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Time's Revenge
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CHAPTER EIGHT - PANCAKES AND STRAWBERRIES


“B?” a soft voice called. “B, you awake?”

B turned over again to stare at the source of the voice, but his vision was still slightly fuzzy. Luckily he knew the voice and so did not need to concern himself with physical recognition. He crawled up into a sitting position and rubbed his face for a moment. “Yeah,” he replied. “Yeah I’m awake, dad.”

The room slowly began to swim back into focus and B watched as the blob before him began to form a Brian. His father approached him, a worried frown upon his lips as he sat down on the edge of the bed to peer at him. “Sure? You were restless last night. You look a little pale now.”

“I feel better than yesterday,” B defended stubbornly trying to ignore the tickle in his throat, which only resulted in him suffering from an even more violent coughing fit.

Brian rubbed his back comfortingly as the convulsions seized him and then without a word he left, but he soon returned holding a bright blue beaker full of refreshing water. B took it gratefully as he finally stopped choking and he sipped the liquid to calm his enflamed throat. He wiped away the water droplets that had formed in his eyes from the coughing and took another long gulp from the beaker. “Thanks,” he croaked.

“No problem. I think you better stay in bed for today. I’ll make you some breakfast and bring it up.”

“I’m all right, it’s just a cold!” B said before sneezing.

“I’ll bring you some tissues as well.”

“I’m fine!”

“I don’t care, you’re staying in bed!”

B sniffled in defeat. “Fussy.”

Brian smiled at him. “Get used to it.”

B smiled back, despite his effort to sulk. He didn’t normally like being fussed over like this but it was different here. He hadn’t seen this Brian in so long and he had a knack for being caring but not cloying. He seemed to have lost it in B’s time…

“I’m going to do you some pancakes for breakfast, okay?” Brian asked.

B nodded. “I like pancakes. My mom used to make them when I was a kid.”

There was a flicker of something within Brian’s eyes, but it was there and gone too quickly for B to read. He almost kicked himself for his stupidity. He knew Brian was sensitive about B’s childhood, seeing as he would never be there to witness it.

“I’ll try and make them just as nice,” Brian said, but B could have sworn that there was a slightly melancholy note to the voice. “Did you want anything else while I’m up?”

“Hot water?” B asked hopefully as he changed the subject. He fumbled about beneath the covers until eh found the furry, now cold water bottle and held it out for Brian.

“No problem.”

“Uh…” B froze slightly as he suddenly saw something watching him from the doorway. “Why is there a brown rat in your house?” he asked, uncertainly eyeing the curious brown eyes watching him intently.

“Rat?” Brian asked in puzzlement. He turned his head to follow B’s gaze towards the brown thing and then laughed. “That’s not a rat! That’s Tyke!”

“It looks like a rat,” B commented.

“Watch it!” Brian said as he playfully hit B with the water bottle. “Don’t you like dogs?”

“That’s not a dog! It’s a rat!”

“Tyke, c’mere boy!” Brian called as he clapped his hands.

The brown ears pricked up and the creature wagged it’s tail as it began to trot towards them both. B eyed it nervously, vaguely remembering the vicious growls last night as well as the gigantic Alsatian that had almost trodden on him as a tiny child while he’d been out playing. He could have sworn that it was going to eat him as it had slobbered above him… At least Brian’s dog was nothing like that monster had been.

Brian scooped Tyke lovingly into his arms and cuddled and petted him, much to the little dog’s delight who licked Brian’s face in appreciation. B tentatively stretched out his fingers and Tyke sniffed them with his cold, wet nose before licking one of them slightly.

“He’s not mean,” Brian said gently.

B carefully began to rub his fingers against Tyke’s furry head, watching as the huge, chocolate brown eyes closed in bliss.

“You wanna hold him?” Brian asked.

B nodded and stretched his arms out. The base in the 2020’s where he’d spent most of his life had not been particular suited for pets, especially a dog. The only pet he’d ever had was a hamster that he’d found one day. Not that Hamlet the Hamster had lasted long once he’d chewed his way out of the flimsy cage.

Brian leant over to hand him Tyke, until B began to cough again. Tyke’s ears flattened to his head and he leapt out of Brian’s arms and ran out of the door, startled at the strange noise.

“I think he’s scared of me now,” B said as he sneezed into his hands.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll learn to love you!” Brian replied smiling. “Let me get your breakfast and hot water bottle.”

