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[poetloveses]

The Card Says ‘Secret Admirer’

    “Are you sure this is where you want to go?”

    “Yes,” replied Eve Baird as the car pulled up outside the Annex door. This wasn’t the first time she got asked that nor would it be the last.

    The driver stared at her as she got out. “Are you sure,” he asked.

    “Yes,” she replied, “I like the quiet and enjoy having lunch out here.”

    Eve watched as the car pulled away. Next time, she thought, maybe I should just take the back door.

    The back door was a magic door that Jenkins came up with. It could take them anywhere in the world that has a door. They just twist some knobs on the old globe, open the doors, and they were there. It was fast and convenient, but when just going into town, it felt better to take a car. Made her feel more like a regular person.

    In fact, today, they all decided to head out for a while. Jenkins took the car and dropped them all off. He had a few errands to run himself and needed the car. He said he would pick them up when they were ready or set a door to their location. Eve decided to call a car instead. She didn’t always like using the magic door and even though Jenkins said he would pick them up, he would complain the whole time.

    Eve saw someone walking in the woods nearby, but couldn’t make out who it was. She waited until they were out of sight before heading to the Annex door. They didn’t need others nosing around the building. She always got on Jones every time had a pizza delivered.

As Eve got closer to the door, she noticed a package sitting next to it. She approached it carefully. Flynn or Jenkins probably had an artifact sent here from someone. These artifacts can be dangerous. She hated getting surprises like this. 

    After making sure the package was safe to move, Eve picked it up and took it inside. After putting away the things she had picked up on her trip to town, Eve took the package to the Annex. She sat it down on the table and plucked the envelope off the package. There was nothing written on it except for a drawn heart. No name, no address. Nothing to indicate where it came from or who it was for.

    At that moment, Jenkins walked into the room. “That is the last time I offer to take any of you anywhere,” he said.

    “Didn’t enjoy the ride,” asked Eve.

    “No way. First one of you wants to go here. Another wants to go there. Somebody wants to be picked up and taken somewhere else. That is it. Next time you want to go to town, drive yourselves or take the door,” replied Jenkins. He spotted the package on the table. “What is that,” he asked.

    “I don’t know,” replied Eve, “I found it by the door, outside, when I got back.”

    “Well, who is it from? Who is it for,” asked Jenkins.

    “I’m not sure. There is nothing on the envelope except a heart,” replied Eve, as she showed it to Jenkins.

    “So, it is not from you,” asked Jenkins. Eve shook her head no. “Well, I didn’t leave it,” replied Jenkins, “It must be from Mr. Carsen.”

    “What must be from me,” asked Flynn as he walked into the room.

    “Did you leave this package by the door for me to find,” asked Eve.

    “No, why would I,” Flynn Carsen said as he walked over to check it out.

    “I don’t know, because you love me and wanted to do something special,” replied Eve.

    “Sorry, sweetie. I meant to say I love you,” replied Flynn, “But I didn’t leave this.”

    “Uh, huh,” replied Eve quizzingly, as Flynn kissed her on the cheek.

    “Mr. Jenkins, where did you put my…” said Cassandra as she came into the room. She stopped when she saw the three of them standing around the Annex table. “What’s going on? Do we have a new case,” she asked them.

    Jenkins suddenly remembered when Cassandra had a crush on him. “Did you leave a package by the Annex door,” asked Jenkins.

    “A package? What kind of package,” asked Cassandra moving towards the table.

    “I found a package outside. There is a card, but the only thing on the envelope is a drawn heart. We don’t know who it is for, or who is from,” Eve replied.

    Cassandra looked over at the package. “I didn’t leave it,” she replied. “And none of you left it,” she asked the three of them. They all shook their heads no. “What do we do with it,” she asked.

    “I don’t know, maybe we should open the card? See what it says,” said Flynn. 

    Before any of them could answer the globe started spinning and the backdoor lit up. As the doors opened up, Flynn and the others could hear them arguing before seeing Jacob and Ezekiel walking into the room.

    “We said we were going to meet at Blue Bird Tavern,” said Ezekiel.

    “No, we said we were going to meet at Burgerville,” replied Jacob angrily.

    “No, we didn’t mate. I distinctly remember saying Blue Bird Tavern. We were going to grab a pint before we came back,” replied Ezekiel.

    Ezekiel and Jacob stopped when they realized the other four were staring at them. “What’s going on,” asked Jacob

    “What are you two arguing about now,” asked Jenkins, “I thought you were going to call when you were ready to be picked up, but you never did.”

    “Yeah, because Jones never showed up to the meeting place until I called to see where he was at,” replied Jacob.

    “No, you didn’t show up to Blue Bird Tavern, where we said we were going to meet,” replied Ezekiel.

    “We said Burgerville,” said Jacob. He and Ezekiel started arguing again.

    “Enough,” said Eve and they both stopped.

    “What is everybody doing in the Annex, anyway,” asked Ezekiel.

    “Why are you asking? Are you trying to hide something,” Flynn asked Ezekiel.

    “No, just curious,” replied Ezekiel and took a bite of the pizza he had in his hand.

    Flynn eyed Ezekiel for a moment. Eve broke the silence and said, “Anywho, I found this box outside. Did one of you two leave it?”

    Jacob and Ezekiel walked up to the table to look at the box. “I’ve never seen that,” replied Jacob.

    “Me, neither,” replied Ezekiel, “Who’s it for?”

    “We don’t know,” replied Eve. She held up the envelope and said, “There’s no name written on it. Just a drawn heart.”

    “Well, the only person I would send that to is myself,” replied Ezekiel. “But I didn’t,” Ezekiel said after noticing the weird looks from the others.

    Jacob rolled his eyes at Ezekiel. Then he held out his hand and said, “Can I see it?”

    Eve handed the enveloped card to Jacob. He looked it over while asking, “You found this outside by the door? Did you see anybody else when you found it?”

    Eve replied, “Yes by the door.” She thought about it for a second and replied, “Wait, I thought I saw someone walking through the woods, but I didn’t get a good look at them.”

    “Hmm,” said Jacob, “Somebody could have seen one of us in town and followed us back here. We aren’t always careful when we head out on the town.”

    “You’re right,” replied Jenkins, “We haven’t been careful, but that’s why we have safeguards to keep people out.”

    “So, what are we going to do with it,” asked Ezekiel.

    “I think we are going to have to open it to see who it is for,” said Eve.

    They all agreed. Then Cassandra asked, “Who’s going to open it?”

    They all looked at each other. Then Flynn said to Jacob, “Why don’t you open it since you are holding it.”

    Jacob said okay and then opened the envelope. He opened the card and glanced at it real quick. Then he turned to Cassandra and said, “I believe it is for you.”

    Cassandra took the card from Jacob and read it to herself. She smiled. 

    After a few minutes Flynn asked, “What does it say?”

    Cassandra looked up and read, "Cassandra, you are the smartest, most beautiful woman I ever met. I love your caring nature. I love that you try not to let people get the better of you but not afraid to tell them off. I have trust in you and I hope one day you would feel the same about me. For now I will cherish the moments we have together."

            Cassandra stopped reading the card. She looked up as Eve said, "do you spend a lot of time with people?"

             "I don't know. I do visit a lot of the same places when we go out and talk to some of the regulars and employees at those places," replied Cassandra.

            "Who does it say it's from," asked Flynn.

            "The card says, 'Secret Admirer'," Cassandra replied.

            "Someone wants to remain anonymous for now, that's interesting," said Flynn intrigued.

            "What's in the box," asked Ezekiel.

            Cassandra opened up the box. She reached inside and pulled out something wrapped in tissue paper. She carefully unwrapped the gift to reveal a stuffed cat dressed as a scientist. She smiled a slight smile.

            "Wow, that's so interesting," said Ezekiel sarcastically. Jacob gave him a slight shove. "Sorry, I mean, what a thoughtful gift," said Ezekiel.

            "I don't care what you think, Ezekiel. I think he's cute," replied Cassandra.

            "Whatever," replied Ezekiel, "I'm going to my room." As he headed out of the room, he turned back and said, "and Stone, maybe next time you'll remember where we were supposed to meet." He was gone before Jacob could reply.

          "Well, now that we got the box out of the way, I'm going to check to see if all the security measures are up to date," said Jenkins. Then he left the room.

           Flynn and Eve were the next to leave the room. As they left, Eve was asking Flynn if he would do something that sweet for her with Flynn saying that of course he would.

           Cassandra and Jacob were the only ones left in the room. They stood there quietly for a moment. Cassandra was still looking at the stuffed cat in her hands. She didn't realize Jacob was staring at her. He had a sweet smile on his face as he looked at her.

            Jacob was lost in thought, not realizing he was staring at Cassandra. I'm glad she likes the gift, he thought. He's not sure if he'll ever tell her the truth. 

           After Jenkins dropped them all off, Jacob made a plan. Jenkins dropped Jacob and Ezekiel off at the same place. Jacob turned to Ezekiel and said, "Hey, I am going to run a few errands and we can meet up after to call Jenkins to pick us up."

         "Alright, Mate," replied Ezekiel. Ezekiel took out his phone and looked at his G.P.S. "How about we meet at Blue Bird Tavern," said Ezekiel. 

            "Sounds good," replied Jacob, "In an hour sound alright?"

           "Alright, see you then," replied Ezekiel. 

            Jacob watched as Ezekiel walked away and turned the corner. As soon as he was out of sight, Jacob rushed to get done what he had to do and get back in time. 

            Jacob had just placed the box, when he saw a taxi turn the corner. Someone was coming back earlier than he expected. He rushed off to the woods hoping not to be seen. He was going to have to take a longer way back to meet Ezekiel.

         When Jacob got close to the meeting place, he was already running behind. That's when he spotted Burgerville. He ducked inside and waited a few minutes to call Ezekiel. “Where are you, man," asked Jacob as soon as Ezekiel picked up.

             "I'm at Blue Bird Tavern waiting on you," replied Ezekiel. 

            "But we said we were meeting at Burgerville," replied Jacob.

            "No we didn't, Mate, we said Blue Bird Tavern," replied Ezekiel. 

            "I am pretty sure we said Burgerville, but whatever, just meet me here," said Jacob.

           Ezekiel arrived and they began to argue about who was right. Of course Ezekiel was right but Jacob will never admit to that. They called a door instead of calling Jenkins and waiting to be picked up. They continued to argue as they stepped through the door into the Annex. 

           Jacob came out of his thoughts when he realized Cassandra was looking at him. He realized she had said something to him. He asked her to repeat what she said.

          "I said it was really sweet of someone to do this for me," she replied.

          "Yeah," replied Jacob, "I am sure whoever left it, thinks you are special and deserve something special."

           Cassandra looked at Jacob. He was looking away kind of shyly as he said that. It was at that moment she knew. "I wonder why he didn't write his name," she said. 

           "Maybe he's afraid you won't feel the same way about him," replied Jacob. 

           They were silent for a moment. Cassandra waited until Jacob looked at her. "Well, I hope he one day gets the courage to tell me who he is," she said. She picked up the cat and card and put them into the box. "I think I'm going to go to bed,” she said as she picked up the box.

            Jacob walked with Cassandra to the door. As she was about to walk out the door, she said, “Good night, Jacob," and she gave him a kiss on the cheek. Then she was gone.

          Jacob gathered up some things in the Annex, as he thought about what Cassandra said. He went to the door, looking back as he reached for the lights. Yeah, he thought, maybe someday I'll tell her it was me. He turned out the lights and headed to his room.

[poetloveses]

I Would Have Been There For You

     The Bridgeport Brew Pub was quiet. The pub was closed for the rest of the day and the staff had gone home. Eliot Spencer was at the bar filling out paperwork and expecting deliveries throughout the day. Eliot liked when he was alone in the pub. No one to bother him. He could actually get his work done faster when he was alone.

    Alec Hardison and Parker were working on their own projects in the backroom. Hardison was probably working on something technical that Eliot wouldn’t understand. Parker could be doing anything. Eliot learn to stop asking a long time ago what was in that girl’s mind. 

    At that moment a delivery man walked into the brewpub. Eliot stood to greet him. “How are you today,” Eliot asked the delivery man.

    “Good,” replied the delivery man, “I have a delivery for Alec Hardison.”

    “Of course, you do. I’ll take it to him,” Eliot replied rolling his eyes.

    The delivery man nodded. He liked dealing with Eliot more than Hardison. Eliot tipped better and never gave him attitude about it. He handed Eliot the package. Then thanked Eliot, after Eliot tipped him, and walked out the door.

    Eliot looked at the package as he locked the door. What did Hardison order now, thought Eliot, as he heading into the backroom.

    “Hardison,” Eliot called out, “You got a package…” Eliot stopped as he walked into the room. The room was a total disaster.

    Hardison hopped out of his chair from a room from the side. “Yah, my package is here,” he exclaimed, as he made his way to Eliot.

    “Hey, watch it,” Parker exclaimed.

    “Sorry, babe,” Hardison said, as he got to Eliot’s side.

    “What is all this,” asked Eliot, as Hardison took the package from his hands.

    Hardison shook his head as he opened his package and says, “I have no clue. She just brought all these in and started separating them into piles.”

    Eliot started walking around the piles, he stopped at one and picked up something from the top. “Parker, what is this,” Eliot asked.

    “I don’t know. I just think old newspapers are interesting,” replied Parker.

    “What are you doing with them,” he asked.

    “I am just separating each section. Over here is comics, there is some funny stuff in there. Then we have editorials, local news, personals, obituaries, wedding and birth announcements, and sports. They are from all over the state, too,” Parker replied.

    “It’s a mess, Parker,” Eliot said looking down at the paper in his hand, “They are taking up the room. There is no where to walk and…” Eliot suddenly stopped talking.

    It was so sudden, it made Parker and Hardison take notice. Hardison, who had already gone back into the side room, came out to the door of the room. He looked at Eliot who was staring, silently at the paper in his hand. Hardison looked at Parker and he could see that she saw the same thing as he did. “Eliot,” Hardison said, “Are you okay?”

    Eliot didn’t answer. He just kept staring at the paper in his hand. He couldn’t comprehend what he was reading.

    Parker and Hardison exchanged looks again. Something was bothering Eliot and they weren’t sure what though. Parker looked back at Eliot and called his name. It was like he couldn’t hear them. It was like he was in a trance.

    “Eliot,” Hardison said again.

    Eliot put the paper down and said, “I got to go.”

    Parker and Hardison exchanged looks again. Then Hardison asked Eliot, “Where are you going? Do you want us to come with you?”

    “What? Uh, no,” Eliot said. It was like he was coming out of a trance. “I just got to go, alone.” 

    “What is going on, Eliot,” asked Hardison.

    “Nothing,” said Eliot, “I just got to go.” Then Eliot walked out of the door without saying another word.

    Parker walked to the pile to find the paper Eliot was looking at. She wanted to see what could have made Eliot react the way he did. Parker picked up the paper looking it over. 

    Hardison went over to Parker’s side. “What does it say,” Hardison asked.

