From Pemberley to Manhattan [COMPLETED]

Chapter 3

He remembered moving smoothly over the sea, on a wide, high bridge, made of stone and metal. The only comparison he could think of from home was the Iron Bridge, uncountable times smaller. The construction seemed to be held by infinite cables, connected to stone towers with archways. He was swiftly moving towards a skyline, which was, for lack of a better adjective, impressive: the island seemed to be walled by impossibly high and shiny buildings.

Having been a modern architecture enthusiast his entire life, Mr. Darcy wished to investigate his surroundings longer, but he was too tired to do so, too sleepy. He drowsed off again, dreaming of constructions covered in mirrors and bridges that could reach the clouds.

♥

"My brother is where?" Bobby wondered if he was already wasted. Nope, he was still holding his first beer, and he hadn't smoked anything... Yet. Still, he'd imagined Trevor Nolan had just told him his brother was in Pemberley, England. Not only that, Ethan was supposed to be "stuck" in 1811. Which was inconceivable, of course. Traveling in time was cool, but totally sci-fi.

Right?

"We've been over this half a dozen times", Trevor said patiently, trying not to roll his eyes. Looking at Bobby made his chest tighten; there were so many physical similarities between the siblings, sometimes random people would ask if they were twins, now they were both adults. The businessman wondered how he'd be able to tell the Estevez-Browns about Ethan's future (or would it be his past?) should it be proven impossible to recreate the time travel machine.

No. He simply had to bring Ethan back.

"Prove it." Bobby dared him.

That video was top secret. Under his order, they had destroyed every copy of it, except for the one Trevor had in his possession right now. It had recorded the entire experience; so it was proof of the crimes (yes, in plural, Trevor reminded himself) they had committed.

"Do you have a DVD player?"

"A DVD player?", Bobby asked lazily. "Are you sure you're not the one from the nineteenth century, dude?"

"They didn't exist back then, smartass", Trevor countered with a hint of smile playing on his lips as the young man left the room. Bobby returned with a silver, heavy-looking device in his hands.

"Well, you're lucky Dad's an accumulator. He should be in one of those shows when the dudes come to your house and get rid of your shit, you know?" Bobby placed the DVD player on his TV rack and began a battle with the many cables. "Let's just be quick about it, Trevor; if I'm late for Mom's party, she'll kill me."

"Or hide your stash." Trevor offered him the DVD.

"Even worse." He turned the paraphernalia from the nineties on and placed the DVD in it.

"Don't worry. It'll be quick. I'm not responsible, however, for the time you'll take to recover", Trevor said playfully.

"Why? This isn't a Ninja Turtles new movie, is it?", Bobby joked.

"Just watch."

Not willing to replay the scenes before his eyes, Trevor walked around the room. Although Bobby was twenty years old, he'd left the same decoration he'd had his entire adolescence.

His single bed was unmade and pushed against the far wall, under huge windows facing the street. Mr. Darcy was sleeping in it, his feet and ankles left out. Considering Bobby was a few inches taller than the gentleman, Trevor couldn't begin to imagine how he was able to sleep in such a tiny bed for a man of his size.

On the opposite wall, there was a closet without doors, filled with black T-shirts and jeans hung by colorful hangers; beside it, there was the door. Bobby sat in a blood-red armchair, staring at the TV with the DVD player connected to it. The remaining walls were covered with posters, most from Tarantino movies, his favorite director.

Trevor laughed a little as he remembered taking Bobby to the preview of Inglorious Basterds a few years ago. The then teenager had enjoyed the movie so much he'd forced every adult in his life to take him to watch it again and again.

"Wow!" Bobby gasped as he watched the image of the portal showing a landscape with trees and a lake, unconsciously pulling some strands of his dark, curly hair as his brother passed through it. It was a habit the siblings shared when they were anxious.

Trevor could have fast-forwarded the video until the moment when Darcy got out of the portal, but he wanted Bobby to watch it in its normal time-lapse, so he'd believe the material to be authentic. Being a good video editor (even if he was an amateur), Bobby could easily recognize if an image had been somehow messed with.

Opening the window to let some fresh air in, Trevor heard Frank Sinatra playing downstairs. Naturally, he had been invited to Elizabeth Brown's birthday party, being a close friend to her oldest son since college. Even though Trevor always had fun in those gatherings, his priority now was finding a way to make Ethan's invention work again (actually, he would supervise Ethan's team so they could find a way).

"What the–" Bobby's gray eyes were open wide in shock. He had heard the entire account of the incident, but watching it had been a completely different experience. "Oh. My. Sweet. Baby. Jesus." Startled, Bobby stood up and turned to the man passed out in his bed. "He's... This guy...Dude..."

He could not finish his babbling, for his sister called him.

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