“Save it, Angus. Ya are preaching to the bloody choir. Nobody knows better than me that yer whole life is tied to a dead woman in a grave. Sure enough, they’re trying to give us a future here, but I had my suspicions it wouldn’t matter to ya. Ya can’t even bed another woman without thinking of the one ya are never going to bed again. I knew this kind of second chance would be lost on yer hardheaded arse.”
Angus felt the red travel across his chest and up his neck. “I thought we agreed never to speak of that time between us again.”
Erin narrowed her gaze. “We agreed on nothing. You ordered me to forget it and I told ya to go feck yerself. I never forgot the first man who broke my heart and I won’t forget the last one who did either. All I can do is hope I might one day find a man who might value me as much as ya do that coffin full of bones back home. You’re the fecking poster boy for being faithful, aren’t ya?”
“That’s very cruel of ya, Erin,” Angus said.
“Like when ya called me by another woman’s name while I was beneath ya calling yers? That’s called reality, Angus, something I’ve been dealing with on my own for more years than I can remember.”
“Ya talk like I did harm to ya on purpose… which I didn’t. Drunkards make mistakes.”
Erin snorted. “Yes, I well know ya consider bedding me yer biggest one. Before ya go putting out that we’re not the devoted couple our alternate selves were, ya might want to consider what that would mean to the whole belief system here in this strange place. Not to mention what it might mean to our cushy, well-cared for situation. What they did to yer body in making it younger, that defies everything we could ever imagine, doesn’t it? Their power seems as infinite as that of our gods.”
Angus frowned. “Ya know I hate wading through yer philosophies. What are ya suggesting, Erin O’Shea? That we lie and go along with this sham out of fear for our lives?”
“Yes,” Erin declared, holding his gaze. “Lie at least until we figure out this place. No one knows but a few that our alternates here are dead. There are fifty women in the program who want to believe we’re those legendary people Nate told them we are, and frankly, I haven’t been doubted as the real Erin once. If it’s true that there’s no going back home, then we have plenty of time to decide how many ripples to make when we skip the big rock of our resistance across this muscle-bound alien pond. I’m saying there’s no benefit in these people knowing we hate each other.”
Angus straightened in his chair. “I didn’t say I hated ya. I never once said that… not even under the influence of drink.”
Erin waved her hand. “Hate. Despise. Pick yer own word. I waited nine years to get ya between my legs. When I finally did, ya hated me for not being Mary. That’s all the insult I can take from any man. The next man I let go there will be looking me in the eye and saying my fecking name. Do ya get my meaning, Angus? Ya took my gift of myself and stomped on it just like ya did Mary’s grave that day we were abducted. The difference is that I’m alive and my pride fecking matters to me more than it does to the dead woman ya yelled obscenities at.”
“Do ya want an apology from me now? It was nearly two years ago when we gave in to temptation,” Angus declared, but there was no real venom in his voice.
His ego was just nicked because he’d not manned up enough to do what was right back then. He’d known he’d been wrong, but was too ashamed to face her. He managed to avoid Erin for months after their weakness, but had never ceased thinking about how right it had felt sliding into her. Complete surprise another woman could feel so fine was what made him call out his wife’s name in shock. It had unfortunately taken him too long to figure his mind out about it.
Erin glared at him while he thought it through again and he winced in shame once more. She was not one bit less mad than if it had happened yesterday. Women always took bedroom slights hard. He knew that. He just hadn’t known how to make amends for something he’d never planned to repeat and never had.
“Ya can save yerself all that turmoil of thinking so hard,” Erin ordered. “The time to apologize for yer mistake was immediately afterward, before ya rolled away and slunk out my door. Or at least the next day. Or perhaps even a couple weeks later. Ya should have brought me flowers and knelt at my feet and begged my forgiveness over what ya did. But no, that’s not for the proud Angus MacNamara. Ya went right on about yer business like I was no better than one of Paddy’s loose barmaids at the pub that let all the lads have a tumble. Even in death, I’ll never forgive ya for turning my weakness into a mental punishment I can’t seem to let go of.”
