Many Unhappy Returns, a U.F.O. Short Story by Amelia Rodgers

a UFO story (sequel to Magic Fairies, Frozen and Roadblocks)
all rights reserved, may not be reproduced without permission.
Amelia L. Rodgers © 2000
E mail author
Contains adult language, violence and adult situations. No infringement on copyright intended. This is a non-profit, fan written story. All rights reserved.

Since I'm hopelessly smitten with actor Ed Bishop, this story is, as always, dedicated to him, in gratitude for Ed Straker, a man that understandably reigns in the rank of legendary heroes. It is also dedicated to a young woman who once dreamed of having her fiction read and admired by a lot of people. She just happens to have a amazing resemblance to me.....
I thank Commander Straker as always, for taking time out of his busy schedule to tell me about this particular event in his life.
I thank Deborah, who encouraged me from the beginning, and makes it possible for me to share my stories with you by working on her SHADO library. I thank all the people who let me know they enjoy my stories.

He sensed trouble before he even heard them enter. He slid the protective headset off, and swept his hair down back into place. They came in, merrily chatting away, until they spotted him. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw one elbow the other, and point in his direction. Slowly, he pivoted on one elegant black boot heel, and plastered his business smile on his face.

"Good morning, Gentlemen. I see I'm not the only early bird here at the shooting range."

"You playing with that toy?" One of them said. The others snickered. He studied them, decided to entertain himself. They were carrying rifles of various sizes and makes. He saw the smallest one point at him and mutter the word 'fairy' soundlessly. The others cackled. Ed looked at his firearm in feigned surprise.

"My Glock automatic? It serves me well. I'm Straker. And you are?" he inquired politely. Some day, he mused, science would come up with an explanation of how he could immediately dislike another person. Or persons. Until it did, Ed was quite content to experience the phenomena and call it bad chemistry. Or common sense. Or instinct, or as his Lily might put it, bad karma. Trouble times three.

"Gerald Higgins, Leonard Powell and I'm Dan Aster." He pointed to himself and the others, all expensively dressed in hunting garb. "All members of the Small Game Hunting Club. "

"I see. Well, it is very reassuring to me to know that the world is safe from the scourge of partridges, foxes and hares in the UK due to the fine work of you three gentlemen."

"I don't think I like your attitude, Straker," Aster sneered. He was the smallest of the dynamic duo. There was something about his face that Ed couldn't put his finger on, but he let it ride for the present.

"Well, when you decide for sure, let me know. In the meantime, why don't I take some money off you?" Ed suggested. Aster took a step forward to assault Ed but Powell stopped him with an outstretched hand.

"That'll be the easiest money we ever made. What amount were you thinking of?" Powell laughed.

"Let's see the colour of your money first." Aster said. Ed reached inside his cream Nehru jacket and withdrew his wallet, and showed a fat wad of pound notes to them.

"Right. I'll go first. Man who can put the most bullets through the bullseye is a hundred pounds richer. Agreed?" Aster said.

"Agreed. But with small calibre pistols, not those impressive rifles you fellows are carrying. I think Lammers could lend you three some for this purpose. Lammers?"

Ben Lammers was the elderly owner of the range and a collector of guns, some of which were pretty rare. He'd been fixing his morning tea, and listening quietly to the exchange.

"Sure, Mr. Straker, they can have their pick of the lot. Contest like this seems just the thing to liven up my boring existence on a Friday morning, it does."

Boring existence, Ed thought with a mental grin. Lammers belonged to New Scotland Yard. Only a pesky heart condition kept him from doing any field work, and had retired him early. However, he remained one of New Scotland Yard's experts on firearms, and they consulted him often. Ed also frequently employed him to work as the studio's firearm expert for movies. Lammers provided the men with pistols and ammo and each man fired at the targets, which were at varying distances away. Ed stepped up into position, loaded his automatic, and slipped on his headset. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Ed went from one area to another. Finally he slipped off his headset, put the automatic back in his holster. Lammers operated the mechanism that brought their targets forward for the men to examine. They all exhibited wide grins.

"Nice bit of shooting that was. All torso shots, some even dead centre. Not bad." Lammers said to them. Then he activated Ed's targets forward to inspect Ed's results. Aster laughed.

"You hit the bullseye once on each target and then you couldn't even hit the bloody torso again! You wasted a lot of ammo, Straker! I'd say we each earned that hundred pounds gentlemen."

"Not so fast, my good sirs," Lammers said quietly. "Way I see it, you owe Mr. Straker three hundred pounds, as well as my fees for supplying ammo and guns and range time."

"You must be mad!" Powell said. "He hit all four targets only once. His other shots all went wild!"

Ed smiled, and this time his smile had an unsettling edge to it. Lammers watched him. Straker was very much like an animal that pretended to be tamed, and then it tore your head off, he thought with admiration. "Once was all he needed." Lammers said.

"What are you talking about?" Higgins insisted, impatiently. "We won the money, fair and square we did."

"If you had been watching closely enough, you'd know what I mean. Mr. Straker hit dead centre on the first shots, as you saw. And then he put his second bullet through the hole his first bullet had just made on all four targets. Pay up, gentlemen."

Ed Straker drove toward the studio a wealthier man, still smug with the satisfying recollection of the shock on the faces of the three men as he had relieved them each of a hundred pounds. Maybe, Ed thought with amusement, I've found a whole new way to get funding for SHADO. At any rate he had purchased Alec's birthday present from Lammers. He patted the beautifully wrapped package on the seat next to his. Lammers was not only an expert on firearms, but a gift wrapping wizard as well, Ed chuckled to himself.

"Morning, Miss Ealand," Ed said cheerfully. " Something wrong?" His executive secretary of many years had a odd expression on her face, as if she'd swallowed something sour.

Lily jumped up and kissed him, and he noted that Ealand kept her eyes firmly on her keyboard. She reached out and opened the office for him by pressing a button.

The doors started to slide shut behind him, but before they did, Lily had a comment. A loud comment.

"You should have those beautiful blue eyes checked by a doctor, my Edward. She is not as wonderful as you said she was. She is ugly, in fact. So I do not know why you say you can hardly stand to be without her."

Miss Ealand picked up a piece of Harlington-Straker stationery, crumbled it into a ball, and threw it with all her might at the offending door. Then she continued with her typing, as though the keys were her mortal enemies.

"Lily. Sweet, adorable Lily." Ed said, and dropped into his chair in the same way a grand piano would crash to the pavement from a high building. Ed pasted on his executive smile. Privately he wondered just how deep the Thames was.

"Lily, my flower, two questions. One, did you tell Miss Ealand what I said when I was teasing you aboard the Concorde? And two, why is your hair red?"

"She is nothing but a old fuddy duddy, Edward. But she is after you, I can tell." Lily folded her arms.

"Okay, so roughly translated, that's a yes?" Ed wondered if he should just throw Lily in the Thames, or jump in himself.

"Did I do something wrong, my darling Edward?" Lily put her most dazzling, innocent expression on her face, and played with a rather shocking red lock of her hair.

"Did it ever occur to you that I was joking, and that you didn't have to actually TELL her?"

"Edward you will break window glass for miles if you do not lower your tone. Besides, I need to talk to you. It is important."

"Why is your hair red? No, no, a better question is why do I even put up with you? You're going to send me to an early grave. "

"No, in all honesty, I do not like your hair! Or the way you just insulted my secretary! Or the way you just show up everywhere unannounced! Am I getting thro-Lily, stop crying." Ed ordered.

"How do you open this stupid door? Open the damn door, Edward! I do not have to listen to your insults! I have not seen you for several months, all I have is phone calls and broken promises from you! I came because I love you and miss you and --oh just open the damn door!" Lily started pounding on the door. Ed started to get up, and then his intercom buzzed.

"I heard pounding, I thought I'd check, Sir." Ealand sounded as friendly as a grizzly who had his hibernation interrupted.

"You do not c--ca--ca--" Lily sobbed, trying to form syllables. She reached for her purse and withdrew Ed's handkerchief. At the sight of it she sobbed harder, and thrust it back into her purse.

"Care? You know I care. So now are you going to hush and tell me why you are here? I didn't expect to see you this early. I was going to pick you up later tonight so we could go to Alec's surprise party."

"Your Miss Ealand is beautiful. Everyone else is beautiful. But I am not beautiful!"

He smiled at her. He reached for her and embraced her tightly. She was dressed in a billowy white tunic with gold flowers on it over white slacks, and had a white shawl over her shoulders. She looked extremely lovely. Except for that wild hair--

"Uh huh. You've turned my world upside down, and here you are insisting I am not glad to see you. If you seriously think for one moment that I am seriously attracted to Miss Ealand, then you don't know me at all. And to think Alec believes you have ESP. If you did, you'd know how crazy I am about you. But Lily, the hair has to go." Ed chuckled.

Ed stared at her like a scientist who just had seen a bacteria mutate unexpectedly and wave at him from the Petri dish.

"Baby." Ed said, looking for the moment like the local village idiot. "Baby," he repeated. He let go of her and dropped back into his seat, and swivelled back and forth in it. "Baby." Ed said with great fondness.

"You are not mad? You do not want me to get an abortion? You do not want to send me away?" Lily whimpered.

"Baby." Ed repeated, as if that was the answer to the mysteries of the universe. Lily looked at him. Her beautiful Edward was not acting at all like himself. She finally came over and sat on the edge of his desk, knocking off quite a few studio file folders. Ed didn't seem to notice.

"I do not think you are well." Lily declared. She reached out a hand to feel his forehead.

"Not well? I'm going to be a father, and I'm not well?" Ed remarked. He reached out and thumbed a button. The doors opened. Ed jumped up. Miss Ealand looked up with interest at Straker as he came out, lifted a brow. First she had heard all this mysterious beating on the door like her superior was being killed by this rude little twit of a woman. She had heard the rumours Colonel Freeman was spreading that the Commander was smitten over some woman again, but she had not believed it. Hadn't he learned his lesson from that no good Josephine Fraser? This little redhead was his secret mistress? Never. But now the man who was all Earth had to defend itself against the alien threat, the icy, collected, calculating Commander of Shado, was wearing a silly lovestruck grin as if he were spaced out on some drug. Men!

"Miss Ealand. I'm taking the day off. You know where I'll be if I'm needed. Wake Foster up, and have him come handle my workload for today." Ed flashed a smile. He turned to Lily. "You. Come with me."

"The day, Sir?" Ealand said. Mercy, she thought. The Commander's flipped! The whole day? He rarely took days off.

Ealand watched in astonishment as he led the redhead out as if she were made of porcelain and hand dipped in gold, then she lifted up the phone.

"Yes, my flower?" Ed said with a sunny smile. The two of them were in Ed's car. Ed was tuned to a light jazz channel on the car stereo system. He'd been humming along to the melodies.

"I'm thinking I should sell off some more of my real estate holdings in Boston, some stock shares, and start a college fund for my son."

Ed nodded at her. The old familiar pain of John's loss welled up in him, but he pushed it away, smiled.

"It is a girl. I know these things. I am a witch. Besides, you cannot start making plans for her already. I am not raising any daughter I have to go into any boring college."

"He. Gosh, Lily, sweetheart, we have so much to do. Plan our wedding, figure out where we'll live, choose a hospital-what?"

"Wedding? Who said anything about a wedding? What makes you think I want to marry you?"

"I do not see you for months, I only hear you on the phone, and now because you think you have a daughter you decide to marry me? No!" Lily folded her arms, and bit her lip.

Ed was silent for a moment. He finally broke the silence with what was barely above a whispered reply.

"Aha! You see?" she said triumphantly, at first not having heard him. " Now I--uh--what?" Lily looked over at him. He had his hands on the steering wheel, looking straight ahead, driving with a strained look on his face.

"I was scared. Scared out of my mind. I've fallen for you, Lily. I don't know quite when it happened. But it happened. I didn't know what to do about it. I was afraid to propose. Marriage for us with my workload will be difficult. It ended my first marriage. I want it, Lily. I want to try. Can we try?"

