Time After Time (Book 3)

Movin' in and Movin' on

Torres dropped Betty at the closest airstrip to Sam's sister's house in Delacroix, Louisiana, before refuelling and heading back to Europe.  Once she'd got her bearings Betty teleported to the address that Sam had given her, reappearing in front of a beautiful 19th century wooden house with a double-tiered front porch and a large yard.  The closest neighbours were hidden from view by a myriad of trees and she could hear the slow, steady crawl of a river from around the back.  As she stepped up to the porch she could see that the house was old, but well-loved, maintained but in need of a lick of paint here and there, but what struck Betty the most was the sense of family.  She could tell that this was a house that had been passed down through generations.

She raised her fist and knocked and it didn't take long for the door to open a crack, a suspicious eye peered out, frowning at Betty.

"Sarah Wilson?" Betty asked, with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "I'm Betty.  Sam sent me."

"Prove it," the woman said curtly.

Betty thought for a second then flashed to the end of the yard and back again.  Sarah started but didn't make a sound, just nodded once and pulled the door open a little wider, ushering Betty inside.

"Sorry for being like that, it's just that when Sam said..."

"No, it's fine, you were right, it's was very wise," Betty interrupted, holding out her hand.
Sarah reached out and shook it, giving Betty a wry smile.

"I feel like I know you even though we've never met," she said. "Sam talks about you a lot, and Bucky, and...Steve."

"We've got a lot of love for your brother, even my menace of a husband, although he'll outright deny it." Betty smirked.

"Are they...are they gonna be OK?" Sarah asked quietly.

"Absolutely.  As long as they don't kill each other!" She quipped, dissolving the last bit of tension.

Sarah showed her around the house and got Betty settled into the guest room, as much as she could at least. Betty sheepishly asked if she could borrow something to sleep in, as she didn't have anything with her, to which Sarah readily agreed. Betty thought for a second and then pulled out her phone.

"Hey Sarah? Do you mind if I get some things delivered here tomorrow?"

"Not at all, go right ahead!" Sarah called from the kitchen.

Betty smiled to herself and hopped onto the internet to do a little online clothes shopping with next-day delivery.

*           *           *

Betty had stayed with Sarah and her boys for almost a week.  She'd asked Bren to put a track on anything to do with the Wilsons, trying to cover all bases.  Later that evening after dinner had been cleared away and Betty had helped AJ and Cass with their homework, she and Sarah took glasses of ice tea out onto the back porch.  There were some old, worn chairs out there that you could just tell would be the most comfortable things to sit on.  With a sigh, the women sank into the cushions and stared out at the river, the light at the end of the little dock winking merrily at them. Betty took a sip of her tea and looked over at Sarah with a raised eyebrow.

"Rum?" She asked with suspicion.

"Rum," nodded Sarah, a wry smile on her face. "I figured we needed it. Well, I did at least."

"It's appreciated," Betty agreed. "It's been a long few days."

"Is this what it's like for you all the time? Missions and threats?"

"No, not all the time.  Me and Buck, we'd...well, we'd got a routine.  I wouldn't exactly call it settled but we were working on it. We've not exactly had the most conventional marriage," Betty laughed drily.