JACK

I had explained all to Natalie that morning over coffee; the experience with Stephen on the Surprise, the meeting the previous day, and the message from the Portal. Fearing her worst reaction, I had Dr. Fuller’s number at hand should the good doctor be needed in calming her. However, once the initial shock had passed, she rose to the challenge and overcame her fears in sad humor. “So that’s why we all had a free trip to New York,” she said. We discussed all that had transpired and were making decisions concerning the girls, our property and our lives should the worst happen. Then we heard it; the loud, long scream from John and Riley’s quarters across the hall.

Finding their outer door securely locked, I heaved with all my might and broke through. Natalie close on my heels, I rushed toward the sound and found my dear, sweet Riley standing near their bed, screaming. Their son, baby Terrence, was in the nursery crying loudly, frightened by the commotion. The one person missing from this scene was John. It was obvious that our worst fears had come to pass and the Portal had taken one of us.

I went to Riley and attempted to hold her close, but she struggled against my embrace. She was inconsolable, hysterical, alternately sobbing and screaming. I looked up to Natalie, whose face had gone ashen white. “Get the baby, my love. Take him to our quarters.” She nodded, scooped up the crying child from his crib and left.

Riley was still struggling as I attempted to calm her. She pushed against me and at one point even slapped me, but I held fast, speaking in calm tones and preventing her from harming herself. Grabbing the bedside phone, I dialed Thorne.

“Terry, I need your help. Come quickly.”

TERRY

Bloody fuckin’ hell. How could this have happened? Biebe? Christ, why of all people … Biebe? I was ready to go if a sacrifice was required. Wade too would’ve stepped forward. But Biebe had a wife and a son and a business and … bloody fuckin’ hell.

When I got into the apartment, Jack had his hands full. Riley was completely hysterical and what else could we expect? Jack explained that she’d actually watched John vanish before her eyes. She was in shock, big time, but still screaming at the top of her lungs, her voice raw and almost gone There was no communicating with her, no getting through. I’ve seen this before, seen it in the trenches, seen it in the field. Seen it in the faces and reactions of captives and those left behind. Seen it a thousand times. But … this was Riley. My mate and my Gamer. This wasn’t gonna be easy at all. Yeah, it’s what I do, but I wasn’t real sure I was prepared for it.

“Where’s the nipper, Jack?” I asked as I took her from his control and wrapped her struggling form tight against my chest.

“I’ve asked Natalie to take him. The child is safe.” He reached for his cell phone and headed for the deck and some quiet to make his calls. “I will get Maximus and Antony here, then we can formulate a plan of action.”

“Tell Antony to send Claudia, mate. We’re gonna need something to calm her down.” I watched him nod and finger the phone before stepping outside. “Anyone else gone, Jack?” I called.

His eyes shot to mine. The answer … obviously ‘inconclusive’. I lifted Riles in my arms and carried her into the bedroom. “Hush, darlin’. Hush.”

There was no consoling her and it was breaking my heart. I was finding it tough to hold her down too, my damaged, bandaged right hand and wrist making me inefficient at best. Thankfully Claudia arrived, a syringe and doctor’s prescription in hand. When Riley calmed and dropped into a drug induced sleep, I groaned.

“What’d ya tell the doctor to get the script, love?”

Claudia sighed, pushed a tear from her cheek. “Just that she had a terrible bit of bad news.”

“Good, good.” I rubbed my chin then left for the lounge. As I joined the others, my cell rang. There wasn’t going to be an end to this too soon, that was sure. Antony, Jack and Maximus watched me, silently awaiting the newest development as I hung up and quickly phoned Hando, demanding that he have Carrie return to the Inn immediately with Colin. Racing was out of the question for the bloke; in fact, driving was out of the question for us all. Lachlan had just nearly offed himself when a vision took him while behind the wheel.

“Lach is on his way here, thanks to his new sheila, the severity of his injuries and the United States Marine Corps’ compassion  … and … we caught Colin before he boarded the flight to Talladega. Mates, we got a full blown emergency here.”

“Yes, we need to rally everyone, keep them abreast of the facts,” groaned Maximus.

“And,” added Jack, “have them all remain calm until we can make determinations.”

“I will make the calls or speak to everyone personally. One hour and we will all meet in Jack’s apartment,” Antony offered and immediately left through the broken door.

CORY

Daisy and I were sleeping just a floor below Riley’s apartment when she went off like a fire alarm. My heart skipped a few beats and I was on my feet and running out the door as I pulled a tee shirt over my head and tugged my sweat pants up over my hip. I already knew what happened, could just feel it. So fast? How the hell could it happen so fucking fast? And I started to wonder if maybe it was my fault … after all, I came and shook things up, I brought Gemma into the whole thing. Who knew the fucking Portal would be so damn touchy?

