Chapter 5 Haven

Chapter 5

Benjamin and Thompson were lounging in the central living area and Elena could hear feminine conversation coming from one of the rooms.

"Gina and Wendy returned and Alice arrived as well, " Benjamin told her with a smile. "Maria joined them."

"Ah I see, " Elena said. "Makes me feel a bit like a dorm monitor." She placed her small bag down and walked over to the phone placed on the wall. At home she gave up her land line years ago, but on the DF cell phones caused more problems than they were worth, so an internal phone system was a standard feature. Elena dialed the number for Mateo's parents without looking. As Mateo was both best friend and nearly brother to her growing up, the number was long ago burned into her long term memory. The phone was answered on the third ring.

"Hello, " a groggy voice answered.

"Sorry Uncle Tomas, " Elena apologized. "I should have looked at the time before calling. I just heard about the Theran and wanted to check on you." Elena refrained from elaborating as she could nearly feel Thompson's eyes burning a hole into her back.

"We are safe sweetheart, " Tomas said, his voice warming a little.

"And the others?" she asked not wanting to wake up more of her family than was necessary.

"There was a little damage, but we were all lucky. The area was sealed with us on the safe side. The Carloti's lost a couple of ships. At least two are unaccounted for, but known to be in the area when the hostilities started. Luc and Margaret were on one of the lost ships."

"Ambra's parents?" Elena asked, thinking of Nate's wife.

"Yes, " Tomas replied. He sounded tired. "We are all more or less here until the trade routes clear."

"All right, " Elena said. "I might have some solutions to that. Will you and Aunt Catherine be available for breakfast?"

"I believe so, hold on, " Tomas said, Elena could hear him pull away from the phone and talk to her aunt. "How about nine at the Morning Glory?" he suggested. Elena nodded, recalling that the Morning Glory had large tables suitable for business as well as decent breakfast foods. Then she realized her uncle couldn't see her nodding at the phone.

"That would work, " She told him. "I'll see you there." She left him to go back to sleep and hung up the phone.

"Problems?" Thompson asked as she settled herself on the couch and kicked off her heels.

"Just making sure the family is okay, " she told him. "Don't you call home to check on things now and again?" Elena smiled and batted her eyes at him in mock flirtation. He frowned realizing there was more to the story than checking in with family.

"I do, " Thompson told her using a serious tone. "Every time I see ships that have been through a war zone, I make certain to call my grandmother."

"Really?" Elena asked dryly. "And why is that?"

"I believe she was a pirate in a former life and I'm afraid she is once again taking to the high seas to pillage foreign vessels with her canasta group."

"Canasta players can be mean, " Benjamin added with a grin. "It comes from having to fight the shuffleboard teams for game room dominance."

"Exactly, " Thompson added nodding sagely. Elena sighed.

"The Matrovean are pushing into Theran territory and the Theran are pushing back. I have family that work the trade routes between, in the contested space, " Elena told him. "I was checking to make sure they were safe."

"I see, " Thompson said. "And is that the official Peter-approved version?"

"It is, " Elena said. "It also happens to be the truth. They fight, we catch friendly fire. It happens. We're merchants. Merchants don't fare well inside the war zone."

"That's only true for some merchants, " Thompson told her.

"Are you accusing my family of war... profiteering?" Elena asked.

He smiled. "No I suppose not. I've seen the goods on your store's shelves."

"That's something I suppose, " Elena said. Thompson studied her and Elena watched as he shuffled a deck of cards without looking at them. The shuffling sounded loud in the quiet room. A giggle escaped one of the back rooms and Elena smiled.

Elena shook her head, feeling impossibly old. She bent down and picked up her shoes. "I'm having breakfast with my aunt and uncle in the morning and will have to leave a little before nine. I need to visit the library and will probably get sucked into meetings, so I will be in and out if anyone needs me."

"I'll keep an eye on him, " Benjamin said, gesturing towards Thompson.

"Good, " Elena said. She stood up and realized how tired she was. "I'm for bed, enjoy your card game, leave the girls alone and try to defend the House against canasta playing pirates."

"So we will be here a full day then?" Thompson asked with a smile.

"At least two it looks like, " Elena said. The cargo she was picking up would be loaded in the morning and would be destined for Peter's re-packaging facility rather than the planet, so she wasn't in as big a hurry. Normally her stays at the DF were limited to the length of time it took to load her cargo and grab a hot meal. Besides, she knew Smith was waiting, which didn't exactly make her eager to return. Elena headed back to her room, wondering if she could get Victor to meet her at the docks or even Dockside Annie's and give her an update there instead of going back to her apartment in town.

"Of course he'd have to bring the mail, " She said to herself as she closed the bedroom door behind her. Elena dropped her shoes in the floor of the closet and exchanged her all-purpose black dress for a pair of worn yoga pants and a t-shirt. She turned out the light and slid into bed. As she drifted off, she felt the dream waiting to take her. Elena slid into sleep and extended her hand to her dance partner.

