Jenkins sighed as he sat down in his chair in his laboratory. Steam rose from the cup in his hand. He needed a moment in his place. The place where he could just think. After the small revelation from Amber, he was starting to feel like his world was getting out of sync each second, more so in her presence. He thought back to what she had said after the team left.
"I'm 71 years old," Amber replied.
It seemed like he would never stop being stunned by anything she said about herself. She was 71 years old. He had looked at her closely. She didn't look 71 obviously, she looked more like she was in her late 20's. At the very most, the same age as the three young Librarians. Her hair wasn't like his-white. It was a chocolate brown.
"You're 71?" Jenkins sighed. "This is an impossibility. How-"
Amber took a step back with her hands up, pleading. "Please. If you start asking those questions, I'm not going to be able to answer them until I'm ready. You have to understand that I spent 50 years trying to understand a lot of things. I even went looking for you for ten years and it was like you disappeared off the face of the Earth, and now here you are. I have my own questions but…I can't ask those without telling you everything."
Jenkins listened and nodded, "Alright. When you're ready, I'll be here."
Amber crossed her arms as if to give herself a hug, "Thanks." She gave him a little smile and turned away to the door.
Jenkins watched her back as she went further away from her. A question popped up in his head. He knew what he had just promised her but this question burned. He put his hand on his head and massaged it as if he was starting to develop a headache.
"I'm sorry," Jenkins blurted out. "I have one other question."
Amber stopped in her tracks just outside of the door. She turned around. She nodded.
"I know I said I'd wait until you're ready, but you've given me so much information that I just need to know one thing."
She looked up at him. His face caused her pain. It had been a while since she had seen a look of desperation on him.
"Go ahead," she whispered.
Jenkins went up to her, looked into her brown eyes. He could see the fear in them. He bet his own eyes showed the same fear.
"How long did we know each other for?"
Amber took a deep breath. Jenkins could hear it rattle. He felt the exhale on his face as she looked up at him. He was a foot taller than her.
"Six months."
He took a sip of his tea as he heard in his memories her voice fading away with that surprising declaration. He didn't doubt that she knew him. Especially after yesterday's confrontation outside in public. And more than that, there were not that many people who knew his true name.
Galahad.
So how did she know?
How did she know something so personal to him?
His hand shook, the tea sloshing over the rim. He hissed as the pain sparked but no burn. He set the cup down and cleaned up the small mess. He grumbled to himself in annoyance. It wasn't often that he spilled his tea.
Six months.
That's a long time to know someone. He wondered about his own mind. Was there something wrong with him that he didn't know about? Something so wrong and fractured that he would forget a woman like her?
He was working in the Library 50 years ago. In his long memory, he couldn't really recall a time when he left for a significant period of time. It was only recently that he began to leave to help the others. Maybe he needed to be looking to the books for an answer. He doubted highly that Amber had the answer this time.
He got up and headed towards the books. He needed the answers.
