Invited

Forty-Five - Chevelle

Timber read over the note several times. I could tell because his eyes kept going back and forth, and back and forth, and back and forth. As soon as I got back to the apartment, I lied down on the couch, elevating my legs, and pretended to sleep. When Cleo came to drop off my food, she found me resting and headed out fairly quickly. Though I did notice she actually made an attempt at bonding with Timber. I figured it'd be a good thing for them both. He needed parental units in his life, and she needed someone to baby. Not like anyone could replace his actual parents, but at least he wouldn't feel as if he had nowhere to turn for elderly wisdom.

I felt a little guilty, but the note was a lot more important.

"Wow," he said. "I knew there had to be a way for us to communicate with the other ships! You're obviously going to see him, right?"

"Duh," I said, forking some of my reheated pasta.

He nodded. "Do you think he has Talia with him? Rumor said Wicken was the one who saved her, but I trust her about as far as I could throw her."

"She's kind of a twig, so you could probably chuck her far," I pointed out. He gave me a dark look. "Just saying! And I don't think she lied about that. It sounded like she wanted to make us both jealous. But I would think he would bring Talia with him. Why else would he say for you to come too?"

"Because he thinks I can help?"

"Maybe." I took a small bite, forcing myself to eat even though I still felt a bit queasy from the anticipation of seeing Wicken again. "No offense, but I think he'd rather have a one-on-one with me for schmoopy time before starting to get help."

Timber raised both of his eyebrows. "Schmoopy time?"

"I'm being delicate..."

"I don't want to know," he mumbled.

I stuck my tongue out at him. Pervert. Seeing as how whoever was running these video machines would probably be present for our conversation, it's not like I planned on stripping or attempting some bizarre intergalactic phone sex. At the same time, I know we wouldn't be sitting and gushing about how much we love each other, or how he completed me, and all that jazz. That wasn't how our relationship functioned. We were both straight and to the point. It cut out a lot of confusion.

"Anyway," Timber said. "Even if she isn't going to be there, he asked me to come, so I will. Whatever the reason is, it's bound to be a good one. I don't think he'd risk so much just to be able to be...schmoopy."

"Geez, I know it's a bad word." I groaned. "And you're right, he wouldn't. He's not a hopeless romantic like some people I know."

Timber shrugged innocently. "Don't knock it. You like me this way."

I wasn't even sure how to respond so I put more food in my mouth instead. Lara came out of the office then, anyway, so our conversation had to be paused.

"I need help with my homework," she said, and proceeded to crawl into Timber's lap. She rested her head against him and yawned.

He folded up the note and handed it back to me, careful to not let her see it. I'm assuming she could read, or he wouldn't have taken so much care to cover it up. "I think I can handle it."

Lara kissed his cheek and then got off his lap, pulling him along with her as she made her way back into the office. All of the nursery crap was still in there, but we were able to make a functioning desk space to work in as well.

"I don't really get math," I heard her say as they disappeared down the hallway.

A quiet snicker came from the kitchen. "Neither does he. Oh, she picked the wrong person to help."

"She's in first grade. How hard could it be?" I countered.

"If it's a word problem, hard." Nathan held up three of his fingers and counted down. As soon as he hit one, Timber called out.

"Hey Nate, can you come in here?"

I laughed and shook my head. "Wow."

Nathan nodded and then went back to the office as well, leaving me alone with all of my thoughts.

Did Wicken have a plan on how we could be reunited again? If so, how much of it tied into what his mother was telling me this evening? What kind of covert operation was about to take place, and what would my role be in it all?