

The Task

A Seven Spell Story (five)

T Stokes

****

This is not a new story and was previously published as book five of the Seven Spell saga. It has been re-edited, re-covered, and re-formatted for all new e-readers

ISBN 978-1-908210-83-8

Copyright T Stokes 2013

The moral right of the author has been asserted

With a special feature: choose the ending you want

All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to actual people living or dead is purely coincidental.

All rights are reserved worldwide.

Covers designed and produced by the author copyright T Stokes 2013, all rights reserved worldwide. Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return toSmashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

All rights are reserved worldwide.

****

Preface by the author

In The Sealed Door, we left Chloe, Oliver, and Tristan about to meet with Aristide. He had helped them when they were in trouble, and had said that at some point he would ask them a favor in return, a payment for the magic potion that returned them to reality.

As it turned out his request for this favor came at just the right time for the three, since they had been going through some love related difficulties. The three have not seen each other for a few months and meet now at the café specifically to hear what Aristide has to say. Below is the last paragraph of The Sealed Door to set the scene for readers of this book. (Chloe is speaking and reporting to start.)

****

I drove to the place in my Wrangler, which was great. I love that car. I parked just down the road from the café, and walked up crossing almost opposite the café. I saw them at a table outside. The sun was out and I was wearing sunglasses. I felt my legs go a little like jelly and my heart started to thud a little. I knew Oliver had seen me, and he lit up in a smile. I wanted to run to him. I felt as if that narrow road was the longest walk I had ever taken. I saw them stand up. Tristan had spilled his coffee. Oliver was asking me, yes asking me, if he could hug me. I was almost desperate to be hugged. It was so good to feel him against me. I wanted to cover his face with kisses and tell him I loved him so much, but I kept myself back from it. He had let me go and I felt his gentle push, he was heading me towards Tristan who was fumbling around. He had coffee all over his jeans. I had taken my sunglasses off and now I was in his arms, I felt him shaking, and I hugged him very tight, Tristan my lovely Tristan, how I loved him. My hand at the back of his head, his hair was still short. I wanted to kiss him too.

In some kind of dreamlike way we were going to be okay, we were all three sitting close to each other, we had to talk, but Aristide was here. He was walking towards us, the old guy, silver hair, dark blue suit, elegance personified.

****

The Task

(With special feature, choose the ending you want)

Chapter One

Aristide had reached the table. Oliver stood up and pulled out a chair for him. He smiled at each of us as he sat down and his gaze travelled across our faces. I guess we all had the same look of expectation. A girl waiting tables came out and he ordered coffee. Tristan did too, but Oliver and I asked for iced water. It filled in a little time before Aristide started his story. He had said his hellos and asked how we all were. I answered for all of us and said we were fine, asking about him, was he good? He smiled at each of us in turn and gave me an especially enigmatic look.

"You know I've been staying at Anna and Lily's house near White Woods. I've a little workshop there now. I've been disposing of some property that belongs to Lily. It's been difficult, shall we say, because Lily wanted this property sold. Uncomfortably sold without Anna's knowledge, and so she has been keeping her eye on Anna's whereabouts whilst I conducted the business. You may think this horrible, but it's necessary just as what I'm about to ask you to do for me is also necessary."

He stopped talking for a moment as his coffee arrived.

He had taken a sip when Tristan, seemingly trying to break the slight tension that had descended, spoke.

"I hope I'll get to drink this cup of coffee and not pour it all over myself like the last cup."

I looked across into his eyes, hoping to convey love and understanding.

Aristide put his cup down and continued speaking. "Yes Tristan, I heard you were away, you too Chloe, so is everyone back and happy again?"

It was a question we all hoped was not asked, but we didn't have to worry because he just nodded as if answering it himself, and started into the story of his real purpose for our meeting.

"The favor I need doing is simple. I just need a letter delivering to Anna's mother, and you'll only need to be gone for a few hours. The hard part naturally is the time travel involved, but I'm hopeful even that will be effortless. I've been working on the necessary spells in peace in the workshop I told you I had set up. One of two things will happen. It will work or you'll simply stay in this time. There is no room for error." He smiled again as if to reassure us and I sighed. I couldn't help it.

Oliver who was sitting quite close to me put his hand on my knee, but it wasn't making a pass at me, it was meant to comfort, and it was only for a few seconds.

I glanced sideways at him in recognition of his gesture.

None of us spoke. I think we all just wanted to know the whole story from Aristide.

He drank some coffee and then began again.

"A long time ago, but not the year I'm sending you to, I was in a relationship with Anna's mother. I'm not her father; she was already born and grown up when her mother and I fell in love. We had a very intense relationship, Anna's mother and I. Her name was Joanna."

"We were together for a long time. I thought she knew I'd never stray, but a young woman whom I befriended, and believe me that is all it was, I was helping her with her magic, well this young woman fancied herself in love with me. She became somewhat obsessed and to my dismay, she followed me around. Eventually she was caught watching Joanna and I together, in an intimate way, you understand?" He didn't seem to be able to come out and say the real words.

At this, I knew who the young woman was. It had to be Lily, and I gasped.

"Lily," I said. Also thinking, oh my god, he's Ari. I knew I was frowning when I added, "But I thought she was Anna's sister."

Aristide sighed and nodded.

"Yes Lily. Such a shame, but the entire episode became a blot on my relationship with Anna's mother. She cast an entirely unnecessary and unpleasant spell upon Lily as you know. Approximately two years after this and after watching Lily suffer, and periodically asking Anna's mother to remove the spell as only she could, I found I had to leave her. I tried to remain in love with her, but you know my love dwindled, and one day it became nothing, just concern, for her, her daughter, and for Lily.

I left. It was a couple of years and then I met Angelique, you know her. We have been lovers and companions for many years now. As for Lily being Anna's sister. Anna took care of Lily for so long and they swore sisterhood, but they are not actually related by blood. Interesting no?" He stopped talking for a moment as if contemplating this fact, and then continued speaking.

"Of course, as time went on I didn't give any more thought to Joanna, but then suddenly out of the blue her daughter Anna found me. She told me that her mother was dying, a sorry tale. One of her mother's youth spells had gone wrong. Instead of preserving her youth for a further hundred years, it would kill her in much less, maybe between fourteen and twenty-one, no precise time was known. At the time Anna found me, her mother was nearing the time she guessed that she would die. It was only evident by the loss of her powers. She still looked young throughout, but would quite suddenly simply cease to live. Her heart would stop beating. Anna was understandably upset, and I tried to comfort her, but I couldn't do what she asked and that was visit her mother. It seemed after all the years apart, she was still in love with me, but I couldn't go back. I had an entirely different life, and dependents.

Anna said her mother was desperately hoping just for forgiveness, that she blamed herself for our relationship ending, and she was not hoping it would resume. You know my friends I didn't accept that. I thought it was a ploy to get me back. I couldn't face pleas or desperation and I told Anna I was truly sorry that her mother was dying, but that I couldn't go and see her. It was doubly unsettling because I knew that Lily still suffered the spell cast upon her. Anna told me that she'd been looking after Lily, that her mother at first refused to lift the spell, and then she lost the ability to as she came closer to death. As for me, sorry to say, I still thought Joanna could have lifted the spell before it was too late. It all seemed so strange and radical, and yet I too have acted badly and so have my family at times, which I prefer not to revisit.

So the issue is this, after Joanna's death, there was a period of time when I saw nothing of Anna. Then suddenly strange things started to happen, unpleasant little things maybe once or twice a year. Angelique's home trashed, or robbed. She kept her own home for some years, before we found a family home for ourselves, and now we use a couple of places, the apartment you visited, Oliver, is one." He nodded at Oliver who nodded back. Aristide finished his coffee and then continued his story.

"As the years went by, unpleasant phone calls, nasty letters to Angelique, an attack, at night as she journeyed home, not grave but horrible, eggs thrown at her. Her purse snatched and then returned by mail with her belongings cut up. A hate campaign shall we say lasting many years, and getting worse. I finally found out who it was by accident. It's Anna, I'm sure of it. You know she's a little unhinged, to be kind I think she has simply become wrapped up in grief, both for her mother who could still be alive but for mistakes made, and for herself. For her own lost love."

He stopped talking and as I glanced at Tristan because I thought Aristide was referring to Tristan, a look of complete sadness came onto Tristan's face. I wanted to comfort him and I didn't care that it was out in the open. I put my hand over his on the table and he looked at me forlornly.

Aristide sighed too and because the girl waiting tables was around, he ordered more coffee for everyone.

"It's a sorry tale you know, and I feel responsible for it all in many ways. The harassment continues and it's worse, because Angelique and I, we're getting older, and it's wearing. The destruction of artwork, antiques, paint thrown at the windows of the little shop Angelique runs, bricks thrown in the night. I'm thinking that I regret not seeing Joanna, not just because of the harassment from Anna, but because I genuinely feel sorry that I didn't see her when she was dying. Now I'm old, and I'm very old, I know I should have seen her. We do things in youth that we regret. It was unkind and ungenerous not to see her. I wonder too if it will help Anna, you know, stop her from being quite so crazy if I mend this.

I'll give you a letter, and you'll find Joanna and give it to her. Things will be mended for her at least before she dies. I know where she is working in the last couple of months of her life, and I'll give you exact instructions on how to get there. The place has gone now but in that timeline, it's actually in the next town. It's a bistro by day and disco by night. The year is nineteen-sixty-nine and it will be simple for me to bend the portal to that date. All I need is Tristan's magical connection with the waterfall because you must realize we can't use the portal in the chamber beneath your house." He looked at me and then at Tristan.

Tristan shook his head. "Aristide, the portal at the waterfall is closed, how will it open?"

"I'll re-open it, seven o'clock tomorrow night. All I need is you standing in the spot where the portal used to be, and of course actually touching the water. I need Oliver and Chloe too. It needs to be the three of you, as connections are made, but also you can help each other. It needs to be the three of you." he said mysteriously.

I was thinking 'hell it's a bit weird.'

Oliver sighed and said softly, "Aristide, you are sure we will not just end up back in eleven ninety again?"

Aristide nodded, suddenly smiling. "I'm sure it will be okay. I know it's a lot to ask, but I have to ask. I suppose you could tell me no."

I shook my head and was about to speak when Tristan did.

"No we'll do it, well I will. It was a promise. We wouldn't be here without you."

Oliver joined in. "That's true we have to do it. I'll do it."

I nodded at this, "Me too."

Aristide nodded slightly as if acknowledging our replies then smiled.

"I'll meet you at the waterfall ten minutes before seven tomorrow night. Don't forget you'll be going to nineteen-sixty-nine, so you don't need anything much. You'll only be gone for seven hours. Here's the letter and some money, you'll need to get from the waterfall to the town so you'll need to use buses I'm afraid, and I can't help you with the timetables. Just find Joanna, and give her the letter, no more, no less. Please don't get caught up in her questions or even stay there after you have given her the letter. Leave and find somewhere else to wait until the return time."

He got an envelope from the inside pocket of his suit and pushed it across to me. He took out his wallet and gave me a number of notes. They were different to what the money looks like now, and I turned one over in my hands. Tristan suddenly laughed.

"That brings back some memories, the money I mean. I wasn't around here that year so I don't know what the area looked like exactly, but it could not be so different could it from a few years later when I did visit? You're right Aristide we couldn't use the chamber portal. We'd have no way out of it. I feel ready for a little adventure actually."

I looked at him. Tristan looked genuinely happy.

Oliver leaned forward. "Aristide, where will she be, Joanna I mean?"

Aristide took a fold of paper from the same pocket and opened it out on the table.

"The address and some directions on a map I've drawn. You're right, Tristan, you would have no way out, but more than that, the chamber portal is decaying," he said pushing the paper towards Oliver. Oliver looked at the paper.

"Hey this place is where the music shop is now. I can't imagine it as a disco. It doesn't seem big enough, The Shades, interesting name. Aristide, how do you know she will be there?" He read the name off the paper and then looked back at Aristide.

"Anna told me at the time when she came to see me, she works there, and it's not the kind of disco you might think of from movies and TV. It would be quite tame really, a dance floor, some lights, a DJ playing the latest records. That was it you realize, no special effects and mixes, just straight out records. There was no alcohol, soft drinks only in this place at the time, as well as coffee and simple snacks, mind you, it was very 'In' and popular then. You might even enjoy it. Joanne is a small, dark haired woman, not unlike Anna, blue eyes, slim. I'm hoping you'll have no trouble finding her. You'll get there in nineteen-sixty-nine at seven o'clock just the same as having left this time. You'll need to come back to the waterfall for two in the morning to come back home. I can't cast a suspended time spell this time the way Rene did for you, but I suspect no one will be any the wiser that you have been gone since you young people seem to keep very late hours."

"I think we'll be fine, we should tell people we're going out though, maybe to Kool Kafé." Oliver was thoughtful as he said this and then he added.

"What should we wear? Will it be obvious we're from a different time? We don't have much leeway to get any different clothes, only this afternoon or tomorrow morning in fact."

Aristide smiled. "Jeans have always been in fashion for as long as I remember."

Tristan spoke up then. "Jeans, yes they have" and he drank the rest of his coffee happily.

I was still thinking how many things could go wrong, but I was not going to say a word, I'd just hope nothing did.

Aristide suddenly buttoned his suit jacket and looked at each of us in turn.

"I'll go now and leave you to your reunion, and I'll meet you tomorrow evening at the waterfall. I'm at the house near White Woods if you need me before then, or call of course." He stood up and made a tiny movement, it almost seemed like a bow. Tristan stood up too and they seemed to nod again at each other before Aristide was off again walking regally away.

He knew that we had been apart. He must have known in order to call this our reunion. He was an intriguing person, and I wondered how old he really was, as I watched him disappear around the corner of the street.

Tristan sat down and looked at me. I felt an overwhelming urge to kiss him, but I sat there alongside Oliver and waited.

"Are we all okay?" Oliver asked, and I sighed.

I didn't know if it was the right thing to do but I did it by instinct. I reached out and took Tristan's hand and then Oliver's.

"I want us to be, more than anything in the world. I want us to go back to being close friends and care for each other." I held their hands tightly.

Tristan smiled. "Me too."

Oliver was grinning and he squeezed my hand. "That makes three of us then."

"We need to talk about things. I'm sorry I left. I know now it might have been better to stay and sort things out. I genuinely thought it was for the best when I did it but it nearly killed me being away from you both." I said in a rush. I wanted to say things to each of them alone, but I had to say that much then as I held their hands. It didn't seem to matter that I was holding hands with both of them, neither seemed to notice.

"Chloe, I think you've said it for all of us, it nearly killed me too." Oliver's tone was serious and Tristan looked down at the table.

When he looked up, he seemed upset.

"I'm sorry," was all he said, and then looked down again.

Oliver got up and moved his chair closer to Tristan then he gave him a little punch on the shoulder.

"So am I, Tristan. I stopped calling you and I wish I hadn't. I sincerely want us to go back to the way we were, no hard feelings, no blame. Let's stay together today and catch up, especially since we're doing this task for Aristide tomorrow night."

Tristan looked up and he smiled a little.

"Thanks Oliver, I feel the same, but could we meet again later because I have to do some work. I'm sorry, but I've been trying to make up for my absence by offering to do a couple of things today. Could we meet tonight maybe eat together and talk about tomorrow?"

I nodded as I glanced at Oliver for affirmation.

"Tristan, why don't we meet at my place about eight and talk about the task, we could look on the internet for this place, The Shades, and at the fashions of the time. It's a strange name for a bistro or disco don't you think. We could meet again tomorrow too in the afternoon and spend time together before seven, make sure we're ready for the task."

Oliver nodded. "I've taken the weekend off work so we can meet any time you like."

We all looked at each other, and for a moment we all just sat there quietly and looked at each other again. It was so good to be with them.

Tristan took a deep breath and then smiled.

"I'll come down to the house about eight then." He got up, pressed Oliver on the shoulder, and then kissed me on the cheek. I was so happy he had done that, it seemed to me that we were really going to be okay because he had been able to do that. We watched him walk away in the same direction as Aristide.

The old truck pulled out of the street a few moments later and as he drove past us, we waved at each other.

Oliver took my hands in his.

"Chloe, I'd like to talk to you properly. Will you come home with me please?"

I smiled at him. "Oliver, I'd love to. Where are you parked, in the library car park?"

He nodded and leaned over to kiss me gently and quickly. I wanted to take hold of his face and keep his lips on mine, but he had leaned back.

I decided to leave the Wrangler parked and went with Oliver to his Land Rover.

As Oliver drove, he glanced at me once or twice and then said.

"Chloe, I love you, it's not changed. I love you as much as ever."

He sighed and I leaned over to him. I held his arm at the top and put my head against it. "I love you too, Oliver, nothing's changed for me."

I sat back in my seat as we neared where he lived. In his driveway, he parked in front of his big front windows.

Chapter Two

As soon as we were through the door Oliver turned to me and I almost leapt into his arms. He was covering my face with kisses, and saying in between, "Chloe, please don't ever leave me again, please tell me you'll not leave me again."

I was kissing him too and I stopped, hugged him tightly, and tearfully told him I wouldn't.

"Oliver, I had decided to answer your next message or call. I missed you so much. I had got to the stage where I felt I couldn't stand another minute without you. Then my phone beeped and it was Aristide not you. I love you, Oliver. I'll never leave you again. I wish I had answered you. Thank you so much for your texts, calls and flowers, they kept me going."

He moved back a little and held my face in his hands he kissed me and smiled, and kissed me again.

"Chloe, you don't know how happy I am to see you, to hold you, it's so good, I've missed you so much, you'll never know what it did to me when you left, it's so great that you are back."

I kissed him, his lips, his cheeks, his nose, and back to his lips, it was such a relief to be with him. We moved a little down the hall still kissing each other and then Oliver took my hand. We slowly made it down to his bedroom, and onto his bed. Oliver was so happy to be with me and I felt so happy to be with him. We couldn't stop kissing each other, smiling and telling each other how much we had missed and loved each other.

I started the more serious stuff, and Oliver responded, it was really the most natural thing in the world for me right then, to make love to Oliver, he was so lovely, so loving. I had dreamed of holding him and kissing him when I was away. I had desperately wanted him sometimes, and so now, with him in my arms, I had to feel his body against me, his skin against mine. It was all so lovely and when we stopped we started laughing against each other's face, and saying wow, we certainly had missed each other, things like that.

Oliver grew serious and holding my face in his hands kissed me very gently and said. "I've to hear you promise me that you'll never leave again, as long as you love me, that is, you'll never go, you'll come to me, and we'll face things together. Not you run off trying to fix things. Not you deprive yourself of my love and me of yours. Please promise me, Chloe, that the only time you'll leave me ever again, is if you no longer love me."

I did love Oliver and I really didn't ever want to leave him again, this was an easy thing to do. "Oliver, I promise never to leave you again." I kissed him after I said this and he sighed in relief and then hugged me tightly against him.

We started to talk the way we usually did about all kinds of things. Oliver asked me 'what the hell had I been up to in California anyway', and I smiled as he kissed me between sentences. I told him about going to college, and how I had tried to work my sadness away by attending heaps of classes. He told me that he had tried to do the same with his work, we kissed each other again, and he began to tell me about how he had visited Tristan and begged him to come home, so that I would too. How he had passed my house and looked at the Wrangler parked at the end of the wide driveway just for a glimpse of something that belonged to me. I kissed him lots then and told him about the Mustang my gran had let me drive.

He surprised me by producing a piece of paper that was tucked under his netbook on the bedside table. He held it up and said, "When you were gone, Chloe, I added more words to the song I wrote for you with Will. He said he would put out the extended version and when you heard it you would have to come back to me."

He smiled a little sadly, as I took the paper and read the words.

For Chloe if only she will listen

I wanted you to know that it won't be me who lets you go.

I'll be the one to stay, I'll never walk away, I'll never let you go

I'll never let you go, no matter what you do it will always be you in my heart

I'll fight to get you back if you turn away, I'll fight and not let go, I can't begin to tell you how much you mean to me

It's not easy to use ordinary words, just know I'll never let you go and if you leave and we part you'll still be in my heart

There's no way I'll let you go. I'll never let you go; I'll do anything you ask except leave you

And if you decide one day that you need to walk away, then my heart will rip in two and one half will go with you, because some part of me must stay with you, you know I'll never leave you.

I love you dearly, my heart belongs to you clearly

Lose you, lost in you, love you, lose you lose myself, lost without you

If you answered the phone, you would know

How I miss you

All my messages fall into silence

The phone doesn't ring but

The worst is I miss you

And it gets worse every day

And will not go away

Even though I try to do other things

Try to change my thoughts and the places I go

It's all just a lie

I only just get by

I miss you

When I talk to my friends the conversation just ends

As that's all I can say, that I miss you

I see the looks on their faces

They just walk away

They are tired of me and the words I that I say

It gets worse every day

It just can't go away, I miss you

I swallowed, feeling tears come into my eyes. I took a deep breath.

"Oliver, it's lovely, thank you so much. I don't know what to say it's so lovely."

He took the paper from me and put it back under the netbook.

He smiled at me and kissed me. "You're back, but I think I'll still have Will put out the extended version for you anyway."

We spent a couple of minutes quietly holding each other.

We finally got around to talking about the task Aristide had set us. Oliver held me to him saying, "You will stay close to me Chloe, when we're out there? Please don't take any risks, or step too far from me. I know you'll not be able to hold my hand too much, but promise that. Sorry I seem to be asking you to promise me things all the time"

As he kissed me, I smiled. "I promise, and I understand. I feel the same way about you. It's because the task will be on strange ground. We usually go to the same old place. I'm unsure Aristide will be able to do this re-opening and bending of the portal stuff, it seems fantastic don't you think?" I asked Oliver.

Oliver grinned. "It does, but then isn't the time travel stuff already fantastic, Chloe?"

We were cuddled up together for a couple of hours, until I realized I needed to get going. "Oliver, it's nearly six, I need to go, touch base with my mom, and sort out some things for tomorrow, shower that sort of thing."

He tightened his hold on me. "No not yet, please stay a little longer. We're not meeting Tristan until eight. You can use my shower. We could just do a little research here." He was kissing me as he said it, and I started to kiss him too, just letting myself fall back into making love with him. I didn't want to leave either and I told him so as we gently touched each other's face, hair and lips.

It was around seven, and we did go in the shower quickly, one after the other so as not to start kissing each other and actually be late meeting Tristan at my place.

Oliver dropped me at the café car park to pick up the Wrangler, and then followed me in his car. When we got to my place, I ran upstairs to my room and renewed my eye makeup. I put on a clean T-shirt too and picked up my netbook. Oliver and I would start checking out the fashion and other pertinent facts that might help us merge into this new timeline and complete the task Aristide had set us.

When I got down to the kitchen Oliver was talking with mom and they had made coffee, he glanced lovingly at me as I entered the kitchen and mom smiled.

"Have you eaten dinner yet, Chloe, Oliver? There's food in the fridge or are you going out to eat?" She looked from Oliver to me as she asked.

"Tristan is coming down, Mom, about eight, so we may get something from the fridge. We're having a little catch up session tonight." I grinned at her as I said this and she grinned back.

"I see," she said, and after talking with Oliver for a couple more minutes, as I booted my netbook and launched the browser, she left us to go down to her study.

Oliver smiled at me and we sat together at the big table with my netbook and I Googled late sixties fashion.

Oliver wasn't looking at the screen he was kissing me on the cheek then moving my hair and kissing my ear. I turned to kiss him, and then he said something that totally surprised me.

"Chloe, I never admitted anything to Tristan you know, and I think it's better he doesn't know how far our relationship has progressed since you and he obviously haven't made love. If we can keep as far away from that subject as possible, do you agree? I really believe that we should do this, so if he asks you again."

I couldn't let him go on. I nodded and kissed him, but all the time I was thinking oh my god it's not gone away.

Chapter Three

The doorbell rang and I went to answer it thankfully. I knew it would be Tristan and I took his hand as he came in. I pulled him into a hug because I love him too, that hasn't changed either. We went into the kitchen and I started to make coffee. Tristan came to help at the same time as asking if we had done any research. Oliver looked around at us from the computer and grinned.

"I think we have no alternative except to go in jeans and T-shirts because we're never going to be able to look like the stuff on here." He said pointing at the screen.

Tristan and I looked at each other, smiled and went over to the computer.

It was true, the clothes looked alien, not so much what they were, just the color and patterns, plus the people just looked so different. We were silent for a moment or two.

"Is it all like that, Oliver?" I asked him, going back to the search string, and clicking on a different site.

It was all like that.

"So jeans it is then. Chloe, you might get away with your leather jacket, but I think your very skinny jeans might not be the thing, do you have any others?" Oliver was grinning again.

"I do have a not so skinny pair but they are still quite skinny, and they'll have to do." I was thinking what could it matter we wouldn't be there for that long.

Tristan stopped grinning, "Oh I've just remembered, sometimes places like this didn't allow jeans. In the seventies that is. I wonder if there will be a dress code in this one?"

We decided to Google the name of the bistro with the date nineteen-sixty-nine hoping it might somehow be referenced.

To my surprise it was.

Oliver read out the information. The place was the first venue for two brothers now famous for having started discos back then in the sixties. I read that they still have many nightclubs and were quite wealthy from the proceeds of upgrading to bigger and better dance clubs as time went by. It was clear we might not get in wearing jeans when we saw a photograph of the line-up outside the club from a local newspaper of the time.

"I could wear my work clothes, black pants, and white shirt. I've got a black tie too, what about you, Tristan?" Oliver asked, whilst looking at the pictures on the website.

"Yes, I can rustle up the same kind of outfit, although we might not be seen as very fashionable. Perhaps you'll need to wear a dress Chloe."

I looked at the girls in the line-up. Their dresses were short, but not so different that I couldn't get away with one of the dresses I had brought back from California.

"I'd prefer jeans, but if you think we may not get in the club then I do have a dress that will probably be okay." I was thinking I'd wear my flat boots and my leather jacket over the top.

We kept looking at one another and grinning.

"Come on admit it might be fun," Tristan said, and Oliver smiled.

"It might be fun. It will certainly be different. Pointless taking our cells, maybe give them to Aristide tomorrow night. How much money did he give us?"

I had all the stuff on the table next to my computer, the map, the letter, and the money. "Wow only ten dollars, sorry, pounds. How will that be enough and what if things go wrong?" Don't think I'm a pessimist I've just learned to have a back-up plan.

Tristan made an 'mmm' sound and then replied.

"I know what you mean, but that was heaps of money back then for what we need to do. I'm only shocked he could actually get hold of the notes they used back then. Thinking about what could go wrong I want us to take a little diamond from the treasure. Just something we could sell in any year if things go wrong."

"Tristan, that's a good idea, maybe we should take more than one." I was suddenly worried things might be more likely to go wrong than not.

Oliver grinned saying, "I know it sounds silly but let's just trust it will be okay and not tempt fate, a diamond okay, but more, I'd rather not."

I shrugged. "Sure it was just a moment of worry, a diamond that's a good idea, Tristan."

He smiled. "I know maybe I should have more faith, but let's take one diamond. Chloe you choose one and have it with the other stuff. I'm guessing you're bringing a bag."

I grinned at him. "I am because how can I go without a couple of things?"

Oliver laughed aloud then added, "Like toothpaste and underwear."

We all laughed, but Tristan glanced at me affectionately and I felt a connection with him. It was because of our first time travel adventure together, which would always remain special to me.

We decided to walk up to the restaurant for some dinner and I took my netbook and the papers from Aristide up to my room. I put them on my desk and picked up my wallet.

I looked around my room, it was good to be home, and I glanced at the roundels on my desk and the old rings between them. This was where I belonged with Oliver and Tristan.

We walked up to the restaurant and it was all I could do not to hold their hands. I think they had the same thought because they both put their hands in their pockets as we walked along together speculating about what kind of music we would hear in the bistro disco place.

It was good to be by the lake in the surprising warmth of the spring night. It was lit up as usual and there were boats moored on the edge of the lake on the opposite side to the restaurant. Bobbing on the water, they cast strange shapes on the soft dappled darkness.

Clare and Ben were on duty and came along to offer their opinion on our arrival. Mostly that it was great to see us all again and especially together.

We talked with them periodically as they passed by, or came to our table.

Mostly we talked about the task. Tristan said that in the seventies there was a local bus service on the lane. It ran every half hour until ten at night, but then to the best of his knowledge, it stopped. We raised our eyebrows at each other but the service doesn't exist at all now. Tristan thought we might have to find a taxi back to the Dearing House and then he burst out laughing.

"What, what is it?" Oliver asked smiling at Tristan who was mirthful.

"The Dearing house, it will have a vehicle we could use, I need only find the keys. There might be a truck in the stable yard and keys in the office there. In nineteen-sixty-nine there were still lots of estate staff."

I frowned and asked, "Tristan is that wise? Someone may see you, something may not happen that was supposed to and wham the future is jeopardized."

Oliver nodded and agreed, "Chloe's right, let's not chance it, Tristan."

Tristan smiled. "Okay you're probably right. We'll take the bus and then find a taxi back. We have the time I guess to walk if we had to."

I shook my head. "Tristan, it's not much of a drive, but it's a hell of a walk, it would be another five miles on from where Oliver lives."

He grinned and so did Oliver but they didn't say anything more.

We decided to meet about five thirty the next afternoon at my place to make sure we had everything, that we looked okay, and nothing had cropped up to keep any of us from being at the waterfall before seven for the meeting with Aristide.

When we walked home, I felt happy, because we seemed to have left the break-up and the last three months behind us as we prepared for the task.

Oliver came in for coffee, but said he would go home about eleven thirty because of some computer work he wanted to finish before we went off 'in time' again.

It made us smile.

When Oliver left, I went out to the Land Rover with him, just like old times. I hugged him close and kissed his cheek. He looked at me his expression kind and loving in the soft light of the garden lamps.

"I'll probably text you later, Chloe. It's been so good to be with you and Tristan again."

I kissed his other cheek and let go of him.

"Oliver, I can't tell you how glad I am that I'm home again with you."

He drove off smiling.

Chapter Four

Tristan had tried hard and kept his distance all the time Oliver had been with us, but now he stood up as I came back into the kitchen. He made a little sound like a whispered, 'uh', and clasped me to him. I held him close as he pressed his face against my neck and then turned it into a kiss. Which was totally gorgeous and made me come out in goose pimples. I started to smile and moved to hold his face and kiss his lips. "Tristan," I said his name and he looked at me.

"Chloe, I have to spend some time with you, to talk about what a complete idiot I was. I know it's late but could you find an hour maybe for me?" He seemed about to kiss me and then stopped to wait for my answer.

"Tristan, let's go upstairs, we can talk in my room. I think we need that privacy, because mom will be along soon to make herself coffee." He nodded and I took Tristan's hand to go up the stairs.

In my room, I walked over to my desk, and turned to Tristan. I really needed to hold him close. I moved closer thinking how blue his eyes were, how much I had missed him, and he started to kiss me. It felt as if we had never been apart. As I kissed him, I was thinking how much I loved him and wanted him, how much I cared about him. He suddenly moved away from me and walked to the window, he looked out into the darkness, and then without turning around he started to speak.

"Chloe, I wish I had not gone away. I wish I had come back sooner. I wish I had done what Oliver asked of me, and called you. I just hope you forgive me, and I so hope there's a chance that you might understand what happened. I know it was ridiculous and I actually don't know now what I was thinking of."

I wanted to comfort him despite anything that had happened, because I had left too, and I was no angel in this whole situation. I walked to the window and hugged him. I thought let me hold you, let me love you, and he bent his head to mine and kissed me.

It was very intense. It was so good to be kissing Tristan again that I let myself focus on the feel of his lips and his hands on my waist. I wanted to forget everything that had happened and get back to being close to him. I unbuttoned his shirt a little and kissed along the base of his neck, and then he moved back from me.

"Talk to me about leaving, about my leaving, about things," he whispered.

I took his hand, sighing, "Okay come and sit down," but I meant lie down and I led him to my bed. We sat side by side and he held my hand in both of his, he looked down at my hand in his and shook his head.

"It's so hard to think I did that ridiculous thing. I mean really, after all I had ever said, do you have any comment at all Chloe?"

I moved my hand he was not holding along his upper arm, trying to give comfort.

"Tristan, only that I'm so thankful it's over, that I love you dearly and felt totally distraught every day I was without you. Maybe we could just forget it," I said softly. I didn't know what else to say, because Oliver and I had just fallen back into loving each other and behaving just the way we always did, and I wanted that to happen with Tristan too. I put my head against his shoulder and thought, 'Tristan I'll always love you no matter what.'

He smiled a little sadly, as he turned his head to me, and whispered, "I'll always love you too, no matter what."

I had obviously put my thoughts into his head and I moved my hand to hold his face and kiss him. He kissed me too and then he smiled, "You don't want to berate me or anything like that?"

I smiled at the word, 'berate', and then shook my head, "I only want to love you, care for you, be with you whenever I can. Tristan, I left too, you know I could have stayed here and pestered Liz to know where you were. We made mistakes, it's because we love each other so much. I wanted to remove myself so that you would not need to, and then everything was so bad, so miserable without you, I didn't know how to fix it in the end. It was great that Aristide called for his favor."

Tristan sighed one of his double sighs and I was so happy to hear it, so happy to be with him again, I pulled him down onto the bed and started to kiss his face, all over. I smiled at him and started to laugh a little with happiness.

"Tristan, it's so good to be with you. I missed you like hell," I told him in between kisses.

He suddenly responded, started to smile, hugged me tight, and said, "Chloe, it's great to be with you, I didn't know how to fix things either. I can't seem to let myself off the hook though. I feel such a fool."

I sat up, and he sat up too, so that when I turned to him and held his face in my hands I looked into his lovely blue eyes and said seriously, "Tristan you must. Think of it like this, there's no hook. I see no hook, but if you do, then let yourself off it for me, do it for me." I said those words and as I did I was thinking, 'I so love you.'

I asked him about Liz and Laura, were they happy to see him, had anyone berated him as he called it? He shook his head and smiled saying, "They just loved it that I was back."

I asked him if he had received any unpleasant comments or behavior from anyone, he smiled. "No, none, nothing, I think that's why I can't let myself off the hook, everyone has been so pleased to see me, well Matin sulked for five minutes but otherwise," he shrugged his shoulders.

I nodded and smiled again, "You see, Tristan, that's because we all love you, you better show me where this hook is attached to you, and I'll kiss it away." He started to laugh a little at this and then hugged me.

"It's quite late Chloe, I'll leave now. After all you've only been home a day and you probably have things to do."

I was intensely disappointed at this because right then all I wanted was to hold Tristan close for a while. He had stood up and started buttoning the few buttons I had opened half way down his shirt, but now turned and looked at me.

"Chloe, you're sending me disappointment. I didn't realize you could send emotions to someone's mind, did you know? I mean do you know that's what you're doing now?" I stood too and put my arms around his waist.

"I didn't know, but it's true I hoped to hold you for a while longer, stay for half an hour?" I asked him.

He nodded and started to kiss me. He took me over to the window where the night air was quite warm. He leaned against the window ledge, so that our faces were level and held me close. As I kissed him and hugged him as close as possible, all I could think of was how good it was to feel his lips on mine, and his body close to mine. It was the only way to erase the pain of being away from him for three months.

It was perhaps the same for him because we stayed close to each other and kissed each other more than said anything for at least five minutes and then I began to ask him about where he had lived when he was away. He told me about the almost ruin he had lived in and I was saddened by this, but he smiled and said it wasn't so bad. After half an hour, he did leave saying that he had a couple of things to do before he concentrated on tomorrow's task. Funny how we all three had taken up the name of Aristide's favor repayment as 'the task.'

I walked down to the old truck he was driving with him and told him I loved him before he got in. He sighed but it was happily and said he loved me too.

Inside the house again, I took some tea up to my room and thought about what we had decided to wear. I got out my shortest dress and decided to wear leggings under it. I decided on my cotton blazer instead of my leather jacket to go with it because I needed something, and it seemed simplest because there was no way I could replicate the fashion of the year we were visiting. I wanted to be prepared for anything, but that would mean taking heaps of things, and as Oliver had said earlier in the restaurant, we were not going to a distant time, 'they sold toothpaste and underwear in the sixties.'

I resolved to have a few things in my little 'cross body' bag that I had bought in the mall back in Riverside. It would be odd for a girl to have no bag at all, and I could just fit my fold up hairbrush, and lip-gloss, alongside, yes, you guessed it, underwear, just a lightweight cotton pair and a twist of toothpaste. I could not face the thought of going off without them. I packed my little bag and knew I'd have withdrawal symptoms without my phone and wallet. There was a zipper compartment in the bag, where I could put the few notes Aristide had given us and the diamond Tristan had decided we would take just in case. Although in case of what, we none of us wanted to expand upon. I put the letter, and the directions Aristide had given us in the bag. When I looked in my cupboard and got out a pouch of Tristan's treasure, I was reminded of all our adventures together so far. It seemed unreal that we were once more going to travel in time. I chose a small diamond as Tristan had asked and after hiding his box again, I zipped the diamond into the compartment with the money.

I thought about Oliver as I was in the shower, and I decided to call him at lunchtime the next day and try to have maybe ten minutes or something alone with him before the three of us got together because I needed to. I shrugged, I still loved both Oliver and Tristan, and how that would ever change was a mystery. I couldn't see it ever changing, how could I possibly stop loving either of them?

I had an eBook on my iPad and opened my Kindle App to read a little before I went to sleep. I'd only read a couple of pages when my phone registered a text, it was Oliver telling me he loved me and asking was everything okay. I smiled in pleasure at his message and texted back that I was just thinking of him, and loved him, could he come over early tomorrow so that I could be with him alone for a short time. He sent back a smiley and the message he sure could. I put my phone down on the bed beside me, and I read a few more pages of the book before deciding to go to sleep, or at least to try. It was only about four in the afternoon in LA and I had not adjusted to the time difference yet.

I fell asleep eventually and maybe had slept for half an hour when my phone, which I had left on the bed next to my pillow, made the small sound and lit up to alert me to a message. Since I was not in a deep sleep, it woke me, and I picked it up seeing on the screen that it was Tristan. He couldn't sleep and was 'desperate to see me if I was awake, if I felt I could see him, ignore the message if I was too tired.' I texted back 'come down to the middle drawing room'. A message came back 'already there'. I had to grin at this as I stuck my feet in my slip on shoes and pulled a sweater over my sleep shorts and top.

I let Tristan into the middle drawing room through the French windows. He immediately said he was sorry, and had he woken me. I was grinning and took his hand. "If I had not wanted to see you, I'd not have answered Tristan, come up to my room, tell me is something wrong?"

"No, not really, only that I needed to see you, I was desperate to see you in fact, wanted to be near you. It was so bad I decided to text you, thank you, Chloe, for seeing me," he answered and my heart just went out to him. I took his hand and drew him to me as he was standing almost shyly a pace away.

"Tristan, I was awake, and it's great to see you again, come on." I led him to my bed and got in pushing my quilt back. He sat down on the edge and I gave him a look, which more or less was my way of saying 'get in here.' I thought that too, as I pulled my sweater off and put it down on the floor next to my bed.

When I looked back at him, he was still sitting there. I leaned over to him and kissed his cheek and then his lips thinking, 'I love you Tristan.' Quite suddenly, he relaxed and smiled as I leaned back from him.

"Lie down Tristan. I just want to hold you for a while." He nodded and put his arms around me, we shuffled down the bed together. Tristan closed his eyes and put his head against mine. I closed my eyes. I thought 'this feels so good, I never want to be without you again.'

Tristan started to kiss me, he kissed me until I felt I couldn't keep my hands from him and I pulled his T-shirt up to be able to run my hands along his bare skin. He made a little sound, and we started to undress each other. He told me he had missed me so much when I was away that he thought his heart would break, and that he wanted me now more than he could think about, let alone say.

"Tell me you forgive me," he asked.

I stopped kissing his neck and shoulder to do that and I said it a couple of times as I kissed him. It was hard not to just keep going and make love to him, but I had to ask him to forgive me too. I thought he needed to realize he wasn't the total bad guy in what had happened. We kissed each other and whispered this stuff until without knowing how it happened the intensity that sometimes develops between us overwhelmed me and I had to make love to him.

He held me close after and talked about the task we were to do for Aristide and how he genuinely didn't expect the spell to work. It seemed so radical an expectation that he could be the catalyst for a new time travel portal simply by standing in the waterfall pool. I smiled at him. It seemed perfectly possible to me, he was very special, and his connection to the waterfall was strong.

"Tristan, I think it will work, but my doubts come from if he can bend it away to a different time, you know, I think we may end up in 1190 again and maybe I'll take some toothpaste after all." I smiled again knowing I already had some in my bag, and seeing his serious expression, I kissed him. He was so lovely. His eyes seemed very blue in the pale light of my table lamp.

"Maybe that will happen and we'll have to hang out for seven hours in the forest, it will be cold there now too." He raised his eyebrows slightly to indicate how unpleasant that might be.

I kissed him again because Tristan in bed with you is just magnetic. We didn't go to sleep until it was nearly light and then we must have just fallen asleep as we cuddled each other.

It was about eleven thirty when we woke up and started grinning at each other about how late it was. It was good to be close to Tristan again, and I held his face in my hands and told him, "Tristan, I love you and I need you in my life, and I'll never give up on that again, so expect a fight next time, not a withdrawal. Well if there's a next time."

"There will not be a next time, Chloe. It was foolish of me to assume you and Oliver were, well, what I said. He never admitted anything, and that's a good thing because it was unfair of me to ask."

He kissed me and I kissed him, but at the same time a little worry came into my head, he had decided Oliver and I were not making love, so perhaps it still mattered to him.

Then he continued with, "Chloe, making love with you is always special, but last night it was completely extraordinary. You put all your feelings in my head and it was like a sensation avalanche. I have to tell you because you may feel weird about it and it seems wrong not to tell you, but I hope you don't feel weird, because it echoed how I was feeling and it was absolutely the best thing I've ever felt." He looked questioningly at me, a gentle caring look that stopped me from freaking out. I didn't know I had done that and I felt weird just as Tristan thought I might.

"Tristan that is odd, it seems like an invasion of your mind, did you hear words or what?" I asked, because although I didn't remember thinking words, I knew how I felt when I was with Tristan was very passionate.

He grinned and then kissed me, and said softly, "Not words, feelings, like bursts of sensation. Don't stop doing it. It's the best thing I've ever felt. It's unbelievably sexy."

I thought for a few seconds because wow, and then I replied, "Tristan, I seem to have done it unconsciously so I probably can't stop, tell me if it does become a problem."

Tristan laughed and hugged me, "I will, but I can't imagine it becoming a problem. In fact I think it might become addictive, I feel a craving for it now." He kissed me again but I sat up quickly.

"Tristan, we have to get up. Come on I'll take you home, it's past twelve."

After I had taken him home and driven back to my place thinking about him, I stood at my window just staring out there. He must have convinced himself that Oliver and I didn't make love. I felt that to be true, was it his way of coping or what? I was puzzled, I knew it meant something, but I didn't know what, or maybe I just couldn't face what it meant. What was clear to me though was that they both thought I didn't make love with the other. I could only hope it wouldn't become a problem again. I wouldn't think about it right now.

Chapter Five

I spent some time with mom at lunchtime and told her we were going off to the Kool Kafé that evening and I'd be home late. She didn't say anything at all and I went on to ask her about her work so that everything seemed normal. I caught up with Steven and found out Will's band was gigging at the Kool Kafé the next night so that was a lucky break.

It was shortly before five when Oliver arrived and we took coffee out onto the patio to talk for a while. Oliver put his cup down on the table out there and then pulled me into his arms.

