Page 25 of A Flicker in Time (Mine Through Time #2)

Chapter 24

“ N o, no, it wasn’t Will.” Janet waved her hand, nearly overturning a glass of wine. “Charlie told me you should squish the bugs, then eat them. Do you remember, Will?”

Will tapped his mouth with a napkin and deposited it before answering. “Yes, I do. If I recall correctly, Charlie had especially innovative culinary ideas that summer.”

“Good thing he grew out of them.” Lorraine fixed her daughter with a stare that, on somebody else, would look threatening. “I hope you’re not telling Vicky to eat bugs.”

Whenever she wasn’t trying to chastise her children, Lorraine appeared to be mild-mannered and a bit on the shy side. It was strange to think that she and Fabienne would be friends—but as Emily knew herself, sometimes one needed a counter-balance.

Fabienne sat diagonally across the table from Lorraine, the women’s respective husbands filling the other two spaces and the younger generation the other half of the table. Due to uneven numbers, Emily got her own spot at the head of the table. That allowed her a nice overview of everyone—but it also meant Janet was sitting next to James, Will next to Sylvia, and everything was going haywire.

“I see I missed the opportunity of a lifetime,” James said. “I never made Sylvia eat bugs.”

“As if I’d ever be as stupid as to eat them,” Sylvia retorted, then flushed red and looked at Janet. Luckily, the other girl was too busy fawning over James to realize the insult.

Based on Janet’s behavior the day before, Emily was sure the neighbor had a crush on Will. That had been fun enough to watch—until James came along and unleashed his crispiest British accent and flashiest smile. It was as if he was doing it on purpose.

The empty dessert plates were taken away, and Lorraine invited everyone to the drawing room. Emily made an excuse and slipped out to the back of the house, relishing the peace, quiet, and the dark night sky. When had she last seen so many stars? Maybe not since that camp trip with Mama and Debbie, when she’d looked at them just like this. Camping … the woods … James …

“Oh, stop,” she ordered herself.

“I didn’t even begin yet,” James’ voice came from behind, like a demon created personally to torture her. He leaned on the wall. “So. That explains a lot.”

Emily thought of shooting a witty remark about bugs but kept silent. At one point, they’d have to talk about time travel.

“Now, please don’t do any of your magical thingies and disappear on me again,” he said. “I just want to talk.”

“They’re not ‘magical thingies’. They’re my … it’s who I am. ”

“Will told me you’re not from this time. It makes sense. You’re different.”

With the lack of anything else to clutch, she grabbed her skirt. “Are you still angry at me?”

“For not telling me about time travel? I mean, it’s—”

“For letting Sylvia get kidnapped.”

James looked at the ground before he returned his gaze to her. “Mistakes happen. She’s safe now, so there’s no reason to reheat old arguments. Besides … I could never stay angry at you for long.”

She closed her eyes. “I told you this wasn’t going to work. Now you know why. And it’s not like you hadn’t already moved on to breaking other people’s hearts.”

“Who, Janet?” James chuckled. “Trust me, I’m far from breaking her heart. I’m just being nice to her. And I think Will appreciates having a break from her moony-eyeing him.” He pushed himself off the wall and came closer. “You told me no, and I will abide by that. In that world of yours, do you have someone else waiting for you? Have I done you wrong by implicating you in a marriage?”

She shook her head.

“Will you keep coming to this time? Once our task is done?”

She shrugged. “I don’t have the time or means to travel across the country, so … I reckon I’ll visit Will from time to time if he doesn’t escape to France again. But otherwise, I’m pretty much confined to my immediate area.”

“Savannah.”

“Yes.”

James looked to the side. The yellowish glow of the lamp glistened in his eyes. “I don’t yet know where I’ll go after this. If all is resolved well and Sylvia freed, I might return to Richling Creek. Looks like I’m kind of a legend there now.”

Emily gave him a small smile. “That would fit you well.” And it would also be very, very far away. She wasn’t even sure if Richling Creek still existed in her time.

“I guess it would.”

They stood in silence for a few moments.

“So we go to Boston and bring justice to Ross and Ralkin,” James said.

Emily let out a short laugh.

“What is it?”

“It sounds so superheroic. Bringing justice. Ross and Ralkin. What a crime duo.”

“What is this, uh, ‘superheroic’?”

“It’s people with special powers. Supernatural.”

“So, like you.”

“I guess. A little bit. And you’re my …” Condemned love interest I have to stay away from to ensure his safety? No, scratch that. “Sidekick. I do the time freezing, you do the trigger pulling.”

“That sounds like a good partnership.”

Emily didn’t want to say it did, so another silence fell. James rocked on his feet.

“I know nothing ever happened. That night,” he said.

“You can’t know for sure.” Not that it mattered anymore, did it?

“But I do. I’m certain it hadn’t, because no amount of whiskey or tequila or whatever they served that evening …” His voice dropped to a passionate whisper. “Could make me forget you.”