When I charged into the Biebe’s apartment, Jack took my arm and kindly showed me the shattered door. “Son, there is nothing you can do here.”

“Right,” Thorne said. “This isn’t your problem, Cory. Thanks, though.”

It was clear; they sure as hell didn’t want anything from me. I went back to Daisy and it took her three whole minutes to have me heading back up the stairs.

“That’s your family!” she said. “You have every right to be there and they need you … whether they know it or not. Get the fuck up there!”

Nobody escorted me out that time, but no one bothered to even acknowledge that I was there either. No lie, I had to fucking jump on top of the damn coffee table and shout … “Listen to me, you motherfuckers!” before they actually looked at me.

They got quiet and I tell you, I really didn’t like the look on that Captain Aubrey’s face.

“Okay,” I squeaked and stepped down then ran a hand over my buzzed hair and paced. “Everything you guys are talking about is damn important but there are some things we gotta cover here. First off … what are we gonna tell people?” I watched them look at each other. Obviously how to keep the family calm was important, but it took someone from outside the whole thing … A.K.A. … ME … to remind them that the rest of the world might get kinda curious. “Okay, I got a suggestion. What about we just tell everyone John had to run out of town for some … I dunno … family crisis? That he had to run to Alaska.” I shrugged. “It ain’t like we’re lying or anything, right?”

Terry’s head nodded and he shrugged; I think he actually grinned too.

“And in the meantime, I’ll take over all the stuff he’d be normally doing … like fix that door for starters. It’ll give me a way to help and keep suspicion to a minimum, you know?”

Maximus sat on the sofa and rubbed his eyes. “But for how long are we to continue the ruse?”

“As long as it takes for John to get back,” I said without a second thought.

That’s when I saw that fear in their eyes. They actually were thinking John might not get back. I wasn’t buying that for one fucking second. “He is coming back, guys. He is … and even if you’re having a tough time grasping that possibility, you all gotta do your damn best to believe it. John Biebe is coming back to his wife and son and this Inn … hell, he’s coming back to all of us. We just have to hold it all together until he can get here, that’s all.”

BEN

Ever get a feelin’? Like somethin’s telling you not to ride that way, or there’s a rattler behind that rock? I got it early this morning and couldn’t shake it no matter how hard I tried. I didn’t hear Riley’s screams; I got to the apartment long after she was asleep. When I sat in on the meeting between the Roman, Thorne and Captain Jack, I could see they didn’t want me around any more than they wanted that kid, Cory. ‘Course, I don’t give a shit if they wanted me in on their powwow or not. I wasn’t goin’ anywhere, not with poor Riley so scared and everyone else losing their minds over it.

Then I started to wonder … what was gonna happen if we all started disappearing? What would happen to all those women … the Inn … the friends and lovers left behind … and …

Tracy Pinkerton.

Shit, for the first time I realized what an asshole I been. What I wasn’t lookin’ at even though it was right in front of me. And for the first time since all this started I really knew … I don’t wanna go nowhere. Cory was dead right. We gotta believe Biebe’s comin’ back and we gotta believe that’ll be the end to it. And me … I gotta believe I have time to find Tracy and maybe tell her how I feel about her, what I really want with her.

But in the meantime …

“Maximus, what can I do to help?”

He grinned sadly and shook my hand. “Wade, perhaps you can stay here and sit with Riley. She’s heavily sedated and should sleep for hours. Terry must join us for the gathering at the Captain’s apartment in a few moments and I wouldn’t want her to wake all alone.”

Shit, the last time I was left to watch over a woman, she decided to start havin’ a baby … or twins.

NATALIE

Pacing our apartment with Baby T in my arms, I rocked and cooed to calm him but the poor kid was so upset, it took a long time before he eventually relaxed. I fed him breakfast just as my own two daughters woke and vehemently announced their hunger. Believe me; feeding breakfast to three hungry, active babies will prevent you from thinking about anything else. So, it wasn’t until after they were fed, changed, and in the playpen before I could begin calling the ladies for an impromptu chat to decide how to handle this crisis and how to best help Riles.

Everyone showed up; Monna, Mere, Sofia, Kelly, even Daisy. I brought them up to date on John’s disappearance that morning and that no one outside the family was to know what happened. If word got out, it could prove disastrous. Instead, we were to tell people that John was simply called away to Alaska for a family emergency and we weren’t quite sure when he’d be back. I kept thinking of Jack as we talked; how he might encourage his crew and tried to follow suit. Stand fast, hold tight. Hang together and we’ll get through this in one piece.

Needless to say, this was not a happy group. This was no play-date for the kids. We were all afraid, all concerned for our men. Well, all except Sophia. At first, she seemed puzzled then became more agitated as the chat went on. Finally, she stood, thanked me and abruptly left. I must take her aside sometime soon and have a private talk. Maximus will need her support, now more than ever.

