In and Out of Time

PROLOGUE

His eyes lit upon his sister’s carved image of the flying dragon in the cornerstone of the chipped tile that lent a bit of support to the bottom of the pedestal. This has to be it, Charlie ran through his mental notes for the hundredth time already. This is the cracked marble pedestal that his sister described to him in such detail as she lay dying from her riding injury before she just up and disappeared from the hospital altogether. When their family were finally contacted by the American Embassy they commenced to “raising hell the MacLeod way” as his sister would always say, with the Crown who already had enough on their hands what with having to deal with the loss of the Queen’s own husband and the errant young prince, the son of the soon to be King, who had the misfortune of marrying a very unpopular American actress. At least unpopular there in the United Kingdom. From the looks of things, it seemed that she was starting to not look so favorable with some of the Americans either.

His sister, who was a well known writer and painter in her own right, had moved to the borders of Scotland and England where she had found a beautifully restored castle that she moved into for the purposes of becoming a companion to an elderly Englishwoman, she spent her days walking the halls of the painstakingly restored castle in her spare time, while serving as the ground’s historian and records keeper. Her job was basically keeping her company while soaking up all the history the elderly owner could fill her ears with about the castle’s original owners who were the ones that raised it from its very foundations. From what Charlie could remember, his sister Lily was telling him and his wife Jessica that the old woman – a Lady Greystowe -- had said that the castle had been in her family for generations upon generations, just before the Norman Conquest.

So he found the ancient marble pedestal with the little dragon on the bottom corner of it just as his sister had described it to be as she had painted it all those years ago ----- but now to find the proof of the other things Lily said she had accomplished ---- travelling back in time ----- he had to find the room of carbon copies she told him about! In all the craziness what with the thought and feeling of the loss of losing his beloved sister not to mention best friend in the world, Charlie didn’t even think to ask what time period she ‘thought’ she was in so that he wouldn’t be forced to go on a wild goose chase and he would be better off knowing what to go looking for!

So the first place he figured that the best place for them, meaning his wife, son and himself to look would be at the old vaults of the castle Lily talked about. He was not quite the history buff that his sister was but Charlie at least had a pretty good idea as to where begin their big search now. It hadn’t occurred to him until that very moment that perhaps the old woman was actually waiting for him. It would be just like Lily to plan this entire thing out to the very last detail to ensure nothing went wrong. He chuckled to himself. But before he went to talk to her, he wanted to go deep into the bowels of this castle first to see if Lily might left something else for him to find after all. Motioning for his wife and their oldest son Greg to follow behind him, he headed further down into the deep recesses of the old castle, holding up the mini spotlight he picked up at a camping shop on the way out there. His son was having the time of his life amongst the ruins they were exploring. He readily volunteered to leave his senior year of college to join the search for his favorite aunt who always had a good story to tell, to follow and take pictures and make copious notes as well as detailed sketches, detailed copies of any drawings that any of them might come across which in turn, might be something of value in the paper that he was writing for his senior thesis.

Lily would have been so proud of Greg. He was doing the thesis in her honor, he claimed, Greg knew that his aunt would have loved to have argued several of the points of things in his thesis with him and he would have been more than happy to have went over them with her, bit by bit into the wee hours of the night. Charlie smiled sadly as he brushed away at a mass of dirty cobwebs and dead leaves and twigs. He shared her love of history and both the love of the unexplained as well as the explainable. They both often would get into heated discussions over the possibility of time travel over family dinner at their mom and dad’s table around Thanksgiving and Christmas especially when Lily insisted on bringing in a Yule log to be burned as they did in the medieval times and celebrating as they did back then. To this day they still do it because their father got so much joy and fun having the entire family gather together and making a great ceremony of it all with the kids enjoying hot chocolate and the adults with a little bit of Irish coffee to get themselves warmed up as well. Often they would find Lily though, gazing up at the stars, as if she were talking to someone or perhaps looking for something. He secretly hoped she had found it. He secretly hoped that she had found it. Something told him she did.

Once they finally made it past a massive array of cobwebs which was oddly enough void of spiders, something that Greg did not miss, and neither did his mother, the small group soon found themselves at the base of a set of wide set stairs. There wasn’t exactly anywhere else to go other than the way that they had just came from. “What do you think we should do now dad? I mean that this has to be the older set of vaults you talked about earlier right?” He took a step forward and spoke a bit louder thinking that his dad was just thinking something to himself and had just not heard him so he should get his attention. “Right, dad? This should be the place you and Auntie Lil were talking about, right?” It was Greg’s voice of uncertainty that spoke now.