"I love you, Lily. You've brought back something to my life I didn't even know I'd lost. I suppose you could call it joy."

"I was so scared too, my Edward. That you had forgotten me, that I was yesterday's news. Alec told me to be patient, and that I had to tell you about our baby. But I was-"

"Yes of course, my adorable Alec knows. He said you would take the news wonderfully, and that you worshipped me, but how was I to know?"

"Edward, he will be like her uncle and you cannot kill the uncle of our little girl." Lily chortled.

"He never told me a thing, not even a hint, he doesn't deserve to live. I'll use the mayonnaise knife on him. Even if his birthday is today. I'll make sure I wish him a horrible birthday and many unhappy returns." Ed pulled his mouth into the familiar thin line of distaste she recognised. Lily giggled.

"Of course, my sweet Edward, I will marry you. Oh you horrid man, you mustn't weep!"

"I am not crying, I got some dust in my eyes," Ed insisted. "You're the one who's bawling," Ed added.

"What a terrible example of a role model you are for our daughter! You fibber! Your eyes are full of happy tears!"

"They are not. And it isn't a daughter. Son. And I bet Stanley would love it if we married at his church."

"No, no, no, I am not marrying at his church. We will have a Pagan rite and be handfasted."

"Church. Nice quiet ceremony at Stanley's church. I'm not killing any innocent puppies for a sacrifice. I'm not rattling any beads, or carrying any shrunken heads. I'm not marrying you in the nude." Ed grinned.

"You mean to tell me that a wedding couple doesn't strip down, cover themselves with mud, chant in the moonlight and consummate their marriage in front of the wedding guests?" Ed inquired, clearly having fun.

"I thought that was what went on in regular Anglican churches like Stanley's, my Edward." Lily cackled.

"Gosh, yes, come to think of it. Kind of sounds like fun. No wonder Stanley felt like he had a calling."

"Daughter! And she is poor because she will have to have a horrid man like you as her father. Besides, what will your pious Stanley say about you when he finds out you have gotten me pregnant before the marriage?"

"Probably sing Handel's Messiah," Ed answered as solemnly as he could. "Hey, speaking of them, let's go tell them the news. I was going to invite them to Alec's party tonight anyway."

"What did you buy the adorable Alec? I got him a monogrammed gold key fob." Lily fished out a small package out of her purse.

"That's fine, as long as you don't give him your house key. Hey, how do I know this baby you're carrying isn't Alec's? After all, you see him a lot more times than-OW! OW! OW! Quit hitting me! I'm trying to drive!" Ed laughed.

Lily stopped hitting him and just looked at him for a moment. He was so astonishingly gorgeous, especially when he laughed, and his laughter was so rare. How worried she had been when she had heard from her doctor that life was growing inside her. And Alec's whoops of sheer excitement, and telling her that Ed would just be ectastic over the baby. Why had she even been worried that Ed would reject her, and the little girl growing inside her? She had made up her mind to call her baby Petunia Flora, like her dear friend that had gone to the next world. Oh Goddess. Please make me worthy of this man and this happiness I feel. Please don't let anything go wrong.

"But Mrs. Brisby," Ed was saying, "Don't you think we better go in before there's bloodshed?" He and Frances Brisby had been sitting out in her garden, talking, while her husband, The Right Reverend Stanley Brisby, had been discussing the finer points of comparative religions with Lily inside the Brisby's bungalow. Frances had impressed Ed with the prize winning flowers and vegetables she grew. Not to mention the freshly baked muffins she'd just made. Ed was working his way through his second banana nut one.

"Frances, then. They've been in there arguing for almost an hour." Ed sipped his coffee, trying to come up with a way he could hire Frances for SHADO, on the merit of her coffee making and baking skills alone.

"I think both of them are really relishing it, Ed. And may I say again, that the two of you make a wonderful couple and will make ideal parents? God wouldn't have brought you together without a purpose. Would you like another muffin? More coffee?"

"No thanks, I'm stuffed already. Let's go back in before Lily declares World War three. Angel's liable to be eligible for a Purple Heart after she's through with him." Ed said to Frances with a wink. Frances chuckled, smiled, and took Ed's offered arm.

"Oh please! Christians! You are all so thick! People have worshipped the Goddess a long time before they ever worshipped your stupid white haired old terrible male God on a heavenly throne!" Lily was complaining. "Wicca was around a long time before you silly sin fearing Christians even showed up on the horizon."

"This Miss Marsh of yours is really something, Ed." Stanley Brisby chuckled, seeing Ed come in with Frances on his arm.

"Yes, I haven't figured out what she is, exactly, but I suppose I'll get around to it." Ed cracked. Lily narrowed her eyes at him.

"I take some time out to correct Stanley's ideas about religion, and what do I find? I find you on the arm of some other woman!" Lily marched firmly over to Ed, and yanked him away from Frances. Ed rolled his eyes playfully in a long suffering manner, while Frances tittered gaily, crossed over to Stanley and gave him a kiss he returned warmly. Stanley winked at her.

"Is that true, Sugar, were you and Ed up to no good among your prize winning daffodils?"

"There! You see! She admits it!" Lily chortled. Ed just shook his head at her, eyes twinkling.

"You know what your problem is? The chemicals in the red hair dye finally reached your brain." declared Ed.

"I think we better get out to the restaurant soon," Ed said. "Getting to be pretty close to that time." Ed tapped his Certina Swiss wristwatch.

"I'm looking forward to meeting this Alec Freeman of yours, son. Australians are the salt of the earth, you know." Stanley winked.

"I'm a fortunate man to know Alec and have him as a friend. Known him for well, it seems like forever. Frances, could I ask you a favour?"

Frances had gone briefly out to collect the tray of muffins and the teapot and coffee server. She set them down on a side table. She was dressed in a pink blouse and tweed skirt, and wore pearls suitable for the Duchess of Windsor. It suddenly occurred to Ed that Frances even resembled her a little. Stanley was wearing a crisp white shirt and jeans.

"I'd offer you my jacket but it won't keep you all that warm. The last thing I want is for you to get chilled. You can't afford to catch a cold now with the baby coming." Ed told her urgently. She gestured dismissingly at him.

"Oh my Edward, I am not made of gossamer. I am fine in my shawl. You are not going to get away with pushing me around just because I am carrying our baby."

"Please, Lily?" Ed said softly. He slid an arm around her waist and looked at her.

Lily frowned at the two pleading, ice blue eyes that looked down at her. She sighed.

"You are not fair, brooding at me like that. Okay, okay, I will borrow a coat if it makes you happy." Lily complained.

Ed watched with open amusement as Lily's eyes grew large when Frances came out and toward her with a mink coat. Stanley grinned widely at him.

Later, in Ed's car, Ed slid into his seat and grinned at Lily, who looked as proud as a peacock, sitting next to him, all bundled up in the mink coat.

"I thought you didn't believe in killing anything, Lily." Ed said, firing up the ignition. A light rain was beginning to fall. He pulled the car out of the driveway, and into the street, rapidly picking up speed. Stanley and Frances followed him in their car.

Lily shot him a look. She knew what was coming. She recognised that tone of his voice. It meant trouble.

"I don't. I am only borrowing it. You were the one that said I needed to keep warm, my Edward." She snuggled against the luxurious fur happily.

"But someone shot that poor animal, Lily. Someone shot that poor, defenceless animal in the prime of its life." Ed was having great difficulty keeping a straight face.

"I already have all the bad karma I can stand! I fell in love with you!" Lily grinned at him.

"Somewhere, that mink's sorrowful mother is wondering what happened to her child. What would she say if she knew you were wearing him?" Ed asked, biting his lip so he wouldn't completely lose it..

"EDWARD!" Lily yelled, now trying not to laugh herself. She looked at him. "You are so horrid!"

Ed bent over the punch bowl, put down his empty glass, and paused. He smiled as he surveyed the scene. Ed had hired his favourite Italian restaurant, and the private bash for Alec was well underway. Every conceivable food you could think of was available on the buffet table. Alec had single handledly devoured half the Spaghetti Alfredo, while Ed himself had put a respectable dent in the pasta e fagioli and garlic bread. The birthday cake alone looked like a whole hoard of vultures had been at it. Ed reached over, and when he thought no one was looking, sliced off a sliver of Queensland again. The cake was shaped in the form of a map of Australia. Ed wondered playfully if the Australian prime minister would mind that most of his country was now missing. Ed wandered around, nibbling his cake. Stanley and Alec were deep in conversation, discussing the pros and cons of Australia becoming an independent nation. Lily and Frances were talking about high heels and agreeing wholeheartedly about how they were modern instruments of torture. There were a few other people, mostly studio pals of Alec's, some dancing to the music being played by a three piece jazz trio. All three of the musicians happened to be SHADO operatives, and were the security detail for the event. Ed crossed over to Alec.

Alec paused, looked apprehensive, shook the box again, held it up to his ear to detect ticking.

"Considering that you've known for three months that I was going to be a father, and didn't tell me, it should. But then I'd have to pay for damages to this restaurant." Ed answered finally, watching the Australian's antics with great relish.

"I'm older now. You have no respect for your elders, Ed." Alec pronounced gravely.

"A 45 calibre Smith & Wesson Schofield ! Crikey, Ed, where did you get this baby?" Alec took the gun out of the box lovingly. Lily just stared at them.

"Benjamin Lammers, where else? He told me you were practically salivating over it in the catalogue. Ivory grip, etched body. You'll find the ammo and hip holster for it in there as well. Got a good price for it too, little under three thousand pounds."

"Men. I suppose now I will not see the adorable Alec, he will be off shooting some innocent pigeons in Hyde Park." Lily declared.

"Speaking of shooting, I heard that Aster is back in the UK. The one New Scotland Yard can't seem to pin down." Alec said.

"That's where I saw his face!" Ed exclaimed. "Daniel Aster. Met him in the flesh. Suspected of gun smuggling, and other nefarious activities. Slippery as an eel."

"At the-" Ed went absolutely white. Lily had been getting some punch, saw his pallor and came over to him in alarm, afraid he was ill. He set down his plate and fork.

"Excuse me a moment." Ed said, and headed toward the door of the restaurant. A woman had come in, with no regard for the sign that said closed, private party. One of the band members moved toward her to stop her, and Ed shook his head at him. The SHADO operative stepped away.

"After all these years, you'd think he'd learn. But she's still got him wrapped around her little finger."

"Now I know I do not feel so good. " Lily watched Ed through the window. Ed was outside now, listening to the woman, frowning, shaking his head, pursing his lips, and pinching the bridge of his nose. It went on for about three minutes, then the woman Alec had identified as Mary Rutland broke into tears, and Ed took her in his arms. Lily stood up, grabbed an half empty champagne bottle and started to go over toward the door. Alec caught her gleefully, took the bottle and brought Lily back to her chair.

"As much as I'd enjoy you beating up Mary Rutland in a pub brawl, Ed has to work whatever this is out for himself," Alec told Lily. "Besides, no fighting. You have a bun in the oven, remember?"

"They are over there feeling each other up while I sit here, three months pregnant, and I am supposed to wait for him to work this out? I will kill him!" Lily looked to see what Ed was doing, and saw him pat Rutland's hand, nod once. Then he came in, walked back over to them.

"Remember me? Your flower Lily? The one carrying your baby? Or have you forgotten me already?" snapped Lily.

"That's enough, Lily." Ed said. Lily blinked at him. It was a tone of voice she had never heard before. He even looked different, intimidating, hard. Commanding. This was an Straker she had not seen before. Judging from Alec's reaction to Ed, he had.

"So what was she doing here, and how the hell did she find us? This was supposed to be a private party." Alec reminded Ed.

"Miss Ealand gave her the address here because she said it was an emergency. She's run into a little problem with her husband. She asked me to help her take care of it." Ed said, avoiding Lily's steady glare.

"Oh for God's sake, Ed. Don't tell me you've agreed?" Alec sighed. "Now that was a stupid question. Of course you agreed. Okay, how can I help?"

