The Next Ten: Beginnings Series Books 11 - 20

by Jacqueline Druga

  Jenny came from the dining room, slowing when she saw Ellen. “Yes Henry?”

  “Did you ... did you go to Ellen’s and take her children without permission today?”

  “Yes.”

  That floored Henry. No argument. No covering up. “Jenny. You had no right.”

  “I had every right.”

  “No.” Henry’s voice rose. “Listen to me. You had no right. What you did was wrong, really wrong. In the world where there used to be laws, it would be considered a crime.”

  “But ...” Jenny seemed so offended. “I had my reasons. Don’t you want to hear them?”

  “No.” Henry shook his head. “No I don’t because as far as I am concerned there is no reason good enough for you to go over and take her children.”

  “She doesn’t know how to care for them, Henry.”

  “And who are you to determine that?” Henry questioned her. “What do you know?”

  “I used to babysit.”

  Henry laughed at her. “Oh, that makes you an expert.”

  “It gives me the experience to know.”

  “Oh bullshit,” Henry argued. “It gives you nothing. You are not a mother. Ellen is. You are not responsible for those babies. Ellen and Dean are. You are an eighteen year old girl with delusional ideals of what motherhood is. And you’re wrong. You’re wrong, Jenny.” Henry stepped to her. “Don’t ever let me hear that you did something like that again and don’t let me hear you are making Ellen out to be a bad mother. That’s not your business nor will it ever be. You are not the judge and jury of Beginnings. No one is. It’s a shame we don’t have that because I swear to God I would push for a hard reprimanding.” Henry grabbed Ellen’s hand and started to walk out. “But let me leave you with this. Start stepping on toes Jenny, start trouble. You go on. Beginnings is not that big but it can certainly be an awful lonely places if no one wants to be bothered with you.” Without saying anymore, Henry took Ellen’s hand and walked outside with her.

  “Oh Henry.” Ellen closed her eyes and embraced him. “Oh Henry.” She embraced him tighter. “Thank you.”

  “You don’t need to thank me.”

  “Yes, I do.” She wouldn’t stop hugging him. “I will never forget what you did today. I won’t. When no one else wanted to take me seriously, you did.” She kissed him on the cheek and stepped back. “I think from this day forward, you and I will be special friends. I’ll make sure of it.”

  “I’d like that, El.” Henry smiled. “And I’ll hold you to it because I’d like that very much.”

  A Pause ...

  PRESENT DAY

  Beginnings, Montana

  October 2

  As if he could possibly sneak anywhere without being seen, Frank shifted his views back and forth. He looked over his shoulder and slid back against the wall to the window by the door. He dropped down to the ground and slowly, very slowly lifted just enough to see in the window. “All clear!” he whispered loudly, then stood straight up and reached for his keys.

  From around the side of the quantum lab, Robbie, Dean, and a nervous looking Hal came.

  “Frank.” Hal kept looking around. “Are we allowed to do this?”

  “Hal. I’m Security. Of course was are.” Frank unlocked the door and pushed it open. “Now hurry in before someone sees us.”

  Dean rolled his eyes slightly as he trailed behind the three giant Slagels. “Frank, what is wrong with this picture?”

  “What picture?” Frank asked.

  “This picture.” Dean held out his hand as an indication to the room.

  “Where?”

  “Here.”

  Frank first looked at Robbie then he looked to Dean’s hand and moved his views to where Dean’s fingers pointed. “I don’t see a picture.”

  “Frank, you idiot. This picture meaning us being here, sneaking into a place that is five miles from town. Who the hell is gonna see us? And ... and mind you, how the hell do you think you could get away with sneaking anywhere anyhow?”

  “Ha.” Frank laughed in ridicule. “I can hide anyplace better than you can.”

  “You think?” Dean asked.

  “I know.”

  “How do you figure Frank?” Dean questioned. “You’re six-foot-three. I’m five-foot-seven.”

  “Four.”

  “What?”

  “You’re five-foot-four.”

  “Oh, I am not.”

  “Are too,” Frank instigated.

  “Frank.”

  “Dean.” Frank stepped to him. “You’re little.”

  “That’s right. So how do you think that big body of yours can hide better than this little body of mine?”

