Across the Cyber-Dixon Line

The Abbott household woke to a gray, gloomy sky and rain falling outside the house. Marcus and Matt were up first, it was Friday and they had their martial arts class at nine. Grace was next; she was meeting Karen, Josh and Twyla at the mall to look at baby clothes. The two younger Abbott girls were as excited about the new arrival as any of the family and insisted on being a part of everything. When she woke, Shandi could hear them all running around looking for this and that and her mother's voice calling them down to breakfast. Stretching she stumbled into the bathroom and relieved herself then back into her room to get dressed. At least she wouldn't have to go out looking for work today; that had been settled at dinner last night and...

She stopped short as memories of yesterday washed over her. Tanner or at least someone who believed he was Tanner. Putting her hand on the door to the room on the other side of the bathroom, she turned it. The room was empty, the bed looking as if it had never been touched. She knew a feeling of regret and relief. It had been a dream after all, just a dream.

Dressing in worn jeans, a faded t-shirt advertising some long forgotten band, and tying her hair back in a tail, she went out into the hall and headed downstairs. The routine family chatter was almost a relief to her. Until she walked into the dining room and saw him sitting at the table, drinking coffee and acting as if he was part of the family. Her dad looked at her and shrugged.

"We can't let him starve; I called Josh this morning, no current fugitives running around in this part of the woods. He came by an hour or so ago to take a copy of his fingerprints; no wants or warrants as they say on television, so I guess your theory is the one we have to go with for now."

Tanner grinned at her over the edge of his coffee cup. "Nice to know I'm no serial killer huh?"

No, just a serial heart breaker and as Shandi went into the kitchen for coffee and toast, she had a feeling her heart would be the next in line. So what did they do with him now, send him on his way into a world that he didn't belong in, or find some way to send him back into his book where he belonged? Back in the dining room she broke her toast up into smaller pieces and ate them slowly.

Justin she noticed was buried deep in his laptop and when he lifted his head he was frowning. "I can't find anything that even begins to explain what happened. Now I did find reference to a professor at some obscure college back east who has this theory of electrical interference causing some kind of rip in time or space, but nothing concrete. I have a lecture this morning with Professor Carter, so I'll do some more research at the library after I get done. Come to think of it, Professor Carter might have some ideas too. I'll ask him if he's ever heard of this guy." He looked at the twins. "Hurry it up guys; if you want me to drop you off, we need to get a move on. Dad, it's eight-thirty, don't you have that meeting this morning too?"

Shandi looked at her family going about their daily business and wondered if they were all insane or if it was her. Yesterday they had all been crazy, now they acted like nothing was out of place at all. It didn't help that her mom was reminding Grace that if she wanted to go to the mall, they had better hurry themselves because she had an appointment with her gynecologist and she didn't want to be late. Shandi groaned and wondered what the hell was going on.

When they were alone, Tanner looked at her. "Give them a break honey, parents are a strange breed. I think they aren't anymore sure of what to do with me than you are." He stood up and reached for her coffee cup, "Want a refill?"

"Yeah, thanks..." She was done with her toast and she reached for an orange from the fruit bowl on the table. She knew what she wanted to do with him; her dreams had been filled with it last night. To know that he was still here was not helping either. She had learned how to watch what went on around her without being seen, and this morning, his presence was bringing it into play. She almost wished her mom hadn't left, this house was too quiet and it didn't help when he came back from the kitchen and set her coffee cup in front of her.

"Penny for your thoughts, or can I guess?"

She took a bite of her orange and then sucked out the juice from the other half. "No comment."

He smiled. "Hmm, I envy that orange; I bet the guys around here love your lips"

"Not that I know of, most of the guys I know aren't all that interested in a gal built like me. Not that I am very interested in them either..."

"Now why do I find that hard to believe? Unless you're a lesbian and to be honest, I don't think you are; not with you sitting across from me and those nipples of yours standing out the way they do. Your momma should have never left us alone sweetheart; because I can smell your heat and all that sweet juicy cream you've got flowing out of you right now."