    Parker handed the paper to Hardison. She pointed at an article and said, “I think he saw this.”

    Hardison read what she pointed at and gasped. After a few moments, he said, “We should go be with Eliot.”

    Parker nodded and said, “I’m going to call Nate and Sophie and tell them what happened.”

    Hardison agreed. Parker called Nate and Sophie as they headed out to the car.

    Eliot pulled into the driveway. He turned off his car and stared out of the window. He didn’t know what he was going to say when he got to her. He hadn’t seen her in a long time.

    Eliot thought back to when he first met Amara Redding. She came into the brewpub a little less than two years ago. She had come in with a few friends. It was a day that changed his life.

    Eliot was working in the kitchen that day. He always loved being in the kitchen. His other job didn’t allow much time for him to be in the kitchen. He just finished up an order, when Amy Palavi came into the kitchen and said someone wanted to speak to the chef.

    “Just tell them I can’t come out right now,” Eliot said. He didn’t much like going out to see the customers.

     “They’re insist on talking with you. They’re at the bar waiting for you,” replied Amy as she took her order out to the dining area.

    Eliot wiped his hands on his apron and then removed it. Only two kinds of people always wanted to speak to the chef. First is that they wanted to complain about something. Usually trying to scam free food or drinks. Once they see Eliot, though, they usually change their mind. The other person is to tell him how much they liked the food. Eliot can’t count how many times that was the case. Sometimes they’d ask for the recipe. He’d always laugh and tell them he’d have to kill them if he told them. They always laugh with him, though sometimes it was a nervous laughter. Eliot had that way with people.

    Eliot headed out to the dining area. Time to see what kind of person he was dealing with. He went out to find out who wanted to speak with him. As soon as he walked out, he saw Amara. She was beautiful. Eliot couldn’t take his eyes off her.

    Eliot walked over to her. He was so mesmerized by her. It took him a second to realize she was talking to him. She was asking him something. He had to find the right way to see what she was asking without letting her know he hadn’t heard her. “I’m sorry, can you repeat that,” Eliot said.

    “Are you the chef,” she asked again.

    “Oh, yes, I am the chef,” replied Eliot.

    “Okay, I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful meal,” she said and smiled at him.

    He smiled back and said, “Thank you.”

    “I don’t suppose you could give me the recipe,” she said sweetly.

    “Well, if I told you, I’d have to kill ya,” he replied light heartedly.

    She laughed. It was the most beautiful laugh he ever heard. He never wanted her to stop, but then she did and they stood there in silence for a moment.

    “By the way,” he said, “My name is Eliot, Eliot Spencer.”

    “Nice to meet you, Eliot Spencer,” she replied, “My name is Amara Redding.”

    “Nice to meet you,” he replied.

    “I know you have to get back to the kitchen, but I just wanted to thank you,” Amara told him, “But I already said thank you, didn’t I?” Eliot nodded with a smile.

    At that moment, Amy came up to them. “Oh, I think they can spare him in the kitchen for awhile,” she said giving Eliot a wink.

    Amara laughed as Eliot said, “Well, that was not subtle.” Then he asked her, “Would you like to talk with me more?”

    “I would like that,” she replied, “Maybe you could get us a drinks while I let my friends know.”

    “Sure thing,” he replied. He went to grab their drinks as he watched her walk over to her friends.

    They ended up talking the rest of the night. Neither of them wanted to say goodbye. She told him she was from Mount Hood, OR. and was visiting friends in Portland. It is about two hours east of Portland. When they finally had to say goodbye, she gave him her number and told him to call her. He promised he would and she left.

    Eliot couldn’t stop thinking about Amara. He didn’t want to seem too eager when he woke the next morning. Everything he knew was telling him, he shouldn’t call her. But an hour later he couldn’t stop himself, nor did he want to, from calling her. She answered on the second ring. He found out she was still in town and they made plans to meet up for lunch.

    They had a great lunch. They share so much of their lives with each other. Eliot doesn’t share much of his personal life with people. He was much more of a private person. It took him a long time to open up to his closest friends, but here he was telling her almost everything about himself. There were a few things he wasn’t ready to share with her. Especially, his other main job that he did with Parker and Hardison. It took a long time to tell his first love, Aimee Martin, about his work. But that was after he helped her and her father on a job. There were parts of his past even Hardison and Parker didn’t know.

    After their lunch, they made plans to see each other again. Amara lives a few hours away from Portland and would be heading home later that day. She said she would come back in a couple weeks to see him. Eliot also told her, he would travel out to see her.

    Eliot thought things were going well. They were able to get together multiple times a month. Eliot introduced Amara to Hardison and Parker. It went really well and they really liked her. Right around a year into their relationship, things started going wrong. There were a couple times he couldn’t make it out to see her. Sometimes it was because of how injured he got on the job and he didn’t want to worry her.

    Then one day, Eliot got a call from Amara as he was waiting for her in the Brew Pub. He smiled when he saw her name come up on his phone. “Hello,” he answered, “Are you close?”

    “I can’t make it out today,” replied Amara.

    He frowned and said, “Oh, are you having car trouble? I can come out to see you. I don’t mind.”

    “No,” she replied, “I just can’t get away.”

    Eliot could hear something wrong in her voice. “Is everything alright,” he asked her.

    There were a few moments of silence before she spoke. “Listen, Eliot, you’re a great guy and things will work out for you. I just don’t think we should see each other anymore,” she said.

    “What are you saying? Did I do something? Whatever it is I can fix it,” he replied.

    “It is nothing you did. I just don’t think this is working,” she replied.

    “Can you tell me why? I don’t want to lose you,” Eliot replied.

    “Please, don’t make this harder than it has to be. Let this just be goodbye,” Amara replied. Eliot could hear her start to cry as she hung up.

    Eliot tried calling her back, but she didn’t answer. Every time he tried, it went straight to voicemail. She wouldn’t answer his calls or texts. He made a plan to go see her. He sent her one last text. He told her was coming to see her.

    Eliot was in his car. He had the car in drive when a new text message popped up. Eliot put the car in park and read, “Eliot, don’t come here. I don’t want to see you. It’s over. Don’t contact me anymore. Please, stop making this hard. It time you move on and forget about us.”

   Eliot turn the engine off. He put his head down on the steering wheel. The last time he hurt this bad, he turned to fighting. He helped liberate Croatia. That was the last time he heard from Amara.

    Eliot sat is his car unmoving for a moment. Why didn’t she tell him what was happening? He still didn’t know what he was going to say as he got out of the car with a single red rose in his hand. Looking around, it didn’t feel like it was enough. He was trying his best to keep his emotions inside. 

    Eliot walked silently across the grass. He didn’t care if anyone saw him, he wanted answers. He didn’t stop until he was standing in front of her.

    Eliot took a breath before he started asking questions. He started by asking, “Why? Why didn’t you tell me? Is this why you broke up with me?”

    Eliot could feel the tears start forming in his eyes. “I would have been there for you,” he whispered to her headstone. Cancer, that’s what the paper said.

    Suddenly, Eliot felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Hardison, Parker, Nate, and Sophie standing there. 

    “I know you said you wanted to be alone, but…” Hardison said.

    “I’m glad you all came,” Eliot interrupted.

    Parker stepped up to Eliot and gave him a hug. As she did, Eliot let the tears fall.

    They all stood next to Eliot as he turned around. He bent down and placed the rose on Amara’s headstone. He said one last goodbye before he left with his family.

[poetloveses]

I, Uh, I Love You

    The forest was quiet for a moment. It was then they took this moment to rest behind a tree. Why did I take this mission, they thought, it was supposed to be easy. They peeked around the tree. They couldn’t see the thing that was chasing them. They thought about how stupid it was to take this job alone, but no one else was in the Library. If only they had left a note for the others or waited, but it looked easy and they’ve done solo work before. Hopefully one of the others will open the clipping book they had closed, or the message they left before the chase, and come find them. They reached for their phone. Just as they were pulling it out, the forest erupted with such a great force that pieces of trees splinter around them. Now was the time to move. They ran as the monster behind them gave chase. Please, they willed for their friends in their mind, come help me.

    Jenkins walked into the Annex. He was enjoying some alone time is lab, but he needed something from his desk. He frowned when he saw Flynn in the upstairs section of the Annex. “What are you doing, Mr. Carsen,” Jenkins asked.

    “Looking for my bowling ball. I’m taking Eve bowling for our date,” Flynn said looking down at Jenkins. Then he asked, “Why do you look unhappy to see me?”

    “I was enjoying my peace and quiet. Everybody off doing your own things, it was nice,” replied Jenkins.

    “Yeah, where is everybody,” asked Flynn.

      Jenkins sighed, “I don’t know what the rest of you are doing. I am not your babysitters and, frankly, I don’t care.”

    “Fine,” said Flynn, “I’ll get out of your hair.”

    Flynn grabbed his bowling ball and left the room. Jenkins took a minute to compose himself before he grabbed what he needed and headed back to his lab.

    They were running out of time. That thing was getting closer. They didn’t know how much longer they could run before they would collapse. What was taking the others so long, they thought. The forest around them erupted again. Now would be a great time for their friends to show up. They were getting tired. They needed to rest. They knew they couldn’t or that thing would catch them and kill them. They needed to find a hiding place. They had no time to stop now to send a message. Please hurry, they tried sending the message in their mind again, I need you.

    Jenkins was almost back to his lab, when Flynn came down the hallway. “Have you seen, Eve,” Flynn asked.

    “No I have not,” replied Jenkins, “Like I said a few minutes ago…”

    “I know, you are not our babysitter,” interrupted Flynn.

    “Right,” said Jenkins, “Have you checked her room?”

    “Yes, I’ve checked her room and the Annex and the main Library,” replied Flynn.

    “Where were you supposed to meet her,” asked Jenkins.

    “We said we were going to meet… out by the car,” Flynn said lightly hitting his forehead. 

     Then his phone lit up with a text. It read, “Where are you?”

    “On my way sweetie,” Flynn texted back.

    “Did you get distracted again,” came the reply.

    Flynn laugh and said, “I got to go.” He rushed down the hall to the front door leaving Jenkins alone time in his lab. At least that was what Jenkins thought was going to happen.

    Jenkins walked into his lab. He stopped and said, “What are you doing here?”

    They knew any second that thing would catch them. They were trying their best to remain strong, but each second that passed made it harder. They were almost out of time. They were running out of energy. If they didn’t find a place to hide soon, they were going to get caught. The forest seemed to go on forever. There was nothing else around but trees and that thing behind them. Wait, they couldn’t believe their eyes. They saw a cabin that could be a good place to hide until help arrived. They ran to the cabin. It was then they realized they dropped their phone while running. Now all they had was the power of their mind to get through. Please, they thought, there is not much time left.

    Jenkins asked again, “What are you doing here?”

    “Okay, I may have tried a little spell in the Library, and it may have gone a little wrong,” Cassandra replied.

    “What do mean you ‘may have gone a little wrong’,” replied Jenkins.

    “Well, it wasn’t my fault. Jacob and Ezekiel were supposed to help me, but they didn’t show,” replied Cassandra.

    “Where are Mr. Stone and Mr. Jones,” asked Jenkins.

    “I don’t know. I thought since they didn’t show, I could do it myself, but…,” replied Cassandra.

    “What happened? No, wait, just show me,” Jenkins said. 

    Cassandra nodded as Jenkins grabbed a bunch of books, potions, and gadgets from the room. Then Cassandra ran off to the Library with Jenkins following close behind her.

    They kept running through the trees. They had to make it to that cabin. They couldn’t stop now. They didn’t dare to look behind them. It would do them no good. It would only make them worry more and possibly cause them to trip and fall. And if they fell, they would be done for. The thing would get them. If they fell, it would be giving up. They were so close to the cabin. They just hoped they could make it to the cabin before that thing catches them.

    The Annex was quiet. It hasn’t been this quiet since he and the other Librarians arrived. They have been there for years now. Jenkins was not happy they arrived, but he has warmed up to them. Jenkins still liked to complain that were always in his way. He saw Eve earlier getting ready to go bowling with Flynn. They probably left already. Still someone else is usually here. If Jenkins wasn’t here, he is usually in his lab, but he didn’t see him or Cassandra. Cassandra like to spend time in the lab. He pulled out his phone and saw a bunch of texts from Cassandra.

    “Where are you?” read the first one. Followed by, “I’m waiting for you guys”, “Really, no one is coming”,  and finally “Fine I don’t need you guys. I can do it myself”.

    Crap, he thought, he was supposed to be helping Cassandra in the Library. They all were supposed to do it. Flynn said it was important. But, of course, going out with Eve was more important for him, so they had to do it.

    He went to send Cassandra a text back, when he saw he had a voicemail. He hit play and heard, “Hey, I think I screwed up. I could use your help.” A loud sound interrupted the caller. “Oh, shit. Please, hurry.” There was a scream. Then only the sound of heavy breathing and crashing through the trees. Then suddenly the voicemail ended. 

    He needed to hurry. What he heard on the phone, was not good. He grabbed what he could and set the back door closest to the phone’s location. He hoped, for their sake, he would get to him in time. He had no time to look for the others. He sent a quick text to the others and reached for the doors.

     He was almost to the cabin. Just a few more yards. A sudden thought crossed his mind, what if the door was locked. He didn’t have the tools or time to unlock it. He just had to keep running and hope the door was unlocked. He was tired. He didn’t know how long he had been running. It crossed his mind as he got closer to the cabin. He knew he couldn’t hide forever in the cabin. The thing would find him and kill him. He had lost his phone and he had no way to contact the Library. He felt truly alone. He ran up the steps to the cabin. He was reaching for the door, when it suddenly opened up. He was smiling as he ran through the door and slammed it shut.

     Jacob watched as Ezekiel collapsed on the floor of the Annex. Jacob got down next to him and asked, “Are you alright?”

     Ezekiel was trying to catch his breath as he said, “I, uh, I love you.”

     “Hey, man,” said Jacob.

     “I mean like a brother, mate,” Ezekiel replied.

     “Good, don’t ever say that again,” Jacob replied.

      “Right,” replied Ezekiel sheepishly.

       Jacob stood up and reached down to help Ezekiel up. As Jacob pulled Ezekiel to his feet, everyone else came running into the room. They stopped when they saw Jacob and Ezekiel standing there. 

       “I see you have it already handle,” Flynn said.

       “Did you even get what you went after,” asked Jenkins.

       Ezekiel handed the artifact to Jenkins and asked, “What are you doing here?”

        “We came as soon as we got Jacob’s text saying you needed help,” Eve replied.

         Cassandra stood next to Ezekiel. She was just staring at him. He was about to ask what her deal was, but she hugged him. He was trying to act all cool as she pulled away. Then she looked at him and said, “Don’t do anything that stupid again.”

          Ezekiel nodded and said, “I won’t.”

         “Okay, I’ll order a pizza and you can start telling us what happened,” said Eve.