  “Skill.” Frank nodded.

  “Skill?”

  “Yep.”

  “All right. Say you had to hide in this room from me.”

  “I wouldn’t hide from you,” Frank stated.

  “Just for argument’s sake, Frank.” Dean held up his hand. “Say you had to hide from me ...”

  “Dean.” Frank chuckled. “Why would I hide from you?”

  “Frank!” Dean snapped. “If you had to hide from me, where would you do it?”

  “First.” Frank held up a finger. “Are you as little as you are now?”

  “Yes,” Dean answered.

  “Simple.” Frank tossed his hands up. “I wouldn’t hide from you.”

  “You know what ...” Dean cringed in frustration. “Forget it.”

  “What?”

  Dean grumbled.

  Hal laughed. “Dean, don’t let him get to you. You let him aggravate you too much. Besides, if it’s any consolation, Frank wasn’t very good at hide and go seek when we were kids.”

  Frank gasped, “You lie!”

  “I do not.” Hal defended. “You sucked at hide and go seek. You were too over grown and lanky to do anything.”

  “Hal, I suck at nothing.”

  Robbie whined a little, ready to interrupt. “Um, that is not entirely true. I recall you sucking at farming.”

  Dean nodded. “Everything you tried to grow, died. If I remember in my time frame it was both you and Ellen who had that magic touch.”

  “But,” Robbie continued. “You have to admit, Dean, how much of his strength could you attribute to his farming skills?”

  Dean had to agree. “You’re right. I’ve never seen a human being made to do that much physical work in my life. I was surprised that you never said, ‘enough is enough’, Frank.”

  “Dean, how could I?” Frank said. “Everyone was doing it.”

  “Farming, yes, but you were the only one who pulled a plow, carried that cart with supplies, and pushed that thing-a-ma-jig that dug up the ground.”

  “You’re kidding?” Frank looked back and forth at Dean and Robbie. “No one else did that?” He watched them shake their head. “Fuckin’ Dirk. He kept telling me I wasn’t pulling my weight.”

  “You were pulling your weight alright,” Robbie commented. “Along with mine, Miguel’s, Dean’s, Dad’s, and the weight of just about all the harvest we had.”

  “Fuck. And nobody told me.”

  Robbie snickered. “Why would we, Frank? Then we’d really have to. So you pulled everyone’s weight.”

  “But yours.” Frank stated to Robbie.

  “No Frank. I was lazy.”

  The fifth voice in the room was not one expected. “You can say that again.” Henry stood up from behind the far counter.

  Frank turned quickly. “Fuck, Henry, are you spying on us.”

  “No, Frank. I was fixing the heating in here and I just ... listened.” Henry walked toward them. “Does Jason know you’re here?”

  “Yes,” Frank answered quickly. “And fuckin’ Jason invites us up and doesn’t show. Go figure.” Frank tossed his hands in the air.

  “He must have forgotten, Frank.” Henry told him. “It’s just not like Jason to blow someone off. Dean? Isn’t Joe looking for you?”

  “No.” Dean shook his head. “I
n fact, he was but he found me and now he’s not.”

  Robbie swayed his head at Henry. “We’re having a special family meeting, Henry. Either go do your work or beat it.”

  Henry gasped, “Oh that isn’t very nice. Dean is here. He’s not family and I’m more family than he is. Frank and I look alike.”

  “Yeah,” Frank said. “In fact the other day someone called me Henry.” Frank clapped his hands together one time. “All right. Now getting back to why we’re here. Over here, Hal, is the time machine.”

  “It really works?” Hal questioned.

  “Yep.” Frank nodded. “Robbie is here as proof.”

  “Frank,” Robbie spoke up. “I have always been here.”

  “Not to me. Dean has he always been here?”

  “Not in my mind.”

  “Henry?” Frank asked.

  “Thank God not mine either.”

  Hal had to question. “But he showed up eventually in Beginnings, right? So why did you try to bring him back if he was already here?”

  “When?” Frank asked.

  “In Beginnings. He showed up right?” Hal quizzed. “So if he showed up, then why, when you went back in time, did you try to change time to get him to show up. I’m lost.”