"How are you feeling about the trip, everything okay, you chose something to wear?" He was already in his black work pants and shirt, the black tie he had spoken of was rolled up on the kitchen table where he had placed it as he arrived.

I nodded. "Yes I'll get changed later. I have a diamond in my bag, plus the letter and the map. I hope it just goes like clockwork to be honest. I don't really feel like ending up in eleven ninety right now."

Oliver smiled and kissed me. We hugged each other a couple of times and he asked me if Tristan had stayed long after he had left the night before. I told him not long maybe half an hour and we went quiet for a moment or two.

Oliver finished his coffee and we went up to my room. Oliver got a piece of printer paper and started to draw the route to the disco place again, which in our time is the music shop, and then he compared it to the map that Aristide had drawn.

"How do you suppose he knows that the route varies a little here and here?" He pointed at the place where the main street loops now, but didn't then, and at the way the road with the disco on it was not as long so that a roundabout was missing as you entered.

"I was thinking about it, you know he must have been there before these changes." Oliver was suspicious.

I looked at the maps and then at Oliver.

"Not necessarily there are old maps and photos he could have used, but what if he had been there, it might have been after Joanna died, some of the changes might have been made long after she died. What are you thinking Oliver?"

He shrugged. "I'm not really suspicious, I just thought about that aspect and it made me wonder if he had told us the whole truth. Sorry Chloe, it's probably just what you said."

He smiled at me and kissed me as I leaned near looking at the maps.

"Well I honestly don't think he wants any harm to come to us. I'm willing to trust him."

Oliver didn't say anything else and I showed him the dress I was going to wear and he grinned when I told him about the leggings.

"I don't think they wore leggings then, Chloe."

I knew that. "I know but they wore colored opaque tights and my leggings will pass for them," I told him.

Tristan showed up ten minutes later a little earlier than expected and we got some more coffee. I thought there was definitely a nervous air about us all as we sat quietly on the patio balustrade in a row.

Suddenly, Tristan said, "Let's go for a walk, up around the lake, this waiting is driving me nuts."

Oliver stood up. "Yes let's do something, a walk will be okay, then we can come back, Chloe can change, and we can just go and meet Aristide."

Once we had walked up and around the lake, the time had started to trickle away. They got coffee whilst I went up to my room and changed.

When I got back into the kitchen, they were laughing about something but both turned to me and gave me an appreciative look.

"You look good," Tristan said.

I had my bag and cotton blazer, which I threw onto the kitchen table.

"Well I'll have to do, it's this or jeans. You two look like waiters."

They both laughed. We had twenty minutes to go and decided to walk down to the waterfall. Tristan had walked down to the house so that it might be plausible that we had gone to the Kool Kafé in his truck. I didn't think it mattered. No one seemed to be watching us at all. Steven was out with John, and Mom was up at the restaurant, so I shrugged saying,

"Let's just go guys."

We arrived at the waterfall and stood on the bank the three of us staring at the reed area where the portal was previously. Suddenly it seemed ridiculous to think the portal could be opened, it had closed itself after all, and maybe we were dealing with a natural force that could not be manipulated. I stared at it. The wild flowers that sprang up on the bank were there and budding in the warm spring weather. The reed pad didn't look that thick yet and I wondered if we would get wet feet standing on it to travel.

Aristide came along by the waterfall. He must have walked along the path from the Norman ruins. He smiled at us as he approached.

"Hello, you're here already. I hope all is well, you look fine, though not dressed in jeans I see." He smiled again.

Oliver answered him.

"We thought we might not get in the bistro place in jeans after we researched it."

Aristide nodded and then turned to Tristan. "You need to have your hand or foot in the water itself. If you all get on the reeds in a few moments and, Tristan, you touch the water then we will get it over with. Good luck, take care, don't take chances."

Oliver was carrying our cell phones in a plastic bag and stepped forward handing them to Aristide.

"We decided it might be best to give you our phones for safekeeping, if that's okay," he said and Aristide nodded taking the bag.

"Good idea but since you now have no phones how will you keep an eye on the time? Maybe you should have this." He took off his wristwatch and handed it to Oliver.

Oliver nodded. "I hadn't given that a thought actually so thanks," and he put the wristwatch on, the expandable band clicking into place around his wrist.

"Okay, onto the reeds, touch the water, Tristan." Aristide suddenly spoke urgently and it herded us onto the pad. Oliver took my hand and held Tristan by the shoulder as he bent and put his hand into the pool. I was thinking how does Aristide know it's time to go since Oliver has his watch when I noticed the flowers on the bank by the waterfall pool had changed.

I looked around. Aristide had gone. The bank was full of buttercups, all yellow and pretty in the soft evening light. It was still quite light at this time of night and the trees were less dense so more of the late sunshine came down onto the water. There were more reeds and we were just a little further away from the edge of the pool than we had been.

"It's happened, we're already there," I called out.

Tristan stood up and turned to me, Oliver had already started to move from the reed pad onto the bank and he helped me off. Tristan shook the water from his hands and smiled.

"I had my eyes closed," he told us.

I was staring at him, and Oliver groaned. "Just as well, Tristan, because you wouldn't know that your clothes are now those you generally wear when we're in the eleven hundreds. I hope that doesn't mean we're in eleven ninety." He looked a little pained.

Tristan looked down at himself. "What, oh yes, oh no, but it can't be the usual eleven ninety because of the vegetation, it's not eleven ninety." He started to laugh.

I nodded in agreement. "It's not, I think you are right, but Tristan why would you have those clothes on? Also why is it funny?"

He looked resigned. "Search me," he said, and started to grin again. "I'll have to pretend I'm in fancy dress, if anyone asks."

"If anyone asks, Tristan, you look completely out of place we'll have to get you some other clothes. Maybe the waterfall magic just did it. I don't feel you can parade about like that." Oliver shook his head.

I sighed. "Guys, the shops will be closed, they didn't have late night opening like we do, the bus quits at ten so the shops will close at five. I'm guessing." I added because they were looking at me as if I was the bearer of bad news.

"Maybe we can somehow get something, an overcoat to cover up a bit. Would there be anything in Chloe's home then. Where were you Tristan? Would anyone have been in the house?" Oliver asked.

Tristan was still highly amused and clearly at home in his half armored and fur jacket, his sword, and his leather gloves. Luckily, his under-jacket and tunic came down around his knees over the trouser legging things.

I gave him a look of affection. He was so gorgeous when he laughed.

"Well Tristan what about it, could there be anything in the hunting lodge?" I asked.

"More than likely, but we will have to break in, it was always shut up when I was away," Tristan grinned again.

"We have to go that way to the end of the road and the lane for the bus so let's get going," and Oliver started up the bank to what would hopefully be a path.

Tristan took my hand to go up there and I couldn't help giggling a little because it was funny really that he had his medieval clothes on.

At the top of the bank, there was a path, but it was just a muddy track over the grass to the house where I lived in my own time. There were nettles and a few clumps of other large weed things growing over the track here and there.

At the edge of the garden, the track just stopped, and we had to walk over the grass, which was knee high to get to the front of the house.

Standing there in front of the house that would become my home, I shook my head in disbelief because it was like some kind of magnet. We always seemed to end up there. Tristan looked at Oliver and me.

"I'm not sure where we should try breaking in, and with what, it's a solid oak door, although I think there's a window." He started down the side of the house where in my time there's no path, the big driveway stretches the length of it and the 'wheelie bins' take up that bit of space on some paving. We followed him and Oliver glanced at me and shook his head. The side of the house was where the library would be and there was a window, a small window, we couldn't see in, because it was weird glass like lots of bubbles.

Tristan looked around on the ground and picked up a piece of concrete. It seemed to have some kind of shape to it, but it had been knocked around so that it wasn't clear what that shape was.

"Garden gnome, this will have to do," Tristan informed us and then hurled the thing at the window. It bounced off, which was a surprise to me I can tell you. He picked it back up and tried again, this time the window cracked all the way up but it still didn't shatter.

"Bloody hell Tristan, maybe there's another window without that bubbly glass in it, which is clearly impregnable." Oliver said in exasperation and followed it with, "Good job we have seven hours, we're going to need it by the looks of it."

I had to laugh at this and Tristan turned around grinning too.

"Well I wanted a window that was not easy to see into by passers-by that's why it's bubbly. Should we walk over to the stables, there'll be something in there, more than likely. Duffle coats if I remember. A couple were always hanging in the front there, in the seventies any way."

He looked at Oliver and me.

Oliver laughed then and said, "Okay let's do it, what else is there to do? Or we could go with the fancy dress idea should anyone ask, whatever, you choose, Tristan. Just don't let anyone see you at the stables."

I nodded at that and we all set off over the field to the woods and the path that led to the stables in our own time.

Halfway along the path Tristan headed us in a different direction down a less trodden path that isn't there in our own time. We got to the edge of the stable area quicker than I expected and Tristan halted us.

We'd been silent as we walked and now he looked more serious than he had at the house and suggested, "Why not stay here, stand well back in these trees. I'll dash over, get a coat, and be back."

We watched him walk very quickly towards the stables and disappear into a middle open door. We couldn't see inside, as it was just gloom where Tristan had entered. The whole yard and trodden soil area beyond was empty. There was no noise, and I wondered if anyone or any horse was actually there at all.

Tristan came running out a moment later. He was carrying a coat of some kind. He reached us and started laughing.

"Let's get back to the lane quickly, because Jonathan is in there talking to a groom in the end stall. If they hadn't been in the stall they would have seen me."

For some reason he found it extremely funny and didn't stop laughing for a couple of minutes.

Oliver kept giving me glances as we walked along. Tristan was ahead of us and suddenly Oliver took my hand and then a few seconds later let go and gave me a dazzling smile.

It was good to feel his touch and I smiled back at him.

We reached the lane again and Tristan put the coat on. Oliver sighed when he saw it on Tristan.

"Tristan, the coat is very shabby, and hey there's mud all down one side, hold still I'll try to brush it off." He did that, but it was still scruffy looking, even though he tried hard.

Tristan took the coat off, gave it a shake, and then shrugged.

I was thinking more than likely he wouldn't get into the nightclub or disco thing dressed as he was.

We walked along until Tristan stopped us at a bus stop sign. There was a bus timetable inside a little glass-fronted case, welded onto the pole and Tristan looked at it and immediately told us that a bus would be along in ten minutes.

He followed that up with a smile and said, "Lucky huh?"

Oliver nodded but was silent. He gave another glance at the shabby coat Tristan was wearing and shook his head.

We stood there and looked around for a few minutes. The whole area seemed quiet, and there was not even the sound of traffic far off on a main road. It was a lonely feeling.

When the bus came it was a double decker and quite unpleasant on the inside. The seats were covered in a rough dark checked fabric and the backs were hard, the floor was dirty and people were smoking. Well the two who were on the bus were smoking. It was horrid.

A man came along and wanted to sell us tickets for the bus, he had a strange ticket machine on a leather strap around his body and a leather money bag too. I looked at Tristan because what were we supposed to do?

Tristan asked me for some money and I fished around in my bag for one of the notes Aristide had given us. To my surprise not only was it enough Tristan was given some change too and had a telling off from the ticket seller for using such a large bill. It seemed money went way further in this time than in the one we now lived in. Other than giving me a strange look, the ticket seller didn't seem to notice we were time travelers.

We were sitting on a long bench seat at the back of the bus and somehow I was in the middle of Tristan and Oliver. It was good though. I liked having that connection to both of them as we sat close together.

I whispered to Tristan.

"I don't think that coat will get you in the venue Tristan it looks scruffy."

He looked at me and shrugged. "What else can I do Chloe? It will have to do."

The journey to the local town and then beyond to the next one took ages, and I was wondering what the time was when Oliver looked at Aristide's watch.

"We've been on this bus for forty minutes, it's like being on the back of a tortoise, and not much more comfortable I'd say, given the bumping around we're getting."

Tristan looked over at him and grinned. "Soon be there, Oliver." He was cheerful and leaned against me a little harder.

I enjoyed the feeling and Tristan gave me a look, his eyes full of emotion. It was hard not to kiss him and I thought that I must have put my thoughts in his mind because he broke into one of his lovely smiles.

When we reached the end of the main street in the next town, before the bus turned right to go elsewhere, we clattered off the bus with a group of young people who had got on a few stops back, on the periphery of the town. The two girls were dressed in short dresses, colorful shift dresses, and white tights. They both had their hair cut in short elfin type styles and they had heaps of blue eye makeup all around their eyes, and very pale lipstick. The three boys were dressed in dark pants, one had an orange shirt on, but the other two, plain white ones and they all wore ties.

We walked behind them and as they approached the disco place, Tristan caught hold of my hand and we stopped to watch them go in.

The place had windows as if it was a shop, but they were painted in black and had big splashes of fluorescent colors here and there. The sign over the top was what I suppose they thought was very cool back then, black background with the pink and orange fluorescent letters saying The Shades, and a natty little pair of sunglasses over the 'a' in Shades.

"We will just go in and try our luck. Maybe people go in coats and then give them to the coat check, so I might not be turned back because of the coat," Tristan said softly and Oliver nodded at him.

I followed them as they went towards the door but then Tristan turned around and caught hold of my hand. He kind of steered me in the door first and I was grinning because it was funny. There was a little opening to the left of the door and we needed to pay. The girl in there, who had the most amount of black eyeliner I've ever seen on her eyes said, "The three of you, that's seven and six."

This statement mystified me 'seven and six', what did it mean? I looked around at Tristan, who grinned and said, "Give her another of the notes in your bag, Chloe; it's just an expression of how much money it costs."

I did this and the girl put a large silver colored coin on the little counter, which I assumed was our change. I picked it up and we passed a portly, older guy in a black suit just standing guard on the next door into a dimly lit room.

There was music playing, and I actually recognized the song, it was 'My girl', my dad sings it, but it is famous. There was a dance floor close to the place where the DJ up behind a counter was standing looking almost bored. Then at the end of the dance floor was a long counter, obviously the bar. At the other end of the dance floor tables and chairs were set up. The club was quite empty, but then it was only eight o'clock.

"Let's find a table," Oliver urged, and we all made for the nearest table.

Tristan sat down quickly, and picked up the menu that was on the table. Oliver waited until I had found a seat and pulled his chair close to me. I smiled at him.

"I think you may have gotten away with that scruffy coat you're wearing, Tristan, perhaps because it's early evening or dim lights." Oliver grinned as he said this.

"I know Oliver, that's why I sat down quickly to hide a little, hey look they do burgers. Can we eat? I suddenly feel hungry. I didn't eat much this last three months."

Oliver gave me a look that was comical. I deciphered it to be surprise, and amusement, and something else, a sort of communication of fondness for Tristan.

"Sure Tristan, if you think we can afford it," I answered.

He grinned. "We have heaps of money. I think we have to go to the counter to order. Will you go, Chloe, because this outfit's a slight worry now I'm here?"

I raised my eyebrows. "I'll go Tristan, what do you want?" His speech had amused me. I felt like kissing him as he looked at me, his pupils wide in the dim light and his expression so sincere.

Oliver nudged my elbow and said, "I'll go with you, maybe I can keep a look out for Joanna, she might be up there serving."

Tristan wanted coffee and a 'house burger', the name describing what we hoped was the origin and not the contents.

We walked up to the counter as another group of people arrived, and split up to let us pass through.

There was a tall blond girl in a slinky shirt serving, she smiled at Oliver, and seemed inclined to get his order in preference to mine, so I let her, and looked along the counter and down to the back area where other people were. I couldn't see faces and glanced back at the girl when Oliver asked me if I was eating. I said no, but ordered orange juice, and then paid the girl. I was getting good at producing these pound notes from my bag. She informed Oliver as she gave me the change that someone would bring our order and we went back to our table.

As we walked, I asked Oliver how would they know our table, some mysterious system must be in place, and he laughed.

He told Tristan about the bizarre way the girl at the counter had ignored me and spoken only to him. Tristan smiled teasing, "Don't get your hopes up, Oliver, that very often happened, and especially at bars. A girl trying to get served was very often overlooked."

Oliver glanced at me, and then said, "Tristan, she wasn't my type. I just thought it was a bit rude." He had only just spoken when the drinks part of our order arrived. The 'waiter' was a small, slim, dark haired woman, dressed in a bright pink dress, similar in shape to a kaftan. It came halfway down her thighs and she had sandals on, which had laces that were wound around her calves all the way up to her knees. Her dark hair was held back with an Alice band of gold braid. She was pretty, and I felt instinctively that she was Joanna. She put the drinks on the table and sauntered off her tray held by her side.

"That's probably her," I said, and Oliver nodded.

"That's what I was thinking."

Tristan was still looking at her receding figure. "Let's call her Joanna when she brings the food and see what happens." He picked up his coffee and took a sip.

"Oh my god, that's horrible," he grimaced.

Oliver picked his up and drank some then commented, "Weak, not hot, and with a strange powdery after taste."

I grinned at them and tried my orange juice, which wasn't actually juice. It was some sugary, chemical tasting concoction. It was also lukewarm.

"The orange juice isn't much better, in fact I'd say it wasn't orange juice at all," I remarked.

"I wonder why it's so bad." Oliver grimaced as he put down his cup.

The music suddenly got a little louder and some colored lights were switched on, they were beaming around the dance floor like mini searchlights.

The place had become a little more crowded and some people were now on the dance floor.

The woman we thought was Joanna came back with the burger Tristan had asked for, and put it down in the middle of the table.

Tristan called to her, "Thank you, Joanna," and she gave a slight nod of her head as if to acknowledge her name.

Oliver stood up as she was about to walk away and stepped in front of her.

"Sorry, but are you Joanna, Anna's mother?" he asked politely.

She frowned and looked wary but answered, "Yes, why?"

The loud music had given way to some soft soul track, which was familiar, but I couldn't tell you what it was called. I think I heard it when that old Tom Cruise movie 'Top Gun' was on TV. She waited, looking from Oliver to me and then at Tristan.

Oliver smiled charmingly. "We have a message for you from a mutual friend, Aristide."

Joanna's expression changed from suspicion to hope, bare painful hope, and in that moment, I felt so sad for her.

"Ari, a message, what is it?" She asked, and I knew she was hoping that he was here somewhere wanting to meet her outside or something. I hadn't listened to her thoughts and now I was tempted, but I didn't do it. I couldn't stand the idea of hearing a woman in love hoping to see her lost lover.

Oliver smiled again and said, "We have a letter for you. Will you sit down with us for a few moments?" He pulled out a chair.

Joanna looked around at the counter and then at us, she must have been checking to see if it was busy because then she sat on the chair Oliver had pulled out. She hadn't brought Tristan's burger on a tray only holding the plate with a couple of paper napkins, which she had left by the plate in the middle of the table.

"A letter, he's not in town then?" she asked dejectedly.

Chapter Six

Tristan who had been silent sighed audibly and answered, "Sorry Joanna no, he sent us with a letter because he knows what's happening to you. He's far away, but asked us to find you here and give you a letter."

"Far away, he's still in Italy then, or France? How does he know what's happening to me? What has he told you?" She suddenly seemed angry, and I guessed it was disappointment making her abrupt with us.

Oliver leaned forward to speak softly to her. "He said Anna told him that you were ill, and I think, that you still felt something for him."

I got the letter out of my bag and was about to slide it across the table to her when a man approached. He was young, maybe about twenty years old. It was hard to be sure in the lights now beaming red and blue around the room. He was dressed in dark pants, a flowered shirt, and a dark waistcoat. He came to the table having broken away from a new group of people, who had entered the club inner door on our right hand side.

"Mom, hey, are you working, or, are these friends I haven't met?" He said in a pleasant and relaxed way. He looked around the table at us.

He looked expectantly at Joanna and something about his big dark eyes seemed familiar. Joanna answered him, "Hello John, yes, just friends are you, Monique, and George on later?" She gave him an affectionate look and he smiled back at her.

"At ten o'clock for half an hour only. Okay, well I'll leave you to it." He was hesitant and I thought maybe he had expected Joanna to introduce us to him, but as she hadn't he had thought to make himself scarce. He bent and kissed her cheek.

Then he nodded, smiled at us, and walked off. I watched him go to the group he had arrived with at the end of the dance floor, his walk was graceful, and he glanced around at us before starting to talk with a girl in the group he had just joined.

Joanna seemed cheered by what was obviously her son's arrival and she took a deep breath before she said, "My son, he's a musician. That's why the club is not so full tonight his little group will be playing. Very often groups don't draw the crowds like the pure dance music nights for which the club is famous. Will you stay to see him?"

I thought what harm could it do, she seemed to want us to and I smiled at her saying, "I'd love to stay, we will won't we?" And I looked first at Tristan across the table and then at Oliver. They both nodded.

Joanna was pleased and then she looked straight at Tristan.

"I know about you of course, Anna still has a picture of you. I didn't realize you were one of us though I have to admit. Does she know you are in town?"

Despite the weird lighting, it seemed to me as I watched Tristan, that he had gone pale. None of us had thought about this aspect. It hadn't even entered my head that Anna would be around.

Tristan sighed. "She doesn't know, and I don't know where she is either. Let's leave it at that if you don't mind. Sorry," he added, and his expression became gentle as he looked at Joanna.

I wanted to try and get her off this alarming track so I blundered in with, "So you married after you and Ari split up?" Thinking that maybe her last months of life could at least be spent with someone even if she did not have Aristide.

Her face fell. "No, no I did not. I never loved again after Ari." She stopped speaking as her voice cracked.

Oliver put his hand over hers on the table and she glanced at him but didn't move.

I had the letter in my hand and this time I did push it towards her. Oliver moved his hand and she picked the letter up.

Tristan totally out of character asked, "So John is Aristide's son?"

I gave him a raised eyebrow look, and he just looked right past me at Joanna.

She sighed. "I have to ask you not to tell Ari about his son, it's very important to me. I don't know you, but I don't have any other option than to trust you will not tell him."

Oliver spoke first. "I'm so sorry, how rude you must think us, this is Chloe, my name is Oliver, and you know of Tristan."

I looked at her with what I hoped was a reassuring expression.

Tristan rubbed his forehead and then said, "Joanna, we will not say a word that you don't want us to say."

She looked around at the people on the dance floor and at her son standing with his group of friends. She sighed and turned to us again.

"I think I'll tell you what happened so that you understand me. I think none of you will be shocked by what I have to say, given you are friends of that old wizard Ari and this strange young one here." She nodded her head towards Tristan and I glanced at Oliver widening my eyes slightly because she clearly thought Tristan was in the same category as she and Anna, and then I thought, was John also a witch or wizard.

No one spoke and she slumped a little in her seat.

"I was pregnant with John when Ari left, he didn't know, I never told him, the truth is I didn't realize until a month after he had gone. That's what happened with my spell, it went wrong because I was pregnant. I was already old having used many spells before that, well you know how it goes Tristan, because we all do it. I was happy too about the baby, and it helped for a while to lessen my sadness over the loss of Ari. John is eighteen, and he's normal, as he didn't inherit the magic unlike Anna. John doesn't know about Anna or me being witches. So as he ages she will have to leave, she already has started to withdraw a little. We thought it best that we simply did not inform him especially since he knows no father and I'm dying."

I looked at Tristan to see how he was doing with this open and erroneous allusion to him being a wizard. He was looking at Joanna with a sad expression.

She continued, "At least I've had those years with my boy. I'm coming to an end, and who knows when, but it will be soon. I have no powers left at all. Anna's father tried to help with other spells after John was born, but they never worked. Too bad. I'm tired now anyway." She stopped speaking and suddenly stood up with the letter in her hand. "I really must get back to work. Thank you for this." She waved the letter at us and walked off. I saw her touch John on the arm as she passed and then walk to the back of the room where the counter was.

"I never asked why the coffee was so bad," Oliver said softly, and Tristan clasped his hands, and rested his chin on them, as he leaned his elbows on the table looking thoughtful.

"No you didn't," he agreed.

"Do you think she should have told Aristide about John and John about the witch stuff, because he'll be left alone when she dies? If they had said something he would still have a step-sister." I asked them because it seemed so strange to be happy to leave your son so alone in life.

Tristan shook his head. "Who knows, it's her choice, and I do understand the need to hide what you are. Maybe John has a good circle of friends and she doesn't feel he will be that much alone."

Oliver shrugged but then added. "Do you suppose he is still alive? In our time, I mean. How old would he be if he's eighteen now, oh he'd be sixty years old. It would be interesting to find out, not that we could do anything with the information." Oliver said as if to assure us he wouldn't tell Joanna's secret.

I took another sip of the orange drink I had, noticing that Tristan had not eaten the burger.

"Tristan, you haven't eaten the burger, just taste it, I thought you were hungry."

Tristan pulled the plate towards him. "I could hardly eat with Joanna pouring her heart out and it's possibly cold, but I'll taste it."

I clearly heard him say 'just for you darling' but it was in his thoughts, and I looked down at the table to hide my smile.

Oliver looked around and then at the wristwatch he had on.

"Well we have nearly an hour to wait for John's band to play, although they don't seem to have any sign of a stage here at all."

Tristan had taken a couple of bites of his burger and put it down on the plate with the paper napkins over it. I smiled at him.

"Was it cold?"

He nodded and seemed about to talk when the music suddenly became really loud, 'Mustang Sally' belting out, and at the same time quite a few people got up to dance. Tristan closed his mouth, shrugged, then smiled.

We sat there at the table and watched the people dance for a couple of tracks. A slow slightly quieter song came on and I leaned forward to make myself heard.

"Guys, shall we try another coffee, or something?"

Tristan nodded, "I'll give it another go."

Oliver and I went up there to the counter. We skirted the dance floor, and I noticed that John was dancing with a girl near the DJ's platform.

This time an older man was serving and seemed to have no problem taking the order from me. So I asked him about the types of coffee they served saying what we had already tried was a bit weak. It turned out we had to ask explicitly for espresso or cappuccino, and if I wanted fresh orange juice, I had say that, fresh. So ultimately, Oliver and I got back to the table confident that when the next order arrived it would be much better.

Joanna brought the order and she sat down with us after she had unloaded her tray.

She took an envelope out of a pocket in the side seam of the kaftan dress, and put it on the table in front of her.

"Do you think you'll see Ari soon?" she asked all of us.

I spoke first. "We will probably see him quite soon, why?" I had already guessed that maybe the envelope contained a letter for Aristide.

She smiled a little and pushed the envelope across at me. It had a little sunglasses logo for The Shades on the flap.

"Will you give him this letter? I decided I needed to tell him some things and to say goodbye. It was good to receive his letter. It has helped me. So thanks for bringing it to me. Are you catching the ferry tomorrow?"

She thought we would be travelling back to France and it was important to maintain that notion so I nodded at her and put the envelope in my bag. She must have decided to tell him about John after all.

She left us then, and we didn't see her again until John and his band came on.

They were announced by the DJ as The Sandflys.

She stood by the side of the dance floor and watched him.

The group had one speaker and one electric guitar that the other man, who must have been George, played. The group was in front of the DJ's platform. John stood near Monique, and at first, they sang to an acoustic guitar that he played. They sang a couple of love songs, which were simple, but melodic. Then George got his electric guitar and did a solo instrumental, which was okay. They all three sang again, but this time Monique only sang the chorus as she played a flute accompanying John on the acoustic guitar. Considering they had one microphone on a stand they did well, I thought, and we all applauded as they finished their set. I had never heard the songs they sang before, but I quite liked them.

When the group walked off the dance floor the DJ started playing another record and people got up to dance.

Oliver cleared his throat and shuffled closer to me because he had moved to watch John.

"Hey, shall we start the journey back, because who knows how long it may take?" he asked.

Tristan seemed to consider this and then he answered. "What time would it be now, about ten thirty, it's a long time to be out there, Oliver, maybe we should stay here until they close and then leave. I wonder if they know about a taxi service? We could ask the guy at the door."

I thought this was probably a good idea, but didn't want to stay too long so that we had lots of leeway for any mishaps on the journey.

We hung around for another hour, and at eleven forty-five, fifteen minutes before the club was going to close, we got up to leave.

Oliver asked the guy on the door about a taxi as Tristan and I went quickly outside. He soon followed us.

"I have a number for a taxi, but we need to find a phone box, apparently there's one at the end of the high street."

"A phone booth, a public phone?" I clarified, and Oliver nodded.

"Yes," he said.

We walked along the high street. It was eerily quiet, and only a couple of cars passed us, everything seemed subdued including us.

Once or twice, I thought about Joanna and finally voiced a thought.

"Joanna was so nice it's hard to think of her as the witch who put that spell on Lily. I felt sorry for her back there, and yet I know how badly Lily suffered."

Oliver agreed. "I know what you mean. I suppose it just goes to show people can change."

We had reached the red painted phone booth with all its little squares of glass window. Tristan stopped by it.

"I feel for her, but at the same time I wonder if she would have changed without her spell going wrong and bringing her life to a close. It's sometimes tragedy that changes people."

Oliver shrugged and I fished in my bag for some of the change I seemed to have been collecting all evening. I gave the handful to Tristan and he gave it to Oliver.

"You have the number, Oliver," he said.

When Oliver opened the door of the phone booth, you could smell it. An unidentifiable smell, but strong all the same, and Tristan held the door open to keep the fresh night air going in there.

Oliver had trouble getting the phone to work, and finally Tristan went in and did it, with Oliver saying the numbers to dial. We were to wait there at the phone booth and a taxi would be along soon.

We stood close together on the sidewalk, and Tristan kept crunching some twigs that were down there on the ground, obviously dropped from the trees behind a low wall edging someone's garden. No one passed us and only one car came by. It was very quiet for the high street of what is in our own time a very busy town. I didn't like it; it felt lifeless.

When the taxi came, Tristan asked that we be taken to the Dearing house and gave the address. It seemed the taxi driver knew the place.

It was a quiet journey, but took less time than the bus, and Tristan asked to be taken to the hunting lodge, meaning the place that is my house in our own time, as we neared the Dearing lands. When we were left standing there at the front of the house Oliver checked the time, it was twelve thirty, we had an hour and a half to wait. I groaned because it felt like a long time to me. Oliver brushed my hand with his in sympathy for my sigh, and I turned to him. I'd have liked to put my arms around both him and Tristan right then.

I thought for a second and then I did that, and we stood there out the front of the hunting lodge in the dark for a couple of minutes. I actively did not listen to anyone's thoughts.

Tristan broke the silence.

"We could waste some time taking this coat back, no one will be around the stables at this time of night, certainly not since I'm not back from anywhere. What I mean is, I'm not here in nineteen-sixty-nine." He laughed a little and Oliver added on.

"To wander about in the dark of night riding your horse."

We all smiled a little then.

"Okay," I said. "It does seem like a long time before the portal opening. We might as well take the coat back."

Tristan set off up the small road the house is on, and Oliver and I looked at each other, he called,

"Tristan, don't we just cut through the woods?"

Tristan turned to us and waited until we reached him. "Not in the dark in this time, because the path, you must have noticed, is a bit different from in our own time. It will be pitch black in there. The road leads us there, because there's an access road comes onto it, in about a quarter of a mile, which leads straight to the stables."

Both Oliver and I said 'oh' together and then looked at each other smiling.

As we walked, Tristan took the coat off.

"It's been a hot night wearing the thing actually, and I'll be glad to see the back of it," he said, as he began to carry instead of wear it. He started humming one of the tunes that John's group had played and I was surprised that he had remembered it.

The access road was visible on the left of the road quite soon, and Tristan turned into the entrance. There was a gate there, which was locked with a padlock and we climbed up it and over it. Tristan turned once he was over and helped me down, his hands around my waist. It was enough to have me wanting to kiss him, I didn't, but he knew I wanted to, and as he let go he looked at me lovingly.

Oliver waited a step away watching this and I thought oh dear I still love them both.

I didn't think that this thought would have gone into either of their minds.

"Are we going to get back to the waterfall in time, Tristan?" Oliver asked when we had been walking quietly on the access road for about ten minutes.

Tristan laughed. "We will, the stables are just over there look," and he pointed ahead of us to the back of the stables as we knew them in our time.

Tristan stopped and so Oliver and I did too.

"I'll just run in there, wait here just in case."

We watched as he ran towards the back of the stables.

Oliver kissed me on the cheek and whispered, "In case of what I wonder?" He was smiling in the gloom of the strange lamps that lit the road. They were like dark orange bricks suspended on high poles. There weren't many of them and they didn't cast much light.

I turned my face, took hold of Oliver's face, and reaching up, I kissed him and then smiled at him.

He looked to where Tristan had vanished around a stable block and whispered, "Thanks for the kiss, I needed it."

We parted a little, and waited for Tristan standing a step away from each other. I looked around noticing the woods came right up to the fence here and I could feel a coolness coming from them. The night was becoming chilly anyway, and I looked up to see the sky full of stars, and the moon up there clear and bright.

Tristan appeared from the side of the building.

When he reached us, he grinned. "I had to look at a horse in there, remember I told you Jonathan was in the stall talking to a groom earlier. Well it seemed they were concerned about the horse's left front ankle. I had a look, and he's got a big thorn in there at the back. I'm shocked they didn't see it. I need tweezers to get it, but I left a note on the corkboard next to the door. They'll see that tomorrow, whoever goes in to groom. All the grooming tackle is there, with this triangular pencil and some invoices. Great huh? They should be in the office."

Clearly, he was not impressed by the invoices not being in the office.

Oliver shook his head grinning. "And who will they think left the note? Will it be okay?"

I smiled. Tristan and animals, he loved them.

He grinned back at Oliver. "It will be fine. They'll just get the vet in. Poor old boy the thorn has some soreness around it, which tells me it's been in the ankle a few days, but if they deal with it tomorrow, it will be fine. They had sold that horse in seventy two when I came up for a visit."

We walked back along the road quite briskly, because it was becoming cold, and I wanted to keep warm.

When we got back to the house, we went straight across the grass and stood on the dirt path above the bank that led down to the waterfall. We had twenty minutes but decided to stumble down to the waterfall pool and waste it there. The path down was trickier in the dark than I expected and I held onto first Tristan and then Oliver, and we all started giggling as we reached the bottom of the slope. The sound of the waterfall was loud in the clear night air and as we had come down the slope, we had disturbed a bird that whooped as it flew from its roost annoyed at our presence. Something else scurried through the undergrowth and into the masses of buttercups. We approached the reed pads and Oliver looked at Aristide's watch which had glow in the dark hands.

"We should get on there with you touching the water Tristan in maybe two minutes. Let's not miss the travel time. I can't say I'm that keen on this year, in fact I think I prefer eleven ninety."

Tristan laughed aloud. "No you did not, not as far as I recall."

We were giggly again as we stepped onto the reed pad. In the darkness, I was too close to a thin bit and my foot was in the water; I could feel the coldness through my boot. Tristan squatted down and stuck his hand in the water and Oliver held his shoulder and my hand, he also put his head on mine. We waited there. I was just about to complain bitterly that we were stuck there in nineteen-sixty-nine, when I heard Aristide speak and a light was shone on us.

He was close by with a couple of flashlights.

"There you are. I had to say my spell a couple of times. I think we were seconds out on the two a.m. time, meaning I started my chant a fraction early, but no matter you are back. So how did it go, all well and no problems?"

We stepped out of the reeds and Oliver had to give me a hand because my foot was sinking further.

Standing next to Aristide, Oliver was taking off his watch, giving it to him and saying, "Everything seems fine, Aristide, absolutely no dramas. Joanna got the letter and sent you one back." He looked at me then as if to say, give it to him Chloe. So I did.

Tristan was shaking his hand and squeezing the water out of his shirtsleeve as he said, "It was fine, Aristide." Tristan was back in his ordinary clothes.

Aristide had to hand a flashlight to Oliver to take the envelope I offered him and now he was looking at it in his hand, looking at the front and then at the back alternately. I thought he might give me the other light and open the letter, but he suddenly put it in the inside pocket of his suit jacket and looked at us watching him.

"I'm at Lily and Anna's house for another week. I need a hand with a few items if you can spare the time, Tristan. I'd like to take them to the auction rooms and you have that old truck, but if you are busy, I'll try to find someone to hire. I'll have finished soon. Lily called today, and said Anna was in Florence, but we're still operating in secret I'm afraid. I'm eager to see if what you did tonight will make any differences."

I heard Oliver say under his breath 'me too' and I gave him a tiny nudge on the elbow.

Tristan rolled up his offending wet sleeve and answered Aristide.

"I can help Aristide, no problems at all, when did you have in mind?"

Aristide smiled. "Thank you Tristan, may I call you when I've put together the last few items?"

In answer, Tristan nodded and just said "Of course."

Aristide looked at each of us. "You have to be tired, I'll let you be on your way, thank you so much for what you did tonight I'm so pleased it went without any hitches."

We said 'goodnight' and 'see you later' each of us saying the same thing and Aristide went off via the path leading to the ruins and the abbey, maybe he had a car in the car park up there. We watched for a few seconds as Aristide shone his flashlight on the path to light his way.

Then Oliver spoke up. "Okay let's go. Do you think we could go either to your place, Chloe, or to the stable apartment, Tristan, and have a cup of coffee? I never feel like going straight home alone after our adventures."

I smiled even though he couldn't see me because I was following him, as he lit our path with the flashlight Aristide had given him. I felt the same too.

Tristan offered, "You're welcome to come over to the apartment, but we'll need to drive there. What about you Chloe, will it be okay to come into the kitchen, then Oliver and I can just leave afterwards and you'll be already home."

I thought that was a good idea, it wouldn't be the first time we had hung around the kitchen at two in the morning, and the big oak door stopped any noise anyway. "Come into the kitchen we're nearer, it'll be fine."

We had once more got onto the path that ran along the top of the waterfall pool bank, and on to either the restaurant, or the gardens, and then to the woods. It was lit with fairy lights and big white lights like old-fashioned lanterns. It was cheerful and summery. I was glad to be home. We walked quietly over the garden to the side of the house and I could hear a distant noise, which I knew was traffic, people were about, the stars were bright and the moon high. The air seemed to have a friendliness about it. All our garden lights were on; mom had never re-set the timers after that 'prowler' stuff, and that was nice. It was good to look out of the French windows in the kitchen, or the middle drawing room and see the garden all lit up.

I had left the middle drawing room windows unlocked, and hoped mom had not checked them before she went to bed because I had thought it best not to take the keys with me to another time. I tried the handle and it opened. I looked around at Oliver and Tristan's faces and grinned. If it had been locked, I planned on staying with Tristan.

We went down to the kitchen, closed the door and Tristan started making coffee and tea. I went to the fridge and got out some cake that was in there. As I did this, I suddenly remembered our phones.

"Oh Aristide has forgotten to give us our phones back. I was looking forward to having mine again."

Oliver laughed, "Because it's like a security blanket or what?"

"Well yes, as a matter of fact, I do like it with me always," and I gave Oliver a look meant to convey the idea that he had texted me, and kept me sane, the months I was away.

Tristan said, "He'll probably front up with them tomorrow or something."

We sat down close to each other at the far end of the big table.

"Did you ever hear of The Sandflys Tristan, back in the seventies, when you visited, you know, did they become a little famous, or like Will's Band well known locally and sought after?" I asked.

He thought for a few seconds. "No I don't think so, but then I never went to that town to go to a club, or any evening event. That Sunday morning song of theirs was very familiar though I have to say. We should look them up on the internet sometime."

I nodded and drank my tea; Tristan could make a passable cup of it now.

Oliver finished his coffee and then said, "It's always weird when we all split up and go to different homes after we have been off in another time or something. I know it's going to sound bizarre but it feels as if we should be together somehow."

I considered that idea for a few seconds. How would that work I wondered?

Tristan was silent and then suddenly said, "I feel the same. I put it down to the intensity of what we experienced, but also to the fact that we've spent time close to each other during that intense time and we miss that."

I was thinking this was a strange conversation given we had spent three months apart recently, but then I realized it meant we had moved past that split and I smiled to myself.

"I'll give you a lift home, Tristan, when you are ready. It's too late to be hiking through the woods even though you do it I know." Oliver smiled as he said this.

I looked at Tristan and he nodded, "Okay Oliver that will be great."

He finished his coffee and stood up. "Let's get going then, if Aristide brings the phones over to my place tomorrow I'll come over with them."

Oliver had stood up and so I did too. I desperately wanted to hug them both before they left, but would that be okay? I didn't know.

We went quietly out to the Land Rover and Oliver unlocked it. I stood close and as Tristan went around to the passenger side, I moved and kissed Oliver on the cheek as he got in the driver side, and he grinned at me. I went around to Tristan. He had not opened the door, and I felt sure he was waiting for me. I reached up and kissed his cheek, and then he opened the door smiling and got in. They must have known what I had just done, but what could it matter, a kiss on the cheek, people greet each other like that.

I went inside and they drove away as I closed the front door.

I checked the kitchen, and put our cups in the dishwasher and then went up to my room.

In the shower, I thought about what we had just done, and my biggest hope was that it had not somehow changed history for anyone for the worse.

When I was in bed, I missed my phone. I always had it close by, and if I had it I felt sure either Oliver or Tristan, or both would have texted me goodnight.

I fell asleep thinking I'd throw my clothes I had worn that night in the wash tomorrow after that grubby bus ride.

Chapter Seven

I was woken up by Steven knocking on my door and calling, "Chloe, there's a call for you. Chloe, are you awake yet, Chloe."

I leapt out of bed and opened my door.

"What, who, a call?" It took me a moment to realize he meant a phone call on a landline it had been so long since I had used one.

Steven said, "Its Oliver," as he went down to his own room.

"Sure, okay, I'll just get my jeans on," I told him, and as I scrambled into them I considered why Oliver might be calling. I ran downstairs and I glanced at the old clock in the hall, which I had decided some time ago belonged to the house or Tristan it was so old. It seemed to keep good time and right then it was eleven o'clock. Little wonder I still felt tired I couldn't have had more than six hours sleep.

I went to the middle drawing room, where the landline phone is.

"Hi Oliver, what's happening?" I greeted him.

"Chloe, hello what are you up to? Let's meet or do you want to come around?"

I was smiling when I answered, "I'll come around."

Forty-five minutes later, I parked in front of Oliver's stable conversion, and as I was getting out of my Wrangler, he came out to meet me.

"Chloe, it's great to see you, did you sleep okay? I was having weird dreams."

Oliver hugged me and then we walked into his place hand in hand. He took me into his kitchen and asked if I wanted orange juice, tea, or something. It was a lovely day and we took our orange juice out to sit at his little garden table.

"Have you heard anything from Tristan at all, especially about our phones?" Oliver asked and smiled at me as he leaned forward to kiss me.

I shook my head as he moved away. "Nothing, but then he probably hasn't heard from Aristide," I answered.

I sighed because I wanted my cell back, it was like a comfort blanket, Oliver had been right.

He looked quizzically at me.

"We could ring Tristan on his landline, and ask if he's heard anything, or if he thinks it would be okay to drop around to the house near White Woods or, and this is my favorite, first we could catch up on some cuddling. I miss you so much when I've not been able to just hold you close for a while."

I looked at Oliver and his loving expression; he was so dear to me.

I got up and went to put my arms around him. He stood up too and hugged me again before we started to kiss each other.

It was an hour before we went back to the conversation about the cell phones and we were still hugging, though we had abandoned the garden for Oliver's bedroom after about ten minutes.

"Maybe we should go in search of Tristan and check him out and then go over to Anna's house and search out Aristide. I've got a feeling he may have put the bag down in the house with our phones in it and simply forgotten them. He does seem preoccupied by having to clear out Lily's stuff in secret, don't you think?" Oliver said this between kissing me, and I grinned at him, moving his hair from his forehead, and kissing that.