He was right and she couldn't deny it, it just bothered her that to him she was so transparent. Each breath she took was a sort of divine pain from her nipples rubbing against the inside of her bra and her panties were soaked. "So, what's the problem? Women do that don't they?"

"Hmm honey, you don't have much experience do you, because if you did, you'd know the male response to it. That a man can tell when a woman is in heat and honey you are burning up right now." He stood and walked around the table to stand beside her, her face was at crotch level and she could see the bulge in his jeans. Even as she watched, he unfastened them and drew himself out to her view. "This is my response to you Shandi, I'm hot and heavy and I want to feel your lips on him, just a little, not a hot and heavy suck job. Just a little taste to get us started so we can go upstairs, get naked and make each other even hotter and more intense then we are right now."

A part of Shandi wanted to do just exactly what he said, but the saner part was working better this morning and she shook her head. "Not going to happen ever dream boy, I don't know how you got her, but I am not going to lie down and spread my legs for a guy who might disappear next week or right in the middle of it. So put it back in your pants, or when you go back you won't have very much to brag about."

He smiled even as he did it, "I like you Shandi, and not many women will stand up to me when I turn on the charm, most of them do just fall down and open wide."

"That's the way mom wrote you, all of you. But every one of you falls in love in the end, and you always change." All but Connor, her mom was having problems with him. "What's the deal with Connor by the way, he doesn't seem to want to act like the rest of you..."

Tanner smiled. "Connor is different from all of us, for one he is the only one who believes in love. No idea where he got that concept, he still likes to break the rules now and then and have his fun, but he's on some kind of mission, he wants to fall in love with someone he's been dreaming about for years."

That sounded familiar, well her dream had come true to an extent and she was sorry it had ever happened. Tanner was the top of the heap when it came to bad boys and she wasn't going to play his games. Let him go back to his pages and find Hannah, fall in love and learn what people like her understood more than most.

A crash of thunder caught her attention and she saw the sky had darkened outside. Terrific, another damn storm, and she was cooped up with this sex happy bozo. She shook her head and didn't notice the blinding light until she heard Tanner curse and felt the pain in her head grow to cause her to pass out.

She landed with a groan in a patch of tall grass and it took several moments to catch her breath from the jar. The first thing she saw was that the sky was a perfect clear blue, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The second think she saw was that she wasn't at her house anymore. Instead, she was in an area surrounded by trees and grass and she could hear water running somewhere. What the hell...? Where the fuck where she was? And where was Tanner, had he been zapped back to where he belonged? Was it possible she had been zapped somewhere else herself?

She heard male voices and moved behind a particularly large tree that was not far away. Even as she watched six men came into view and she felt relief as she recognized Tanner, but the relief quickly died away as she saw the changes in him. He was a few years older now, a patch of white at the corner of his forehead, and he wasn't neither as lean as he had just moments ago. Did she take a chance on revealing herself and making a fool of herself, or did she keep hiding like the coward she was appearing to be.

Well hell, she wasn't going to find her way home just hiding like this. With a shrug she stepped out from behind the tree and began walking toward the talking, and laughing group of men. All they could do was think she was crazy.

"Tanner!" She called his name and he turned with surprise in his eyes.

"Shandi, what are you doing here, the last time I saw you..." He paled. "Oh lord, what are you doing here?"

She shook her head, "I have no idea, how long has it been since...?"

"Ten years my time, how long has it been for you?"

"Just a few moments...I think I hit wrong when I landed." She rubbed her shoulder. "Where am I Tanner?" Her eyes went to the five other men looking at her curiously. "This is your home isn't it, Little River?"

He nodded. "Yeah, we're all here for Jeremy and Violet's wedding..." He was giving her clues and that helped.

Jimmy and Violet were the last of the brother's before Connor. The one her mom had been having so much trouble with. This was where you really met Connor and got everyone ready for his great adventure into the world the Bad Boys Sextet. Looking at Tanner's brothers, she wondered which one was which, they all pretty much looked alike and it bothered her to have all those gorgeous eyes looking at her. It would help if she hadn't begun to hurt like hell in her shoulder. Rubbing at it again, she felt the reason; she had not only landed on it wrong; she had done some serious damage to it.

