Temporal Exploring 101 - Branch Cut

V.34 New Year's Eve

"So do you have any resolutions for the new year, yourself?" I asked Natty.

It was New Year's Eve, a mere twenty minutes before the turn of the year. We had all assembled outside the manor house, in the garden. Colorful lanterns had been affixed to the bushes and trees. Seven glasses as well as two bottles of champagne had been placed on a small garden table.

Thankfully, it was not raining, but it had gotten real cold, below freezing point.

We were chatting and making smalltalk to pass the time until the fireworks would start.

Natty had inquired if I had made any new year's resolutions, and I had told her that I had resolved to try to be more careful and more considerate in the interactions with my friends.

"Myself, I have resolved to stop playing nice," Natty informed me.

I grinned. "Could you elaborate on that?"

"Certainly. See, so far I have thought that if only I sufficiently cooperate with your people in the future and help them solve all kinds of problems in temporal physics, they will allow me to accompany you when you return to the 23rd century, Cathy."

"Right. But now you have changed your mind about that?"

"Well, lately it has dawned on me that all this may have just been wishful thinking on my part. Don't get me wrong, I am sure Sara is doing her best, and I expect the people at the ITP would be happy to have me, too. But I am beginning to understand that it is not for them to decide about that. There are all those committees and politicians who will be called upon to make that decision, and they don't seem to care about me much."

"So you have decided to do what? Not extend your help anymore?"

"Not exactly." Natty sighed. "I probably will continue to help, especially if there is an emergency. But I am going to demand that your people do something for me in return for my help."

"Well, I wish you good luck with that. For what it is worth, I expect that you can count on Sara and Mira acting as your allies in this."

As midnight was approaching, all of us – Nancy's family, Natty, Mallory and I – joined hands to sing a strange song. I had trouble understanding many of the words. As Nancy told me, the song was called 'Aulde Lang Syne' and it was traditionally sung at the end of the year.

When we were done singing, Lord Kerrington counted down the seconds until midnight.

Then fireworks started to light up the night sky. We all raised glasses of champagne in a toast to the new year.

It was altogether great fun. Very noisy too, for the ten minutes or so that the fireworks lasted.

Mallory took me by the hand and led me away from where the others were standing, to a spot that was not illuminated by the lanterns.

"Happy new year, Carmichael!" I shouted over the noise caused by exploding fireworks.

"A happy new year to you too, Hart!" Mallory replied in kind.

We waited until the din had subsided somewhat.

"So tell me, what was that plan B that you mentioned the other day, Carmichael? When you learned that I was going to stay for another year, you said, there goes my plan B."

It was very much unlike Mallory Carmichael to look embarrassed, but look embarrassed she did.

"It is nothing that you need to know, Hart."

I pouted. "Come on. You promised to tell me, Carmichael."

"I promised no such thing." She sighed. "If you must know, I was going to elope with you."

"Elope with me, Carmichael? Seriously? I did not even know that eloping was still a thing, in this time and age."

"As usual, you have no idea, Hart. Trust me, eloping is very much en vogue nowadays."

"If you say so."

Mallory smiled. That warm, dazzling smile that she reserved for me, and only for me. A smile capable of taking my breath away.

"Would you elope with me if I asked you, Hart?"

Here was yet another question that nobody had ever asked me before. Mallory Carmichael had a knack for asking me such questions.

"I ... can't say. But to be perfectly honest: I would have seriously considered it, Carmichael."

Mallory's face lit up. "That is all a girl can reasonably ask for, Hart."

And then, just like that, without any forewarning, it started to snow. Thick, white snowflakes descended upon us, coming to rest on our faces and melting. Causing both of us to laugh out loud with joy.

Mallory reached out to brush an unruly strand of hair from my face. She leaned in closer until her lips touched mine, and we kissed.

After all that had happened, here we were.

I was kissing Mallory Carmichael in the falling snow at the turn of the year, and in that perfect, enchanted moment I felt convinced beyond any doubt that everything was going to be alright.

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A / N : Here ends Branch Cut, Book Five of the Temporal Exploring 101 saga.

The adventures of Natty, Cathy, Mallory and their friends will continue in Book Six, titled Full Circle. A book that I am now starting to write. Wish me luck!

Caitlin Tureaud,  May 2023