"We could do, it's about lunchtime maybe we could find out if Tristan wants to get some lunch that would be good. We have only just got back together after all, despite travelling in time," I added, because I did want to make sure Tristan was okay.

Oliver sighed slightly. "I know because I heard you yesterday, well your thoughts were pretty clear. You still love both of us and I feel okay with it, really I do, although I don't want to think too far in the future about it, because if we're all three together for hundreds of years, I wonder how it will work out."

I sighed then too, it was something we needn't talk about yet I thought, but I answered Oliver. "Maybe over such a long time, things will change, who knows you or Tristan may meet someone else, it's not unknown, Oliver."

He was shaking his head and I laughed. "Don't Oliver, let's not debate the point, or think about it, let's just love each other while we can."

I don't know why I came out with that but it stopped Oliver from going on with the conversation. Instead, he kissed me and then sat up. He dashed into his shower and then as he dressed I had my second shower of the day and threw my clothes back on.

We decided to leave Oliver's car and drive in mine to the Dearing house. It was around one thirty, and although it normally doesn't take long to get to Tristan's place from Oliver's, there was a lot of summer Saturday traffic and we got to the Dearing house at two.

I parked close to the house since there were no cars around at all and I thought as we walked to the door that probably Tristan was out too, or maybe he had stayed at the stable apartment last night.

McPherson answered the door and smiled broadly at us. "Chloe and Oliver how nice to see you, and may I say how very good it is to know you're back and Tristan too. It was a crying shame that you went away, all of you."

I smiled back at her, and felt like hugging her so I stepped forward and did that. She liked it I could tell as I moved away and asked, "Is Tristan around, do you know where he is? We hoped we could all have some lunch, although it's a bit late now I guess."

She smiled. "He's over at the old house, the house near 'White Witches.' Do you know it?"

I nodded at her, it was interesting that she as an old local called the woods by their original name and the house there as the old house.

"We know it," I told her.

"Yes he got a call and went over to help with some furniture or something. He took the truck. It would be good if you got him to have lunch because he didn't have breakfast." A look of concern went across her face as she said that, and then she smiled again at us.

Oliver spoke up. "Okay we'll go over and find him. Maybe we'll see you later."

Back in my car, Oliver commented as he looked around at McPherson closing the door, "Do you ever get the feeling that she knows about Tristan?"

I had to admit I did have that feeling, and we drove off both considering this.

We reached the big house, which belonged to Anna and maybe partly to Lily for all I knew. Tristan's truck was in the drive. It had a big white canvas sheet stretched over some bulky items in the back, and I parked behind it.

Oliver held my hand as we walked to the front door only letting go when I had rung the bell. I smiled at him as he let go of my hand and quickly kissed him. This made him smile and when the door was opened, not by Aristide, but by Tristan, we were both smiling at him.

"Hi Tristan," I said. "We've come to ask you to lunch, in case you are hungry, and to find our cell phones. What's going on?"

He smiled too and opened the door wider. "Come on in. I've just had some lunch with Aristide and we were about to take the stuff to the auction house ready for Monday's auction. Our phones are there" and he pointed at the plastic bag we had given to Aristide when we left them with him on Friday. It was on top of the long hall table.

I went to it and got my phone, handing Oliver his and saw Tristan's was still in there too. I frowned slightly, if it had been me I'd already have my cell phone in my pocket and here was Tristan leaving it in the bag. I handed it to him and crushed up the plastic bag, pushing it into my back pocket.

Tristan actually grinned. "Thanks Chloe, I intended to bring them around after I had helped Aristide. Come down to the back room everything is finished, for today at least."

We followed Tristan down to the room. It was down a very long hall and was a conservatory when we got there.

It stretched the width of the house and there was a door into other rooms on each side as well as double glass doors out to the garden.

Aristide was sitting at a cane table and it looked as if he and Tristan had just finished eating some lunch. He stood up as we entered the place and nodded at us.

"Hello, just in time for a cup of coffee before we go off to the auction rooms. How are you both, no ill effects from the travels? Tristan says he is fine."

He started towards one of the doors, but turned again, "You'll have coffee?"

Oliver smiled. "Thanks that will be good, but Chloe."

Aristide smiled too. "Only drinks tea," he stated, and we all laughed a little.

Tristan watched him go and then turned to us. "He seems in fine spirits I think the letter from Joanna must have cheered him up. Will you come along to the auction room too, do you have any plans?"

Oliver shook his head, "Not so far, we thought maybe hang out with you. I don't have to work until tomorrow night."

I nodded in agreement with Oliver's information and looked at Tristan hopefully. It would be cool if we could all spend some time together. Tonight Will's band was playing at the Kool Kafé. I told them both this and Tristan was smiling as Aristide came slowly in with a tray. We pulled up a couple of rattan chairs from the side of the room and Aristide put the cups down on the table.

I wanted to know how he was feeling and I asked him, "Aristide, after the letter from Joanna are you hopeful the harassment will stop?"

He put his hands together as if in prayer and said softly, "I think so, I was going to call Angelique this evening and have a long talk about things. Ask some questions and then I'll know what really might have been changed by the letter I sent to Joanna. Last night it seemed not much might have changed. Anna was in Florence but of course we don't know her frame of mind, which may be different."

He glanced away, looking out of the window, as if gathering his thoughts and then back at me.

"I'll be very pleased if only Anna's frame of mind has changed and no ripples have spread to other people's lives."

He seemed to have stopped speaking and I gave him a kind look intending only to be supportive.

"Especially not your son's life," I said.

He looked at me intrigued. "My son, do you mean my daughter? I don't think anything will change there, I don't think Anna had anything to do with the car accident that killed Rene's parents."

I looked at him; he had misunderstood. "No I meant your son with Joanna. She came to us with the letter to give you after we had met him, so I thought..." I tailed off because it was obvious I had put my foot in it. He didn't know about John, she hadn't put that in her letter, so what had she put? I sighed and looked at Oliver and Tristan who were both sitting opposite me and had looks on their faces that said 'Chloe you big mouth.'

Aristide sat up a little more and he leaned forward to me.

"You met my son? I have a son? You must tell me about him. Are you sure Joanna said he is my son? Why wouldn't she ever have told me? What's his name? How old was he when you met him?" Aristide was sitting forward in his chair now intrigued, and I felt bad about having let the secret out.

I looked across at Tristan and he gave me a tender look this time.

"Aristide," Tristan said. "His name is John, and he was eighteen when we met him yesterday. Joanna asked us not to tell you, but when she came back with the letter, we naturally assumed she had decided to tell you. I'm so sorry."

"He will still be alive, he has no magic, so he will be sixty," I added in some effort to help the mess I had stirred up by telling Aristide.

Oliver looked at me with a widening of his eyes; he probably thought I should shut up. I thought so.

Aristide shook his head. "Sixty and no magic. I wonder where he is. He could be anywhere. I wonder if Anna knows where he is."

I knew I should shut up, but I went on, "Anna was to stay away from him. Joanna had decided John shouldn't know about Anna or her magic, well any magic. She probably doesn't know and since she perpetrated that hate campaign against you, she wouldn't tell you. But she might now, if she's changed, if everything is different." I just couldn't help myself could I, and the look of hope on Aristide's face made me think that maybe I hadn't done anything so wrong in telling him after all.

Tristan stood up and started picking up the cups.

"Aristide, let's get going to the auction rooms, you can think on the way. It might not be the way to go, to ask Anna anything immediately. Find out if she seems changed first, after all these years a day or two will not hurt before you try to find John."

I admired this wisdom and glanced gratefully at Tristan as he picked the cup up that was in front of me on the table. He looked at me pointedly, I thought he meant be quiet big mouth and decided I really had to be.

Aristide sat back in his chair. "You're right of course. We'll stick to our plans and tomorrow I'll find out if there's any kind of change in Anna when I speak to Lily again. When I spoke with her last night you would already have delivered the letter to Joanna, and everything seemed the same. I can't know for sure though. It might even be that Joanna did not ever tell Anna I had contacted her, things wouldn't have changed in that case."

I sighed inwardly, everything was always so complicated with time travel, we were lucky in my opinion that we hadn't got back to find Anna had sold the house years ago and Lily had never had the opportunity to meet Rene. It didn't bear thinking about because in that case Lily would already be dead too from that spell.

We slowly made our way out of the house. We decided, as we stood by the truck waiting for Aristide to lock up, that we would follow to the auction house. That way the job could get done sooner with Oliver to help. They both said to me in whispers something like 'Chloe you were not supposed to speak about John.' I put my head down and looked at the ground.

As Aristide came towards the truck, Oliver and I got into my car and we backed out and reversed down the road a little in order to follow Tristan.

Oliver leaned over to me and kissed my cheek. "Cheer up, Chloe, it was a natural assumption to make, that Joanna had told him about John. Don't be sad."

I glanced at him and shrugged. "I just didn't think, I just assumed. I'll try and fix it."

I saw Tristan swing out of the drive and so I followed him.

Oliver put his hand on my arm gently. "What do you mean fix it?"

"Well we know the name of his group, so we could research it on the internet, who knows we might be able to find John for Aristide."

"Chloe, maybe that's not a good idea, what if he doesn't want to know Aristide after all these years, and more importantly, what if he was never told by Joanna who his father was? Maybe wait and find out what Aristide has in mind."

I nodded but I was still thinking I'd look John up on the internet, it would be impossible not to.

We soon arrived at the auction rooms. They were in the next small town and attached to a couple of antique shops.

I stood round watching and had a quick snoop in the antique shops because Oliver and Tristan seemed to want to get on with helping Aristide.

When they had finished we arranged to meet Tristan at the Dearing house about six and we drove off separately. I didn't say anything and Oliver seemed lost in thought too, we were nearly at my place when he said, "There's quite a bit of tragedy surrounding Aristide isn't there, what with Rene's parents being killed in a car crash and his sister dying. Then there's the whole Lily thing, let's not forget it was because of Aristide she had that spell cast on her."

I considered this for a moment. "Oliver, Lily did spy on them, it's not quite his fault what happened, and he did try to get Joanna to lift the spell. But yes, there's a fair but of tragedy surrounding Aristide. I wonder if his daughter was Angelique's child with him? I don't think I'll go there. I feel bad enough about letting the secret of John out, but I genuinely expected Joanna to have put that in her letter."

Oliver nodded, but didn't comment.

We reached my place and found mom in the kitchen making coffee, she made some for Oliver and asked what we had planned for the night. I mentioned we might go up to see Will's band at the Kool Kafé when we had met up with Tristan. She talked with Oliver for a few minutes about his computer business and I went upstairs to change. If we were going to the Kool Kafé, I wanted to change my T-shirt.

When I got back into the kitchen, Oliver and mom were still going on about computers and I had my netbook with me as well as a jacket. The day was warm but if we ended up hanging around at night it might get cold. I sort of hid my netbook with my jacket, probably because I knew I was going to use it to look up John and The Sandflys. Mom left us to go down to her study and I sat down near to Oliver.

He smiled at me, and put my hair behind my ear and then kissed me gently holding my head to his.

"I love you," he whispered, it always felt as if he had kissed me again when Oliver told me he loved me and I told him I loved him too.

We had about half an hour before we were to go to meet Tristan and I decided to chance it.

"Oliver, I really can't see why we couldn't just do a quick internet search for John. It doesn't mean we say anything more to Aristide. I feel curious to know where he is now."

Oliver looked at me shaking his head. "You just can't help yourself can you? Okay let's make it quick."

I got my netbook from under my jacket and booted it as Oliver grinned at me.

There were a number of hits on Google for The Sandflys, and I looked at Oliver with surprise as the page loaded. I hadn't expected so many. Whoa, they were on Wikipedia. Then halfway down the page I saw it. The lead singer John Lovell had been found dead of a suspected drug overdose in nineteen-eighty-seven. I read the couple of news reports about his death. He had left behind a wife Monique, who was another singer in the group and a son Jean-Paul. The group had cancelled all tour dates for the rest of the year.

I looked at Oliver and he looked at me, we both had the same expression on our face I felt sure of it. I was shocked and sad about it, because we had only just met him as an eighteen year old last night. Oliver looked sad too.

"How horrible Oliver, he's dead," I said unnecessarily.

Oliver nodded. "Yes, and we just got through talking about tragedy. Monique was the girl we saw him with, so they married and had a child, what a pity about him dying."

We both stared at the screen again for a minute or so as if that might change what had happened.

"You know we have to tell Aristide, we can't let him go searching for his son when we know he is dead," I sighed saying this to Oliver.

He shook his head slightly. "How awful, let's get going and tell Tristan," he added.

I copied the two news reports quickly to show Tristan, and then Oliver drove us up to the Dearing house in my Wrangler. I sat in the passenger seat thinking about what a shame it was that John had died and so young, it seemed extra tragic somehow after seeing him sing with his mom watching him.

We parked in the big gravel area at the Dearing house and walked up to the door. I glanced at Oliver as we stood waiting for McPherson and he smiled a little at me encouragingly. I touched his hand as the door opened. It was Tristan and not McPherson.

"What's wrong, I can see by your faces something is." He put his arm out to hold me around the shoulders as we stepped into the hall.

Oliver watched him and then said, "We'll tell you, but who's at home, we need to talk in private?"

Tristan looked worried, and he opened the door of the morning room, leading us in there. Closing the door, he turned to us.

"What's going on, it's neither of your families Chloe, Oliver?"

I shook my head. "No nothing like that. It's John, Aristide's son, he's dead."

"How, when, how do you know?" he asked looking from me to Oliver and then at me again.

"He died of a drug overdose in the late eighties, he got married to that girl Monique, and they had a son, it's so sad," I blurted out.

Tristan looked at me and then he turned slightly and looked out of the window, he was silent for a moment or two.

"We can't let Aristide search for a son who is dead, well that we know to be dead," he said in echo of what I had already said earlier. He gave a big sigh.

Oliver made a step towards him. "What do you want to do, should we go around there now? It seems a bit cruel to have only told him about his son this afternoon and now to tell him the son is dead."

Tristan shook his head again. "Bloody hell I don't know which is crueler go and tell him now or wait until tomorrow, but we do need to tell him. If only we hadn't told him about John at all," he looked sadly at me. "Sorry Chloe, I don't mean that to hurt you."

I sat down on the striped sofa in the room and agreed softly, "I know, I wish I hadn't, but I did, and now we have this to contend with."

"Hey, the fact is any of us could have come out with it, since Joanna sent a letter it was natural to think she had decided to tell him about John. Let's drop the subject," Oliver said. He came over and sat next to me.

I was watching Tristan's face and he looked pained. "Of course," he said and then he added, "Come on down to the kitchen now I know it's not something horrible about either of your families. Let's go and have coffee and think this through."

I wanted to let Tristan know I was okay with his comment and so I sent him a thought, that I loved him and was he okay. He touched my hand as we walked down to the kitchen and I listened to his thoughts, they were jumbled, but amongst them was that he wanted to kiss me.

McPherson was not around and neither was Charlie the old dog. Tristan made coffee and offered me tea, but I didn't want any, I wanted to hold him.

"We should just go up there and tell him. The longer he has to think he has a son the worse it will be when he discovers he hasn't," Oliver said philosophically.

Tristan put a cup of coffee down in front of him, "I'm inclined to agree," he commented.

I sat quietly until I realized they were expecting me to speak and then I said, "That's what I think too."

We sat there looking at the table and then each other for a minute and then Tristan questioned, "You're sure it was him who died, there was another guy in the group last night."

I didn't think there was any mistake but I booted my netbook and showed Tristan the reports that I had copied. He read them and then said, "There's maybe Jean-Paul still out there, neither report mentions his age at the time of John's death. We need a few more bits of information, Chloe; I'll just add mine to the networks and go back on the internet."

I watched him type in the key to join the Dearing network and then launch the browser. He Googled The Sandflys and all the hits Oliver and I had, scrolled up again on the page.

Oliver smiled at me across the table and I smiled back. He got up and sat close to Tristan, and we all looked at the screen.

"So no mistake then," Tristan commented after reading the reports himself.

"I wonder if Aristide has a laptop with him?" I was thinking if he did this search himself, he would find out about Jean-Paul. "I know what this is going to sound like but perhaps we shouldn't tell him about John's death. Maybe we should check out Jean-Paul and then tell him everything we have found out. It's just that maybe we should try to soften the blow. You know, if there's a grandson out there, then the loss of John may not be so bad. Tristan, you suggested he leave finding out about John for a couple of days, maybe we use those days to search out Jean-Paul." I suggested this thinking the idea might be shot down in flames, but both Oliver and Tristan looked interested.

"That could be an idea. I have to admit I don't know what would be for the best so yeah, a couple of days just checking out Jean-Paul," Tristan nodded, and looked at Oliver.

Oliver gave a slight nod. "Why not, it also might be interesting to find out if there are any changes from Aristide. You know with regard to the harassment or Anna's mental state."

Tristan gave a grin at this. "You mean if she's not quite as weird."

Oliver grinned in agreement.

I didn't say anything because I suddenly thought I'd Google Jean-Paul.

I pulled the netbook towards me. "We should search Jean-Paul Lovell, maybe he's a musician too with a band. How old did it say he was when John died? Was it sixteen?" I inquired as I typed his name into the search box.

"That would be too much to hope for, he could be anything. He could be a bus driver." Oliver laughingly said, and then added, "He was sixteen. He'd be forty now I guess."

"Well look at this there are a number of Jean-Paul Lovells. Some of these hits are not real though, they are advertisement type things for genealogy sites and people finder directories. Here's one in London who is a violinist, it mentions him because he did a solo in a concert, when the orchestra played at a famous theatre. Let's look up the orchestra. They sometimes have their own websites with the members details listed."

Both Tristan and Oliver were interested now and leaning over to look.

"It doesn't mean it's him," Oliver cautioned.

I Googled the orchestra and yes they had a website, and it listed their members, and there he was.

"It really doesn't mean it's him," Tristan warned.

I began to read out the short bio, "Jean-Paul Lovell, date of birth April sixteen, nineteen-seventy-one, born and raised in Oxford, only son of Monique and famous father deceased John Lovell, followed his father's footsteps into a musical career at the tender age of five." I stopped reading and looked around at both Oliver and Tristan's surprised faces.

"That was easy, how lucky are we he's not a bus driver?" I said grinning.

Oliver nodded, "I can hardly believe it, but then again lots of children who have famous musician parents do go into music."

Tristan smiled. "And lots don't Oliver, this is lucky. Hey, but now we have the information what are we going to do with it?"

We stared at each other for a minute.

"I vote we check him out in person," I said.

"But why Chloe, what are we going to say?" Tristan was totally against it I could tell by his tone of voice.

"I agree with Tristan why do that, Chloe, surely it's something Aristide needs to decide," Oliver said.

I didn't know why in reality, I had just gotten caught up in the search.

"You're probably right, I can't think of a good reason to now you have both said that. We need to tell Aristide though, don't you agree?" I asked them.

"Yes, we do, tomorrow maybe," Tristan said, and Oliver nodded in agreement.

"How about we go to Kool Kafé tonight?" Tristan suggested and I grinned.

"Yes let's do that," I agreed.

It was a great night at the café. Will's Band played a few good covers and then a couple of their own songs. James and Clare were there and Laura with Corbett as usual glued together on the dance floor. Everyone seemed to be so pleased to see us back together. It was weird in a way how they all accepted our threesome, our love triangle.

Corbett danced with me and held me quite close too, which was fun and we laughed a lot. I asked him what he would think if I danced with Tristan and then with Oliver, and he laughed saying he would think I was 'a lucky girl' in his lovely French accent. I laughed too but then became a little serious and asked if he had any doubts about Laura, did he just know she was the one. He smiled and said, "The one I love always, yes, from the day one."

I smiled, the music track ended, and we went to join the others at the table where Tristan leaned close to me as I sat down in my chair and said, "I wish it had been me holding you close."

I smiled at him and somehow the image of us holding each other close the last time we made love came into my mind. He widened his eyes at me and I realized I had put that image in his mind.

Laura although not able to read minds must have guessed Tristan wanted to dance with me and she dragged Oliver up onto the dance floor so that Tristan and I followed. Will was covering 'Reign of Love' and Tristan held me close and whispered to me.

"I'm dying to make love to you, tell me you love me," he left his cheek against mine and I sent him the thought, 'I love you', it would have to be enough until later I decided.

When we set off home, it was with me driving my Wrangler, with Oliver in the passenger seat, and Tristan in the back. We were talking about Aristide again and decided to go and see him Sunday afternoon to tell him the news and then Oliver had to work. We arranged that Oliver would come over to my house just after two, and then we would pick Tristan up at the greenhouses and go over together. It meant we would not overstay, as Oliver had to be at the restaurant for four thirty.

We dropped Oliver at home and I looked longingly at him as he got out of my car, I'd have liked to kiss him goodnight. He looked back at me in the same way and Tristan got out of the back to come and sit in the passenger seat. Oliver kissed me very quickly before he got out grinning and I had to smile too. We didn't drive off until Oliver was inside his place.

I had only reached the edge of town when Tristan leaned over and kissed my cheek as we were stopped at the lights.

"Chloe, let me stay tonight, or you come home with me. I love you so much. I need to feel you close," he said softly, it was so gentle, and heartfelt I had to close my eyes against the wave of emotion that came over me. I opened them to see the lights had changed and thought myself lucky not to have been honked at by the cars behind me.

I whispered back to him, "You stay with me, but sooner or later mom will realize, and then I guess she will want some answers." I was lucky not to have been challenged by her recently, and she would only have been doing it out of concern I knew that.

"If she wanted answers I'd be more than willing to ask you to marry me Chloe," Tristan said, still so softly it felt as if he was a little afraid to say what he was saying.

I swallowed. This was unexpected, it was lovely, but not what I wanted to hear and he must have known that because he sighed and added.

"I know that wouldn't be what you wanted."

We had reached my place and I parked next to mom's car before I answered.

"Tristan that's not so, and I love you, so much, but there's still Oliver in my heart too. I can't lie, I still love you both." I looked down at the gravel driveway through my window and sighed.

Tristan got out of the car and came around to my side, I opened the door, and he finished opening it. He put his arms around me to pull me close to him as I got out of the driving seat.

"I'm sorry that was unfair of me, to you and to Oliver, I do love you though, and if there was only me I'd ask you to marry me. Will you maybe just forget I said it and have a cup of coffee instead?"

I closed the car door and we went into the house.

The kitchen light was on and the kettle was boiling. I guessed mom had been up from her study to make coffee and would come back. So we made her a cup of coffee and I took it down to her study.

She smiled at me as I put the cup on her desk.

"So how's things now you are back home? Still seeing both boys I notice."

I looked at her horrified and then shook my head.

"It's true and nothing has changed. I still care for both of them and we're all friends, so sorry mom."

She had put her hands up to indicate I needn't become upset, and she picked up her coffee.

"Just an observation Chloe, if everyone is happy well okay, don't get upset."

When I went down to the kitchen Tristan could tell I was a little upset as I walked in the door.

"What's wrong Chloe?" he asked, putting his arms around me and I hugged him.

"Nothing really, just mom commenting on me still seeing both you and Oliver, her word 'seeing' she's totally unaware of the real situation."

Tristan moved back a little from me and put a hand along my face.

"And what is that? The real situation? That it's not just 'seeing' us both?"

I was afraid Tristan was going back to that question about me making love to both of them and so I quickly said.

"She doesn't know I'm actually in love with both of you." I almost whispered this.

Tristan kissed me and then asked, "And there's no difference between us?"

I felt like asking if that was a trick question, but I knew that would be flippant, and yet it was a trick question wasn't it?

"I love you both the same, there's no difference in that Tristan," I said and as I said it, I realized I was guarding the information that I made love to both of them. It sounded even to my ears that there was a difference somehow.

I closed my mind. I couldn't be putting this thought into Tristan's head.

I looked at his lovely face, his beautiful eyes, and his loving expression, and all I wanted to do right then was love him, care for him, and protect him. It was unfathomable that I felt like this for both him and Oliver. Was I any closer to feeling better about it? No, I was not. I hid from it. I couldn't let go of either of them. Nothing would induce me to choose between them.

Tristan looked at me and he knew I was thinking something, there was a question in his eyes, and I couldn't say any more. I started to kiss him and to tell him I love him. He responded lovingly and passionately, just for a few seconds his intensity dazzled me, and then he started to smile between kisses, and finally picked me up in a hug.

We did go up to my room and Tristan did stay the night, but about six in the morning, he left. Dad had just gone to work and I went back up to my room after I let Tristan out of the house. I tidied everything up because we had been in the shower together, leaving towels and my clothes around. I couldn't stop smiling because it had been so great to be with Tristan. He seemed to have become more light-hearted. It was great to see him happy and smiling, but I knew deep down it was because he had decided that I had chosen him, even though I hadn't said it. A few stray thoughts of his had brought that home to me in the night. I didn't want to face it yet. I was standing looking at the roundels on my desk and the rings, the one Tristan had given me when he thought his life might be ending, and the one Oliver had given me because he had always intended to. I picked them up and put one on a finger of each hand. I looked at them. They seemed to symbolize the gravity of the situation I had made for myself. It was impossible to think about, and I put them back on my desk between the roundels. Instead I focused on some work and catching up with Steven and mom.

Chapter Eight

Oliver arrived at one-thirty, so a little early for our meeting with Tristan and I was happy to see him.

He hugged me and we went out onto the patio to talk for a while before going up to the greenhouses to collect Tristan.

Naturally, Oliver kissed me and held me close. I couldn't help responding to him because I do love him dearly. Did I feel guilty, or any other negative thing about having made love to Tristan half the night and now was here kissing Oliver, and telling him I loved him? No, not right then.

We drove up to the greenhouses in Oliver's Land Rover and he backed it slightly down the tiny parking space. There was the cream colored truck in there and I got out, squeezed past it, and went into the greenhouse to find Tristan. He was at the office end of the place and started to walk towards me, and smiled when he saw me. As I reached him he hugged me and I hugged him, but stepped back from him saying, "We need to go and get this stuff with Aristide over with don't you think? I feel sad to have to tell him about John."

Tristan kissed my cheek as I stepped away from him and replied.

"I know, okay let's go."

I purposely got in the back seat and Tristan gave me a questioning look but then got in the front with Oliver.

We drove there, and for the first couple of minutes we were all quiet and then Oliver asked, "Okay who's going to tell him, we can't do it in unison."

I almost smiled at the concept but didn't because the news for Aristide was sad.

Tristan answered before I did.

"I don't mind telling him, because we seem to have strangely bonded. I thought so yesterday when I was with him. It was almost as if we had always been friends."

I said, "I don't mind if it has to be me, but whatever you think is best. Oliver what do you think?"

He answered straight away. "If you feel okay about it Tristan then go ahead, and we'll be there for you if need be."

We all went quiet again and the silence lasted until we were parked in the long driveway of Anna's house.

"Maybe we should have rung him and checked he was in," I commented getting down from the Land Rover.

I walked around the front and met Oliver. Tristan walked up to the gates of the driveway. They were probably more than six feet high as they came to just over his head. They were closed and made of vertical panels of wood so that you couldn't see through them. Tristan stood on the edge of a large terracotta planter that was in the garden bed alongside and looked over the gates.

"He's here; the car he is hiring is there."

He got down from the planter and we walked up to the front door together.

Oliver looked at Tristan and me, and then he rang the bell. We could hear it echo down the hall. We waited knowing Aristide might be anywhere in the big house and need time to get to the door.

The door opened a moment later and Aristide looked surprised.

"Hello, I was worried about who might be at the door, although if I found it was Anna, I had a story prepared," and then he laughed, something I hadn't seen often.

"Come in, do come in. I'm having a cup of tea. I've finished collecting the smaller items for Lily and so I'm no longer busy."

We followed him down the hall and as we walked, he continued talking.

"I spoke with Lily last night and the news is confusing, but I'll tell you over tea."

We followed him past a few closed doors in the hall and then into the kitchen. It was a big attractively decorated kitchen. I couldn't remember seeing it the time we came here looking for Anna. It was mostly white with some blue touches and a very big window in one wall facing another part of the garden; it was at once homely and elegant.

Aristide started to make tea, and Tristan stood close to him instead of sitting down as Oliver and I had done at Aristide's gesture.

"Aristide, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but we have news of your son," Tristan began and Aristide turned to face him, putting the kettle down after pouring water in a large white teapot.

"And the news is not good is that it?" Aristide asked.

"No not about John. I'm so sorry Aristide we looked him up on the internet. You see we neglected to mention the name of the band he had and we suddenly thought to look it up. It could have been a red herring because bands come and go, fade into obscurity but no, this one achieved some fame, and John's death was reported in nineteen-eighty-seven."

Tristan stopped talking as Aristide put his hand to his mouth, but it was only for a second and then he was busy putting out teacups. He sighed and asked, "Did it say how he died?"

Tristan gave a quick glance at Oliver and me sitting close together at the end of the table, and then answered.

"From a suspected drug overdose it said, but there's some better news Aristide, it seems John married a girl in the band and they had a son, Jean-Paul. He's alive and he's a violist in an orchestra." Tristan finished talking and smiled a little.

Aristide had not missed a beat and had poured cups of tea for us all, placing milk and sugar nearby. He sighed again and sat down indicating for Tristan to do the same. Then he looked at each of in turn before saying, "It's okay. I was tempted to ask you to travel in time again and deliver a letter to John. I planned that I'd ask him to meet me at a place I knew I was, during August of nineteen-sixty-nine. I thought about it and decided, no, that was wrong, I should leave it. The ramifications in terms of what might be changed by such an action were too great to continue thinking that way. It's not possible for me to time-travel at the same time as manipulating a portal, so my going to see him was not an option. I came to the conclusion that I should leave it, after all Joanna thought I was going to receive the letter she sent right then in the same year, the same week, and had not told me about him, so..." He stopped speaking and took a sip of his tea.

I drank some of mine and glanced sideways at Oliver. He picked his cup up too, and then we waited for Aristide to continue.

He put his cup down and I knew he was a little emotional even if he was not showing it because the cup chinked slightly against the saucer, as if he was shaking when he replaced it. He looked at Tristan.

"Do you know how old Jean-Paul is?"

Tristan looked along at Oliver and me as if for confirmation before he answered.

"We think about forty, well yes forty. The report said he was born in April nineteen-seventy-one."

Aristide suddenly smiled. "In an orchestra you said, well the musical tradition continues. It must be from Joanna and her side of the family because Anna is musical as well you know. Would it be possible to see him perform I wonder?"

"We could look on the orchestra website and check the next performances, I'd be happy to do that for you, in fact I wouldn't mind seeing him perform," I offered, and netted unsettling looks from Oliver and Tristan. I guessed they thought it might be an intrusion to want to see the guy too, maybe it was, but still I found it intriguing.

Aristide smiled. "That's very kind of you and I'd find it reassuring to have you all with me. I don't have an internet facility here presently, or we could do that now."

Oliver sat forward. "I can do it now on my phone, if you want."

Aristide nodded. "Well go ahead Oliver."

It took Oliver a couple of minutes to discover the orchestra was playing in Stratford on Thursday and Friday nights of the coming week. We could buy tickets over the internet and the journey up there would only take an hour and a half maybe. Aristide wanted Oliver to go ahead and book tickets, and so after he had done that with Aristide's credit card, we all made plans.

We would drive up in my car, because both Oliver and Tristan could take a turn at driving with me, and Aristide might be unnerved by the event, so maybe it would be better he didn't drive. We had booked for Thursday night because Oliver wasn't working that night. As soon as we had made the plans to pick Aristide up at a certain time for the journey, he seemed to dismiss the topic of conversation and began instead to tell us about his last call to Lily.

He'd spoken at length with her because she had heard from Anna, who was still in Florence, and it seemed absolutely nothing had been changed by the delivery of the letter to Joanna. Aristide had thought one or two of the destroyed and stolen objects might have reappeared, or be undamaged because Anna would not have done the deed. The letter would have prevented that future action, but no nothing had changed. Anna had seemed in better spirits but Lily thought it was only because she had met a new man. They were happy together, and it seemed they were serious about each other and Anna was going to live with him. They were engaged. Lily had been happy for her and surprised when Anna had asked Lily if she would like to help her by putting the house up for sale, telling Lily that she never wanted to go back there. Aristide stopped in his story at that point and offered more tea to us all.

As Aristide poured the tea, Tristan asked, "Do you think that fact alone might mean she was influenced by the letter, she was quite bizarre the last time we saw her?"

Aristide shook his head as he sat back down. "I'm certain the letter had no influence. You see other things would have changed, as I said earlier. I believe that at least some valuables that were destroyed would not have been, especially in the last few years. I think the only person helped by the letter was Joanna, and if so then excellent, it was a worthwhile consequence." He sighed and picked up his teacup.

We looked at each other. I was thinking there must be more when Aristide continued.

"Lily agreed to act for Anna and sell the house, she has no claim to it, but Anna has offered her a quarter of the proceeds. Generous I'd say but since there will only be profit perhaps Anna feels benevolent. I'm staying here to 'start the ball rolling' as they say and contact real estate agents. Lily and Rene are coming over with letters of instruction from Anna and the deeds. I think at this stage they are flying to Florence, meeting Anna and her fiancé, then flying into London in the middle of next week, maybe Tuesday or Wednesday."

I raised my eyebrows and looked at both Oliver and Tristan before I asked,

"So Anna, really seems settled, she's not suddenly going to pop up and do Tristan any damage?"

Aristide smiled broadly even though Tristan had said softly, "Chloe."

"I think that's over, mercifully for us all, not just Tristan. Another thing is Lily, Rene, and Angelique have been in my confidence about the little errand you ran for me and Lily has questioned Anna."

Oliver had suppressed a laugh when Aristide called the journey back in time we made 'an errand', and Tristan had smiled slightly, but now Tristan gasped as Aristide finished the sentence. I guess I had thought it a secret too because I looked questioningly at Aristide and he nodded.

"Yes, it was necessary for all sorts of reasons. Anyhow, Lily questioned Anna, she actually asked Anna if she would stop the unpleasant behavior towards you, the chasing of Tristan, and she added in the harassment of Angelique and me. To her shock, Anna was contrite about Tristan and promised that was over along with living in this house, but more intriguing was her answer about the harassment of Angelique and me. Anna swore to Lily that she had stopped any such behavior years ago and she said the last time she had done something was in nineteen-ninety-five when she had put red gloss paint all over Angelique's new car, a white Alpha Romeo. Imagine my surprise at her admittance of the deed to Lily also I felt she was telling the truth. So the question is who has been continuing the harassment? I've considered the question most of the night and can think of no one."

Oliver had made a little sound in response to the red paint on the white Alpha Romeo and Tristan glanced at him and made a face as if in agreement. It was a horrid thing to do I agreed.

I can never keep my deductions to myself, and right then I suspected Anna was either lying about the harassment, or the only other person in the equation who would be doing it was Jean-Paul, and I said this.

They all three stared at me.

"Chloe, that's a bit of a leap," Oliver said evenly.

Tristan looked interested in the idea but added, "We've only just found out about his existence, surely he doesn't know about his grandfather," and he looked at Aristide as he said the word grandfather.

Aristide put his hands together in the gesture reminiscent of prayer that I had seen him use before and considered my offering.

"Lily believes Anna, and I'm inclined therefore to accept that. As for it being Jean-Paul, it would mean that he knew about me, about John, and how would that have happened? Joanna seems to have kept the secret. Although Chloe, maybe there's some merit in your supposition, somehow, some grain of the possibility rings true with me." He was quiet then and we all stared at each other and then at him.

Oliver was the first to speak. "I'm sorry but I have to work this afternoon and it's getting late."

Aristide stood up. "Of course, and we have covered a lot of ground. Let's catch up in a couple of days, maybe have lunch together before the trip to the concert."

We stood up and I thought we were all leaving, but Tristan announced he was staying.

"I'll let you and Oliver get off home," he said. "I'll stay a little longer with Aristide and walk through the 'White Woods' back home later," and he smiled reassuringly at me, as I looked at him in surprise.

Aristide took us to the door and once outside we walked over to Oliver's Land Rover silently. Inside his car Oliver said, "What's going on there I wonder? Tristan was a bit mysterious don't you think?"

He started the car and backed out of the drive as I answered. "Perhaps Tristan just decided to help Aristide a bit more with the antiques and stuff Lily wants to sell. Hey, what do you think about Anna? I wonder if she really is engaged, or it's some elaborate lie to put us all off guard and she will pop up to hassle Tristan again?"

Oliver grinned at me as he turned onto the road that leads to my house. "Who the hell knows Chloe, it could be either, she was as mad as a March hare last time we saw her. The thing with Jean-Paul though, maybe that's a stretch, how could he have found out about Aristide and Angelique? I don't know, but what I do know is, I have about half an hour before I have to go up to the restaurant and I'd like to spend it with you." He laughed a little as we pulled into my driveway.

He took his white shirt and black tie out of the back of the car and brought them into the house with him. We went into the kitchen and I asked if he wanted coffee before he got changed.

Oliver caught me to him and hugged me. "I feel as if I haven't kissed you for a week but I know that's not true. I miss you every second I'm away from you now Chloe. I didn't think I could love you more than I did, but since you spent three months away from me, I do love you more. I seem to need to kiss you more." He kissed me then and I felt an overwhelming love for him too. I told him so and we kissed each other again. It was an unusually serious moment between Oliver and me because mostly our lovemaking is happy, and we laugh and talk a lot. A couple of minutes later we were back to that and Oliver was smiling as he kissed down my neck saying he would be late for work if he didn't watch out.

He was working until twelve-thirty and said he would call, or text me afterwards. He changed into his work shirt and tie, and I watched him wanting to run my hands over his smooth skin.

When Oliver had left, I wandered up to my room and sat down at my computer, intending to check how to go back to the studying I had been doing the year before, but the afternoon was warm and the outdoors called me from the task.

I went for a walk and found myself heading for the waterfall.

It had been a while since I'd been there alone, and I found the path we had worn over the last year through the vegetation and down the bank. The sound of the water gushing, and the soft light through the canopy of trees dappling silvery patches on the surface of the pool gave the place a magical quality. It was by itself a place of ancient magic, and I could feel that now more strongly than ever before. This place was most certainly bonded with Tristan and a strange thought came into my mind, did Tristan possess magic powers that he didn't know about? I dismissed it and walked around the pool to the steps that led up to the riverbank. I didn't go up them. They were way too steep to attempt on my own, and I turned and went the other way to walk past the Norman castle ruins and on to the abbey ruins.

I had reached the little church, where I noticed the stained glass windows had been repaired, when Charlie came waddling up to me, wagging his tail and grinning his dog grin. I patted him and greeted him as Liz came along. We chatted about nothing in particular, the weather, Charlie, and then Liz said.

"It's great you are back Chloe. I'd given up on Tristan ever coming home again. He loves you so much you must know that. I have to ask, are you any closer to being more serious about him?"

It was unsettling and I stopped walking as we headed towards the abbey ruins.

"Liz, I love him. I've always been serious about him. That's why I left after Christmas to try and give him a chance." I couldn't finish because she gave me a curiously angry look and said,

"I meant choose him, and stop this business of seeing him and Oliver. I know the others seem to accept that you three are some kind of weird item, but I know Tristan better than they do and deep down I feel sad for him."

I felt bad, worse than ever before about loving both of them, somehow her speech had unnerved me, the words 'weird item', hurt me.

We started walking again by silent agreement and at the abbey ruins car park, she offered me a lift home and seemed to have given up the conversation. I accepted because I felt tired, but more emotionally tired than physically, so I got into her car and sat quietly with Charlie sitting on the back seat, as she drove the sleek and almost silent car home.

I said, "See you later," to her as I got out of the car at my house and she half smiled and called 'see you' to me, but I felt deflated because I had thought Liz was okay with the whole situation. Perhaps Tristan having left had hurt her a lot and she blamed me. I blamed me too in reality, if I was honest. My moral compass was not so far skewed that I didn't know in my heart it was somehow wrong to love two guys.

Over the last few days, I had spent the night with Tristan twice and made love to Oliver too. They both loved me and seemed to love me more than ever, and I absolutely loved them. I couldn't think straight, and I went up to my room and stood in the shower for ten minutes just letting the water cascade over me.

I thought about trying to give one of them up. It wasn't going to happen. I knew if Oliver came around to see me tonight I'd fall into making love to him, and if it was Tristan, the same would happen. Maybe I should see a doc.

Oliver texted me goodnight about one in the morning after Tristan had called me at midnight to tell me he loved me and would call the next afternoon.

I told each of them I loved them because it's true.

Chapter Nine

I tried to lie low over the next two days telling each of them I needed to catch up with work, so I didn't see Oliver or Tristan in person on Monday, just talked on the phone a little. Then on Tuesday mid-afternoon when I actually was doing some design work Oliver arrived. Mom let him in and sent him up to my room.

He knocked and I opened the door. Just the sight of him filled me with happiness and when he held out his arms to hold me, I was in them and holding him as if I hadn't seen him for weeks. We were hugging each other and he said, "Chloe, what's going on? I feel as if something is wrong. Don't shut me out, tell me."

I looked up at him and he bent his head to kiss me before I answered.

"Oliver, it's just that I feel guilty about still being in love with both you and Tristan. Sometimes the situation seems so cruel to you both that I don't know what to do." I told him because it was the truth, and what else could I say.

He kissed me again and then said, "Phew, is that all, I thought maybe you were going to drop me. It felt that way yesterday on the phone and all day I've been waiting for it. I don't think I could take it. I'd rather share you with Tristan than lose you, which sounds pathetic I know, but right now it's true."

I hugged him and we looked at each other. I wanted to know what he was thinking but couldn't bring myself to listen to his thoughts. I felt like a thief already.

We went to the desk and Oliver looked at my work there and then leaned on the edge drawing me close to him. I put my hands in his hair and felt its softness. I kissed him and held him carefully, because suddenly I felt how precious he and his love was to me.

We spent about ten minutes like that kissing each other and generally making up for not having seen each other since Sunday afternoon.

Oliver smiled suddenly. "I suppose you have given Tristan the impression he's on the verge of being dropped too. When did you last speak to him?"

"It was yesterday like you, we spoke on the phone, he seemed okay, and he's busy catching up with work too, so maybe it didn't feel as if I was going to drop him." I answered Oliver, but at the same time, I knew I had detected a note of disappointment in Tristan's voice when I said I'd call him Wednesday to make sure of the Thursday trip to the concert. I'd call him later I decided.

"I'm working tonight and tomorrow, the afternoon shift, so that I have Thursday completely free, maybe you could come up to the restaurant tonight. That would be great even though I'm working I get to see you, find Tristan, bring him." Oliver smiled and looked at me with that kind and gentle expression he sometimes has in his eyes.

I only answered okay because I wanted most of all to hold Oliver close.

He needed to go to work about half an hour later and though we stayed holding each other and kissed each other lots, in between we talked about the trip to the concert and what to wear because we decided it would be formal.

I went down to Oliver's car with him and kissed him through the window before he drove off, telling me he would have about a minute to get his work shirt on when he got to the staff room.

It had been great to see him and it had soothed the worry I was feeling about loving both he and Tristan. I called Tristan but his phone went to voicemail, so I left the message did he want to come down to the house and go up to the restaurant for dinner that evening. I couldn't concentrate to go back to the design work, and so I went down to see mom and hung out with her for a half hour, until my phone rang and it was Tristan calling me back.

He was happy to go up to the restaurant and was back from delivering a batch of flowers, so despite we would see each other later, he asked if I had time to walk up to the greenhouses for a half hour. I told him I would. It took me ten minutes to clean my teeth, brush my hair and put a little makeup on, then I left after telling mom I was just popping up to see Tristan. She gave me a look over her glasses, which I interpreted, as 'haven't you just seen Oliver, now it's Tristan?' Whatever.

