When The Stars Align Ch. 03

For the next hour, I sat in front of my daughter's typewriter, explaining the conversation I had with Dixon. She was only to nod her head when she had finished reading and understood what I had put on paper. She was then to agree with everything I was going to say next. I paused before I pulled the page out of the machine and then I added one line I hoped she would take to heart.

A quick look around my daughter's room also got me a felt pen and in big letters on another sheet of paper I simply wrote 'act normal', even I smiled to myself when I wrote that, what we were doing was nothing like normal. I just hoped that Gretchen wouldn't give herself away.

Dad hadn't moved from his seat on the porch, his shotgun still lay across his lap. I paused for a moment and leaned up against one of the step posts, we both looked out across the yard and the fields beyond.

"Do you think you can make it to Walter's cabin in an hour?"

My father simply nodded, not taking his eyes off the view in front of him.

"Oh, you may need to go see Wendell, he's got some sort of transmission problem, I told him you would swing on by and fix it for him, he's expecting your call."

"Sure thing dad, I planned to take the girls shopping anyway, since he's on the way we'll drop by."

Dad nodded his head again. "I'll call and let him know you're on your way, Becca could do with some adult company."

With that, I stepped off the porch and walked back to the cabin. Gretchen was just opening the door when I got there, her smile quickly turned to confusion when I held her arm, turned her around, and headed back into the cabin. With the door closed, I thrust a sheet of paper into her hands and made sure she read it.

"Gretchen we're all going into town soon, can you check on what we may need?"

At first she just nodded, by now I was half way across the day room as Victoria came out of one of the bedrooms. Quickly changing direction, I stood against her and kissed her, thrusting another sheet of paper into her hand as I did so. When we came up for air, I guided her to a seat and sat her down, the sheet of paper now spread out across her lap and her fingers deftly reading the Braille dots as Gretchen and I worked out a shopping list between us.

It was clear to see Gretchen wanted to know what was going on, more so when we could both see the anger on Victoria's face.

"Oh, Doug we have to go to the pharmacy as well, in our rush to get here I forgot some things."

By now, Victoria stood next to Gretchen, the sheet of paper changed hands and now both knew what was written on it, Gretchen was more worried than Victoria. Time was getting away from us, I made sure the girls quickly changed into clothes they had bought in town before they grabbed a coat each and we set off, the music station in my station wagon was turned up, so neither of them could talk over the top of it.

A half an hour later, I pulled into Wendell's place, he and Becca already stood by their pick-up. Once I got Victoria into the back of his pick-up, Gretchen quickly followed, I tossed him the keys to mine and we set off again. As we drove away from Wendell's place, I watched as he and Becca climbed into mine and headed into town.

It was Gretchen who spoke first. "Ok, I give up just what the heck are we doing?"

"I figure the note was self explanatory, someone is watching the cabin and they are real good at it. I needed to get the both of you out of the way so we could talk."

"Victoria Ellington."

This time Gretchen and I looked towards Victoria, the pause in our own conversation clearly let her know we were waiting for her to explain herself.

"It was the last thing you wrote in that note, you said. 'You may not have a ring on your finger but to me you're an Ellington and we look after our own' I went over it twice to make sure I knew it by heart."

Gretchen smiled and I just shrugged my shoulders before saying. "I assume you have no objection to that?"

Victoria quickly shook her head.

"Ok, ladies I suggest you buckle up and either hold onto each other or something solid that isn't likely to move if we hit something."

Before they could say anything else, I had put my foot down; the click of seat belts was heard seconds before I slammed the breaks on to swing a sharp left onto one of the fire roads up the mountain. I couldn't afford the time to look in my rear view mirror to see what they were hanging onto, with the thud and 'ouch' I heard when I hung an even sharper right and continued up the mountain. I could only assume it was each other they were hanging on to.

Being paranoid in our family became second nature back when we were running booze. Walter Ellington shifted the money around so well, no one in our family figured any of it out until Walter died and a new head of the family was in place. Even my dad shook his head in wonder at the legacy that man left this family, one of them was over a thousand acres of land. Half meadow and the other half was the side of the mountain than run alongside the meadow.