“Holy fecking shit, Erin. Ya were the first woman I’d bedded since Mary died. I got… mixed up… that’s all,” Angus exclaimed, trying to get her to be at least a little reasonable.
Erin snorted and glared. “I’m sure that lets ya sleep at night,” she said flatly, rising and putting the dishes back on the cart. “There’s drinks in the refrigerator in the tiny kitchen just beyond that half door. None are what ya might feel the need for after yer ordeal, but they quench thirst well enough.”
“Where are ya going?” Angus asked.
“I’ll be retiring to my room. Toorg gave me a device that connects to some magic in the air. I’m reading their history so I don’t get surprised whenever people talk about it. I also get news on it, but the only thing I understand are the articles about Angus MacNamara and his terrible illness. This fecking world here apparently revolves around yer big arse every bit as much as ya always thought the one we came from did.”
Angus didn’t reply as he watched Erin push the cart to the door. She’d barely opened it when he heard “Berg is here.” The cart disappeared from her hand and Erin thanked the guard for taking care of it for her. She came back inside, closed the door behind her, but didn’t bother locking it.
“Ya are already a bird in a gilded cage,” Angus observed. He knew he’d said the words aloud when Erin turned to glare at him even more fiercely than she had over their personal argument.
“In case ya haven’t noticed, there’s no locks on the fecking doors here. Berg and Toorg would probably go past them anyway. But don’t mind me, try whatever the hell ya want. I’ve offered ya all the help I can. Ya are as impatient as I am, so I guess ya will just have to learn things here the same way I did. Sleep well, Angus. Ya are going to need yer rest for what ya see tomorrow.”
Chapter Six
Angus woke in a strange bed and not knowing where the feck he was. When his situation finally came back to him, he got up to heed the call of nature. Erin’s bedroom door was wide open, but there was no woman inside stomping around.
With no clocks to track the time, he wasn’t sure how long he’d slept or what had transpired between night and morning. Anyone could have come inside and done anything to either of them. As hard as he’d slept, he would never have known.
Not able to avoid the unlined face of the stranger in the mirror any longer, he stared into at least familiar eyes as he scrubbed a hand through his now unruly beard. He thought about what Erin had told him the night before, but his mind kept kicking out all that stuff.
All he could see was his past staring at him once more. In his youth, he’d sometimes grow a beard overnight. Mary had always insisted he shave so he rarely let his facial hair get this long. But he didn’t see anything in the bathroom to take care of trimming it up.
He settled for splashing his face with cold water before heading back to the bedroom for some clothes. On the way he found a note propped on the table. It was from Erin telling him where the food was located in the kitchen. She also said to tell the guard at the door to take him to her when he was ready. She might still be spitting mad, but he was relieved Erin at least didn’t intend to leave him facing this strangeness alone.
Putting back on the clothes he donned after his shower the day before, he headed to the kitchen, waylaid by a knock on the door. At least the buggers were polite, he thought, heading to answer it.
Only it wasn’t a guard. It
was Nate. The doctor who called himself a healer.
“Good morning, Mr. MacNamara.”
“Good morn to ya… ah… Dr. Nate,” Angus said. The man just smiled at him like his stumbling over his name was to be expected.
“May I come in?” Nate asked.
Angus didn’t think there really was much choice, but rather than test the nosy doctor by saying no, he swung the door wide. Yet another new alien was standing guard outside it. This one was nearer his size with pointed ears and cold eyes. The new alien nodded at him just as politely as the giants had. He could see why Erin was so nice to the giants. She probably wanted them to keep coming back. This new one looked like something from a freaking nightmare.
He closed the door quickly and saw Nate’s head moving between the two definitely used separate bedrooms. He and Erin were busted already and the day hadn’t even started.
“I was restless and didn’t want to disturb Erin’s sleep last night,” Angus said, telling his first lie of the day. He wondered how many more he’d have to offer up and how much Erin would gloat to know about them.