"You don't. I'll take care of this matter entirely by myself." Ed pinched the bridge of his nose, looking like he was developing a migraine. "Lily, I'm suddenly very tired, do you mind if we go home early?"

"I am not your wife, I am not going anywhere, Alec will take me home, you can do what you please." Lily said sharply. The look of utter hurt on Ed's face disappeared as rapidly as it had appeared. Stanley frowned, and exchanged a look with Frances. Frances sighed. Ed opened his mouth, frowned, gave a slight shrug of his shoulders, nodded in the vague direction of Lily. Alec moved protectively in front of him.

"Alec, I'll need about three days or so of time off, can you handle my workload a while?"

"Hurry, Edward, you do not want to keep your darling Mary waiting." Lily said from behind the two men. Alec shot her a stern look. Ed looked at Lily a moment, opened his mouth in an attempt to say something again, but turned to Alec.

"Look after her, Alec." Ed whispered to the Australian. Alec nodded. Ed took a final look at Lily, then walked out of the restaurant without looking back. Lily began to sob, and Frances caressed her.

"Pray, Reverend." Alec suggested grimly. "Because my friend Ed is headed down a long dark, deep tunnel, and the light at the end of it is a train coming right for him. A train called Mary Rutland."

Ed Straker buttoned his Burberry trenchcoat with one hand and kept the other on the steering wheel of his car. It was Saturday morning, storming, and he was as downcast as the rainy weather. Exhausted, too. He hadn't slept all night. Mary. God. Of all times. Here he was on the verge of the possibility of not being alone for the rest of his life, the father of a baby to be born, and she shows up. God. Suppose Lily leaves me? Suppose she decides she's had her fill of me, goes away, takes off with my son? I can't go through that again. I just can't. He parked, looked up at the house that he had bought for Mary, back when his life was full of promise. Just newlyweds, taking on the world. And then SHADO, and then John's death, and the pain of Mary's final words like a electrode touching a raw nerve. I never want to see you again. That brief encounter on the flight from San Francisco, where she had hated him so much she had tried not to even sit alongside him. Words exchanged. Tears shed. Facts exchanged. Ugly truths in the bright light of day. Healing begun. Or so he thought.

Now she walks back into my life and pleads with me to find the one man I hate most in the world. Phillip Rutland. The man to whom my John was nothing more than "the boy" Why in God's name did I ever agree to this? He noticed the curtains open briefly. John's room, he thought, sadly, on the top floor. Within minutes Mary stood in the doorway, smiling. Well, she would just have to wait. He took out his phone and dialled Lily's number. Her answering machine responded. He hung up. Then he tried her Black Oak retirement home. The receptionist, Carla, told him that yes, Lily was there, but did not want to talk to him. Sadly he hung up, got out of the car, closed the doors and approached Mary like he was going to the gallows.

"He goes off with his ex-wife on the day that he finds out he is going to be a father? I do not need that kind of thing. Either he makes up his mind, or out he goes!" Lily banged the paste container on the table. The group of senior citizens in her crafts class that usually saw a serene, cheerful Lily all looked at her with baffled expressions.

"Maybe this ex-wife of his is in real trouble. You know, Lily, there's a certain noble gesture in what he's doing." Carla said. "Maybe its just loyalty, and you are being foolish not talking to him. Why don't you call him and make up?"

"Oh? I am supposed to just go let him run around with his stupid ex-wife because it is noble of him? They are not married any more! She has no right to show up and ask him for anything! Alec told me she is a real bitch to him sometimes. Now, I do not want to hear any more about it. If he wants me so bad, he will have to come after me. I do not see him running to do so. Where are the boxes of mosaic tiles I ordered? "

"No. You stay here. Start a song or something, to keep them occupied. I will go get them. I need something constructive to do before I break everything in the place!"

Carla watched Lily march out with a sigh. Her guy Straker, a big movie studio guy, gives her a free ride on the Concorde, takes her to Washington, Carla thought. I'm lucky if my stupid boyfriend takes me to the corner pub for a few ales. Some people never appreciate how good they have it.

In the meantime, Lily was blinking away tears in the stockroom, cursing hormones and balancing on a wooden ladder precariously, dragging one of the cardboard boxes of mosaic tiles off the top shelf toward her.

I love you must be the three cheapest words in the English language, she thought angrily. Men will say anything to get you to believe them. And then because he wants this baby he starts ordering me around like I was the baby myself. I have taken care of myself for many years. I am independent. I do not need him. I will not let anyone push me around like my father did my mother. Got her pregnant just to show how macho and manly he was, and spent the rest of the time drinking himself into a stupor while she worked herself to death to support me and my sisters. History isn't going to repeat with me. Why, I bet Edward would even frown at me being on a ladder like this! Men! We women can do anything, we aren't made out of eggshells. Women have been having babies for centuries, and doing far more hard work than this. Damn you, Ed Straker! Why did I ever have to look at those lonely eyes of yours, why did I ever decide I wanted to be in your life? Why, of all the men I have ever known, did I have to fall for you? Why didn't I listen better to Alec, when he said how difficult you were going to be, when he said your work was so important to you, and how I was supposed to understand it? My Goddess, you'd think that the safety of the free world rested on your shoulders or something, and that everything would collapse if you didn't show up at your stupid studio. Then you go off with that ex-wife of yours like I don't exist! Well, if this is the way you are going-

The hefty boxes fell off the shelf, hitting Lily without warning and knocking her off the ladder. She fell with a shrill scream, crashed to the ground and passed out.

"Mary, I don't know how much help I can be to you." Ed was saying. "Finding missing persons is strictly a police matter. This isn't exactly my speciality."

"The police been promising me results for weeks, and then they don't return my phone calls when I try to ask them something. Ed, I'm so worried about him, he never would do this kind of thing! I didn't know what to do! I didn't know who to turn to. Mother and Father are out of the country, I couldn't call them. Just please, please try and find him, Ed?"

"All right. Start over. Tell me exactly what happened. How was he behaving before he vanished? Had the two of you had some sort of argument? Did he seem like he was in trouble?" Ed picked up the coffee and sipped it. He felt very uncomfortable being there, like he expected a noose to be lowered over his head from the ceiling. His eyes darted to the stairs leading to the top floor, where the master bedroom was, where Johnny's room had been. He quickly looked away. Too painful. There was something fishy about the whole situation. He told himself to be patient, to let all the details unfold at their own pace.

"I told you," Mary said tearfully. "He just didn't show up for work. He's been gone almost a week now. Everything was fine with us. There was nothing wrong. Ed, I just have the feeling he's in some kind of trouble!"

"Have the police questioned his friends and co-workers? Examined his financial records? Traced his last movements before he went missing?"

"Sure, if it isn't any trouble. Mary, I'd like to examine his things, and then make a few phone calls, talk to a few people. I can't promise anything, but I'll do my best."

"I was so sorry to just barge in like that, but I didn't know what else to do. Looked like you all were having a nice time."

"Alec's birthday. You know what that's like. Every year we have a surprise party for him that isn't a surprise to him in any sense of the word. He just goes along with us and pretends it is. Good old reliable Alec."

"Oh, not really. You've always been a handsome man, Ed. Last night I was just astounded, seeing you like that. You're the same. You haven't changed. As though the years had never passed. This girlfriend, are you serious about her?"

"Mary, actually I didn't come here to discuss my love life. I came here as a favour to you. Now, would you mind if I went upstairs to check his things?"

Ed got up out of the chair. There was something strange about the house that he couldn't quite identify. As a matter of fact, there was something about Mary that didn't quite ring true. Last night, she'd been terribly shaken, telling him how Phillip Rutland, the man she had married after he had agreed to their divorce, had suddenly disappeared into the blue. She'd been begging him to help her. But at the door that morning, he'd been surprised to see her in a light blue dress with a rosebud print, one of his favourites, tiny gold hoops in her ears, with her hair swept down. It had grown out since the time he had seen her on the plane in San Francisco. She didn't look like a woman who was sincerely worried about her husband doing a disappearing act. Ed shrugged, perhaps he was being too harsh, people reacted to tragedy in different ways. He started up the stairs. Rutland had long eradicated all traces of Johnny in the room that had once been his, and had turned it into a home office. Ed closed his eyes, remembering how it felt to tickle his son, to teach him to make a paper airplane, to listen to his laughter, and the sadness of having to return him back to Rutland after the monthly visits were over. Back to a man he'd long suspected tolerated Johnny only to placate Mary. Ed opened his eyes, brushed away a few tears, grateful that Mary hadn't seen his breach of emotional control. Ed sat at the mahogany desk and began going through Rutland's papers. He didn't look up when Mary came and set his coffee mug down, but muttered a perfunctory thanks.

"I just want to die. I want to die," Lily sobbed, and her whole body shook with the sobs. Alec held her against him gently, so he wouldn't disturb the IV tubes attached to her.

"Don't let me hear you talking like that, Lily Marsh. Don't you start acting foolish. It's bad enough I don't know what shit Ed's gotten into with Mary. Don't make me start worrying about you." Alec warned her grimly.

They were in the maternity ward of Kings College Hospital in London. Alec had called the Black Oak Retirement Home to see if Lily would meet him for lunch, and a hysterical Carla had told him what had happened. Alec had immediately driven down to the hospital the ambulance had transported Lily to, and waited while they operated on her. Alec had sat nearly all day in the dismal waiting room, and he couldn't help but make comparisons to when Ed had been close to death, and Alec had waited, willing him to survive. The helpless feeling. The waiting.

"Lily, I spoke to the surgeon. He said you were going into shock. Bleeding massively. If you had died as well that would have pretty much killed Ed too. He would have blamed himself. Believe me, he's already got enough unnecessary guilt to deal with. The point is, you acted irrationally, put you and the baby at risk. But you're here. And you're alive. You'll be all right."

"How will I tell Edward? How do I tell him I killed my baby? Why should he ever want to even look at me again? He will hate me so now. I was jealous, Alec! I was afraid that his old feelings for that woman would rise up in him, and he would forget me! How could he go off like that, and leave me behind?"

"Lily, the receptionist told me you refused to take his call. Do you honestly think he would have bothered to call you at all if he wanted Mary back? Granted, that woman has his heart in a corkscrew. But he loves you, Lily. I know it. And deep down you know it. And it's time to start trusting him. A loss like this can bring people together. Make their love stronger."

"I know this is the Goddess' wrath. I know this is punishment for what I did. First I had to lose Petunia and watch Edward die. Then I had to watch him suffer over his dead friend in the war. And now I have lost his child. I wished for Lawrence to die, I wished him ill. And now it has come back to me threefold."

"You're being stupid, Lily. This isn't punishment. Things like this happen in life. You cope with it the very best you can. And then you go on. You pick up the pieces and go on." Alec patted her hand comfortingly. She pushed his hand away.

"I hate the fucking Goddess! I believe in nothing! Nothing!" Lily shouted. "I have lost everything that ever mattered to me. Petunia, Edward, my ba-my ba- oh Alec, she was going to be so beautiful. And now I will never know what it is like to be her mother."

"You can go on feeling sorry for yourself, or you can be strong and help me figure out how we're going to tell Ed."

"I am going to wait until I am better, and then I am going to go away and never see him again." Lily declared, looking away. Alec startled her by pounding the bedrails. A nurse came running in, took in the scene, saw Alec's expression and started backing out like she was being pursued by raging elephants. No doubt she'd go and get security to haul him out of there. Alec waited until she'd gone, then he unleashed his full, genuine wrath on Lily.