He reached into his pocket and pressed something tiny and cold into her hand. A simple ring, its only decoration a small emerald stone. Emily stuttered, but James covered her hand, closed it into a fist, and pressed it to her chest. “I was told you can transport small objects to your time. Will you take it to remember me? Even if it becomes a silly memory—it’s not like I’m going to know. I only know I’m not going to forget you.”

Me neither. She nodded, a lump forming in her throat.

“And this is the last time—nothing but anti-crime partnership after this, I promise—but may I kiss you?”

She swallowed the lump. And nodded again.

It was far from the kiss in her room in Richling Creek—tentative, gentle, and sweet—but it felt so much more heavenly, and it hurt so much more. After breaking it, James lingered for a moment, his forehead against hers, and then retreated.

“Now we’re partners.” He extended a hand. Emily shook it. And he left.

She was still in the same position, staring out into the night, when Will found her five minutes later.

“Can we talk?”

“Looks like this is turning into The Talk Zone,” she remarked, but couldn’t get the humor into her voice. “What is it?”

“Your fading, or phasing, or whatever you wish to call it.”

“Gramps, you don’t have to worry about it.”

“And you should know by now I worry about everything.” Will took her hands in his. Emily winced at the touch—not because there was something wrong with it, but because it felt so different to James’, even when they were only shaking hands for partnership. “I worry about you. About what will become of you if you go further and further…”

“You’re sounding like I’ll become a supervillain.” She cocked an eyebrow. “I made it through saving your mom. I’ll make it through this, too. This is just the next level. Now with walking through walls. ”

“Take care of yourself, will you? If something happens, I’m sure you’ll find a way to notify me via time travel. And when I return, we’ll hopefully have the Ross and Ralkin problem solved, and all that’s left is to figure out what to do with the almonite we might get.”

“Create our own super force?”

“Emily …”

“Yeah, yeah, Gramps.” She patted him on the shoulder, and his eyes snapped to her. Whoa, talk about overreacting.

“Emily,” he said again, with a different, lower, more serious tone.

Like at the saloon.

“Will?” she tried. When he didn’t respond immediately, she added, “You’re not present-Will, are you?”

“No.” He relaxed a bit, soothing her fears that something had gone wrong and he came to warn her about an approaching apocalypse.

As if Will, with his convictions, would ever do that.

“Future-Will?”

He nodded. “Emily … you can’t tell this to me. I mean, present-day me. Do you understand?”

“Keeping your secrets from yourself. Okay …” She raised her eyebrows.

“I need to ask you something.”

***

Sylvia had been packing when James visited her in the room she shared with Emily. He didn’t worry about encountering the latter—he’d seen her ten minutes earlier, practicing lockpicking downstairs with Will.

What a family .

“Hey, Silly,” he greeted. “Need help?”

“It’s not like I have much to pack.” She closed the suitcase and sat on the bed. She looked well enough in the pale light of the morning; no one could’ve guessed she was ill. If you counted almonite as an illness.

James sat next to her. “You’ll be in good hands. Marshall will take care of you. And, let’s be honest, we all know what would’ve happened if I went to Paris. They have an entire district dedicated to …” He weighed his head left and right.

Sylvia smiled a little. “You’re not that bad.”

“But I am. Or maybe I was.” He took her hands, marveling at the elegant, dainty fingers. His little sister. How could he ever have done all of that to her?

“I was an asshole,” he said. “When I did … what I have done with Vanessa, I thought of no one but myself. When I took Father’s ultimatum and left, I thought of no one but myself. I didn’t stop to consider how my actions would affect my family—you. How they could ruin your life.”

“Oh, James …”

“I thought I was in the right. I was so angry, and I had to prove Father wrong. Show him how he’d betrayed me by supporting my lifestyle, making me just like him, then stabbing me in the back. I thought of all the people, he would’ve been on my side. He wasn’t. And he was right.”

“James, no.” Sylvia squeezed his hand. “Don’t paint yourself as the villain. Yes, your actions had consequences. On me, too. I won’t say on Papa, because he had bad habits before you left, and one day, he was bound to pay for his drinking. Mama can live with it. She may groan and moan, but in truth, she doesn’t mind staying in the country and living a quiet life. I think sometimes, she even likes feeling sorry for herself, likes to have her friends pat her back and lament the loss of her son. But I … ”

“I landed you in this mess.”

“Society landed me here. Their pressure, everything I’ve been told of life and marriage, landed me here. You should not berate yourself for being braver than I was. For doing what you wanted, not what the others told you to.” She rubbed his fingers. “I’ll agree that not all you did was right. But you know better now. And in turn, please agree that my situation is not of your making.”

With a deep sigh, James nodded. “It may not be entirely, but I will fix it.”

“No.” Her lips quirked, and her eyes sparkled. “I will.”

“Look at you, Silly. I don’t know what I was thinking. I should’ve let you take on that mountain lion.”

She laughed and leaned onto him, digging her head into the hollow of his shoulder.

“I love you, Sis.”

“I love you, too … Jaunty Jimmy.”

And they both laughed.