Tristan was in the first greenhouse and it was very warm in there. He grinned as he took my hand and led me to the office where it was at least ten degrees cooler.

"How's the work going?" he asked, and then put his arms around me.

I looked into his lovely blue eyes. He was so sincere.

"I've done some, but not enough. What about you?" I asked him, as he kissed my forehead.

"The same actually, I helped Aristide a little more, and to tell the truth I've put in an offer for the White Woods house, you know Anna's house," he said quietly.

"Wow, really, I'm surprised." I couldn't help saying this because after the fiasco with Anna I'd have thought Tristan wouldn't want to be around the place.

"I know at first it might seem strange, but it did belong to us, and I think it will be nice to restore it to the family. I mean the offer may be rejected and it's in my company name, so she will not know who the offer comes from, unless Aristide tells her of course. We'll see. I missed you yesterday. It's so good to see you today. I didn't expect it." He kissed me then gently and lovingly, and I let myself drift into kissing him until we both stopped and started smiling at each other. If we hadn't been in the office, I knew where those kisses would have led us.

The pendulum had swung again, and I was back to feeling happy about being in love with both Tristan and Oliver.

Later we went up to the restaurant and had some dinner, with Oliver coming over to our table and talking for a few minutes now and again. We all decided to meet the next night, which was Wednesday night at my place about nine when Oliver had finished his afternoon shift at work to talk about the trip on Thursday.

Wednesday, I actually got a lot of design work done because I felt so much better having seen both Tristan and Oliver the night before. That night we planned the Thursday trip between talking about Tristan buying Anna's house, and listening to Will's band's new release on iTunes.

As we had planned the night before Oliver came over to my place on the Thursday afternoon, and we drove firstly to pick up Tristan, and then to get Aristide.

It was weird driving up to Stratford knowing we were going to see Aristide's grandson. I wondered if he would look like John, but then I thought maybe he wouldn't and after all, we were seeing him when he was more than twice the age John had been when we met him.

We were lucky to get a car park near the theatre, the actual car park attached being full already. People were dressed in evening clothes too so we were pleased to have considered that the night before.

I knew Aristide was nervous because he was incredibly quiet, and he seemed to give off an aura of concentration.

With the concert started, I tried to get a good look at the violinists. The lights had been dimmed but there were spotlights, which seemed to differ in color according to the type of music that was played. I couldn't see anyone I'd pick out as John's son, but a few minutes before the interval Oliver whispered that he thought he knew who it was. The third one along from the left and I looked at the man myself trying to decide.

During the interval we all started talking at once about which guy was Jean-Paul, until Aristide confirmed that he too thought the same as Oliver. He was very calm and almost sad when he told us that he wished he could meet Jean-Paul. I was wondering how that might happen, when Tristan said, "His private address can't be that hard to find. If we found it you could send him a letter."

I waited to see what Aristide said, because after all it would be a big deal for Jean-Paul suddenly being faced with a grandfather who he knew nothing at all about.

Aristide smiled slightly. "I don't know if it's wise, maybe I'm being too sentimental."

Oliver shook his head. "He's family Aristide, you'll be giving him the choice to find out about you, or not, I think he'd be intrigued, I know I would."

We looked at Oliver questioningly, and he shrugged.

The bell rang for the next part of the concert and we filed in to find our seats again.

This part of the performance was quite short. There were two pieces of music, and after each one, the audience went wild applauding. I liked the music, but to be honest it's not something I'd listen to all the time. The lights came on all over the house as the orchestra stood to bow and many of the audience stood too, clapping, and smiling.

Then the most extraordinary thing happened. I was watching the guy we thought was Jean-Paul and he was taking a bow, but as he looked up, it seemed to me he stared straight at Aristide. It was a long look too. I was sure he knew Aristide. I could just sense it.

The curtains were coming down and the audience were still clapping. It was some time before we got out of our seats and into the theatre foyer, people were in no hurry and surprisingly CD copies of the orchestra music were on sale at a table that had been set up since the interval. People milled about there, clogging the place up and slowing everyone down as they tried to exit. The small bar was still open and people seemed to be happy to get themselves drinks and sit at the tables on the mezzanine floor.

We walked all together making slow progress behind groups of people who were leaving, but suddenly a uniformed man caught Oliver by the elbow and we stopped as we heard.

"Excuse me is Mr. Aristide Spitama with you?" And then he looked at Aristide and asked, "Are you he sir?"

Just as formally, Aristide answered, "I am."

The man handed him a folded piece of paper and continued, "I have a note for you sir from a member of the orchestra that you know." He smiled then and excused himself walking off.

Aristide had a look of astonishment on his face as we made it out into the early summer night. It had gone dark, but the area was lit up brightly. We silently walked to the car and then as we reached it Oliver said.

"Aristide are you going to put us all out of our misery and check out the note?"

Aristide sighed. "I almost feel afraid to, isn't that strange?" And then he stepped into a pool of light cast by a double lantern head, street lamp, and opened the fold of paper.

I didn't expect him to read it aloud but he did.

Hello Aristide,

My name is Jean-Paul Lovell and I believe you are my grandfather. Maybe you already know since you do not live in Britain, but you are here at the concert.

I feel it unlikely to be coincidence.

I perform in Oxford next Saturday and have time to meet you after rehearsals on Friday afternoon. Should you wish to, I'll be at the Head of the River having lunch around two. JP

"Wow, how about that," I exclaimed, and looked around at Oliver and Tristan.

"Yes indeed," Aristide looked surprised.

Tristan was frowning slightly. "There's something weird about this, how does he know about you, especially what you look like?"

Oliver agreed. "Yes, it's odd, if he knows you why hasn't he previously contacted you?"

I put my theory forward. "Could be just seeing Aristide at the concert did it, you know he suddenly decided to contact him, spur of the moment stuff."

Aristide nodded, "Maybe so," and then he went quiet again.

Oliver drove us halfway home and then when we stopped for coffee Tristan took over. Not much was said until we were dropping Aristide off when Tristan asked if he needed any more help with the auction items, and Aristide told him no. We did however say we would drop around to see Lily and Rene when they arrived, if he let us know.

As Aristide let himself into the big house near White Woods, we backed out of the drive, and I waved as he turned to close the door. He waved back.

Oliver began to talk. "I can't help thinking there's something weird about this, it's too co-incidental don't you think?"

Tristan was nodding in agreement but said, "Hey, come around to the stable apartment, let's have coffee and think about this, although you all know it's got nothing to do with us really."

I thought about that for a few seconds. "I disagree, since we went back in time for Aristide and met his son; I think we're involved somehow."

Oliver laughed. "Well you would Chloe, you always want to be in on the action whatever it is."

I nodded silently thinking and 'why not?'

We followed Tristan into the apartment and he flipped on all the lights before starting to make coffee.

I watched for a few seconds and then turning to Oliver asked, "Why do you feel so strongly that there's something weird Oliver?"

He leaned against the kitchen work surface, and folded his arms.

"Just a hunch, sorry nothing concrete, it's just a feeling."

I nodded and said, "Like my hunch that it's him who's been harassing Aristide and not Anna if she says she stopped years ago."

Tristan who had been quiet looked at me and sighed. "If it's him that means he's as nutty as Anna. It must run in the family."

I laughed at this even though it wasn't funny really, especially not if you were on the receiving end of the harassment.

We talked a little more, arranging to meet Saturday lunchtime to have lunch at the café near the library.

After dropping Tristan around to the main Dearing house, I drove Oliver to my place where his Land Rover was parked.

I walked with him to the car and he caught me in a hug and kissed me.

"Since I'll not be seeing you tomorrow this kiss has to see me through my lonely day," he whispered to me.

We kissed each other a little more and then he left.

We all had a busy Friday lined up. I needed to touch base with Joshua Glazer and I was meeting Clare later to catch up.

It was very late Friday night when Tristan contacted me and asked if he could come down to see me for a while.

I heard the truck and went to the front door, opening it, and smiling at Tristan as he came in.

Between holding me close and kissing me, he told me his offer for the White Woods house had been accepted. "I didn't expect it to happen so soon, apparently Anna said she wanted rid of it and that was a fair price, so there we are, it's over. Lily and Rene will be coming over Tuesday and staying to pack up the household stuff Anna wants. They are arranging to have it removed to her fiancé's house. I can't help thinking this is so smooth something has to go wrong. Maybe I'm wrong. I hope I'm wrong."

I leaned back to look into his eyes. "Like what though Tristan? She's still nuts and comes after you?" I asked, and kissed him before he answered.

"I don't know to be honest. I guess it's just what happened before makes me wary, and anyway there's more to tell. For some reason Aristide has asked me to go with him to meet Jean-Paul next Friday."

I was surprised. "Really, that's interesting Tristan especially since Lily and Rene will be here. He could have asked them."

Tristan smiled. "I know. I don't mind though because somehow I'm growing to really like Aristide, and perhaps it's because I'm not family that he's asked me. Kind of like an impartial pair of eyes on the meeting."

We started to kiss each other again.

We spent a couple of hours together and it was about one in the morning when he left.

Chapter Ten (Tristan's view)

It's been a strange sort of week. I've been busy catching up with all the work needing doing for the estate and sorting the business end of the house purchase with Lily and Aristide. As I told Chloe, I've grown to like Aristide and it's like having a grandfather for me because Jonathon Dearing is Liz and Laura's grandfather not mine. Mine died centuries ago.

It was good to have lunch with Oliver and Chloe, plus I've seen Chloe a couple of times alone. I know she loves me, I wish she loved only me, but that's not something I dwell on any more. I don't think about how she would be kissing Oliver the same as me, or any of those things, and I find it's okay. Maybe one day it will not be okay, but at the same time, I think we're all three of us in this bond of immortality. It's miserable on your own, and I don't want to go back to it. Whatever happens though I want us all to be friends.

I'm going over to Oxford with Aristide tomorrow, that's going to be weird but interesting, and Jean-Paul didn't say 'you must come alone' or anything like that to Aristide. For all we know he may have changed his mind and not turn up, anything is possible. I've learned that over the years. Look at me ticking off in a tantrum because I thought Chloe and Oliver were making love to each other, now that was unexpected.

We were both looking out for Jean-Paul as we went into the pub. It was busy and I scanned the faces of the people at the tables whilst Aristide was looking at the people in the bar. We glanced at each other both of us indicating we hadn't seen Jean-Paul and by silent but mutual agreement, we went outside to check if he was at one of the tables there. This morning had been slightly cooler than the previous day and now a wind had blown up with a bit of rain in it, so because of this the outside area was not so busy.

I saw Jean-Paul probably at the same time as Aristide and we went over to the table.

Aristide introduced me as a friend confessing he was nervous and sitting down as Jean-Paul asked us to. I didn't think Aristide was nervous. The guy is like a steel rod at times. I think it was just a cover for having me there. I still didn't really know why I was there to be honest.

We sat down and just faced each other quietly for about a minute and then Jean-Paul began to talk.

"I've watched you, known about you for many years that is. Been near you a few times but never spoken out because it seemed pointless, until now that is."

I watched him as he spoke. I've seen a few lies told, and I knew something about what he said was a lie. Aristide was sitting silently with his hands clasped together under his chin with his head resting on there.

Jean-Paul continued his story. "You see when my mother re-married, some years ago now, she had left a few box files with assorted paperwork in them at the house we used to live in together. It's my house now. I went through the boxes because she had said to throw them out. I was actually burning them along with the garden leaves when I found a letter. It was from you Aristide. That was not the only thing, there were cuttings from newspapers about my father's death, there were ticket stubs and a few gig programs, a photograph of someone called Anna, the name was scrawled on the back, stuff I think originally belonged to my father. She had decided none of it was important, and it had been in a box since my father's death."

He stopped speaking as we ordered lunch. I was puzzled because why was the letter Aristide sent to Joanna in a box belonging to Monique and I glanced at Aristide to gauge his reaction.

Jean-Paul continued speaking and I turned my attention back to him.

"You know my dad died in nineteen-eighty-seven when I was sixteen. It was a hellish time for me, a desperate few years. My mother strangely thought I'd be okay, and she reminded me how like my father I was and how he had coped when his mother had died, and he only eighteen at the time. She was trying to get me to think I was strong like him, but she was wrong anyway about him being strong. He wasn't strong and that's why he died, he used drugs to keep himself buoyant." He sighed then and stared off across the river for a couple of minutes. I glanced at Aristide who glanced at me, and I raised my eyebrows because this was a sorry business.

Jean-Paul suddenly began to speak again.

"My mother lives in France and has done since nineteen-ninety-four when she remarried. It took her that long to get over my father and I was surprised she ever did, they seemed so in love, even to me as a boy. To cut a long story short, I kept hold of the letter for about a year and the photograph of this Anna person. I wondered if she had been a lover my father had, and that had contributed to the drug taking.

Well I went over to see her, my mother, for a holiday, and I took the stuff with me. I asked her who was this Anna. Now imagine my surprise when I discovered it had been my father's stepsister, someone I had never met, and someone who had disappeared from my father's life, and was presumed dead now by Monique, so many years later. The letter from you Aristide was another matter entirely, my mother had never seen it before, and she swore when she put the folded gig programs into the box that she had not seen a letter. I told her it had fallen from the oldest, a flier for The Shades, a single, poster sized sheet of folded, faded, fluorescent yellow, paper. She denied knowledge of it and having read it, told me to burn it that Joanna was dead, John was dead, and Anna must also be dead. She said to me you have a good life ahead of you, a serious musical career, look forward, and not back Jean-Paul. I knew she had seen that letter before. I could always tell when she told me a lie. She's a bad liar. I thought she was doing it to protect me from something but I didn't know what."

He stopped talking and it seemed as if he was about to burst into tears so I looked away from him.

Aristide cleared his throat and waited a few seconds and then said, "I'm sorry Jean-Paul for the loss of your father, for your sadness, but Monique your mother is right you have a good career and you are well thought of as a musician. The past is unchangeable."

I instantly thought, not while you are around Aristide, and I glanced at him. His face was impassive, he was sitting rigidly, and I thought it was still an act, that this time he was very emotional behind that mask.

I sat still myself. Our food was in front of us, but none of us ate, and then Jean-Paul burst out.

"I found Anna. I decided to trace you, expected you to be dead. I found the antique shop you spoke of in the letter to Joanna. Imagine my surprise when not only did it still exist but you were in it." He took a deep breath then and so did I because I had no idea what had been written in the letter to Joanna and was surprised Aristide had let her know his whereabouts.

Jean-Paul shrugged as if letting go of something and continued.

"I suppose you could say I was stalking you when I found Anna. I had been watching you for a few weeks off and on between concerts. It must have been late that same year when I saw Anna, and I watched her as she smashed a window in the other shop you have and took something before she ran off into the night. I tried to follow but she was too quick for me. Then a few days later as I watched that woman Angelique, the one you left my grandmother for, walking home to your apartment, I saw Anna again. She pelted Angelique with eggs; it was funny but also unpleasant. I also saw Anna disappear as if she had melted into the night. The next time I saw her she was throwing red paint over a white car belonging to you or Angelique. I caught her that time, because she was not expecting to be found out in the middle of the night."

If Aristide was surprised, he didn't show it, but I had gasped as Jean-Paul said this and he stopped, and looked at me as if remembering I was there.

It broke what had been a rushed and intense speech from Jean-Paul and we all drank some of the almost cold coffee we had. Jean-Paul had a glass of what I think was wine, but he pushed it away from his plate and looked around him at the river and the other people at the tables, which were now full, as the sun had come out warming everything up.

I was about to ask them if they would like fresh coffee and that I'd find a waiter when he started up again.

"So I got to know Anna. I think she was relieved to tell me what she had been up to for a number of years delivering the hate campaign against you. I was not even remotely surprised to find she looks almost the same as in the old photograph. Although at first I thought it would be cosmetic surgery, not knowing if she was older than my father or what. My mother looks good for her age so it wasn't a stretch to think Anna might be a Botox filled sixty-one. It was ridiculously easy to get her to open up, especially when I showed her the letter from you to Joanna. She said that it meant she could end her hate campaign against you, even though in reality, she didn't forgive you for John and that's actually how I discovered what you really are. I know about the witchcraft too, she spilled the lot, dear old Anna. You know, my poor dad never knew about you, or that Anna his stepsister was still alive. It might have made a difference to him and to how his life ended. I'm the one who carried on the hate campaign against you. I can see that question in your eyes. Yes, it was me periodically trashing Angelique's things after Anna stopped. I was never going to contact you, I was just going to keep making life somewhat miserable for you, but then you came to the concert and I could see you staring. It felt to me as if you had only just discovered me. I have no real magic, but what I do have is a heightened sense, one that enables me to read people very well, almost magical. I fall just short of having inherited Joanna's gifts; my dad had none of course."

I thought he was a little nutty like Anna, and I watched his expressions, he was bitter and hurt. I hoped he would be able to let go of this history soon because it was clearly driving him round the bend. I was determined to get us some more coffee and as a waiter passed, I called him and ordered for us all. It felt as if a little normality had returned to Jean-Paul's voice when he next spoke.

"You can do remarkable things Anna tells me. I want what you owe me, send me back to see my dad before he dies, and let me try to save him."

I let out a small 'phew' sound because this was astonishing and worrying.

Aristide sat up, leaned back from concentrating on Jean-Paul, and shook his head.

"No Jean-Paul you can't meddle with that sort of thing, it may change lives, even your own radically. I've had enough of time travel and it's dangerous in the extreme."

I drank some of my hot coffee and looked down into my cup because I wondered what was going to come out of either of their mouths next.

"You've only just found out about me haven't you?" Jean-Paul asked Aristide, and I swallowed too much hot coffee in surprise.

Aristide nodded. "Yes I have, since you have guessed as much, it's only fair to tell you that you are right. I can't think why John did not know about me if the letter I sent to Joanne was found in his belongings. However the fact is I can't send you back there to save him, it's way too dangerous, think about it rationally please."

As Aristide spoke I had a sudden thought, possibly the folded poster belonged to Joanna and she had folded the letter into it, possibly John had never seen the letter.

I watched them both face off; neither was going to give in. Jean-Paul seemed desperate and Aristide seemed resigned. I thought then 'there's going to be trouble.'

Quite suddenly, Jean-Paul stood up, and threw his napkin onto his untouched plate of food.

"I need to go. I can't say it's been a pleasure meeting you because it hasn't. I'll not go on with my harassment, it seems petty now in the light of how you could let me talk to my father one more time but you will not."

He walked off and both Aristide and I watched him go.

I was quiet, as frankly I didn't quite know what to say. I turned to Aristide and saw that he was still looking in the direction that Jean-Paul had gone.

"I'm sorry for it all, you know, but at the same time I left Joanna for good reasons. I've tried to fix things, it didn't work, and who knows it may have made things worse. I can't send him back to talk to his father, despite I've only just opened that portal, and it would be possible."

I nodded, he didn't have to convince me I knew only too well what might happen, and I had only participated this last time because I owed Aristide the favor.

We didn't eat anything and left after paying the bill.

On the journey Aristide was quiet, and then when we were back at the White Woods house he asked me in for a 'decent cup of coffee,' meaning hot I guessed.

It was as we drank this that Rene and Lily turned up.

They were visiting a little earlier than expected, as there appeared no reason to stay longer than the day they had spent with Anna. She was settled, and so much better than Lily had ever seen her and they wanted to make sure everything went smoothly with the sale and the packing up of the house contents.

I was surprised to see them. They looked so happy together and so ordinary, meaning not a member of the Magi and a witch who had spent most of her life changing into a cat every so often. They were friendly and genuinely pleased to see me, which was great. It's yet another of the good things that has happened to me since I met Chloe, I have real friends now, although they still only know that I'm the original Tristan and think the various stained glass around the place keeps me alive. I really have no guilt about that, you can't let anyone know you are immortal, and certainly not that Chloe and Oliver are immortal as well.

We talked for a while about the house sale and the removal of the furniture and then Lily asked me if I intended to live in the house. I thought for a moment before I told her I hadn't decided.

When I left they were all talking about going up to the restaurant for dinner that evening and asked me to go too, but I needed to catch up with some work. I had flowers to deal with for a florist who needed them early the next day.

I called Chloe and told her about the meeting with Jean-Paul before I started work, Oliver was with her, and we decided to meet about nine o'clock at her place and catch up.

Chapter Eleven (Oliver's view)

When Tristan called Chloe, we were at my place, having spent a couple of hours alone together, which was great because I have to work all weekend and every day next week. I have two websites to build and three to update, so I really am flat out workwise which is also great because it means my business is starting to flourish. It will be good to catch up with Tristan tonight, which is a weird feeling since Chloe is in love with him as well as me and I ought to be jealous, but what can you do? I don't want to lose him as a friend ever. We share this immortality stuff, and even if Chloe dumped me, I'd stay friends with them both, because we've shared so much and let's not forget we might have to leave town together in the future. I don't want to experience Tristan's years of lonely immortality.

I've decided to stay away from the thought that Chloe spends time with Tristan; it's not helpful.

Chloe and I decided to go out to the corner café since it would be hours before we met Tristan and we were sitting in the late afternoon sun talking. The umbrella cast shade over Chloe but occasionally as I moved the sunlight got into my eyes and it was during one of those moments that I saw what was only a dark shape drag out a chair and sit next to Chloe. When they were in the shade and I had ducked my head again to lose the sun I saw it was Jean-Paul sitting there beside her.

He met my eyes and said, "Hello Oliver, yes I know who you are, I know about you and Chloe too. You can thank Anna for that of course."

Chloe was looking homicidal and responded, "What's that supposed to mean buddy, and I was told Anna had quit her hassling of my friends so what's your point?"

I smiled because it was quite funny to hear, but he soon took the smile from my face as he continued speaking.

"My point is I know all about you and Oliver, and you and Tristan, in detail. I was surprised when you all showed up with Aristide at the concert. I called Anna to let her know that finally he had shown up in my life. She's changed recently, and I could sense she no longer cares, but she was willing to fill me in on some details, after all, she is my aunt of sorts."

Chloe looked like thunder as she answered him, "Suppose you get to the point."

He looked slyly at me and then at Chloe and said softly, "Oh I don't think you want me to do that, not now, not here, not in front of Oliver."

I stood up and went around the table to him, because he was walking a fine line in my opinion, this was obviously some kind of thinly veiled threat. I leaned over him and told him so.

"What the hell is this? You appear to be threatening Chloe and have the nerve to do it in front of me. I suggest you take yourself off before something really unpleasant develops." I felt like knocking him off his chair and had the confidence to do it actually, even though I'm not violent ordinarily. I didn't do it because he stood up and with his face very close to mine answered me.

"Oliver such a show of old world chivalry I think that must have rubbed off from our knight friend Tristan. Don't worry I'm leaving." He turned then and stalked off.

I watched him, and then sat down in the chair he had used, close to Chloe.

"What the hell was that all about and how did he know we were here? I think he's flipped out. Maybe meeting Aristide was not a good idea. Maybe going to the concert was not a good idea. Are you okay?" I asked Chloe who seemed very upset.

She nodded at me and said unconvincingly, "I'm fine, but I think he's as nutty as Anna is, or was." She looked shaken and I put my arm around her shoulders and my head against hers.

"Sorry this happened Chloe, don't let it get to you, forget him, he's probably just trying to upset everyone." I kissed her cheek and she turned to me. She put her hand up against my face, something that always sends shivers down my spine, good shivers I mean, just something about her touch, soft and sexy. She kissed me and yet I could feel she was still worried by the encounter.

We paid and left shortly after and drove back to my place. I cuddled her for a while and she seemed to stop worrying, but we both said it would be good to find out what had happened from Tristan later. We drove over to her house and she showed me her new designs for stained glass windows. I think she was still worried about Jean-Paul though.

We were in her kitchen making sandwiches and coffee when Tristan arrived early. She went to open the door and Tristan came in with her after a minute, during which they must have hugged each other hello. I don't care, if it were Liz or Clare, she would hug them hello.

I made more coffee as Tristan started to tell us about the meeting with Jean-Paul. We listened to his description of a bitter and possibly twisted character emerging from the previously unknown guy. As he finished talking Chloe jumped in with the story about him rocking up at our café table, and looking at me now and again to back up her story, she managed to freak Tristan out.

He started to pace up and down the kitchen, then stopped and picking up the coffee I had given him said, "There will be trouble from this guy I just know it. His behavior is way too over the top for a rational person. I'm beginning to think our little trip to the past has unleashed something that would otherwise have remained in check."

I smiled at that speech it was just so Tristan in knight mode, and then I remembered that Jean-Paul knew he was. Chloe somehow had forgotten that bit and I added it then.

"Hey, we did forget that he knows you're a knight, he called you 'our knight friend', and now I'm guessing that is something Anna must have told him before her change of heart, if in fact she's had one." I looked from Chloe to Tristan as I added this bit, because who knows what's really going on.

Tristan grinned then. "Well I am a knight as the current Tristan Dearing, so he may not know anything other than that, it might be innocent. He could just have been being snippy about my title, it's not unknown."

I shook my head. "You didn't hear him, it was more than that don't you agree Chloe," I asked her and she nodded.

"It was some kind of threat, the whole conversation was."

I noticed her becoming very quiet then as if she didn't want to face what the threat actually was and I don't blame her.

Tristan sat down near to Chloe. I know he wanted to offer her comfort, because I did too and I sat on the other side of her.

She tried to cheer up, and offered around the sandwiches we had made telling us she had hardly eaten all day and let's at least eat. So we did eat but we also talked.

Tristan swallowed and said, "Blast it, he knows an awful lot about us for a guy we just met. He's weird, and we need to start watching our backs in my opinion. Sorry I know I sound melodramatic."

I nodded silently because that was exactly what I intended doing. Tristan decided he would tell Aristide what had happened so that everyone was on the alert. We all managed to laugh at that.

I left about eleven because I'd been with Chloe all day and I needed to get some work done. Chloe came out with me to the car and hugged me close telling me she loved me, I know she does. I can feel it.

Saturday was a beautiful day and I set off to see a client, the first of three, I was seeing that day.

The first I knew about Chloe being in trouble was when Tristan called me frantic about something happening at the waterfall.

I had to get him to slow down and repeat what he said because I was driving to my last client and swung into the side of the road to listen more closely instead of on my hands free.

He was furious and upset at the same time. Aristide had called him, to tell him Jean-Paul had Chloe and said he, Jean-Paul, would meet Aristide at the waterfall to be sent back in time to talk to his dad or it would be the worse for Chloe.

I told Tristan I'd get there as fast as possible.

I rang the client I was going to see and told them I was unable to get to them until the next day, turned the car, and headed for the Dearing estate.

I parked the car on the lane where Chloe lives and then ran across the garden and paths to the place where we usually headed down the bank to the waterfall pool. I slid and ran down through the ferns and stuff, thinking all the time about what might be going on.

I reached the bottom of the bank just in time to see Tristan, Chloe, and Jean-Paul who was not only holding Chloe around the neck but had a gun to her head. Aristide was nearby and everyone looked at me as I ran forward, but they all disappeared before I got there and Aristide caught me by the arm.

"Oliver, I'm so sorry, I had to do it, things should be okay, they'll be back later, I'm opening the portal at nine tonight, they know and have my watch to get to the waterfall on time," he told me in a rush.

I looked at him as he told me this and at first, I just couldn't speak, so he started talking again.

"Oliver, there's no reason to believe things will not be okay."

At that, I started yelling. "No reason, what about the gun the guy had and his hands around Chloe's throat. What happened here Aristide? What happened?"

I felt useless. I desperately wanted to do something to help but I couldn't.

Aristide was holding my arm and I sighed and shook my head. I wasn't calm but I tried to give him that impression so that he would tell me the story.

"I'm sorry. I felt I had to do as Jean-Paul asked. Shall we go back to the house, get some coffee and I'll tell you what happened?"

I nodded because what else was there to do.

We started walking around the waterfall, and I followed him guessing we were headed for the path past the ruins and the abbey. It was longer than going back the way I had come but what the hell did that matter now?

Chapter Twelve (Chloe's view)

Jean-Paul had appeared at the front door around lunchtime. I had answered the doorbell thinking it might be Tristan giving me a surprise visit because I hadn't seen him alone for a couple of days. When I saw Jean-Paul I was surprised, and even more so when he opened with.

"Hello Chloe, I have a gun and I'll use it, maybe your brother or mother is home, you need to think about them. Let's go somewhere to talk." He jerked his hand around inside his coat pocket as he said this; presumably, that was where the gun was.

I felt like giving him a whack in the face but I nodded and answered softly.

"Come up to my room it will be the most private." I thought it best not to be in the kitchen so Steven or mom could walk in, or in the library where Steven and John might suddenly appear to rehearse. Passing mom's study to get to the drawing room was out, so my room seemed the best idea.

He looked at me with a slightly unpleasant smirk and pushed me ahead of him up the stairs. I considered suddenly turning and kicking him down them, but decided he might fire the gun and even if it didn't hit me, then it might bring mom out into danger. If it hit me, I'd then be faced with explaining why the sucker didn't kill me. I opened the door to my room and closed it behind Jean-Paul.

He kept the gun aimed at me and started up this tirade.

"I know about you, how you have sex with both Oliver and Tristan, quite the little siren aren't you? How you managed to stop Anna and Tristan uniting, but the most intriguing thing for me is this time travel stuff. Anna says the portal in the chamber under the house could be re-opened, and she believes Aristide has the power to do it. You have the power to make him. If you don't get him to open it I'll get both Oliver and Tristan together and tell them your nasty little secret, because they don't know do they?"

I put my hands up in a gesture of stop. I sighed.

"They don't know and it would hurt them, but I'll chance it. It's pointless asking me to get Aristide to open the portal downstairs, because it's decaying. The thing will never open nor be serviceable." I was bluffing about Oliver and Tristan but the chamber portal stuff was true. I just hoped my conviction about that covered how worried I actually was about Tristan and Oliver being hurt. He stared at me and I thought he was evaluating what I'd said.

"Where's your phone," he suddenly shouted, and I wanted him to be quiet so I got it out of my back pocket and waved it in front of his nose.

He darted forward and snatched it from me.

I almost launched myself at him but the gun issue was still there. I can't die, but mom can, and I thought the best thing to do was be as calm as possible anyway and maybe trick him.

He was scrolling through my contacts and then called someone.

"Tristan I have Chloe, I have a gun, I'm actually in her bedroom. I'm guessing that's somewhere you know well. If you want to find her alive in the next half hour you had better get Aristide over here to the chamber where he can open the time travel portal."

Tristan must have told him the portal wouldn't work just the same as me because he yelled down the phone.

"Well get Aristide anyway and get round here, he can try, I'm sure Chloe has family who might also be able to persuade him if I aim the gun at their heads."

I was shaking my head, because here was a complete nutcase.

I wanted him out of the house.

"Jean-Paul there's another place we can possibly open a portal. Please calm down and I'll tell you." I told him this because hell, if he was away from mom and Steven then I didn't have to worry about them. Maybe Tristan and I could overpower him or something.

Jean-Paul looked at me suspiciously. "Where?"

I sighed. "A pool around here in the grounds." I tried to disguise the actual site.

He grinned maliciously. "I think we will go and find your mother, and we'll take her with us."

He still had Tristan on the cell phone and he spoke again to him.

"What's this bullshit your little paramour is spinning me about another place where we could travel in time, a pool in the grounds she says."

Tristan must have told him because then he said.

"We'll be there waiting for Aristide and I'll not wait long before I come back and get Chloe's mother to join our happy little band."

I glanced out of the window and wondered where Tristan was and if Aristide would actually be at home or at the auctions.

This seemed to irritate Jean-Paul.

"Let's go, take me there, and don't try any tricks. I just need things to flow easily. I just want to talk to my dad, is that so much to ask?"

I held my hand out for my cell phone and surprisingly he gave it to me. I slipped it into my back pocket and we went downstairs again. I let us out of the house as quietly as I could.

I led him over to the top path where the steep slope is that we all use to scramble down to the waterfall and the pool. I pointed at it.

"It's down there. We have to go down through the ferns and trees."

He pushed the gun barrel into my back and said, "Get going then."

So we were halfway down when my cell phone started ringing, and I looked back at Jean-Paul to find out if I should answer. He pushed me on and so the call went unanswered. At the bottom of the bank, he looked around at the pool and the waterfall, and then gestured for me to go ahead of him. I walked to the edge of the pool and stopped.

"So is this it?" He asked simply and I turned to him.

"Yes, it's where Aristide can open a portal."

"It doesn't seem possible, this better not be a trick. Chloe I mean it, please don't have tried anything stupid." He sounded tired and I wondered if he was on the edge of a breakdown or something.

Right then Tristan came hurtling down the bank and to a stop a few feet away. He saw the gun and Jean-Paul made a grab at me and got me by the throat. Not pleasant I can tell you.

Tristan sounded incensed as he called out, "For god's sake don't be stupid, let's be calm about this. Aristide is on his way, fortunately for us all, he was home, I suppose you didn't think about him being out or away. What are you thinking of Jean-Paul, how can this be okay?" He stepped towards us and Jean-Paul put the gun to my head so Tristan stopped still. He stepped back a little.

"It's okay, okay, I'm stepping away, see, I'm back here, now take the gun away from her head."

Jean-Paul didn't, he left it there and Tristan looked at me, his eyes were full of emotion.

I stood still because I was thinking just how much of a head wound could you survive even as an immortal, I mean if your brains were blown out how could you really heal then?

I wasn't chancing it, not to mention if Jean-Paul lost it and shot me he might also shoot Tristan and Aristide, who knew where it would end.

Aristide came along the path by the waterfall pool, he was out of breath and stood there trying to breathe a little better before he said anything, although Jean-Paul was yelling.

"I know now you can let me travel in time here, at this pool, do it, or else I'll shoot the lot of you. I'm sorry to have to resort to this but I'm desperate. I really am." His voice cracked then and I thought he's on the verge of cracking up too.

Aristide said calmly, "No need for this Jean-Paul. Take the gun away from Chloe's head, and we'll do it. I need to check the time. I need to give you my watch to know when to come back. Come on I'll do it but you must be calm about it."

He turned then and spoke softly to Tristan, who nodded and rubbed his hand across his forehead.

"What are you saying? What's going on?" Jean-Paul called out and clutched my neck harder in anger.

I coughed a little because it did hurt. Tristan looked like he wanted to kill Jean-Paul. Aristide answered.

"Tristan has to be with you, that's the only way the portal will open here; he must be touching the water, whether you like it or not Jean-Paul he has to come with you, to go and to come back."

I was thinking this was where it would all go wrong, but to my surprise Jean-Paul found that easy to believe.

"Okay get on with it, get the bloody watch and get over here to the water, I think Chloe is starting to find it difficult to breathe."

He was right about that.

I reckon Aristide and Tristan thought they might as well let the guy have his wish because Aristide looked at his watch and then handed it to Tristan.

Tristan spoke. "We have to be on the reed pad, it has to be in the next few seconds," and he came towards us and thrust the watch at me. I took it as Tristan stepped past onto the reeds and bent with his hand in the water. I pressed stupid Jean-Paul towards the reeds and he yanked me there nastily.

I heard Aristide say you have seven hours only and then some other stuff, but my throat hurt and my temple hurt too where that jerk Jean-Paul had the gun barrel pressed into it. I closed my eyes and then I opened them to see Oliver running towards us and then Jean-Paul let me go for a second and gave Tristan a huge push. It was over in that few seconds. I knew we were back in time because of the buttercups. Oliver hadn't made it to us, and I looked around in panic, neither had Tristan.

I stepped out of the reeds; my left foot was wet in my flat canvas shoe. Jean-Paul had let go of me, he was still holding the gun but not pointing it. I felt confused and scared.

"Son of a..., why did you push Tristan, we can't get back without him, are you completely mad?" I shouted.

Jean-Paul looked a little dazed.

"Is this it, are we back in time?"

I sighed. "If the buttercups are anything to go by we're in nineteen-sixty-nine, although I don't remember all those white flowers." I looked at the patch of huge white daisy type flowers by a big fallen tree branch, and then I shook my head.

"You never told Aristide what year you wanted, but it seems to me he has sent you back to nineteen-sixty-nine. Maybe this is the year he can do at such short notice as we've just been here." I stopped talking as he looked at me with a horrified expression.

"You've just been here, why?" He almost seemed normal now. He was shaking water from his shoe and had made no move to grab me again.

I figured what had I got to lose, and as I put Aristide's watch in my jeans pocket I told him a shortened version of what we had done giving the letter to Joanna.

He sighed and then surprised me by turning and throwing the gun into the middle of the waterfall pool. It landed with a splash and then sank. Rings formed on the water where it had sunk. I wondered if it would show up in the chamber water feature sometime in the future.

"It wasn't loaded, I don't have any bullets. I doubt it would fire them anyway as it was a prop from one of the theatres I frequent. It looked good though didn't it? It fooled you all."

I stared at him. I didn't know what to think of this, but he'd ditched the thing so it must have been true.

I sat on the grass and rubbed my neck where I was sure bruises would be if I weren't immortal. He walked closer and looked at me.

"Don't worry, you look fine. I'm sure both Oliver and Tristan will still find you beautiful when we get back," and then he laughed. "How do they cope with that, they don't know do they, that you sleep with each of them? Chloe, Chloe, you are a piece of work, don't you ever feel guilty about it? I know I would."

I didn't answer. I didn't know how we would get back without Tristan. I had looked at the watch and it had been a minute after two in the afternoon, we had until nine Aristide had said. There was always a seven in there somewhere.

"We should get going because we have come with no money for this year and now we have a huge walk to the place I figure John might be, or at least Joanne who will know where he is," I told him, and to my amazement he offered me his hand to help me up, nodding and saying,

"Okay, okay, lead the way."

We were walking down the road, which I knew led to the town eventually and I was wishing I had my little bag with me because there was the remainder of that money Aristide had given us in there. I was also thinking about Tristan and Oliver back at the pool no doubt flipping out. I looked back at Jean-Paul who was following; he was smiling and seemed happy.

"I don't know what you are so happy about Jean-Paul, we have such a long walk, and I don't know how we will get home after you have spoken to your dad. Also, I hope you know better than to do anything drastic here in the past. Tristan and I changed the future once and it was horrific." I said this to him and he caught me up and started to walk alongside me.

"Aristide will think of something, and if he needs Tristan to open the portal then he can still do it at nine tonight from the other side can't he?"

I hadn't thought of this but it might work, trouble is Tristan might time travel in this direction as he touched the water. I shook my head.

"It's not that simple, we can only hope."

He grinned and started to tell me his plan.

"I'm only going to say hello to my dad, not let him know who I am, but I'm going to try to impress upon him how dangerous drugs are and say I've lost someone dear to me because of them, which is true you know. I just want him to perhaps have heard those words from somebody, it might make a difference."

I didn't comment because I just hoped the difference wasn't some other person disappearing or anything. Jean-Paul hadn't been born yet, and who knows it might even stop that. I shook my head at the thought.

Up ahead of us a car had pulled into the side of the road, and Jean-Paul said,

"Come on, I've got us a lift."

I walked a little faster wondering how he had done that.

We reached the car and an old man leaned over to talk to us from the driver side.

"Where are you going?"

I told him and he smiled kindly.

"I'm passing, get in, did you miss the bus?"

I told him yes and sat down in the back next to an old lady who was in there with a blanket over her knees.

Jean-Paul sat in the passenger seat.

When we were on the move, the old lady said to me, "I know you young things think you're invincible but hitch hiking isn't safe you know."

I looked at her and smiled. Jean-Paul must have had his thumb out without me noticing. I didn't think he looked that young.

The drive was nearly as slow as the bus Tristan, Oliver and I had been on, but we got there to The Shades and it was better than walking.

We waved a thank you to the old couple as they drove off.

Jean-Paul was almost normal, well as normal as you would expect. He had been telling the old guy that he played the violin and the old guy had once upon a time played the piano. Now Jean-Paul looked at The Shades.

"Hey it's open, I didn't expect that," he observed, and I was thinking 'neither did I.'

We went to the doorway and there was no entrance fee person so we went on into the place.

It was well lit and seemed to be functioning as purely a bistro this time.

I looked around hoping to see Joanna, but not expecting it because I thought she worked later in the day.

We sat down at a table and Jean-Paul whispered to me, "Can you see anyone you know?"

I smiled at this. "I don't know many people here Jean-Paul. I know what Joanna and John look like, oh, and Monique too I'd recognize her."

We both looked around again.

A waiter approached and asked if we were ready to order.

I told him, "Sorry no we're waiting for someone. Do you know if Joanna is working?"

"She's in the back. I'll tell her you are here, who shall I say wants her?"

I told him my name but I didn't expect it to mean anything to Joanna.

Jean-Paul was twisted around watching the waiter walk down to the counter area and then he turned back to me.

"I hope she's here, I hope John is coming by, I'm a bit nervous."

I sighed, he was so different from the man who had held the gun to my head I almost liked him.

Joanna was coming towards us and smiling, she must have recognized me.

"Hello again, I had given up thinking about your visit."

I smiled at her. "Hello Joanna, how are you, I delivered your letter to Ari. We were hoping to catch up with John, since Jean-Paul here is a musician."

I was inspired and on a roll I thought, when she shook her head.

"No John and Monique, the whole band in fact, have gone down to the music festival on the Isle of Wight. Is that where you are headed?" She glanced around at Jean-Paul as she said this.

I didn't know where the Isle of Wight was, but clearly Jean-Paul did.

"The music festival on the Isle of Wight, how extraordinary," he said and I felt like kicking him.

Joanna smiled. "Yes it will be, and you might need to get a move on if you want to catch any of the whole three day event."

I was hoping Jean-Paul would abandon his quest to speak to his dad, knowing at least he had met his grandmother, but no he proceeded to tell her we were on our way there and called in for lunch. I did kick him under the table then because there was no money to pay for lunch, and it was about three in the afternoon now. Joanna didn't seem to think it in any way odd and she looked at me.

"How did you find Ari? Was he well? Did he give you any reply at all to my letter?" She quizzed me.

I smiled at her, and lied. "He was so happy that you had replied and so glad he had sent you word before, well before anything happened." I alluded to her death. She didn't seem to mind but she looked back at the kitchen area and said.

"Well I must get back to work, thanks for saying hello. I hope you enjoy the concert and find John, but it will be very busy down there and you might miss him amongst the crowds."

We all smiled at each other. I waited until she had almost reached the kitchen area before I spoke to Jean-Paul.

"Jean-Paul, what now, where's the Isle of White?"

He grinned. "It's a distance but if that's where dad is then that's where we're going, and sorry Chloe, we will not need to worry about opening the portal tonight it will take us all night to get there. You don't know this, but the festival is very famous and it's August, we've travelled in time to the end of August but it is nineteen-sixty-nine."

I felt a little sick. August, that meant we were lucky Joanne was alive, and that something had happened to the portal, as it should have been April. I reasoned that Aristide would have sent us back to the same time, only a couple of weeks should have passed. From what I knew about the time travel stuff, pushing Tristan may have warped the portal, what a pest.

Jean-Paul was looking at me with an almost kind look.

"We can hitch down to the ferry but then we do need money for that and there's a possibility we need to pay at the concert. I can't remember reading if it was free."

I was hopeful he would change his mind.

"Please give this up, Jean-Paul, the longer we're here the worse it all gets, and you may not even find John in the crowds."

He shook his head. "Not a chance, Chloe," he said, and stood up to leave.

