Chapter Seven

Beck's Perspective:

The Monday after the Paxton dinner marked the start of the newest routine. Every morning, Andre, Robbie and I left for work. Cat, Tori and Jade remained at the flat, working on laundry or prepping food. As it turns out, there are quite a few shops on or near Church street, offering everything from fresh bread to produce to meats. With the security of three incomes, our food finally improved.

After work, we'd all eat dinner, then get together to head back to that alley, to see if we could finally get home. While it never worked, the routine helped keep everyone's mood high. Cat's been especially determined. She'll often stand in the alley for long periods of time, holding up the coin that got us here, quietly whispering to herself. She always looks so dejected when it ultimately results in nothing.

The following Saturday evening, we decided to get a little festive and celebrate our success with a bottle of wine, purchased on discount. Pouring glasses, I handed them out, skipping over Cat. I ended up giving her some water from the pitcher, having boiled it earlier. She smiled gratefully.

"I was reading in the newspaper that there's going to be a firework display in the park across from Trafalgar Square. It sounds like fun. Can we go?"

"When is it?" Andre asked her.

"Next Sunday."

"I'm game." Andre smiled at Tori, who blushed.

"It does sound kind of romantic."

Jade rolled her eyes and took a large gulp of wine. "I gotta be drunk if you two are gonna keep flirting."

"We aren't flirting." Tori's blush got worse.

I sighed. When are those two gonna bite the bullet and start dating. Tori and Andre have had a potential relationship in the works for months.

Robbie stared into his half empty mason jar of wine. "I miss Rex...I even miss his razzing."

"No one but you misses that stupid puppet." Jade sneered. I frowned. She really is a mean drunk. I'm starting to wish I gave her water, too.

Taking a bite of the bread loaf on the table, I washed it down with a swig of wine, my eyes on Cat. It's been a week since she told me about her brother. In that time, I still can't wrap my head around it. How she can just move on with her life as if it didn't happen both amazes and worries me. My earlier thought about her being strong is correct, but with the added concern that she's a little too strong for her own good. It took her so long to confide in someone.

Cat brushed her long mahogany hair over her shoulder and ran her fingers through it. I found myself staring a bit too long. Shaking my head, I stared down at my glass. That's enough wine for one night. I got up and went to stand outside, to get some fresh air.

I didn't realize I'd been followed until Jade slid beside me and rested her head on my shoulder. "I was thinking about all those times we'd drive to the edge of town and hang out at the beach."

I shifted beside her, not quite sure where she's going with that train of thought. The smell of alcohol was strong enough to tell me she's drunk. "You hate the ocean. You've never let me forget it."

"I hate the ocean, yeah. I like the beach." She ran her hand down my arm. When I moved away, she turned and grabbed my shoulders. "Hey...Let's just..."

She bit her lip. I frowned. "...Just?"

She leaned forward, her intent clear. I jerked my head to the side as she attempted to kiss me. Jade leaned back, her eyes full of hurt. She began to glare. Pushing me away, she stormed back inside. Taking another deep breath, I followed her in.

Jade was standing by the bedroom door, giving me the nastiest look I've seen from her in a while. Looking over at Andre, she marched towards him, grabbed his chin and kissed him. The room fell silent. Leaning back, Jade heading into the bedroom and shut the door.

Tori stared at Andre, her eyes showing her disbelief and hurt. "What...?"

Tori got up from her chair, prompting Andre to stand. He shook his head. "I don't know what that was, Tori, I swear."

She leaned away from him, wrapping her arms around herself. "Why would she kiss you?"

I stepped forward, worried where this conversation might be going if Tori keeps believing Andre somehow invited what happened.

"Jade's angry with me, Tori. It has nothing to do with Andre. Seriously."

Robbie stood shakily. "I gotta pee."

"On the landing." Andre warned him. Robbie grabbed the chamber pot and headed out.

Tori looked up at Andre. "Why would Jade do that to me?"

"It's Jade." I pointed out.

"Please, stay out of this." Tori gave me a half-hearted glare.

I looked down before glancing over at Cat. She was sitting silently in her chair, looking very worried for them.

"Ah!" Robbie shouted on the landing. Andre and I rushed over in time to watch him slid down the stairs on his backside. He landed at the bottom and grabbed his leg.

I hurried down to his side. "What happened?"

"I tripped." Robbie gasped. "My leg feels like it's broken."

I felt along the length of his left leg, not feeling anything amiss until I reached his angle. It felt swollen, but that's about it. "I think you sprained it."

"How is he supposed to go to work with a sprained ankle?" Andre knelt on Robbie's other side and helped me lift him. We got him up the stairs and into a chair.