Nate nodded and seemed to accept the explanation as reasonable. Maybe Erin might be pleased a bit… not that he fecking cared… not really.
“I thought I’d come help you get better acclimated,” Nate said.
Angus reached behind him and scratched his arse, grinning when the man politely looked off. He headed to the kitchen with a grin on his face. “That’s nice of ya, Nate. Are ya used to having to work with people who’ve been brought here against their will?”
Nate rocked on his heels and then crossed his arms at the question. Angus grinned again. Then surprising him, the doctor uncrossed his arms and walked into the kitchen with him.
Reaching into the refrigerator, Nate pulled out a small tray and popped it into a nearby machine. It made some sort of humming sound and then a bell rang. Nate removed the now wonderful smelling food and set it on the counter.
“Do you drink a stimulant in the morning?” Nate asked.
“I confess I have a cuppa or two to start the day,” Angus replied, studying the man’s tight jaw and wondering what it was costing him to be so polite.
“Cuppa,” Nate repeated. “That wasn’t in my studies of your lexicon.”
Angus grinned again. “Guess my Irish is showing. I’m talking about fecking tea,” he said, watching in fascination as Nate brightened right up.
Nate smiled. “Not exactly sure what fecking tea is, but we’ve got something to help you wake up.”
The man reached into a cupboard and pulled out a cup. He pulled a packet from a basket on the counter and emptied the powder from the packet into it. After adding water into the cup, it too went into the machine.
When the bell rang this time, Nate retrieved the cup and the meal and motioned to follow him back out of the tiny space. He set the food on the table and took the chair opposite it.
Angus nodded as he sat down to eat. “Thank ya for the assist with my morning meal. Erin’s note didn’t contain any directions.”
Nate nodded. “Sure. Helping you is part of my job. And to answer your previous query, moving people isn’t something done lightly or often. You’re only the third person I’ve helped adjust after a multiverse jump.”
“Counting Erin?” Angus asked, curious to see if he’d admit it. Nate nodded again, but looked strangely guilty before he spoke.
“Yes. That’s counting your Erin… and the Erin the Guardians retrieved before yours,” Nate said.
That got Angus’s full attention. If there were two of Erin here, just how many copies of him were running around? “Feck me and the horse I rode in on. Ya are telling me there are two of Erin O’Shea here?”
This time Nate laughed at his question. “No. The last Erin I helped died just before you came which is why the agents decided to collect both of you from Universe 6. That previous Erin had missed knowing your counterpart in her universe. She was a matchmaker, but without the same inspiration as any of her alternates. We’ve noticed that sometimes life paths veer instead of crossing. That Erin’s experiences in her universe didn’t allow her to be like the Erin you know. Agent Black and his team had gone to retrieve just you… but the other Erin’s death sort of changed our plans at the last moment.”
Angus grunted as he ate. “I didn’t get half of what ya said, but we’ll let that go for now. Was the other Erin as annoying as my O’Shea?”
Nate shook his head. “No. She was heartbroken for reasons we couldn’t figure out. We were going to use her and the Universe 10 version of you—since neither had been with their counterpart in their universe. That other Erin seemed to be a good choice when the Guardians found her, but sometimes they don’t get things quite right. Agent Black told you the Universe 10 version killed himself before we could pick him up. Observing through the portal does not mean we get the full story of the person we’re targeting. Nor can we be precise enough when it comes to judging any human’s true intentions.”
“Ya seem to want me to believe ya are telling a very nice story with all you’re saying, but I also heard what ya are not saying, Nate. What gives any of ya the right to go collect people from their homes just so ya can make them do what ya want? Where I come from, that makes ya a villain, not a fecking hero.”
“Fair enough,” Nate said quietly. “And some of the Guardians might agree with you that we crossed the line in taking you both from the same universe. That skirts the edge of erasing you both from your universe’s history and we just don’t know what might happen if everyone in your universe forgot you both ever existed. By leaving one or the other, memories of the two of you would be more likely to go on.”