"That's well and good, Lily. You do that! First you humiliate and hurt my best friend Ed last night at my party in front of me and his employees by refusing to go with him. Then, because you're so fucking independent you decide to get up on a ladder, without any consideration for the unborn child or its father. And now, when Ed needs you the most, you're going to turn your back on him! You think you're the only one who's going through hell? I wish I'd never told you about Ed in the first place. You're going to wind up scarring him worst than that fucking Mary did. I thought maybe you were the right one for him, Lily. So I trusted you and told you everything I could to get the two of you together. What a bloody arse I am. I've betrayed one of the finest men that anyone could ever know by letting you get your hooks into him. And now I have to break his heart further by telling him he's lost a second child, and the woman he loves. God damn you to hell, Marsh!" Alec shot out of the door as if he'd been jet propelled. Lily just sat there, numbly, staring after him, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Ed Straker was tired. It was nearly evening. Rutland had been a careful man, handling the family finances, and Ed was able to account for the spending after finding a notebook he'd kept in his neat printing. Cheques to the electric people, the telephone service, the television, the car maintenance. He'd catalogued all their spending down to the smallest expendure. But there seemed to be four thousand pounds missing from his bank balance. Was he being blackmailed for something, some skeleton in his closet that Mary was unaware of? He decided not to ask Mary about it until he could learn more. Ed got up, went through the side door into the master bedroom and began going through Rutland's clothes carefully and methodically, his accessories, his toilet articles, his wardrobe drawers. Everything. All with a professional eye.

Now that was odd. Ed picked up a large frame that had been partially hidden under some shirts. It was a picture of Mary, inscribed to Rutland with all her love. It was a recent photo of her, and dated less than two weeks ago, Ed noted. The glass was broken, shattered, some pieces missing. Ed retrieved and opened his attach� case, which he had brought with him, and took out a magnifying glass. He studied the frame carefully with it. His expression became grim.

She came up the stairs and smiled at him. "I was just going to see if you wanted to step out with me and have a bite to eat. Why are you in the bedroom? I thought you were going to go through Philip's desk."

"It was stuck hidden away in his wardrobe. Not exactly the place to put a gift from your adoring wife."

"That's very strange. Oh, I know. He probably broke the glass accidentally and didn't want to admit he'd been so careless with it so he hid it." Mary shrugged. She appeared nervous.

"It doesn't look like it was accidentally broken. If you look carefully, you can see the imprint of a heel on the glass. It was deliberately smashed, Mary. Why?"

"Do I need to bring this frame and footprint and one of Rutland's shoes to my acquaintances at New Scotland Yard and see if I get a positive match? Your husband happens to be a creature of habit, Mary. He wears the same type of shoe, only thing that changes is the colour of the leather. Now are you going to tell me the truth?"

"That's what was unusual about the house, Mary. The fact that there were no family pictures anywhere. Some things are missing. His suitcase. Tooth powder, toothbrush, things you'd take on a trip with you. If you had decided to go. Maybe in a fit of anger. Now tell me the truth."

"I have told you the truth! Oh, you've always been like this! Your job has always been more important than you to me!" Mary turned to rush out of the bedroom but Ed grabbed her arm. Mary struggled, but he held her firmly.

"You begged me to find your missing husband. But you neglected to tell me you and he had a row, isn't that true?" Ed accused.

"You lied to me. You said you hadn't argued. What else are you keeping from me?" Ed dropped her arm, his expression indifferent.

"Oh Ed, Ed! He said he didn't love me anymore! He's left me! I'm sorry, all right? Are you satisfied now?"

"Why? Why did he leave you? Why did he say he didn't love you-" Ed began, but Mary suddenly stepped up to him, snaked her arms around him and kissed him passionately. Ed looked as shocked as if she'd stabbed him with a knife. He stood there, immobile for several seconds, not reacting. She backed away. His expression of shock gave way to a murderous look. Slowly, he brought up the back of his hand and wiped her lipstick off his mouth. "Don't ever do that again." Ed hissed.

"Ed! Don't you understand? Last night, all it took was one look at you to know what a terrible mistake I'd made in letting you go."

"We're finished. You made that perfectly clear the night we lost our son. I've gone on with my life. I don't feel anything for you, Mary. I promised you I'd try to find Rutland. I make an great effort to keep my promises. But if you lie to me again, I'll consider that promise null and void. Do you understand?"

"Oh I understand all right. I understand that the only thing that is important to you is Ed Straker." Mary turned and went down the stairs.

Ed smacked the wall with his fist in sheer anger and frustration, threw his magnifying glass back into his attach� case, snapped it shut, and followed her down the stairs, rubbing his hand.

"Do you understand?" Alec Freeman said. He was at the Black Oak Retirement Home, and it was late at night.

"Good. In time I'll personally inform Mr. Straker about Miss Marsh's accident. But for now I don't want him to know anything. Thanks for the coffee."

"Yes. Last I checked, she was asking about when she'd get released." Alec forced himself to smile.

"Mr. Freeman, Lily is a little headstrong, but she's very devoted to the patients here. She's a good person."

The next morning, Alec's phone rang, awakening him from a sound sleep. The only person that ever dared to interfere with his hibernation was Ed Straker. He grabbed the phone with great relief.

"It's me, Alec. How's Lily?" Ed was in his car, driving carefully through traffic in the heavy storm.

"How is Lily ever? She's as bloody minded as you, Ed. How are things going with Mary?"

"Mary is fine, fine. Lily still won't talk to me. Can't say I blame her, Alec. Pretty foolish of me to go off like that."

"Don't worry about it, Ed. Things will work out one way or another. I just know it." Alec lied. "You sound pretty tired. If I know you, you didn't sleep at all last night. Look, Ed, are you sure I can't help with whatever is going on with Mary?"

"No. I'm beginning to make headway on it. Listen, Alec, if you could put in a good word with Lily about me, I'd really be grateful. I really do miss her, you know. I have a lot to look forward to with her and my baby son. Although Lily keeps insisting it's a little girl." Ed forced a chuckle he didn't feel.

"Sounds like Lily all right," Alec replied, doing the same thing. It was killing him not to be able to tell Ed the truth. That he had another dead child. "Ed, I'm going to go see her again today, and I'll do what I can to patch things up."

Alec shook his head sadly, and hung up. Ed dialled Lily's home phone. The answering machine message came on. Ed waited for the beeps this time.

"Sweetheart, it's Ed. Look, I am sorry, I know my being with my ex-wife doesn't thrill you, but I just want you to know that you're the one woman in my life, and what's important to me is taking care of you and our baby son. I'm going to finish doing what I have to, and then I'm going to look into the possibility of taking off a week or so to be with you. I love you, Lily. Please believe that, okay? We'll be together soon. I'll try calling you again tonight. I need you, you know. I really need you. I love you so much. Goodbye."

"There is nothing good about the morning! And breakfast was terrible! And I am in awful pain! When am I going to get out of here?"

The nurse chuckled. Crabbiness always signalled that the patient was getting stronger.

"I'll ask doctor to come by and see you this afternoon. You have to remember you had some surgery, and it's going to take some time for you to completely heal. Is there anything I can do for you in the meantime?"

"Yes. I need to use the phone. And I want to have a shampoo. I am going to get rid of this ridiculous hair dye. My Edward does not like it. I thought it would make me look younger and sexier, but all it does is make me look stupid."

"This Edward, he was the father of the baby you lost?" the nurse said sympathetically, studying the chart.

"Yes, but he does not know yet. " Lily sighed. "That is why I must have a phone."

The nurse pulled the adjusting table across Lily's lap, and brought the phone over for her within reach.

"I'll have one of the nurse trainees help you with the shampoo. It will do you good to put on powder and lipstick. Help lift your spirits." The nurse smiled.

"Thank you." Lily waited until the nurse went out, and then dialled Ed's home phone number. There was no reply. She dialled Ed's car phone number.

"Edward, I-" Lily blinked. Alec Freeman had paraded in with Stanley and Frances Brisby. Stanley looked sad, and Frances' eyes were red. They took chairs. Alec took the receiver from her, and covered the mouthpiece with one hand.

"Lily. Not now. Not like that. Not over the phone. " Alec told her firmly. She nodded, trying to be brave. He returned the receiver to her.

"I'm on an errand to talk to someone that might help me wrap up my ex-wife's problems faster. I'm making progress. Listen, Lily, I'm really sorry. I love you. Can you forgive me?"

"Oh my sweet Edward, you are so silly. You have done nothing to need to ask forgiveness for. You were just trying to help someone. You are always going off to help someone. I suppose it is in your nature. I was unkind to you."

"Nonsense. Don't give it a second thought. Lily, listen, I'm going to get this taken care of as soon as I can, and then I'll come right home. I have to go now, sweetheart. I love you. Goodbye."

"Goodbye my Edward." Lily hung up and started crying. Frances crossed to her at once.

"Oh my poor little dear, how frightened you must have been! Alec called us this morning, told us everything and we came as soon as we could. Oh my poor little Lily. There, there, now. Get it all out, you poor child." Frances hugged her.

"Oh Frances, what will I do now? I was so selfish, I only was thinking of myself."

"Everybody makes mistakes, Lily. I said a prayer for your daughter's soul this morning. I hope you don't mind." Stanley said, patting Lily's shoulder.

"Then all of us can have enough faith for you for now. In the meantime, you just get better."

"Darling, we cannot leave her like this in this dreadful place. Why don't we take her home with us until she is able to get around? I can take care of her and she can sit in the sun and recuperate in the garden." Frances suggested.

"That sounds like a great idea! Let me go set it up with whoever is handling her case. Lily, honey, you just relax, we'll take care of you. And we'll help you and Alec break the news to poor Ed as gently as we can. I'll be right back!" Stanley left, and Lily stared after him. She looked tearfully and unbelievingly at Frances.

"Stanley's Australian, Lily. We do everything upside down." Alec said, breaking into a cynical smile.

"Oh Alec! What a terrible time to tease." Frances scolded Alec. "Of course we will take you in, you poor dear. We're your friends. We love you and Ed dearly." Frances dabbed at her tears with a lace handkerchief from her purse.

"I have never known anyone like you and Stanley. I did not think anyone cared what happened to me. I did not believe my Edward loved me. Now look what I have done. I am a terrible person. I do not deserve your kindness."

"Frances, do not even try, the adorable Alec is rotten, he cannot help himself. He is almost as horrid as Edwa-" Lily took a deep breath to stop from sobbing again. "Alec, how am I going to tell him? It will break his heart!"

Alec was grateful for Stanley, who chose that time to enter with the doctor. Because he didn't have any answer. And he knew she was right.

Ed Straker knocked on the door of the apartment. 706. Earlier that morning he had talked to quite a few people who worked at the insurance firm where Phillip Rutland was employed. He pretty much got the same story from each of them. Rutland was a good, tireless worker, got along with everyone, never was late. Nobody could possibly understand why he'd just disappeared like that. Yes, the police had been there and had asked the same questions, but they weren't able to help them any. The last they had seen of Rutland was at a small party for a employee who was retiring. Rutland had arrived with his beautiful wife, Mary.

Ed hadn't believed a word of it. They were the worst liars he had ever run into. They made fishermen look like saints. But try as he may, he wasn't able to get them to change what they were saying. And then, just before he had gone out the front door of the building, one of the employees, a young woman, had chased after him carrying a man's coat, and shyly told him he had forgotten it. Ed lifted one eyebrow. He was still wearing his Burberry trenchcoat. She had slipped him an card with an address written on it, and told him to ask for a woman named Cooper. Sally Cooper. Before he could thank her, she rushed back to her cubicle.

So, there he was, in front of apartment 706 of Bishop Court Apartments in South Kensington, hoping that this mysterious Sally Cooper would explain everything. The door opened slightly, and a woman with the largest and blondest coiffure he had ever seen peeked out at him. Maps didn't have as many creases as her skin had. Her makeup looked like it had been applied with a paintball gun.

"Must be my lucky day. That's me. Call me Sally. Everyone does, ducky. Come right in."

Must be my unlucky day, thought Ed. He chewed vigorously on the inside of his lip so he wouldn't reveal his true feelings about seeing all of her. She was wearing a see-through caftan with large orange and white sequinned paisley designs that barely covered her rather large attributes, sheer gold mesh hose, and gold slippers with pink marabou feathers on them. Her toenails were all painted gold. Ed briefly considered screaming loudly, and running out the door as fast as possible. To hell with the door. I'll just make a exit hole through the wall, he decided. Being with her was like being a guppy meeting a sperm whale. Ed had no intentions of letting her swallow him.