         Everybody gathered around the table and Ezekiel started talking. He said, “I came into the Annex trying to avoid working with Cassandra and Stone on Flynn’s important assignment. That he couldn’t do himself. That’s when the clipping book flipped open and I saw my opportunity and I took it. I set the door and…”

[poetloveses]

May I Kiss You Now?

    “Hurry up, we’re going to be late!” That was the first thing Hardison heard that morning. All he wanted to do was sleep in. Today he should be allowed to, he thought.

    “Five more minutes,” Hardison called out to the voice.

    “No, now,” Parker said as she walked into the room.

    “Why do we gotta get up so early for,” asked Hardison.

    “We have a lot of stuff to do today and,” she giggled as she got closer to him, “you need a shower first. You stink.”

    “Uh, woman, I don’t stink. This is a manly smell,” replied Hardison.

    “Whatever, just take a shower and meet downstairs for breakfast,” Parker said as she was walking out the door.

    “Do I at least get a kiss first,” Hardison asked.

    Parker turned back and looked at Hardison. She gave him a little smile and said, “You should have thought about that before you slept in.” Then she turned and walked away.

    “Dang girl, how you gonna deny me like that,” Hardison said to the now empty room. Oh, well, he thought and got up to shower.

    Hardison headed downstairs after he showered and got dressed. He walked downstairs and smelled something good cooking. Eliot must be over, he thought. He loved Parker but she couldn’t cook like Eliot. He walked into the dining room and saw Parker munching on some toast. He sat down and poured himself a glass of orange juice.

    Eliot walked out the kitchen with two big plates of food. He sat them on the table and took a seat across from Hardison and Parker. “Everybody dig in,” he said as he put some food on their plates.

    That was it, thought Hardison, nothing else. No good morning. No how did you sleep? Not even a hi. Just everybody dig in. Had they all forgotten what today was. No, they wouldn’t forget. 

    “Hardison,” Eliot said shaking Hardison from his thoughts.

    “Yeah?”

    “Eat up. There is a lot to do today and we need all hands on deck. Do you know what today is,” asked Eliot.

    Hardison smiled, “Of course I do.”

    “Great,” said Eliot, “We need to really get this place cleaned up and stocked. It takes a lot of help for inventory day and spring cleaning.”

    “Inventory day,” Hardison said questionly.

    “Yeah and spring cleaning. I’ll be in the back most of the day cleaning the kitchen and freezer. All the staff will be here later to help with cleaning and organization. I need you and Parker to run and order all the supplies we are running low on,” Eliot said.

    “Remember, babe, I told you this all last night,” said Parker.

    “I don’t remember you saying anything last night,” Hardison replied.

    Parker just stared at him. She was hurt that Hardison didn’t listen to her last night. Hardison hated that look. “I’m sorry, Babe, but I thought today would just be a relaxing day,” he said.

    “Why,” asked Parker, “Eliot said he needs all hands on deck.”

    “Nevermind,” Hardison replied, “Where do we have to go?”

    “Good,” replied Parker, “Grab your keys and let’s head out.”

    Hardison went to give Parker a kiss and she just stood up and headed to the door.

    Hardison was checking his phone for messages while Parker placed another order for Eliot. No new messages was written across the top. He didn’t get it. No messages, no voicemails, no phone calls. He thought he’d get a bunch today. But not a single one. He even took his phone apart to make sure it was working. It was. Not even his online buddies had messaged him. He was disappointed. On top of it all Parker hadn’t given him one kiss today. They were too busy running around.

    Parker came back and said, “Are you ready?”

    “Yeah, where are we going next,” he asked disappointedly.

    “Is something wrong,” Parker asked.

    “No, just a little tired,” replied Hardison.

    “Are you sure,” Parker asked. Hardison just nodded. “Okay, we’ll go back to the Brew Pub, get something to eat, and watch some Netflix in bed. Does that sound good to you,” replied Parker.

    Hardison nodded. Then he started Lucille up and they headed back to the Brew Pub.

    Hardison pulled Lucille up to the Brew Pub. Parker had ignored him the whole way back. She spent the whole time on her phone. He couldn’t see what she was doing and it made him nervous. As they got out, Hardison noticed the lights were off. They had been gone for hours and it was late in the evening. “Why are all the lights off,” Hardison said.

    Parker looked up and said, “Hhm, they must have finished early and went home.”

    Hardison stood there for a minute and thought she was probably right.

    Parker thought he was taking too long and said, “Will you open the door? I’m starving.”

    Hardison laughed and went to unlocked the door. They stepped inside and the lights came on. “Surprise!” yelled a bunch of smiling faces.

    Hardison stood there in shock as Parker went to stand next to Eliot. Next to him was Nate and Sophie. He couldn’t believe they were all here. Aimee and the rest of the staff were standing around the tables. The room was decorated with balloons and streamers. Above the bar was a sign that said, “Happy Birthday, Hardison”. They did remember his birthday. He was almost in tears.

    “You all did remember my birthday,” was he could manage to get out. 

    Parker came up to him and said, “We would never forget.”

    He hugged her and people started moving around the tables. Eliot and Aimee went and grabbed the food and started passing it around.

    A few minutes later, Hardison noticed someone he never expected to see. He got up and walked over to him. He was sitting at table with Archie Leach, Parker’s ‘father’. Hardison put his hand on the guy’s shoulder and the man turned around. “Chaos,” Hardison said.

    “Hardison,” replied Chaos.

    “Wouldn’t have expected you here,” said Hardison.

    “Yeah, I heard over the web, they were throwing you a surprise party. Okay, I may have hacked into people’s emails. Anyway, I had to come to see the stupid look on your face when they yelled surprise. Man was it stupid,” Chaos said, laughing at the end.

    Parker walked up next Hardison and said, “Remember what I said Chaos. If you can’t be nice you’ll have to leave and Archie may pull his taser out again.”

    Chaos turned and looked at Archie. Archie just smiled at him and Chaos gulped. “I promise to behave myself,” Chaos said turning around. Then he looked at Hardison and said, “Happy birthday, Hardison.”

    Hardison laughed and said, “Thank you.” Then Hardison and Parker headed back to their table.

    On the way, Parker asked, “Did you really think we forgot your birthday?”

    Hardison looked at her and said, “I should have never doubted you. I’m sorry.” He gave her a squeeze and said, “May I kiss you now?”

    Parker laughed and said, “Yes, you may.”

    Hardison gave her a kiss and then they joined Eliot, Nate, and Sophie back at the table. Hardison loved his family and will never doubt them again.

[poetloveses]

I Think You’re Adorable

Hardison rests his head on his hands as he listens to Eliot going on about things in the brew pub kitchen. Eliot was about to leave to help his friend, Toby, at the culinary institute. A while back they helped Toby get the institute back after it was taken over by a greedy owner who dealt with illegally taken French truffles. Toby was going to be leaving on a trip for a month and asked Eliot to teach while he was gone. That meant Eliot would be in and out of the brew pub for the month. Hardison looked up when he felt Eliot’s eyes on him. “What,” asked Hardison.

“Are you even listening to a word I’ve said,” asked Eliot.

“Yeah,” replied Hardison. “You said something about cooking or something.”

“Dammit, Hardison. I am going to be busy with the culinary institute. I don’t have time to make sure you don’t screw things up here,” replied Eliot angrily.

“Now that is just hurtful. I would never do anything to mess this up,” replied Hardison shockingly.

“I mean it, Hardison. Don’t go adding anything to the menu without my approval. Do I have to remind you of one of your first menu ideas, pineapple and anchovy on the same pizza,” replied Eliot.

“Sorry, it was my mistake. I thought our customers would enjoy a more refined menu. You just don’t have my vision,” replied Hardison.

“Hardison…” Eliot was cut off before he could finish his sentence.

“Don’t worry, Aimee and I will keep him in line,” Parker said as she came up behind Hardison.

“Babe, I don’t need to be watched like a child,” Hardison said as he gave Parker a kiss.

“Hardison, just don’t change anything,” Eliot said as he grabbed his phone that had started ringing. He answered it as he grabbed his jacket and headed to the door. “I’m on my way,” he said into the phone as he walked out of the door.

Eliot walked into the kitchen of the culinary institute. He loved places like this. Eliot ran his hand along the kitchen counter. The kitchen was one of the few places he felt the most comfortable.

Eliot walked down the hallway following the sound of voices. He walked into the classroom. He remembers the last time he was here. He had to deal with rich students who didn’t have the same passion when they started as most culinary students, and Hardison.

Eliot looked around the room and saw Toby standing near the front of the room talking to some of his students. Toby waved to Eliot and excused himself from the conversation he was having with the students. Toby walked over to Eliot and greeted him.

“Eliot, I’m so glad you could help me with my classes while I’m gone. Thank you so much,” Toby said.

“It’s no problem, Toby. I would do anything to help you out. The way you helped me all those years ago,” replied Eliot.

“Oh, stop, Eliot. All I did was teach how to create with food,” said Toby.

“You kept me from falling into a dark hole. One, I would never have been able to crawl out of. If it wasn’t for you and Nate, I don’t know where I would be,” Eliot paused, “I could never repay you enough for what you’ve done for me.”

“Alright, let’s talk about a few things before I head out,” replied Toby. He led Eliot to the small group of students he was talking to when Eliot walked in. “Class, I want you to meet one of my good friends, Eliot. He is going to be teaching you while I’m gone,” Toby said to the students. Then he turned to Eliot and introduced the students, they were all around 16 and 17. “Eliot, this is Kara, Oscar, Henry, Taylor, and Dylan.”

Eliot shook each of their hands and said, “Nice to meet you.”

“You’ll be working with them and a few other students on Tuesdays and Fridays. I have another group who comes in on Mondays and Wednesdays.” Dylan interrupted Toby saying, “Yeah, the ones who can afford to pay.”

Toby gave Dylan a look and continued, “On Thursdays I usually check on the restaurant, but you don’t have worry about mine. I have a former student who owns his own place checking on it from time to time. You can spend that day at your place.”

Eliot walked Toby to his car. As Toby got into his car, he said, “I know this place is in good hands, and don’t mind Dylan, he gets a little worked up about things, but he shouldn’t give you any trouble.” Eliot nodded as he closed the door. He watched as Toby drove off and then he headed inside.

Eliot walked into the classroom where a few more students had arrived. They were talking amongst themselves, but they all got quiet as soon as they saw Eliot. One of the new students whispered, “He’s our new teacher?” to Taylor who was right next to him.

“Yes, I’ll be your teacher for the next month,” replied Eliot. Taylor laughed as his friend looked embarrassed at being overheard by Eliot.

“You don’t look much like a chef,” replied Dylan.

“It is not my full-time job. It is my passion. I learned a little in high school, but Toby taught me how to create,” replied Eliot.

“What is your full-time job,” asked another one of the new students.

“That is not important. I am here to teach you while Toby is away,” replied Eliot.

The students all nodded their heads except Dylan who was eyeing Eliot suspiciously.

“Alright, I got a few of your names while Toby was here. Would you three introduce yourselves,” Eliot said looking at the new students.

They introduced themselves. First was Kevin, the boy next to Taylor. Rosie was next to say her name, she was the one who asked Eliot about his job. And last was Everleigh, she was the last new student who hadn’t spoken yet.

“Good. For those who don’t know, my name is Eliot. You may call me that, Chef, or Chef Eliot. Got it,” said Eliot.

They all nodded. Then Eliot said, “Okay, since I’m new here, we’re going to start off with the basics. I want to see what you know. I want each of you to grab an onion from the basket and show me your knife skills.”

Everyone started grabbing onions except Dylan. He just stared at Eliot. “Is there a problem, Dylan,” asked Eliot.

“What’s the point of this,” replied Dylan, “We already know how to cut fruits and vegetables.”

“I am sure you do,” replied Eliot, “I am sure Toby taught you all well. But I don’t know what you know. So, please just humor me. Then one day you’ll be able to chop like this.” Eliot demonstrated his knife skills on an onion.

All the students watched in wonder at how fast Eliot cut the onion. “Now it’s your turn,” he told them. They all grabbed their onions with no complaints this time. Eliot watched as they cut for the rest of class. He gave them each help as it was needed. When the class was over, he had a basic understanding of where their strengths and weaknesses were. As they left, he told them goodbye and he would see them Friday for their next class.

After three classes with the teenagers, Eliot was confident in their skills. He was less than thrilled with the report he was getting from Parker and Aimee about Hardison. He spent his second Thursday fixing all Hardison’s mistakes. Now he had to head back to the school for his fourth session with the teenagers. The previous class, he told them they would be working in the kitchen that day. He knew walking into the school he had a few moments to relax as the students were prepping in the kitchen.

Eliot walked down the hallway and saw a boy, no older than thirteen, sitting on the bench outside the classroom. Looked around and saw no one else there. The boy looked terrified as Eliot approached. Eliot looked at the boy and asked, “What are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry,” the boy stammered out, “I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to sit here. I’ll go.” The boy fumbled with his things as he got up.

“Whoa, take it easy. I just wanted to know why you were sitting here. I didn’t say you had to leave,” Eliot said as he helped the boy with his things.

“You’re not security,” asked the boy. Eliot shook his head no. The boy looked relieved not to be getting kicked out.

“What’s your name,” asked Eliot.

“Gabriel, but my friends call me Gabe,” replied the boy.

“Hi, Gabe. My name is Eliot,” replied Eliot. Eliot noticed some writing on a piece of paper he had picked off the ground. It looked like a recipe for soup. “Do you like to cook,” he asked as he handed the paper back to Gabe.

“Yeah, but I’m not very good,” Gabe replied as he took the paper from Eliot.

“Why aren’t you in Toby’s class,” Eliot asked.

“Not old enough,” replied Gabe.

“How old are you,” asked Eliot.

“Twelve,” said Gabe, “You have to be fourteen and in high school.”

“Oh,” said Eliot. He could see the disappointment in his eyes. “Hey, I have a little bit before I have to go maybe I can give you a few tips.”

“Really,” asked Gabe. He seemed excited to have Eliot show him some things.

Eliot was showing Gabe some tricks to make his soup better. They didn’t realize the time was getting away from them. They were talking about ingredients that pair well together, when the door opened. “Chef, are you in here,” asked the person walking through the door.

Dylan stopped when he saw Eliot and Gabe. “Gabe, I told you to sit on the bench and wait for mom. You shouldn’t be bothering people,” Dylan said a few seconds later.

“Sorry, Dyl,”replied Gabe.

“It’s alright,” said Eliot, “I invited him in to learn a few things. I guess I lost track of time.” Eliot looked at the two brothers. “Gabe can come to the kitchen and watch while he waits for your mom.”

“Are you sure,” asked Dylan. Eliot nodded and the three of them headed down to the kitchen.

After class, Eliot was finishing some last minute cleaning. Dylan was helping Gabe gather his things. Their mom never came to pick Gabe up. He could see Gabe really enjoyed the class. Dylan and Gabe walked over to Eliot before they left. “Thank you for letting me stay,” Gabe said.