Angus leaned one elbow on the table to help him glare better. “Erin tried to explain yer arrogance last evening, but all this talk of universes is crazy outside of my experiences with yer fecking Agent Black and his scoundrels.”
“Agent Black is not a scoundrel. He works for the Guardians. That particular council within our universe is balanced as carefully as we work to balance all the others we know exist. We are Universe 1. This is a proven scientific and metaphorical fact that every alien race has confirmed for us. They were the ones who told us if Universe 1 gets wiped away, all multi-verses based on us get wiped away as well. There are 11 or 12 universes, Mr. MacNamara. We’re still undecided on the exact number. Universe 1 is the only universe with the alien problem… so far. We keep it constrained to this universe so no others have to deal with them in their primitive states of development.”
Angus finished his tasteless meal and lifted his cup to sip. It wasn’t tea, but it wasn’t totally bad either. He felt his senses zing to life the moment the liquid hit his stomach. He was happy it at least worked like tea. “So how do Erin and I fit into yer plotting and scheming?”
“Director John will have to explain the bigger picture. He can tell you the parts I can’t,” Nate said softly. “What I can do for you is show you around… maybe help you trim up your facial hair. Most men in Universe 1 have their facial hair follicles lasered when they hit puberty. Shaving becomes unnecessary by the time a man hits twenty or so years of age.”
“Hey now… I like my fecking beard. Leave it alone,” Angus declared. His statement made Nate laugh pretty hard. “You find my preferences funny?”
Still laughing, Nate shook his head. “No… the original Angus liked his beard too. He’d refused his father’s urgings to have it removed. It was just one of the many ways he was unique here.”
“Yer stories of him make me feel like I’m a shadow of a stranger.”
Nate smiled. “Oh, I’m fully aware of who you really are and where you lived before this. Universe 6 is quite legendary with all its wars and diseases and infighting among its people. Unfortunately, you also have the reputation for being the most passionate and compassionate of Earth’s multi-verses. Everyone knew you and Erin would shake us out of our complacency when you arrived.”
“Ya do realize that Erin and I weren�
��t sitting around on our arses waiting to be collected, as you call it. We were raising our families, drinking with our friends, and having a normal life. Yer agents are the ones who took that from us. We didn’t volunteer to be yer saviors. We didn’t ask to be kidnapped and brought to a strange land to help people willing to believe lies about who we are.”
“Even outside your disrupted death wish, you were still dying, Mr. MacNamara… albeit slowly and painfully. Now you’re not dying. And Erin… well, now I realize your Erin was completely alone in Universe 6 and not much appreciated. The Guardians believe you two will always become a couple if your paths cross properly, but you never really did that in Universe 6, did you? You never fell in love with her even though she was right there with you the whole time you lived.”
Angus studied the man. Nate was so sure of his conclusions. Right or not, he was now seeing the wisdom of what Erin worried about. Until they sorted out why they were here, it was best people thought they were inseparable. The last thing they needed was each of them to have to navigate this fecking place alone.
“Yer Guardians didn’t get it completely right, Nate. I shared Erin O’Shea’s bed and made her mine in the way a man does when he desires a woman. I don’t know if that counts as much here in Universe 1, but it counts a fecking lot where we come from, even when that couple later disagrees about nearly everything under the sun. Whether or not we might have ever been a real match was taken out of our hands when ya collected us as ya call it.”
Angus put down his tea. He was not going to consider his revelation about sleeping with Erin to be his second lie of the day, because it was technically the truth. The fact that Erin now hated him for it was a totally different matter… and a private one.
Nate made a face. “That was not the impression you gave me yesterday, nor the one I got from her. You indicated you had no committed relationship to her.”
“Committed no, but we do have an interesting one. Neither us would deny there’s a chemistry between us. And as for yesterday’s rant about her, I was scared and anxious and hungry as hell. Maybe ya took me out of the glass box before the bell dinged that I was done cooking.”
Matchmaker Abduction: Aliens In Kilts, Abduction 1 Page 5