"Sit down, gorgeous. Oh no, no, no, not there. Come over and sit next to Sally on the loveseat. What would you like to drink, gorgeous?" She took his trench coat.

If ever I wanted to fall off the wagon, Ed thought, it's now. Courage, Straker, he told himself. Reluctantly he sat down on the love seat. He sank into the red velvet cushions. They were so deep, the soles of his black ankle boots dangled a good one inch above the plush blue carpet. Odd, he thought, I don't see the restraints on this thing. The only way anyone would want to be here is if they were strapped in.

She'd turned her back on him and was bending over a butler's table, fixing herself a drink, and dropping ice into it. He was treated to the graphic view of her panties and rear end. He'd seen 747 jets that weren't that wide. He shuddered. The Air Force hadn't prepared him for this.

"Thanks, but I don't drink." Ed said, as politely as he could. She turned toward him again, and he had a sudden new appreciation for her rear.

"Oooooooh. I bet you don't smoke either. A man with no vices. How boring. I can make you a nice club soda. Would you like it with or without a cherry? I personally don't have a cherry. I lost my cherry long ago, if you know what I'm on about." She winked one eye with a false eyelash that looked like it was working itself loose.

"That sounds good." he heard himself say. She came over toward him with his drink, and sat next to him, and Ed had a sudden vision of the sinking of the Titanic. And regretted he wasn't aboard her as she sank. He could have sworn his side of the loveseat raised several inches into the air. He gulped his drink. She put her arm around him. Her hand, with its fake gold plastic nails, a rhinestone topping each nail, settled on his shoulder. Her perfume was like being attacked by chemical warfare. He couldn't think straight.

"Someone at the firm you work at told me you could help me with some questions about Phillip Rutland's disappearance." Ed said, amazed at how calm he sounded. "I'm looking into it." There, he thought, now she won't make any moves on me. The gold nails started stroking his ear. Well, that was bright, Straker. That went over as well as mixing oil and water. He scooted away, as far as he could, and drew his wallet out, setting his drink down. He showed her one of his business cards that identified him as a consultant for the Metropolitan Police. As revolting as this woman was, he had the instinct that if he played his part well, he could get a lot out of her. Afterwards, he resolved to have Alec hose him down with disinfectant. "Did you know Mr. Rutland well?" Ed gave her his most charming smile.

"Phil? Oh certainly. When I heard he'd gone off, I wasn't surprised at all. We all knew he'd been having problems with that little tart of a wife of his. He had much too much to drink at the party and started yelling at her. We all pretended not to hear, but of course we were hanging on every word dearie. Life would be so dull without gossip, don't you think?" She grasped Ed's hand, and began rubbing it suggestively. Ed was so engrossed in what she was telling him that he failed to notice.

"Oh, something about her first husband. Phil was upset over comparisions to him. She'd been married before, you know. I heard he was quite a catch. American. Rich. Loaded. Military, I think. Her mother arranged everything for her, you know. They've always been climbers up the social ladder. Anyway, I guess poor Phil couldn't please her in bed or something, whatever. At any rate she suddenly decided she wanted the American back. Phil was drinking like a fish that night. Everyone was, ducky. The next thing we knew, she was crying crocodile tears, and he stormed out the door alone. We had to call a cab for her to get home. Not that she was grateful, the little tart."

"Oh dearie, no. Off somewhere with his drinking buddies would be my guess. Besides, she has nothing to worry about. He'll come back to her when his drinking money runs out. She's filthy rich from the divorce settlement from her first husband. She's always been attracted to men with money and class and a good social standing. Why she divorced her first husband, I'll never know. Anyway, Phil's always been attracted to women with money, you see. My, my, but you're gorgeous. Do you have a girlfriend? I'm a widow, you know. And I know just how to make a man happy in bed, ducky." Her hand strayed down toward Ed's crouch, but he jumped up, knocked over his unfinished drink.

"Thank you, Sally, you've been very helpful." Ed grabbed his coat, wiggled into it like a flash.

"Goodbye, Miss Cooper!" Ed slammed the door shut behind him. Then he ran all the way back to his car.

"Well, dear, you have knots in your hair, and split ends. And all that terrible dye did was to dry out your hair. Don't worry, I'll take care of it for you. I think you'd look wonderful with waves in your dark hair, don't you, dear?"

"I never realised that looking beautiful for my Edward was so painful." Lily said glumly. Frances chuckled.

"Believe me dear, it is worth it, I go through a lot of trouble to look pretty for Stanley."

"I fell in love with Stanley Brisby the moment he walked through my door. Later, I felt so terrible, so full of confusion. I had married Quentin when I was very young. About fifteen years old. He just swept me off my feet. I never complained when he joined the army and went off to wars. I don't even suppose I was all that surprised when I found out he had died trying to escape that horrible camp. Quentin was a soldier first and a husband second. Stanley wasn't like that. He became devoted to me, and drawn to the church more and more. I'll never forget the day he asked me to marry him. It wasn't long after he was ordained. He told me afterwards it was the scariest thing he ever did. By that time there was no doubt at all in my mind or heart. I said yes immediately. I've been happy as his wife ever since."

"I can't have children dear. Just one of those things. Stanley and I discussed adoption, but we decided it wasn't for us. Besides, Stanley always teases me and tells me that I adopted all his parishioners anyway." Frances laughed. "And Lily, I would like it very much if you thought of me as your mother, you know. From what you told me of yourself, your mother wasn't very nurturing. And your father seems like a very evil man."

"He did not love my mother at all. But no matter what my sisters and I did, she would not leave him. My mother tried her best with us, but I hated my life, and as the youngest daughter I never got along with my sisters very well. As soon as I had saved up enough money, I ran away from them. I met a kind woman who was Wiccan, she took me into her home, taught me the craft, and showed me what it was like to be independent. I became involved in her causes, and I got myself into trouble sometimes. Sometimes with men." Lily shrugged.

"Is Ed the first man you have ever really loved?" Frances questioned. Lily nodded.

"I didn't intend for it to happen. Like I told Alec, I have let men have my body for their pleasure and sometimes for mine. I never wanted any man as badly as I wanted my Edward that first day I saw him. He had such an animal magnetism. It was right out of those silly romance books."

"I read those silly romance books, Lily. I can't get enough of them, I'm sad to say." Frances tittered. Lily giggled.

"Well, my Edward was like those men in those books. I will never forget how much Petunia talked about him. She was always telling me that one day the right gentleman would come along for me to marry, and she tried to convince me I should go meet this Ed Straker who was so handsome and who had been so kind to her. I told her she was being silly! I would never let any man mean that much to me. I showed her how to make the magic wishing fairies anyway. Then one day she died in her sleep, and I went that day to the law firm, and I saw Edward for the first time. I nearly fainted away, he was so handsome. I cannot tell you how terrible it was to think I would never ever see him again. And then of course Petunia's horrid grandson injured him. I would go to hospital as much as I could, and just watch my Edward sleep." Lily sighed. "I think Alec took pity on me, and answered all of my questions about my Edward. But still, I did not have much hope that he would love me. So I took matters into my own hands." Lily shrugged.

"Your destiny was intertwined with his, dear. You made friends with his companion Mr. Freeman, and you went to Ed's house, and well, we know the rest. You're very lucky, Lily. Ed is a wonderful man. Stanley thinks the world of him. He was very distressed when he didn't know what happened to him. Of course, he was thrilled when we met you both in Washington. Maybe you don't know, dear, but your Ed is not like the heroes in romantic stories. Stanley says he is a genuine hero."

"That was such a terrible time for my Edward. He would scream in his sleep. I did not know how to-" Lily shuddered suddenly like she was chilled, and her eyes unfocused. A horrifying look came over her face. "Frances! Bring me the phone!"

Frances ran into the bungalow, and Stanley looked up in surprise from his old desk where he'd been composing his sermon.

"Something's happened, Stanley, she needs the phone." Frances picked up the cellular phone, and went back into the garden, with Stanley following. She placed it in Lily's hands. Lily dialled Ed's car phone number quickly. It was busy.

"Damn! Alec, of course, I will call the adorable Alec!" She dialled Alec. A few seconds went by, and then she heard the ringing. Finally he answered.

Stanley made the sign of the cross, while Frances looked on, clinging to Stanley's arm, wide-eyed, hardly moving.

"Curse you Alec Freeman! If you never believed me before, then please believe me now! Edward is in danger! I just tried to call him on his car phone, and he is not answering."

"Hold the line, Lily." Alec punched a key, and then looked over at Ayesha. He was in SHADO h.q. "Lieutenant, get me a fix on Commander Straker's car immediately."

"Yes sir." Ayesha's fingers flew over the console. "Commander Straker's car is on the A 10, headed south."

"Transmit a code one signal to him, and patch him through to me. I'll be in his office. And Lieutenant, keep monitoring his location. I want to be told straightaway if the Commander's car stops at any destination."

"Yes sir." Ayesha responded. Alec went into Ed's office and sat at his desk. He punched a key.

"I've contacted him, he should be calling me soon. Hang on Lily, we'll find him. Stay on the line."

Ed Straker drew his mouth into a thin taut line of displeasure, as he headed down the A10 at the car's top speed of 250 kilometers per hour, not caring about the speed limits. He recalled his short encounter with Mary earlier in the afternoon.

"All right Mary. I know what happened. You had an argument with Rutland, he left you. I spoke to Sally Cooper who told me in great detail about what happened at the party you attended with him. Now I want to know exactly what was going on. I won't stand for any more lies about how everything between you two was perfect. And I want to know to what extent it involved me-" Mary's telephone had rung.

Mary had been standing stiffly, not looking at Ed. She went quickly over to the telephone, and answered it. Scowling, Ed dropped into a chair, watched her carefully. She looked extremely puzzled.

"Straker, if you ever want to see Phillip Rutland alive again, come to 73 Rutherford Road, Annex 10 now." The line went dead. Ed recognised the voice immediately, and replaced the receiver. He picked up his coat.

"Just stay here. Don't go anywhere. I'm not finished with you." Ed left the house and got into his SHADO car, and headed for the address, brooding.

Now he turned off the A 10 and headed east. Suddenly a light flashed on his car's console. He picked up the phone and punched in the code that gave him direct access to SHADO HQ.

"This is Commander Straker. What's the nature of the emergency? Yes. Yes. All right, put me through. Alec, what's going on?"

"I just got a call from Lily. She is certain that you're in danger. What's going on Ed? What have you gotten yourself into?"

"Alec. Remember your little friend Daniel Aster? The fellow that half of New Scotland Yard is dying to throw in prison? Well he apparently has been keeping track of my whereabouts. He just called me at Mary's house and told me that unless I get to 73 Rutherford Road, Annex 10, that Phillip Rutland will die. Alec, run a check on that address, see what you come up with. Assign a couple of men to watch Mary's house. And unless you're in the thick of things at SHADO h.q. I could use some backup, it seems that Lily may just be right."

"Jesus Christ, Ed! Hold on." Alec quickly said goodbye to Lily, hung up and ordered Ayesha to do a computer check on the address. Then he had Paul Foster paged on the intercom system. Soon, he had an answer.

"Standing by." Ed had said. Ed made a left turn onto Rutherford Road as he waited for Alec to reply.

"Ed, Annex 10 is an warehouse, it used to be a toy factory until an accidental fire destroyed most of it. It's being rebuilt. But the kicker is that the building and property is owned by Daniel Aster. He collected quite a lot of money from the insurance policy on it. May have been an act of arson."

"What in blazes would Rutland be doing mixed up with a criminal like Dan Aster? Alec, if all goes well, New Scotland Yard may just finally pin Aster down. I knew something was fishy about the fellow when I met him at Ben's shooting range. As a matter of fact Alec, run these names through the computer as well. Higgins, Gerald. Powell, Leonard." Alec scribbled down the names.

"I'll let Paul handle it. My first priority is to get to you. I'm on my way over."