“No problem,” replied Eliot. “Anytime you want to come back, you are more than welcome.”

“Really,” asked Gabe excitedly.

“Sure,” replied Eliot.

“Thank you,” replied Dylan as he led Gabe out of the door.

Eliot was prepping for dinner service after the lunch group had left the pub. He had only tonight and the weekend to get caught up on everything that was happening in the pub while he was at the school. He wished Thursdays were more relaxing, but there seemed to be more work for him than any other day of the week.

Eliot wasn’t just prepping for dinner, he had to plan for class tomorrow. Those kids were great cooks and he couldn’t wait to show them what he had planned for them. He hated admitting he liked teaching them. Gabe had shown up and stayed for class again on Tuesday. The boy seemed eager to learn.

Eliot was walking out of the freezer, when Aimee came into the kitchen. He nearly ran into her. “Sorry,” he said as he stopped.

“That’s okay,” Aimee replied. “How are things going in here?”

Usually there are three or four chefs prepping, but some days Eliot liked to do things alone. He enjoyed his quiet time in the kitchen. “Everything is great,” replied Eliot.

“That’s good,” said Aimee. 

Eliot thought she would leave after he answered her, but she just stood there looking around. “Is there something else I can help you with,” he asked her.

“Oh, yeah. There is someone looking for you in the pub,” Aimee replied.

“Okay,” said Eliot questioningly. Aimee had this slight smile on her face. It kind of made he nervous about who could be asking for him.

Eliot took off his apron and followed Aimee out into the pub dining room. Then he saw him sitting at a booth by the window. Eliot walked over and sat down.

“What are you doing here, Gabe,” Eliot asked.

Gabe looked up at Eliot. “I just needed to get out of the house and didn’t know where else to go,” replied Gabe.

“How did you get here? Does your family know you’re know where you are,” Eliot asked.

“I took a bus to the school, but no one was there. I remembered you talking about this place, so I took a bus from there to here. I was hoping you would be here,” answered Gabe.

Eliot waited, but Gabe didn’t answer the second question. “Gabe, does your family know you’re gone,” Eliot asked a little differently than the first time.

Gabe shook his head no. He spoke softly with tears in his eyes and said, “No. My mom was on the phone fighting with Dylan. I don’t know what it was about, but I hate when they fight.”

Eliot relaxed a bit. “It’s okay, what about your dad,” asked Eliot.

“I don’t know much about him. He left when I was little,” replied Gabe.

Eliot nodded. “Okay, you can stay here, but you have to help out around here. And I’m going to have to call your family,” Eliot told Gabe.

Gabe nodded and said, “Okay.” 

Eliot was cleaning up the kitchen. Gabe was helping finish up with the last meal of the night. The Brew Pub was closed and most of the kitchen and waitstaff had gone home for the night. The only people left were Eliot, Gabe, Hardison, Parker, and Aimee. They were waiting for Dylan to come pick up Gabe.

Eliot had called Gabe and Dylan’s mom hours earlier, but got her voicemail. He left a message and let her know Gabe was safe and where he was. He gave her his number and told her to call him when she got the message. It was a short while ago that Dylan called him back. Dylan didn’t say and Eliot didn’t ask why it took so long for someone to call. Dylan just said he would come and pick Gabe up.

Eliot turned to Gabe and asked, “You ready?”

Gabe nodded and they grabbed the food. Gabe following Eliot into the dining room. They took the food and placed it on the table. Eliot told Aimee to stop sweeping and join them. “You don’t have to tell me twice. It smells amazing,” replied Aimee.

They had just started eating, when there was a knock on the door. “It must be your brother,” Eliot said to Gabe.

Eliot got up and let Dylan into the pub. Gabe stood up and went over to Dylan. Dylan grabbed him and hugged him. “We were so worried about you,” Dylan said.

“I’m sorry,” replied Gabe.

Eliot said, “We were just about to eat, why don’t you join us?”

Dylan replied, “Our mom is waiting, we probably should head home.”

“Do we have to go now? I helped make it,” said Gabe.

Dylan looked at Gabe and saw his face. He always had a hard time saying no to him. Eliot said, “We have plenty. Stay and eat. Then we can pack some up to take to your mom.”

Dylan said, “Okay,” and walked with Gabe over to the table. Aimee pulled a chair over for Dylan.

While they ate, Dylan told them why it took so long for him to call back. When he got home, their mom started asking him some questions. After a half hour, he told her he was going to go check on Gabe, but didn’t find him in the bedroom. He asked their mom if she knew where he was and she said she didn’t. She thought he was in his room. He said he is not there. They started to worry. 

Dylan called around to see if anyone had seen him. They even went to the neighbors, but no one had seen him. Dylan checked his voicemail, but had no calls. Their mom’s phone had died and she was charging it. They checked her phone and that is when they saw the voicemail from Eliot. 

They had all finished eating and Aimee started clearing the table. “I’ll help you,” said Gabe. He knew the next thing Dylan was going to ask was why he took off.

As Gabe was helping Aimee clean up and pack food for their mom, Eliot said, “Dylan, can I talk to you for a minute?”

Dylan nodded and they walked over to private corner. When he was sure no one could hear, Eliot said, “Gabe told me he left because he could hear you and your mom fighting. And I can tell that is a fresh bruise on your face. What happened?”

Dylan looked down at the floor. Then he said, “My mom and I were fighting because I got fired from work. My mom needs my help to pay the bills and every penny counts. It is not my fault I got fired. A guy punched me when I tried to stop my coworker from stealing and he told my boss I attacked him and I was stealing. My boss believed him. Now I have to find another job and I may have to drop out of school and Toby’s class.”

“Don’t do that,” Eliot said. “You know, we could use some help in the back. I can’t put you on the grill yet, but I could use help with prep and clean up. And Gabe could come hang out when needed. Tuesdays and Fridays will be your days off so you can keep learning from Toby.”

“Really? Thank you so much. You don’t know how much this means to me,” Dylan said and gave Eliot a hug. 

Eliot smiled and he hugged him back. He stopped as soon as he felt everyone was watching them. He turned and looked for Gabe. “Come on, Gabe, Dylan’s ready to go,” he said.

Eliot walked them to the door and told them goodnight. Dylan thanked him again and told him, he would see him in class tomorrow.

Eliot closed the door. When he turned around, Parker, Hardison, and Aimee were watching him. He could read their expressions. “Whatever you are thinking, don’t say it,” Eliot said.

Hardison had a big grin on his face and said, “I’m not saying a word. But…” Before he could finish his thought, Eliot gave him a stern look and pointed his finger at him.

Aimee grabbed her jacket and headed to the door. “I’ll see you all tomorrow,” she said. She was standing next to Eliot about to head out the door, when she paused and said, “I think you’re adorable.” Then she gave him a kiss on the cheek and headed out the door.

[poetloveses]

Why didn’t you tell me sooner?

               Jenkins was walking through the Library reading the new artifact list. He was so engrossed in the list he didn’t notice the objects flying behind him. Or Jacob as he ran past behind him trying to get ahold of the objects as quietly as possible. Jenkins walked further on toward the entrance. He didn’t notice Ezekiel chasing after an object rolling around on the floor. Jenkins turned around just as Ezekiel disappeared in between shelves with the object. “Huh, it seems a little quiet today,” thought Jenkins.

               Jenkins turned down the hallway toward his lab. He looked up as he almost ran into Cassandra. She quickly hid a big net behind her back. “Hi, Mr. Jenkins. What are you up to today,” she asked.

               “I’m just going through the artifact list. What are you doing today,” he asked.

               “Oh, you know, Librarian stuff. Just the usual. Nothing out of the ordinary. Well, have fun with the artifact list,” she replied.

               Jenkins watched, confused, as she ran off into the Library. She’s a little more energetic than usual, thought Jenkins. Then he walked into his lab. He found Eve there looking for something. He asked, “Can I help you with something?”

               “Flynn asked me to come down here to ask you if you had the thermo… something or other,” replied Eve.

               Flynn came running into the room. He looked at Eve and asked, “Did you get it?” Then without waiting for a reply, he said, “Oh, never mind. I got it.” He grabbed a tool off the table and left the room. Eve followed behind him saying, “Told you it would have been faster if you got it yourself.” Her voice getting quieter as they headed toward the annex.

               Some days Jenkins missed the quiet he had before the Librarians invaded his space. No one getting into his space. No one messing with his stuff. Not having to take care of them when they screwed up. Yeah, he missed those days sometimes, but he wouldn’t change it. He would never admit it to them, but he like having them around.

               An hour passed when Jenkins heard arguing in the hallway. He tried to ignore them at first, but they weren’t going away. He put his very delicate project, he had just started working on, down and went to see what the commotion was about.

               In the hallway he found Cassandra, Jacob, and Ezekiel were still arguing. They all got quiet when they noticed Jenkins. He asked, “What are you all doing here in the hallway? I was trying to work on something very delicate. What are you all arguing about?”

               “Sorry, Mr. Jenkins,” replied Cassandra, “We just have a slight problem in the Library.”

               “Problem? What kind of problem,” asked Jenkins.

               “Well,” replied Jacob, “I was down in the historical section, when I heard noises in the main Library. I found Jones in there chasing after some artifact.”

               “Which wasn’t my fault,” Ezekiel interrupted, “And then Cassandra came in and we told her what was happening, and she said she knew a spell that would make it stop. Which it didn’t, all it did was cause more objects to move.”

               “First of all, it would have worked if you hadn’t kept rushing me and Jacob was the one who translated it wrong,” replied Cassandra.

               “Hey, don’t blame it on me. I told you I was a bit rusty, but you said it would be fine,” Jacob responded.

               They all started arguing again. “Enough,” said Jenkins, “Let’s go see what is going on.”

               They all walked to the doors to the main Library. Jenkins was in shock at what he saw. He looked at the three of them and asked, “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

               Before they could answer Jenkins said, “Never mind. Let’s get this place back in order.” Then the four of them went to work fixing the Library.

[poetloveses]

Stop it, you’re bleeding

               Eliot woke to a tugging feeling on his right side. He couldn’t make out much of his surroundings. The room was barely lit by a single light and his vision was a little blurry. What he could make out was not much. There was a few chairs and a small table in the left corner with someone sitting there. He was laying on a hospital like bed in the middle of the room. On the far, right wall was a chest of drawers. Someone was sitting in front of them right next to him with a needle and thread. They were wearing hospital gloves and using the needle and thread to sew up a wound on his side. His vision was starting to clear up and the person sewing him up was coming into view. “Shelley,” said Eliot questioningly as he tried to sit up.

               Shelley pushed him lightly on the shoulder and said, “Hey, don’t move. I almost got it all sewn up.” Eliot nodded slightly as he laid back down. “Good. Welcome back to the living,” Shelly said as he continued sewing up Eliot’s wound.

               “What happened? Where am I,” asked Eliot.

               “We took some gunfire and you were hit. We found this abandoned hospital so Shelley could fix you up,” said the man at the table on the left. Eliot turn his face toward the voice and found Quinn sitting there. Everything was making less sense now. Then Quinn spoke to someone standing at the door, “How the hell did we end up in an ambush?”

               “I don’t know,” was the replied. It came from Vance. Vance turned to Shelley, who was finishing up sewing Eliot’s side, and said, “How much longer until he can be moved? I don’t think it will take much longer before they decide to come here searching for us.”

               Eliot moved to sit up. Shelley said, “Whoa, you shouldn’t get up yet.”

               “I’m fine,” Eliot said.

               “Eliot, you are not fine,” Quinn said. Eliot tried to interject, but Quinn said, “Stop it, you’re bleeding.”

               Eliot raise his hand to his head. When he brought it down there was blood from gash on his forehead. “It’s not that bad,” Eliot said.

               Vance laughed at the thought of Eliot being too injured to fight. Shelley got a bandage from one of the drawers and started to apply the bandage to the gash. Eliot hated how they were fussing over him. He wasn’t weak.

               Eliot started remembering what brought them there in the first place. A few days ago, he was sitting in the brew pub looking at new things Hardison wanted to add to the menu. They were closed so he could look through the all the items. He was busy crossing off all the things that Hardison added that wouldn’t work. Suddenly he heard the front door open. “Sorry, we’re closed,” he said without turning around.

               “I came to talk to you,” said a voice from behind him.

               Eliot turned around and found Quinn standing there. “What are you doing here, Quinn,” asked Eliot.

               “Remember when I helped you out a few years ago. Well, now I need your help. Before you say anything, you said you’d owe me a favor and I’m here to collect,” Quinn replied.

               Eliot was just going to tell him to leave, but he could tell something was really bothering him. “What do you need?”

               Quinn told Eliot the information he had on the job. After Quinn was done, Eliot said, “I think we can get that done. I don’t want to involve Hardison or Parker, but we will need help. I have a few buddies we can call.”

               Shelley had been fussing over the bandage for a few minutes now. “Enough,” said Eliot, “How much further do we have to go?”

               Vance crossed from the door. “What are you thinking? You can’t go on with those injuries.”

               “I’m fine. We have to keeping going,” Eliot looked at Quinn who looked broken. “We know where there are now. We can finish this.”

               Quinn looked up and said, “They’re right, Eliot. There is no way to get through. I’m sorry that I got you all into this.”

               “Stop it, Quinn! We will take these guys out, stop their plans, and we’ll get her out of there,” replied Eliot.

               “Get who out of where,” asked Shelley.

               “I thought we were taking out some terrorist,” said Vance. “Will someone please tell me what’s going on,” he asked looking at Eliot and Quinn.

               Quinn sighed before he answered. He said, “Before I knew what these guys were really up to, they had asked for my help to get some people to cooperate with them. I did my job. Once I knew the truth, I told them I was out. They did not like that.” He put his hand through hair and took a breath. Then he continued, “They wanted to keep me quiet, so, they found my sister and kidnapped her.”

               Everyone was quiet for few minutes. Shelley broke the silence and said, “So, what’s the plan?”

               Eliot looked at Shelley and then to Vance, who nodded in agreement. Eliot stood and said, “Okay, let’s move down before they come for us.”

               They all moved to the door ready for some action. Eliot looked first at Shelley, then to Vance, and finally to Quinn. He nodded to them and they headed out the door.

[poetloveses]

Will you still be here when I wake up?

(The first of the short stories. They will be titled with the prompt I used)

               Nate stepped out of the shower. He grabbed his towel to dry himself off. He stood in front of the mirror and wiped the steam off. He could hear Laura and Charlotte laughing in the living room. He smiled thinking about how lucky he was to have them. He thought back to the day he met Laura. She was going by a different name the first time she introduced herself to him. It was the second time he saw her but the first time he met her. When she turned around and introduced herself at Sophie Devereaux. He was still married to his ex-wife at the time, Maggie. Their marriage didn’t last long after they lost their son, Sam, to cancer. He was 8 years old. He would have been 25 years old this year.  

               Suddenly there was a knock at the bathroom door. “Yeah,” he answered.

               “Daddy, hurry up and get dressed. Everybody is going to be here soon,” replied Charlotte.