She was wearing a ball gown in her dream and could feel the silk rustling as she moved. She could feel the necklace around her throat, she knew its shape even though she could not see it. Elena did not look down to see what color the dress was, as she was looking at her dance partner. He wore a white porcelain mask that hid all of his features. His eyes were merely dark holes in the mask. The mask was held on to his face by scarlet ribbons that reminded her of heart's blood. On the right cheek bone of the mask was painted a gold star. It looked more like gold leaf had been applied rather than simple paint.

Elena's dance partner took her hand and she noticed the gloves that covered his hands. They were white with three pearl buttons at each wrist. She could see no sign of skin. The skin at his neck was likewise covered with a high collar and a cravat. The snowy cloth of the cravat looked like silk and was held in place by a diamond stick pin. The music they danced to was Invitation to the Dance and she had long since memorized its strains.

As they moved, Elena caught sight of the band. They were dressed in tuxes and their instruments gleamed in the light. Noticing the light, Elena looked up and saw the multi-tiered chandeliers of Danvers' private party room hanging far above her.

Her dance partner swung her faster and faster across the dance floor. The lights began to blur and she was spinning, all semblance of dance steps lost in the whirl. The crystal drops of the chandelier turned to rain and began to fall. Her dance partner looked at her and Elena felt drawn into the depths of his eyes. The mask cast them into deep shadow but she could see his eyes deep within. They were brown with flecks of gold and looked warm. A voice came from behind the mask.

"Remember Alexandra Nelson, " The voice said. It was the first time he ever spoke to her in the dreams. She did not recognize the voice. Elena opened her mouth to ask what he meant, but he let her go. She spun out of control, the dance hall fading around her.

The rain poured down and she fell, landing hard on her knees. She winced at the pain of her landing. Elena looked down and saw the gold star was now on her left hand and that she had fallen to the deck of the Storm Chaser.

Around her, a storm raged. The rain was cold and stung when it hit her skin, like ice. Her ship rocked as it rode the swells of the churned up sea. She heard a frightened cry calling out from below decks and started to turn. A flash of lightning drew her gaze up and in the brief flash, she saw the outline of another ship. Elena grimaced and pushed herself to her feet.

She was filled with a grim determination. They would not have her cargo. Elena forced herself against the wind and into the pilot house. She saw Spin curled up in a wet ball in the corner, mewling pitifully. Elena ignored her for more immediate concerns.

"This is the Rover calling the Storm Chaser. Do you hear me?" Elena snarled at the radio. "Captain Calabrese, can you hear me?" Elena recognized Thompson's voice. "Elena this is Will Thompson can you hear me?" Elena turned the radio off and saw that her ship was already facing the Marta.

The channel was shallowed out for the season, but she had no other option. Elena reached out with everything she had, seeing the channel she normally took for granted in exquisite detail. Instead of seeing just a channel of darkness between two freestanding pillars, she saw that the edges were layered as if something had punched through a ream of paper and then neatly folded back each page's edges. Elena pushed against the edges, folding them back a little further, trying to deepen the channel so her ship could pass.

She grit her teeth and focused on the edges. It was like trying to stretch an already over-tight rubber band. Slowly the channel stretched gradually becoming deep enough to allow her passage. Elena pushed forward and felt the familiar bump and swirl of lights as the Storm Chaser entered the channel. There was a thump and a tug that barely registered on Elena's consciousness as she forced the channel to remain in its unseasonably deep depth.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the Storm Chaser slid safely into the black of space. Elena let out a gasp of relief as she slowly allowed the channel to sink back to its normal depth. She didn't want to release it all at once in case it was damaged by her efforts. When it reached proper depth for the current season, Elena released it and allowed her mind to focus on her surroundings.

She was shaky, the sweat of her efforts mixed with the rain. Elena felt nauseous and hollow. She glanced towards a sound in the doorway. Benjamin stood there. For some reason he was holding a small rag doll. His face was grim.

"We have company, " he told her. Elena looked to where he pointed and saw the outline of a smaller ship behind them. Its design marked it as military and only part of it appeared to have made it through the channel.

With a start Elena woke. She was covered with sweat and her stomach was trying to claw its way up her throat. Elena threw off the covers and dashed to the bathroom. She managed to make it to the toilet before the contents of her stomach erupted out of her mouth. She heaved until her stomach was empty and then clutched the sides of the toilet as her stomach convulsed with dry heaves.

Eventually, her stomach settled and Elena stood up. She flushed the toilet and rinsed her mouth out with handfuls of water. Then she brushed her teeth and rinsed her mouth out with mouthwash. She gargled twice to remove the acid taste from the back of her mouth. Then with her mouth minty fresh, Elena turned and left the bathroom, intending to go back to bed. Thompson stood in the hallway blocking her path.

"Are you all right?" he asked. In the shadows Elena couldn't tell if he was frowning or not. His features were veiled in shadow and his voice neutral as if he was unsure his help would be appreciated.

"Yeah, " she told him, sounding a little hoarse even to her own ears. "Just a little stomach upset. Dinner didn't agree with me." He stepped to the side to let her pass, but she could feel him watching her as she moved down the hall. She closed her bedroom door behind her. Once back in bed, Elena began to think about her dream. This was a much more visceral incarnation of it; it was not a development she cared for.