Dad told me and when I was old enough, he showed me where the Ellington's hid the trucks and cars they used when they were ridge runners. I spent the next thirty minutes heading towards and doubling back around before the pick-up burst through some bushes and into the clearing coming to a stop a couple a feet short of the only structure in the clearing.

Even when I switched the engine off, nothing in the back moved. Both the girls were clinging onto each other their eyes tightly shut, I wasn't even sure they were breathing until Gretchen let out a gasp and opened her left eye to see if it was safe enough to open both eyes. When she did, she locked a glare on me.

"Are you fucking crazy, if you want to inherit Victoria's money you need to marry her first before you kill her?"

The rest I lost when she went into that strange language of theirs again. I can only assume, judging from the dirty looks I was getting, as she was saying what ever it was she was saying, that it wasn't very complimentary. Victoria set off in giggle fits; I opened the back door and helped them both out. Dad already had coffee going on an open fire inside the old shed. He watched from a safe distance and kept his mouth shut while the rant continued.

I let her go on for another minute or so before my patience wore too thin to even listen to her anymore. Pulling her close to me by her blouse I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her, she punched, she kicked she even tried to bite me. Her arm actions slowly stopped and she in turn wrapped her own arms around me, hell she even joined in which I was pleased about.

My fathers comment reminded us of where we were. "When you two decide to come up for air, coffee's ready."

Our lips parted moments later; Gretchen's eyes opened a moment after that. Her green eyes really are something any man with a pulse can just sit and stare at, that's when she's not being all bitchy and cussing up a storm of course.

"I will remind you as often as you want me to Gretchen, you're an Ellington now. You're not the only one looking out for Victoria anymore, you need to step aside a little and make room for the rest of us honey."

The air seemed to leave her body and she smiled. Her head rested on my shoulder, the sigh that left her lips told me she understood my meaning. Her hand came up to my neck and her head once again came away from my shoulder as she leaned in once more for a kiss before we both walked over to the fire. Dad had already sat Victoria down on a fold away chair. I let Gretchen take the seat next to her.

Victoria led the way in the curiosity stakes that day. "Will you tell us why all this secrecy is necessary?"

Dad just looked at me; they were my wives as far as he was concerned so I got to fill in the gaps. He would back me up on anything else.

"From the day you came here, you have been watched and not by us. Dad had one of those nagging feelings, so he switched on the security system around our land, you don't see much of it and what you do see is more for show than anything else. He still didn't find anything but that nagging feeling stuck with him for a few days, and in the end, he sent for Dixon."

Gretchen interjected. "Wait a minute, is that why you gave your dad that look when he mentioned Dixon a week or so ago, you knew something was up then didn't you?"

Shrugging my shoulders gave me the moment I needed to form my reply. Since dad only had a feeling and not much else, it seemed pointless going to the girls and telling them that. What I was reluctant to add to that, when I told them, was that when Dad had one of those feelings people took notice. The fact he called on Dixon, meant he was taking the girls security very seriously; Dixon spent a few days around the place and then went to dad and told him. My father pointed him in my direction and Dixon told me everything.

"Dixon knows someone is on our land. But he's smart and obviously has forces training since he doesn't stay in one place for very long and covers his tracks real well."

I watched Victoria reach across and grasp Gretchen's hand. Dad and I left them to their thoughts as we sat and sipped our coffee.

"I can't escape this can I? It just seems to go on and on."

Gretchen was out of her seat quickly, pulling Victoria to her feet and hugging her tightly, gentle shushing noises could be heard as Victoria burst into tears on her friends shoulder. It still took her a few minutes to calm her enough to sit her back down again. Gretchen turned and saw Dad and me in the same place still sipping our coffee and her eyes blazed. An angry retort on her lips yet never spoken, her eyes grew wide and those lovely green eyes shone once again, a grin even came to her lips before she said.

"Let me guess, you have a cunning plan and since we are Ellington's now you are going to take care of it."

Dad took exception to her sarcasm. I couldn't blame him so I let him continue.