"Alcohol was a bad idea. I'm sorry." I looked up at Andre.

"It's not your fault. I'm the one who told you where to buy it."

Tori stood against the wall, her arms wrapped around herself. Sniffing, she slipped into the bedroom.

"Are you alright, Robbie?" Cat asked him.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Robbie tried to put on a brave face. "Just a sprain."

"Don't you run errands your whole shift?" Cat asked.

"Yeah..." Robbie started to look worried.

"Go straight to bed and see how it feels in the morning." I knelt down and massaged his ankle, carefully twisting it side to side. Robbie hissed in pain.

"I'll help him." Andre hooked Robbie's arm around his neck and lifted him up, helping him into the bedroom.

Cat looked up at me. "Are you okay?"

I had to think about that for a moment. I feel a little shell shocked from the evening's events, but otherwise fine. "Yeah. You?"

She looked to the side. "What will we do if Robbie loses his job?"

"It'll be alright, Cat. Don't worry so much." I pulled her in for a hug. She wrapped her arms around me, her slight shoulders shaking a little. When she pulled away, she didn't look any better.

"I want to believe that."

I took her hand. "Try not to stress about it. Get some sleep."

Cat listened, heading into the bedroom. Locking up, I followed her in, finding Andre laying in the cot beside Robbie. Tori was curled up in bed where he'd usually lay, clearly crying. I sat on the edge of the bed beside Cat. She blushed. Seeing her laying beside me, lit only by lone candlelight...

Enough. What the hell am I thinking?

Cat took my hand. "Sleep. You look tired."

I smiled down at her. "I definitely am."

Jade shifted slightly in her sleep, her arm bumping Cat's. Scooting over as much as she could, Cat gave me room to slide into bed. Nestling myself beside her, I instinctively slid an arm around her. Before I could admonish myself, she leaned against me, settling herself into my arms. Giving up, I rested my head on the back of hers. Pretty soon, I fell asleep.

Cat's Perspective:

The next week was tense. It took until Tuesday for Tori to talk to Andre. Just when they both seemed to work it out, Tori's anger turned fully towards Jade. She knew Tori is practically in a relationship with Andre and kissed him anyway.

Sleeping arrangements changed. Tori and Andre started sharing the cot, leaving Beck, Jade, Robbie and I to share the bed. With everything that's happened, I'm not sure Tori and Jade's friendship will recover.

Robbie's leg isn't getting better. His boss excused a single day, but by the next, he replaced him at work, knocking four shillings off our weekly wages. This put all of us into a bit of a panic. We had to go back to eating beans and peas. If all this isn't bad enough, Robbie's back to trying to talk to me.

"Could you bring me a glass of water, Cat?" Robbie smiled.

"Sure." I got up and poured some into a jar, handing it to him. He brushed his fingers against mine as he took it.

"Thanks. You're a good little nurse."

I bristled a little. Sitting in the chair at the head of the table, I stared out the window, at people bustling in the streets. It's nearly time for Beck to get off.

Tori entered the flat, looking like she'd seen a ghost. "I screwed up..."

Jade came from the back room. "What happened?"

Tori turned away from Jade, refusing to look at her. She turned to me instead. "I accidentally dropped my accent in front of a neighbor."

"Tori!" Jade glared.

"I don't need to hear it from you!" Tori practically shouted.

"Ssh!" Robbie shushed her.

I covered my ears, hating the fighting. Robbie leaned forward to look at my face. "You okay, kitty Cat?"

"I'm fine." I dropped my hands.

"You sure?" Robbie boldly put a hand on my knee. I jumped up from the table, shocked. He looked hurt by my reaction.

Overwhelmed, I ran out of the door and down the stairs. I didn't slow to a walk until I rounded the building, nearly running into two men that smelled like a bar. They laughed.

"Hello, there. What's the wee missus' name?"

I shank away, accidentally backing myself into a little alley. The other man smirked. "Aw, don't be shy!"

They both walked forward, ushering me deeper into the alley. I stumbled backward, nearly falling. One caught me and pulled me to him. I tried to get away, my earlier panic increasing tenfold.

"Let me go!" I screamed, forgetting completely about my accent.

"Ah, an American lass!" The taller one laughed again.

"Cat!" Beck shouted. Bolting into the alley, he shoved one of the men away, knocking him over, the other let go of me. I quickly ran into Beck's arms. Beck hurriedly ushered me towards the building. To my relief, both men rushed off. Beck stopped shy of the stairs and spun me to face him. "Are you okay?"

Tears filled my eyes and fell down my face. "You saved me."

"Of course I did." He smiled. He used his sleeve to dry my eyes.