KIM

I arrived at work the following morning along with Monna and Andy. We had decided that there might be safety in numbers. Of course, as soon as we walked in through the door we were quickly herded upstairs where Hando and Colin informed us what had happened to Biebe less than two hours earlier. Monna went white with shock and poor Andy looked as if he were about to pass out. I knew I should go and check on Riley, but I realized that I would only end up being in the way. After all, what could I possibly do or say that would make anything better?

Everyone was telling everyone else that we had to just go along as if there were nothing the matter. If Biebe’s disappearance became known to folks outside of the immediate family, it could end up involving the local sheriff and possibly lead to questions as to why Riley or anyone else hadn’t filed a missing person’s report. That would only stir up the suspicion that foul play was involved and the last thing any of us needed was to find ourselves caught up in some type of investigation. We were instructed to just go along with our business as usual, and if anyone asked where Biebe had gone, we were to answer that he had unexpected business to take care of in Alaska and leave it at that.

I know I should have been thinking about poor Biebe, but my mind was filled with thoughts of Emily. What if I was the next to fade away? I owed her so many explanations, and chicken shit that I am kept finding excuses for not telling her the truth.  

Taking a deep breath and squaring my shoulders, I made up my mind. I would tell her everything that very morning.

I broke away from the group and headed straight for the office, not one bit surprised to find that Emily had already been there for several minutes. Coffee was brewing and a cinnamon roll was waiting for me. 

“Hey, boss.” Emily had been over at her desk checking the evening’s voicemail and she gave me a sweet smile in greeting. “The suppliers from Quebec are anxious to send a revised quote and the carpenter’s union has agreed to the new contract, with the provision that they not work after four PM on Fridays. Do you think Kevin and John would agree to that arrangement?”

I’d heard every word she’d said, but yet I couldn’t remember any of it. I decided that the best way to proceed was to just come out and say what I had to say. Damn the consequences. “Emmy, you and I need to have a serious talk.”

Her lovely brown eyes went all wide and full of concern as she hung up the telephone receiver and gave me her full attention. “Kim, what’s the matter?”

I plopped down in the chair directly across from her desk, took a deep breath and told her everything. How the others and I had come to be here, the Russell Crowe connection, the Temple, my life in New York, and how Biebe had disappeared before Riley’s eyes just a couple of hours earlier. She didn’t say a word throughout, but listened as if what I was saying actually made some sort of sense. What she did afterward knocked me near into another stratosphere.

EMILY

As funny as it sounded, what Kim was telling me made some sort of freakish sense. For the past two years I’ve been trying to put my finger on just what it was that seemed so odd and yet familiar about these men here at the Inn. I’d felt it most keenly with Ben Wade – the strange sensation that I’d seen him someplace before, only to be honest, it wasn’t until recently that I began to sense it with Kim. But as fantastical as his explanation might have sounded to someone else, it provided me with that great AHA moment of clarity.

Poor Kim. He looked so …lost. But what about poor Riley? How horrible it must have been for her to watch John disappear right before her eyes. And no one seemed to know what was causing this strange set of events or why it was even happening in the first place. I had to go and check on things myself. I know that Riley might not be in the state of mind to receive visitors, but I had to go and see if there was anything I could do to help. Looking at Kim, my heart went out to him.

I know he can be an insufferable pratt, but I’ve discovered that he’s really not such a bad guy once you break through that finely chiseled façade. Working with him these past couple of weeks has actually been quite enjoyable. He can be so handsome and boyish when he lets his guard down. I’d even considered inviting him out to dinner, but I always chicken out at the last minute. But looking at him right now, I wanted to do nothing more than give him a big hug of support.

I grabbed my coat and Kim looked up at me with questioning eyes.

“I’m going to check on Riley and see if there’s anything that I can do. Will you be all right down here by yourself for a little bit? I’ll leave my cell phone on.”

He nodded and I don’t know what came over me, but I acted without even thinking. I placed my hand on his shoulder and leaned over so we were eye to eye.

And then I kissed him.

It was more than a peck, and less than an embrace, but his eyes were shining as I broke away.

“I’ll be back in a bit,” I promised, feeling a little bit wobbly in the knees as I made my way upstairs.

STEPHEN

I arrived in Burlington that afternoon. At baggage claim, I found Meredith waiting for me. She explained that she was to drive me to the Inn. Given the circumstances, it was unsafe for me to drive and had cancelled my rental. When we had settled in her car and began our trip, she told me of John’s disappearance, Lachlan’s accident, and the status of the other family members. I asked a few pointed questions and received intelligent, thoughtful answers, illuminating the situation at hand.

The battle has been engaged. The Portal has made its first move. Now it’s our turn … and I have a plan. But first, I must speak with Wigand.