               Nate laughed and said, “I’ll be out soon.” Charlotte was so excited to see her aunt, uncles, and cousins today. Hell, even Nate was excited to see them. He got dressed and went out to see Laura and Charlotte.

               Charlotte was dancing around the room as Laura played a song from the radio. Ten years ago, Nate had asked Laura to marry him. He decided to retire from the work he was doing and was ready to settle down with Laura at his side. A year later they married with their friends at their side. Charlotte came three years later to complete their family. They gave her Laura’s stage name.

               Nate heard a knock at the door. Charlotte ran to the door with excitement, yelling, “They’re here!”

               Nate opened the door with Laura standing behind him and Charlotte by his side. Charlotte’s face lit up with excitement. Laura barely had time to grab the food from him before Charlotte ran to jump in his arms. “Uncle Eliot,” exclaimed Charlotte.

               Eliot reached down and scooped her up in his arms. “Hey, little Charlotte,” he said.

               Laura said, “I’ll go put this in the kitchen.” She headed into the kitchen with the food that Eliot brought.

               Eliot carried Charlotte into the living room while Nate stayed by the door. Nate noticed Parker and Hardison were pulling up and waited by the door for them. They met 15 years ago when they were put on a team with Nate and Eliot. Hardison always had a thing for her, but Parker didn’t realize the feelings she had for him until they had known each other for about two and a half years. At the beginning of the fourth year they started dating but didn’t make it official until year five. They got married about five years ago.

              Hardison was driving the minivan he called Mini Lucille. Parker stepped out while Hardison pushed a button to open the back doors. Parker unbuckled and pulled out their two-year-old son, Archie. He’s named after Parker’s surrogate father, Archie Leach, the man who taught her everything she knew about her profession. Hardison was helping their four-year-old daughter out on the other side. They named her Leia because of Hardison’s love of Star Wars, of course.

               Nate greeted them as they enter, but as soon as both Leia and Archie got inside, they ran straight to Eliot. All the kids always flocked to Eliot. Nate, Parker, and Hardison headed into the living room and Laura joined them from the kitchen. It was a great sight watching Eliot playing with the kids. Nate always loved having his family together for a good meal and great conversation.

               That night, once everyone had gone home and Charlotte was in bed sleeping, Nate was laying in bed with Laura in his arms. He gently kissed her forehead and said, “I don’t want to fall asleep. I could just stay like this forever.”

               Laura laughed, “You know you will have to sleep eventually.”

               “I know,” he said. He paused a moment and then asked, “Will you still be here when I wake up?”

               “You already know the answer to that,” She replied.

               Nate nodded as tears formed in his eyes. He never wanted this night to end. But soon he had fallen asleep.

               Nate woke with a jolt. He looked across the bed to find the other side empty. Next to his bed laid an empty whiskey bottle. He could hear voices in the other room talking. Someone asked, “How is he doing today?” He recognized the voice of his once former colleague turned into antagonist, and now, he is not sure what to call him, Jim Sterling.

               “Same as he has been for the past ten years,” was the reply Nate heard. It was Maggie, his ex-wife.

               Hearing them brought it all back. Ten years ago, Nate moved his team to Portland, Oregon to go after The Black Book. A secret computer file that held accounts of all the world’s richest people. People who stole millions from innocent people. He had it all planned out. He thought everything was perfect. He thought nothing could go wrong. He was wrong. Going after the Black Book was a mistake. He got them all killed.

               Nate laid back down on his pillow wishing he could go back to his dream. Tears fell from his eyes as he thinks about Laura’s face. He reaches under his pillow and pulls out the ring he had bought for her. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered before falling back asleep.

[poetloveses]

More ideas coming

I think this is where I’m going to end Worlds Collide. I feel like it is a good ending. I am working on some short stories based on prompts I found on here and Pintrest. Some with be based off of tv shows and movies. Others will just be random character. Some of my stories will have happy endings and some will not. Some will be based off dreams I’ve had. Thank you all for taking the time to read my stuff.

[poetloveses]

Worlds Collide Chapters 29 & 30 the end?

Chapter 29

               Flynn stepped further into the brew pub. He could see the daggers he was getting from both Eliot and Maggie. He didn’t blame them.

              Eliot and Maggie were really confused. He was the last person they thought would be coming here. Eliot held Maggie’s arm because he could see she was physically upset.

              Ezekiel came through the door behind Flynn and went over to Hardison and Parker. Eliot watched as they exchanged handshakes and words, as if they were old friends. As far as he knew they only met and talked that one time. Before he could say anything to them, another person was coming through the door.

              Jacob stepped through the backdoor and it took a minute for him to realize where he was. He wondered if Flynn was bringing them here to punish them. He saw Maggie and Eliot and saw they looked as confused as he did. He looked at Flynn who had no expression on his face. Flynn just told him to have a seat at the table. As Jacob walked to the table, Maggie came up to him and whispered, “Do you know what is going on?”

              “I don’t know why we came here,” he said as they sat down. “Flynn and Eve know about us. I think they have been spying on me.” He paused and then said, “I have been thinking of what you said while I waited to figure what Eve and Flynn were up to. A Paulo Coelho quote came to me. He said, don't allow your mind to tell your heart what to do. The mind gives up easily. My heart wants to be with you, but my mind tells me that I should do what Flynn says.”

              Flynn was still waiting by the door when Eve came through it. He quietly asked, “Where is she?”

              “She said she needed a minute to think. I tried to convince her to just come, but she wouldn’t,” Eve replied.

              “I’ll go talk to her,” Flynn said, and he stepped back into the annex. He found Cassandra sitting on the steps. “Cassandra,” he said, “I know you don’t want to talk to me right now, but there is something important to tell you and Jacob. Please come with me.”

              Cassandra looked up at Flynn. He had tears in his eyes as he said, “Please, Cassandra.” He held out his hand to her. She nodded and took his hand. He helped her up and they walked through the door together.

              Cassandra couldn’t believe her eyes. She didn’t know why Flynn and Eve would bring her here. This is the last place she wanted to be. She hoped that maybe Eliot would not be there. She would not be able to handle it if he was here. She could barely tell him once that they couldn’t be together, she wouldn’t be able to tell him again. Flynn and Eve knew how she felt and yet they still brought her here.

              Cassandra and Flynn started walking to a small group of tables. She noticed no one else was in the brew pub but the group sitting at these tables. Cassandra froze when she saw all who were sitting around them. It was Eve, Jacob, and Ezekiel with the Leverage crew. And sitting right in front of her with his back to them was Eliot. She wanted to run but Flynn just took her hand and led her to the tables.

              Eliot was trying to think of an excuse to leave. He told Nate that he was going to grab a beer. He stood up and turned around. He couldn’t believe his eyes. There she was standing in front of him. Cassandra was standing there! He hadn’t seen or heard from her in over a month. She was still as beautiful as ever. He was at a loss of what to do.

              Neither one of them moved for what seem like forever. Eliot watched as Flynn left Cassandra’s side and went and sat down next to Eve. It was only seconds later he realized everyone was staring at them. He silently pulled out the empty chair next to him. She gave a little smile. She quietly said, “Thank you,” as she sat down. Eliot took his seat next to her and everyone started quietly eating.

Chapter 30

               After the whole group had their fill of the food Eliot made, Nate and Sophie said goodnight and headed out the front door. Parker, Hardison, and Ezekiel headed into the backroom. Hardison was excited to show Ezekiel his masterpiece. His excitement put all their nervousness aside.

               Once everyone else was gone, leaving only Eliot, Cassandra, Jacob, Maggie, Eve, and Flynn, the tension grew high. No one said anything for a few moments. Flynn was looking around the table. He could see Maggie wanted to say something, but Jacob was whispering something to her to keep her from saying what was on her mind. Eliot was trying to talk to Cassandra. He went to put his hand on her hands, but she pulled them away. Cassandra looked like she was ready to cry, or maybe she wanted to slap Flynn for bringing her here. It possibly was both. Eve was waiting for him to say something.

               Maggie looked at Flynn and yelled at him, “I can’t take it anymore. There is something I need to get off my chest.” Jacob touch her arm. Maggie looked at him and with a calmer voice said, “No, Jacob, I need to say this.” Maggie paused and looked back at Flynn. She said, “I know you say that they are not supposed to have relationships outside, but that isn’t going to stop the feelings we all have for each other. I love Jacob and I know he feels the same about me. And I’ve talked to Eliot and I can see it on Cassandra’s face, they feel the same way about each other. We know about your job and we don’t care. I don’t think it’s fair to ask us to deny our feelings and give up the one we love. I think it will hurt us all in the end. We should get to be with the one we love. We shouldn’t need to be worried about what you say.” Maggie looked at Jacob and then back at Flynn and said softly, “I’m sorry.”

               “No, I’m sorry,” replied Flynn, “You’re right. Everybody should be able to fall in love. It all started with a mix-up with Stone and Mr. Spencer, but it turned into something more. We have changed so much from the time I became a Librarian to now. We used to only have one Librarian. Now there are four Librarians. So why can’t we change this.”

               “What are you saying,” asked Jacob.

               “I am saying that you deserve to be in love, and be a Librarian,” Flynn said. He looked at Jacob and Maggie and said, “Stone, Jacob, you can say you’d be okay with what I say, but I know you would not be. You knew if I knew she gave you her number what I would have told you to do with it. And when you find a girl who will not give up on you, even if you tell her that you can’t be together, you should keep her.”

               Flynn looked at Eliot and Cassandra and said, “Cassandra, you would do anything to keep me happy and I love you for that, but I want you to be happy. You really haven’t been happy in the past month and I can see Eliot will make you happy. Besides, it will be only a matter of time before you end up outside when he’s there.” Cassandra looked at Eliot with a questioning look. “Yeah, he’s come by every day around the same time. Eve and I agree that love,” Flynn paused and motioned to the backroom, “and friendship for Jones, is important for everyone.”

               Jacob asked, “Is this for real? We can have relationships?”

               Eve replied, “Yes, you all deserve to be happy.” She smiled as she looked at each of them.

               Flynn stood up and took Eve’s hand, helping her to her feet. He looked around the table a little bit teary eyed and said, “Well, I think Eve and I are going to head back to the Library. Take your time.”

               Maggie said, “Thank you,” as she and Jacob shook hands with Flynn and Eve.

               Eve moved around to the other side of the table and gave Cassandra and Eliot quick hugs. “Keep them safe,” she told Eliot and continued, “In another time, you would have made a great guardian.”

               “Thank you. I’m sort of like a guardian here,” he said with a laugh.

Flynn shook Eliot’s hand and said, “You be good to her.”

               “Always,” replied Eliot.

               Flynn gave Cassandra a nod. She looked as though she was still unhappy with him. Flynn and Eve started for the door. “Wait!” Flynn heard and turned around. Cassandra ran and gave him a hug. Just like the one she gave him when he invited them all into the Library. She let go and smiled at him before she turned and went back to Eliot.

               Flynn took one last look before he and Eve left. He smiled as he saw the happiness on the two couples and knew he made the right decision. He joined Eve at the backdoor and together they headed into the Library.

[poetloveses]

Worlds Collide Chapter 27 & 28

Chapter 27

               Ezekiel walked into the annex to see Flynn sitting at the desk and Jacob was sitting on the stairs. It was eerily quiet. He passed Eve about a half hour ago in the hallway. She didn’t seem to notice him as she almost ran into him. Ezekiel went up to Flynn and asked, “What is going on here? Eve just nearly ran into me. Before you try to say anything, I was not on my phone.”

               Flynn just said, “Not now, Jones.” Flynn got up and headed toward the door.

               Ezekiel followed behind Flynn. “Hey, I wanted to ask about what happened with our little visitor.”

               Flynn stopped in the hallway. He looked at Ezekiel and said, “Let me guess, you were watching our interaction, too?”

               “What? No, a mate told me that things got heated,” Ezekiel replied.

               “What do you mean a mate told you,” asked Flynn.

               “Okay, I know you told us we couldn’t have friends, but I never met anyone who was on my level as a hacker and thief,” replied Ezekiel.

               “Jones, who have you been talking to,” asked Flynn.

               “Parker and Hardison,” replied Ezekiel. “We talk mostly about things we’ve stolen or hacked. Remember that dagger I was stealing when the Serpent Brotherhood tried to kill me?”

               “You mean the one you almost got caught stealing,” replied Flynn.

               “Yeah, whatever. They all went after the same dagger, twice. Anyway, I was just messaging Parker, when she said Eliot came into the brew pub cursing your name,” replied Ezekiel.

               “We are really going to need to have a talk about what it means to be a Librarian. Does nobody listen when I said no friends outside the library? Jones, go wait with Stone in the annex and don’t leave,” said Flynn.

               After watching Ezekiel head back into the annex, Flynn went to find Jenkins in the lab. Flynn told Jenkins the plan to which Jenkins said it was a bad idea. Flynn finally convinced Jenkins and they went to the annex to find Jacob and Ezekiel still waiting there. Both looking as confused as ever. Then Flynn pulled Ezekiel aside to tell him the plan. Flynn hated to admit it, but he did need a little bit of Ezekiel’s help to pull it off fully. Ezekiel got on his phone and put some pieces together.

               When they rejoined Jenkins and Jacob, Eve was walking in the room with Cassandra behind. When Cassandra saw Flynn, she asked, “Why is he here? Is he going?”

               Eve replied, “We’re all going.”

               Cassandra said, “I’m not going if he’s going,” and she turned to leave, but Eve stopped her.

               “Going where,” asked Jacob.

               “We are going to go have a nice dinner and talk this out,” said Eve.

               “Why do I have to go? I am fine with everything,” said Jacob.

               “And I am fine with how things are. I can work with everyone here. Doesn’t mean we have to be anything more,” said Cassandra.

               “I am not,” said Flynn, “And Stone we know what you have been doing.”

               “Huh? You’ve been spying on me? That is wrong on so many levels,” replied Jacob.

               Eve said, “We were worried about you, about both of you. You are our family and we just want you to be alright.”

               Before Cassandra or Jacob could say another word, Flynn clapped his hands together and said, “Okay, Jenkins, you got that door set.”

               “Yes, sir. Are you sure this is the right,” Jenkins paused and looked at Cassandra and Jacob and continued, “place to go?”

               “Yes,” replied Flynn, “Jones, all set?”

               Ezekiel nodded as Jenkins set the door.

               “Where are we going,” asked Jacob.

               “You’ll see,” Flynn said as he stepped through the door.

Chapter 28

               Maggie walked into the brew pub to see it empty. She saw Hardison and Parker setting up a few tables and Sophie and Nate were bringing out plates and silverware. Eliot was in the kitchen cooking. “What’s going on,” she asked.

               Hardison replied, “We decided to close down early tonight and have a family dinner. And since you are living here now and part of our family, we invited you.”

               “Okay? There are six of us, why are you putting out so many chairs and place settings,” Maggie asked.