Charlie lay his hand on the cold chipped stone of the door and closed his eyes for a moment and said a quick prayer. “I have followed every hint, every clue – done everything your Aunt Lily told me about, so this has to be the place. It just has to be! The place where these - these so called ‘carbon copies’ she told me about that are so important to everyone involved were placed in a certain position to prove that she did indeed go back in time like she had indeed been dreaming about doing for a long time and sometimes hearing about things like that in the movies as well.” For a moment he found his mind drifting back to that movie titled Timeline that had starred Paul Walker and Billy Connolly. “I just hope that we have not lost her forever because of all of this, though. I mean – you know how the government works when it comes to all of their super-secret projects and things like that.”

His wife’s hand was on his shoulder now as she spoke softly in his ear, “Charlie dear, you know she loves you and that she could always depend on you. She knew that too. That is why she came to you and not to Tom or David. You know her better than anyone else ever did. You and our son. It was to you and Greg that she came to, not any of the others and not just because of the love but because of the special bond that the three of you share. Look at where we are now because of that bond. Now you just keep remembering that just like I do. Just like I remember that she always loved to tease me about the times we gathered for all of those SCA gatherings dressed in all the garb we made together and she would tease me because I would have put something on the wrong way!” She paused a moment to chuckle as she quickly dashed away a stray tear at the fondness of the memory before either of them saw it or so she thought. But her husband was not one to miss much. He saw it and he now knew that he and his son were really not the only ones hurting. Lily was like a baby sister to his wife. The two women were like the virtual saying goes – ‘two peas in a pod’. He looked down at her lovingly and watched at her straighten herself up before she continued speaking again.

“Now let us open this door and find your sister’s hidden message that she wanted us to find and let us know that she is well and happy sweetheart and that we need not worry anymore.” She reached around and sweetly kissed her husband on the cheek. She secretly hoped that this was real for her husband, because when the news of her sister-in-law’s death and subsequent disappearance reached them, Charlie had been inconsolable and refused to believe that he had lost his beloved sister. She herself had been missing her periodic coffee chats with Lily when she would stop by on her way to the studio to work on one of her projects.

An hour later, the trio wearily wrenched the heavy stone and iron door open and stepped inside a surprisingly stale room that appeared as if it had just been swept clean. But the surprise that drew their attention was what awaited them in the center of the seemingly damp room that brought a chill to the center of all their bones. Life size portraits of each and every one of them in their family as if they were alive and living back in the medieval era. In the center of it all the main one was Lily standing proud and tall next to the man that was obviously her husband in fine chainmail and armor gazing down at her with obvious love and adoration, his arm around her in strength and protection. He gazed out as if he was almost daring whoever was before them to try and harm the woman he had his arm around, declaring her under his very protection.

“She did it after all.” Greg smiled proudly, then looked at his mother who at that very moment, was crying silent tears of happiness mixed in with a few tears of sadness. So he moved over to give his mother a comforting hug.

She hugged him tightly and then whispered, “This is a lot for your father to take in right now Greg. You know how much he loved your Auntie Lily.”

Charlie heard his wife’s words but she mistook his silence for sadness when he was anything but sad. He was elated and happy that his sister had reached the goal that she had been focusing on for so long --- and apparently, finally had been able to achieve it. To take her talents to new heights --- and when he meant talents he was not just referring to her artistry with regards to the paintings which were frighteningly realistic in the imagery of the portraits of their parents, their whole family --- but to her talents with the sciences, specifically magic. She was a witch of the highest order that had the most powerful talent that they were told had been seen for some time. At least that was what their great aunt had told them. Charlie wondered how his wife and son would react if he told them his sister was a magical being? He chuckled, which caused his wife and son to look at him a moment in slight concern.

“Something funny, dear?” His wife asked.

Charlie looked at his wife and son and made a rueful expression. “Yeah, I was just wondering how the Queen would take it if I apologized for being a pain in her ass when I say that we are withdrawing our complaints and sincerely apologizing for any discomforts that we have brought to her doorsteps, that I wish that I could apologize for the pain in the ass that the young Prince had married but we cannot help who we fall in love with. Even though these findings here are legally ours to do with as we want, I will give one to them, as a little birdie told me that there is a second one of Lily and her husband that should be gifted to the Queen that would ‘soothe the savage beast’ so to speak and is something that is often done when it comes to the Crown in order to smooth the path to getting your way in situations like this. Apparently, the husband is a relation to the Queen.”