Ed Straker pulled the SHADO car to a stop, pulled out his Glock automatic, satisfied himself that he had enough ammunition, slid it back into the shoulder holster, and got out of the car, locked it. He took his cellular phone out of his jacket, dialed Alec's car number. The rain was still falling, and it was windy. The iron sign above the building saying ASTER TOY MANUFACTURING had been damaged some from the fire, but the building itself was in the process of being restored. Scaffolding surrounded it. The isolation of the area made Ed think he was in a ghost town. Ed shivered, drew the Velcro seams of his cream Nehru jacket together. He had removed his trenchcoat and left it in the SHADO car to have better access to his Glock. The wind whipped furiously at his platinum hair.

"I'm here, Alec. What's your ETA to this Godforsaken place?" Ed noted that his car was the only one parked in the abandoned lot. The sign swung to and fro in the wind, making eerie squeaking sounds.

"Around fifteen minutes. I'm coming with a SHADO team, just in case. I've put Trauma One on standby. Be careful, Ed."

Ed tried the heavy padlock on the front door, but no joy. He was about to take a pouch of delicate locksmithing tools out of his jacket lining when he noticed that the freight lift doors were partially open. Stepping gingerly over the gravel and rocks, he lifted the doors open enough so that he could step inside the lift, took a flashlight out of his pocket, and pulled the doors shut. He pushed the up button. The lift rumbled to life, and Ed thought it sounded like a monster being awakened from a sound sleep. Being there was like stepping into its jaws. Adding to the unpleasantness was the fact that the size of the lift was more suited to crates than a man that suffered from claustrophobia. Ed clenched his teeth as it rose up. Finally the lift stopped, and he got out with a great deal of relief. He reached into his jacket and drew his Glock.

"Rutland? Hello?" Ed called. No answer came. Newspapers were strewn all over, there was an stench, cobwebs were in evidence, and the walls had been repainted a sickly green. The ill-chosen paint appeared fresh. Ed moved the powerful beam of his light around the area.

A massive rat scurried out of the semi-darkness, stood on its hindlegs to sniff the air, its nose vibrating rapidly. Ed watched it in amusement, glad to have company, rodent or not. It began to groom its dark fur.

"You wouldn't happen to know what's going on here, would you, Mr. Rat?" Ed spoke to it. The rat dashed away quickly. "You've got the right idea.." Ed said with a slight grin. Ed moved the light on the walls. There was something funny about them. He took the nozzle of his Glock , knocked once against the wall, and to his surprise, it gave way to newspaper. Someone had painted over it in a hasty manner to conceal something behind it. Ed opened the gap in the wall wider. To his astonishment, Ed saw the butts of rifles. He started to puncture the wall in other places, and found other firearms.

"STRAKER! Help me!" It was Rutland's voice. Ed ran in the direction it had come from. He saw nothing. He swung the light around, raised his Glock in defensive position. Then there was a sharp crack of bullets somewhere in front of him. They struck him in the chest.

"UHHH!" Ed grunted, grimaced, lost the Glock and his flashlight and plummeted down hard.

Miles away, Lily Marsh had been pacing up and down in the Brisby bungalow, refusing the tea Frances offered her, waiting for some news of Ed from Alec. She stopped, screamed.

"EDWARD! NOOOOOOO! EDWARD! Goddess, no! " Lily exclaimed in hysterics. As Stanley and Frances stared at her, totally convinced that she was seeing something beyond ordinary sight, back in the warehouse, a light snapped on, and two shadows towered over a defenseless, bleeding Ed Straker. Phillip Rutland. Next to him, Daniel Aster. Both men grinned.

"Finally, you son of a bitch! Finally. Straker. The one who ruined everything for me. The fucking American colonel who Mary married. I wasn't good enough for her, Straker! After the boy died, nothing was the same. She kept mentioning you, how important you were, her precious military man. Ed Straker, who was better than me . She hated sex with me, said I wasn't as good as you were. Said she was going to get you back. Well you didn't deliver, did you, Straker?"

Ed's mind raced despite the severe pain. Where was Alec? God, it was an effort to breathe, and the top of his jacket was becoming damp. One, two slugs? Terrible burning. How much blood had he lost? Was a major artery hit? God, he could hardly breathe. Don't let this be it. Don't let this be how everything ends. Lily--and our unborn son--

"Plan--planned this. Trap." Ed managed to croak out. It hurt horribly, and he was getting dizzy. He coughed. Can't pass out--got to stay conscious.

"Oh, brilliant, Straker. Yes, you idiot. Remember Asher here? He set it up for me. Got any last words, Straker? The brilliant, superior Colonel Ed Straker, head of Harlington-Straker studios. Well, you've made your last movie, Straker. You're going to die. Do you feel superior now? Huh, Straker? You don't look so superior now! Answer me! ANSWER ME, or I'll blow your fucking head off!" Rutland raised his gun. Ed's vision blurred. He attempted to raise a hand to protect himself but his body didn't obey him.

"Hurry up and get rid of the bastard. " Aster coaxed. "Then my blokes Powell and Higgins will help get rid of the body, toss it in the Thames. I'll enjoy seeing the colour of this smug bastard's brains, he took my money off me."

In the semidarkness, the nozzle of a 45 calibre Smith & Wesson Schofield was coldly and mercilessly raised in silence, aimed at Rutland.

Rutland fired in the direction of the voice. Aster gave backup shots. Four 45 calibre bullets hit Rutland like a lorry, and he toppled, dead before he hit the ground. Seconds after that, backup rifle volleys from SHADO operatives behind Alec brought down Asher.

"Emergency! Commander Straker's been hit! Trauma One land stat!" Alec shouted over his radio. He knelt at Ed's side, took off his coat, covered Ed with it, felt the feeble pulse in his neck. Saw with horror the blood soaking the jacket, and the stream of blood from Ed's lips. "Ed, for God's sake stay with me! Don't you die on me!"

"Alec." Ed was gasping and coughing now, lying on his side. His eyes rolled back in his head, then he went unconscious.

Miles away, at that very same instant, Lily Marsh collapsed to the ground in a dead faint.

Alec's warm fingers closed over Ed's cold hand in desperation, and he sighed with relief as he heard the SHADO medical helicopter, Trauma One, approach. He blessed the instinct that had made him insist it hover over the area. Alec felt for Ed's carotid pulse again. There was none. Desperately, Alec opened the bloody jacket, pushed up Ed's turtleneck and began CPR. He nearly passed out with relief as the medical team arrived to take over, started treatment, connected Ed's limp body to a cardiac monitor and defibrillator. They applied contact gel to the paddles, the medic called for clear. Alec had to look away as the electric charge jolted through Ed and his body jerked. Nothing happened. No response.

"Again," the SHADO medic ordered. Nothing happened. The medics exchanged worried looks. The longer no blood flow was getting to the Commander's brain, the more the chance of brain damage. "Again, higher." one repeated. Ed's body jerked and arched with the voltage charge. Alec was grim, knowing what they were thinking.

"Come on, damn it, respond. Come on, Ed, live!" Alec urged. He sagged with relief when the beeping commenced, and a heart rhythm started up again. The medics placed an oxygen mask over Ed's face, started IV's of saline and plasma, then lifted him onto the guerney. One of Alec's team came up to him. The others began to prepare Rutland and Asher's bodies for transport.

"Have a look at this, Sir. Asher was smuggling guns all right. Must be hundreds here, buried within the walls . My guess is Asher torched this place, so he could use it as a hideout for the weapons when things got to be sticky. Oh and we caught up with Higgins and Powell. Found more weapons in the boots of their car. It'll take the Yard several days to trace everything."

"Right. Secure the area and notify New Scotland Yard and the police." Alec said tensely. "I'm going to Mayland Hospital to be with the Commander."

Lily Marsh was ashen, seated in a chair, holding on with both hands to the tumbler of whiskey Stanley had given her. She rocked slightly.

"Ed's a strong man. If he's somehow been hurt, he'll recover. He's got the strongest will of any man I've ever known. Don't you worry, Lily. I promise you everything will be all right." Stanley was saying. Frances was rubbing Lily's shoulder comfortingly. There was a knock on the door. Lily sprung up, and the tumbler crashed to the floor, in pieces. Frances rose to answer it. Alec stood there, came in, went over to Lily.

"Lily, there isn't any easy way to tell you this. Ed was shot twice at close range in the chest. One bullet punctured and lodged in his lung, the other shattered his clavicle and damaged several blood vessels on its way out. There was external and internal hemorrhaging. He was still in surgery when I left to come here. There's a possibility of brain damage, since his heart arrested for a few minutes. All we can do is wait."

"Lily, he's still in surgery, and it's unlikely they'll let you see him for long when they move him into intensive care."

"I think it might be best, Alec. And Ed will need prayers." Stanley said meaningfully. "So we'll go as well."

"Okay, we'll take your car, I'll pick up mine later. He's at Mayland Hospital, which is affilated with the studio. They have his complete medical history as well. Come on."

Lily Marsh cried silently, stared at the floor in the waiting room. My Edward, I cannot help you now, I cannot stop death now, there is no magic doll to put life back into your beautiful eyes. Please, Goddess. Please don't take him to yourself. Please let him live. And don't let him suffer too much. Please. I ask not only for me, but for Stanley and Frances and for Alec, who loves him like a son. Lily looked up at Alec, who was leaning up against the wall, sipping coffee, stern, worry in the pockmarked, beaten face, yet trying to be strong. Stanley's head was bowed, and he was softly saying the words of a prayer. Lily strained to listen. Our Father, who art in heaven- But she did not believe in a male deity. Surely the Goddess was the only one who was all powerful? But Frances had believed that whoever you worshipped, the important thing was to have faith and believe in something more powerful than yourself. Lily looked at Frances, her head was bowed too. Her eyes were red, but she looked serene. Secure in her faith. If Edward died, if he lost his battle for life, Lily thought, Frances would think it was her God's will. But how could a God be so cruel as to let my Edward suffer, and die long before his time? How then could God be God? Certainly it was better to believe in a motherly compassionate Goddess than to fear the wrath of a angry male God? But I too feared that I would be punished for avenging Petunia. I feared the threefold law. Oh Goddess. I do not know what to believe anymore.

Oh Edward, my sweet Edward, I am here with you. Do not leave me please. Do not make it too late for me to know that you truly love me. Does it matter so much who the Being is that would listen to my plea? My Edward is a good person, he does not deserve to die this way. Oh my Edward, my darling, I love you. I do not have much to offer you, I am not intelligent or sophisticated or beautiful or strong. But I love you, I can love you. Come back to me please? Do not go to the next world to join your son and your daughter. Stay with me, my precious Edward. Lily sighed. They had been there for hours on end, it seemed.

Stanley was saying different words now. Hail Mary, full of grace- Did Stanley then believe in a Goddess too? Had Frances not told her that their Blessed Mother was like her Goddess? Would this strange Blessed Mother think of Edward as her child?

"What's Comm- what's Ed's condition, Doctor?" Alec asked, failing to keep the emotion out of his voice. How strange, Lily thought, bewildered. My Edward told me he was a retired brigadier general from the American Air Force. But Alec was going to call him Commander. Could it be that he is someone important? What difference does it make? I want my Edward to live! That is the only thing that is important! Lily listened intently to the doctor.

"pieced back together the newly shattered clavicle with new pins, as you know, Mr. Straker had been injured in that area before, and this latest injury caused a lot of new damage. He's bound to have lost even more mobility in the left arm as a result of it, we won't know how much until he's recovered enough to have physical therapy, then we can redetermine the extent of the loss-" the doctor was saying. "We removed the bullet, sutured several blood vessels, repaired the traumatic pneumothorax, stopped the bleeding. We won't know if his brain has been impared by the cardiac arrest until he wakes up. For now we have him on several medications, we're continuing the oxygen, the transfusions and we're watching him closely. He'll continue to be heavily sedated for a while to try to speed his recovery, then we'll start to reduce the sedation, allow him to come around and provide him with a self-regulated morphine pump. He's got a great deal of pain and physical therapy ahead of him, I'm afraid, but we'll keep him as comfortable as possible of course. The good news is that he's fairly stable, but I'm presently concerned about his elevated temperature, because of the problems with suitable antibiotics with his allergy. We moved him to the ICU, you can see him for a few minutes if you like, and then I'd advise you to all go home and get some rest. If there is any change in Mr. Straker's condition I will notify you straightaway."