***

Will sifted through the old papers his father had kept of the Watchers, making sure for one last time he hadn’t forgotten or missed anything important he’d need for Paris. The others were outside, gathering around the carriage that would take them to the train station. Will and Sylvia would go to New York and board a ship there, and James would return to Boston. Emily chose to return her way—by going back to the present.

“I knew I’d find you in here.” Mother stood at the doorstep. Will hadn’t even heard the door opening. “May I enter the Sanctum? ”

“You know you’re welcome here any time.”

She laughed and stepped forward. “One day, I’ll have to teach you what sarcasm is.”

“I think Emily might have mentioned that once or twice,” he said with a quirk of his lips.

“Good! At least someone in the family.” She leaned on the desk, her expression sobering. “Will, I know something troubles you.”

“Take your pick. Two of them start on ‘R,’ and—”

“Not that.” She grabbed his shoulder and turned him to face her. “There’s more. Something else.”

“I worry about work. I can’t go back to working with Ralkin …”

“And I’m sure you’ll have no trouble finding other work. If nothing else, your father will take you. You already know the shop like the back of your hand.”

Will had most often seen his mother as teasing or mischievous—but when things got serious, when her eyes narrowed just so, he knew he was in trouble. All that was left was for her to call him—

“Guillaume Edmond Marshall. You’ll stop making excuses, and tell me what’s wrong.”

Will clutched the edge of the desk, crumpling a few papers. “I’ll do something wrong. I know I will. As soon as you add time travel to anything, it upsets the balance. You start questioning things. If I find out that, and do this, what will happen? Will the result be better or worse? I don’t … I don’t know how to do it right. On my own. Everything I ever did was with your help, and Father’s. But when it’s just me …”

“Shush.” She hugged him. “You’ll do the right thing.”

“I don’t know what the right thing is!” He shook her off. “What about you? What I did to you? ”

“To me? You mean the fact I have a beautiful, talented, smart son, a wonderful husband, not one but two places to call home, a lovely family that will greet me when I visit Provence, and friendly neighbors who will welcome me back every time? You mean that?”

“Mother …”

“Fine, perhaps not everything had gone right, but we’re all doing well now. If this is the result, should I really be upset about a few bumps in the road?”

Will stared at the floor. That was easy to say in retrospect, but what when the bumps were still ahead of him?

“Emily once showed me a part of the family tree,” he said.

“I know. That’s how we figured out the connection in the first place.”

“Some of it was wrong. But I saw a name next to mine. My wife.” He looked up. “Sylvia.”

His mother gasped. “The very Sylvia that’s standing outside right now?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t see the last name. But it can’t be her, can it? She’s married already.”

She weighed her head. “Marriage isn’t necessarily a hindrance …”

“It is to her. She’s not that kind of a woman. And neither would I ever consider it.”

“Divorce?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I worry that I'm overthinking it because of one single name. I can’t stop thinking of the possibilities and all the ways in which it can’t be possible. Because it can’t be. Hers is a different world. And she’s not in a situation where it could ever happen …”

“Will.” Mother rubbed his arm. “If you say it is impossible, why even worry? ”

He stayed silent. He should’ve known that to her, that would also be an answer.

“You love her.”

He began shaking his head but gave up halfway through the motion.

“Yes, you do. And that’s why you’re obsessing over it. Because you don’t see a way she could ever be yours.”

“I should go now. We can’t miss the train.”

“Yes, I know you’re getting too old for touchy-feely conversations with your mother.” She caught him from behind and squeezed him into a hug. “Here, I’ll have my final victory. Now you can go. And, Will … if you’re worried about it, leave the watch out of it. Leave everything out of it. Just trust your heart.”

Will nodded, but only to make his mother happy. He kissed her cheek goodbye and headed out.

That might be easy for her, but he couldn’t trust his heart. Because of all the parts of his body that one could prescribe thinking or feeling functions to, his heart held the most chaos.

Emily was loitering about in the entrance hallway.

“Are you sure you don’t want to ride with us?” he asked.

She gave a small shake of her head. “It’s crowded anyway.”

“Not really. The carriage can easily fit four people …”

She had a strange look in her eyes. Will had seen sadness and despair in her before, but this was different. Not as strong, but at the same time, deeper.

“I miss the times when it was just the two of us,” she said. “Remember? When we watched movies and ate popcorn and I was hiding you from my aunt. Or when this was a simple, couple-of-days mission. When we … when …” Swiv eling her eyes away from him, she ran a hand through her hair, only to frown when it got stuck in the bun at the back. “There never was going to be any adventure, was it? Even if you weren’t busy here, even if we weren’t preoccupied with everything else, you still don’t like to travel.”

“I have nothing against time travel …”

“I know.” Her lips quirked just briefly. “But it will always mean something different to you than to me.” She walked up to him and took his hand, shaking it almost like one would, greeting an acquaintance. “Good luck in France, Gramps. I know you’ll make the best decisions possible.” At the last moment, he caught her other hand activating the watch.

Then she blinked out, and he was holding empty air.