Sheena snorted. “Really? I haven’t even gotten a buzz yet… but it is a refreshing drink.”
Angus grinned wider. “Well, ya might look like an O’Shea, but I can see ya at least inherited a little something from the McNamara bloodline.”
Sheena laughed and looked into her glass. It was already half-empty. Smiling, she tipped it to where Angus could see. “How many of these will it take to turn me into them?” she asked, motioning with her head to Erin and Bri who were laughing at nothing except the looks on each other’s faces.
Angus shrugged. “I don’t know, but it would probably do ya a world of good to find out.”
Sheena leaned back. “If you’re not a clone of my father, what are you, Angus?”
Angus grinned. “You best ask Nate.”
“He would only lie to me. Nate’s an ass,” Sheena said, sipping her ale.
“Agreed, but ya should still take yer questions to him. If I told ya, ya wouldn’t believe me anyway. I don’t have the proper terms to explain it to someone as educated as ya are, especially when ya are so doubtful of yer instincts.”
“I don’t doubt myself,” Sheena denied.
Angus set his glass on the table. He’d not even finished half of his first one yet. He met Sheena’s direct gaze.
“Yer eyes find what they look to see, not what’s really there, Doctor. Erin and I, we’re not yer parents, but yer parents knew about us. I can’t explain why they never told ya what was happening, or going to happen, after they were gone. The only reason I can guess is that ya and yer sister both seem to shut real life out as often as ya can. I well know what that’s like, because I did it myself for nine years after I lost my Mary.”
Sheen lifted her glass. “Oh yes. Your dead wife. Bri told me. You know that’s really just a planted memory, Angus. They can do that to clones in vitro now. When a clone wakes up… BAM… they have a whole life they remember. It lasts for the entire year or two they live. You see that’s the problem with clones, they die very quickly. You may die soon.”
Angus pointed at the vials on the table. “Thought ya just said we weren’t clones, Dr. McNamara.”
Sheena frowned. “Maybe you’re a new type of clone that my salvia test doesn’t cover. Maybe Nate has come up with something new to replicate people. Bastard was just as good at genetics as I was, but all he ever wanted was this fucking airship. Well, he finally got her, but she didn’t make him very happy after all, now did she? Did you know he’s been married five fucking times?”
Angus nodded. “Yes. He confessed as much to Erin. I believe he was trying to woo her at the time. Here. Instant refill.”
“Woo her?” Sheena asked, frowning down into her empty cup. Nate hit on Erin? Angus handed her the rest of Erin’s drink. Barely two sips were missing. It made her laugh. “Thank you… I guess.”
Angus nodded again. “As I was saying… I believe Nate was trying to win her away from me when he told her. If my Erin’s heart wasn’t so true, he might even have succeeded. Ya see, I’m a bigger arse than yer Nate ever thought about being. But Erin and I… well, we’re not done with each other yet. In fact, we’re just getting started. It’s God’s truth that I can’t imagine what it would be like here without her.”
Sheena shook her head. “Your memories and experiences are fascinating. They’re as rich as any organic human’s. Multi-faceted even. I see what Bri means by your accents. How did that happen to both of you? It’s all fascinating. Just fascinating.”
Angus snorted at her rambling. “Are you feeling okay, lass?”
Sheena nodded and waved a hand. “I’m fine. Better than ever. My mind just… doesn’t stop. I really wish I had someone to discuss this with.”
Angus reached over and grabbed a giggling Brianna’s still nearly full glass. “I can help ya with that, but yer going to need a lot more ale first. Here. Drink yer sister’s. She’s over her quota already.”
Laughing, Sheena glanced at her sister’s ale. Tipping her head, she finished off Erin’s and handed the empty glass back to Angus who slid the empty in front of Erin then touched her arm. “Do ya want some more ale, Erin?”
Erin peered into her glass and saw it was empty. “No. One’s my limit, Angus. Ya know what happens when I have two.”
“Some fancy water with bubbles then?” Angus asked.
“That would be lovely,” Erin said.