               “Don’t ask,” said Eliot as he came in carrying a few platters of food. “I asked them why we needed so much food and no one will answer me.”

               Eliot went to grab more food and Maggie followed him. “What do you think is going on,” she asked.

               “I don’t know,” replied Eliot, “I told them I wasn’t up to having dinner, but they insisted on it.”

               Maggie nodded and said, “How are you doing?”

               “I’m fine,” he said and stiffly grabbed a plate of food.

               She took the plate from him and lightly touched his arm. “Eliot,” she said, “I can see you are not fine.”

               “I just miss her,” Eliot replied.

               “Have you talk to her,” she asked.

               He shook his head no and said, “I’ve tried to talk to her every day, but either she won’t, or they won’t let her see me. I know it must be hard on you to not see him, too.”

               Maggie looked at Eliot and said, “I actually saw him today.”

               “You what,” said Eliot.

               “I’ve been keeping it a secret, but we’ve been texting each other for almost a month now and we decided to meet for lunch,” Maggie replied.

               “What did he have to say,” asked Eliot.

               “He told me that we couldn’t be together and that it would probably be best if we didn’t text each other anymore. I could see he didn’t really want to give up on us,”

               Before Eliot could respond Hardison came into the kitchen. Hardison said, “What is taking so long? We are getting hungry and our guests should be arriving soon.”

               “Guests. What guests,” asked Eliot as he and Maggie exchanged looks.

               “Oh, me and Parker invited a few friends over. Come on, we’re waiting,” replied Hardison and he grabbed the plate from Maggie and left quickly.

               Maggie and Eliot followed Hardison out to the tables. They were just putting down the plates when they heard the bathroom door opened. They turned around and what they saw shocked them. Standing outside the bathroom door stood Flynn.

[poetloveses]

Worlds Collide Chapters 25 & 26

Chapter 25

               Jacob found Maggie waiting for him near the front doors. She smiled when she saw him. He walked up to her and gave her a hug. He felt right in her arms, but it was over too soon. She let go and said, “I have lunch waiting for us.” She took his hand and led him to a backroom.

               They sat down at the table across from each other and started eating lunch that Maggie had ordered from the brew pub. They ate in silence for a little while. Jacob was trying to still figure out how to tell her what he was supposed to tell her. He had to tell her that they couldn’t be together. He had to tell her that maybe they should even stop texting each other. It would be hard on them both. He really didn’t want to lose her or her friendship. He didn’t want to break her heart, but he had to let her go.

               Maggie could see something was troubling Jacob. They had finished their meal without saying a word. She was almost too afraid to ask him to finally tell her why he said they can’t be together. Now that their meal was over, she couldn’t wait anymore. She reached over and put her hand on top of Jacob’s hand. He looked up from the table. She asked, “Are you ready to talk about why you say we can’t be together?”

               Jacob took a deep breath. Now was the time to break it off with her. He replied, “It’s my job. We must focus only on our work. All of us.”

               “What do you mean? Aren’t Eve and Flynn a couple? That’s what they were talking to Nate and Sophie about.” Maggie replied.

               “Yes, but it is different. I just can’t be with you,” replied Jacob, “I should have told you that before I left the brew pub that day. Like Cassandra told Eliot. I also think we should stop texting each other. I really enjoyed talking with you, but I should not have sent that text.” Maggie started crying. Jacob moved next to Maggie and took her in his arms. He said, “Please, don’t cry. I’m sorry.”

               Maggie looked into his eyes and asked, “Why?”

               He said, “It’s for the best.”

               “I don’t believe you,” she said. Before he could respond, she kissed him and then said, “If you can tell me you don’t love me, or haven’t had any feelings for me at all, then I’ll leave you alone. I will forget about everything we said and everything I felt for you. But if you can’t, I am not going to let this go.”

               Jacob thought about lying to her, but when he looked into her eyes he couldn’t. “I can’t tell you that, but we can’t be together. Flynn says we have to live this way.”

               “I don’t care what Flynn says. I love you and that is all we need. Bring Flynn to me and I’ll tell him exactly how I feel about his rules.” Maggie replied.

               Jacob said softly, “Maggie, please…”

               “No, Jacob. Don’t we deserve to be happy. Don’t we deserve to fall in love. Everybody does,” Maggie said angrily.

               Jacob held Maggie as tight as he could, knowing what she said was exactly how he felt, but Flynn would never let them be together.

               Jacob and Maggie sat there quietly in each other’s arms. Both unaware that someone was watching them.

Chapter 26

               Eliot was standing by a tree under the St. John’s Bridge. He remembered walking by it with Cassandra right after he told them he wasn’t Jacob. He was hoping she would see him and come talk. He came here every day hoping she would come talk to him. Their last conversation still played in his head. She was crying and he had asked what was wrong. She had said, I can’t do this. He had asked, Do what? I can’t be with you, no matter how much I want to be, she had answered. Eliot had taken her in his arms and said, Why not? I like you and you like me, why can’t we be together? Then he leaned in and kissed her. She pushed him away and all she said was I can’t, before she ran off. Eliot was left standing alone in the brew pub unsure of what had happened. Eliot was not going to give up on her.

               Eliot had been out there not long. He thought it was probably a half hour. He looked up when he heard a door open. He smiled hoping it was Cassandra, but his smiled faded when he realized it was Flynn. Cassandra and Jacob had talked to him before Cassandra said what she said. Now Eliot wondered what Flynn had said to them to make her say what she said.

               Flynn walked over to Eliot standing by a tree outside the annex. The same spot he stood every day for the past month. He could feel Eliot’s eyes on him as he walked over. When Flynn reached Eliot, he saw he looked like a different man. “Mr. Spencer, what are you doing here,” asked Flynn.

               “I just need to see Cassandra. I need to talk to her about what happened before she left,” replied Eliot.

               “There is nothing to talk about. You should just go home and forget about her and what happened those few days,” said Flynn.

               “I can’t forget. I don’t want to forget. I have feelings for her, and I think she had feelings for me,” Eliot replied. “Do you love Eve Baird?” Flynn nodded. “How would you feel if someone told you, you couldn’t be with her? I have only been in love once before and I screwed it up. I love Cassie. I don’t want to mess it up again. Please, just let me talk to her. If she tells me she doesn’t want to be with me, I’ll leave now.”

               “Cassandra cannot be with you. Just go home and don’t come back,” Flynn replied.

               “I am not going to give up until I talk to her,” Eliot yelled to Flynn as Flynn headed back into the annex.

               When Flynn walked into the main room in the annex, Eve was looking at Judson’s mirror. He stood next to her and watched as Eliot yelled something they could hear. Then Eliot turned and walked off. “Well, I think that went good,” said Flynn.

               “You think that went well,” asked Eve.

               “He left didn’t he,” said Flynn.

               “Yeah, for now. What is going to happen when he comes back, and he will be back,” Eve said.

               Flynn just looked away and started heading for the steps. Eve stopped him and asked, “What did you say to him?”

               “I just told him he couldn’t be with Cassandra and that he should leave,” Flynn answered.

               “What did he say to that,” asked Eve.

               Flynn mumbled, “Nothing,” as he tried to go around her.

               “Flynn,” Eve said questioningly, “What did he say to that?”

               “He said he wasn’t going to give up unless she told him that she didn’t want to be with him,” Flynn replied.

               “What are we going to do? He won’t give up and I don’t think Cassandra wants to either.” She paused and then said, “While you were out talking with Eliot, I went through the door Jacob had gone through. He went to the Portland Art Museum and met someone there for lunch.”

               “Who,” asked Flynn.

               “That woman he was talking to before we left, Maggie. I over heard part of their conversation and they have been texting each other daily for the past month,” replied Eve.

               “Really? I thought he agreed to what I said to him and Cassandra,” Flynn replied. Then he asked, “What did they talk about?”

               “They talked about how they had feelings for each other. Jacob tried to break it off, but she wasn’t having it. She really wants to tell you off,” Eve replied. “She said everybody deserves to be happy and fall in love.”

               “Almost sounds like what Eliot said.” Flynn paused and said, “He asked if I loved you and if someone told me that we couldn’t be together, what would I do. I think I would probably be acting like all of them.”

               “What should we do? It is not like they don’t know about our life,” asked Eve.

               “I think we should get them all together and have a serious talk,” Flynn said.

               Just then Jacob walked in through the backdoor. “What,” he asked when he saw them staring at him.

               Eve said, “Stay there.” Then she walked out of the room.

               Jacob looked confused and was worried when Flynn said, “We need to talk.”

[poetloveses]

Worlds Collide chapters 23 & 24

Chapter 23

               It has been a little over a month since everyone was back where they were supposed to be. Jacob was back at the library and Eliot was back at the brew pub. Jacob walked into his room just as his phone lit up with a new text message. Jacob smiled at his phone as he read the text.

              How is your day going?

              Better now that you messaged. How is your day?

              Oh, you know boring.

              He laughed. He knew she loved what she was doing. Another text came through.

              It would be less boring if you were here.

             I wish I could be, he messaged, but you know that I can’t.

             Jacob thinks back to the day he came home to the library. They had just said goodbye to the leverage team. Cassandra had been so upset and ran straight to her room. Eve went after her. Ezekiel didn’t move but watched as she ran from the room. Jenkins looked up from his desk and said, “Welcome home, Mr. Stone.”

              “Thanks. It’s good to be back.” Jacob replied.

              Flynn came up to Jacob and said, “Everything okay with you?”

             Jacob replied, “Yeah, I’m just still a bit sore and a little tired. I think I’ll go lay down for a bit.”

             Flynn nodded. Eve walked back in the room as Jacob left. She asked him the same question and he told her the same thing. Jacob heard Ezekiel ask about Cassandra as he was walking down the hallway. Eve told him that she locked herself in her room and didn’t want to talk. Flynn said she would be alright in a few days. Flynn was wrong about that. Jacob headed up to his room and laid down on his bed. That is when he decided to look at the piece of paper Maggie had given him. It was her phone number. He wasn’t sure if he should message her or not. Flynn would tell him he should just throw the number away, but Jacob didn’t want to do that.

              Jacob waited a few days before he decided to send Maggie a text. Hi, Maggie, I’m sorry I took so long to text you, but I wasn’t sure what to say. This is Jacob. He thought he probably waited too long, and she wouldn’t answer back. He was wrong. His phone lit up within a minute.

               Hi, Jacob, I’m so glad to hear from you. How have you been?

              I’m doing okay. My body and hands don’t hurt as much anymore. How are you?

              I’m glad you are feeling better. I am doing good. I just started a new job at the Portland Art Museum.

              After a few minutes she sent another text. After we parted that day, I was afraid I wasn’t going to hear from you. We only knew each other for a couple days but I couldn’t stop thinking of you. I tried to talk to Eliot to see if he knew where you might be, but he hasn’t really been his self lately. Do you know what happened between Eliot and Cassandra before you guys left?

              Jacob thought about it for a few seconds before he sent a text back. It is complicated between those two. I’m sure things will go back to normal in a few days. He hated lying to her, but he was afraid to tell her the truth. Especially since he was supposed to say the same thing to her that Cassandra told Eliot. He just couldn’t do it. Instead he wrote, I’ve been thinking of you, too. I want to hear more about your day and your job.

                After that day they sent texts daily. Every day it became harder for Jacob to tell her the truth. Now that it has been over a month, Jacob has been finding it harder to tell Maggie what he was supposed to tell her that day. He spent lots of time thinking of how to tell her every day, but he never could find the right words. That’s when her next text came through.

                Jacob, you keep saying we can’t be together, but you haven’t said why. Is it the distance? Is it the timing? Why can’t we be together? Please help me understand.

                Jacob knew it was time to tell her the truth, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to tell her over text. I think it is time to tell you the truth. Can we meet for lunch in an hour?

                 I can do that. Where do you want to meet? I could order something, and have it delivered to the museum?

                Okay, sounds good. I’ll see you in an hour.

                Jacob put the phone down. Now was the time to come up with the right way to tell her the reason they couldn’t be together. He grabbed his phone and went to the one place he felt he could be alone with his thoughts. A place he thought no one would see him as he tried to think of what to say. He had to leave in a little less than an hour to meet Maggie. Jacob looked at his phone as he walked out of the room to see one last text from Maggie.

                I can’t wait to see you.

 Chapter 24

               Flynn walked into the Annex. He looked at the clipping book to see if there were any new cases. It has been just over a month since the incident. Nothing has changed involving the magical world, but something has changed in the Library. When they weren’t hunting down artifacts, which hasn’t happened in over a week and a half, they were spending less time apart. Jenkins was doing his usual experiments on the artifacts. Ezekiel spent a lot of time on his phone or computer playing games. Eve would usually be checking the archives to make sure everything was in the right order. Jacob spent a lot of time in his room. Sometimes Flynn would see Jacob coming down to grab a few books, usually art books, and head back out. Cassandra was the most changed. She wasn’t her usual bubbly self. She wouldn’t talk to him. He wishes he could show her everything was for the best.

               Eve came into the Annex. She walked over to Judson’s mirror. Flynn wishes he could talk to Judson again. He would know what to say to Cassandra. Flynn joined Eve in front of the mirror. She was looking at the security cameras on the exterior of the building. “Is he out there again,” Flynn asked.

               “Yep. Every day since everyone went home. Just standing there.” Eve replied.

               “He’ll stop one day soon. Probably.” Flynn said before he walked upstairs.

               Eve turned off the security cameras as Cassandra walked into the room. “How are you doing?” Eve asked Cassandra.

               “Fine,” she replied looking at the clipping book to see if there were any new cases. Then Cassandra looked up and saw Flynn staring at her. She said nothing more and turned around. She nearly bumped into Jacob as she walked out of the room. Eve looked at Flynn and could see the hurt in his eyes from the pain he felt with how strained his relationship with Cassandra had gotten. Then Flynn turned away from the balcony.

               Jacob watched as Cassandra left the room. Then he looked at Eve and asked, “Everything okay?”

               Eve just looked at him and shrugged her shoulders. She said, “I was hoping things would be better by now, but they haven’t changed in the past month.”

               “I understand,” replied Jacob. Then he asked, “Is Jenkins here?”

               Eve replied, “He’s in his work space.” She saw that Jacob had a jacket on and said, “Why? Are you planning on going somewhere?”

               Jacob said, “Yeah, I wanted him to set a door, but I can do it.”

               Flynn came quickly down the stairs saying, “Where are you going?”

               “I’m going to the art museum to look at some paintings,” replied Jacob. Which wasn’t a full lie since he was going to the museum.

               “Which one? What are you going to go see?” asked Flynn.

               “Why are you interrogating me like I am doing something wrong?” Jacob said getting a little defensive.

               “Stone, what is going on with you?” Eve asked.

               “Nothing. I just don’t see why I need to tell you everything about where I am going. Maybe you should just focus on what is going on with Cassandra.” Jacob said.

               Ezekiel just walked into the room and Eve said, “Maybe you should take Jones with you.”

               “Can’t, I’m busy.” Ezekiel said.