"Thank you, Dr. Schroder." Alec said wearily. "Lily, Stanley, Frances, this way."

"Alec, I am afraid." Lily gripped Alec's arm tightly. "I've never seen someone badly hurt in this ICU, what will it be like?"

"Ed's been there many times, Lily. He's had well-- a lot of accidents." Alec lied lamely. "As a matter of fact I usually joke with Ed that he has more tubes in him than he has orifices, a sign that he is really sick. He'll be hooked up to several machines, oxygen, temperature, cardiac telemetry. He'll be heavily asleep. But in times when he's been injured before, he's told me that he sensed my presence, even when the doctors said he was in coma. So he may know that you are with him on some level. Especially since you seem to have some sort of psychic link with him when he's in distress. It might help if you tried to make a connection with him, let him know he isn't alone."

"I will try. I must be strong, I know. But I am so frightened for him." Lily sighed.

"Listen, Lily, he's got a tender heart. He's one of God's beloved children. Ed will get well, I know he will. If he survived in the camp and in the jungle of Vietnam, he will survive now. It isn't in Ed's nature to give up." Stanley assured her.

"The poor man. All that suffering and then we have to tell him Lily lost their baby daughter." Frances said, weeping. "I don't understand how he could have gotten involved with that evil man from trying to help his ex-wife."

"Christ! I nearly forgot about Mary. I don't know how she's going to take the news that she's a widow, and that she's partially responsible for getting Ed shot." Alec grumbled.

"But certainly she willingly wouldn't have let him get involved in all that?" Stanley asked, baffled.

"She is evil." Lily said firmly. "She told my Edward lies! She meant for something bad to happen."

"I am a witch, I know these things. But no more talk of her. I must be with my Edward."

The three of them entered the ICU ward, consulted the nurse at the desk, and went with her into a private area monitored by remote television cameras. Two husky men stood guard at both sides of the glass door, both armed. Lily recognised one as being the percussionist at Alec's birthday party, and she looked at Alec with a puzzled expression. The door slid open automatically with a soft hiss as they approached. They heard the cacophony of the machines in the room. Then Lily saw Ed. She gasped. His eyes were shut, and he looked waxen, his face almost completely obscured by the green oxygen mask. Several plastic bags of medication of different hues hung above him and dripped into IV's taped to his arms. Alec frowned, sighed. Lily broke into tears, and gently closed her hand over his fingers lovingly, careful not to disturb any tubing. Frances brought her hand to her mouth in shock, and Stanley calmly drew a vial of holy water out, and made the sign of the cross over Ed's silent form.

"He needs us, Lily. He's going to need all of us to be strong. Ed's got a hard road of a lot of pain ahead of him, and rough physical therapy combined with bed rest he's going to hate. Let's just hope that his fever goes down, that he hasn't lost too much mobility in that arm and that he's the same Ed Straker we're familar with when they let him wake up."

"What Dr. Schroder was telling us. That because Ed's heart stopped, no blood was reaching his brain. It could have caused damage, and if it did, he may not know us."

"I will not let that happen! Alec, please! That would be a terrible thing!" Lily sobbed. "It would be better if the Goddess took him to her bosom!"

"Marsh, hush. You had a link with him, remember? Do you feel connected now? Are you getting any sensation from him at all? Try to communicate with him psychically, let him know we're all here." Alec directed her urgently.

"Alec, it does not work that way. I know when he is distressed, but I am getting nothing from him now, as if he wasn't even here. And I do not know if my gift is strong enough to send anything to him!" Lily exclaimed, feeling helpless.

"I don't know much about that ESP or whatever it's called, but I do know you love him and he loves you," Stanley said, slipping the vial of holy water back into a pocket. "Just send him your love, child."

"I will try." She closed her eyes. Where are you, my Edward? Can you hear me? It is your flower Lily. Alec is here, and Frances, and Stanley. Oh my Edward, we are all here and we are so worried about you! Lily said silently. I am here, my Edward, try and find me. Can you feel the love we are all sending you? I am right here with you. We are all right here with you.

Lily gave a little involuntary jump. Had she imagined it? Surely she must be dreaming. But it had been Edward's presence and that voice, unmistakably his strong, warm distinctive voice in her head. Saying one word weakly, timidly, with great confusion.

Right here, my Edward, my precious, right here with you, she told him. Tears filled her eyes at the heartbreaking response. It was the voice of a man, but with the raw, intense fear of a small boy.

-Lost, lost. I don't know where I am! I'm scared! I want to go home. Take me home Lily-

-Don't leave me, Lily! Please. I can't stand to be alone anymore-the loneliness is so terrible! Don't leave me alone!

Lily lost the connection. Alec managed to catch her before she crumpled to the ground.

"I appreciate you all doing this with me," Alec said to them the next morning, drinking coffee. He and Lily had stayed with Stanley and Frances for the night, Lily taking the guest bed and Alec catching some sleep on the couch. Then Alec had gone to and gotten briefed by New Scotland Yard and the police, trying to piece together the whole mess, and making sure Ed's name was kept out of the papers.

"No problem at all, Alec. The woman might be comforted by the presence of a priest," Stanley added.

"The poor unfortunate woman has lost her husband, maybe we can do her some good." Frances said, screwing on her pearl earrings carefully. Stanley smiled lovingly at her.

"Doing her some good when she is responsible for getting my Edward hurt is not what I have in mind." Lily pronounced darkly. "There are some days I regret that I do not practiice black magic, but only white."

"Let's not let that jealous, avengeful nature of yours get you into any more trouble, Marsh. Come on."

"Alec! Please come in!" Mary said with surprise when she opened the door. She looked baffled at the presence of Stanley in his clerical collar, and Frances, demure in her lace blouse and tweed skirt and pearls. But a shadow crossed her face when she saw Lily, who wore a black and silver metallic top and a black, shape hugging skirt and thigh high leather boots. Stanley had arranged for some of Lily's things to be stored at his bungalow, and Lily had changed into the alluring outfit. Crystals and the ever present pentacle hung from her neck, and jet beads dangled from her ears. Frances had swept up Lily's raven tresses in a french roll. Alec thought she looked every inch the witch. If only Ed was here to see her, he thought sadly. Alec had called hospital to see how Ed was. Ed's fever hadn't gone down, but at least it hadn't risen any. He continued to be under heavy sedation.

"Mary, this is the Right Reverend Stanley Brisby and his wife Frances, and my friend Lily Marsh. I'm afraid this isn't a social call. Mary, your husband was shot and killed last night. I'm sorry." Alec said. "Somehow he'd gone off and gotten involved with Daniel Asher, whom New Scotland Yard suspected was smuggling guns. There was a shootout, Rutland and Asher were killed."

"Your husband shot Ed out of anger at him, which is why I killed him, he fired at me as well. Ed's in hospital." Alec said grimly.

"Supposed to happen? What was supposed to happen?" Lily said angrily. "The police told Alec that you probably made my Edward look for your husband because he was missing. They did not believe your story about not knowing why he left, so they did not take his disappearance seriously. Then you entice my Edward to help you. Why? What were you planning? What did you want?" Lily's brown eyes flashed dangerously.

"Nothing. The shock. The shock, you understand." Mary muttered. "My poor Phillip. Dead. I can't believe it." Alec stared at her, and suddenly everything that the police had told him started to make sense. They had tracked down Sally Cooper, after a second visit to Rutland's firm. Higgins and Powell had sung like canaries, exposing Aster's plans.

"Bloody hell. You knew. Damn you! You asked Ed to look for him, didn't you? You knew that Rutland wanted Ed dead. He'd drunkenly threatened Ed at the party. Sally Cooper told us everything. Ed had gotten a lead from someone at the firm, and found Sally before we did. You wanted Rutland out of your life. Rutland vanishes, and you use all your feminine guiles on Ed, claiming to be the worried wife whose husband had mysteriously vanished. But in truth you knew exactly why Rutland had left. You'd hoped Ed would kill Rutland in self defence, didn't you? You know Ed is a marksman, and hoped he'd rid you of Rutland. But you didn't figure on Rutland tricking then ambushing Ed the way he must have, or that he'd gotten mixed up with Asher since he probably couldn't be certified to have a gun. You bloody bitch! " Alec swore, murder in his eyes.

"You are wasting your time with the crocodile tears. Your husband is dead like you wanted. But my Edward will get well and we will be married. You will never be with him again." Lily told her, hands balled into fists.

"Married? That's a joke! Wait until you find out that Ed's real mistress is his work! That's all he cares about! That's the only thing that is important to him! He allowed our poor Johnny to die after promising me he'd get the right drug for him! You wait! Wait and see! You'll find out soon enough when he lets you down the way he did us!" Mary shrieked. Lily took a step toward her, but Alec grabbed her arm. Furiously she yanked it away, but stayed where she was. Stanley just stared at Mary.

"You have a lot of bitterness in your heart, child. I am sorry for your loss, the death of a child is a terrible thing. But I know Ed Straker's soul. I know it the same way I know every nick and cranny of my church. If any of what you say is fair dinkum, which I doubt, then there is a powerful reason for it known only to him. Ed is a good man, a man with a good heart." Stanley said in a low voice, not taking his eyes from Mary. "He loved his son. I'll not have you poison our ears against him. Come along, Frances. I don't think I want to be in this woman's presence for one moment longer. Besides, I'm needed by Ed's bedside. Frances?"

"If I could find a way to put you behind bars, I would. Believe me, if I can figure out a reason, I will. But for the time being, leaving you in an empty house is enough for me. Come on, Lily." Alec said. Lily nodded, spit in Mary's direction. Stanley moved with them to the door. Only Frances stood there with Mary.

"Sugarplum?" Stanley called, mystified. His wife had remained silent throughout the whole thing. Quite unexpectedly, she approached Mary, drew back, and gave her a hard slap across the face. Mary yelped. Stanley's, Lily's and Alec's jaws all dropped in disbelief. Frances turned around and marched in a dignified manner out the door.

"Sugarplum, did I actually see you do that?" Stanley said. "Crikey! And I thought you were such a quiet, mild mannered girl. That was just bonza!" Stanley's grin practically overwhelmed his face. Alec cackled as he drove their sedan. Lily whooped in glee. Frances ducked her face, tittered and blushed .

"That wasn't very Christian of me, but I couldn't let that horrible woman go without some punishment for the terrible thing she did to Lily's Edward, now could I?"

"It's the quiet, shy ones you have to look out for." Alec laughed. "Your little pussycat turned into a tiger."

"It is all Lily's fault, I am being influenced by her style!" chortled Frances merrily.

"I will make you my apprentice, get you out of tweeds and lace and into leathers and lame and teach you the craft! I will turn you into a Wiccan yet! " Lily laughed.

"If I'd known you had a right hook like that, I wouldn't have had to pass the donation basket around. I'd just put you in the ring with Mike Tyson, and put all the church's money on you to win!" Stanley joked. "I could build a cathedral with the fortune I'd make!"

Alec roared at Stanley appreciatively. The two women cackled merrily in the back of the car. After a while, the laughing died down and Lily sighed. "What's wrong, child?" Stanley asked.

"We are having so much fun, I wish my Edward could take part in it. Alec, when will they start to let him wake up? I don't want to have him wake up and be alone. I promised him I wouldn't leave him alone."

"They said they were going to take him off the heavy sedation this afternoon. Maybe with a little luck, he'll start to come around by this evening."

"I'm still having trouble believing that you were actually able to reach his mind, dear." Frances said with awe, holding Lily's arm.

"I have never done anything like that, Frances. I could sense when he was in trouble, and I am sure I felt it when he was shot. But I did not expect for his mind to be that powerful. I think he must have a little of the gift himself." Lily said proudly.