Winking at a now snickering Sheena, Angus rose. Sheena caught his arm before he got passed the sofa.
“Bring Bri some water too, Angus. She’s full of nanos and they need to be flushed out.”
“Nanos? What kind of sickness is that?”
Sheena giggled at his worry. They really were innocent. Who didn’t have at least some understanding of modern technology and science? Their programmer must have been following some very specific orders to create them in this condition. She waved his worry away with her free hand. “Bri will be fine. Nothing a few trips to the bathroom won’t cure.”
“If ya say so, lass,” Angus declared, patting the giggling Sheena on the back.
Sheena’s confused sigh as she sipped her sister’s ale was loud enough to be heard even above Erin and Bri laughing.
Moments after Nate briskly knocked, Angus answered the door to Brianna’s quarters.
“Evening Nate. Sorry to bother ya, but Sheena was asking a lot of questions I couldn’t answer. I figured it was time to let ya know.”
“You said you sent Erin and Brianna to your quarters for the night?”
“They were tired, ya see… and…” Angus stopped when Sheena cleared her throat.
“Get your Admiral ass in here, Nate. I want to talk to you.”
Grinning, Angus stepped aside and a wary Nate crossed the threshold. Sheena was slouched in the chair. Using a hand, she motioned him over. She pointed to the vials on the table in front of her. “Explain that shit,” she ordered.
Nate ignored the vials and looked at Sheena. He looked back at Angus. “You gave her alien ale, didn’t you?”
Angus shrugged. “Well, it seemed polite to offer it since we were all having a toast about finding each other.”
“You aren’t supposed to be having any ale, Angus. The rejuvenation cylinder can’t save your kidneys or liver if you keep up the drinking. I know you don’t get this, but it will take months to grow a replacement organ for any transplant. Months you would have to spend visiting medical every day to get your organs flushed. That’s a foolish thing to risk for a few measly glasses of ale.”
“Oh stop yer fretting. I’ve only had a sip or two so stop worrying about me. Talk to Sheena,” Angus ordered. “She’s the reason I called ya here so late.”
Nate stooped down until he could look into her face. “Sheena, you need to go to bed and sleep this off.”
“No. I’m not tired yet,” she said. Sheena pointed to the vials again. “Angus and Erin are not clones.”
Nate sighed and straightened. “No. They’re not clones. I told you that earlier. How many times are we going to have to cover this subject?”
Sheena made a sound in her throat. It was nearly a growl when it escaped. “As many times as it takes for you to tell me what I fucking want to know. They look like my parents. They even act like my parents. But they’re not my parents, Nate. And they’re not clones. What the fuck are they?”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Nate said softly.
Sheena threw out her arms, one hand nearly hitting him. “I might if someone would explain it to me.”
Nate turned his head to Angus. “Is this why you called me?”
Angus nodded. “Yes. She was wearing on my resolve. I like them both which means I don’t like lying or keeping things from them.”
Nate stooped down to Sheena again and rubbed his forehead. He was shocked when she grabbed his hand and pulled it away.
“You cause yourself anxiety by keeping secrets you should never keep. And will you please tell me why you make my panties wet every time I look at yo
u? This is bullshit, Nate. It’s been a hundred years. It shouldn’t still be happening.”
Nate burst out laughing at the lightning bolt of joy that shot through him. Then his face flushed with guilt. He glanced at Angus who smirked as he pretended to stare at the ceiling.
He turned back to Sheena who now had a death grip on his arm. “Would it help if I said you still have the same affect on me?”
Sheena nodded. “Yes, I think it would. My stomach has been all knotted up just wondering about it since I got here. Doesn’t mean I don’t hate you though. I need to be honest here.”
Nate laughed again. “Understood. Can I take you to bed now?”
“Why the hell not? I’m drunk enough to sleep with nearly anyone.”
Nate nodded. “Well aware of that.”
“It’s Angus’s fault,” Sheena said.
“My fault? Did I pour it down yer throat, lass?” Angus asked.
Sheena giggled and put a hand on her chest. “No, but you gave me Erin’s to finish. Then I also drank Bri’s. I think I might hate myself tomorrow.”