I don't know what came over me. Standing on my toes, I kissed him on the lips. I pulled away almost immediately. He stared down at me, looking bewildered.

"S-sorry!" I looked away.

We both froze as footsteps started approaching. Beck had me walk up the stairs ahead of him. "Let's get inside."

Up in the flat, we found everyone sitting around the table, except for Tori, who was laying on the bed in the other room. Jade had taken over kitchen duty.

"Hope everyone likes beans." Jade sighed.

I looked nervously at Beck, almost convinced he'd tell everyone what I just did. Both the kiss and my getting myself in a dangerous situation. To my relief, he didn't.

After dinner, as everyone got into bed, Tori started talking about the fireworks display, again.

"It's supposed to be free admission. I bet there will be food vendors. Can we afford a few pence?"

"Possibly." Beck frowned.

With Robbie losing his job, it won't be easy. But, going to this event will lift everyone's spirits.

Settling into bed beside Beck, I found myself blushing, again. I can't believe I kissed him...What must he think? What was I thinking? I can't even explain why I did it. This whole experience in Victorian England must be making me a little crazy.

"My leg is starting to feel better." Robbie told us.

"Just in time to lose your job." Jade rolled her eyes.

"Enough. Let's just get to sleep." Beck ordered.

Laying against his back, I stared up at him until the candle was blown out. In the dark, my worries started surfacing. What if I made him mad? What if Jade finds out and she gets mad? She already thinks I'm trying to steal Beck. I'm really not...right? What on earth was I thinking?

Somewhere amidst my worried thoughts, I fell asleep. I dreamed of the kiss.

When time came to head to the park, everyone left the flat in a rush. Heading down Church street, we made the three mile walk to the park. There, hoards of people were crowding in the park. Like everyone assumed, plenty of street vendors were around, selling everything from meat pies to cinnamon buns. Making our way to an open area, we laid out a blanket we'd brought and sat on it.

Beck got up and fetched everyone a penny pie. As I ate mine, I stared at Beck. What is he thinking? Does he even care that I kissed him? Will he bring it up at some point? It's only been a day and it already feels like a whole week.

Tori pointed to a nearby man, juggling rings. We watched him and the other performers for a while, amused, if not downright entertained. Pretty soon, the sun set in the sky and the main event began: The fireworks.

I stared up at the sky in awe, unable to believe I'm actually here, experiencing this. I'm really living in Victorian London, watching fireworks. I'm surrounded by my friends, I'm happy...I am. But...at the end of the day, this is my fault. That we're here at all is my fault. We can't realistically stay here. None of us want that.

A particularly loud firework burst overhead. I covered my ears, startling. Beck looked over at me. "Why don't we step back a bit if it's too loud."

Getting up, he offered me his hand. I stared at it a moment before taking it. He hoisted me to my feet and led the way through the crowd, until we were a good thirty feet back. I relaxed a little.

"Thank you."

He smiled. "Don't mention it. We were a little too close, anyway."

I stared up at him, my desire to ask him about the kiss almost too much to handle. "Beck?"

He met my eyes. His smile dropped a little as he studied my face. Looking around, he pulled me further, until we were standing at the back of the crowd, next to an unmanned food cart.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.

My face flushed. "Y-yes."

Beck stood there a moment, seemingly collecting his thoughts. "I initially assumed you were caught up in the moment and was going to leave it at that."

"Oh...Right." I looked down.

"But...I started to find myself hoping that it wasn't."

I looked up, finding a pensive expression on his face. I pushed myself to ask the question rattling around in my mind. "What did you hope it was?"

"I hoped you meant it." He squeezed the hand he was still holding. Pulling me forward, he wrapped his free arm around my waist. I stared up at him, lost for words. Unsure of what else to do to articulate what I'm feeling, I leaned up and kissed him again.

He kissed me back this time. I nervously rested my hand on his shoulder before bravely bringing it to the side of his neck. As I kissed him, it felt like everything finally clicked. I like Beck...I like Beck. I. Like. Beck. And...I think he likes me.

He pulled away. Both of us took a minute to catch our breath. Looking around, Beck gave me a reassuring smile. "We should get back before the morality police arrest us."

I let out a quick laugh. Letting go of all but my hand, Beck led the way back to our group.

I knelt on the floor of the flat, sorting through our clothes. "Should we clean our modern things?"

"Might as well." Tori dragged a bit metal pan into the house that she borrowed. Sitting it in front of me, she filled it with a kettle's worth of boiling water, as well as the pitcher's worth of cool water. I dropped my modern jeans in, along with everything else.

Rubbing the denim together, I worked out a stain, my hands turning red in the hot water. As I did, a coin fell out of the little change pocket. I picked it up, staring down at it. Wait...