JEFF

Kelly and I arrived at the Inn a little after nine AM, both frantic with worry but trying to keep calm and focused on what might possibly lie ahead. I have to admit that her reaction to all this uncertainty has been nothing short of grace personified. I mean, I know that I just might have never told her the story of how I’d come to be here; not only did it stretch the limits of one’s imagination but let’s face it – who would willingly believe such a story unless they had actually lived through it or been there as a witness to it all? But I’m beginning to realize that I may very well have underestimated Kelly’s ability to adapt to unusual situations.

She knew something was up the minute I came home last night. My mind was struggling to find the words that would explain the truth about all of us, but she was having none of it. She greeted me at the door with a hug and serious expression on her face.

“Jeffrey Wigand, I think it’s time you told me just exactly what’s going on.”

I knew she had me, and at that point, I wanted to lay all my burdens at her feet and just have it over with. If she considered me insane afterwards, well, that was her right and I can’t say that I would have blamed her. We made our way upstairs and as soon as I sat down on the couch she snuggled in next to me.

“Tell me everything, and don’t leave a single out.”

So I explained everything from day one; the Temple, the other men, where we all came from, and the women who were there for us … it sounded incredible, even though I had experienced it all first hand. I wouldn’t have blamed her if she kicked me out and told me to never darken her doorstep again.

But I was wholly unprepared for her response.

She jumped up off the couch and knelt down before me, her hands resting on my knees as she stared intently at my face. “You know, I can’t tell you how much of a relief it is for you to have finally explained everything; I’ve always known there was something strangely different going on with all you guys, but I guess my mind could never really quite grasp what it was … “ She gave a soft laugh. “It’s nice to know that I wasn’t imagining how all of you men looked so much alike.”

I was so overcome that all I could do was let out a sigh of relief. But then I remembered that I had to also tell her about the experiences several of us had been having concerning the portal and being pulled back to another existence.

Kelly shuddered as I mentioned my own experience in the bathroom just the other morning. “Oh Jeff, that must have been so terrifying! I don’t know what I would have done if you had just … vanished.”

I then went on to explain all that had happened that afternoon and her face went white with worry. “This force …this thing …can just take any or all of you back at any time? Just like that?” She snapped her fingers for emphasis. “Oh, dear God.”

We spent the rest of the night just holding each other.

We faced the sunrise the following morning with a sense of purpose and hope, but the moment the call went out over Biebe’s disappearance, Kelly jumped into action. “We’ve got to go help them. I’ll put the closed sign up on the shop and give the girls the day off. Let Terry and the others know that we’ll be there in just a little while.”

If I hadn’t been so worried over who would be taken next, I might have been amused at her energy, but I was impressed at how quickly she had put everything aside and had jumped in to lend her assistance.

When we arrived at the Inn, she took off running to find Riley and Natalie, dragging me directly behind her. “Don’t think that I’m letting you out of my sight for one moment, Jeffrey Wigand!”

I knew better than to argue. We found everyone congregated in Aubrey’s suite, and I was relieved to find Stephen was also in attendance. Catching his eye I motioned for him to join me off in a corner, yet still within eye shot of Kelly.

Stephen looked as tired as I felt, but his eyes were clear. “I’ve pondered the schematics of this entire dilemma all evening and I’ve come up with only one really good possible answer.”

We regarded one another for only a moment before I knew where his mind was going.

“We must get in touch with Nash. Perhaps between the three of us we can discern some sort of rhyme or reason, some sort of pattern. I can think of no other person who is so highly equipped to understand the powers at play.”

But would Nash come? I had nothing but respect for his intellect and keen mathematical sense of observation, but he hadn’t made any attempts to contact any of us for the past several years.

I mentioned my concerns to Stephen, and he agreed. “However, do not underestimate his appreciation of puzzle solving. He may have been having some experiences very similar to ours and might very well have some unique insight into the matter.”

I nodded in agreement. “So, who gets the honors? Will you call him or shall I?”

Stephen pulled out his cell phone. “I’ll place the call and we can both issue our appeal. You know, he’ll probably wonder what took us so long to contact him in the first place.”

RILEY

When I woke, it felt like Terry was guarding me, like I was a prisoner or something, like I’d pull a gun and kill anyone in site if I wasn’t watched closely. Granted, if I had a gun I was mad enough to consider it, but no gun, no John … only unbearable heartbreak and all I could do was cry. Terry was kind enough, he held me and rocked me in his arms but it wasn’t any comfort.

There wasn’t a family member that wasn’t standing for me, ready to help or support and that was nice. I knew I had their love and understanding … and I knew that each woman was terrified that she’d be the next in line. And … she could be. She really could be.

I pushed Terry away roughly and turned my face to the wall. I didn’t want his care or his kindness, didn’t want anyone’s sympathy. All I wanted was my husband back. All I knew was he was gone and I wanted him back!