Nate turned to frown at Angus. “Why did you let her drink all that ale? It takes forever for her to feel the first drink, but when it catches up, she’s totally wasted.”
Angus frowned back. “Sheena was miserable, that’s why. Now she isn’t because she finally got to say to ya what was on her fecking mind. Courage is usually reason enough to imbibe, don’t ya think?”
“How do you know Sheena was miserable?” Nate demanded. He felt Sheena lean forward to run her hand down his jaw. His gaze immediately went back to her.
“Not a single man ever made me forget you. And I tried really hard Nate. I tried really hard.”
Nate sighed and stood. He held out a hand to Sheena while he glared at Angus. “I can’t believe you let her get this vulnerable.”
Angus smiled. “Well, I can’t believe ya was fecking stupid enough to let her go in the first place. She’s a pill to talk to alright, but nothing so contrary that a few good beddings wouldn’t sweeten right up. If ya want, I could give ya some pointers on how to make yer Sheena a happy woman.”
“I have nearly a hundred years more experience with women than you do, you big blow hard.”
Angus chuckled at the insult, glad to know Nate’s calm had a limit. “I kept one woman extremely happy for well over thirty years. She died smiling. Can ya top that, Admiral? I don’t think so. So I believe I’ll just stand by my offer to help ya.”
Nate glared at a laughing Angus as he pulled a wavering Sheena to her feet. He had to put his arms around her to hold her upright. Next thing he realized Sheena was folded against him, her arms coming around him to hug. Groaning at how good it felt to hold her again, he finally noticed tears were streaming down her face.
“What’s wrong, honey?” he asked.
Sheena shook her head. “I’m a smart person, but I’m so stupid about you… so stupid. I can’t believe I still want a man who’s in love with a stupid airship. If a hundred years apart isn’t going to change these stupid longings I have for you, what the hell will?”
“Sheena… shush, honey. It’s alright. It’s going to be alright,” Nate said roughly, unable to listen anymore. Hearing her feelings was torturous. He put a finger over her lips to keep her from talking. It was late and he was… weakening. That’s precisely what was happening.
“I’m getting dizzy, Nate. Take me to bed. We can talk tomorrow,” Sheena said, hugging him tighter.
“Need my help tucking her in?” Angus asked, fighting his grin.
“No,” Nate said sternly. “I think you’ve done quite enough for one evening.”
“Sheena insisted on testing us, ya know. Insisted on it,” Angus said. “The woman’s stubborn and determined. She’s not going to let up until she knows the truth.”
Nate nodded. “Yes. I knew that when she said she was coming here. I’ve sent word to the Guardians.”
“Okay then. Since a few more things are now out on the table for discussing, I’m going to call this a good night. I best be finding my own bed. Good luck to ya, Nate.” Angus opened the door and stepped out. “Evening, Berg.”
Nate heard “Berg is here” as Angus closed the door.
Nate sighed and squeezed the woman in his arms. “Okay Sheena, let’s get you to bed.”
Nodding against him, she let him lead her to the first open room he saw. Inside was a well-worn set of luggage, including an open medical satchel. He knew then he’d chosen the right one.
When he turned loose of her to turn down the covers, Sheena shucked clothes her off at what seemed like light speed. In under ten seconds, he was staring once more at the most beautiful naked female his eyes had ever seen. The problem was… she wasn’t really his to look at anymore.
Nate rubbed his chest and fought the agony taking up residence there. Sheena’s absolute trust in him to care for her was a painfully sweet understanding. She was crawling onto the bed when she finally looked back at him.
“What are you waiting for, Nate? Get undressed. I’m cold and these rooms are always freezing at night.”
“Sheena, I don’t think this is a good idea,” Nate said, making himself be honest.
His heart pounded hard when a naked Sheena rose to her knees, straightened her spine, and glared at him. He’d never wanted a woman more in his life.