“Yes, he is.” A familiar voice spoke from the shadows, causing the three of them to spin around in surprise, eyes wide from shock, to see Lily, standing there with her long golden tresses hanging down to her knees. She was wearing a flowing chemise whose sleeves were trailing behind her as she walked slowly towards Charlie, arms outheld. Her gold brocade underskirts were covered with lavender satin –or was that silk? Helen marveled at how lovely her sister-in-law looked. “Hello there Charlie boy!” She embraced her brother tightly.

“Lilbit!” Charlie cried her nickname out loud and hugged her tightly to him, tears suddenly flowing down his face, unseen. “Mom and dad think you are dead you know!”

Lily moved on and hugged Helen and then her favorite nephew Greg, who she looked into his eyes with a knowing smile. “I am glad you came after all Greg. I’ve spoken with Merlin and he tells me that he has big plans for you.” She winked at him before turning her attention back to her brother. “I cannot remain here for too long just now Charlie. My husband will be returning from London after being called to court on an important matter and I must not be found missing. Tell mom and dad that I love and miss them so much and I love all of you. I will be able to see and speak to you through your dreams and communicate to you through them. Unless something happens to one of them. Seems that now I have the counsel of Merlin himself all is well as it is almost like he is my father in a way.” She smiled sadly for a moment before continuing. “But just know that I am loved where I am and I am happy. I have a family of my own now. A few daughters, Charlotte, Abigail, Theodora and then sons who act just like their father – Alexander Philip, Jaxon Charles, and of course the twins Sean Scott and Duncan Ian. Here is what they look like ---.” With a wave of her hand she produced a portrait of their entire family. Lily, her husband, and all of their children, and handed it to Charlie. “Ah, what was I thinking –“ She waves her hand again, and hands him another one, only this one was a portrait of them all only this time the version of the portrait of them was all in modern day dress. This time, even Helen found tears pricking at her eyelids. Lily hugged the woman tight.

“Take care of my brother Helen. And that errant nephew of mine as well. I must go for now. I will be sure to come say farewell before all of you leave to go back home ok? Now promise me you will not repeat everything that has happened here and keep it a secret. Do not tell tales about it and do not go bragging about it to anyone ok? Please? Once a door has been opened and reopened so many times and then talked about --- well when its knowledge is known, there is no telling how long it will last. I am happy and loved now where I am. Let me rest in peace here. Now you have proof that I am still alive and well, I will visit every so often through your dreams I promise. Only through the most dire of direst emergencies can I ever come back. It would most definitely mean my death should I attempt it too many times, I fear. Now, I must go. I love you guys. Do not ever forget that. Good bye, my darlings!” Lily waved to them before summoning a glowing portal with the graceful wave of her hand. That was when a mirror image figure of herself stepped out from behind her, opened a wide curtain which suddenly appeared with a wave of her hand and caused her to disappear from their view as if nothing ever happened, leaving the three of them alone once more with all of the ‘carbon copies’ of their family.

Lily was alive and well, Greg said to himself in amazement. Holy hairy monkey balls! He felt his insides screaming in amazement and excitement. His aunt was the most awesome being ever! She not only was able to go back in time, but she could create magical works of art as well. He could not wait to get to bed and fall asleep tonight and talk to her again. He wanted to talk to her about everything! How she was doing there, how she met her husband, how it was having all the kids – his new cousins now! – and how was her life in that time living in the castle during such a time period and ----.”

His thoughts were interrupted by his father shaking his shoulders slightly. “Hey you Mr. Daydreamer. You awake over there?”

Gathering his thoughts quickly, Greg found himself blushing at his dad having caught him daydreaming like a little boy, he just laughed lightly and nodded and said, “ Yeah, I’m good, dad. Just letting it all soak in, that’s all. You need me to get things rolling for the return trip home like we talked about?” He whipped out his cell phone and started to dial a number and Charlie stopped him.

“Hold off on that for just a moment, son.” Charlie said sagely. “I just want to have these paintings verified. The paint, everything. It shouldn’t take too long to have someone test the age of the paint so that they can verify its age. Then we can know for sure. Call for Finn and have him bring Doc and his crew to test the validity of all the material in and on those paintings. I don’t want to take any chances that we are taking any risks with my sister. As for now, lets go back to the hotel, wash up and go out for a nice dinner to celebrate your Aunt Lily and what we and she have managed to accomplish today! We have found and actually talked to my sister!” He gathered up his wife in a surprising whoop of joy, swinging her around and pecking her on the lips with a nice wet smooch, and he picked his son up while doing the manly thing as if they had just managed a major score during a football game, bumping his chest with him, standing there chuckling at each other in the middle of the room with him, Yes indeed, it was a good day for the both of them. For the entire MacLeod Clan, in fact. But little did they know that the adventure was just beginning not just for Lily but for them as well.