* * * * *


Brian hummed happily to himself as he threw the batter into the frying pan for the pancakes for B. He was determined to show him that life wasn’t all wars and tears and it was important to him that B enjoyed his stay. He’d only been here one night but Brian knew that he was already beginning to enjoy having him here a little too much…

How could he not? He’d bonded with B so well in 2023, despite a very rough start, and it had been heart breaking to have to leave him. He’d thought about him everyday since and now he was here Brian couldn’t help feeling happy. At first he had been sickeningly worried by B’s frail state but he already looked healthier after one night here. He would get better…

But then he would have to go… Brian didn’t know if he could face saying goodbye to him again. What if B never came back?

A sudden hiss and the pungent smell of burnt batter brought him back to reality and he groaned in annoyance as he saw the pancakes had now turned a very charred lack. So much for trying to make him enjoy his stay here…

“Damn, damn, damn!” he said under his breath as he seized the saucepan and tossed the foul contents into the bin. He had to concentrate and get a grip. Here he was with precious time to spend with his son and he was worrying over the future and burning the breakfast… he had to stop being so depressing.

He grabbed the jug of batter and then started again, this time not allowing his thoughts to wander off into a new region of memories. Tyke watched him from the floor, hopefully awaiting any dropped pieces of food and begging Brian with his eyes to give him a treat or two.

“No, this isn’t for you Tyke. You get your food later. Go get a biscuit.” He pointed to the little dog’s biscuit bowl in the corner and Tyke followed the finger for a moment before sticking his nose up and then staring back at Brian and the frying pan in his hands.

Brian fought the urge to throw him anything, knowing that it would only get Tyke into bad habits of begging. He kept his eyes on the pancakes and then placed them onto a plate when they were nicely brown. Those could be his and he’d do B’s second so that they were still hot when he ate them.

He started on the second lot and unconsciously began to sing to himself as he always did when he wasn’t thinking. He was going to make the most of this time with B and when Sammy came to pick him up he would see if they both wanted to stay until the end of the week when little Sammy would return. Surely a few days wouldn’t cause any problems? Sammy shouldn’t even suffer from any effects of being in the same time as his counter part in such a short period of time.

It would be perfect if he could spend time with them both. He could take them to the beach when B was better. B had told him once that he had always wanted to go…

Pancakes!!

He turned his mind back to the task before him and luckily the pancakes had turned a nice golden colour instead of black. He pulled them off the stove and stepped over Tyke to reach the plates on the able.

He grinned as he saw that these pancakes looked a lot more appetising than the first burnt ones and he slid them carefully onto the plate before reaching for the carton of orange juice. As he opened the cupboard to find a glass, he froze as he saw Sammy’s beloved penguin shaped glass. He slowly picked it up, feeling a twinge of guilt in his chest as he thought about how easily Sammy had slipped out of his mind now that B was here. He still missed him, but he couldn’t help actually being relieved that Sammy was on holiday now. It would have caused a tremendous fuss if Sammy had have been here when B arrived and who knows what it would do to the future if Sammy actually met his little brother before he was born.

He turned the glass over in his hands, wishing that he could have both B and Sammy together with no problems, but that wasn’t possible. He doubted if it would affect little Sammy too much if he saw B once but they couldn’t live together without causing some trouble. But B would probably be long gone before Sammy returned home, there was no way on Earth that the older Sammy in B’s time would allow his little brother to remain lost for very long.

That thought cheered Brian slightly. If anyone came for B then surely it would be Sammy. He didn’t have any other family in his time and Sammy would be the first to leap into the time machine after him. Maybe he could see them both after all…

He held Sammy’s glass for a moment longer before placing it back in its rightful place and pulling out a second glass for B. He grabbed the maple syrup tube and then piled everything onto a tray along with some cutlery. As an after thought he opened the fridge and pulled out the bowl of strawberries he knew was there and added them to the tray.

Tyke followed him out of the kitchen and down the wide hallway until Brian shooed him away to his basket.

B was sitting up in bed with his back propped up against the pillows when Brian entered and he smiled weakly at him and at the aroma that emanated form the steaming pancakes.

“Here ya go,” Brian said as he set the tray down on B’s knees. He placed a fork on B’s plate and handed to him.

“Thank you,” B said.

“I’ll get your hot water bottle when you’re done, okay?”

B nodded, hot water bottles already long forgotten as he dived into the pile of pancakes before him and covered them with maple syrup.

“Good enough for you?” Brian asked, watching as B happily gulped them down and trying to ignore the eating manners of an elephant that accompanied him.

B nodded. “Good.”