“At least come to bed until I fall asleep. Your horny wife is far more important than this stupid…” she waved her arms and looked around, but then she stopped. Her guilty, knowledge-filled gaze came back to his startled guilty one. “Oh… Shit… I forgot. I’m not your wife anymore, am I?”
Nate shook his head. He couldn’t answer for the painful knot clogging his throat. Damn Angus McNamara. Both of them. No, make that fucking all of them. Just especially the Universe 6 version. The irreverent, meddlesome man was now officially on his shit list.
“Never mind,” Sheena said firmly, crawling under the covers. “It’s just the ale talking. You can go back to your… duties. I’ll manage without you. I always did.”
“Sheena…” Nate said her softly. Pain caused by her drunken realization threatened to take him to his knees. Once there, he knew begging to stay would inevitably follow. He could feel the urge to grovel welling up like a tsunami inside him.
“No. It’s okay, Nate. Really. I know I can’t make you love me. I gave that up long ago. All the alien ale in the world can’t make me more important to you than this fucking airship.”
“That’s not true,” Nate denied fervently, even knowing he was arguing with a drunk who wouldn’t remember his passionate disclaimer tomorrow.
Sheena snorted as she hunkered down under the covers. “Of course it’s fucking true. That’s why I left. All the ale did tonight was make me forget reality for a while, which was actually quite nice before the last ten minutes. Remind me to thank Angus tomorrow after I find out what the hell he is. Bri was right about them both, but I can’t just leave her here with them. You’re going to send her away to some fucking alien planet and then I will hate you even worse. First I lost you. Then I lost Dad and Mom. Bri’s all I have left.”
Nate didn’t answer her. He couldn’t when his heart was hurting so badly.
After sighing out her resignation, Sheena closed her eyes tightly and passed out on the pillow. Her steady breathing assured him that she’d given up waiting on him to accept her offer to come to bed.
How many times had Sheena done that exact thing during their last year together? Little by little he’d watched her get better at not waiting up for him to return from whatever had claimed his attention that evening. A hundred years later and he could still barely get a full night’s uninterrupted sleep, but then who was waiting for him in his quarters? No one now. There hadn’t been anyone in a very long time and no woman had minded his absence as much as Sheena had.
Nate stood there in the dark room staring. The woman he’d loved and lost was curled into a tight ball of misery. Angus had been right a
bout her suffering—damn the know-it-all bastard. That didn’t mean it would be a smart idea for him to try and fix the situation. Wouldn’t he just bring Sheena more pain when he made her upset enough to leave again?
Yet seeing her in the bed all alone and looking vulnerable reminded him of the night before Sheena had finally left him. She had said similar things back then when they’d fought, but nothing had changed his feelings on the matter. It had taken years and four other wives before he’d finally figured it out.
Sheena had given up a lot to stay as long she had—he could appreciate that now. She had commuted from his airship to her work, regardless of how far the travel distance. She’d tried her best to adapt to the new demands on his time, but she’d lost most of his attention. He’d known he was neglecting her, but had put her longing for his company aside. The stark truth was that he had left her to sleep alone nearly every night she’d spent with him after he’d made admiral.
She had been curled up in misery that last night… just like she was now.
So many things had changed for him in the time that had passed, but what were his chances of ever convincing Sheena? Getting her back wasn’t even a viable goal. How crazy was he to even contemplate it? After all this time, the possibility was only a fantasy.
Only one thing was crystal clear. He’d never gotten over Sheena McNamara any more than she’d gotten over him.
While he’d never take advantage of her in her current condition, even the possibility of crawling under those covers and holding her exquisite naked body thrilled him as much as having sex with her would have. He knew what Sheena would feel like in his arms. After a hundred years away from her, it would feel exactly like coming home at last.
Nate wandered out to the common area to start his escape. Then he looked at the vials on the table. That was a reality which would have to be dealt with, and a more serious one in the long growing line of issues Angus and Erin kept generating with their presence.
Tomorrow he’d hear from his mother about the threat to Brianna, and hopefully from John and the Guardians about their discussion with the new matchmakers.
Matchmaker Abduction: Aliens In Kilts, Abduction 1 Page 22