"I wouldn't be surprised. He's had hunches before, always seemed to have a sixth sense." replied Alec.

Frances flipped through the pages of a magazine without seeing them, Alec paced in the small area he had, Stanley prayed softly, reading from his prayerbook, and Lily just gently stroked Ed's hand in a tender manner. They'd been in the ICU for hours, breaking for a few minutes to have sandwiches and coffee for lunch. Now it was getting dark outside of Mayland Hospital. The doctors had taken Ed completely off the sedation, adding only morphine to his medications. He was still running a fever, and he hadn't shown any sign of regaining consciousness at all. Alec was beginning to get worried. An MRI of Ed's brain hadn't shown any damage, but his failure to respond bothered Alec. They had taken his oxygen mask, and only a nasal canula remained in place. Ed's blood volume was becoming normal and his blood gases were normal as well. They were giving him a mild antibotic that he could tolerate to try and combat the infection he'd gotten from his wounds. Alec studied Ed's slow, measured breathing, furrowed his brow in frustration.

"Lily." Alec said. "I know that it's difficult, but can you try and reach Ed's mind again?"

"That's what bothers me. Usually he fights to break through sedation, and yells at me that he doesn't have the time to be sick. Ed has no common sense. He could have a spear through his back and still insist that he was perfectly all right and ready to go back to work."

"I will try and see if he responds to me." Lily told Alec. She closed her eyes. Edward, can you hear me, my darling? It is Lily. It is time to wake up. You don't have to be afraid, Lily told the SHADO Commander mentally. There was no spark of life from Ed in response. We want you to return to us. My Edward, you cannot stay wherever you are. Alec and Stanley and Frances and I all miss you. Come back to us. But there was no answer in her mind from Ed. Lily sighed. "I just feel him at peace."

"That isn't a good thing. He might have stopped fighting to live," the priest said. Lily got pale.

Alec exchanged places with Lily after she reluctantly let go of Ed's limp hand. He sat next to the bed, and took Ed's hand in his own, still being careful not to dislodge the IV's. He leaned close to Ed's face.

A few minutes went by, and then just when Alec thought it was useless, Ed's lashes fluttered. He moved his hand a little. Lily gasped.

"That's it , Ed. Wake up. You're always waking me up in the morning, and you always say you're sorry. But you're not sorry at all. Wake up, Ed. Rise and shine."

Ed's dry lips parted, and his tongue protruded for an instant to lick them. His eyes opened a little.

"-it hurts." His voice was extremely faint, each word costing him an effort but he'd spoken.

"Ed can you hear me? You're in the ICU at Mayland hospital. You're going to be fine. Do you know who I am?" Alec asked. The clear blue eyes swept over Alec briefly. Ed nodded. He closed his eyes again. But Alec persisted.

"Oh Edward, please be all right!" Lily sobbed. Ed's eyes opened again, panned the room.

Stanley and Frances and Alec and Lily all looked at one another with uncertainty.

"Is he hallucinating?" Stanley asked."The men in camp often saw things that weren't there when the malaria struck."

"No rats here, Ed. It's going to be okay. You have a fever, all right? Just try and stay awake."

"Alec?" came the timid reply. Alec smiled, and Stanley, Lily and Frances all gasped. Ed's eyes tried to follow the sound.

"Hurts. Everything burns, it hurts." Ed grimaced. A thin sheen of sweat dampened his forehead and some of his fine platinum hairs.

"I know. You just stay calm now. You're going to be all right. Stanley, get the doctor in here to see if we can't get that morphine pump Ed has to work better."

"Right." Stanley got up, smiled at Ed. "It's going to be all right, son." He left the room.

"Is my son all right, is the baby all right?" Ed asked in that same slow speech. Lily looked at Alec in despair. He shook his head firmly.

"Edward, try and rest until the doctor comes to give you some more medicine." Lily said soothingly. Ed nodded, pressing his lips together, his face contorted in pain. The doctor and nurse came in, and the nurse made an adjustment to one of Ed's IV's. Ed groaned a little, restless.

A week later, Ed Straker sat in his bed in his usual private room, squeezing and then releasing a rubber ball repeatedly with his left hand and turning and reading the pages of a newspaper with the other. He looked up as Alec came in with Stanley, Lily and Frances. Frances was carrying a large bowl of daffodils. Ed put down the newspaper.

"More flowers?" Ed asked in amusement. Alec chuckled at him. Ed's colour had come back, his fever had long since broken, and while he hadn't remembered everything of the incident, the doctors were certain he'd get his memory back in time. They had also told him he had lost an additional 6 per cent mobility in his left arm, but he was doing physical therapy daily to prove them wrong, and had been weaned off the morphine and was only taking a lower dosage of codeine when the pain of the reconstructed clavicle got too much to handle. Plus, Lily was doing massage on him on a regular basis with what he called her potions. He still hadn't gained back all the weight he lost, so everyone was sneaking in food to him which wasn't quite on the diet the nutritionist had recommended. And, thought Alec, he finally seemed to have exorcised the ghost of Mary. Not surprisingly, he had asked Alec not to press any charges again her after he had been told what she'd planned. Alec had ruefully deferred to Ed.

"Ed, my son, you should feel lucky that they are to decorate your room, and not your coffin." Stanley grinned at him.

"Well, if Rutland had killed me, at least I'd know you'd sing a beautiful farewell song for me, Angel."

"When your number is up, Ed son, you can count on it. But not a second sooner." Stanley chuckled.

"Come give me the kiss of life, Lily. But be careful, my shoulder hurts like hell and has more pins in it than a dressmaker's dummy," Ed warned with a scowl.

"Yes, yes, I'm sure the metal detectors are sounding alarms at Heathrow and Gatwick as we speak. By the way, have I said how nice it is to have my fiance back again?" Ed asked, a twinkle in his ice blue eyes. Lily sat next to him effortlessly in the yoga position he envied, kicked off her shoes and admired how he looked in the white silk pajamas she had bought him, and Frances had altered so that they'd fit over the brace he wore.

"Your hair. It isn't that funny red colour anymore. I have my genuine Lily back."

"Could be worse, Ed." Alec declared, as he watched Frances prop up the handmade pillows she'd created for Ed so he could rest against them .

"You have a point there. Alec, did you bring what I wanted you to bring?" inquired Ed.

"Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce cheese pickles onions on a sesame seed bun?" Alec asked innocently. Ed scowled at him playfully.

"No, not fast food. Lily and Frances brought me enough fish and chips and hamburgers and shakes these past week to make me want to swear off fast food restaurants for life. Although we did make a mint on those little racing cars McDonalds sold for us on that last Bishy the Kerploping Bunny animation film we did at the studio. Or was that the puppet one? I forget." Ed furrowed his brow. Alec made a face.

"That last wooden puppet series we did was sheer hell. I kept getting splinters." Alec said. Ed rolled his eyes at Alec as Stanley, Lily and Frances chortled.

"Alec E. Freeman, did you or did you not bring me what I asked for?" Ed said in exaggerated exasperation.

Alec reached into the inside of his jacket and handed Ed a small bag with an A & G on it. Ed accepted it with a smile. He opened it , and took out a black velvet box. Ed looked at Lily. Lily looked at Ed. She let out a little cry of glee.

"I'm not quite well enough to get down all the way down on my knees, so will you accept a proposal of marriage from a supine, aging man without full mobility of his left arm? "

"That is the least romantic proposal I ever heard in my entire life." Alec said, arms folded.

"Try again, Ed son. " suggested Stanley, looking at Frances in the same way he had done when he first saw her. She returned the look adoringly, rubbed her own marquise diamond engagement ring, lost in memories.

"Ugh. Two pairs of lovebirds. Good thing I'm in hospital. I might just get sick." cracked Alec. Lily stuck out her tongue at him.

Ed looked at him with a smile, then back at Lily, a bit shyly. He opened the box, took out a ring.

"I had Alec arrange to get this little trinket designed at Asprey's and Garrard on special order. I hope you like it. It's pearls set in platinum to resemble a lily and emeralds for the stem and foliage. My idea after giving the design a lot of special thought and consideration. Lily, I love you. Will you marry me?" Ed reached out and kissed Lily's hand solemnly.

"Oh my Edward! My darling, my precious Edward. Silly man." Lily said tearfully. " Of course I will. This is the happiest day of my life."

"Seems we have an appreciative audience." Ed said. He slipped the ring onto Lily's finger. Lily held it up happily so it would catch the light. She reached for Edward before he could react, and hugged him too tightly, putting pressure on his injured shoulder in spite of the protective brace. He gave a sharp cry of pain. The two SHADO personnel assigned to guard Ed's room poked their heads in. Alec shook his head at them, and they retreated. Lily looked absolutely taken aback when she realised what she'd done. Frances, Stanley and Alec all gathered closer around the bed, alarmed.

"Codswallop, Ed son. You sounded just like a bunyip with that yell. Lily you stay here, I'll get the doctor to make sure your Ed is okay." Stanley went out. Ed looked at Alec, perplexed, doing the best to ignore the pain in his shoulder.

"Don't look at me. I'm forced to live with Pommies and Yanks like you. I'm no longer a fair dinkum Aussie." Alec grinned. "You sure you're all right? Not that you've ever answered me honestly when I've asked you that question."

"You're going to kill him with kindness, " Frances tittered. Ed grinned, nodded.

"Don't worry about it Lily. I was just thinking it was a fine day to be strapped to a guerney and endure yet another of those glorious X-rays and wonderful MRI's."

Ed and Alec said in unison, "So I've been told." Lily dissolved into giggles. The doctor came in and inspected Ed and not surprisingly, hauled Ed off in a wheelchair, not a guerney, to the X-Ray department.

About a half-hour later, Alec, Frances and Stanley all departed to go to dinner when the doctor assured Ed that no permanent damage had been done, judging by the X-ray. Ed had been very relieved they hadn't stuck him in the MRI machine again. It was like throwing a rat into a cat show, the way the narrow space aggravated his latent claustrophobia. Lily remained with Ed, saying she was not hungry. She'd had a private word with Alec before they'd gone, and he'd told her they couldn't put off telling him that his daughter had died. Lily decided to tell Ed herself.

Lily sat on Ed's bed, watching him eat dinner on a tray, a decent distance away, just in case her memory of his condition proved faulty. She toyed with the large stuffed toy rat she, Alec, and Frances and Stanley had jokingly bought Ed as a get well present due to his memory about the rat he'd seen in the warehouse. Ed picked up the rubber ball again, and began his exercises with it.

"I know that expression. What's on your mind, Lily?" Ed picked at a bit of salad.

"About little Alec John Straker? That's what I had intended to name my son. Or did the doctors tell you whether the baby you lost was a boy or a girl?" Ed said. He went on squeezing the ball. She looked at him in shock.

"It was pretty apparent, Lily. You'd lost weight, you never mentioned anything at all to me about the baby. None of you did. Didn't take me long to figure out what had happened. So was it a boy or a girl? Or do you know?"

"A daughter. I see. I'm just glad you're all right. Did you have funeral services for her?"

"Yes, my Edward. Stanley said a prayer for her soul, and Frances decorated her grave with daffodils and roses she'd grown. When you are released from hospital, we shall go visit her gravesite."

"Sounds like a good plan to me. Listen, Lily, would you mind if I asked you to go home early ? After all the excitement, I'm really tired. I think I could get to sleep pretty quick."

"Lunch was filling. Good night, sweetheart. I love you. If you hurry, you can catch up with the others and have dinner with them. Give them my love."

"Good night my darling. I will leave the stuffed rat with you so that you do not have to sleep alone."

"Strange bedfellows, but it's the thought that counts. Good night, my flower. Oh, can you ask the guards to come in here a second?"

Lily nodded, kissed him tenderly, waved goodbye, and the guards came in as she went out.

Ed watched them go out, close the door. He gave a sigh of relief. He picked up the toy mouse, examined it for a moment. He cradled it to him.

Ed finally abandoned the artifice of control he'd been clinging to since he'd realised what happened, and sobbed heartbrokenly.