A/N One more full-length chapter and then a short epilogue will be posted separately.

Cal took them all shopping the next day and bought new clothes for everybody with Brad's credit cards. None of them felt any guilt about using the money, Brad would have happily killed all of them, starting with Jess and her unborn baby – and it was virtually impossible to locate people who'd vanished with a bang even if they had handed in their 'swag' to the police. Cal had the keenest eye of the group and could see what people were wearing in 2014.

Ethan kept a close watch on Jess all this time, making sure she felt safe on the crowded streets – the Sales had begun in Cardiff – and escorting her back to the hotel in a taxi when she was tired. He had matured so much from the wild young man who was rescued from fighting for food in Andromeda. He'd always love his guts, but heart won over guts and Jess was in his heart.

Dylan stroked the talisman before he fastened his shirt later as they dressed for Ben's cabaret. Please remember me, Ben, he prayed. Lucius's little face was pale and set. Dylan had warned him that his Dad Ben might not remember him and Lucius was afraid that might be true. Dylan could only wonder on Ben's state of mind after being flung into modern-day Cardiff again after his unjust execution. Maybe, he thought, shuddering, Ben had died for a short time.

The young waitress, Morag, had seen how ill Ben was looking. He'd been lovely with her, though her gaydar had told her that a date with him was a lost cause – but he seemed tense and she'd gently asked him what was wrong.

"Bad dreams lately, Morag" he shrugged. He didn't begin to tell her any of them; the trial, the firing-squad, the pain, and then waking up in modern Cardiff. He was standing outside a funfair and knew he had to get the hell away from it, but couldn't say why it frightened him so much. He'd all but run across the road and dived into the first taxi he flagged down, but neither the driver or anybody he'd spoken to since had remembered a fair being in that area. How could he explain himself without feeling insane? So he put his jagged memories together, knew he had been trained as a nurse and that he could sing quite well. He'd concentrated on the latter, he wasn't in a fit state to nurse anybody at the moment. What hurt him even more than the pain at the end of his nightmare was the sense that he'd lost something very precious back in the strange world he'd dreamed of. Oh sod it, he thought, he'd go out there tonight and sing his heart out, give them all the best show he could.

Cal couldn't believe his luck. Even in the general misery at losing Ben, and the uneasy joy of knowing he was alive again, he couldn't help feeling thrilled. It was Lily's night off and she'd happily accepted his offer to take her to the cabaret with them. At one time he thought she was going to refuse, then she said seriously: "I would like to come with you all, Caleb… but next time I would prefer to go out with you alone." He tried to suppress his joy for Dylan and Lucius's sake but it was hard.

They had a table right in front of the stage. Dylan had picked up a flier with Ben's photo on it; he would keep it as a precious souvenir if the evening ended disastrously.

"Glad to see you here again, ladies and gents – I must say, I think this young man's going to go far so you should get him to sign your flier afterwards. He's going to try his luck in London tomorrow so I'll be surprised if we see him here again – at least as a singer. Next time he's here, he'll be at the New Theatre, you mark my words." The Maitre D' was a chubby, friendly man, and liked this group.

After an excellent meal, which, unsurprisingly only Ethan and Lily were able to do justice to, though Dylan did find the ice cream and drinks helped to soothe his tight throat, Ben came on to perform his set.

He smiled at them all but it was a genuine surprise of pleasure that a group had come to see him twice, nothing more. His first act ended.

Ben felt the same ache again as he'd felt previously, but this time it was tinged with frustration. He knew the people at the front table. Yet no matter how much he'd looked at them as he sang, nothing stirred in him, even the adorable and well- mannered little boy didn't spark any recognition. Damn, he would have to take another sleeping pill later. He hoped he wasn't going to start going down that route…

The doorman, Big Mac, took one look at Jess and made sure she stood where she was protected. The crowd, mostly excited young girls, had certainly taken to young Ben. The lad deserved it, despite being in a kind of daze most of the time. Big Mac knew it wasn't drugs, he'd seen their effect before. Something hurt him in the past, more like.

Then Ben came outside. He was charming with everybody, polite, humble. He noticed Lucius.

"Hi, thank you for coming to hear me sing. Wouldn't you rather have gone to the panto?"

Lucius didn't know what a panto was, but said:

"I wanted to come and hear you; I like it when people sing nice songs."

Ben smiled, signed Lucius's flier, and then signed for the others. He wondered why the group with the little boy were looking anxiously at him. Oh-of course. There were a lot of unpleasant characters around now, they were just looking out for him. Ethan forced himself not to ask Ben any stupid questions, and then the group stepped back for others to speak to the young singer.

They were all afraid to mention the past to him. And what would have been the point? Maybe his memory had been wiped after his ordeal, decided Dylan.

And then a pushy woman – one of those who seemed to be 90 per cent elbows – was in front of them, pushing her flier under Ben's nose.

Dylan knew that they might as well give up. His arms around Lucius, his friends around him, he steered them towards a couple of taxis.

He's alive, he's safe, don't be greedy and ask for more, he thought, dreading the bleak future. He fingered the Talisman and remembered Grey Owl's exact words. He'd told Dylan he'd see Ben again, he'd never told him that Ben would remember him.

He – and the others – had to accept things.

Just a brief epilogue tomorrow.

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