Strange dreams plagued my sleep. In one I was Jemma Johnson, the girl from my book, defending the land by fighting off dragons with her shiny sword and trusty shield. I woke up once and saw the sun still shining brightly outside. I was too tired to even roll over. When I woke next, it was dark outside. I got up feeling irritable and confused. Why wasn’t there a damn clock in these rooms? It’s not like Colin didn’t have the money. I showered and made my way downstairs. I intended to find Fletch and demand he make me a cheeseburger.

But when I got to the kitchen, Fletch wasn't there. Instead, Celia was standing over one of the big sinks washing dishes and humming. She stopped and smiled warmly when she saw me.

“Hello Ms. Jemma. I imagine you are hungry, yes? Fletch went off to bed, but he left plenty to choose from.” She moved to the fridge and began taking out covered dishes. “Sit, sit!”

I took one of the stools around the island and watched her work. I couldn't see what she was fixing, but it smelled wonderful. She brought out a large orange pitcher and placed a glass in front of me.

“Lemonade. I made it myself.” She laughed as she filled up my cup and went back to working on the meal. Her cheerfulness was infectious. I smiled as I watched her little round figure bounce around the room in her sensible shoes. When she was done, I had four plates in front of me. She looked proud as she wiped her hands on her blue dress. There were little buttery rolls and sweet potatoes with brown sugar, turkey slices in gravy, stuffing, and fruit.

“Thank you Celia. This is better than what I get on Thanksgiving.”

She smiled and patted her gray bun. “It’s good for you. All this stress and you’re just a wisp of a thing, anyway. You had better eat just as much as you can.”

The wisp part wasn’t true, but I was starving, so I didn’t argue. I ate and watched her flit about the kitchen, cleaning and putting things away. Now and then she would ask a question about my life, my family. In no time, I was telling her details of my childhood I had not thought of in years.

My mother had been a kind woman who lived her life for me and my dad. Growing up, I’d always considered her weak and a bit irritating. My dad was not the nicest man. I wanted her to be stronger, get mad, and stand up for herself. But after she died, I realized she was actually so much stronger than I ever gave her credit for. One of my biggest regrets was not being able to tell her that.

“Oh, but she knows, child.” Celia said as she dried her hands again on a striped towel. “And you should be proud of yourself. There are many people in this world that don’t understand how hard or how important giving love is.”

I thought she was giving me too much credit, but it felt good to hear. After finishing what I could eat, I thanked her and went to find the others. I wasn’t sure what for, though. After the last few days, this respite from danger, no matter how welcome, felt uncomfortable. Evidently, I wasn’t the only one that felt that way.

I found Colin in the library, bent over a table scattered with papers and an open laptop. I said hello, but he was obviously engrossed in whatever it was he was doing, so I headed for the AV room. Watching would help pass the time, but I found it already occupied by Ben and Mel. After five minutes, it was obvious I was intruding, and I had no desire to stay. The bar was empty. Sean must have finally gotten to sleep. I thought of visiting Kennedy but didn’t want to wake him if he was doing the same. A big grandfather clock in the dining room showed it was close to eleven o’clock. For once, I wasn’t weary to the bone and now I had nothing to do. I considered going back to the library and finding a book, but I was too restless.

I made my way back to the kitchen thinking to chat up Celia again, but she was gone too. I walked down the narrow hall and into the big open room Anna and I had parted in the night before. It was dark and a little creepy being there alone, so I kept walking. After walking down a couple of halls I had never seen before and through a second, more normal looking kitchen, I found myself in what I thought was the west wing of the house.

Colin’s house was beautiful, but it seemed whoever decorated it couldn’t decide on any one theme or era, so just went with everything. There were parts that reminded me of an old Victorian house with dark wood paneling and tall vases and oil portraits. Some parts were bright with modern artwork and loud colors, and others looked like they belonged in a rustic log cabin. It was like walking through a large, comfortable museum or lots of cool hotels mashed together.

I turned the corner after leaving a bright and cheery sitting room and realized I had no idea where I was. Ok, so a large, comfortable museum with no map. I was standing near the intersection of two hallways, trying to decide if retracing my steps was worthwhile, when I heard voices from the way I had just come. Relieved, I walked toward them. Surely, the others knew their way around better than me. I couldn’t tell who was talking, but the voices were coming from the little sitting room I’d passed a few minutes before, so I must have just missed them. When I reached for the door, I heard my name.

“...crazy to even think about right now. Jemma’s got everything sorted for a while.”

It was Nate. I should have knocked right then and went in or walked away, but I hesitated. I heard Anna answer.

“I don’t care.” She sounded weepy again and a little desperate. “I didn’t want any of this. No one has to know. I could be safe, so could you…” She hesitated for a moment and when she spoke again, it was quieter. “You could too Nate. We could make it work.”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

This was obviously meant to be private. I felt terrible for hearing even this much. There was a caress in Anna's voice. I mentally scolded myself as an idiot and turned away from the door. But before I got more than a few steps away, the door to the sitting room flew open and a teary-eyed Anna rushed out. She hurried the other way and didn’t seem to notice I was there. I backed a few steps further away before Nate walked out. He turned and saw me.