               “See, he’s busy, and I don’t need a chaperone. I’ll be back in a couple hours.” Jacob said as he set the door and left.

               “That was weird,” said Eve. Then she looked at Ezekiel and asked, “What is so important that you couldn’t go with him?”

               “I’m doing a favor for a mate. Besides, it’s pretty obvious he didn’t want me to go with him.” Ezekiel replied.

               “What kind of favor? A favor for who?” asked Eve.

               “Just a mate who needed some technical help. Shouldn’t you be focused on the visitor outside. Have you told Cassandra that he’s come by a few times now?” replied Ezekiel.

               “It’s best she doesn’t know,” said Flynn.

               “Are we sure this is what’s best for them?” Eve asked. Ezekiel used this distraction as his chance to leave. Eve looked at Flynn and said, “You said they would get over it in a couple days, but they haven’t. Cassandra won’t talk to you unless it is a case and he has come by every day. Maybe we should let them talk to each other.”

               “It won’t help. It will just make it harder for them.” Flynn replied.

               “Somebody should go talk to him. He’s just going to come back every day until someone does.” Eve replied.

               “Fine, I’ll go talk to him. I’ll make him see that it is not right for him to be here.” Flynn said. Eve gave him a look. Flynn knew that look meant he better be careful about what he says. “I’ll try not to anger him or hurt him. And I won’t use any magic on him.”

               Eve gave Flynn a nod and went to find Jenkins. Flynn sighed and went to go talk to Eliot who he knew was still standing outside like he had done every day for the past month. He had to make him see that he and Cassandra could not be together. Here goes nothing, Flynn thought as he walked out the front door.

[poetloveses]

Worlds Collide Chapters 21 & 22

Chapter 21

               Hardison and Parker pushed together some tables while Nate, Sophie, Maggie, and Eliot got drinks and food for everyone. Flynn, Eve, Ezekiel, and Jenkins sat on one side with Jacob on one end and Cassandra on the other. Hardison and Parker sat on the other side across from Ezekiel and Jenkins. Nate, Sophie, Maggie, and Eliot brought out the food and drinks and sat them on the table. Nate and Sophie sat in the seats across from Flynn and Eve. Eliot pulled out the seat next to Jacob and gestured to Maggie to take it. He gave her a wink as he sat down in the seat next to Cassandra. Eliot looked around the table at where everyone was seated. Cassandra was on his right. Going around the table after Cassandra, it went Ezekiel, Jenkins, Eve, Flynn, Jacob, Maggie, Sophie, Nate, Hardison, Parker, and finally back to Eliot.

               For a few minutes, no one said a word. They all sat silently staring at each other and drinking their drinks. No one had even touched the food on the table. Ezekiel was the first to grab a plate and take a bite. “Hey, this is actually pretty good.” Ezekiel said.

               Parker replied, “Yeah, Eliot makes the best food.”

               “You made this?” Ezekiel asked Eliot.

               “Yeah. I first told you I was a chef. I design the menu here for the brew pub,” Eliot replied.

               “Parker brought me some of your chili. It was my first meal after I woke up,” said Jacob.

               Everyone started grabbing plates and after a few bites Nate couldn’t stay quiet anymore. “I have been trying to be patient, but I can’t wait any longer.”

               Sophie touched Nate’s arm and said, “Nate, not now.” But Nate wasn’t listening to her. He said, “There is too much that is unexplained. Who are all you people exactly and why has Eliot been with you all this time? Where has he been and why didn’t he contact us sooner?”

               Eve said, “We could ask you the same questions about Jacob!”

               Nate and Eve started arguing. Flynn and Sophie were trying to calm them but nothing they were saying was working. Nate and Eve just kept getting louder and louder trying to yell over each other. “Enough,” yelled Nate slamming his hands on the table as he stood. Jacob could tell Nate was ready to explode for the second time since he met him. Nate looked like he was on the verge of breaking down. Nate walked over to the bar and sat down, putting his head in his hands. Everyone stared at him as Sophie went over to him. She put her hand on his shoulder. As she touched him, he looked up and quietly said, “We thought he was dead.”

               Cassandra looked like she was ready to cry. Eliot took her hand and gave it a squeeze. Eliot held her hand as he said, “They felt the same way about Jacob when they heard the story, too, Nate. They only knew he wasn’t because of a magical candle room,” Eliot knew without looking that Hardison was staring at him, “don’t ask. Though they knew he was alive, they didn’t know how bad he had been hurt.”

               Eve was still angry and looked like she was about to say something, but Jacob cut her off. He said, “Baird,” and she stopped. Eve looked at Jacob and soften up a bit. “Look, I can see the past few days have been hard on you. They have been hard on us too.”

               Cassandra said, “We all probably said and did things that weren’t right.” Cassandra looked at Eliot and then to Jacob. “But that doesn’t matter right now!” she said sounding a bit angry.

               “She’s right,” said Maggie. “All that matters now is that they both are alive and back with the people who love them.”

               After a few seconds Nate and Eve agreed. Nate and Sophie joined the rest back at the table. They all drank, ate, and introduced themselves. Eliot and Jacob were happy to see this, but they still needed to talk to each other. Eliot smiled as Cassandra gave him a kiss on the cheek. He looked at her and knew there was something she was holding back. He didn’t know what it was, but he hoped she would be able to tell him soon.

Chapter 22

               Things were calming down after the initial meeting. Now everyone seemed to be getting along. It all started after Jenkins said he was going back to the library, everybody was quiet for a moment. That was until Ezekiel asked Parker about some of the stuff she had stolen. She gave him a look and then asked Eliot, “Did you tell him I was a thief?”

               Ezekiel said, “Actually, I hacked into the NSA database and all I found about you was the connection to your friends. The file on Alec Hardison was a bit longer. Did you really crack the Pentagon servers at the age of 12?”

               “Uh, yeah. You hacked the NSA database?” asked Hardison.

               Ezekiel replied, “Yeah, it’s not that hard.”

               “I know, I’ve done it myself. What else can you do?” Hardison asked.

              “I’ll show you.” Ezekiel said and the three of them moved to the bar. Eliot laughed at their excitement.

              Flynn started asking Sophie and Nate about their relationship and talking about his and Eve’s own relationship. That’s when Jacob, Maggie, Eliot, and Cassandra decided to leave the table.

              Eliot went to the bar to grab a few drinks. He looked over and saw Parker and Hardison talking with Ezekiel at the other end of the bar. No doubt they were talking about hacking and thief stuff that Eliot would probably not fully understand. Over at the tables where they all first sat down, Nate and Sophie were still talking with Flynn and Eve. They were too far for him to hear. He heard Cassandra laughing. She had moved to a table by the window. She was talking with Maggie and they were probably sharing things about him and Jacob. Eliot grabbed two beers and handed one to Jacob.

              Jacob took the beer from Eliot and said, “Thanks.” Then he added, “I’m glad you are okay. Your friends really care about you.”

              Eliot replied, “Yeah. I care about them, too. Your friends care about you, too. Even Ezekiel. Though he probably wouldn’t admit he was worried about you.”

              Jacob laughed, “True.” Jacob looked over to Cassandra and Maggie and then said, “What do you think they are talking about?”

              Eliot looked at Cassandra and Maggie who were laughing hard at something. He looked back at Jacob and said, “I’m sure it is something neither one of us wants them to be sharing.” Jacob nodded. Eliot said, “Maybe we should go join them before they share more.” Jacob agreed and they went to join Cassandra and Maggie.

              Eve was telling Nate and Sophie the story about how Flynn told her he loved her from the day he met her. Flynn smiled as he listened to her tell the story. He took a minute during the story to look around the room. Ezekiel and the Parker woman were having a lock picking contest. The man they call Hardison was timing them. Then he looked at the table Jacob and Cassandra were sitting at with Eliot and a woman called Maggie. Between the looks and smiles they were giving each other, Flynn knew it was time to talk to Jacob and Cassandra.

              Flynn excused himself and got up from the table he was sitting at with Eve, Nate, and Sophie. He went over to the table where Jacob and Cassandra were sitting with Eliot and Maggie and said, “Hi, sorry, I just need to talk to Stone and Cassandra for a moment.” He looked at each of them.

              Jacob stopped smiling. He had a feeling he knew what was coming. They have had this discussion before, but he knew Flynn wouldn’t leave without talking to them. He stood and looked at Cassandra to follow him. She stood quietly and Jacob said, “We’ll be right back.”

              Eliot watched Cassandra and Jacob follow Flynn to the far corner away from everybody. He watched for a few moments before Maggie pulled his attention to him. “So, Eliot, Cassandra seems nice.” She said.

              Eliot turned to her and said, “She’s great. She helped me through a lot while I was with them.” He took Maggie’s hand and said, “I am really surprised to see you here.”

              Maggie replied, “I care about you, Eliot. I care about you all. You have become like a family to me. Sophie called me after her and Nate got here after the explosion.”

              “Does he know you will be leaving soon,” asked Eliot as he motioned toward Jacob.

                Maggie said, “Actually, I was asked to do some work for the Portland Art Museum, and I am thinking of taking the job.”

               “That’s great.” replied Eliot.

               Once Flynn knew they were far enough away from everybody, he looked at Jacob and Cassandra and said, “What do you think you two are doing? What did I tell you about the rules of being a Librarian? No friends, no family, and certainly no falling in love!”

              Jacob said, “Easy for you to say. You have Eve to be with.”

              “Yes,” said Flynn, “But Eve is part of the library. She is not a normal person.”

              Jacob said, “I don’t have a good connection with my family and I never shared my abilities,” he pointed to his head, “with my friends but things feel different with her, with Maggie.”

              Flynn said, “We have shared too much with these people already. Just say goodbye and soon everything will go back to the way things should be after a few weeks.”

                Cassandra spoke up after being silent the whole time Flynn and Jacob were talking. She said, “What if we can’t, don’t want to, go back to that?”

                 “It is for the best, Cassandra,” Eve said coming up behind her, “It might be best to grab Jones and head back home.” She took Cassandra’s hand in one of hers and then lightly took Jacob’s hand with the other looking at the bandages. Then she said, “Let’s us all go home.” She gave Jacob a small smile and headed over to Ezekiel.

                 Jacob nodded at Flynn and said, “Can I say goodbye first? They have all been good to me.”

                Flynn said, “Yeah. We can all say goodbye.”

                Flynn stood in the middle of the room and said, “Well, it has been nice meeting all of you. Though not the best circumstances. Anyway, we should get back home. Goodbye.” Flynn went to the restrooms and walked through the door.

              Eve shook her head and apologized for Flynn’s goodbye. She said goodbye first to Parker and Hardison for taking care of Jacob. Then to Nate and Sophie for taking the time to talk to her and Flynn. Then she said goodbye to Maggie and told Jacob she’d see him back at the library. Lastly, she went to say goodbye to Eliot. “Mr. Spencer, Eliot, we may have had our ups and downs, but it was nice to meet you.” She said and gave him a hug. Then she waited by the door for Ezekiel as he said goodbye to Parker and Hardison. Then Eve and Ezekiel walked through the door.

              Jacob said goodbye to Nate and Sophie and Nate apologized for the things he did and said. Then he said goodbye to Hardison and Parker. Hardison stared at him the whole time Parker hugged him. Then he laughed and gave Jacob a hug. Then Nate, Sophie, Hardison, and Parker walked into the backroom of the brew pub. Jacob laughed as he heard Hardison ask why they kept walking into the bathroom.

              Jacob then turned back to Maggie, he didn’t know how to tell her that he couldn’t see her anymore. He took her in his arms and gave her a kiss. She could tell there was something on his mind that he wasn’t saying. She had tears in her eyes, when she said, “I know you’re holding back. If what you are thinking is something I wouldn’t like to hear, please, don’t tell me. Let’s just have this moment to be happy.”

              Jacob nodded and just held her in his arms for a few moments. He gave her a kiss and he walked her to the backroom door. Maggie waved goodbye to Cassandra. Maggie held Jacob’s hand as he said goodbye slipping a piece of paper into his hand as he let go. Maggie walked into the backroom and Jacob stopped and shook Eliot’s hand as he walked to the door and waited for Cassandra.

              Eliot had his arm around Cassandra when she stepped away from him. She had tears in her eyes. “What’s wrong,” he asked her.

              She said, “I can’t do this.”

             “Do what,” Eliot asked.

             “I can’t be with you, know matter how much I want to be.” Cassandra replied.

             Eliot took her in his arms and said, “Why not? I like you and you like me, why can’t we be together?” He leaned in and kissed her.

            Cassandra pushed Eliot away. She said, “I can’t,” and ran through the door. Jacob followed behind her, leaving Eliot standing alone in the brew pub unsure of what just happened.

[poetloveses]

Worlds Collide chapters 19 & 20

Chapter 19

               “Magic door?” asked Eliot.

               “Yes. We use it to travel anywhere in the world. We don’t have to worry about getting plane tickets or driving far away. Then if we need to get into a locked facility, we can use any door inside it.” Cassandra replied.

               All Eliot said was oh as he watched the door waiting for the others to come back. Cassandra knew trying to distract him wouldn’t work. She just stood next to him and watched the door with him. Every few minutes she looked back at Jenkins, who was standing at his desk pretending to do work. Cassandra knew Jenkins was watching her and Eliot. She looked at Eliot who was still watching the door. He looked more worried than ever now. She kept thinking about what Flynn said before they left. Flynn whispered, you know you can’t be with him, in her ear. She knew it was true but that doesn’t keep her from falling in love with Eliot. She was torn between being happy that he was so close to getting home, and sad, that once he is home, she’ll never see him again. She took his hand in hers. He looked at her and gave her a soft kiss. As he looked back at the door, she looked back at Jenkins who gave her a disapproving look.

              The others had been gone a while now. Eliot started pacing after twenty minutes. He hated not knowing what was happening. He was trying hard not to just run through the doors. If it hadn’t been for Cassandra, he probably would have done so. After thirty minutes, he couldn’t wait anymore. He started for the door, but Jenkins surprised him by getting to the door before him. “Where do you think you are going?” asked Jenkins.

               “I cannot stay here anymore not knowing what is going on. I have to go even if I have to head out the front doors and walk there!” Eliot replied.

               “Mr. Spencer, it is better if you stay here.” Jenkins said. He looked at Cassandra to help him convince Eliot that it was best to stay in the Annex.

               Cassandra was trying to find the right words to say. She was trying to think of what the right thing was. She looked up as Eliot and Jenkins stood looking at her. Neither one moving away from the doors. “Jenkins, it has been too long, I think we should go.” She said.

               “Miss Cillian, the colonel said to stay here.” Jenkins replied.

               “Jenkins, please understand this needs to be done. Eliot needs to know what is happening and I’m going to go with him.” She said taking Eliot’s hand.

               Jenkins replied, “I can’t change your mind?” Cassandra shook her head no. “Fine,” he said, “I’m coming with you.”