"Differences, " she told herself, trying to focus. There were differences this time. She felt herself start to shake a little, but with an effort, she forced her breathing to calm. She counted slowly to regulate her breath and her pulse gradually returned to normal.

She hadn't been able to see her dance partner for a while. When she started having the dreams, Andre had been her partner. That changed when she first began to pull away from him. She grew accustomed to her nightly dances with the faceless stranger.

"He never spoke before, " Elena said softly to herself. She thought about the voice for a moment. It didn't sound familiar. It was deep and definitely male, but not one she could place. She couldn't even pinpoint an accent.

"Not that three words are much to go on." Remember Alexandra Nelson, the voice said. The name didn't sound familiar. Elena wished she had not left her dream journal on the ship. She remembered that she kept a small notepad in her nightstand.

She flipped on the bedside light and fumbled open the drawer. Elena found the notepad quickly, but needed to search a while before she found a suitable writing instrument in the depths of the drawer. It seemed the nightstand became the repository of pencils with no points and pens with no ink. When she found one that worked she scrawled the word Changes at the top and underlined it. The first item she listed was Alexandra Nelson.

Elena lay back and thought about the dance. Nothing else changed there, but shipboard was another matter. She willed herself to remain calm.

"The voice from below decks, " she whispered. She was always been alone before. It was new and sounded more like a cry than actual words. Two things struck her about the voice. One was that it sounded afraid and two, that it sounded very young.

"Fear isn't that uncommon on a small ship during a storm, " she thought. "But why would I have a child on board?" Her thoughts flashed to Benjamin and the rag doll he held. Elena shivered. She listed child on the notepad and then added radio to the list. In every dream before this one, she noticed that there was someone on the radio and that they were trying to talk to her. She had never made out the words before. Now she knew it was Thompson.

"And he was on a ship called the Rover, " Elena smiled darkly to herself. Previously the military had not bothered naming their scouting ships, a sign of ill luck in her mind. "Maybe they will start naming them in the future." She thought about the ship sliced apart when she closed the channel.

"Not that it appears to help them much." The Rover was demolished when only half of the ship made it through. "Maybe it is the cat that keeps them safe."

Elena realized she was drifting and shook her head. She wrote shipwreck on the list of new items. Before when she looked back, she could see Thompson standing on the following ship. This time it had been destroyed and she knew all aboard were lost. A soft knock on her door startled her from her thoughts and she slid out of bed and walked to answer it. Thompson stood in the hallway, a mug of tea in his hands.

"I saw the light on and thought this might help, " he said. Thompson held out the mug to her. Elena reached out to take it, not because she wanted the tea, but because that was generally what someone did when offered a mug of tea.

"Thank you, " she said.

"It's peppermint, " Thompson said. He seemed hesitant and very unlike his usual sarcastic self. "Always helps when my stomach is upset so I tend to carry a few of the tea bags when I travel to places with unknown foods." For some reason the thought struck Elena as funny and she began to laugh. She was well aware that there was an edge of hysteria to the laughter. He smiled and motioned her to quiet.

"You are going to wake the others, " he cautioned.

"Unknown foods, " she repeated trying to reign in her chuckles. It was hard to tell in the half light, but she thought she saw him blush.

"Thank you, " she said, swallowing her mirth and wrapping her hands around the warm mug.

"Yeah, well we can't have you getting sick can we. Who else is going to give me a ride home?" Elena smiled and for a moment the situation seemed oddly intimate. Thompson blinked and backed away, as though realizing it as well and trying to put distance between them. "So feel better, " he said backing away. The moment passed.

"Yeah, " Elena replied. "And thanks again." Thompson turned and walked back to his room. Elena closed her bedroom door and walked back to her bed. She settled herself and realized she was frowning into her tea. She inhaled the scent of peppermint and was forced to admit that the mint and the heat were helpful. She took a tentative sip and found the liquid soothing on her raw throat and stomach. As much as she appreciated the drink, she found Thompson giving it to her odd.

It was...nice of him. Elena wasn't used to him being nice. Even when he saved her life from Therese's careening car, he wasn't nice, competent and capable, but not nice.

"Maybe it's just the middle of the night version of Thompson, " Elena thought as she drank her tea. Middle of the night run-ins tended to feel more intimate than normal. The lack of light, whispering like co-conspirators in order to avoid waking the others, the fact that even though you were mostly covered up you were still in your pajamas and had hair wild from sleep sort of made any attempt at formality ridiculous at best.

Elena pushed it away as circumstantial. Her notepad was still on the bed and she picked it up, letting her eyes scan the list as she continued to sip her tea. The words she listed as bullet points would remind her of the dream's expansion and she saw nothing else she needed to add.

"Besides, " she told herself. "I have got to get some sleep before I deal with tomorrow." Elena finished her tea and realized that she was a little nervous about going back to sleep. She placed the empty mug, notepad and pen on the nightstand and turned out the bedside light. For a long time sleep refused to come, but eventually she fell into a deep and mercifully dreamless sleep.