“What are you doing here?”

“Uh, I got lost and was trying to find my way back.” I tried to look innocent. It’s not like I had heard anything terrible, really. “Is she ok?” I pointed the way Anna had disappeared.

He sighed and looked back. “Yeah. She’s stressed out by everything, but she’ll come around.” He sounded worried, though. “I can help you find your way back to the library.” He laughed. “Maybe. I’ve been wandering around this place for weeks and still get lost sometimes.”

“Actually, I’m not quite ready to join the general population. I’m feeling too restless. I would like some company, though. Maybe you could show me around?”

He smiled, “sure.”

I was uncomfortable at first, about the overheard conversation, about my feelings, whatever they were, about what had happened between us before, but it faded as we walked and talked. Being with Nate was like that. He had a presence that made you feel at ease. Maybe it was his gentle nature, despite his size. As we walked, we talked about what had happened the night before, whether Agent Knoll would keep her word, and if or when she may come back. We talked about the house and our old lives. It surprised me to learn that Colin had lived in the house by himself, apart from the hired help, since he was a teenager. His father had passed away and left him everything. I found the idea a little depressing. It was a beautiful house, but it must have been very lonely living here alone for all those years.

We entered a rec room with a pool table, foosball, a big horseshoe leather couch, a bar, and a jukebox. I laughed as I looked around the room.

“I love this place.”

“Yeah,” Nate walked behind the bar and started pulling down glasses and bottles of liquor. “I come here sometimes. I like it better than the big one. Honestly, I always thought it was a little weird to have a bar in your foyer, but Colin said that was his dad, half scholar, half drunk.” As he talked, he poured drinks. He handled the bottles like he knew what he was doing. I asked him about it.

“I worked a few months as a bartender once. I didn’t like it though. Spending hours with drunk people every night gets to you quick.” He pointed to his face. “That’s how I got this nose. Too bad I didn’t get Coop’s ability. I could’ve fixed it.”

“I don’t know, I like it.” He blushed. “Hey, do you think that jukebox works?”

“It does, but it’s all old stuff.” He answered.

“I don’t care. I’ve been dying for some music. Do you think it will bother anyone?”

“Nah. There are no living quarters around here. Everybody is probably awake anyway.”

Nate was right about the selection. It was old. I put on some Billie Holiday and rejoined Nate at the bar. He presented me with a bright blue drink in a tall glass.

“What is this?”

“Something of my own making,” he said as he took up his own glass. “Being a bartender had some benefits.”

The drink was strong, but good. We listened to Patsy Cline, The Andrews Sisters, and Chuck Berry and talked. I couldn’t forget what was happening, not completely, but for a few hours I could push it far enough away to feel human again. I was very thankful to Nate for that.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” He asked.

We were on the sofa listening to soft jazz. I was a little tipsy and my mind had drifted somewhere else.

“Sorry,” I smiled at him. “I was thinking about the last time I was in a bar.”

He got up and placed his glass in the sink behind the counter, and came back and sat next to me. My stomach fluttered at his sudden closeness. “I imagine it was more fun than this.”

His hand brushed against my knee. Such a small, inconsequential touch, but here, from him, it made me pause. It made me want to get up and run away. It made me want to grab him and force him to do it again. “Actually, I was thinking the company was better this time.”

He leaned closer and brushed my hair away from my eyes. His fingers moved slowly. “I’m glad you think so,” he breathed.

And then he was kissing me gently. I could taste the bite of liquor on his soft lips and felt the rough stubble on his face. He ran his fingers along my neck and I wrapped my fingers in his hair and pulled him closer, kissing him harder. He moaned and moved his hands along my shoulders, my arms. His arms closed around me, pulling me closer, pressing me against him. My heart beat faster and faster as I kissed him again and again, as he moved his tongue along mine, and I felt his warm hands on my skin.

Suddenly, he drew back. We were both breathing hard and for a moment, I fought the urge to pull him back to me.

“I’m sorry.” He said roughly.

“Nate…”

“No, no... I shouldn’t have taken advantage like that.”

“You didn’t…” I sputtered.

“You are tired, we all are, and we’ve been drinking and... I’m sorry.” He got up and walked to the end of the couch.

“Oh…” My heart dropped. He was looking for a way out. He was drunk, he was tired. And he’d gotten caught up in the moment and now come to his senses. It stung worse than it should have. I got up and turned my back to him.

“Jemma, I…” he started.

“No, no,” I tried to sound nonchalant. “I understand. You’re right, I am tired. I think I will try to get some sleep. You should too.” I needed to get out before I said something stupid, so I flung open the door. I didn’t know where it went and I didn’t care as long as it was away from him.