               Cassandra smiled as Eliot squeezed her hand and Jenkins opened the doors. They stepped through the back door and Eliot smiled when he saw they were in the brew pub. He looked back at the door they had walked through and saw only the bathroom door. His smile faded quickly when he heard voices yelling. Multiple voices saying put the weapons down. He ran out to the main dining area followed closely by Cassandra and Jenkins. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He couldn’t stop himself when he said, “Nate?”

Chapter 20

               As Jacob and Maggie reached the main doors, everybody had gotten quiet. He pushed Maggie behind him as he opened the doors. He looked out and there was ten people standing out there. They all turned and looked at him as he stepped through the door. Maggie stood behind him as they took in the scene.

               Nobody moved for a good five minutes. On one side of the room stood Nate, Sophie, Parker, and Hardison. On the other side was Baird, Flynn, Jones, and Jenkins. Jacob looked across and there stood Cassandra with a man who looked a lot like him. Cassandra was staring at him with tears in her eyes. She was the first to break the silence. She called his name and ran to him.

               As soon as Cassandra reached Jacob, everybody else started moving. Eve, Flynn, Ezekiel, and Jenkins followed Cassandra over to him. As they started asking him questions, he saw Maggie join Nate, Sophie, Parker, and Hardison as they moved over to the man Jacob guessed must be Eliot. Jacob tried to keep his emotions in check seeing that the man they all thought was dead was standing there. He wanted to meet the man that he felt like he knew so much about. Right now, he knew it wasn’t the time though. They both had their family back and that was all that matter.

               Eliot was trying to concentrate on all the questions he was being asked. He was so surprised to see Nate and Sophie back after they had been gone for so long. It was even more surprising to see Maggie there. He had no idea why she was there. Between the hugs and questions, Eliot started feeling a little overwhelmed. He looked over to the other group. He now knew why they thought he was Jacob Stone. There were a few differences, but they could have been twins. Then Eliot looked at Cassandra. She was laughing at something one of the others said. He couldn’t help but wish he could have a few more minutes alone with her. Then he noticed it. Jacob was looking at their group. Eliot noticed Jacob was looking at Maggie and she kept looking back at him. When Eliot caught Maggie’s eye, he gave her a questioning look and she blushed a little. Now Eliot was starting to have questions himself.

               Flynn listened as Eve, Ezekiel, and Jenkins rattled off a list of questions. Flynn was just observing the scene. Cassandra just seemed happy to see Jacob. But there was also something off about Jacob and Cassandra. He noticed both kept looking over toward the other group. Flynn had noticed the way Cassandra and Eliot were looking at each other back at the Annex and Jacob seemed to be looking the same way at the woman who came out behind him earlier. Flynn was going to have to have a serious talk with Cassandra and Jacob.

               There were so many questions and not enough answers for Nate. The biggest one being what took Eliot so long to get back to the brew pub. Eliot seemed to be skating around the question. Nate knew he would have to ask the other group of people if he was going to get the answers he wanted. Nate looked over to the other group and thought they didn’t look like much. Eliot could have fought his way out, but why didn’t he. What was it about these people that kept Eliot from escaping from them?

               Nate moved to the front of the bar. He held up his hands and everyone started to quiet down. Once everyone was quiet, he said, “Why don’t we sit and talk about what happened? Anybody want a drink?”

[poetloveses]

Worlds Collide 17 & 18

Chapter 17

               Cassandra pulled Eliot aside and told him what Eve said. She was right about him not wanting to stay back while Eve, Flynn, and Ezekiel checked out the scene. She said, “Eve just wants to make sure everything goes as plan. She thinks it is best in case we arrive, and your friends aren’t there. She’s afraid you’ll be too emotional.”

               Eliot said, trying to keep his anger in check, “She’s afraid I’ll be too emotional? Or more like she doesn’t trust me.”

               “Eliot, Eve just wants what’s best for everyone. She really does care. This is the only way she’ll agree to it.” Cassandra replied.

               “I don’t need her! All I need is to know how to get home and I’m gone. I just got to get home.” Eliot said.

               Cassandra took his hands in hers. She pulled him into the hallway, further away from the others. She kissed him and then said, “Please, Eliot. I know how you feel, but I believe this is the right way to do it.”

               Eliot took Cassandra’s face in his hands. He put his forehead against hers. He said, “I am just really worried about them. You know Jacob is alive at least. I don’t know if they may have followed me.” He gave her a soft kiss and then said, “Cassie, if you were told you had to wait before coming here, would you?”

               She looked up with tears in her eyes. She said, “If it was before, I would have probably said no, but now, if you told me to stay and wait, I would.”

               He looked at her. He pulled her closer into an embrace. “Alright, I’ll wait here with you.”

               He let her go and they went back to join the others. They were all trying to act like they hadn’t been listening, but of course they had been. Flynn broke the silence and said, “Jenkins, we need a door.”

               Jenkins said, “On it, sir.”

               Flynn whispered in Cassandra’s ear before Eve, Flynn, and Ezekiel got their things ready and stood in front of the closet door. Eliot looked at Cassandra confused, but she was smiling. He wasn’t sure if it was a genuine smile. “Mr. Spencer, where exactly in Boston is your place?” Jenkins asked.

               Still confused, Eliot answered, “We haven’t been in Boston for years.”

               “Your file said your last known location was Boston.” Ezekiel said.

               “Yeah, we were based in Boston for a few years, but we had to move our base. We’re criminals and our old base was crawling with every law enforcement agency waiting for us. We work in the shadows and break the law to help our clients. We have to stay ahead of the law.” Eliot said as Ezekiel gave a knowing nod.

               “Okay, so where should we set the door if not Boston?” asked Jenkins.

               “Portland, Oregon.” Eliot replied and suddenly all eyes were on him.

               “Portland, Oregon?” questioned Flynn

               “Yeah. We needed a new place far from Boston.” Replied Eliot.

               “Where exactly in Portland?” Eve asked as Ezekiel went over to the weird looking computer.

               “Uh, Bridgeport Brew Pub. Why?” Eliot asked.

               Ezekiel pulled up a map and said, “That is really close to here.”

               “What do you mean? How close?” asked Eliot.

               Cassandra looked at the map and said, “It looks like a little over six miles.”

               “You’re telling me, I’ve been in Portland this whole time? I thought the bridge outside looked familiar.” Eliot said.

               Flynn nodded at Eliot and then said, “Jenkins, set a door for Bridgeport Brew Pub, Portland, Oregon.”

               Eliot watched as Jenkins spun an old looking globe, flipped it open, and hit some dials. Flynn and Eve opened the closet doors. Then Flynn, Eve, and Ezekiel disappeared as the doors closed behind them. He was staring at the doors, when he heard Cassandra behind him say, “Magic door.”

Chapter 18

               Jacob was trying to get Maggie off his mind. He is a librarian. He can’t be with her. Flynn has told them they will never have normal lives. They can’t have friends, family, or relationships. His only family and friends can only be the other librarians, Eve, and Jenkins. It was easy for Flynn to say since he gets to be with Eve, the one he loves, forever. Flynn and Eve were immortal now that they were tethered to the library. The rest of them were not allowed to fall in love. Jacob knew all this, but he couldn’t help it when he saw Maggie.

               Everybody thought of Jacob as a playboy. Always falling for a new girl but that wasn’t true. He did like to flirt and maybe he did fall hard fast. Mabel was the closest he really got to falling in love. He was heartbroken when she died in his arms. He never wanted to feel that way again. He doesn’t want to make anybody else feel that way either. He is going to have to tell Maggie he can’t be with her.

               Jacob couldn’t sit still waiting for Maggie to come back. He went from sitting on the bed to pacing by the back wall to pacing by the door and back to the bed. He tried going over in his mind what he was going to say, but he was nervous. He wasn’t sure how she would react. Would she cry? Would she hit him? Would she tell Nate, who already hates him? Or would she understand? Would she tell him it would be okay, even though he felt it wouldn’t be okay? All these things were on his mind when Maggie walked in the room. As soon as he saw her, he forgot everything he was going to say.

               Maggie came over and sat on the bed next to him. She kissed him and everything felt right to him. They kissed for a few moments before he looked away. He had to tell her. He didn’t want this moment to end. She reached for his face and touched it softly. He was about to tell her when there was a loud commotion down the hallway. Maggie went to the door and told him she would be right back.

               Jacob could hear arguing down the hall. He couldn’t make out the voices but could tell it was more than two people. He was trying to figure out what was going on, when Maggie came through the door. She looked upset. “What is going on?” he asked.

               Maggie pulled him into a corner and said, “Three strangers broke into the brew pub. I don’t know much about them, but Nate said two had weapons and told me to hide.”

               “Do you know what they are arguing about?” Jacob asked.

               “Mostly them saying the same thing. Nate asking who they are and how they got inside. And a woman asking Nate who is was. Both telling the other to put down their weapons.” Maggie answered.

               Jacob held her in his arms. He knew he had to do something but didn’t know if Nate would want him out there. He thought about it for a moment and then said, “You stay here. I’m going to see what is happening.”

               Maggie said, “No, don’t go. You are still not healed completely from your injuries. I don’t want to see you get hurt more.”

               “I can’t stay here and not do anything. You stay here and I’ll come back for you.” Jacob said.

               “If you go, I’m coming with you.” Maggie replied.

               “No, you’ll be safe here. I think it’s…” Jacob started saying.

               Maggie cut him off and said, “I’m coming with you and you can’t stop me.”

               Jacob nodded and then kissed her before they went to go see what was happening in the brew pub.

[poetloveses]

Worlds Collide chapters 15 & 16

Chapter 15

               “Are you sure there aren’t any artifacts that can locate Stone?” Eliot and Cassandra heard Ezekiel say as they walked into the Annex.

               “Not anything we have found.” Flynn said.

               Eliot could see the hurt in their faces. He knew how they were feeling, not knowing what happened or where their friend was. He was feeling that way about Parker and Hardison. Eliot looked at Cassandra, took her hand, and gave it a squeeze. “If I can find my friends, we may be able to help you find your friend.” He told her.

               She nodded and said to the room, “I think we should help Eliot find his friends.”

               “We have to find Stone. We can send Mr. Spencer home later.” Eve said.

               “But what about his friends. Do you think it is fair to him and his friends to let them think he’s dead?” Cassandra said.

               “Cassandra, we should talk about this in private. Will you excuse us, Mr. Spencer?” Eve replied.

               Eve grabbed Cassandra’s arm and motioned for Flynn, Ezekiel, and Jenkins to follow them up the stairs to the balcony. Once they were away from Eliot, Cassandra pulled her arm away from Eve and went to the edge of the balcony. Cassandra looked down at Eliot while Eve started talking, “Cassandra, you are not thinking straight. Just because we know Jacob is not dead, doesn’t mean he is not injured somewhere. Our priority has to be Jacob, not Mr. Spencer.”

               “But what if Eliot’s friends could help? Don’t you think we should help him get home?” asked Cassandra.

               “And what if his plan is to lead us into a trap? How do we know that him and his friends didn’t set up that explosion?” asked Eve.

               “Eliot wouldn’t do that.” Cassandra replied.

               “Cassandra, you have gotten too close to Mr. Spencer. I think you should go to your room and let us handle everything.” Eve said a little forcefully.

               “No!” said Cassandra as she turned around to face Eve and the guys. “Eliot needs our help. If it was Jacob with a group of strangers wouldn’t you want them to do everything they could to help him. I am going to help Eliot with or without all of you.”

               “I’m with you, Cassandra.” Ezekiel said.

               “I think the Colonel is right. We have to be smart about this.” Jenkins said.

               Flynn looked at Cassandra and said, “Are you sure this is what you want to do?”

               “Yes. It is the right thing to do.” Cassandra replied.

               Flynn gave a nod and said, “Alright, Jenkins, let’s set a door and send Mr. Spencer home.”

               “Fine.” Eve said, “But we do what I say when I say. I will go through the door first with Flynn and Ezekiel. Cassandra, you stay here with Jenkins and Mr. Spencer. When we feel it is safe, we will come get you.”

               “We are not fragile. We can handle ourselves. We’ve done this job for years now. And I don’t think Eliot will stay here while you go.” Cassandra said.

               “Cassandra, please. We need you to stay here with Mr. Spencer. We don’t need him there and getting all emotional.” Eve said softer than she had been talking before.

               “Fine. Let me go tell Eliot the plan and figure out where to set the door.” Cassandra replied. They all headed back down to Eliot.

Chapter 16

               Jacob stood when Maggie came back through the door. He was wondering what happened with Nate. Nate was so angry when he saw Maggie and Jacob kissing. Jacob was left wondering why she kissed him when she followed after Nate to talk to him. “So, what did Nate have to say?” Jacob asked.

               Maggie walked over to Jacob. She sits down on the bed and pats to spot next to her. Jacob sits down next to her and she softly puts her hand on his face. This can’t be good, he thinks. He looks down as she begins, “Nate has always had a problem with lots of the stuff I do.”

               “Why should he care? You are divorced.” Jacob said.

               “Yes, but we still care about each other. Took him forever to say ex-wife. It nearly killed him when we lost our son. I put myself into my work. Nate said you told them you are an art expert?” she said.

               “Yes, I am. I have many Ph.ds and honorary degrees in art, art history, and architecture. I am one of the best. Even while working for my father in the family pipeline business, people would call me when they discovered a new piece of art and were scared because I am the best a discovering a fake.” He replied.

               “I did the same thing for insurance companies and museums. It’s funny, the first time I met Eliot, he was pretending to be an art expert to get a mark. He was also shamelessly flirting with me, up until we ran into Nate. They were trying to discredit the CEO of the insurance company both Nate and I worked for a one point. I was working for the museum at the time.” She said.

               “Why did they want to do that?” Jacob asked.

               “It is a long story, but Nate had found a drug that might have help our son. We had run out of money and Nate went to the insurance company to pay for it. The CEO denied the claim and wouldn’t pay for it. He didn’t tell me until after I ran into them what had happened because he hated himself and didn’t want me to hate him.” She replied.

               “I’m sorry.” Jacob said.

               “I am doing much better now. Nate still has issues with me seeing other people. He also has issues with Sophie and I becoming friends.” They sat in silence for a moment before Maggie continued, “I came to tell you, I’ve talked with Nate and he is willing to let you contact your friends.”

               Jacob replied a bit angrier than he meant, “He’s willing to let me contact my friends.”

               Maggie replied with the same tone, “He is hurting.” Then she said a little softer, “Please, don’t hold it against him.”

               Jacob soften and said, “I’m sorry. I am not used to this. I understand he is hurting. I will be able to forgive him once I am able to see my friends.”

               “Thank you.” Maggie said.

               “As Paulo Coelho said, Life is short. Kiss slowly, laugh insanely, love truly, and forgive quickly.” Jacob said, and he leaned in and kissed her.

               Maggie stood and said, “I’m going to go see about getting you that phone.” She smiled as she leaned down to kiss him before leaving the room.

               Jacob knew he couldn’t stay forever, but he truly was starting to feel like he wished he could just stay there in that moment with Maggie.