Chapter Thirteen (Tristan's tale)

When that idiot Jean-Paul pushed me, I put out my arms to try and steady myself and stay on the reed pad, but it didn't work, instead I fell with a splash into the water of the pool. I knew it became deep quite quickly and I turned making for the bank. I expected to see Chloe and Jean-Paul on the reeds or by the pool, but there was no sign of them. Then I realized we hadn't gone to nineteen-sixty-nine as Aristide had told me we would. This landscape was that of eleven-ninety. The massive holly tree and double waterfall behind me, the intact steps by the part of the waterfall that was the holy spring all evidence of the fact. I got out of the pool onto the grassy edge and dripped water from my clothes, naturally my trousers, tunics, and outer jacket with my leather half armor. I shook myself a little and sparkling drops came flying from my fur collar and trimmings. I felt inside the top coat and as I thought my cell phone was in there, held up by my belts, bizarre and yet handy, the battery would keep the time for me. I knew as I stood there that I had come here to this time alone, because it would not have been possible for Chloe and Jean-Paul to have run off far enough for me not to see them as I turned in the pool. My best guess was that the push Jean-Paul had given me took me off course, and naturally, my waterfall had brought me here.

I think of the waterfall as mine, which may sound odd, but it's on my land and more to the point, I have such a huge bond with it. Even more oddly, I feel loved by it, even though it's a natural place, water, and vegetation. I can feel the love and magic here, not only when I'm in the past but always as I come by with Charlie or just on my own. I don't fully understand why the pool always returns me here to this date at various times, when the portal or some magic spell goes wrong, but again my best guess is that this is the date it saved my life. I looked around at the place I know so well, and half hoped a horse had escaped the castle and was heading this way, but I knew Matin and Angel were at home in the Dearing house in the time I had just been transported from. It was awful to think what might have happened to Chloe and Jean-Paul, and I was questioning myself as to if they had stayed in their own time or gone to nineteen-sixty-nine, when I heard horse hooves. I was a little way off from the woods but set off at a run for them to try and achieve some cover.

The ground was not hard with frost but the vegetation was not that lush for spring, and I found myself slipping on a couple of muddy patches as I reached the cover of a few trees. The horse hoof sounds that had prompted me to run for cover belonged to a small party of people, two men, one older than the other, and a young woman. They passed on the left side of the stand of trees I was hiding in, and rode on down the grassy slope to cross the dirt track, and enter the most outer walls of the castle grounds. I watched them canter on past the few buildings at this end. They had obviously not seen me.

I took stock of what I had about my person. My small sword and dagger as usual were on my belt, the one ring that survived the drowning was on my left hand and the other on my right thumb over my gloves. I felt a little cold and flicked my hair from my neck where the leather strap bound it. I was wet through up to my waist and then the two outer coats and tunic I wore were wet, but my innermost shirt was dry. The leather of my gloves and boots felt cold but were not completely wet, and I checked to see if my cell phone was still okay other than it would not function as a phone. It seemed to have escaped getting wet. It was miserable to be here on my own. I wished that if the portal had skewed Chloe could have been with me.

I thought about what I'd do to Jean-Paul the next time I saw him and just hoped that they had stayed in their own time and that Chloe was not alone in nineteen-sixty-nine with the lunatic. There was nothing I could do now anyway except hang out until nine o'clock, and hope that Aristide could bring me back. Although I didn't want to dwell on the thought that the spell might not work, it crossed my mind.

I set off for the hunting lodge, my usual haunt, hoping that I could get dry there because a capricious cold spring wind was making my wet clothes feel even wetter. As I walked along, I noticed the trees just coming into bud or full of new leaves and one or two plants that really meant it was spring here, and so nearly the same time of year as I had left.

I had reached the edge of the wood that bordered the grounds at the back of the hunting lodge and stopped to check out the stables from a distance. The doors were closed, which meant in my experience that no one was in residence. That was a piece of luck and I walked over there to try going through the passageways and chamber, that I now knew was under the house, and led to the kitchens.

I opened the door and to my surprise found every stall had a horse in it and there were fresh hay bales, boxes, sacks of grain, and other evidence of the house being used. I had stopped to stare at this and didn't realize there was a person too. He came out of the end stall with a saddle over his arm. He was taking care of the horses that had arrived, perhaps having closed the door because of the cold wind.

He stopped walking when he saw me and nodded his head then asked if he could help me had I come looking for my baggage perhaps. He did this in the Norman French I speak and very politely, because my dress is that of a nobleman even wet. I smiled at him hoping to pass as one of the newly arrived guests and said I had left my sword and bag on the saddle of my horse. He didn't smile back instead he looked afraid and backing away a little said he begged my pardon but he had not seen anything like that and that he had unsaddled the last of the horses. He nodded his head towards the end stall, which I had seen him come from, and to emphasize his point he raised and lowered the saddle over his arm slightly.

This was awkward; he must have been worried that he would be in trouble for not finding the fictitious sword and bag. I nodded at him and said not to worry that maybe my companion had brought them into the house and I was about to leave when he spoke again. He told me that there had been two other grooms, who had met my visiting party, and maybe they knew where my belongings were. Had I left my horse at the front of the hunting lodge to be stabled by a groom?

I really wanted to get away from him because the longer I stayed the more likely I'd meet others. This groom was someone I had never met, or seen around in the castle staff and although I don't pretend to have known everyone, I knew lots of the stable staff. I'd have said most of them in fact. The fact that he didn't recognize me was both a puzzle and a blessing. He must be new I decided and from a different area of the country. I waved my hand about in a gesture of dismissal and told him it didn't matter I was tired and wanted to go in and to my chamber.

He backed away then recognizing the gesture and tone in my voice that said I was the person in control here. I turned and exited the stables, closing the door behind me so that he could not see me make a dash for the woods, from where I intended to watch the place. I sat down on a fallen branch behind the widest tree trunk and peered around it now and again to check if the groom was leaving. The wind was rustling all the new leaves in the tree branches above and nearby. It sounded like water, like a mild sea tide down on my uncle Tristan's estate in Cornwall.

I thought I heard voices, and carefully looked from behind the tree to see the groom I had spoken with closing the stable door, another groom by his side. They were talking quite loudly and I heard snatches of the conversation carried on the wind above the rustle of the leaves. They seemed to have finished for the day and were off home. I breathed a sigh of relief because that was so handy, I might be able to sit in the stable, dry off a bit near a warm horse and then creep out at nine and go back to the time I had come from.

The stable was quite warm, warmer than outside at least and I had a look at each horse first. I love horses they are such lovely intelligent and gentle creatures. I've never met a horse no matter how bad tempered it seemed originally that didn't respond to care and love. I'm lucky of course, because they seem to know instantly that I love them, and that they can count on my care no matter what. I find it's the same with most animals, and have only had one or two bad experiences with dogs that have been strictly trained to guard.

There was a beautiful gray horse in the second stall, but it was so afraid when I looked at it that I was shocked. I went around it to find it had been whipped badly. The groom had obviously bathed the wounds, but they were fresh in both the horse's mind and body. I stroked his neck and told him how sorry I was to find him like this, injured and afraid. He settled soon and nudged me a little to tell me I was okay. I decided then that he was coming back home with me. It was second nature for me to be a horse thief and I smiled as I told him this. I added that I would still have the white horse I had stolen from the castle guard, except that I had sent Emma home on it.

I assured him I'd be back and decided to check on the kitchen, maybe there would be apples around, the horses could have a treat, and I could snoop about for a cloak. It would be a cold experience hanging about after dark if it was this cold at four in the afternoon. I found the door behind the cupboard area was unlocked, and descended the stone steps quickly, remembering how the last time I was here was with Oliver and Lily. It made me grin, as I walked along the cold passageway to the chamber I knew to be down there, housing the ancient water feature and holy spring outlet. The door to it was easy to open and after listening to check if anyone was in there, I carefully opened it.

The chamber was lit by two torches in sconces on the two walls that did not have doors in them. The water looked murky in their light, and I went closer checking if anything was different. It had been summer here the last time I had seen it and right now it looked a little deeper, maybe more water flowed down here depending upon which season it was. I turned and went along the passageway that leads to the kitchen. Another torch was down there and I realized the place was better lit than the last time I was here. Who knows maybe it got more visitors in spring than in summer. I stopped to listen at the kitchen door, there must be people in there if there were visitors, and yet I couldn't hear anyone so I opened the door and walked in.

Surprised again, there was a young woman stirring a pot of something over the fire and a much older woman kneading dough on a table at the other end of the kitchen. They both looked at me, as surprised at my entrance, as I was to find them silently working. I spoke telling them I had been to the holy water chamber and did not realize this door led to the kitchens. They seemed relieved they were not in any trouble and as I hurried into the hallway, they put their heads down without speaking except for a slight apologetic sound from the older woman.

I walked quickly down the passage to a room that was to be the big drawing room in future times and finding the door half-open I looked in. There was no one in there surprisingly, and I grinned at myself, I'd find trouble if I was not careful. The long table in there had bowls of fruit along it, chiefly apples and pears. There was a pile of cloaks on a chest by one of the windows, it looked as if people had taken them off and tossed them there. I raced over and looked at them, three to choose from, I took the fur-lined one and didn't give a thought to how I was stealing again. I piled apples and pears in the middle of it and then gathered up the edges to carry them away. The windows didn't open I knew that and so I was faced with racing back down to the front door to make my escape. I was halfway along the hallway when I heard voices in the long library, and someone was opening the door. I had found trouble; it was my uncle William.

Chapter Fourteen (Chloe's tale)

We were hitchhiking again, Jean-Paul seemed skilled at it, and we were more than halfway down country by seven o'clock. He was cheerful and chatting away about music to the drivers who had stopped for us. They all thought he was going to perform at the Isle of Wight festival; it was 'a groove' they said, or 'how very nice' they said, depending on their accent.

I was mostly silent. I'd have given anything to have Tristan with us. I wanted him so much right then, his hand to hold, his arm around me, his love, and companionship. I was not going to get home tonight and Oliver would be at the portal with Tristan and Aristide. They all three would be frantic when Jean-Paul and I did not appear with the spell at nine o'clock. Maybe Tristan would come after me, or Oliver and Tristan maybe, and then again, I hoped they wouldn't because who knows what trouble it would bring. This was by far the scariest time travel journey I had made I thought, as I looked around at Jean-Paul, who was walking behind me actually singing. He had his charmed thumb stuck out as he walked and I called to him.

"Hey, Jean-Paul, how far have we got to go because I'm getting tired now?"

He grinned at me answering, "Not that far to the ferry, maybe fifty, sixty miles."

"The ferry." I stopped walking and stood there annoyed. "The ferry and how are we getting on a ferry with no money?"

He smiled and bowed. "I'm sure I can convince other musicians to help us get there."

"Other musicians, as in the famous ones who will be performing or the hapless goons such as yourself who are late going there with no money at all," I asked just about sick to death of the whole thing.

He grinned again. "Be optimistic, Chloe. I feel sure we will get there and it's such a cool adventure. Chloe this concert is where Bob Dylan performs, tomorrow he is performing, and we will be there. In history Chloe it's famous, a landmark in musical history. You know other famous musicians went to see him, The Beatles for instance, well at least a couple of them. I don't know that much about who was there."

I looked at his happy face and he was vibrant with excitement at the adventure he was on. I softened a little. "Jean-Paul, surely this would not be the only great musical event you have been to, you are after all a member of a famous orchestra."

He beamed at me. "It's the history Chloe. Isn't there any event in history you would like to have been at?"

I considered this for a moment and nope I couldn't think of one right then. I was tired, and thirsty and a bit cold. "I can't think of any right now, Jean-Paul. I'm a bit tired, thirsty, hungry, and cold. Are we travelling all night?"

Before he answered, a car came to a stop a few yards up the road as Jean-Paul had been standing there thumb out, so it must be offering us a lift. I sighed as he passed me and went to the car. I followed him and he turned to me happily. "They're going to Portsmouth too. They can take us right up to the ferry, get in Chloe."

Inside the car was full of cigarette smoke and I wound down a little of my window so that I could breathe. I was crammed next to a girl a bit younger than me, and a woman with a baby on her knee. Jean-Paul had scored the front passenger seat, which had been empty. The guy driving was very talkative but I didn't listen to the conversation. I leaned against the window my head on my arm and closed my eyes. I could see Oliver's face as he ran down the path to the waterfall this afternoon. It was easy for me to see both Oliver and Tristan's faces in my mind when I closed my eyes and I did this now, it was comforting.

I must have dropped to sleep because I was woken up by the girl as Jean-Paul was getting out of the front passenger seat and the car was stopped on the road by a huge brightly lit harbor.

I struggled out of the car and closed the door. I stood on the sidewalk and watched it drive away, and Jean-Paul came and stood next to me.

"So not far away now, Chloe, and Pete back there was telling me they have extended the ferry service to make extra trips because of the festival. We can get a ferry to Ryde, and then hitch to Wooten tonight."

"How long will the ferry take? It must be nine now, is it? We will be there in the middle of the night, and what are we paying with?" I bombarded him with questions and then shivered. It was a cold night considering it was the month of August.

He looked at me with concern. "Sorry Chloe, are you cold, you look cold and angry, don't be angry, it's probably only an hour's journey and the ferry leaves at nine-thirty, and yes it's ten minutes to nine." He gabbled back at me and smiled. I was cold because he had kidnapped me in a thin sleeveless T-shirt.

I sighed because I should have been at the waterfall pool ready to go home right now. Jean-Paul had taken his wallet out of his jacket pocket and was looking at the cards in there. He took one out and waved it about. "I'll try this card. It's a VISA card but from the first bank to offer credit cards in Britain, or so the advertising would have me believe. It might be accepted. I'll try it and if we can't get on the ferry I'll give up the quest to get to the festival and just go back and wait for John to go home."

I fervently hoped the card worked because it might be worse going back and waiting for John to come home. I sighed and asked, "If it works do you think you could also get me a sweater and something to eat, because I feel sick now from hunger and shivering?" I do still feel hunger and cold even though I was immortal.

He smiled. "Certainly," he answered.

To my relief and amazement they took the card, it had to go on this weird machine with a carbon copy receipt type set-up. Jean-Paul had to sign the receipts and the machine left an imprint of the card on all the copies. Jean-Paul was grinning as he turned to me with the tickets.

He spoke softly as we walked along to the terminal telling me they were return tickets. I thought well thank heaven because it might have been a long swim back otherwise, but I was quiet and steered him at the brightly lit café doors. Inside I picked up sweater in a cellophane pack. It was dark blue and seemed to me to be a real sweater not just a sweatshirt. On the shelf next to the few items of clothing were a selection of flashlights, they looked clunky and I chose the most compact, finding it already had batteries in it, as I tested it against my hand. The thing didn't put out much light, but it would be better than nothing. Jean-Paul had chocolate and large packets of candy in his hands and we went along to the long serving counter. We got a tray each and put the stuff we had on one of them, sliding the trays along the metal shelf that jutted out in front of glass cabinets, we put our choice of food onto Jean-Paul's empty tray. The choice wasn't that great but we got ham and cheese sandwiches, wedges of sponge cake and cups of tea. I put a small bottle of water on the tray at the last minute. It was a glass bottle, so heavy, but who cares, I thought.

We had no trouble once again paying with the bizarre carbon copy machine and sat down at a nearby table. I stuffed down my sandwich and drank my tea, as did Jean-Paul because we needed to get out there to board the ferry. I put the sweater on and Jean-Paul put the cake in the paper shopping bag the cashier had given us. I had the flashlight on the table in front of me and he put that in the bag too. The bag had the ferry company logo on the front and I expected to find the sweater was embroidered with it, but no the sweater was plain and good quality, a Guernsey, and surprisingly comfortable.

We boarded the ferry and had to sit in the big cabins. As it was virtually dark we were herded in there, and no one got to sit on the deck. I sat down and Jean-Paul sat down too, it was hardly any time before we were at sea.

Jean-Paul opened a bag of candy and offered it to me. I looked in there and took something that looked minty from its wrapping. We sat quietly and ate about three of the things each before Jean-Paul said, "I hope we find him, Chloe. It would be such a disappointment for me not to. Thanks for not going off the deep end at me. I know it must have been frightening and hard for you, but I couldn't think of any other way to get Aristide to agree to what I wanted."

He looked sincere and I shrugged, it was done now wasn't it? As long as we got home again was all I was worried about, that and if mom noticed I was missing. I considered this and decided I might get away with one night, but after that she would more than likely freak out. Nine forty-five, Oliver, Tristan, and Aristide would be freaking out right now I thought.

"Jean-Paul how come you only just thought about the credit card, we could have come down on a bus or train?" I asked him, because it would have been the first thing I thought of.

He shrugged taking a deep breath, and answered. "I didn't expect it to work; the truth is that was a shot in the dark. I think if it wasn't emblazoned with the bank's name they might have chucked it back at me, as it is they commented upon the lack of an address on the card and I told them it was a new design, that the name and numbers were all they needed. Lucky they are still embossed huh?" He grinned then and stood up to walk to the big windows where passengers could see out onto the ocean. I watched him and thought about how he showed no signs of the nutty behavior at all now. It must have been an act I figured, because there would be some signs, and right now he was actually nice. Not quite as old as my dad and not looking that old really, when you considered he was forty.

He came back and sat down fishing around in the paper carry bag and then bringing out a chocolate bar which he snapped in two and gave me one of the pieces. I grinned at him. "Do you always eat so many candies?" I said, before biting into the chocolate myself.

"Not really. Perhaps on journeys, as the orchestra does travel quite a lot, that's how I found it easy to be in France and hassle Aristide."

I glanced at him a little surprised he had brought that up.

"I know it was horrible, and sometimes I was going to do something bad to him and didn't because I thought this is rotten of me. I'll give him back the items I took and apologize for it all when we're home. I can't tell you how much better I feel about everything now I'm going to get to say a few words to my dad."

I swallowed my chocolate and a feeling of sadness too that had tears welling up in my eyes. I had experienced a lot since I moved to England with my family and even though only just over a year has gone by it feels like longer. I feel older, much older than nineteen, and I thought maybe we would never look older Oliver, Tristan, and me but we will feel it emotionally. I felt as if this last year had been five the amount of stuff I had crammed in it. No wonder Tristan was a little odd sometimes, since he had eight hundred years of emotions to deal with.

To my surprise we were sailing into Ryde Harbor, it had only taken forty minutes the whole thing, and that included boarding, so the island could only be about five miles from the mainland city we had come from. I asked Jean-Paul.

"So how close is the island town to the mainland one we have just left?"

He shook his head. "It can't be as far as I first thought, hardly any distance at all I guess. We have to get to the festival site though now."

I didn't comment because I guessed he would use his thumb.

As it happened, he struck up a conversation with a group of three musicians who were going there to see the Sunday program and they offered us a lift in their camper van.

The musicians were great fun. They were telling anecdotes and joking around, and we got to the festival site quickly. When they had parked up in a field, which already held cars, vans, and tents, we walked over the road and there stretching down for what looked like miles were people. There must have been thousands of people, it was a sea of them, and there on the stage was a band playing, even though it was late, dark, and a bit cold. A wind swirled some litter up as we entered the throng and a wrapper of some kind stuck to my sweater.

I couldn't see how we were going to find John in this crowd, not unless we asked over the microphone. I said this to Jean-Paul and he looked thoughtful before he answered.

"We can't do that."

I knew we couldn't and had only said it to emphasize how big a task we had on our hands. I turned around to one of the guys who had given us a lift.

"I guess you don't know John Lovall do you or any of The Sandflys?" I asked him.

He grinned. "I know George, small world huh? Why?"

I could hardly believe my ears. "We're looking for John that's all, and we're hoping to run into him here."

"Good Luck." He replied laughing. I smiled because that was exactly right, we would be needing it, but if he knew someone then others here might, we could just wander about asking and who knows eventually we could find him.

Jean-Paul had been talking with some people a few yards away and now he came back to me.

"Chloe, do you think you would feel safe if we split up and looked for John? If you find him then you could bring him back here to the tents to meet me, say we look for half an hour, then come back to this tent area and check in with each other."

I sighed because it was very dark now away from the lighting, and people were getting into sleeping bags and others were audible within tents set up around the area we were standing in. The concert seemed to be in full swing still with another band coming on the stage. People roared out a greeting and several stuck their hands up holding little plastic cigarette lighters in the air. I looked down at this sea of little flickering lights and thought of fireflies as the breeze made them flicker and move like a cloud of insects.

Jean-Paul was waiting for an answer and I thought what the hell I'd give it half an hour and see what happened. "Okay, but do you know what he looks like as a young man?"

Jean-Paul looked at me amused. "Yes, there are photos you know and I was sixteen when he died not six."

Right then one of the guys from the campervan came along with a violin and gave it to Jean-Paul saying, "Just say you've lost your tickets, they really aren't checking very well anyway outside of the picket fences. You can borrow the fiddle until tomorrow at midday and yeah, if you need a place to crash the van is open at the back, if you're not fussy."

Jean-Paul was nodding, smiling, and already plucking the strings on the violin. The bow thing had a red ribbon twisted around the handle bit and a bell hanging on the end of it. He quickly gave a few bars of music and the other guy slapped him on the back saying, "Cool man."

Funny how the word 'cool' has lasted as an expression of approval. He walked off towards a group of people and as he approached them, another young guy threw him a canned drink.

Jean-Paul looked at me. "Well?" He said and I assumed he meant what was my answer to splitting up.

I nodded and said, "Okay let's try that."

I set off down the tent area, giving a little wave at one of the guys from the campervan who was standing at the edge of the outer crowd of people.

Up closer to some of them, I could see their clothes better. Some had floppy hats on and lots had fringed or faux fur decorations on waistcoats and the bottoms of jeans. One or two of the guys had flowered shirts, which were quite nice. I could hear the band, but I didn't know who they were, nor the song they were playing. I kept walking looking as best I could at the faces of the guys.

It was about fifteen minutes later when I saw Tristan. I was so pleased to see him, and he looked straight at me as I approached three guys in a small clearing on the very left side of the crowd. They were unfurling sleeping bags and laughing amongst themselves. Tristan was standing to one side of the other two. I walked quickly to him and hugged him.

"Tristan this is so great. I thought we had lost you. How did you get here, where were you at the waterfall? It's so good to see you." I said in a rush and hugged him tighter. One of the guys nearby called out.

"Tristan you're a dark horse who is that, and does she have a sister?"

I stepped back slightly and saw that Tristan didn't know who I was. He looked slightly surprised, amused, kind, but he didn't know me. I stepped back further and he shook his head. "I'm sorry, you know my name, but I don't know you."

I took in the clothes he was wearing, jeans and a dark blue shirt, just ordinary clothes; his hair was short but maybe not the same as when I had last seen him, not now I looked closely at him. This could only be him in nineteen-sixty-nine. I was totally amazed. I stood there silently looking at him for a few seconds and then one of the other guys came up to him and handed him a sleeping bag. He said, "I don't think it's big enough for two Tristan," and laughed again. Tristan gave him a withering look and then looked back at me.

"Sorry, do you need help?"

I shook my head backing away and said, "No, I made a mistake. I thought you were someone else, sorry" and then I turned and walked quickly away. I was thinking what the hell, how bizarre and other things along those lines when he caught me up.

He walked beside me down the side of the crowd of people for a few steps.

"Please stop for a moment. Look I have to ask you. Why did you mention a waterfall?" He said in a concerned voice.

I stopped and faced him. "Please forget it, it was a mistake, sorry to have bothered you. I'm looking for someone else."

"But you know my name, and you hugged me as if you knew me. Who are you?"

I was still shaking my head. "It's a mistake, go away," I said, and I almost ran amongst the crowd of people who were singing along to a song played by the female singer on stage right then.

I looked back and he was standing there watching me. I walked on and straight into Monique who let out a curse as she held my arm and pushed me away.

"Watch out, that's my foot, ouch" and she looked down at her foot in her flimsy sandals. I was shocked I had found her, and still reeling from meeting Tristan.

"I'm so sorry, oh Monique, I saw you in The Shades. Sorry are you okay?" I said and I knew my voice sounded high pitched and strange. She looked at me as she stood up fully and pursed her lips.

"It's okay. Forget it." She turned to look back at the stage and I remained there next to her. There was no sign of John and I wondered if he would come along to be with her or what. I had to ask because this was too good to be true. Out of thousands of people, thousands, I had stumbled upon her.

"Monique is John around? John Lovall? A musician friend of mine was looking for him earlier?" I said as normally as I could.

Strictly speaking, Jean-Paul could hardly be called a friend but there you are.

She glanced at me and said, "He'll be back. Who's this friend?"

I called out, "A violinist," as the crowd I was amongst went wild at the arrival of a new band on stage and got out their lighters to wave in the air again.

I stood there next to her and waited. I was tired, angry, amazed I had met Tristan, and wished that I had refused to come down here with Jean-Paul. I should have just gone back to the waterfall after seeing Joanna in The Shades.

Chapter Fifteen (Tristan's tale)

Uncle William looked at me with a curious mix of annoyance and concern. He glanced at the man coming out of the door close behind him. The man, who was unknown to me, realized Uncle William needed to speak with me, and passed by saying he would go to his chambers and meet with William again in the morning. When he had reached the end of the hallway and started up the stairs, Uncle William turned to me.

"Tristan by all that's holy what are you doing back here? You are supposed to be in Cornwall. Why are you back and what are you doing here instead of coming to the castle?"

I sighed and hung my head a little holding the stolen cloak with its contents close.

"Uncle William I came for a few more of my belongings. I'll leave very soon but I noticed a horse being beaten down here and I came to check on it. You know how much I love horses. I can't see them whipped." It was all I could think of and had some truth in it, so maybe he would believe me.

"And does your Uncle Tristan know you are here, because I can't believe he would not have cautioned you against this visit and what belongings are important enough to risk being seen here? You endanger yourself." He was speaking softly, but he was stern too, and I knew I had to placate him and get away.

"Sorry Uncle William I'm leaving very soon, in fact tonight, and I'd like to take the horse I mentioned up to my grooms if I may. Who is visiting here and for how long? May I go to my chamber and get a couple of things my father gave me?"

I used a couple of our Norman French words that were endearments and I saw him respond, a look of affection coming onto his face.

"I can hear the Cornwall lilt in your voice already Tristan, get on with it and go back down there. It's not safe for you here. The visitors are old friends of mine, here for the boar, you'll not have met them, and that's a blessing. Be off now. I'll try to see you before you leave but if not, take care, and send word you are back in Cornwall safely." He hugged me and almost pushed me down the corridor and out of the front doors closing them behind me.

I was flooded with relief and stood for a moment considering the idea of going up to the castle as I had said. It was daunting and I smiled to myself at Uncle William's comment about how I spoke as I walked around the side of the house. I hadn't thought my Norman French sounded that different but it must. I had been so lucky that Uncle William had not decided to take me up to the castle and I realized so lucky that my clothes changed as I touched the waterfall. I looked the part of a bedraggled nephew, who had ridden from Cornwall. There was no chance of Uncle William checking up on me, he couldn't get on the phone for instance and I started to chuckle at this as I went back into the stable.

I gave the apples to the horses and ate one myself as I stood alongside the gray horse that had been whipped talking to him.

I decided I'd take him with me through the portal at nine o'clock and sat down on a hay bale by the stable doors. I had three hours to hang out. I thought about Chloe, and where she might be right now, and it was an unhappy thought. I decided to chance going for a walk. The fact Uncle William had simply thought I was Tristan from his own time made me bold. I put the remains of the fruit I had down on the hay and went outside.

The late afternoon had brought out the sun and because my clothes were almost dry, it didn't feel as cold as before. I wandered along in the woodland down the usual path to the outer castle walls. There were people around in the fields and I didn't bother to look when I heard the sound of horse hooves behind me. I felt blended in and at home.

Uncle William was the man on horseback and he stopped by me.

"Tristan I am pleased to have caught you. I thought to find you in the stable at the lodge, but come home and eat before your journey. Where's your own horse?"

I looked up at him. "I was brought up from Cornwall in a cart and I walked, and then another man with a cart helped me. I didn't bring my own horse."

The speech sounded ridiculous, but he took a deep breath of exasperation and said, "Go and get the horse from the hunting lodge since that took your fancy. I'll explain to the owner, and she can have a pony from our stock that will suit her better. She whips the horse because he is willful. I just asked her father about it after you left. In my opinion, she needs a more biddable mount. The groom is back from his refreshments so I've told him to saddle it for you as I expected you to take it. I can't believe you rode in carts like a peasant all the way from Cornwall. That accounts for the state of your velvet tunic. Even though you cannot remain here, you must remember your nobility Tristan. I'll have some money put into your chambers for you. I'll assign a servant to you, to accompany you back to my brother's estate and I expect you at table this evening."

I nodded at him and he turned his horse around, since the animal had been restless and then rode off. I knew better than to continue wandering along, and he would more than likely send people down to the hunting lodge looking for me. I wondered how I might be changing the future if I just did as he asked and arrived for supper. I'd have to ditch the servant though, as how could I get home to the future with a servant dogging my steps.

I walked back to the stables to find that the groom I had earlier dismissed had saddled the gray horse and was waiting for me just as Uncle William had told him. The saddle was an old one that was in the stable and he had thrown a length of fabric over the flanks of the horse where it had been whipped. I thought that kind of him as it would protect the horse's wounds from tree branches and the like as we travelled. I smiled at him.

He was busy trying to help me and being courteous. I gave him my thanks and hoped my expression was one of dismissal but he was going to run alongside me to the castle. I couldn't have that and told him my personal servant would be waiting for me. He told me he was expected to change the saddle for a better one in the castle stables and frowned slightly in anxiety. He was worried about Uncle William's reactions I could tell, and I had to convince him that it was better to let me ride up to the castle stables alone. I told him that the lady the gray horse belonged to would be needing him and he finally accepted that.

I started riding up to the castle thinking all the time how I was going to handle this mess. If I simply acted like myself in eleven-ninety then maybe nothing would go wrong and I could sneak off for the nine o'clock travel time. I went straight to the stables and found they were expecting me. So I let them take the lovely horse, telling them to dress his wounds again, and that I'd be happy to keep the mantle covering his flanks for my journey. I strode off trying to remember what I had actually left in my chambers that I could pretend I had come home for.

I was met at my chamber door by one of Uncle William's manservants. Some kind of secretary if I remember correctly, as I think I remember him coming to the castle with William and handling paperwork. He had a small leather bag with him and gave it to me with my Uncle William's regards. I felt the weight of it as I took it and nodded saying to convey my thanks. He looked me up and down, and I was sure he was assessing my appearance as scruffy and bedraggled. I smiled at him because if that was what he was thinking it was true, even though I was sure my clothes would be perfect again next time the waterfall changed them. He smiled back and reminded me politely that my Uncle William was expecting me for dinner. I nodded and entered my room.

I looked around at the familiar sight. It was just as I had left it a couple of weeks before the end of January eleven-ninety and I walked around looking at the tapestries and the bed coverings. I went to my chest and looked inside. If I changed and went down for dinner looking more like my old self then maybe I could persuade William not to send a servant back to Cornwall with me. I changed my tunics and surcoat, leaving my leather on the table. I've not corrected Chloe when she calls some of my clothes doublets, but they aren't, though I have to admit the half-armored leather and fur jacket I wear is specially made and shorter than usual. I looked down at my clothes, smoothing the velvet and fur trimmings. I didn't care for the dusty smell that was about my clothes, but too bad. I put on my belts and rings again.

The room was becoming dark and I checked my cell phone for the time. It was almost seven thirty and I was relieved to find time was not dragging. I put my phone back inside my clothes feeling it secured by my belts.

As I was leaving my chambers, a servant came along. I knew him and he was genuinely pleased to see me. He had brought candles and a bowl of fruit for my chambers. I watched him light the room and place the bowl of fruit, and then he accompanied me with a candle around to the Solar, where in the biggest room, my uncle was having dinner. I was surprised to see he ate alone, having expected someone from amongst his hunting guests to be there.

He didn't actually say much. I thanked him for the horse and money, and he said I looked much better and that he had arranged for Anselm, a servant, to accompany me at dawn back to Cornwall. I was happy about that because I'd be long gone by dawn and Uncle William was happy in turn because he thought the gesture had pleased me. He advised me against further visits to the castle and I assured him I'd be careful and did not intend another visit. He started to talk about the estate and the farmlands, but never said a word about my drowning or my father. I was happy about that because any words about it might have somehow changed the future. He left me maybe after an hour and I quickly went back to my chamber wondering if I'd have enough time to get down to the waterfall.

I looked inside the leather money pouch my uncle had sent for me to check what was in there, and found he had included a pearl encrusted cloak brooch and a double ring of emerald and sapphire. I shook my head as I held it to a candle to see it glisten richly in the gold setting. Where had that come from?

I couldn't leave the pouch in the event it was found, and William was insulted, so I stuffed my leather and fur half armor and other tunics into a saddlebag along with it and taking a candle I hurried down to the stables.

I had the devil of a job getting my horse saddled because they had been told to prepare him at dawn. They obeyed me after a couple of minutes of hesitation but took their time getting it all just right, naturally. I was cursing as I rode out through the middle gate that would take me more quickly down to the outer bailey and then down to the very outer walls. The moon was out and the stars were sprinkled in great swathes across the sky. The night air was cool, but the wind had gone, and it was pleasant out.

I reached the pool and waterfall via the slope and checked my cell phone. I had missed nine o'clock. It was ten past and now I was wondering if Aristide would try to open the portal again in seven hours, which would be four in the morning, 'bloody great' I cursed.

Chapter Sixteen (Chloe's tale)

Monique glanced at me and then giggled. "The guy you're avoiding is still there. He's watching us. He's very attractive what's the problem?"

I hadn't looked again at where this Tristan had stopped as I ran into the crowd, and now many people were sitting on rugs and blankets to my left and he was standing there, calmly looking over. I stared at him hoping it was a hostile stare, but this was Tristan, and I love him. It was hard to feel anything but love and relief at the sight of him.

He tried a small smile at me and then looked away as if he was really standing watching the band up on stage. I sighed because it was no good I couldn't talk to him anymore. It might do something unpleasant to the future.

I turned fully to Monique. "I don't want to talk to him. Do you think John will come back to you soon because I might need to go to find my friend in a few minutes," I asked her.

She pursed her lips again saying, "Maybe. Go and find your friend."

I knew we were strangers to each other and it might have seemed weird hanging about there. I could hardly get my cell phone out and so I asked her for the time as she was wearing this massive watch with an orange band. She looked at it closely, the lights were dim over this side, and the smell of diesel from the generator powering something was becoming unpleasant. I did want to go in reality.

"It's just after one," she said.

I was shocked. "One in the morning?" I croaked, and she looked at me as if I was stupid.

"What else?" she said, and then folded her blanket around her and sat down on a tartan rug, which was at her feet.

I slowly looked around, Tristan was gone, and I sighed in relief and disappointment.

I picked my way through the crowd and reached the top tent area where I could see Jean-Paul standing holding the violin and drinking a can of cola, the paper carry bag at his feet. The middle and right side of the crowd of people was thick and I thought it would be pointless trying to find John now at this time of night. There was all kinds of things going on, people talking, sleeping, dancing, and as I reached Jean-Paul he grinned at me.

"Any luck?" he asked, and I guessed he meant finding John.

"I found Monique, but John was not with her and I waited but he didn't show up."

"No. In all these people? Nice going, Chloe. Take me to her he might be back by now."

I sighed and looked into the paper bag. I had a drink of water and took a candy from the pack in there.

"Okay, come on," I told him as I unwrapped the mint and popped it in my mouth.

We wound our way through people to where I thought Monique had been and though I was sure it was the place, she was not there and a couple of guys were stretched out in sleeping bags singing along with the band.

"I feel sure she was here Jean-Paul," I said and looked around pointlessly. She must have left the spot as soon as I had gone and I shrugged. "Sorry, I thought she was waiting here for John."

Jean-Paul sighed and said, "Well maybe we'll see one of them later, don't worry."

We walked slowly back up to the tent area without saying anything else and once there stopped to look around. Some people were leaving the festival grounds and I watched to make sure John and Monique were not amongst them. They weren't as far as I could see. I'm used to staying up late, and getting up to all kinds of nocturnal adventures, but somehow I felt tired and not very into this adventure. I looked around for somewhere to sit. There were some cardboard boxes on the ground by what might have been a refreshment tent during the day. They were empty, but I got a few together and sat on them squishing them down until they were surprisingly comfortable. Jean-Paul laughed. "You look like a bird in a nest there, Chloe."

I sighed wondering if there was any chance of finding John, and maybe that had been it, the extent of the luck, when I had found Monique.

"You know she must have gone somewhere either to meet him, or he came back and they left together, as I came up here to find you, because who'd risk not having a meeting place in this sea of people," I reasoned, and I could see Jean-Paul was considering this, and then he commented.

"Maybe they have a campervan, or something, or a tent back there in the other fields." He seemed excited by the thought and I warned him.

"Hey we can't go around calling at tents and knocking on van doors at this time in the morning."

"No, but I was thinking if we stationed ourselves at the gap in the fences in the morning we could see them come across for the concert tomorrow."

I sighed. It didn't feel likely to me and maybe even cut our chances of finding him by stationing ourselves in one spot, but I didn't answer.

Jean-Paul got a cardboard box and split the sides to flatten it out and then he put it next to me and sat down.

"We might not find him at all. Perhaps I was foolish to come down here, perhaps I should have waited in his hometown." Jean-Paul sounded sad, and he put the collar of his jacket up against the cold.

"Perhaps, but we're here now, and we've missed the portal being opened by Aristide, so it's no good thinking like that. They'll all be freaking out by now, and my mom maybe thinks the worst."

He looked sadly at me. "Sorry Chloe."

I shook my head. "It's done now, but let's hope Aristide keeps on opening the portal every seven hours until we get home."

He nodded at me and I had to smile because only the grandchild of a witch would be able to accept the portal and all that went with it.

"Pity you have no magic yourself, Jean-Paul."

"Well I do have a little, that reading people stuff is close. I really can tell what is in someone's mind sometimes, not read their thoughts but just somehow know."

I thought about my own thought reading thing and suddenly listened to his thoughts. I could hear nothing, and either I had lost it back here in time or I couldn't read his. Whatever.

We sat there quietly and I went to sleep with my head on my arm for a while. I woke up with pins and needles and had to shake my arm back to life. The sky was lighter and I chanced looking at my cell phone for the time. It was three thirty. Jean-Paul was curled up on his cardboard like a child. I wanted to use the bathroom, but were there any and what would I encounter in there in the middle of the night? The fields of people were strangely quiet. One or two groups were standing and seemed to emit a low hum of talk. I looked at Jean-Paul. Maybe I'd have to wake him and say I needed to find a bathroom because if he woke up when I was gone he might flip out. I waited until it was urgent and the sky a little lighter, and then I got up out of my nest, and gave him a gentle shake.

He sat up quickly and seeing it was me, took a deep breath. He had the violin close into his body and now he put it a little further away from him as he said.

"What's up?"

I smiled at this expression. "I must find a bathroom, do you have any ideas?"

He was moving his shoulders around and seemed to have a crick in his neck.

"I found them, they aren't far, we'll both go, but they're not very nice."

They were in corrugated iron sheds about a hundred yards to the right of us and had signs up. A guy was outside throwing up and I looked away quickly going in. I was surprised there was no queue to speak of. The only way to wash your hands was at cold water standpipe taps on the outside. The wind was back and I turned away from it, as it was cold. I pulled my sleeves down over my hands as Jean-Paul appeared. We went back to our cardboard boxes and pulled them along by the side of one of the tents so that it acted as a windbreak. There were three people all cuddled together asleep in the bushes there and Jean-Paul grinned at me.

"A guy in the men's room was just saying that some of his friends had decided to sleep on the beach. That would be bloody cold. Apparently there's a dormitory tent along to the right over there," and he pointed at a large tent that was visible now as the sky was patterned with dawn light.

I got in my boxes, dormitory tents were not appealing right then. My boxes were relatively warm as I huddled in my big sweater. I'd have frozen to death if Jean-Paul hadn't tried out that credit card. He pulled his box around him and leaned a little so that we were back to back and it was warmer. I heard him sigh.

"If we don't find him in the daylight I'll give up, Chloe, because I can't ask you to spend another night out in the open like this. I'm not a horrible person really, you know. I hope you don't think I am."

I told him I didn't and we fell silent again as the sky lightened and the people started to stir. The queue at the bathrooms grew and grew, and the queue at the standpipe. People started to mill about gathering their things and going places only they knew about, because I could see nothing for miles except farmland.

Jean-Paul shuffled around to be by my side and seemed cheered by the morning's activity. It was around nine in the morning, and the sun was weak. Even though the wind had died down the air was cold coming off the sea.

After about ten minutes of watching the activity he spoke.

"Maybe we should go into the village and try to buy breakfast."

"The village will be swamped with people. Maybe we should take a look at the people in the dormitory tent and make sure John's not in there."

He walked over there and checked. I sat in my boxes and scanned the faces of people as they started to pass by.

I got up and walked around a little. I had charge of the few things we had left in the carry bag and I drank a little of my water. My teeth felt furry from the candies I had eaten the night before. I tidied the cardboard boxes into a stack that would not blow about and stood waiting by the tents for Jean-Paul, holding the violin in one hand and the carry bag in the other. Many people were still sleeping, especially the ones in groups huddled together, and two to a sleeping bag. I smiled slightly, remembering what the guy had said last night when I had met this time's Tristan.

Jean-Paul came back. "They are not to be seen." He said simply and sighed.

We wandered about the field looking for John and Monique. It grew later and I suddenly wondered why Jean-Paul had the violin.

"What's with the violin anyway?" I asked him.

He stopped walking. "I completely forgot that. I meant to use it as an excuse to try to join John's band. It's my 'in' to talk to him. I better take it back to the campervan it's nearly noon."

"How about you just stand here and play a tune first Jean-Paul maybe you can lure John to you." I suggested and laughed.

He took my suggestion and after messing with the violin strings for a moment started to play. It seemed to be some kind of classical tune and then he started something less classical. People came to stand near and a few shouted out names of songs none of which I knew. A guy with a guitar came to stand by Jean-Paul's side and started playing a harmony to go with the violin and suddenly people were clapping and singing snatches of words that clearly went with this tune. Two songs later, there was no sign of John and Jean-Paul stopped playing. People clapped and smiled as we walked away.

We headed for the parking area where the campervan was parked alongside two other cars. As Jean-Paul was at the campervan door giving the violin back to the musician who had lent it to him yesterday, I looked at the cars because I had never seen anything like them.

He walked over to where I was waiting.

"I'll never find him; maybe we should go back now." His voice was sad and he looked dejected.

I thought what the hell and smiled at him. "Let's give it the rest of the day."

The sea of people was back, there were people everywhere, with massive queues for everything, and I knew in my heart that we'd never find John in this huge amount of people. The bands were on again and I recognized one or two of the songs they played.

By evening, I was starving and we had exhausted our supplies of chocolate and candy. It was growing cold again and people were huddling together. There was a press enclosure and it was packed to the gills with journalists. Everyone was becoming edgy and excited. Bob Dylan was supposed to come on at ten, and I began to think we might as well stay. Jean-Paul had been waiting in the bathroom queue for what seemed like an hour and I was up by the top entrance to the whole place in our designated meeting spot. The whole sea of people seemed to be waiting for one thing or another.

He walked over to me and shook his head. "Let's go. I can't stand it any longer."

I was surprised. "What about history Jean-Paul, what about the main act?"

He shook his head. "I just haven't the heart for it."

We walked out of the place, passing a few police officers who stood about. I looked back at the thousands of people in the crowd where one or two cigarette lighters were already being waved about.

We were given a lift by a farmer into town and then a young couple with a toddler gave us a lift to the ferry. We only had half an hour to wait and Jean-Paul used his credit card again to buy tea and sandwiches.