"Uh Tanner, you wouldn't happen to know how to reset a dislocated shoulder would you, I think I messed mine up big time when I landed..."

He looked at her with alarm. "Let me see, I'm no doctor, but I can tell you if you're right." He moved up behind her and ran his hand softly over her. "Come on Shandi, we need to get you back to the house, dad's pretty good at things like this, he did it enough for all of us at one time or another."

His brothers walked on ahead of them and Tanner glanced at her as she stumbled a time or two. "I'm okay Tanner, just not used to landing in one of mom's books, but at least I have an advantage over you...I know most of the stories."

Tanner grinned. "Yeah, well that seems like a long time ago to me, but you being here is bringing it all back. Uh, we won't mention what an ass I made of myself okay?"

"No, so how are things going with you and Hannah?"

"Damn good, got three little boys and she's the best thing that ever happened to me. But you already know that don't you?" He gave her that grin.

"Yeah, but I am still glad for you, I hated her at first, but after a couple days with you, I admit, I don't anymore, she had to be damn patient to put with you..." The reality of what had happened was slowly sinking in. "Tanner, what if I can't go home?"

He grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight, "don't worry, we'll figure this out somehow. Right now, let's get that shoulder looked at."

Connor Harris looked back over his shoulder and wondered how his brother knew the girl walking beside him. It wasn't like the old days, when Tanner was drifting all over the country, he hadn't left Little River since him and Hannah had settled here after their marriage. But both he and the girl were acting like they had just seen each other a short time ago. And what the hell was she doing out here in the middle of nowhere? Where had she come from, that was no Arkansas accent she had. More west coast, he'd heard enough of it these past couple years while he had been out there working that construction job.

It felt good to be home, a person never knew how much you missed a place until you were away from it for a while. Even Jeremy and Violet were thinking about settling down here like the others had done. That had been a surprise, considering how much Jeremy had swore up and down he was done with this town a year ago. Done with the town, the family, everything. Now he had that pretty little fiancée and they were going to get married like the rest of them and have a bunch of kids.

Connor sighed silently. He found himself wondering when it would be his turn, he was already tired of being alone, and the women he knew weren't bringing more than a sexual relief to him these days. To be honest with himself, even the sex was getting old, which was why when he came home, he had come alone and hadn't visited the local bars looking to renew old acquaintances.

The house was all her mother had described, and Shandi saw that like in the books, it was every inch a home. A deep sadness overcame her as she wondered if she would ever see her home again. See her mom and dad, her sisters and brothers. She was all alone here except for Tanner, and while that gave her some comfort, he had his own life now, and she needed to think about how she could go home and get back to her life.

"Tanner, does anyone here have a lap top or a computer I can use?"

He chuckled. "Shandi, this is Arkansas, not the moon. I think we can find one or two..."

She knew it was a long shot, but she had to try.

Claudia couldn't sleep, she hadn't been able to since she had come home three days earlier and found not only her fictional creation gone, but her daughter as well. She didn't mind Tanner leaving, but where was Shandi? It wasn't like her to just up and disappear. But that was how it seemed, no note, no nothing but an empty bed and her daughter gone. The whole house felt cold and lonely without her.

Going into the kitchen, she put on a pot of coffee and looked at her computer. Maybe if she tried to write, it would help. At least the computer was faster than the coffee pot; it would give her mind something to concentrate on while she waited. Her email was first, but as she had seen the past three days there were no messages from her daughter. Next stop, the adventures of Connor Harris. The coffee pot beeped, signaling it was done, and she filled a cup with the rich black liquid. Turning back to the computer, she stared at the screen, and the cup hit the floor the same time her eyes registered the words she saw and the scream escaped her mouth.

Shandi felt the soft touch of the old man and braced herself for the pain she knew was coming. Jake Harris was an older version of his sons, and she fixed her gaze on the white patch in his hair as the pain crashed through her. Her scream was loud, and her last memory as she passed out was that maybe she should have had Tanner take her to a doctor.