Brian began to tuck into his own breakfast, realising that he hadn’t had pancakes in so long since Sammy didn’t like them too much.

‘Ick! Sickly!!’ he would squeal if Brian tried to add anything on top of them, despite the fact that he eat as many sickly chocolate biscuits down as he desired. Pancakes were about the only sweet thing he wouldn’t touch although he would occasionally eat one if Brian didn’t place any syrup on top of them.

Brian looked up again at B fondly, once again feeling the warm glow at having him here with him again. B had now decided to eat more slowly and Brian realised that his son was trying to copy him. He smiled slightly as he took a few strawberries from the bowl, liking the way B always tried to behave civilly whenever he was around instead of the rascal he normally was.

“What are the red things?” B asked, staring at the bowl of red strawberries.

“Don’t you know what a strawberry is?” Brian asked puzzled as he his hand froze half way to his mouth with the next berry.

B shook his head. “I never seen them before in my time.”

It seemed that a lot of good things had disappeared when the Gerai appeared… how could B never have tasted a strawberry?

Brian picked up the bowl and paced it in front of B. “Try one, they’re really nice.”

B carefully scooped up one strawberry and eyed it suspiciously before tentatively nibbling into it. “Hey, they’re nice,” he said as he placed the rest into his mouth. “Can I have another?”

“Sure, you can have them all if you want. I’ll leave them up here while I take the plates down and get your hot water bottle.” He watched B’s widen as he stared at the huge bowl of red fruit before him. He probably wasn’t used to being given so much of a good thing.

B nodded. “Okay.”

Brian took one last strawberry for himself before piling everything except B’s orange juice onto the tray. “Back in a moment,” he said.

“Just don’t expect there to be any strawberries left when you get back!” B said as he discovered the sweet joys of red fruit.

“I don’t mind, you can have them all.”

“I’ll save you a few,” B said as he settled himself back against the pillows with the bowl.

Brian smiled at him and then suddenly there was the loud beeping of the door. Brian frowned slightly, wondering who would be calling. He turned to B and suddenly realised that the boy’s face had turned pale, paler than the sickly white of death. His green eyes had widened and he shrank back against the bed almost trembling as beads of sweat began to form upon his face.

“B? B, what’s wrong?” Brian asked in concern.

“Don’t answer it,” B begged, his voice tiny and frightened. “It might be him.”

“Who?” Brian asked softly as he leant down beside his son, his heart hammering harder within him as he caught the fear embedded within B’s voice.

“The Gerai…” B said, visibly trembling now. “The one who attacked me before I arrived here…”

The blood on B’s clothes… Of course something had to have caused it and it had almost slipped Brian’s mind as he pondered on more positive points this morning. He had been attacked… and the attacker could still be at bay.

“B,” he said slowly. “Has someone followed you here to my time?”

B’s lip trembled and he stared down at the bowl before him, his appetite clearly gone. “I don’t know. He attacked me on my way to the time machine. I only just got away… but it would have been easy for him to follow me to this time.” He clutched the duvet tightly in his hands, his knuckles turning white like his face.

“Did you ever see him on the streets?” Brian asked quickly as he suddenly realised the danger B could be in. Someone could be looking for him right now. If Nick hadn’t have found him when he did…

B shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

The doorbell buzzed again and B actually jumped slightly. Brian placed a hand on his arm. “I’m sure it’s no one after you,” he whispered, although his stomach was contorting within his own body in fear.

How could someone have found B unless they had followed him? But then why leave it till now when he had been such an easy prey on the streets? But then again, it was obvious that B would have come here and maybe the Gerai had the information…

“Don’t answer it,” B begged. “Please dad, don’t.”

“I just want to see who it is,” Brian replied. “I’ll look for you.”

He slowly released B’s hands, having not even noticed the boy’s pale fingers entangle with his own. He kissed B on the head to try and reassure him somewhat, but the boy still appeared to be terrified.

Brian would have to beat the story out of him after he’d seen to this. If he was in danger then Brian had to know about it so that he could protect him. B was only fragile, despite his age. He’d been through so much and he still needed people to protect him, having had a completely horrific life.

Brian picked up the tray and he turned to see B watching him as he left the room, the green eyes fearful as they saw him go. The door buzzed again and Brian hurried down the stairs. He placed the tray down and wrung his clammy hands fretfully. Slowly he peered through the peephole in the door and a face stared back at him.

Brian backed away from the door, breathing again as his heart slowed. “B!” he called towards the stairs. “B, it’s okay! It’s only Nick!”



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