  Frank quickly looked at Robbie. “See Hal, he died in our time frame.”

  Hal hurriedly looked at his little brother. “You died?”

  Robbie tossed his hands up. “Don’t ask me. I’ve always been alive and in Beginnings. These three remember me not showing up till five years later.”

  “Was he sick?” Hal questioned. “Is that why he died?”

  Again Frank looked in hesitation. “He ... he was killed, Hal, when he tried to strong arm Beginnings.”

  “Robbie?” Hal seemed so shocked. “Robbie’s the nice guy. A little shitty sometimes, but he was always the nice kid. Why would he try to strong arm Beginnings?”

  Dean decided to explain. “Robbie was out there for a while. When he got here he did some things that went against our rules. He ... he left,” Dean stated. “He didn’t like it here and he left. But he returned with an army of men because he had this hostility toward Joe and Frank.”

  Hal nodded slowly. “So basically, the world changed our Robbie into someone we wouldn’t know? In the Frank, Henry, Dean time frame of course. So sad. Our little brother became a product of what the world became.”

  Solemnly Frank agreed. “Yeah, but that was a source of argument for a while. Was Robbie bad or did the world make him that way?”

  Hal kept his eyes on Robbie. “The world made him that way. There’s no argument there. Not Robbie. And I’m glad Frank ...” Hal looked back at Frank. “I’m glad you screwed up time or else I wouldn’t be looking at him now.”

  Frank stared very seriously for a moment at Hal. “Can you be any more sentimental? Fuck.”

  “What?” Hal tossed up his hands. “I am being sincere. Nice. Which you aren’t.”

  “Oh Hal,” Henry spoke up. “I have to disagree. Frank is very nice.”

  “Yeah,” Frank added.

  “Frank?” Robbie said his name softly. “Who killed me in your time frame?”

  Frank didn’t know how to answer that and his face reflected it. “Robbie. See uh ...”

  “Who killed me?” Robbie asked again. “If I was starting that much shit, someone took me out. I know the way things run around here. So who was it? Was it you, Frank? I expect it would be you. Were you the one?”

  Frank’s head hung low. “Listen, I ...”

  Dean saw the struggle Frank had. “Robbie,” Dean interrupted. “Frank has never been able to admit it. You know, he has that big Head of Security reputation to hold up. But the truth is, Frank didn’t kill you. Miguel did. Frank couldn’t. He couldn’t. Not his brother.”

  Robbie let out a long sigh of relief. “Whew.” He shook his head with a smile. “I know it never really happened since time was changed, but I’m glad, Frank, ‘cause I would have felt really bad.” Robbie smiled some more. “So, like, are we hanging here or are we going to go over and raid Dean’s mobile lab next?”

  “Dean’s lab.” Frank moved across the lab. “The time lab isn’t as fun since time travel got so complicated.” He reached for the doors as Hal, Robbie, Dean, and Henry followed. After Frank opened the door, he took a moment to look at Dean. And just briefly, only briefly, he gave Dean a look of appreciation for stepping in.

  BOOK TWO

  IN RETROSPECT ... THE SECOND YEAR

  In Routine

  CHAPTER NINE

  July 7 - Beginnings, Montana

  Mounds of Miguel’s hair, thick, black, and long, laid all over in piles on Frank’s office floor.. Frank stepped back from a seated Miguel and shut off the clippers. “Now that looks good. Don’t it, Robbie?”

  “Excellent.” Robbie reached out and rubbed Miguel’s shaved nearly-bald head.

  Miguel looked up to the two Slagel brothers. “Thank you very much for the makeover.”

  Frank gave a thumbs up. “You want her, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  Robbie laid his hand on Miguel’s shoulder. “You’re a nice guy, so we have to tackle the only obvious reason she doesn’t pay attention to you, your appearance.”

  “So I look good?”

  “You look great. Just lose the fuckin’ earring,” Frank said. “And we picked out some new clothes for you.”

  “New clothes?” Miguel looked confused. “I don’t need new clothes.”

  “Sure you do,” Robbie commented. “Miguel, we got tons of clothes in storage. Civilian and military. Guy, you have to stop wearing the dark denim K-mart jeans.”