"Sit down girlie, and less of the attitude. I would have taken care of this a few days ago, but you're my son's wives and out of respect for him, I let him tell you. Yes you're Ellington's now but if you change your mind on that fact, don't let the door hit you on the ass on your way off the farm."

Gretchen blushed and lowered her head for a moment before she looked at Dad once again and apologized. Dad looked over to Victoria the softness of my father's voice coaxing a response from her.

"Vickie darling, I need you to be the bravest you have ever been."

Gretchen still held tightly to her friend's hand. We watched as Victoria's demeanor changed, she was no longer the frightened little girl anymore.

"How do we know whoever it is isn't watching us right now?"

"A man on foot and trying to be quiet can't move all that fast, best guess is he's also tracking you electronically as well. That's why your cell phones are still at the cabin. Since the clothes you're wearing are store bought from here we know they're not tagged either."

A smile came to her lips and her head rose to look in the direction of my father.

"That's why we changed vehicles as well."

My father looked at me this time. It was then I put my cup down and explained that's why I insisted that the girls made a shopping list, when we left Wendell's place, he and Becca took our vehicle and at this moment in time are doing our shopping for us.

"Both of you need to know this, Dixon told me and I agreed with him so I'm telling you. Whoever is on our land knows Dixon is out there and is better than he is. It's only a matter of time before Dixon catches up with him and he can't afford that, so his window to do whatever he's been paid to be doing is diminishing by the hour."

This time I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the firestorm, as I outlined the plan Dixon and I had discussed in my workshop. Gretchen stood and told us that hell would freeze before she would allow that to happen. Victoria waited her out and then started to ask questions, I answered as honestly as I could and slowly between Victoria and me, we got Gretchen on board.

"Gretchen, you need to hear me out. On the farm, you have ten people looking out for you both at the moment, state wide you have over one hundred and twenty. I could give you the countrywide figure if you wish but I think you have an idea of what I'm saying. You're both family and here, we look after our own."

We could tell she was still struggling with herself.

"I told you over by the pick-up that you're not the only one looking out for Victoria anymore and as you can see, I meant it."

A wry smile came to her, Victoria smiled at the same time and I figured we had a deal. Both still insisted it was sealed with a kiss, dad even got in on the deal, as both the girls gave him one as well, and it's been sometime since I've seen my dad blush so much.

The drive down the mountain was at a more sedate pace this time. We met Wendell and Becca at the gas station outside of town. Wendell handed me my keys and told me I owed him a tune up and service on his pick-up for putting him through the torture of having to go shopping. Becca hugged both the girls and they went into a huddle for a few minutes, judging by the giggles and looks towards us I could imagine they weren't swapping cooking recipes.

*******

Two days later Gretchen got a call, she needed to be in Boston the next morning; the whole conversation sounded all legalese so Victoria and I left her to it. Ten minutes later, she joined us on the porch. All three of us suspected this would happen, but kept our own thoughts to ourselves, as she packed I called over to dad and asked him if he wouldn't mind taking her to the airport.

When they left, Victoria and I opted for a sun bathing session down by the creek. It hadn't taken Victoria long to get used to the gravel paths and negotiated them with ease now. We were both still wet, neither one of us wanted a towel; instead we opted for the sun to dry us.

"I love this place is their anyway we could..."

The sudden pause made me look towards her and that was my first mistake. At first it was the look of total confusion, Victoria went to say something and that's when my world went dark. Victoria's scream followed me into unconsciousness.

*******

My father was sitting reading a book over on the couch when I opened my eyes; Lou-Lou was asleep across his lap. The tube in my mouth tasted awful I had the patience to let it be and watch the scene in front of me. My daughter suddenly gasped and dad dropped his book as Lou-Lou quickly sat up.

"He's awake."

Dad quickly looked over to me and saw me smile, well as much as I could with a tube down my throat.

"Well I'll be damned, sweetie you're going to have to tell me how you can do that some day."

By now, my daughter was shuffling towards me her arms outstretched ready in case she bumped into anything other than the bed. Dad walked behind her and settled her onto the bed and pushed the red button, Lou-Lou held me tight and wouldn't let go. The room quickly filled with nurses and doctors, poor dad had to pry my daughter off me so they could get to me. She was in tears but at least she had it together enough to understand that the doctors and nurses had a job to do.