"2013..." I mumbled.

"What?" Tori leaned in.

"2013!" I shouted.

"Really?" Jade rushed over.

"Really!"

Robbie hobbled out the back room. "What's going on?"

"Cat found a 2013 coin!" Tori grinned.

"When will Andre and Beck be home?" Robbie asked.

I checked the setting sun out the window. "Shortly."

"Is this really happening?" Jade ran her hands through her hair.

"What's happening?" Andre and Beck came through the door, both looking tired.

I handed the coin to Beck. He stared down at it, not quite comprehending it for a moment. When he did, he gasped. "2013."

"Will it work?" Andre looked over his shoulder.

"We can try." Beck grabbed my hand. "Let's go."

Leaving the flat, we rushed down the stairs and practically raced to the alley at the end of the block. Standing in a circle, Beck handed the coin to me. I shared a look with each of my friends, nervous. What if it doesn't work? What if we're truly stuck here? Will they blame me?

I shut my eyes. "Please...take us home."

When I opened my eyes, I saw a familiar dark cloud flood into the alley, followed by a rumbling noise. Bells tolled in the distance, echoing around us. I nervously reached for Beck, who took my free hand and held it tightly. I felt the rest of my friends holding onto my arms and shoulders. When the fog lifted, I found myself staring down at concrete.

I looked up at Beck. He was rapidly staring around us, at every little detail. "It worked."

"It worked!" Andre whooped! He picked up Tori and spun her around before kissing her. She stared back at him in surprise before smiling.

"Let's get out of here." Jade grabbed the coin from me and threw it. We quickly ran from the alley and out onto the main street.

The sight of modern cars was enough to bring me to tears. "We're home."

Beck hugged me tightly. "We really are home."

"Right?" Robbie looked nervous. He ran up to a random man and grabbed his shoulders. "What year is it?"

"You bloody nut!" The man pushed Robbie off. "It's 2013, you crazy American."

We hurriedly approached a newspaper kiosk. The one on the front display read the date. We're back.

"What time is it?" Beck asked the man running it.

"Just past five. Are you historical reenactors What era are you lot supposed to be from?"

"1875." Beck answered. "Let's get back to Cheapside. Sikowitz is probably looking for us."

We took our time heading back, each of us caught up in our surroundings. I paused outside of a coffee shop, taking in the smell. "It's coffee...real coffee."

The rest of the walk went like that. One or more of us stopping to admire something we would have taken for granted without this experience. Public bathrooms, televisions in display windows, clean air. By the time we made it to Cheapside, it was after six. No sooner did we arrive did we notice police officers talking to a concerned Sikowitz and Mister Baker.

"The student's names?" An officer ask.

"Tori Vega, Beck Oliver, Jade West, Andre Harris, Cat Valentine and Robbie Shapiro."

"We're here!" Tori shouted. Lifting the skirts of her dress, she rushed over.

"Where the hell have you been!" Sikowitz demanded to know.

We all shared a look. The truth not only wouldn't be believed, but would probably get us in more trouble. Beck stepped forward. "In Cheapside, attending a reenactment workshop."

"I call bullocks." Mister Banner crossed his arms. "You left Cheapside."

I grimaced. This feels very much like an out of the pan, into the fire situation. At the same time...I just don't care. We're home. All I want is a hot shower, a large meal and a nap.

"Wherever you were, we had to call the police." Sikowitz frowned, looking, for once, like a proper teacher. "You're all going back to the hotel while we decide if you should get to continue the trip."

I don't think a single one of us could hide our relief. We were rounded up and put on a bus that took us straight back to the hotel while the rest of the groups continued to tour the city. We all rushed to enter our hotel rooms. While Jade took a shower, Tori and I ordered a bunch of food to the room.

An hour later, the food arrived and the boys joined us for an impromptu picnic on the floor. We ate and talked and just took in the experience of finally being home.

Our chaperons ultimately decided to send us home the following day. I couldn't bring myself to care very much. Just being back in the correct time is going to be enough for me for quite a while. On the way back, I sat in a seat beside Beck, my head resting on his shoulder, our hands entwined. Just ahead of us, Tori and Andre spent the flight talking. Across the plane, in two available seats, Jade was forced to sit next to Robbie.

A flight attendant handed Beck a bottle of water. "I'll never take this for granted, again."

"Should we see a doctor after all this?" I had been thinking about it since we got back.

"Maybe." He took a long drink of water before handing the bottle to me. I drank it, enjoying the crisp, cold taste.

Beck squeezed my hand. "I hope you know I meant what I said before. 1875 or 2013, I still meant it."

I smiled. "I meant it, too."

Giving me a lazy smile, Beck leaned over and kissed me.