The ferry journey seemed even shorter going back to the mainland.

I asked Jean-Paul how he was feeling and he sighed.

"A bit stupid, and sad naturally, but mostly stupid."

I squeezed his arm. "Don't feel stupid, Jean-Paul. It's surprising what we do when we love someone and you loved your dad."

He seemed only slightly cheered by this comment and I fell silent.

If all went well with travelling we could hope that Aristide tried to open the portal every seven hours and the next one we could make in time would be at one in the morning. The best I could hope for then was that mom had not noticed I was missing.

Chapter Seventeen (Tristan's tale)

I dismounted the horse, as I cursed inwardly for having missed the time when surely Aristide would have tried opening the portal. It would be a miserable night waiting, and I sighed as I let go of the reins giving the horse his relative freedom. He turned to look at me as I sat down on the nearest clump of ferns, wrapping my cloak around me. This horse seemed to sense my despondency and he took the couple of steps to reach me, pushing his nose against my shoulder as if to say get up, or cheer up. I stroked his head. He decided he had comforted me enough and dropped his head to graze on the grass nearby. It made me smile.

The darkness down here by the pool and waterfall was helped slightly by the shimmering reflection of the moon. I looked up into the sky and considered the stars up there. I was old too, eight hundred and forty years old but even though I thought myself immortal, I still couldn't fully believe I'd go on forever. I sighed again thinking at least now I had Oliver and Chloe with me too, and they would not pass away as all the others had. I thought then of Aristide and Rene, Lily and Anna; how long would they go on for, longer than ordinary humans would for sure. I shook my head as I realized that for at least a couple of hundred years there had been those other people living in the same world as me, but hidden just like me, and their gifts unseen. Weird stuff I thought and glanced to my side as a slight movement in the thicket of trees caught my peripheral vision.

The horse had heard it and now stood very still his ears flicking to discover any sounds that might tell him if this was dangerous or not.

We were both tense and waiting. I had my hand on the hilt of my sword in readiness for attack as I stared into the shroud of darkness. A figure came from the trees and I leapt to my feet with my sword 'en garde', but to my complete amazement, the person before me was Gaston.

I sheathed my sword and put my hands on his arms, laughing as I put my cheek to his young and smooth. "Gaston, what are you doing here? Hey, it's good to see you." I told him in our French and I kept on grinning because it was really so good to see him. I stopped clutching his arms as he too was laughing and I stood back from him.

"Tristan, my friend I was looking for you earlier since I was in the area. I asked at the castle and they told me you had gone to live with an uncle in Cornwall, but no, here you are. It's late to be sitting watching the waterfall, are you melancholy?" He asked me with a slight inclination of his head.

I smiled to allay his concern and answered.

"Gaston, I'm leaving tonight for another estate just as they advised you at the castle but I'm giving my horse a rest first." I felt like a liar telling him this. It was the closest I could get to the truth.

He looked at me speculatively and sighed slightly.

"Do you leave because of a woman Tristan?" He surprised me with the question and I had to chuckle a little as I answered.

"Fortunately not, Gaston." I decided to tell him a little more of the truth and continued saying, "I had an accident here in the snow and ice at the height of winter. I should have drowned, but I did not, and now the people are worried by me, thinking I may have dealings with witchcraft. I'm leaving to stop the rumors and possible complications." I shrugged to soften the strange tale.

He looked even more speculatively at me and then he looked around as if to check that no one else was near. That made me smile but as he spoke, I could feel my smile go from my face and a puzzled frown appear in its place.

"That was here in this magical place was it not? The waterfall and the holy water springing nearby have produced a resonance with nature that is truly remarkable."

I nodded and we both walked a few paces to a fallen tree and sat down upon the thickest part of the trunk.

"What do you mean Gaston? It sounds as if you know something about this place that maybe I should know." I was not expecting what he told me next, and I stared at him in complete amazement.

"Tristan, this waterfall has a passageway behind it. You have to know where to look, but once there, and at certain times, a door opens to different ages. I would not tell you my friend for fear of burdening you with this knowledge, but I must go in there when the moon is just a little higher in the sky close to that very bright star up there. I'll need to go into the passage to get home. Tristan, I'm not from this time. I know this will be hard to understand but I have to tell you. I was born in the year thirteen-seventy-three, the year I come to this place from is thirteen-ninety, and so, Tristan, it's two hundred years into the future that I come from. I hope I can trust you with this knowledge as I'll be in great danger should anyone else discover my secret travels. I had travelled here for the third time on the day I met you being attacked, and I've travelled here since then. I've grown fond of being able to escape my responsibilities at court, but I do know that eventually I must stop using the door in time."

I thought fast. I knew that he was trusting me implicitly and I valued that.

"Gaston, you have my word that I'll not give your secret away." It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him my own secret, but I decided against it almost as soon as I had thought about it, because it might endanger him somehow. I was still amazed at the information about the waterfall passageway because in later years that legend would grow up surrounding the waterfall.

"Gaston what other times have you travelled to besides this one, this year?" I asked him.

He smiled and pushed his fringe away from his forehead. "I've seen wondrous sights, the castle in ruins. The woodland changed. Trees grow right down to the pool here. The lake shrinks. I hope I'm not alarming you with this information. Once, Tristan, I heard music and I walked towards the sound. There was a building surrounded by huge tents, bigger than I've ever seen and musicians near the shrunken lake. People were everywhere. I came and hid until I knew the door in time would open and I went home. I always go home but when I come to this place, it often is at different times. The waterfall likes to bring me to this year often, but it has its own ideas most of the time about what year I find myself in. I've always paid the waterfall spirits before I leave, tonight I'll send them a necklace."

I looked amused and quizzically at him as he pulled a necklace he was wearing from inside his inner tunic. I knew that necklace, and right now it was in Chloe's bedroom. We had found it in the ancient water feature below the kitchen. So some of the jewelry finds there could well be attributed to Gaston, as only two or three of them were mine. I sighed and shook my head in wonderment at what had been going on. Gaston had described an event at the restaurant more than likely in the first year Chloe's father had bought the restaurant.

I was smiling as I said, "Gaston surely you do not really think you have to pay the waterfall for your journeys. Will you show me the way behind the waterfall, I've never found it?"

That was true, not in all the years I had lived, and visited the pool had I actually thought that there was a passageway, and that it was accessible from the side of the waterfall. It looked treacherous and I knew that there was an exceptionally deep area of the pool, where the water flowed into a tiny rock opening and went to several underground places. The water feature under the kitchen in Chloe's house being one of them. I had decided against the considerable leap to the rocks, that jutted out slightly by the pool, where it looked enticingly like an entrance to behind the waterfall. I had warned others away too, including Chloe. The fact that I changed from wearing contemporary clothing into the style of clothes I had drowned in when I touched the water there at the pool, had also stopped me. In fact, I had never actually gone into the middle of the pool, because who knew what other thing could change and who might come upon me changed.

Gaston was smiling at me and he raised his eyebrows as he took the necklace from around his neck and weighed it in his hand.

"I think I'll stick with my custom of giving the water spirits their trinket, it means little to me I have so many jewels at home. You notice I do not have a horse with me, Tristan? I always have to acquire one when I get here, if the year dictates naturally, and sometimes I leave a trinket in payment for the horse even though I always give them back if possible. To reach the passageway you must climb down through the waterfall. I'm sincere when I say it might be better for you if you do not know the way. Tristan, what if it became known, I was seen for instance, and then there were questions asked. You are seemingly already under suspicion. It will be safer for you I think my friend. I've already told you more than is probably good for you. I say this not in disparagement but with concern. I like you very much, Tristan. Do you understand?"

I sighed because it was the same with me. I didn't want to put him in danger and that was why I still maintained my silence about what I was, and where I had recently come from. I smiled at him.

"Gaston, I like you too and will not press you for any more details. Good luck my friend with everything else you do in life, and take care not to get stuck in a time that is not your own on any of your travels."

We stared at each other for a full minute. He seemed to be deciding something in his thoughts and I waited.

"Tristan, when I travel to my own year, thirteen-ninety it will not be this place I emerge from. It will be a waterfall in my home country, in a garden, in the countryside near to one of my family's palaces. The time is not the only thing that changes. That is wondrous is it not?"

I gasped slightly. I hadn't thought of that, the fact that he was from France, and that he would not simply be living near here in thirteen-ninety. I smiled again at him.

"It truly is unbelievable. This place must be full of magic of the best kind." I had added that to make sure he did not think I meant witchcraft.

"I would not have met you had I not waded into the pool by my waterfall at home after one of my little dogs had fallen from the steepest part of the bank. I slipped and went under the water. When I surfaced I was not in my pool nor in water, I was behind water falling and at first I thought somehow I had slipped behind my own waterfall, but no it was here." He laughed happily. "What happened next was incredible. I was standing behind this waterfall on the rocks there, shivering you know, because it was so cold, and then I was back in my own pool gulping water. I struck out for the bank and then waded the rest of the way to the side. My silly little dog had found his own way and was running up and down with the others barking, and yapping, and carrying on. I was lucky not to have been discovered dripping wet going to my chambers. I decided then I'd come back here, when I had different clothes on, when I had my swords. I chose night-time to do it again. Dangerous for many reasons, guards patrolling where I live, and the threat of drowning in my own pool, which has a very deep spot in it. I decided what had I got to lose I was already in trouble most of the time with my family, and the last straw was their decision for me to marry. I came during the day and went back at night a couple of times and then I was to visit an aunt in a nearby palace, it was to meet with my betrothed. I decided I'd get lost on the way, detour back and spend some time here, of course I never quite knew what year I would end up being in, but it was always this place I'd come to."

He stopped talking and stood up staring at the sky. I looked up myself and guessed he was looking at where the moon was. We must have spent at least an hour talking so perhaps it was time for him to climb down into the waterfall.

He laughed again. "I was spared the marriage although it was a scandal to insult the suitor by not showing up at the meeting. Two years have passed and they have not brought forth another suitor."

I frowned. "Gaston, I'm surprised they press you so hard to marry since a man generally has a little more choice in the matter, certainly at such a tender age. Are you not also needed for a knight's duties?"

I stopped talking because he was laughing.

"Tristan, I must leave very soon. I may never see you again. I'm a girl. My brother's clothes and name have allowed me to pretend I'm male but my sword skills are my own. I was taught by a favorite uncle since I was four to fight with sword and knife."

I was shocked and I stood up myself then staring at him or her.

"But your hair, your strength, I, I'm surprised."

He laughed again. "Because you thought I was young you have overlooked my voice, and my hair is tied in and pulled forward to give the semblance of a shorter style. See how it's tucked into my collars. I'm skilled more than strong and as soon as I saw you fighting those attackers I liked you, was drawn to you. I believe now in many things I previously did not. Maybe I know you in another life, Tristan."

Gaston was walking away now towards the steps that would take her up and past the waterfall edge to the top of the rocks and on to the castle grounds. I caught her up. "Gaston, take care," I said, because I didn't know what else to call her.

She smiled at me and swung a leg out into the water, holding onto the ornate rail with one hand, until it seemed she had found the place within the water, where she could enter behind the cascading curtain of water. Suddenly she was gone within it, and it didn't even look as if the water, which was falling at considerable speed, had sprayed off her shoulders or body at all.

I stood there for a moment and then I saw the necklace Gaston had promised the waterfall spirits come hurtling through the middle of the falls and splash into the pool. It rippled in circles and then was still. I waited there on the steps. Had Gaston gone in time? I didn't know. I felt I could not follow as she had asked me not to. I looked into the falls seeking the place she had stepped into, but I couldn't see it. It was dark and the moon, which had been bright was covered now with a shred of cloud, just enough to dim the night's darkness further.

I went down the steps and I wished I had asked the girl's name for I would always think of her as Gaston.

I sat on the fallen tree again and the gray horse came and stood by me.

I suddenly remembered how Chloe, Oliver, and I had seen Gaston near the pool when we had travelled back in time, and how Oliver had said Gaston looked like a girl to him. I wished I had told Gaston how brave he was, rather she was.

I looked at my cell phone. It was just after midnight, thank heavens, only four hours to go before I could perhaps go back to the time I had come from. I laughed at myself because how strange this all was, and this place was so busy like a highway in time. I pulled my cloak around me, and somehow my mood shifted. I wondered if Gaston had a happy life, and if she had eventually had to marry. I guessed so. She would be seventeen possibly right now in her own time, a little old to refuse her parents' requests should they find someone they wanted her to marry. I found myself hoping she had found someone who loved her. I felt she deserved that.

It was getting much colder and the clouds were gathering more and covering the moon. I decided to chance going into the stables with the gray horse and spending the rest of the time there in the relative warmth of the hay bales.

The place was empty of people, but had horses in each stall. They made small sounds as I went in there with the gray horse. He went off to eat from a container of grain that was on the floor near a stall. I sat on a hay bale and looked around as best I could because the place was dark. Finally, I lay on the hay bale, it was a squashy mess of a bale not square or round like the bales in Chloe's time, but more like a bunch of hay. The one keeping the little storeroom door closed was similar but bulkier. I closed my eyes and thought about Chloe and that madman Jean-Paul. Where were they and what was happening? There was always something weird going on these days I sighed.

I opened my eyes with a start. Obviously, I had somehow fallen asleep. I sat up and grabbed my cell phone from inside my tunics. Yes, it was half past three. I would go now to the waterfall and hope Aristide was out there in time chanting for me to get back.

I looked at the gray horse. Was it fair to take him? Sure it was, and I had no choice did I anyway because Uncle William thought I was riding down to Cornwall on him.

We walked through the woods down to the waterfall and the pool where the reed pad was always visible like a beacon showing the way to another time, another life. I had my cell phone in my hand and had the gray horse pulled tight to me by his reins. He knew something was going on and eyed me knowingly. At four am I stepped onto the reed pad making sure he did too as I bent to touch the water.

Chapter Eighteen (Tristan's return)

I knew we had travelled in time because Oliver was calling out my name.

I stepped backwards out of the reeds and the horse did too, turning on the bank trying to stop himself being pulled backwards by me. I let his reins loose a little and turned around myself. Oliver was there now at my side and Aristide too.

"Bloody, bloody, bloody hell, Tristan do you know where Chloe is?" Oliver asked grabbing me and hugging me.

Aristide was smiling as he said, "Well one down, two to go. We'll get there. Don't worry so much, Oliver. He's nearly sick with worry, Tristan, but I knew at one or another of the seven hour time slots someone would show up." He patted me on the shoulder gently and left his hand there for a moment as if he too was very pleased to see me.

I looked from one to the other of them.

"I've been in eleven-ninety since that maniac Jean-Paul pushed me as you sent us to nineteen-sixty-nine. So they're not back then?" I felt a wave of fear for Chloe.

Oliver was still holding my arm. "Tristan, they should have been back at nine or even now with you. What can have happened? I am sick with worry actually, and what will we say to her parents if she doesn't show up tomorrow morning?" He looked pale in the light from Aristide's flashlight. The sky was still quite dark.

"Could we go to my stables and put this horse to bed and then maybe sit down with a cup of coffee and plan something?" I asked thinking maybe we could get away with some kind of note saying she had gone off to the coast for the day and left early, or some similar tale. "Where are you parked?" I asked.

"In the abbey visitor car park. We came in my car. I moved your truck to the stables since it was in the lane next to Chloe's place. Let's go it's getting light." Oliver answered and I looked around, it was too, the light creeping into the sky suddenly. I hadn't given the truck a thought until then.

"How Oliver?" I asked him, and he laughed.

"You'd left the keys in the ignition since you ran down to get to Chloe and Jean-Paul, which was great actually."

I sighed remembering how I had done that very thing, run down there to the pool to see Jean-Paul holding the gun to Chloe's head. It made me feel suddenly sick.

"Oliver, I need to ride the horse to the stables. I'll meet you both there."

Oliver grinned. "Another horse, Tristan, how did you come by this one? I suppose he just followed you like the rest." I smiled back and nodded, but we knew we needed to get going so I waved my hand slightly and they set off walking to the tourist car park at the abbey.

I walked the gray horse up the bank to the top path, and after glancing around at the garden and grounds, I got up onto his back, and started on the route to the stables.

I was there shortly before they were, and after putting the gray horse into a stall with oats and water, I went around to the apartment at the back.

Of course, I had no keys and had to climb in through the open bathroom window, yanking the window frame as far as it would reach so that I could get in there. The window was quite small, and high up, and that's why I had left it open, but I had plant pots to stand on and determination to get me through the space.

I had just opened the door from the inside after putting the kettle to boil for coffee, when amidst sudden and loud birdsong Oliver and Aristide arrived.

The sky was light now and a weak sun was trying to glisten through the white cloud. I felt strangely lonely as I watched them get out of the Land Rover and come to the door.

Chloe should have been there too.

Oliver made the coffee as I sat down at the table thinking about Chloe.

Aristide sat next to me. "We'll get her back I feel sure of it, and if there's no sign of her by tonight then I'll send you to look for her. I think you'll want that."

I smiled a little at him. "Thanks, Aristide, I will want that. What times will you try to get her back?" My mind felt fuzzy, and I drank some of the coffee Oliver put in front of me.

"This morning at eleven, and at six this evening, and then of course at one o'clock in the morning, which will have taken us to Monday." He took a deep breath and continued, "But I can't imagine what is going on if she is not back by then. I think boys, that we need to think what to say to her mother today."

It made me smile that he called Oliver and I boys. I felt we were far from boyhood, as I was eight-hundred and forty, and Oliver twenty-one this year. I smiled a little more as the comment broke the tension, and we all seemed to relax a little.

"What if we left a note which was allegedly from her on the kitchen table saying she did not want to disturb them, but had left early with me for a day on the coast?" I put that to them as an idea. It seemed feasible since Chloe was a law unto herself as far as I had observed.

Oliver was thinking it over I could tell from the look on his face, and then he said, "But they'll know it's not her handwriting and how do we get in her house to leave the note?"

"We'll print the note out, because she uses computers for everything. I've never seen her use a pen and paper, and I have keys to the house remember?" I said thinking this was what we would do, we had to do something, it was too risky to just leave it, and hope no one noticed she was gone.

Aristide laughed. "Why do you have keys, Tristan?"

I sighed not wanting to go into too much detail. "It's my house, Aristide, Nick McGarry rents it."

Oliver was patting down the pockets in his jacket, and then brought out my key ring.

"Speaking of keys, Tristan, here are yours," and he handed them to me.

I put them on the table in front of me and drank my coffee.

"We'll use the laptop in the little office here at the stables, there's a printer here too. Let's do it soon and then go over to the house to creep in and deliver the note. Nick McGarry will leave for the restaurant soon I bet."

"I have to work today and I can't very well skip out on that, we had a lot of bookings for this Sunday lunch. I'm working from twelve until six so I'll miss out on being at the waterfall with you two. I feel upset about it, but seriously I have to go to work."

I nodded in agreement. "You do need to, Oliver, let's keep everything as normal as possible. Are you free to go after her at one in the morning though, should she not turn up beforehand. I'm guessing you'll want to go too, Oliver." I would if I was him.

He smiled. "Too right, I do want to come with you, because god only knows what is going on. It might take the two of us to deal with whatever it is."

We sat quietly for a couple of minutes. I looked at the time on the oven clock, and it was five thirty. I got up to deal with the note that we would pretend was from Chloe. Oliver got up to make some more coffee. Aristide was deep in thought.

I typed the barest information. Hi Mom, Gone early with Tristan to the coast for the day, back late, have a good day yourself, Chloe. I asked myself would she put love from Chloe or xxx for kisses. I didn't know. I printed the note out and walked back around to the apartment. I gave the note to Oliver.

"What do you think? Does it seem the way she might write a note?" I asked him.

I picked up my replenished cup of coffee and ran a hand across my forehead. I was worried, a little tired, hungry, and felt a slight desperation.

"It'll pass. What else can we do? I don't have a better idea." Oliver shrugged and gave me back the note. We dropped Aristide home and I arranged to come over and get him for the eleven o'clock try at bringing Chloe home.

Oliver parked right at the end of the lane so that the engine was not heard from the house. We were chancing it that Chloe's dad had left for work.

I thought the best I could do was get it over with, in and out quickly and quietly. I peeked in the kitchen window just to make sure Nick was not in there and then I let myself in through the front door and tiptoed into the kitchen. I left the note on the table and left swiftly. On the lane, I ran to the Land Rover where Oliver waited.

"Well that bit's over. Oliver, if you can drop me at the main Dearing house I need to shower and you probably need a couple of hours rest before your work shift. Keep your phone handy I'll ring for sure if she comes home when you are at work, otherwise shall we meet for dinner and plan what to do at one in the morning?"

He nodded as he started the engine.

When Oliver dropped me at the Dearing house, I gave him a smile of encouragement because he had been uncharacteristically quiet on the short journey and I guessed he was worried. He smiled back and drove away.

In my room and standing under the shower I thought about how strange it had been to have met Gaston, and how Jean-Paul had made that happen. The world is full of coincidences in my opinion. I was dressing when I felt a sudden panic about Chloe. I knew Jean-Paul could not kill her, but there were so many other horrible things that could happen to her, that it scared me. She had no money, she had not even got her jacket with her, and I pictured her standing there in her jeans and T-shirt. I felt a little tearful, but I shook it off, and thought instead that I'd check on the grooms and on the greenhouse staff. I needed to keep busy, or the knowledge that I could make no difference to what was happening to Chloe right then would overwhelm me.

I walked over to the greenhouses and caught up with what was going on there and then I walked over to the stables where the old truck was parked. I looked in on the horses and found Brett there already grooming the gray horse. He looked up at me and grinned.

"Where did this one come from? He's a sweetie, so friendly and happy" he asked me, as he patted the gray horse's neck and stood back from the horse.

I didn't want to lie too much to Brett so I skirted around the question.

"He is a sweetie. I took him from a young woman who found him too hard to handle and was whipping him. I couldn't stand it so I brought him here."
Brett grimaced. "I saw the whipping, but it's healing. What a shame; he's a lovely natured horse, she can't be much of a rider," he said, with a shake of his head.

I nodded and checked the wounds deciding they would be fine and then asked about other things we had going on and eventually we both walked over to the little office and had coffee together. Brett had brought in a box of ring doughnuts and I accepted one gratefully.

I drove over to pick Aristide up about ten thirty. He was waiting for me and we drove over to the abbey tourist car park right away. We had to park there even though it would have been better to cross the field and gardens near Chloe's home to get to the waterfall, because I couldn't risk being seen when I was supposed to be with Chloe on the coast.

At eleven Aristide did his chanting as I touched the water. Nothing happened, there was no return of Chloe or Jean-Paul and I stood up feeling disappointment like a cold wave washing over me. I tried to be cheerful because Aristide looked worried and pale.

"Well at least you didn't send me back in time again Aristide" I joked.

He looked at me absently replying, "No that couldn't happen the spell is only to get them back. I'm worried Tristan, they've been gone way too long. Let's hope they come back at six. If not then get ready to go back there to nineteen-sixty-nine at one in the morning. I'll find you some money, but sending you at such an hour might not be a pleasant experience. What will you do for instance if the disco bistro is closed already?"

I shrugged and then I smiled. "We need to hold out hope she will be back at six, but there's always my house you know to get a night's sleep in if The Shades is closed, but I do think it would be better to be there and start trying to find them than waiting any longer. It will help my nerves for one thing."

We walked back to the abbey and went into the café there for me to touch base with Ivy and Dianne, but also for coffee. Before we left, we looked in at the stained glass windows on display in the museum. Aristide glanced at me enigmatically as we looked at the fantastic repair that Ben Glazer's dad's company had completed.

I dropped Aristide off at the big house near the edge of the 'White Witch Woods' and went into the greenhouses there to collect some flowers for an order which needed delivering. I'd do that before the six o'clock try at bringing Chloe back home. I was in there cutting the white lilies for the order, and feeling a bit hot as the sun was beating in through the glass, when my cell phone rang.

Oliver sounded so desolate when I told him that Chloe was not back and he said.

"Damn it all, Tristan, we went through the last few months broken hearted, we get her back only for this to happen. Where the hell can they be?"

I sighed and answered him as best I could. "I know, I feel the same, but we will go after her, Oliver, if she doesn't arrive at six, we will."

I heard him groan slightly which made me smile as it's such a trademark of his that little groan and it can mean all kinds of things. I've seen Chloe look at him with love written all over her face when he does it.

"She's like family to me you know, not just friends and well I love her, but we all three of us feel to me like we're family. I hate this stuff, Tristan. Let's try not to do any more time travelling for a while when we get her back, what do you say?"

I swallowed because it was true I felt that the both of them Oliver and Chloe were family and the feeling of sadness about Chloe being missing was threatening to close my throat.

"I agree, Oliver. Try not to think about it. I'll call you at six and we'll sort out what to do from there. Okay?"

He said, "Okay, yes, okay," and we rang off.

I leaned against the side of the workbench in the glasshouse and looked at my phone. Chloe didn't know it, but I had a photo of her in there and I scrolled to it now and looked at her lovely face. I had taken it as she was talking with Liz on the path from her house to the woods and she was standing in a familiar pose looking sincere. I felt bereft. Where was she?

Chapter Nineteen (Chloe's return)

On a roll, Jean-Paul had bought train tickets from Portsmouth up to Oxford with his credit card. I was a little shocked at how easy that was to use, and wondered if the bank would have some kind of historical record of these transactions, so that he could pay. I didn't say much as we found seats in a compartment. There was no one in there even though it could seat six people, and it reminded me of the compartments on trains in the Harry Potter movies, although the engine was quite modern and must be electric. I sat next to the window and looked out. Jean-Paul sat opposite and looked out of his window.

"I'm so sorry you missed out on finding John. It seems such a shame to have come this far and not achieved even having a few words with him." I gave him a sympathetic look after I had said this, meaning it sincerely now I knew Jean-Paul a little better.

He shrugged. "It was no good staying there at the concert. It was an impossible task to find him, and cold, and maybe just a little stupid to think that a few words from me could influence him, his death I mean."

Jean-Paul looked sad as he said this, and I was thinking about how he could do something to make this journey not a complete waste of time.

"Jean-Paul could you leave him a note. Not from yourself, but signed a fellow musician maybe. Just so that he hears the message you wanted to give him. Tell me what you would have done and said had we found him." I was thinking about the fact that Jean-Paul was a musician. It could be the only way to reach John.

He smiled a little. "I hoped that I could strike up a conversation saying I had seen his group play in The Shades, and that I wanted to join him if he had an opening for a fiddle player. Lame I know, but I didn't expect him to require my services. I'd pretend to think it was because I used to use drugs, and that he had heard about it, and tell him I didn't anymore that I had seen how dreadful the consequences were. I don't think I could say more, it would be suspicious."

I was sorry for him as he said this. The whole adventure, if you could call it that, was to give this soft and hopeful message. If his dad heard those words he might not turn to drugs himself is what I knew Jean-Paul was hoping in his heart. It was so sad really.

I was staring out of the window thinking about time, and hoping it was not going to take too long to get to the waterfall. I really wanted to catch the one in the morning opening if Aristide tried to give us one. I checked the time. It was nine, five minutes after in fact. How long would it take to get to Oxford I wondered? I was silent for a while and then an idea took shape that I thought might get the message to John after all.

"Jean-Paul we have to go through the town where the bistro is to get to the Dearing estate and the waterfall. What if you wrote him a song, and dropped it off as a request to be in his band and in your resume you mention the drug thing?" I genuinely thought it was an idea with merit.

He rubbed his hand across the stubble on his chin and then smiled.

"I can do that, perhaps not a whole song. It's a good enough idea. I do need paper and pen though."

I stood up. "I'll go to the refreshment car and ask if we could have some, if they have them," I offered. Jean-Paul nodded. He was standing at the compartment door and he watched me, as I swayed down the corridor to the refreshment car.

The guy serving there initially was not too pleased I wasn't buying food or drinks, but he gave me a sheet of headed notepaper from the back of the place and a pencil. He said, "For a pretty girl like you what else can I do?"

I took them back to Jean-Paul who was still standing looking down the corridor waiting for me to appear. He smiled as I reached him, and we slid the compartment door closed again. I handed him the paper and pencil with a flourish and he sat down.

"I've already thought of a couple of lines," he told me, as he rested the paper against the hard surface of the window glass, drew music lines, and then put in a treble clef and some notes. It started to look a little complex when he put more lines down on the paper and added a bass clef and more notes. I watched fascinated because I love music and Steven my brother is great at music, but I can barely read it.

He started to put words under the music and then he grinned at me.

"I can sing this to you, but I have no kind of voice, so it will not be as good as it should sound."

I grinned back at him replying, "Go ahead I'd love to hear it."

He sang this cool little tune and the words,

I came to find you here, you seemed only a step away, but I discovered that wasn't so. It was a step too far, and now I'm on my way back home through time and space leaving this place, and you within it. You'll never hear the words I wanted to say, and I know there will not be another time, another day. My chance is gone. Don't let yours slip away.

Then he hummed a bit, and wrote a few more notes on the music lines.

I clapped and smiled at him. "Jean-Paul that's very cool, you should be writing music, are you?" I asked him.

He looked at me and a big smile lit up his face.

"No but I think I will. I'm just going to add a few lines of resume saying I've cleaned up my act, no more drugs as they were wrecking my life. Let's hope this has some effect even if only to lengthen his life a little."

I didn't say anything. I hoped it didn't do anything other than good, and no one disappeared like my lovely Oliver had, when Tristan and I had changed things in eleven-ninety. It felt like many years ago, but was really only just over a year ago. Thank all the stars in the sky I got Oliver back. I looked out of the window and thought about how much I loved both he and Tristan, and what might happen next with us. I felt that anxiety about them both thinking they were the only one I had made love with again. How would that work out? It couldn't could it?

Jean-Paul had finished writing and he folded the paper putting it into his jacket pocket. I watched him turning the pencil he had used over in his hand, and then he tried that trick where you juggle it between your fingers to make it move over your knuckles. It was too long a pencil to do it.

I sighed and he looked up at me.

"You look sad Chloe, we will soon be home, and I'll apologize to everyone for this escapade. What's the matter are you missing those young men who clearly love you?"

I raised my eyebrows slightly, was I that transparent?

"A little Jean-Paul, it's complicated," I told him.

"I bet it is Chloe, but I'm sorry about the taunting I did. You know about the sex thing, sorry." He looked regretful, and I nodded to indicate it was okay.

"I do agree in many ways with what you said, it's so hard the whole thing. I love them both so much, and even though I know it's not acceptable, traditionally that is, I couldn't help making love to them both." I just said it and looked at him. I don't know why it was easy to say this to him but it was.

He looked at me kindly and after a moment's silence he said, "You love them and they love you, why not let it go, eventually things might change, you're all young. If you tell them, you'll only hurt them and it might never be necessary. One of them might find someone else and it will just have been hurt for no good reason."

I looked at his kind expression thinking how different this was from his threats of telling them and I sighed. He didn't know we would all live a very long time at least, and that Tristan was not young at all. It was never going to work out and I was living a lie too.

Jean-Paul smiled at me. "Cheer up Chloe, it's not like you are harming them, it's not like you are totally cheating, they both know you love the other one. It'll work out."

I smiled back because he was trying to cheer me and I put it out of my mind again. As long as there was no repeat of what happened just after Christmas then it might be okay.

I looked at my cell phone.

"Jean-Paul how much longer is the journey, its ten o'clock now?" I asked.

"Maybe another half hour and we're lucky this train is a special, or we'd be changing and stopping every two minutes," he answered, and we fell silent looking out of the window at the lights on in houses, and the cars passing on parallel roads. The night was dark out there otherwise, and I closed my eyes beginning to hope we got to the waterfall by one in the morning.

It was nearly eleven fifteen when we reached Oxford, and we ran out of the station to start walking along the big road out to the next few towns, one of which was where The Shades was situated. Jean-Paul was hitchhiking again because you can't use the credit card trick on a bus. We had been walking at a good pace for fifteen minutes and not much traffic was passing. I was becoming tired and needed to slow down.

Jean-Paul stopped and said, "Let's rest for a few minutes," and so we were standing there on the sidewalk when a van stopped.

A young man stuck his head out of the window. "Want a ride then you two, where you headin'?" His accent was very strange. Jean-Paul told him and we piled into the van, which I realized had loads of seats. The young man grinned and said, "Same place as me then 'op in."

He had the radio on and a song started playing which he heartily joined in with and so did Jean-Paul at various times. When it had ended, the guy said laughingly, "I love Dylan. I 'oped to get down to the Isle of Wight to see 'im, but couldn't get out of work."

Jean-Paul smiled. "We've just come from there, didn't stay for Dylan though. We have to be somewhere urgently."

The young man cursed and then looked across at me.

"Sorry love, no offense, just slipped out. Fancy being there and not getting to see Dylan what a crying shame." I smiled at him to indicate I didn't mind the cursing and the truth is I've heard worse. Jean-Paul answered.

"I know but we really need to get to relatives urgently as some family crisis is on at the moment."

The guy grinned. "Families eh? Bane of my life," and he proceeded to tell us about his sister who had married this guy who was a 'right loser' in his opinion, and that he was forever bailing the guy out of money trouble.

I smiled to myself looking out of the window at the dark street and the occasional row of shops or houses still lit up. We got to The Shades quite quickly since the guy, whose name turned out to be Matt, had 'stepped on it' as he put it.

I checked the time. It was midnight and I reminded Jean-Paul not to hang about in the bistro because we had little time to spare now.

The place was closing up, and Matt was down at the DJ end talking with the same DJ we had seen before. He and the DJ went out to his van and carried in lots of electrical equipment, that I had noticed was on the floor of the van, and a couple of cardboard boxes of old fashioned records. Well old fashioned for me, but obviously not them. I was waiting for Jean-Paul who had found Joanna in the kitchen and was talking with her. I saw him give her the song he had written, and then he hugged her, and walked back to me smiling.

I looked at him a little surprised at the hug he had given Joanna, and he knew instantly that was what my raised eyebrows were about.

"It was just an instant reaction, you know goodbye, take care, musician stuff," he explained.

We were on the street and I sighed. "We'll never get there for one o'clock if we have to walk, and I can't imagine much traffic will be heading out to the Dearing estate area at this time of night to hitch a lift."

Jean-Paul took my hand. "Chloe, don't think like that, come on let's just set a pace and hope."

I left my hand in his because it was a gesture of comfort on his part, and we started to walk quickly along the road out of the town.

We had only got to the fork in the road, where we needed to go left towards the more rural area and the Dearing estate, when Matt's van overtook us, then slowed down, and stopped. He called out, "Where are you two off to this time then?" And we hurried to the open van window.

"The Dearing estate," I told him, thinking it was too much to hope for that he was passing there.

"You're in luck my lovelies. I'm passing there and will be glad to drop you. Don't tell me you belong to the toffs then, that family is seriously rich, and 'ere you are on shank's pony."

We got in the van. Fortune was smiling on us. Something was going right. We were destined to get home after all.

"Thank you so much Matt. They're distant relatives. This is so cool that you are passing. Where are you off to yourself?" I prattled, as he charged the van onwards with a great roar from the engine.

"Friends of mine have a farm further on a few miles out of Dovecote village. I'm 'oling up there for the rest of the summer. It's kind of a commune. Not a cult mind you, a group of friends, musicians, roadies, artists we're 'aving an 'oliday, 'ope the weather gets better for us though."

I added my hope to his as we hurtled along the country road in almost pitch-black darkness.

He dropped us at the front of the Dearing house, and I thanked him again as he waved, and roared off into the night.

"Jean-Paul tell me what is 'shank's pony', and what was with the way he said 'h' well more like didn't say 'h'?" I laughed a little as I asked.

Jean-Paul grinned.

"I'd say his accent is London and Devon mix, 'shank's pony' means walking. He was really nice don't you think?"

I nodded at him and then we walked quietly and quickly around the side of the house, and down the paths to the grass and flower beds that were there along the sides. We could cut straight across to the top dirt path. The grass was damp and there was much more of the field than in our own time, but at least we didn't have woods to try to navigate and we reached the top path breathless and giggling.

I took out my cell phone to light the way a little down the steep bank and Jean-Paul went ahead of me slipping, grabbing ferns, and then laughing.

At the waterfall pool, I sighed in relief. I almost felt tearful it was such a relief to get there in time. We had ten minutes and we checked that we both had the same time on our cell phones, and on Aristide's watch.

"I'm so hungry," Jean-Paul said, and I nodded in agreement.

"So am I," I told him.

We stepped tentatively onto the reed pad and held onto one another, as it seemed a little squishier this time. I closed my eyes, and then just as I was about to open them to check what was happening, I heard a gasp and Oliver's voice.

"Look out they're back; damn I'm falling in."

I heard Tristan's voice.

"Step back then Oliver come on," and I too stepped back as I bumped and fell into Oliver and Tristan. We sprawled on the bank and I started to laugh. I heard Jean-Paul laughing too, then Tristan was helping me up, and Aristide was smiling and shining a light on us.

"I'm so glad to see you both back and looking safe and sound to boot," he said happily.

Tristan hugged me, but then turned to Jean-Paul.

"You're lucky I don't knock your head off right this minute you maniac. Have you any idea how worried we have all been about this, this, madness?"

Oliver had me in his arms now, and I nudged his chin with my forehead in affection, but then turned to Tristan.

"No Tristan it's okay we're friends now. We're home, cold, very hungry, but safe. Do either of you know if my mom has been looking for me?"

Tristan stared at me. "Friends," he echoed and then continued, "We left a note saying you and I had gone for a day to the coast, and would be back late. It seems okay so far."

Oliver cuddled me to him, and I leaned into him taking his comfort. He finally spoke.

"It's great to have you back. Aristide, perhaps we could go back to your place, give them something to eat, and let them tell us the story." He was gentle and calm.

Aristide answered. "Yes we'll do that. I have plenty of supplies because of Lily and Rene's visit."

Tristan seemed unwilling to let Jean-Paul off so easily.

"Bloody hell you better have some good excuses for why you have been gone so long. It nearly frightened the life out of me, and we were on the reeds to come after you when you rocked up. I've spent all day covering up for why I'm not going to be working yet again for the next couple of days. Luckily, Aristide thought it worth chanting the 'bringing back spell' before the 'sending us spell', or damnation we would be there now on a wild goose chase. Chloe, I can't believe you've let him off holding a gun to your head and speaking of that where is the gun?"

Jean-Paul looked contrite. "I threw it away almost as soon as we had arrived in nineteen-sixty-nine, and into a place no one will find it, so don't all look at me like that." It was true Oliver, Tristan, and Aristide had stared over at him.

I broke away from Oliver with a smile at him and walked over to Tristan. I hugged him and he sighed as he hugged me back. He kissed the top of my head and whispered, "I missed you like hell." It seemed to calm him and I let him go, turning to Aristide who took the cue to lead us off.

We were quiet walking to the abbey tourist car park, where Oliver's Land Rover was parked. Aristide leading the way with his strong flashlight and Oliver helping with a lesser beam, but still we had enough light to negotiate the rocky bits, and then on through the woods area.

At the car park, we got into Oliver's Land Rover and Tristan sat with me in the back so that he was walling me off from Jean-Paul. He took my hand and brought it to his lips. The kiss along my knuckles was tender, and I rested my head on his shoulder for a few minutes. It took hardly any time to get to the big house near White Woods. I had just closed my eyes, my head on his shoulder with Tristan holding my hand, but shook myself awake as Oliver parked in the driveway.

Tristan whispered, "Stay there," and he almost pushed Jean-Paul out of the other door, and then came around to me to put his arms around me and help me down. I let him do this because I knew he needed to and I smiled at him.

We silently filed into the house and down the hall following Aristide into the big friendly kitchen. Tristan pulled out a chair for me, and then busied himself making coffee in the big coffee percolator. The smell of the coffee was inviting even to me as it filled the kitchen. Aristide had made tea and he put the teapot down in front of me with a cup and saucer. He smiled saying, "So who wants to start the story of why you have been gone for so long?"

He went over to the stove top with a saucepan, and poured soup into it from a container he had taken out of the fridge. He began to stir it, but turned to look at us.

I poured some tea and drank it gratefully. Aristide's question still hung in the air.

Oliver who had come to sit very close to me put his hand over mine for a few seconds, as I rested it on the table.

"John was not at The Shades, and so we travelled down the country to a music festival to try to find him, but we never did. In the end Jean-Paul left him a note, and we came home." I tried to summarize what had happened because what was the use in blame now.

Jean-Paul sighed loudly. "I'm so sorry for frightening everyone, and for the gun stuff. It wasn't real either. It was a prop from one of the theatres I'm often in. I would never have hurt Chloe. I was just so desperate to try to say even a few words of warning to my dad. I want to apologize for the horrible things I've done to you and Angelique. I have some of the things I took, and will bring them back." He was looking over at Aristide hopefully.

Tristan brought everyone coffee and sat on the other side of me as Aristide gave both Jean-Paul and me bowls of soup. He handed us a basket of bread rolls to choose from before he spoke.

"Jean-Paul, I accept your apology. I hope the note did not change the future for anyone else. So far, nothing seems to have changed. You haven't and so it might well mean the note was ineffective. Often fate has a way of ensuring certain things happen despite our best try at intervention. Tell me do you feel any different at all?"

We all looked at Jean-Paul then as if he was some kind of specimen, and I stopped with my spoon halfway to my mouth. He seemed the same to me so I ate my soup.

"Actually I feel calmer, but that could be because of the trip and having apologized for my behavior. Having tried at least to say drugs are going to kill you to my dad."

"Good lord you didn't actually write that in the note," Oliver said, glancing at Aristide for support.

"No, no, I wrote a few lines of a song, and said I was looking for work, that I had used drugs, and knew they were wrecking my life, so I was clean and he needn't worry about that coming into his band. I was careful you know. I didn't sign it or anything stupid. I told Joanna that I'd call by in a few days to catch up with John to check if he was interested in having me in his band."

Aristide smiled. "Not bad, not bad at all. Wait I'll go and get Rene's laptop and we will check out the details of John's demise again. We have the wireless facility back now since Tristan bought the house."

I grinned at the word demise and asked about Lily and Rene.

"Where are Lily and Rene anyway Aristide? I thought they were staying for a few days."

He smiled at me. "They've gone to the coast for a couple of days."

That brought a laugh from Tristan and Oliver, and I smiled too.

When Aristide had gone from the kitchen to find Rene's laptop, we all fell silent. I thought maybe Tristan was over wanting to knock Jean-Paul's head off, but suddenly he said.

"Jean-Paul, I have to warn you that this better be the last stunt you pull. I really need you to understand just how dangerous what you did was." He looked quite menacing as he said this, and Jean-Paul put his hands up as if to emphasize his resolve as he answered.

"I promise you, Tristan, this is the last of it. I feel as if I've come to terms with my dad's death. I just want to get on with life now. I have a concert next week, and when I leave here you will probably never see me again."

Aristide had come back to hear the last of this speech and he placed the laptop in front of Oliver, before he went to Jean-Paul, and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't think any of us wants that. I don't. We just hope that this time travel event has not fed any other desires in you, Jean-Paul, because it's ultimately dangerous."

Jean-Paul looked up at him and smiled. "Thanks Aristide, I really have no wish to do it ever again, but maybe we can meet once in a while and catch up."

Oliver meanwhile had been booting the laptop, and now drew our attention to the screen, turning it around so we could all see it.

"The news concerning your father, Jean-Paul, has changed from an overdose to a car accident, but it's on the same date as last time, I remember it clearly, I guess so do you, how strange."

Jean-Paul nodded slightly. "Well I never. I'm so glad. Maybe that's why I'm calm. I know he died, but not by his own hand. You know it must have been fate after all, it must just have all been fate."