Thankfully, the tube came out first and even though I was prepared, the second it hit my gag reflex I vomited. The nurse was ready thankfully, and smiled as she held a container for me, the inevitable questions and tests followed, the urge to ask some of my own had to take a back seat. At best, I could only manage a whisper, so one of the nurses had to lean her head next to me so I could talk. The police were next in and made themselves comfortable, although that in itself was a waste of time since I didn't know anything short of being hit and a scream but they seemed satisfied with my answer.

Lou-Lou came crashing back into the room, my father in hot pursuit, if it wasn't for the fact I was in the hospital, I swear that one scene would have been worth a good laugh and one of those you keep to embarrass your daughter with when she brings her first boy friend over to introduce. She threw herself onto the bed and laid alongside me, I even had to shuffle over some so she didn't fall off the edge. Dad tried to get her off the bed and back onto the couch, he may be the head of the family but even he knew he was wasting his time.

Connie arrived as dad just about gave up and sat on the couch himself, she scanned the room and although the smile was brief, the water in her eyes told me more. Connie knew my daughter wasn't going to move so didn't even bother saying anything and joined dad on the couch. The one man I didn't expect to see waited by the door, still unsure if he should enter.

"Uncle Dixon you need to get in here, don't make me got off my daddy's bed and come get you."

My father and I looked at each other and smiled. Dixon would only ever allow Lou-Lou to talk to him like that; their bond was the tightest I've ever seen between two people that weren't related. He hesitated for a moment but came in and stood with his back against the wall, he looked at dad who then nodded his head. Dixon was never one for conversation and this must have been the only time he had been around this many people.

Dad understood that it was left to him to say anything. "She's safe son. The feds have her in protective custody along with Gretchen. How much do you remember?"

Even in whisper mode, I managed to say I didn't remember much. When dad left with Gretchen, Victoria and I left about mid-day and walked down to the river, we had been there about an hour when something caught Victoria's attention and I looked towards her rather than up the path and that's when it all went dark.

At first, my father was reluctant to speak in detail with my daughter in the room. We all realized it would take more to pry her off the bed and out of this room than either of us had so we let her sit and listen. She was an Ellington and she knew more than she ever let on most of the time anyway, so dad filled in the blanks. Dixon had eased off on following whoever was on our land, the day of the phone call to Gretchen. We all knew it was then that he was going to make his move.

It was why we went to the creek for the afternoon as Dixon was already there. He went there when dad let him know about Gretchen leaving. He made good use of the time at the creek, while waiting for us to arrive. When whomever it was emerged from his hiding place and hit me, Dixon took him out before he got to Victoria.

Lou-Lou felt my body tense as the implication of what my father had said came to me.

"Daddy don't you dare, you're safe and so is Victoria. Uncle Dixon was looking out for you both. Remember that ok, she's safe now."

Once Dixon stood face to face with the intruder, the outcome was inevitable. Dixon was a full blood Indian and the day he stood next to me in my workshop and told me that someone was out there, he wanted to know if Victoria was an Ellington. When I told him that Victoria and Gretchen were soon to be my wives, he simply nodded his head and told me that Lou-Lou needed a mother.

A man with hundreds of years of tradition and values like Dixon, would die before any harm would come to Victoria and the man hunting her stood in the shadows of someone like Dixon. The urge to kill him was only held at bay by my father telling Dixon that they needed him alive, so he would flush out those that had hired him. The hand-to-hand fight was quick and uneven since the people of Dixon's tribe knew only one way to fight and that was to keep going until every ounce of blood has left your body.

My arm came up and I held my daughter even tighter. As Dixon and I looked at each other, we both knew that keeping this man alive was perhaps the hardest thing he was ever asked to do for the Ellington's. I'm sure the bond between my daughter and Dixon had a lot to do with it. He now looked on Victoria as Lou-Lou's mother and keeping her alive was his priority even if he had to suppress the urge to kill anyone that placed the well-being of his best friend in danger.