  “And they turn plumber on you.” Frank added.

  “Plumber.” Miguel was confused. “I don’t understand.”

  Frank leaned into Miguel. “When you bend over, we see your butt.”

  Miguel looked horrified. “No.”

  “Yes.” Frank nodded with crossed arms. “And women, they can love a guy, but as soon as they see that.” He snapped his finger. “He’s history. Right, Robbie?”

  “History.” Robbie snapped his finger. “But, now you, Miguel, are ready to go. You know what you’re gonna do tonight, right?”

  “Right.” Miguel nodded. “Tonight I wait no more. So you two think it will work. She’ll love me back?”

  Frank took a deep serious breath and looked at Robbie then back to Miguel. “Probably not.” He reached out and gave Miguel a swat. “But it’s worth a shot.”

  <><><><>

  “Now ...” Joe smiled with pleasure. “This will become my favorite place. I can tell.” He took in a long sniff.

  George did too. “Rolls.”

  “Cookies.”

  “Pies.”

  “Bread.” Joe grinned at George. “you have to admit it’s one hell of a idea Maggie had. I mean we’re planning a Canning Division and a Food Prep. Why not a Bakery?”

  “We need baked goods,” George stated.

  “It’s a daily necessity.” Joe saw Maggie walking out from where the kitchen was. “How’s it going, Maggie? Smells good.”

  “Thank you.” Maggie looked a little tired. “Joe, my life would be a lot easier if I had those two extra ovens. And keep in mind, when more people come, I’ll need more.”

  “I promise you, Maggie, Henry and Jonas are going out for a run to prep the Industrial Section. They said they’ll steal Frank from Dirk and make him lift those ovens.”

  “Oh good.” Maggie laid her hand on her chest. “I enjoy baking, but for all that I’m making, I need the ovens.”

  “And you’ll get them,” Joe stated assuredly. “George and I are taking ...” He saw Jenny sitting in the corner, huddled with a book. “Jenny?”

  Jenny looked up. “Oh hi, Mr. Slagel.”

  “I thought you were checking out the building with Miguel that we wanted to make into a school.”

  “I will. Miguel is busy right now. He said just wait.”

  “I see you�
�re already preparing.” Joe pointed to her book. “Taking it very seriously.”

  “Oh sure I am. I knew I would.”

  “Glad to hear it. What are you reading?”

  “Lady Chatterly’s lover.”

  “What?” Joe nearly choked. “I thought you were starting to pick out materials to teach Johnny and Denny.”

  “I will, but right now I’m reading this to teach myself. She was so innocent that Lady Chatterly.” Jenny smiled with a pleased look. “Such an adventurous life.”

  “But don’t forget.” Joe waved his finger. “She died of syphilis. Let’s go, George.”

  Jenny, so dumbfounded, looked up at Maggie after Joe left. “Did she really?”

  “Oh yes. Terrible. Terrible thing.” Maggie turned away. “Adventurous living will do that to you.” She walked into the kitchen and Jenny quickly flipped to the end of the book.

  George looked at his watch. “Well, I’m out of here. I should be back in a few hours.”

  “You sure you don’t need Frank to go?” Joe asked.

  “No, please. Me?” George scoffed. “Besides, Frank is busy. That’s the reason I’m taking Johnny fishing.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  “No problem. He reminds me so much of my son Davy when he was younger than ...” George shrugged. “I feel compelled to spend time with him. Almost making up for what I didn’t do. Do you ever feel that way with your boys, Joe?”

  “Never.”

  Just as George started to laugh, he stopped and looked up. “Gotta run.” With swift pat, George hurried darted of to the right and disappeared.

  Before Joe could say anything, George was gone and Joe saw why. He cringed as he watched Dirk approach. Joe actually debated on running himself, figuring Dirk moved slowly by nature and because of that bad hip. But Joe had been dodging him all day and it was time to face the music. “I’m on it right now, Dirk.”

  “I’m kinda hopin’ yar Joe. Wanna get started on those pickins.”

  “I bet you do.”

  “So you go speck to that wiry Lil possum and get her hind end up dear. Cain’t be waitin all summer. Dem may-ters juses ripe as they can be.”