I stared at him, because he seemed so accepting. It occurred to me that maybe he hadn't taken over from Anna in the hate campaign against Aristide over the last years, but who knew if that would have been changed. I felt like contacting Lily to call Anna and check if she was still as mad as a cut snake, but I thought better of it, and finished my cup of tea.

It was decided that Jean-Paul would stay overnight with Aristide.

Oliver said he would drop me home, and Tristan came along to let me in because I didn't have my house keys with me.

On the way home Tristan voiced the doubts I had. "I can't help but wonder if anything else changed, you know besides how John died, and I didn't want to say anything when Jean-Paul was around, Chloe, but that shove he gave me sent me back to eleven-ninety."

I gasped. "Tristan what happened there, anything strange, and future changing?"

He laughed a little. "No I don't think so, but I gained another horse during the night there which I still haven't named."

I smiled. "Another horse, that's so cool."

We were at my house and Tristan came to the door with me to let me in. I turned to him and he pulled me close kissing me softly on the cheek.

"It was a hard couple of days without you, Chloe. I'll call tomorrow."

I nodded and went in because although part of me wanted to hug him and Oliver more, I also wanted a shower, and to check everything out in my room, because this time travel stuff makes you worry about if everything will be the same when you get home.

They drove off and I went quietly upstairs. I had showered and cleaned my teeth for at least four minutes, changed and gone down to the kitchen. It was three in the morning. I wanted a cup of tea sitting there in the familiar surroundings I had come to think of as my true home.

My phone registered a text message, lighting up as I sat down with my cup to stare out at the immediate garden, lit up with the white security lights. It was Oliver, and he was still awake. I called him and we talked for a minute or so deciding to meet the next day for lunch. I sighed as I finished my tea and went to bed. I was back to the worry of loving Oliver and Tristan because right then I wished I had Oliver with me to snuggle up to, but at the same time, I'd have loved for Tristan to appear at the French windows, and stay the night. I was getting worse.

Chapter Twenty (Chloe's decision)

I woke up to my cell phone ringing. Aristide had received a phone call from Angelique telling him that some of the stolen and destroyed items had appeared mysteriously in their home, and in the antique stores, they owned. Anna seemed to be the same. Lily had checked on her and she was still engaged and happy. All seemed well and Jean-Paul had left Aristide in good spirits about an hour before. I said how pleased I was that nothing bad seemed to have happened. Aristide asked me how I was, and if I was okay after what must have been a very difficult experience.

I said I was fine and that I had grown used to the weird stuff that happened these days. It was then that he confided to me.

"I was considering administering a forgetting potion to Jean-Paul this morning with his coffee. Of course, I re-evaluated that in the remainder of the night and concluded that it was unfair. He must be trusted because he has known about our magic for many years. I hope also to count him as family now and to see him quite often."

I was fixed on the idea of a forgetting potion.

"Aristide, this forgetting potion, would it be easy to make? I mean how would it be done?"

He sounded worried as he replied. "Chloe, are you thinking to forget something yourself? I thought you told me all was well."

I sighed. "You know how both Oliver and Tristan love me, and I love them, well would it be possible to make a forgetting potion for them. So that they forget they love me, and we're all friends. No more angst about loving them both, no more worry about how we will cope in the future."

I heard him sigh. "No more juggling when you see them as lovers is that it, Chloe? Do you really want them to forget your love? Love is a gift no matter what it, and should be cherished. You don't know what will happen in the future. Don't be rash."

I couldn't let it go. "But Aristide, if they just thought we were all friends it would mean neither would be hurt again. I wouldn't have to worry constantly about them being hurt. I'd be doing it out of love."

He made a negative sound, and then he seemed to re-consider.

"Chloe, I'd need a lock of your hair. My workshop is still set up here, the sale has gone through but we're staying here until the end of next month to wind things up. I caution you, Chloe, think hard about this, could you really cope without their romantic love? Could you cope without their kisses and the closeness you share? Friendship is completely different you know. I can make it so that they see you as Nick McGarry's daughter with whom they have struck up a good friendship. You better take a day or so to think about it."

I was certain this was my answer to the problem I faced. "No Aristide, let's go ahead. I'll get a lock of hair to you as soon as possible."

He sighed again and murmured okay and we rang off.

I thought briefly about the fact that the potion would get Oliver and Tristan to think of me as just a friend. Would they forget we were all immortals? I could hardly ask Aristide that as even he didn't know. He still thought the stained glass windows kept Tristan alive. I stopped myself thinking about it and dressed to go to meet Oliver.

I was getting into my Wrangler when Tristan called me. He was busy, but wanted to see me for dinner. I said that would be great.

I drove to Oliver's place and as I parked, he came out to greet me.

As soon as I saw him, my heart melted with love and I threw myself into his arms on the driveway.

We never got out to lunch and I made sure Oliver knew I loved him during our lovemaking because I truly believed it might be the last time. I had decided to get my lock of hair to Aristide that very evening.

Oliver was so tender and loving. He told me he had been distraught the whole time I was gone, and when Tristan had come back without me, he was so scared he couldn't eat or sleep. I kissed his lovely face all over and told him I hoped never to worry him like that again.

He was working for dad that evening and we both drove out of his driveway to head in the same direction much later that afternoon.

I sighed feeling a huge weight of sadness as I waved to him when he turned into the restaurant car park and I went on home.

I ran upstairs and cut off a lock of my hair. I put the thing in a cellophane sandwich bag and drove over to the big house. Aristide was surprised to see me.

"Chloe, you haven't thought it all over as I asked. I'll make the potion but please think carefully about it."

"Aristide, I have just spent the afternoon with Oliver and I love him, but tonight I'll spend with Tristan and I love him. It's not right is it, not usual, not normal, not what society expects? Please make the potion."

He sighed and took my lock of hair.

I went home to shower and dress ready to have dinner with Tristan.

I wore one of my dresses that I bought in LA, and put my makeup on carefully. My dressing up did not extend to wearing the high-heeled shoes I now owned, and I put on my flat boots after stuffing my usual belongings into my little bag.

Downstairs mom was making coffee in the kitchen and looked up at my entrance.

"Wow, you look very nice, Chloe, where are you off to? Did you have a good time at the ocean with Tristan? I feel as if I haven't seen you for days," she said quickly, and she smiled all the while. I went over to her and hugged her.

"Mom, is that your fiftieth cup of coffee? It was good to be near the sea again and I'm going to have dinner with Tristan. How are you?" I didn't feel it was a lie because I had quite enjoyed the sea just not with Tristan, although he had been there hadn't he in a way?

I drove over to the Dearing house and McPherson let me in. I was just giving Charlie a pat when Tristan appeared. He came straight up to me and hugged me tight. I smiled at him as he let me go, and then at McPherson who was grinning.

We got out onto the big car parking area at the Dearing house before Tristan pulled me close again.

"Chloe, I thought we could have dinner in the stable apartment. I so want to be alone with you. It's been hell without you this last couple of days."

I drove us around there and we were barely through the door before I was in his arms and kissing him. We stayed locked together there in the hall for about five minutes just lost in kisses and whispers. We did have dinner because Tristan had arranged it with candles and flowers. The rest of the night, we spent making love to each other. I was asleep in his arms when the sun woke me streaming through the little side window.

Tristan had to work and we laughed a lot as we dashed around. I dropped him at the Dearing house where his truck was parked. I went home saying for him to drop by that evening, and maybe Oliver could come along as well, that it would be great for us all to catch up.

At home, I called Aristide to find out if the potion was ready. It was and I could pick it up that afternoon.

I called Oliver and asked him if he wanted to catch up tonight at my place with Tristan. We could have coffee and talk about the last couple of days, just compare notes. He was more than happy to do that.

I was on edge for the rest of the morning until finally I drove to the big house near White Woods and rang the bell to collect the potion from Aristide.

Lily and Rene were back. I had tea with them as they told me all about where they had been and how things were going. All the time I was turning over the thought of giving the potion to Oliver and Tristan. Aristide had passed me the potion immediately at the door warning me to think it over again.

I left the house with the promise that I'd ask Tristan and Oliver if they would like to meet with Rene and Lily this coming weekend, and go to the Kool Kafé.

My heart was pounding as I put the potion on my desk. It was in two separate tiny vials, inside a little plastic bag, and I kept looking at it thinking did I really want this. I decided I did. I wanted my lovely Oliver and Tristan to just be my friends, so that they would never find out I made love with them both and be hurt.

I couldn't wait for the evening to come, but it eventually did and they both arrived. Oliver arrived first kissing me lovingly at the door, and then Tristan who hugged me tight as I let him in. I experienced a moment of panic as I made small talk and they both started to ask if I had heard any more from Jean-Paul.

Did I want to lose their love?

I told them about meeting Lily and Rene, and we got onto the subject of Tristan having bought the big house there.

I made coffee, and thankfully, for once Tristan didn't take over, and I slipped the potion into each cup taking them over to the table where both guys I loved so much sat, and smiled at me.

Chapter Twenty-One (Chloe's ending one; the author's cut)

As soon as I had seen them drink the coffee I started to feel a deep sadness, I hoped it wasn't showing, and it couldn't have been because Tristan said, "Well everything seems back to normal, whatever that is." He laughed and continued, "I have to be going back to work, so I'll see you later. We'll call each other."

Oliver was nodding, "I'll get going too, yes let's all try, and catch up sometime this week for coffee again okay," and he stood up almost at the same time as Tristan.

I swallowed, because I felt as if my throat was closing up with sadness. The potion had worked; we were just friends.

I went to the door with them and they happily went off each to their own vehicle, Tristan giving me a little wave as he drove off in the old red truck. Oliver too smiled at me as he backed the Land Rover up and then drove out of the driveway.

I had to remind myself a few times why I had done it as I put our cups in the dishwasher. I'd done it for them, because it was only fair. If I couldn't choose between them then it was only fair to give them both their chance at another love, especially Tristan. I could never have him going off again and leaving his home, and his horses. I began to cry a little and then taking the stairs to my room two at a time, I cried a lot. I sat on my bed and cried into a tissue that covered my whole face. I felt as if my world had ended, and then I started to make myself pull out of it. I had two lovely friends, and they were so dear to me, they cared for me as a friend, and we would be together because we shared immortality. I hadn't lost them.

The next morning I felt desolate. The week stretched ahead of me barren. I hadn't slept very well. I had missed the goodnight text that Oliver would more often than not send me. I had looked out of my window around two in the morning, there was no Tristan asking if I could spare him a few minutes on one of his night rambles. I felt bereft.

I tried to stay busy, college work had stopped for the holidays, and so I checked in with Joshua Glazer. Everything was fine, I was lucky because the designs were still doing well. In desperation, I got the cleaning things out and cleaned the house for mom. She heard the vacuum cleaner going in the room next to her study and came out to see me.

"Chloe, you must be bored," she laughed, and she made coffee and tea for me. I drank it standing by the French doors. The sun was out, but I felt cold.

Friday arrived and Lily rang me to find out if we would be at the Kool Kafé, and I had to tell her we had been so busy we hadn't arranged it. She said she would call Tristan. I don't know if they went, but I stayed home thinking surely as a friend one of them would call soon. I was so tempted to ring them and by Sunday night, I was desperate to call one of them so I rang Tristan. He was busy with wedding flowers he said and would try to catch up for coffee soon. I asked about the new horse he had and he couldn't remember telling me about him, but said they were calling him Sweetie because he was one. We laughed a little at that and my heart nearly broke in two as Tristan rang off.

I didn't sleep that night. I tried to work but had no inspiration. I missed kissing them both and felt so lonely.

The next day Oliver rang me.

"Hey Chloe, there's a massive wedding on by the lake on Wednesday are you helping your dad. A midweek wedding is unusual, but they seem to have a week of festivities planned. I heard from Liz that she will be at the wedding; it's some distant relative again. They're having two hundred guests, wow. Tristan has told me he will be there. Have you heard?"

I hadn't heard. So Tristan and Oliver were in touch were they? I felt left out. I answered. "No I hadn't heard. I might ask dad if he needs help. I haven't got much on. I might go up to the restaurant today for lunch. Are you working Oliver?" I asked him, hoping he was, or if he wasn't, he would say that he would come out for lunch too.

Oliver replied. "I'm working. I'll catch up with you there. Your dad already has a few agency staff in today as there's a bit of training going on ready for the wedding." He rang off. It was hard not to hear him tell me he loved me, or that he had missed me. I looked at the time, I could go up there in an hour, and I'd ask dad if I could help on Saturday. It would fill the void in my life a little and like a stalker, I could watch Oliver and Tristan.

I took special care with how I looked. I knew I shouldn't be hoping it, but I was hoping Oliver would find me attractive.

As I walked up to the restaurant, I told myself not to hope, not to think of him as anything other than a friend. I went straight into the kitchen and found dad. He was talking with one of the other chefs, and he was not wearing his white jacket, so I figured he must have been doing administration work. He saw me and smiled. "Hey, what brings you here, Chloe, as it happens I was going to ask you later if you wanted to lend a hand at the big wedding we have on this week. Short notice I know as it's Wednesday, but I realize now just how big an event it might turn out to be. They keep adding requirements and I've just heard that the wedding breakfast needs an extra twenty places, yikes huh?" He grinned at me, totally in his element; not much fazed dad.

I smiled at him. "Dad I can think of nothing I'd rather do. I'm bored witless right now. Since it's a formal wedding will I need a uniform?" In the past, I had needed a special trouser suit.

Dad shook his head. "Black and white theme, so black trousers and white shirt, girls can wear scoop neck shirts as long as they have a collar, or you can go with dress shirts and bow ties."

As I went through to the dining room, I said hello to the others in the kitchen noticing that the lunch service wasn't busy. I asked if I could maybe get a steak sandwich and Patrick grinned and said, "Your wish is my command oh Chloe." Which wasn't that funny as it's old, but it cheered me up.

I went out to a table and saw Oliver talking with two young people at the back of the restaurant. Dad came out of the kitchen and joined in. I watched Oliver grinning at dad and then he turned and saw me staring at him. As he walked towards me, one of the people he had been talking with watched him go. She was a slim dark haired girl with an oval face. She looked pretty from where I was sitting. She didn't stop looking at Oliver even though she knew I was watching, and even though dad was talking to her and the other girl up there.

Oliver smiled at me. "Hello Chloe, are you ordering?"

I shook my head. It was a few seconds before I could answer because my throat had dried up. "No Patrick is already cooking me a steak, thanks Oliver."

"What's happening then, Chloe, are you helping at the wedding? Those two over there," and he indicated the girls with a nod of his head, "They're agency staff. I was just introducing myself."

I couldn't think what to say, it was hard to know how to talk with Oliver now, and I thought I should have asked Aristide how much of our past together the guys would remember. I was saved momentarily by Peter bringing me my sandwich, and asking if I wanted anything to drink. I asked for orange juice.

"Yes, I'm helping out on Wednesday, and it sounds like fun. The last time I helped was informal, but this one is a full sit-down wedding, formal stuff huh?" I asked Oliver when Peter had left.

Oliver smiled. "Yes and its black tie too, I think, well black and white, or something." He seemed happy, and I felt for ten seconds that I had done the right thing, and then he smiled and said, "So see you later, better get back to work" and he walked off.

My heart filled up with grief. I suddenly pictured vividly the last time he kissed me, and I'd have given anything right then not to have used that potion.

He went back to dad and the four of them walked off into the kitchen.

I had thought I was hungry but I couldn't eat the sandwich after the first bite. I left it, placed the cost of it under the plate, and left the restaurant. It was hard not to run home to my room where I could burst into tears and sob myself silly, as I had done a couple of times lately. I made myself walk. I took my cell phone out of my pocket and read the text messages from Oliver that I had saved on there. It was a stupid thing to do. I felt worse. I looked at Tristan's phone number in my contacts list, would it be okay to ring him? I didn't know. I rang him, it went to message, and I hung up.

At home, I tried to read, and then draw, nothing doing. I was way too emotional to concentrate, so I decided to go for a walk.

I headed out to the waterfall, maybe that would make me feel better I thought, and as I reached the bottom of the path leading there, I saw Tristan. He was with Charlie and had obviously just been touching the water, as he was shaking drops from his hands.

I called, "Hello Tristan, how are you?" I was smiling at him and he smiled back.

"Hello Chloe, just taking Charlie out for a walk and I decided to check the waterfall." I remembered when he told me he would sometimes splash himself with this water to make sure he remembered how precious life was. I looked intently at him as he approached. There was a slight sadness about him.

I asked again, "So Tristan, how's everything going, you're not missing the adventures yet surely?" I thought being light-hearted would help me as much as anything to maintain a friendship status.

Tristan sighed. "I'm missing something, not sure what really. I just feel a bit empty, maybe it's because nothing is going on, no portals, no weirdness I mean." He smiled a little wistfully at me and I felt such a wave of sadness. I looked away from his lovely blue eyes, and it was all I could do not to hug him close and tell him I missed him so much.

I told myself it was important to keep away from that sort of thing.

Tristan sighed again. "Okay Chloe, I'll get Charlie home, I guess you know about the wedding. Will you be working for your dad?" I nodded at him and he walked away.

The walk was spoilt for me and I went home. I thought about things as I walked home, realizing it was going to be harder to be friends than I thought, because I just didn't know what to do. It was because I still loved them both. I thought when I had become used to the situation it would be easier, and I could treat them like Clare or Liz.

The next day I went into the retail complex to buy some clothes, a pair of black trousers, and a nice white shirt. Not that much fun, but I was thinking maybe I could help dad on a more regular basis, and that I'd need those items. I found black trousers that were a decent shape, and a white shirt with a scoop neck and a white satin collar. It looked okay, and I had shoes to wear with them from my sojourn in California earlier this year.

The rest of the day was miserable and I only just kept myself from going up to the greenhouses to find Tristan. He couldn't have realized I had called him the previous day, because he never called back.

On Wednesday morning I didn't get up until eleven, mostly so that I didn't have to wait long to go to work.

I got ready for work and made myself look as good as I could. When I went downstairs to show mom and ask her how I looked she gave a little whistle. "Great Chloe, you do look good, very grown up, tall, sexy eyes, have fun as well as working."

I smiled at her, and I put my phone in the back pocket of the trousers, having bought them purposely with a back pocket, well two actually just so I'd have somewhere for my phone. I took a tissue and folded it up small putting it flat in the other back pocket. If I got weepy seeing Oliver or Tristan, I better be prepared.

I walked up there for twelve thirty and found a list of jobs allocated to me in the staff area. I started on the list, taking the table linen down to the formal wedding breakfast marquee. The marquee was busy with workers. It was quite spectacular with white roses in garlands everywhere and black chairs at the tables. The marquee tops were black and white stripes like giant humbugs, it was quite fun. I put the white table napkins into their black ring shaped holders and then down at each place. I was not looking for Oliver, but he found me. He smiled happily at me.

"Chloe, hi, it's all go isn't it? Will's band is setting up. I'm surprised this crew chose them as the band, but I think Liz influenced them. You would expect a string orchestra with this black and white sophistication." I smiled at his enthusiasm and happy nature. It had always been part of Oliver's attraction. I nodded rather than spoke, and he went off with an empty crate, obviously for more glasses. The glasses were crystal with black stems, it all added to the theme.

Everything was going fine, it was midway through the afternoon, the wedding party had eaten, and the speeches were underway. I stood with my empty tray on the outside of the marquee waiting to collect glasses and make way for different ones. The open bar had been set up in a nearby marquee, and I was on the roster to serve the simple drinks for an hour around four. They had a special cocktail bar person as well as a couple of us ordinary folks.

I saw Oliver outside the restaurant on the terrace. He was with that girl from the agency. They stood near each other, seemingly talking, waiting for the next wave of serving and clearing up. I looked away, she would naturally chase Oliver he's so gorgeous.

It was much later, the bride and groom had left, and now the huge number of guests were having a party. Will's band was doing a great job and people were dancing. It was still light, but the place was now lit up with sparkling lights and a couple of spotlights were trained on the band.

I cleared some glasses, and was on the way up the path to deliver them into the staff area where we were collecting them. I was passing the camellia hedges, and saw I Tristan. He had his jacket off, and was almost doubled up, and leaning into the bushes. My heart started to beat faster as I looked at him. He seemed in pain and dazed.

I almost ran to him. "Tristan what's wrong, are you okay?" I asked him looking at his face. He looked dreadful, sort of gray, and as I got closer, I could see wrinkles by the sides of his eyes, he had gray hair at his temples. I reached my hand out to touch it.

"Chloe, I'm sick, I feel really sick." He sat down on the paved area between the bushes and held his chest where his heart would be.

"My heart hurts. Chloe, it's happening. I'm finally dying."

I was so afraid, my heart was beating very fast, and I felt as if a wave of fear had taken away my ability to stand. I had put the tray down, the glasses on it rattling. Now I took one of them and smashed it. I cut across my palm, and blood was everywhere. I grabbed one of Tristan's hands and did the same to him, pressing my hand against his cut, forcing my blood into him. It didn't seem to be making any difference and he was finding it hard to breathe. I looked at my hand. It was already starting to heal. I squeezed the cut so that blood was flowing again, and I dripped it into Tristan's mouth. He had lain down on the paving and his eyes were closed. He knew something had gone into his mouth and licked his lips, and swallowed. I was crying. I cut my hand open again and dripped more blood into his mouth, and then into his slashed hand. Suddenly he started to look better, he went from gray to white, and then his laugh lines and wrinkles disappeared, but the gray hair at his temples remained. He was healing. I held him and sobbed. "Tristan, Tristan, Tristan." I could only say his name.

He put his arms up around me and hugged me.

"Chloe, when I started to feel ill, I just wanted to be with you. I thought if I'm dying, I have to be with Chloe. I love you, Chloe. I was so ill. I only wanted to be with you as I died."

I was holding his head and I shook mine. "What did you say Tristan, did you tell me you love me?"

Tristan smiled at me, and I noticed there was just a little gray in his hair on his right temple.

"You know I do, that will never change, Chloe."

He looked at his palm where it had been slashed, and flexed his hand. It was all healed up and then he smiled again. "I think I need a drink of water, Chloe."

He hugged me again and I sighed, thinking somehow the potion had worn off, but what had happened to Tristan to make him ill. "Tristan, I wonder what happened. Did you have anything strange to eat or drink, maybe it's an allergy?"

He was standing up. "No Chloe, nothing, I just had stomach pains and then I started to think about you, and how much I love you and wanted to be with you. I was coming to find you. I thought you might be in the kitchen. You know I've missed you this week. I feel as if we've hardly seen each other."

I was listening to Tristan. I held his hand and kissed his cheek, and then I felt my cell phone vibrate in my back pocket. I fished around to get it. I had a long white apron tied twice around my waist, which I had put on when serving on the open bar. I looked at the screen of my cell phone, and then at Tristan.

It was Aristide calling. I listened.

"Chloe, that potion, there's something wrong with it. You haven't used it yet have you? I thought I might catch you in time, but it has been a week. I left the materials set up in my workshop, you know just in case you dropped the vials or something, and tonight I went in there. The lock of hair that I got from you was in a Petri dish. As I had poured the potion into those little vials, a tiny drop had gone onto the hair. I didn't bother about it, but tonight the hair is gray and decaying on the side where the drop fell. That is so odd, as the potion is made from the hair along with other things. Chloe there's something wrong with the potion don't administer it. Have you, have I caught you in time?"

I had probably gone white. I felt as if I had, and Tristan was watching me.

"Hello Aristide, no everything is fine. It's okay you caught me. I'd been thinking it over."

I heard him sigh and then he said, "Thank heavens, I thought it might take you a while to let go of your lovers. Destroy it, Chloe. I'm shocked about it, I can't imagine what happened, but at least I caught you." We rang off and I turned to Tristan.

"Oliver," I said, and Tristan grinned.

"No I'm Tristan. I wondered how long it would be before you did accidentally call me by Oliver's name or vice versa, when you are with either one of us, since you love us both."

I was shaking my head. "No Tristan, I know that, no it's Oliver he might be sick too."

I dragged him along, and then he started to walk quickly and was saying, "Why though, Chloe? What did Aristide say? Is it something I was exposed to back in the past? How could it have affected Oliver too?"

We had reached the restaurant. "Where would Oliver go if he had suddenly fallen ill? He'd go to the staff area and sit down. Tristan let's go." I voiced my thoughts, as I led him around to the side where the quickest entrance was, which led to the staff area, the little corridor of shelves. As I pushed open the door, there was Oliver. He was lying on the floor. I ran to him "Oliver, Oliver," I croaked out, and he opened his eyes a little and whispered.

"Chloe, I can't breathe, I feel so bad, I think I'm dying." He put his hand up to my shirt and pulled me down a little more to his face, he whispered hardly audibly, "I love you." He let go and flopped backwards. I was shaking. I looked around, and I caught sight of a few juice bottles in the re-cycling tub by the door that were glass. I shattered one on the brick doorway surround. My knees felt like jelly as I ran the couple of steps back to Oliver. I slashed my hand again and Oliver's hand too, and I did the same to him as I had done to Tristan. I put some blood on his lips for him to drink.

Tristan had been holding his other hand and saying, "Oliver, Oliver wake up, don't go."

I made Oliver drink a few more drops of blood and dripped blood into his cut again. Tristan groaned as he watched me get my blood into Oliver, and then he reached for, and opened a bottle of water from one of the crates on the shelves and gave it to me. I was holding Oliver by the shoulders, his head in my lap, and I got him to drink a little. He breathed out, as he got better, and whispered. "God damn, I thought that was it for me. What happened I wonder?"

I couldn't say anything and I tried to reach another bottle of water myself. Tristan helped me. He still seemed a little dazed. My mouth was dry with fear. I drank some and put the bottle down. I said "Oliver," and just looked into his eyes. Tristan turned and got water himself then he gave a big sigh of relief looking at Oliver and shaking his head.

"Thank heavens we got to you in time, Oliver."

Oliver took a deep breath and started to get up slowly. He pulled my head close to him again, and whispered, "I love you, Chloe. I knew if I could find you it would be okay."

I smiled at him. "Are you really okay, Oliver?" It was hard for me to talk. I was shaking, my teeth felt as if they were about to do that weird chattering thing.

He nodded. "I feel a little fuzzy, but yes I'm okay."

We all stood up and I held my arms out to them both, they came to me and we leaned on each other.

"It happened to me too, Oliver," Tristan was saying then, and Oliver looked at him frowning.

"Hey that's weird, what about you, Chloe, are you okay?"

I felt better with their arms around me and yet all I could think was that in trying to help them I had nearly killed them.

It had to be the potion, no question. It had taken a week to kill them, seven days, how ironic, another seven.

I replied after a moment in a croaky voice, "I'm okay yes, now that both of you are."

Tristan was still seeking answers, he sounded concerned when he commented.

"Aristide has just rung Chloe" to Oliver and then to me, "What did he say again, Chloe?"

I finally found I could talk properly. "It's okay now, it's over, you're both safe. Aristide was just checking we were all okay after the time travel thing with Jean-Paul."

Suddenly Tristan seemed to dismiss the call from Aristide and looked at Oliver with relief on his face.

Oliver put his head down on my shoulder and Tristan kissed my cheek.

"Sorry, it's the shock, and we know you love us both, and we love you, we can survive seeing each other touch you right now." Tristan was smiling as he said this, and I was crying.

Oliver kissed a tear from my face, and I saw he was crying too now his head was up from my shoulder. "Is that my tear or yours?" he whispered, as he kissed me.

We stood there together for a few more minutes and then Oliver said, "I'm totally fine. I need to get back out to work. Your dad can't have two of his staff out of action. We'll keep an eye out for each other until the party winds down." He smiled at Tristan and me, and then left the corridor. I heard voices as he pushed open the door. Ben was coming into the staff area with a crate of glasses, talking to someone.

Then the door closed and I turned to Tristan as he spoke.

"Chloe, this has been such a strange week. I don't remember much of it, like I said. I don't seem to have seen much of you though." He held my face and kissed me. I kissed him back holding him close. It had to be fate that we were together, we were all three supposed to be together, three immortals, and they had remembered they loved me just as they started to die. It was not something small and insignificant. It all meant something I just didn't know what. We had been meant to meet, and it had been that way right from the start when I first laid eyes on Tristan down by the waterfall, and the way Oliver had been mistaken for him by Rene, it meant something.

We kissed each other for a few seconds and then Tristan said, "It's okay you know, that you love both Oliver and me, and we both know it. We're not normal. It's not like Clare suddenly announcing she loves James and some other guy. We're not normal. We don't fit that ordinary pattern. We're immortals Chloe. I realized it as I was dying. I thought, at least I had experienced your love and how strange we all were. As long as I live, I couldn't stand to lose that love, or even think about some normal person sharing my life." He kissed me again and I whispered.

"I love you too, Tristan. I always have and always will."

We went out into the party together. Tristan noticed Oliver down at the open bar clearing away glasses and said, "Go and check on Oliver I'm going to see Liz, she's down near the band watching Will. I'll stay there and you can find me every so often and check up on me too."

As I approached Oliver, I nearly broke into a run. He saw me and started walking towards me quickly. We hugged each other and he pulled me to one side of the marquee. I had my eyes closed as I hugged him and opened them to see him smiling at me.

"Never a dull moment huh?" he said, and then was kissing me, and telling me he loved me. He told me that whatever had happened to him back there had wiped his memory of the last few days. I held his face, and kissed him repeatedly.

"Oliver, nothing much happened this last week we were all just getting over the last time travel episode." I didn't care it was a lie, how could I ever tell them what really happened.

I was so relieved I had found him and Tristan, what if they had just died alone somewhere in the grounds. The shock of it was hitting me, and I was crying again. Oliver hugged me and held me close.

"Don't cry, it's okay, you saved us, as long as the three of us are together, friends and lovers too, we will always be okay. We can save each other. We can go off in time to help each other, and chase each other into magic spell voids, which turn out to be eleven ninety. Tristan has boxes of treasure in your bedroom. People might even write books about us. It's meant to be Chloe; it has to be."

He kissed me and held my head to his chest. When I felt calmer, we went back to work. For the rest of the night, I found Oliver every so often and then went by Tristan and we touched hands as we passed each other. At the end of the evening we gathered on the terrace with the other staff, and had coffee, tea, and pieces of cake that the bride had surprisingly allocated to us.

I stood with Oliver and Tristan by the low wall and as we looked out onto the lake a peacock came by slowly, sedately, and it stared at us. I wondered idly if it was Lily and then I felt Tristan take my free hand. I looked at him and then glanced at Oliver. He had his coffee in his right hand and put his left arm around my waist. We looked out over the lake, the night had stars, but they were not easy to see because of all the light from the grounds. The sky seemed a dark blue instead of black.

Oliver was the first to speak.

"I don't know about you two, but I don't feel much like going home right now."

Tristan looked at him over my head.

"I agree, let's go to stable apartment, put on a DVD, make more coffee and chill out, what do you think Chloe?"

I sighed. It was going to be okay.

We spent a few hours watching movies and talking about what we had done in the last time travel, because we had not had a chance to say much about it. I told them about meeting that time's Tristan and we all went silent for a moment. Tristan said he couldn't believe he had forgotten that, but then again the last week had been a blur. Oliver laughed aloud and said, "Maybe that's why you get on so well now in this time because somewhere in the scheme of things you recognize each other. Down through the ages maybe we have all known each other."

Tristan nodded. "Well you look so much like Richard that has to mean something."

When Tristan told us about Gaston Oliver was jubilant.

"I knew that was a girl, didn't I tell you?" He laughed.

Tristan had an apple pie in the fridge from McPherson and we ate most of that. I sat in the middle and both of them leaned a little against me on each side. I felt as if I had dodged some dreadful thing. We finally split up and it was nearly three in the morning when I got home.

In my bathroom, I looked at myself in the mirror. I seemed so different from the Chloe that I used to be. I had a secret now bigger than the one about being immortal in my mind, that I had nearly killed the two guys I love. I sighed, there was nothing to do except live with it.

When I woke up it was midday and the sun was warm through my window. I got up and went over there to look out at the lovely day. Tristan was over by the side of the wood riding Cedric. I watched him turn and walk the horse down towards the house. I ran into my bathroom and cleaned my teeth. Then pulling on my jeans and T-shirt I went downstairs because I guessed Tristan would come to see me.

I went out through the French doors and met him on the path. He smiled and got down from Cedric to talk to me.

"Hello Chloe, it's good to see you, and it's great to be alive." He hugged me close then started to kiss me. It felt like heaven. I kissed him back and smiled at him.

"Tristan, it's great to see you. You feel fine then no after effects at all?" I asked him.

He held my hands and kissed me on each cheek and then my lips again.

"I'm perfect except I have the tiniest bit of gray hair, look on my right temple. Isn't that cool?"

I looked at his hair and sure enough, a few strands of hair were a silver gray.

We smiled at each other and hugged again. He came down to the kitchen for coffee, and Cedric made a pretense of staying by the tree he was loosely tethered to, as we walked away.

Tristan was making coffee and tea for me, and I was holding onto him, around his waist, then his arm, then his hand, whichever was easier, as he moved around and he was laughing, and kissing me.

We sat close together on the balustrade outside the French doors with our drinks. Tristan's cell phone rang and he looked at me smiling and then answered.

"I'm with her, at her house, in the kitchen. Great, let's do that, come on over."

He put his cell phone away and smiled at me. "That was Oliver he's been ringing you and had no answer, so he rang me. He's coming over and we'll all go out for lunch if that's okay with you?"

I nodded. "That's great. I need to get changed though since I just threw these things on when I saw you near the woods. I only just got up. My phone is in my room." I had forgotten to put it in my back pocket as I hurried to see Tristan.

Tristan caught hold of my face gently and kissed me lovingly. I let myself sigh with pleasure as I kissed him back and we left out faces close to each other's for a moment.

Tristan left to take Cedric home and I dashed off to shower and change. I had only just finished dressing again and my hair was still wet when Oliver knocked on my bedroom door. Steven had let him in. We flung ourselves at each other. It was funny really. Oliver just had me so tight against him I had to loosen his hold to breathe after a moment, and he let me take one breath then started to kiss me. We kissed each other for about two minutes just as if we had lost each other and found each other again. Oliver finally spoke.

"Why didn't you answer your phone? I was scared half to death that something had happened to you in the night."

I shook my head. "Oliver, it was a complete accident that I didn't have it on me as usual. So sorry, I'm fine and what about you, anything wrong at all?"

He smiled then and kissed me again before replying, "Nothing at all and now I have you close I'm totally fine. Chloe, I can't help feeling that Tristan came into contact with something bad on that last time travel, and maybe I caught it from him, but all's well that ends well. When is Tristan coming down, he did say we were going out for lunch. I thought we might go to the café where we all got together again after the California incident."

I laughed at this and then hugged Oliver again. I was so relieved he was okay, and so much in love with him.

We kissed each other a few more times before going downstairs.

Tristan arrived seconds after and we decided to go to the café in Oliver's Land Rover. We were in the kitchen and piled out of the French windows there. As I turned to close them, Oliver grabbed Tristan by the arm and called out.

"Hey could that possibly be Gaston over on the top path?"

We all stopped dead and stared over the length of the garden to the top path that would lead down to the waterfall. It looked like Gaston to me in that blue outfit I had last seen him, sorry her in, with the fleur-de-lis on the breastplate. I looked at Oliver, and Tristan turned to us both. "I think it's Gaston. Oh my god."

****

Not sure you like this ending, the author's cut?

Choose from the next endings; the author's response to previous comments from Facebook fans of the Seven Spell stories

Hope you find one you enjoy.

Chapter Twenty-Two (Chloe's ending two)

The days after I had come back from nineteen-sixty-nine were filled with seeing Oliver and then Tristan just like on a timetable. I loved them both so much, but when I was with Oliver on the Friday afternoon before he was to work that night for my dad, I listened to his thoughts, as we made love to each other. I hadn't meant to, but I just found it happening as we kissed each other after an intense half hour. He was thinking that despite I obviously still cared for Tristan only he had this. This lovemaking he meant, and he was so very happy that I loved him this way, I could actually feel that happiness in his mind. I kissed him tenderly and told him I loved him, and at the same time, I felt like some kind of cheat. Like some unpleasant person who was taking something they didn't deserve.

Friday night Tristan was working, and I spent some time designing new stained glass windows for the Glazers, but all the time my mind would go back to what Oliver had in his head. I went to bed late but didn't sleep well. I hadn't dropped off when I looked at my cell phone for the time at three thirty and then I must have just zonked.

I woke up to my cell phone ringing. Aristide had received a phone call from Angelique, some of the stolen and destroyed items had mysteriously appeared in their home, and in the antique stores they owned. Anna seemed to be the same as Lily had checked for him and she was still engaged to her new guy and happy. All seemed well on that front and Jean-Paul had left in good spirits about an hour before, having stayed with Aristide over the last couple of days. I said how pleased I was that nothing bad seemed to have happened, and then Aristide asked me how I was and if I was okay, after what must have been a very difficult experience.

I said I was fine, and that I had grown used to the weird stuff that happened these days. It was then that he confided to me.

"I was considering administering a forgetting potion to Jean-Paul this morning with his coffee. Of course, I had considered that in the night, but concluded that it was unfair. He must be trusted because he has known about our magic for many years. I hope also to count him in as family now and to see him quite often."

I was fixed on the idea of a forgetting potion.

"Aristide, this forgetting potion, would it be easy to make? I mean how would it be done?"

He sounded worried as he replied. "Chloe, are you thinking to forget something yourself? I thought you told me all was well."

I sighed. "You know how both Oliver and Tristan love me and I love them, well would it be possible to make a forgetting potion for them. So that they forget they love me and we're all friends. No more angst about loving them both, no more worry about how we will cope in the future."

I heard him sigh. "No more juggling when you see them as lovers is that it, Chloe? Do you really want them to forget your love? Love is a gift no matter what it, and should be cherished. You do not know what will happen in the future. Don't be rash."

I couldn't let it go. "But Aristide if they just thought we were all friends it would mean neither would be hurt again. I'd not have to worry constantly about them being hurt. I'd be doing it out of love for them."

He made a negative sound, and then he seemed to re-consider.

"Chloe, I'd need a lock of your hair. My workshop is still set up here, the sale has gone through, but we're staying here until the end of the month to wind things up. I caution you, Chloe, think hard about this, could you really cope without their romantic love? Could you cope without their kisses and the closeness you share? Friendship is completely different you know. I can make it so that they see you as Nick McGarry's daughter with whom they have struck up a good friendship. You better take a day or so to think about it."

I was certain this was my answer to the problem I faced. "No Aristide, let's go ahead I'll get a lock of hair to you as soon as possible."

He sighed again, murmured okay and we rang off.

I spent the day thinking about the idea and swinging between thinking it was a good idea and thinking I wouldn't be able to stand it. Then I cut a lock of my hair and drove to Aristide. He took it from me in the fold of paper I had placed it in and sighed.

"Come and have a cup of tea with me and talk this through."

I followed him to the kitchen and we drank tea talking about how much I wanted never to hurt Oliver and Tristan, and saying that the forgetting potion seemed the best thing to do. Aristide warned me it might not work at all, but to come back for it the next day. I drove away still conflicted

It didn't help that on Saturday, Tristan and I spent the night together and when he had exactly same thoughts in his head as Oliver had, I started to feel desperate. I was torn between wanting them both, and never wanting to hurt them because even to choose one of them would be appalling now.

I was extra tender with Tristan, and he commented on it saying it was the best thing he had ever felt when I kissed him like that.

Sunday afternoon I collected the potion from Aristide and planned to give it to Oliver and Tristan when we met to catch up that night for coffee at my place.

They were both so happy and started to talk about how Aristide seemed to have taken Jean-Paul under his wing. I had to make sure I made the coffee and Tristan didn't take over, but it was okay, he was telling Oliver about how the Dearing estate was finally buying a new truck. I put the potion in their coffee and dropped the empty vials in the garbage bin under the sink. I took them the coffee, and my hands were shaking slightly so that Tristan gave me a concerned look as I put it down on the table.

"Okay Chloe?" he asked, and I nodded.

As soon as I had seen them drink the coffee I started to feel a deep sadness, I hoped it wasn't showing and it couldn't have been because Tristan said, "Well everything seems back to normal, whatever that is," he laughed, and continued, "I have to be going to work, so I'll see you later, we'll call each other."

Oliver was nodding, "I'll get going too, yes let's all try, and catch up sometime this week for coffee, okay" and he stood up almost at the same time as Tristan.

I swallowed, because I felt as if my throat was closing up with sadness. The potion had worked we were just friends.

I went to the door with them and they happily went off each to their own vehicle, Tristan giving me a little wave as he drove off in the old red truck. Oliver too, smiled at me as he backed the Land Rover up, and then drove out of the driveway.

I had to remind myself a few times why I had done it as I put our cups in the dishwasher. I'd done it for them, because it was only fair. If I couldn't choose between them then it was only fair to give them both their chance at another love, especially Tristan. I could never have him going off again and leaving his home, and his horses. I began to cry a little and then taking the stairs to my room two at a time, I cried a lot. I sat on my bed and cried into a tissue that covered my whole face. I felt as if my world had ended, and then I started to make myself pull out of it. I had two lovely friends they were so dear to me, they cared for me as a friend, we would be together because we shared immortality. I hadn't lost them.

The week started to drag, yesterday was Sunday, and I had given Oliver and Tristan the potion, today Monday stretched ahead of me barren. I hadn't slept very well. I had missed the goodnight text that Oliver would more often than not send me. I had looked out of my window around two in the morning, but there was no Tristan asking if I could spare him a few minutes on one of his night rambles. I felt bereft.

I tried to stay busy, college work had stopped for the holidays, and so I checked in with Joshua Glazer. Everything was fine. I was lucky really, as the designs were still doing well. In desperation, I got the cleaning things out and cleaned the house for mom. She heard the vacuum cleaner going in the room next to her study and came out to see me. "Chloe, you must be bored," she laughed, and she made coffee and tea for me. I drank it standing by the French doors. The sun was out, but I felt cold.

A couple of days later Oliver rang me.

"Hey Chloe, there's a massive wedding on by the lake on Saturday. Are you helping your dad? I heard from Liz that she will be at the wedding as it's some relative. They're having two hundred guests, wow. Tristan's told me he'll be there, have you heard?"

I hadn't heard, so Tristan and Oliver were in touch were they, I felt left out.

"No I hadn't heard. I might ask dad if he needs help. I haven't got much on since we got back from our latest adventure. I might go up to the restaurant today for lunch. Are you working Oliver?" I asked him, hoping he was, or if he wasn't he would say that he would come out for lunch too.

Oliver answered. "I'm working, so I'll catch up with you there. Your dad already has a few agency staff in today as there's a bit of training going on ready for the wedding." He rang off. It was hard not to hear him tell me he loved me, or that he had missed me. I looked at the time, I could go up there in an hour, and I'd ask dad if I could help on Saturday. It would fill the void in my life a little and like a stalker, I could watch Oliver and Tristan.

I took special care with how I looked. I knew I shouldn't be hoping it, but I was hoping Oliver would find me attractive.

As I walked up to the restaurant, I told myself not to hope, not to think of him as anything other than a friend. I went straight into the kitchen and found dad. He was talking with one of the other chefs, and he was not wearing his white jacket, so I figured he must have been doing administration work. He saw me and smiled, "Hey, what brings you here Chloe? As it happens, I was going to ask you later if you wanted to lend a hand at the big wedding we have on Saturday. I've just heard that the wedding breakfast needs an extra twenty places, yikes huh?" He grinned at me, totally in his element, not much fazed dad.