"Just let her rest, she's going to be sore when she wakes up." Jake looked at his oldest son and wondered what this girl was to him. She was just a girl, despite her being tall and full figured like his Maggie. She was a pretty little thing too, her eyes were about as green as anything he had seen in his sixty plus years, and she had long flowing hair that framed her face to perfection. Nothing that pretty around here, he would know or one of his boys would. If the Harris clan had nothing else, it was an eye for a good looking woman. "I don't suppose you'd care to tell me just how you know that little girl so well would you Tanner?"

"It's a long story daddy, and one I don't think you would believe even if I did tell you."

Jake put his hand on his son's shoulder, "well, let's go have a drink, and you can tell me anyway."

Shandi came awake and found it dark inside and out, the house was quiet and she guessed that a mixture of pain and that whiskey Mr. Harris had suggested she drink had knocked her out. She wasn't used to drinking hard liquor and it had burned all the way down to slam into her stomach like a hammer. She moved slowly to see how much pain remained, and while it hurt, it was nothing like earlier.

A touch to her shoulder said it was either wrapped or taped up until it healed, and she sighed. Terrific, not only was she in a place she didn't belong but she was injured in the process of getting here. And she needed to use the bathroom.

Well, from what she had seen, the house was laid out a lot like her own, and her mom had done a great job of describing it, so if she was right, if she turned on a lamp she should be able to get her bearings. Using her good arm, she found the lamp switch and looked around. Closet to the left, bathroom to the right, and the door to the room faced the bed, so that should be right.

She was lucky; everything was running true to form. Back in the bedroom she found a night gown on the bed, and a note attached from Tanner.

"Shandi,

This is one of Maggie's night gowns, since the two of you are about the same size, she thinks it should fit. She and dad know what is going on, and while I don't know if they completely believe me, they are willing to go along with it. As far as anyone else knows, I met your family about ten years back and stayed with you all for a while. So there is no need to say anything about my little lapse the last time we saw each other...

Tanner

As if she would say anything anyway, he has been ten years younger and living true to his character then, and she would have been about nine or so. So, the point now was getting back to her place and time for real. She hoped her folks weren't too worried and later today, tomorrow? She could get to a computer and try her idea. For now she was going to take a couple of the pain relievers she had seen on the night stand and try to get some more sleep.

As she lay down she heard her stomach rumble and ignored it. Food was the last thing she wanted right now, even if her body said different. Before drifting off to sleep, she thought of one good thing that had come out of this. She had a good excuse for not going out job hunting.

Connor lay back on his bed and listened as the house grew quiet again. He took a deep drag off his cigarette and the embers flared red in the dark. He wasn't sure if he believed his brother's story of meeting her years ago as a kid and staying with her family for a while. Why hadn't he mentioned it before? There had been that period when he had come home for a few days, looking as if he had been in some kind of accident, but he had quickly recovered, and he hadn't mentioned Shandi. Connor knew he would have remembered a name like that.

Still, what difference did it make, she was here, and he had to admit she was like a breath of fresh air from the normal day to day life he knew. It was her eyes that caught him off guard. That bright jade green that seemed to turn into some kind of liquid whenever he looked at them. He had never seen eyes do that before, and he doubted he ever would see it again.

Shandi woke to the sounds of voices and a car revving up, then backing off. It sounded like her dad was working on that old Dodge Charger he kept saying was next on his list of restore. The more she listened though, the more the fact that something didn't sound right occurred to her. What kind of bird was that, and why did the air have a different smell to it? Sitting up suddenly, she felt a stab of pain and a wave of nausea pass over her. It turned to dismay when she saw the room she was in.

Still in Little River, Arkansas, still not a dream and still not home where she belonged. Stripping off the nightgown she pulled on her own clothes and used the bathroom to put herself in some kind of semblance of order. She had to find a computer today; she had to find out what was going on. Hopefully her brother had talked to that guy or found out something after his lecture.