I smiled at him. "Dad, I can think of nothing I'd rather do on Saturday, I'm bored witless at the moment. Since its formal will I need a uniform?" In the past, I had needed a special trouser suit.

Dad shook his head. "Black and white theme, so black trousers and white shirt, girls can wear scoop neck shirts as long as they have a collar, or you can go with dress shirts and bow ties."

As I went through, I said hello to the others in the kitchen. The lunch service was not very busy on Wednesdays for some reason, and then it went wild for the rest of the week. I asked if I could maybe get a steak sandwich. Patrick grinned and said, "Your wish is my command oh Chloe." Which wasn't that funny, but it cheered me up a little.

I went out to a table and saw Oliver talking with two young people at the back of the restaurant. Dad came out of the kitchen and joined in. I watched Oliver grinning at dad and then he turned and saw me staring at him. As he walked towards me, one of the people he had been talking with watched him go. She was a slim dark haired girl. She looked pretty from where I was sitting. She didn't stop looking at Oliver even though she knew I was watching, and even though dad was talking to her and the other girl up there.

Oliver smiled at me saying, "Hello Chloe, are you ordering?"

I shook my head and it was a few seconds before I could answer, my mouth had dried up. "No, Patrick, is already cooking me a steak, thanks Oliver."

"What's happening then, Chloe, are you helping at the wedding? Those two over there," and he indicated the girls with a nod of his head, "are agency staff, I was just introducing myself."

I couldn't think what to say. It was hard to know how to talk with Oliver now. I thought I should have asked Aristide how much of our past together the guys would remember. I was saved by Peter bringing me my sandwich and asking if I wanted anything to drink. I asked for orange juice. I found my voice.

"Yes, I'm helping out on Saturday, it sounds like fun. The last time I helped was informal, but this one is a full sit-down wedding, formal stuff huh?"

Oliver smiled. "Yes and it's black tie too, I think, well black and white or something." He seemed happy and I felt for ten seconds that I had done the right thing, and then he smiled and said, "So see you later, better get back to work" and he walked off. My heart filled up with grief, I suddenly pictured vividly the last time he kissed me, and I'd have given anything right then not to have used that potion.

He went back to dad and the agency staff and the four of them walked off into the kitchen.

I had thought I was hungry but I couldn't eat the sandwich after the first bite. I left it, put the cost of it under the plate, and left the restaurant. It was hard not to run home to my room where I could burst into tears and sob myself silly. I made myself walk and I took my cell phone out of my pocket to read the text messages from Oliver that I had saved on there. It was a stupid thing to do. I felt worse. I looked at Tristan's phone number in my contacts list. Would it be okay to ring him? I didn't know. I rang him, it went to message, and I hung up.

At home, I tried to read, and then draw, nothing doing. I was way too emotional to concentrate, so I decided to go for a walk.

I headed out by habit to the waterfall, maybe that would make me feel better I thought. As I reached the bottom of the steep path we had trodden leading there, I saw Tristan. He was with Charlie and had obviously just been touching the water as he was shaking it from his hands.

I called, "Hello Tristan, how are you?" I was smiling at him and he smiled back.

"Hello Chloe, just taking Charlie out for a walk and I decided to check the waterfall." I remembered when he told me he would sometimes splash himself with this water to make sure he remembered how precious life was. I looked intently at him as he approached. There was a slight sadness about him.

I asked again, "So Tristan, how's everything going? You're not missing the adventures yet surely?" I thought being light-hearted would help me to maintain a friendship status.

Tristan sighed. "I'm missing something, not sure what really. I just feel a bit empty. Maybe it's because nothing is going on, no portals no weirdness." He smiled a little wistfully at me, and I felt such a wave of sadness. I looked away from his lovely blue eyes, it was all I could do not to hug him close and tell him I missed him so much.

I told myself it was important to keep away from that sort of thing.

Tristan sighed again. "Okay Chloe, I'll get Charlie home. I guess you know about the wedding. I didn't I have to admit, not until Liz told me. Will you be working for your dad?" I nodded at him, and he walked away.

The walk was spoilt for me and I went home. I thought about things as I walked home. It was going to be harder to be friends than I thought, because I just didn't know what to do. It was because I still loved them both, when I had become used to the situation it would be easier I could treat them like Clare or Liz, or James, I told myself.

The next day I went into the retail complex to buy some clothes, a pair of black trousers, and a white shirt. Not that much fun, but I was thinking maybe I could help dad on a more regular basis and that I'd need those items. I found black trousers that were a decent shape and a white shirt with a scoop neck, and a white satin collar. It looked okay, and I had shoes to wear with them from my sojourn in California earlier this year.

Friday was miserable, and I only just kept myself from going up to the greenhouses to find Tristan. He couldn't have realized I had called him the previous day, because he never called back.

On Saturday morning I didn't get up until eleven, mostly so that I didn't have to wait long to go to work.

I got ready for work and made myself look as good as I could. When I went downstairs to show mom and ask her how I looked she gave a little whistle. "Great Chloe, you do look good, very grown up, tall, sexy eyes, have fun as well as working."

I smiled at her, and I put my phone in the back pocket of the trousers, having bought them purposely with a back pocket, well two actually just so I'd have somewhere for my phone. I took a tissue and folded it up small putting it flat in the other back pocket, if I got weepy seeing Oliver or Tristan, I better be prepared.

I drove up there for twelve thirty and found a list of jobs allocated to me in the staff area. I started on the list, taking the table linen down to the formal wedding breakfast marquee. The marquee was busy with workers. It was quite spectacular with white roses in garlands everywhere and black chairs at the tables. The marquee tops were black and white stripes like giant humbugs, it was quite fun. I put the white table napkins into their black ring holders and then down at each place. I was not looking for Oliver but he found me. He smiled happily at me.

"Chloe, hi, it's all go isn't it? Will's band is setting up. I'm surprised this crew chose them as the band, but I think Liz influenced them. You would expect a string orchestra with this black and white sophistication." I smiled at his enthusiasm and happy nature. It had always been part of Oliver's attraction. I nodded rather than spoke, and he went off with an empty crate, obviously for more glasses. The glasses were crystal with black stems, it all added to the theme.

Everything was going fine, it was midway through the afternoon, the wedding party had eaten, and the speeches were underway. I stood with my empty tray on the outside of the marquee waiting to collect glasses and make way for different ones. The open bar had been set up in a nearby marquee, and I was on the roster to serve the more simple drinks for an hour around four. They had a special cocktail bar person as well as a couple of us ordinary folks.

I saw Oliver outside the restaurant on the terrace. He was with that girl from the agency. They stood near each other, seemingly talking, waiting for the next wave of serving and clearing up. I looked away, she would naturally chase Oliver he's so lovely.

It was much later, the bride and groom had left and now the huge number of guests were having a party, Will's band was doing a great job as usual and people were dancing. It was still light but the place was now lit up with sparkling colored lights and a couple of spotlights were trained on the band.

I cleared some glasses, and was on the way up the path to deliver them into the staff area where we were collecting them. I was passing the camellia hedges and saw Tristan. He had his jacket off and was almost doubled up, sort of leaning into the bushes. My heart started to beat faster as I looked at my lovely Tristan, he seemed in pain and dazed.

I almost ran to him carrying the tray full of glasses. "Tristan, what's wrong, are you okay?" I asked him, looking at his face. He looked dreadful, sort of gray and as I got closer, I could see wrinkles by the sides of his eyes, and he had gray hair at his temples. I reached my hand out to touch them.

"Chloe, I'm sick, I feel really sick." He sat down on the paved area between the bushes and held his chest where his heart would be.

"My heart hurts, Chloe, it's happening, I'm finally dying."

I was so afraid, my heart was beating really fast, and I felt as if a wave of fear had taken away my ability to stand. I put the tray down, the glasses on it rattling. Now I took one of them and smashed it. I cut across my palm, and blood was everywhere. I grabbed one of Tristan's hands and did the same to him, pressing my hand against his cut, forcing my blood into him. It didn't seem to be making any difference and he was finding it hard to breathe. I looked at my hand. It was already starting to heal and I squeezed the cut so that blood was flowing again and I dripped it into Tristan's mouth. He had lain down on the paving and his eyes were closed. He knew something had gone into his mouth and licked his lip, and swallowed. I was crying. I cut my hand open again and dripped more into his mouth, and then into his slashed hand. Suddenly he started to look better, he went from gray to white, and then his laugh lines disappeared, the gray at his temple remained. He was healing. I held him and sobbed, "Tristan, Tristan, Tristan." I could only say his name.

He put his arms up around me and hugged me.

"Chloe, when I started to feel ill, I just wanted to be with you. I thought if I'm dying I have to be with Chloe. I love you, Chloe. I didn't think about you saving me, I was so ill, I only wanted to be with you as I died. But thank you, thank you for what you did."

I was holding his head and I shook mine, "What did you say Tristan, did you tell me you love me?"

Tristan smiled at me. I saw that there was just a little silver gray in his hair on his right temple. "You know I do, that will never change, Chloe."

He looked at his palm where it had been slashed, and flexed his hand, and then he smiled again. "I think I need to have a drink of water Chloe. I can taste blood."

He hugged me again and I sighed. Somehow, the potion had worn off, but what had happened to Tristan to make him ill. "Tristan, I wonder what happened? Did you have anything strange to eat or drink, maybe you have an allergy?"

He was standing up, and said, "No Chloe, nothing. I just had stomach pains and then I started to think about you, how much I love you and wanted to be with you. I was coming to find you. I thought you might be in the kitchen. You know I've missed you this week. I feel as if we've hardly seen each other."

I was listening to Tristan. I held his hand and kissed his cheek, and I felt my cell phone vibrate in my back pocket. I fished around to get it. I had a long white apron tied twice around my waist, which I had put on when serving on the open bar. I looked at the screen, and then at Tristan.

It was Aristide calling.

"Chloe, that potion, there's something wrong with it. You haven't used it yet have you? I thought I might catch you in time, but it has been a week. I left the materials set up in my workshop, you know just in case you dropped the vials or something and tonight I went in there. The lock of hair that I got from you was in a Petri dish. As I had poured the potion into those little vials, a tiny drop had gone onto the hair. I didn't bother about it, because the potion is distilled with your DNA, but tonight the hair is gray and decaying on the side where the drop fell. Chloe there's something wrong with the potion don't administer it, have you, have I caught you in time?"

I had probably gone white, I felt as if I had, and Tristan was watching me intently. "Hello Aristide, no everything is fine, it's all okay, you caught me. I had been thinking the idea over."

I heard him sigh and then he said, "Thank heavens, I thought it might take you a while to let go of your lovers, destroy it, Chloe. I'm shocked about it, I can't imagine what happened, but at least I caught you." We rang off and I turned to Tristan.

"Oliver," I said, and Tristan grinned.

"No I'm Tristan. I wondered how long it would be before you called me Oliver, or vice versa, you know when you are with either one of us."

I was shaking my head. "No Tristan, I know that, no it's Oliver, he might be sick too."

I dragged him along and then he started to walk quickly and was saying, "Why though, Chloe, what did Aristide say, is it something I came into contact with back in the past?"

We had reached the restaurant. "Where would Oliver go if he had suddenly fallen ill, he'd go to the staff area, to sit down? Tristan, let's go." I voiced my thoughts, as I led him around to the side where the quickest entrance was to the staff area, the little corridor of shelves, and as I pushed open the door, there was Oliver. He was lying on the floor. I ran to him "Oliver, Oliver," I croaked out. He opened his eyes a little and whispered.

"Chloe, I can't breathe. I think I'm dying, it feels like I'm dying." He put his hand up to my shirt and pulled me down a little more to his face, he whispered hardly audibly, "I love you." He let go and flopped backwards. I was shaking. I looked around. There were a few juice bottles in the re-cycling tub by the door that were glass, I shattered one on the brick doorway surround. My knees felt like jelly as I ran the couple of steps back to Oliver. I slashed my hand as I ran back to him, but as I dropped to my knees beside him Tristan grabbed me, and I knew from just a glance at his face that it was too late for Oliver. I held Oliver's face, and called his name, then I shouted his name, and Tristan put his arms around me. The door to the kitchen swung open and Dad as well as Ben peered into the corridor storeroom. Ben called out, "Oliver," as he saw us on the floor there holding Oliver, and dad ran at us.

He got Oliver's tie off and then listened to his heartbeat, which wasn't there, and suddenly he shouted at me. "Wake up Chloe, you know CPR, you breathe for him I'll do the heart. Tristan call an ambulance now."

He was stern and it snapped me out of my despair.

I started the breath technique as I had been taught in school and Dad gave Oliver's heart a real hard palpate thirty goes, then I did the breaths, we kept going. Ben knelt by Oliver's side and felt his neck pulse. Ben shook his head and we kept going, dad was saying.

"Come on Oliver, come on," he was very good at the heart stuff, and I expected it to work.

There was a smear of blood on Oliver's cheek from my hand, but my cut had healed in a minute, and now my tears were turning the red streak into pink and washing it down onto the neck of Oliver's white shirt.

Ben's eyes were full of tears, he had a finger on Oliver's neck, but then suddenly he called out.

"He's got a pulse, he's got a pulse."

Dad put his head to Oliver's chest to listen to his heart and then sat back on his knees sighing.

"Thank god he has a heartbeat, we need to monitor it, where the hell is that ambulance?"

"Dad it's only been minutes, they may take a while longer. Does anyone have a mirror, we could make sure of his breathing by holding that to his mouth, and I'll listen to his heartbeat." I was desperate for Oliver to live, I knew the time had passed for me to give him my blood as I had done with Tristan, but somehow he had lived. I couldn't do it in front of dad and Ben. I put my head to his chest and I could hear his heartbeat.

Ben had found a mirror. It was a little fluorescent purple, fold out thing, one of the agency staff had it in their handbag. He put it to Oliver's mouth. Tristan had a couple of coats from somewhere and put them over Oliver's middle.

I looked up at dad. "Dad, why isn't he waking up? He should wake up now shouldn't he? Should we put him into the recovery position?" I whispered.

Dad sighed again and shook his head. "I honestly don't know. I've never actually been in a situation like this before."

Tristan who had been silent said, "I have and I've seen both things, they wake straight up and they take a little time to wake up. The important thing is he is breathing on his own; maybe leave him like he is so we can watch that properly."

Tristan had only just finished speaking when Oliver opened his eyes.

Ben saw it first and called it out. "He's waking up."

I had been looking at Tristan, and now I turned to Oliver, and dad who had stood up and was looking out of the door hoping for the ambulance to arrive, came and knelt by Oliver. He smiled at him.

"Hey there, stay still, an ambulance will be here soon, we don't know what happened, but you're going to be okay. How do you feel?"

I had hold of Oliver's hand, and I was frantically trying to get him warmer. His hands were like ice.

Oliver whispered, "I feel weird, tired. What happened I don't remember anything?"

The ambulance arrived then and in the absence of Oliver's family Tristan was allowed to go with him to the hospital. Dad said I could go too if I was okay to drive and to call him when I got there. I think he knew I couldn't stand not going to the hospital. He was calling Oliver's mom when I left and ran to my car in the car park.

When I got to the hospital, they were not going to let me see Oliver so I lied and said I was family, who cares, how ridiculous is that rule? He was in a small four-bed room just off of the intensive care area. Tristan was sitting by his bed and Oliver was attached to monitors and a drip. I went quietly in and stood there as a nurse was checking Oliver's blood pressure. Tristan stood up and came to me, he took my hand, and we stood a little way off as the nurse finished what she was doing. When she left saying she would be back very soon, Tristan whispered to me.

"I expected the drip cut thing they did on his hand to heal, but it hasn't, and the doctor said he was really dehydrated, so that's what they are doing now with that drip. I looked at him and I don't think he is immortal any longer."

I didn't know what to say to this and I looked at Oliver who opened his eyes right then.

I wondered if he had heard Tristan but it seemed he hadn't.

"Has anyone told my parents I'm here?" he asked softly.

"Dad has. I expect they are on their way Oliver," I answered, and went to stand closer to him.

Tristan followed me and asked, "Oliver do you remember anything yet?"

Oliver moved his head a little to indicate no and replied.

"Nothing, I mean I know who I'm, and things like that, but I've no idea of the last week, to be honest. Weirdly I remember you two as friends, but no details like how I know you. Sorry, I don't know what's going on and I'm so thirsty."

For someone the doc knew to be dehydrated he had no water to drink and I went off to get some. A young looking nurse was in the corridor and I asked for help; she was happy to get a water jug and glass and she took it to Oliver for me. Which was a good thing because I had begun to feel shaky.

I couldn't stop thinking how I had done this, nearly killed the both of them. Thank god, Oliver had lived or I don't know how I would have lived with myself.

Tristan was helping Oliver drink and a doctor came in, he checked things over and turned to me saying,

"It must have been very frightening to see your brother as ill as he was, but Oliver will be fine. We think rest for a few days will fix him up. Your mother has called and she is on her way."

I instantly thought why was mom coming here and then realized the doc meant Oliver's mom as I had told them I was Oliver's sister.

The doctor left the room and I looked out at the corridor, to make sure he was going. I didn't want him overhearing anything Tristan and I said. Just down there and a little closer to the intensive care ward was an office with a nurse in there, she seemed to be in front of a bank of monitors. I went back to Oliver's bedside and he actually grinned at me.

"Why does he think you're my sister?"

I realized he was searching his memory for my name and so did Tristan because he said.

"Oliver, have you forgotten our names?"

Oliver nodded slightly. "I seem to have. I know we're all friends, but that's about it. I'm going to ask the doctor why my memory is acting up next time he comes in."

Tristan told him our names and he nodded slightly. I could tell he didn't know he had loved me, and that was fine as long as he was alive and well, that's all that mattered.

When Oliver's mom arrived, I told her that I lied to get in to see Oliver, and she shook her head telling me it was okay she was glad his friends were there for him, that he wasn't sick and alone. His dad went straight to his bedside and held one of Oliver's hands.

Tristan and I left them. We walked out to the car park silently and then as we neared my car I turned to Tristan and put my arms around him.

"Tristan thank heavens Oliver is alive even if he has no real memory of us."

Tristan hugged me tight and then he looked at me with a slight frown.

"Chloe, what did Aristide really say, he knew we were either sick, or would be, didn't he? What's really going on, Chloe, because as I told you my memory of last week is hazy too? Now Oliver nearly dies, and not only does he look like he has lost his immortality, but he has memory loss too."

I didn't want to tell Tristan what I had done, it seemed so foolish now in retrospect, but I had thought it was the right thing to do at the time. I knew I had to tell Tristan something, but what, how could I have known the whole thing would prove to be so dangerous.

We had reached my Wrangler and Tristan leaned against it with his arms around me keeping me close. I put my face up to his and kissed him. He sighed and kissed me back, then said, "Come on Chloe, you know something."

It was so hard to tell him, but I did. I told him about how I had hoped they would be free to love someone else that we could be true friends, immortals yes, but that there would never be any more danger of one or the other being hurt by my loving them both.

I had only wanted to free them. I shook my head and a tear slid down one cheek.

Tristan was quiet, he had looked shocked as I told him what I had done, and then resigned, and now finally sad. I was suddenly afraid he might stop loving me.

He kissed my cheek where the tear had left a wet track and then my lips gently. His voice was a whisper. "Chloe, I can hardly believe what you did, but I do get it. I know you would have thought it for the best that we were only friends. I'm still horrified by the outcome, but how could you have known. At the same time, Chloe, I thought we were all okay, it was a blip in the past when I left in January, it would not have happened again." He fell silent as I stared into his eyes.

I didn't want to even think what else I could have said, just in case I communicated my thoughts to him. That both he and Oliver were actually under the impression that whilst I loved both of them, it was only one of them I made love with. Each one of them thinking it was only them. Somehow, that had come about, I don't know how, especially after the debacle when I went home to California, but that's what each of them thought.

I looked down from Tristan's eyes and then said softly,

"We can take care of Oliver and be his friends. It will be okay. If he isn't immortal, he will not remember it perhaps. If he thinks we're friends then that's okay, he is free now. To love someone else I mean." I stopped talking and looked back up into Tristan's eyes. He sighed again, and I thought he was going to push me away, but he didn't, he pulled me closer and hugged me tight.

"We will look after him, and we are his friends, and damn it Chloe if he suddenly remembers everything then we will have to put it all right. Part of me wishes we could go back in time to when we came home from doing that task for Aristide, and you had never done this, never got the idea because of silly Jean-Paul."

I was so sad when he said this and felt sick with regret.

I think Tristan realized I felt wretched because he hugged me again and then put a hand to my face and got me to look at him properly.

"I still love you, if you're scared that I don't anymore Chloe, and you know what, I think a part of me knew I loved you even when I was under the influence of that potion, because I felt as if I had lost something, but I didn't know what. Let's get back to the restaurant so that your dad isn't worried and talk some more about this later."

I drove us there silently and to my sadness, Tristan was silent too.

Dad was relieved to hear Oliver was going to be okay, the wedding was about to wind up, and we all got busy doing what clearing up we needed to.

It was late and all the staff were going home. I told dad I was giving Tristan a lift home and went off to my Wrangler with Tristan.

I drove as if to drop him at the Dearing house, but he suddenly asked if we could go to the stables to talk, and I was only too pleased to do that.

Once there Tristan went around turning lights on and making coffee. I stood and watched him feeling that he was still shocked at my actions.

He came to me and took my hand to lead me to the sofa. We sat side by side.

"Tell me what will you do now Oliver has forgotten he loves you, but you still love him. You can't just turn love on and off like a tap."

Tristan seemed solemn and I felt miserable.

"I do still love him and you. That's why I tried to free you both, because how could it go on and on? We all live forever and neither one of you ever has someone who loves only you. It didn't seem right. I love you both enough to try to give you space for that to happen. Believe me if I had even remotely thought this horror would eventuate, I'd not have done it. Aristide thought it may not work at all, he thought the potion was weak. It's because he doesn't know I'm immortal, I think that's what went wrong. Another immortal's DNA messed with obviously can kill another immortal, if you get what I mean. The magic he did with my DNA produced a poison. I'm so sorry, truly sorry. I feel as if I'm some kind of monster for doing it now." I shook my head and tears came into my eyes, I kept talking in a wobbly voice. "I love Oliver, but all that matters is that he is alive and well, and a friend."

Tristan held my hands, and then my face, kissed my cheeks, and then my lips, and he whispered,

"You are not a monster; it was unforeseeable. I still love you and I always will."

He cuddled me close for a long time and then I did drop him at the Dearing house and went home.

****

Oliver never remembered he loved me, he thought both Tristan and I were good friends. He never regained his immortal blood. We see each other often and work together sometimes. He has a girlfriend now, Ben introduced him to her, and they seem to care lots for each other. We have been out together as a foursome and Tristan told me afterwards that he thinks Oliver is happy and the girl is very lovely.

I do still love Oliver, and as he ages and we don't, Tristan and I think we will have to leave town eventually. I'm glad that Oliver is happy, but sometimes when I look at him, I remember his kisses and the way we used to make love, talking, laughing, and kissing each other, and the love for me in his lovely brown eyes.

Tristan loves me, and I love him too. We still have our intense moments, but making love with Tristan has become gentle, and we stay together a few nights a week because it's so hard to leave each other.

It's become known now that he and I are a serious item. I wear a ring he gave me, very old and with a double emerald and sapphire, and only mom just the once said she had thought it would be Oliver, eventually.

I didn't reply.

It's Oliver's birthday soon. I'm buying him a shirt from Tristan and me, that I saw in one of our favorite shops, and I think he will like it.

It's blue. I've always loved the color blue.

Chapter Twenty-Three (Chloe's ending three)

I woke up to my cell phone ringing. Aristide had received a phone call from Angelique, some of the stolen and destroyed items had appeared mysteriously in their home, and in the antique stores they owned. Anna seemed to be the same. Lily had checked on her and she was still engaged to be married and happy, so all seemed well on that front, and Jean-Paul had left in good spirits about an hour before. I said how pleased I was that nothing bad seemed to have happened, and then Aristide asked me how I was and if I was okay after what must have been a very difficult experience.

I said I was fine and that I'd grown used to the weird stuff that happened these days. It was then that he confided to me.

"This last couple of days I've been considering administering a forgetting potion to Jean-Paul this morning with his coffee, before he left. Of course, I re-considered that in the night, and concluded that it was unfair. He must be trusted because he has known about our magic for many years. I want to count him as family now and see him quite often."

I was fixed on the idea of a forgetting potion.

"Aristide, this forgetting potion, would it be easy to make? I mean how would it be done?"

He sounded worried as he replied. "Chloe are you thinking to forget something yourself? I thought you told me all was well."

I sighed. "You know how both Oliver and Tristan love me and I love them, well would it be possible to make a forgetting potion for them. So that they forget they love me and we're all friends. No more angst about loving them both, no more worry about how we will cope in the future."

I heard him sigh. "No more juggling when you see them as lovers, is that it Chloe? Do you really want them to forget your love? You don't know what will happen in the future. Don't be rash."

I couldn't let it go. "But Aristide, if they just thought we were all friends it would mean neither would be hurt again. I'd not have to worry constantly about them being hurt. I'd be doing it out of love for them."

He made a negative sound, and then he seemed to re-consider.

"Chloe, I'd need a lock of your hair. My workshop is still set up here, the sale has gone through, but we're staying here until the end of the month to wind things up. I caution you, Chloe, think hard about this. Could you really cope without their romantic love? Could you cope without their kisses and the closeness you share? Friendship is completely different you know. I can make it so that they see you as Nick McGarry's daughter with whom they have struck up a good friendship, but you need to take a day or so to think about it."

I was certain this was my answer to the problem I faced. "No Aristide, let's go ahead I'll get a lock of hair to you as soon as possible."

He sighed again and murmured okay, and we rang off.

I thought briefly about the fact that the potion would get Oliver and Tristan to think of me as just a friend. Would they forget we were all immortals? I could hardly ask Aristide that as even he didn't know, he still thought the stained glass windows kept Tristan alive. I stopped myself thinking about it and dressed to go to meet Oliver.

I was getting into my Wrangler when Tristan called me telling me he was so busy but wanted to see me for dinner. I said that would be great.

I drove to Oliver's place and as I parked, he came out to greet me.

As soon as I saw him, my heart melted with love and I threw myself into his arms on the driveway.

We never got out to lunch and I lingered with our lovemaking because I truly believed it might be the last time. I had decided to get my lock of hair to Aristide that very evening.

Oliver was so tender and loving. He told me he had been distraught the whole time I was gone and when Tristan had come back without me, he was so scared he couldn't eat or sleep. I kissed his lovely face all over and told him I hoped never to worry him like that again.

He was working for dad that evening, and we both drove out of his driveway to head in the same direction much later that afternoon.

I sighed feeling a huge weight of sadness when I waved to him as he turned into the restaurant car park and I went on home.

I ran upstairs and cut off a lock of my hair. I put the thing in a cellophane sandwich bag and drove over to the big house. Aristide was surprised to see me.

"Chloe, you haven't thought it all over as I asked. I'll make the potion but please think carefully about it."

"Aristide I have just spent the afternoon with Oliver and I love him, but tonight I'll spend with Tristan and I love him. It's not right is it, not usual, not normal, not what society expects? Please make the potion."

He sighed and took my lock of hair.

I went home to shower and dress ready to have dinner with Tristan.

I wore one of my dresses that I bought in LA, and put my makeup on carefully. My dressing up didn't extend to wearing the high-heeled shoes I had acquired in LA, and I put on my flat boots after stuffing my usual belongings into my little bag.

Downstairs mom was making coffee in the kitchen and looked up at my entrance.

"Wow you look very nice Chloe, where are you off to? Hey, did you have a good time at the ocean with Tristan? I feel as if I haven't seen you for days" and she smiled all the while talking very quickly. I went over to her and hugged her.

"Mom, is that your fiftieth cup of coffee? It was good to be near the sea again and I'm going to have dinner with Tristan. How are you?" I didn't feel it was a lie because I had quite enjoyed the sea just not with Tristan, although he had been there hadn't he in a way?

I drove over to the Dearing house and McPherson let me in. I was just giving Charlie a pat when Tristan appeared. He came straight up to me and hugged me tight. I smiled at him as he let me go and then at McPherson who was grinning.

We got out onto the big car parking area at the Dearing house before Tristan pulled me close again.

"Chloe, I thought we could have dinner in the stable apartment. I so want to be alone with you. It's been hell without you this last couple of days."

I drove us around there and we were barely through the door before I was in his arms and kissing him. We stayed locked together there in the hall for about five minutes just lost in kisses and whispers. We did have dinner because Tristan had arranged it with candles and flowers. The rest of the night, we spent making love to each other. I was asleep in his arms when the sun woke me streaming through the little side window.

Tristan had to work and we laughed a lot as we dashed around. I dropped him at the Dearing house where his truck was parked and I went home saying for him to 'drop by that evening, and maybe Oliver could come along as well, it would be great for us all to catch up.'

At home, I called Aristide to find out if the potion was ready. It was and I could pick it up that afternoon.

I called Oliver and asked him if he wanted to 'catch up tonight at my place with Tristan, we could have coffee and talk about the last couple of days, just compare notes.' He was more than happy to do that.

I was on edge for the rest of the morning until finally I drove to the big house near White Woods and rang the bell to collect the potion from Aristide.

Lily and Rene were back and I had tea with them as they told me all about where they had been and how things were going. All the time I was turning over the thought of giving the potion to Oliver and Tristan. Aristide had passed me the potion immediately at the door, warning me to think it over again.

I left the house with the promise that I'd ask Tristan and Oliver if they would like to meet with Rene and Lily this coming weekend, and go to the Kool Kafé.

My heart was pounding as I put the potion on my desk. It was in two separate tiny vials, inside a little plastic bag and I kept looking at it thinking did I really want this. I decided I did. I wanted my lovely Oliver and Tristan to be friends so that they would never find out I made love with them both and be hurt.

We had gathered in my kitchen that evening. I had the vials Aristide had given me hidden near the electric kettle and needed to put the stuff in their coffee secretly.

I waited until they were both at the table. I had taken over making the drinks in a casual way and steered them towards an email from Aristide on my netbook. It was about Jean-Paul and the missing items reappearing.

I was facing the kitchen work surface and surreptitiously got the vials of potion out of the hiding place. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure they were not looking my way.

I was extremely sad to do this, but had convinced myself it was for the best. I thought about making love to Oliver and how that would not happen anymore, and then about the last time with Tristan. It had been so good, so special, and loving. I hoped I could live without that, especially when I truly loved them both. The thoughts made me shake a little, and somehow, one of the vials just leapt out of my hand and smashed onto the flagstones of the kitchen floor.

Tristan came to me immediately.

"What was that, are you okay?" he said in his usual loving caring way.

I fumbled the other vial into my jean's pocket and shook my head at him.

"Tristan, it's just a little perfume sample I had on the bench here from last time I was shopping, don't worry I'll clean it up. Just take the coffees to the table."

God knows where that lie came from, but it's not bad huh?

Tristan gave me a gentle look, and took the coffee as I had asked.

I got the paper towel roll and cleaned the potion up totally, making sure I didn't get any of it on me, I mean who knows what might happen if you don't drink the stuff.

I threw the other vial away with the used paper towel and pressed it all into the waste bin. I'd throw that out as soon as Tristan and Oliver were gone.

I went to sit with them, and felt the most incredible sense of relief at not having been able to go through with the plan. I looked at each of them as they talked about Aristide, and all I could think was how gorgeous and nice they were. How much I loved them and how close I had come to making this love we shared go away. I sighed and it must have been louder than I thought because Oliver looked over at me.

"Hey that was a big sigh, nothing's wrong, Chloe?"

He was so dear to me with his lovely chocolate brown eyes full of love.

"No nothing Oliver," I replied, and right then my cell phone went off in my jeans pocket. I stood up to answer it.

It was Aristide calling.

"Chloe, that potion, there's something wrong with it. You haven't used it yet have you? I thought I might catch you in time. I left the materials set up in my workshop, you know just in case you dropped the vials or something and tonight I went in there. The lock of hair that I got from you was in a Petri dish. As I had poured the potion into those little vials, a tiny drop had gone onto the hair. I didn't bother about it, but tonight the hair is gray and decaying on the side where the drop fell. Chloe there's something wrong with the potion, it might be poisonous, don't administer it, have you, have I caught you in time?"

I had probably gone white. I felt as if I had and Tristan was watching me intently. I turned away to continue the call.

"Hello Aristide, no everything is fine, you caught me. I had been thinking it over." I heard him sigh and then he said.

"Thank heavens, I thought it might take a lot to let go of your lovers, destroy it Chloe. I'm shocked about it, I can't imagine what's happened, but at least I caught you." We rang off.

I turned back to see Oliver and Tristan looking at me curiously.

"Aristide, checking to see if we're all okay," I said to their unspoken question. I felt completely as if somehow fate had stopped something horrible from happening. I sat back down because for some reason I felt wobbly.

I took a deep breath. "Shall we go out for some supper to celebrate that all is well. That Aristide has included Jean-Paul in his family, that you have bought the big house Tristan, that we all love each other."

Oliver smiled. "Why not, let's just go up to the restaurant and sit by the lake, it's all lit up and it's a gorgeous evening."

Tristan grinned. "Okay, I'd like that too."

He picked up their cups and took them to the dishwasher.

I went upstairs for my wallet and all the way there, I thought about what a lucky break dropping that vial was.

We walked up to the restaurant together. I occasionally touched them both on the hand or arm. I wanted to hug them close when I thought about how I had nearly lost them. Anything could have happened with a poison potion.

I put it out of my mind as we reached the restaurant. We took a table on the terrace near the lake edge. Both Ben and Liz were working and we chatted to each other happily. I found that Oliver on my right had his calf up against mine, and Tristan who had dragged his chair really close to mine on the left, leaned against me a little.

It felt great. I loved them and they loved me. What was really wrong with that?

I looked out across the lake. The dark blue sky, the tree lights and the moon were reflected by the water, everything was lovely. I glanced at Tristan as I felt him lean closer. His blue eyes were full of love as he looked at me. I've always loved the color blue.

****

Chapter Twenty-Four (Chloe's ending Four)

I woke up to my cell phone ringing. Aristide had received a phone call from Angelique telling him some of the stolen and destroyed items had appeared mysteriously in their home, and in the antique stores they owned. Anna seemed to be the same as Lily had checked her out, and she was still engaged and happy. All seemed well on that front and Jean-Paul had left in good spirits about an hour before. I said how pleased I was that nothing bad seemed to have happened. Aristide asked me how I was and if I was really okay after what must have been a very difficult experience.

I said I was fine and that I'd grown used to the weird stuff that happened these days. It was then that he confided to me.

"I was considering administering a forgetting potion to Jean-Paul this morning with his coffee. Of course, I re-considered that in the remainder of the night and came to the conclusion that it was unfair. He must be trusted because he has known about our magic for many years. I hope also to count him as family now and to see him quite often."

I was fixed on the idea of a forgetting potion.

"Aristide, this forgetting potion, would it be easy to make, I mean how would it be done?"

He sounded worried as he replied. "Chloe, are you thinking to forget something yourself? I thought you told me all was well."

I sighed. "You know how both Oliver and Tristan love me and I love them, well would it be possible to make a forgetting potion for them. So that they forget they love me and we're all friends. No more angst about loving them both, no more worry about how we will cope in the future."

I heard him sigh. "No more juggling when you see them as lovers is that it, Chloe? Do you really want them to forget your love? Love is a gift no matter what it and should be cherished. You do not know what will happen in the future. Don't be rash."

I couldn't let it go. "But Aristide, if they just thought we were all friends it would mean neither would be hurt again. I'd not have to worry about them being hurt. I'd be doing it out of love."

He made a negative sound, and then he seemed to re-consider.

"Chloe, I would need a lock of your hair. My workshop is still set up here, the sale has gone through but we're staying here until the end of the month to wind things up. I caution you, Chloe, please think hard about this, could you really cope without their romantic love? Could you cope without their kisses and the closeness you share? Friendship is completely different you know. I can make it so that they see you as Nick McGarry's daughter with whom they have struck up a good friendship. You better take a day or so to think about it."

I was certain this was my answer to the problem I faced. "No Aristide, let's go ahead I'll get a lock of hair to you as soon as possible."

He sighed again and murmured okay and we rang off.

I thought briefly about the fact that the potion would get Oliver and Tristan to think of me as just a friend. Would they forget we were all immortals? I could hardly ask Aristide that as even he didn't know; he still thought the stained glass windows kept Tristan alive. I stopped myself thinking about it and dressed to go and meet Oliver.

I was getting into my Wrangler when Tristan called me saying he wanted to see me for dinner. I said that would be great.

I drove to Oliver's place and as I parked, he came out to greet me.

As soon as I saw him, my heart melted with love and I threw myself into his arms on the driveway.

We never got out to lunch and I wanted to make love to him because I truly believed it might be the last time. I had decided to get my lock of hair to Aristide that very evening.

Oliver was so tender and loving. He told me he had been distraught the whole time I was gone and when Tristan had come back without me, he was so scared he couldn't eat or sleep. I kissed his lovely face all over and told him I hoped never to worry him like that again.

He was working for dad that evening, and we both drove out of his driveway to head in the same direction, much later that afternoon.

I sighed feeling a huge weight of sadness when I waved to him as he turned into the restaurant car park, and I went on home.

I ran upstairs and cut off a lock of my hair. I put the thing in a cellophane sandwich bag and drove over to the big house. Aristide was surprised to see me.

"Chloe, you haven't thought it all over as I asked. I'll make the potion but please think carefully about it."

"Aristide, I have just spent the afternoon with Oliver and I love him, but tonight I'll spend with Tristan, and I love him. It's not right is it, not usual, not normal, not what society expects? Please make the potion."

He sighed and took my lock of hair.

I went home to shower and dress ready to have dinner with Tristan.

I wore one of my dresses that I bought in LA, and put my makeup on carefully. My dressing up didn't extend to wearing the high-heeled shoes I had bought in LA and I put on my flat boots after stuffing my usual belongings into my little bag.

Downstairs mom was making coffee in the kitchen and looked up at my entrance.

"Wow you look very nice Chloe, where are you off to? Hey, did you have a good time at the ocean with Tristan? I feel as if I haven't seen you for days." She smiled all the while and I went over to her and hugged her.

"Mom, is that your fiftieth cup of coffee? It was good to be near the sea again and I'm going to have dinner with Tristan. How are you?" I didn't feel it was a lie because I had quite enjoyed the sea just not with Tristan although he had been there hadn't he in a way?

I drove over to the Dearing house and McPherson let me in. I was just giving Charlie a pat when Tristan appeared. He came straight up to me and hugged me tight. I smiled at him as he let me go and then at McPherson who was grinning.

We got out onto the big car parking area at the Dearing house before Tristan pulled me close again.

"Chloe I thought we could have dinner in the stable apartment. I so want to be alone with you. It's been hell without you this last couple of days."

I drove us around there and we were barely through the door before I was in his arms and kissing him. We stayed locked together there in the hall for about five minutes just lost in kisses and whispers. We did have dinner because Tristan had arranged it with candles and flowers. The rest of the night, we spent making love to each other. I was asleep in his arms when the sun woke me streaming through the little side window.

Tristan had to work and we laughed a lot as we dashed around. I dropped him at the Dearing house where his truck was parked and I went home saying for him to drop by that evening and maybe Oliver could come along as well it would be great for us all to catch up.

At home, I called Aristide to find out if the potion was ready. It was and I could pick it up that afternoon.

I called Oliver and asked him if he wanted to catch up tonight at my place with Tristan we could have coffee and talk about the last couple of days, just compare notes. He was more than happy to do that.

I was on edge for the rest of the morning until finally I drove to the big house near White Woods and rang the bell to collect the potion from Aristide.

Lily and Rene were back, and I had tea with them, as they told me all about where they had been and how things were going. All the time I was turning over the thought of giving the potion to Oliver and Tristan. Aristide had passed me the potion immediately at the door warning me to think it over again.

I left the house with the promise that I'd ask Tristan and Oliver if they would like to meet with Rene and Lily this coming weekend, and go to the Kool Kafé.

My heart was pounding as I put the potion on my desk. It was in two separate tiny vials inside a little plastic bag, and I kept looking at it thinking did I really want this. I decided I did. I wanted my lovely Oliver and Tristan to be friends so that they would never find out I made love with them both and be hurt.

I couldn't wait for the evening to come, but it eventually did and they both arrived. Oliver arrived first kissing me lovingly at the door, and then Tristan who hugged me tight as I let him in. I experienced a moment of panic as I made small talk and they both started to ask if I had heard any more from Jean-Paul. Did I want to lose their love?

I told them about meeting Lily and Rene, and we got onto the subject of Tristan having bought the big house there.

I made coffee, for once Tristan didn't take over and I slipped the potion into each cup taking them over to the table where both guys I loved so much sat and smiled at me. As soon as I had seen them drink the coffee, I started to feel a deep sadness. I hoped it wasn't showing and it couldn't have been because Tristan said, "Well everything seems back to normal, whatever that is," he laughed and continued, "I have to be going back to work, so I'll see you later, we'll call each other."

Oliver was nodding, "I'll get going too, yes let's all try and catch up sometime this week for coffee again okay," and he stood up almost at the same time as Tristan.

I swallowed, because I felt as if my throat was closing up with sadness. The potion had worked we were just friends.

I went to the door with them and they happily went off each to their own vehicle, Tristan giving me a little wave as he drove off in the old red truck. Oliver too smiled at me as he backed the Land Rover up and then drove out of the driveway.

I had to remind myself a few times why I had done it as I put our cups in the dishwasher. I'd done it for them, because it was only fair. If I could not choose between them then it was only fair to give them both their chance at another love, especially Tristan. I could never have him going off again and leaving his home, his horses. I began to cry a little and then taking the stairs to my room two at a time, I cried a lot. I sat on my bed and cried into a tissue that covered my whole face. I felt as if my world had ended, and then I started to make myself pull out of it. I had two lovely friends they were so dear to me, they cared for me as a friend, we would be together because we shared immortality. I hadn't lost them.

The next morning I felt desolate. The week stretched ahead of me barren. I hadn't slept very well. I had missed the goodnight text that Oliver would more often than not send me. I had looked out of my window around two in the morning, there was no Tristan asking if I could spare him a few minutes on one of his night rambles. I felt bereft.

I tried to stay busy, college work had stopped for the holidays, and so I checked in with Joshua Glazer. Everything was fine, I was lucky because the designs were still doing well. In desperation, I got the cleaning things out and cleaned the house for mom. She heard the vacuum cleaner going in the room next to her study and came out to see me. "Chloe, you must be bored," she laughed, and she made coffee and tea for me. I drank it standing by the French doors, the sun was out, the sky was deep blue, but I felt cold.

Oliver rang me. He asked if I wanted to catch up with him and Tristan, as they were going to meet with Clare and James at the Kool Kafé Friday. I said that would be great I'd meet them there and we rang off. I had to do this, had to act as if we were all just friends. It was going to be hard, but hey, we were immortals I had a long time to get used to it.

****

Connect with me online:

http://tess-three-in-the-morning.blogspot.com

 http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Seven-Spellsaga/138580806204048

Please feel free to post your comments about the endings given as choices on the Facebook page

****

The endings offered here in this fifth book are for fans of the stories who have said 'please let Chloe choose between Oliver and Tristan', but as she said herself, 'making a choice now would be appalling.' Fate has done some of the work for her, in some of the endings, but in keeping with the fun, I hoped was inherent in the books, my own author's cut keeps them together. I hope it makes some of you laugh as Gaston arrives. Look out for the next book if you too liked my author's cut, as there is more in store before the end of the Seven Spell.

****

