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  Smiling, he cleaned his place up, meaning he was vacuuming when there was a soft knock on his door. That got him to move over quickly, checking through the peep hole, only to see that it was a smaller person, who was covered in snow.

  Cautiously, he opened the door. Wondering why frosty the snow child was coming to get him.

  “Hello?” He sounded skeptical, but then, he would. If people rarely called him, no one ever came to visit.

  The snowy person uncovered her face, which beamed up at him, tiredly.

  “Hey, George.” The voice was kind of familiar, being that he’d married the woman the night before.

  “Hello. What are you doing out?”

  She pushed past him, making a strange noise as she did it. She also tracked in a lot of snow, which got her grabbed by the arm. That was icy. He still didn't let her continue in, even as she gave him a scared look. That eased when he pushed the door shut. The icy air coming in was incredible.

  “Strip the outer clothing off. I just cleaned in here, so I don’t need it to be all wet.” That got some movement, though she was clearly close to hypothermia. At least her movements were sluggish and clumsy.

  Under the heavy coat she had on a thick sweater, a scarf that was tucked into the top of it and blue jeans. It was a very normal seeming outfit. She looked almost like a regular person. Then, she wasn’t made up to get men to stuff one dollar bills into her underwear that day. She didn’t even have makeup on her face, which meant her cheeks were rosy and she had deep circles under her eyes that looked nearly like bruises. They weren’t, but it was clear she wasn’t doing well.

  Finally, she stripped off her pants, since they were sodden. Moving to the sofa, he pulled the warm blanket that was kept there from the back and wrapped it around her. Then tossed the wet clothing in the dryer.

  “Thanks. I thought you were going to kick me out for a minute.” She moved in, slowly settling on the sofa.

  Without asking if she wanted anything, he moved to the kitchen and made some cocoa for her. He had a mix for that, which he only broke out on special occasions. Not because it was high end, but just due to the carb count. He used the microwave to warm the water, since that would take less time, then brought the mug in, holding the warm thing in both hands, handing it over.

  They didn’t speak for a while, Gina, looking a bit matted and hard used just sipping at her drink, finally looking up at him.

  “Ah… I was out trying to score some drugs. As for the part where I know where you live… Well, it’s called stalking. I know, it isn’t exactly brilliant, but you know, crazy chick obsessed with the good-looking man. It happens. You just didn’t seem that into me. I was near here when my supplier fell through on me, so figured it was stop in or die.” She looked away, not making eye contact at all. “So, how is your day going?”

  That got him to settle on the sofa, since they were both going to be there for a while. Reaching out, he pushed her arm a bit.

  “It isn’t that I’m not interested, just that I have some concerns. My day is… Going fine, really. Active, given that it’s early like it is. So, the storm is helping in your effort to cut back on the drugs?”

  She nodded, sipping her drink again.

  “Yep. I know that I need to quit that shit, but I don’t have a lot in life, you know? I work at a seedy strip club, proving my daddy issues and sucking cock for bigger tips in the gold room. So, I hide from that in drugs. I should find some nice guy to live off of, but you know, no one wants a stripper long term. Especially one that, you know, does what I do.”

  He could see that one. Then again, for him the drugs were the biggest issue. It probably was for a lot of men. An ex-stripper wasn’t going to make a great wife, maybe, but a lot of guys would be willing to support her, in exchange for love and affection.

  If she wasn’t going to just use them and run off with the next guy to come along with a baggy of white powder.

  “We all have something, don’t we? The big thing for now is the drugs, I bet. Kick that and you can change things. I mean, you have to be making good money, but you never seem to have any, that part would get better fast, I bet, without the extra recreational chemicals.” He could be wrong on that score, since for all he knew there was a kid sitting back home, who needed things that cost a lot.

  “That’s true. I should get into rehab, but that costs money. Funny, but no one wants to pay for me to do that.” She looked at him, as if that was going to be offered from his direction.

  It was tempting, but only due to the fact that he was married to her in a different world. One that, now that she was sitting there, seemed like it might have been imaginary. Except that Captain, no Agent, Herret had called him on the phone there.

  George wasn’t an idiot, so got that if there was more than one world it was possible that there could be cross over like that. What it meant was that, it was either all real, or he was making the whole thing up, he thought. In the other world, Regina had told him that she knew about this girl and that he was in her life, if at a remove.

  Then he was called up that morning, in a very suspicious and unreal seeming fashion, by Agent Herret. Even Gina showing up in a storm, on his doorstep that morning was too strange to credit. They weren’t dating, and rumors of stalking aside, that part didn’t make much sense. The woman was hot enough to get a date. Possibly even one with him, if she really wanted to try for it. That level of coincidence probably meant that it wasn’t real at all.

  Given that, then the other Gina telling him that she knew things about the world they were in would lead to the conclusion that both realities were false.

  Not that they weren’t his world anyway. Even if it was all fake, he had to live it as well as he could. Hopefully, if it was like that, all fake, then he was just in a coma, after being hit in the head. That would mean a world similar to the one he was in at the moment, since it would be too hard to keep him alive in a place like Stena, if that were going on. They didn’t have things like I.V.s as far as he knew.

  Rather than profess a desire to help her, since druggies would use you, if they could, he just nodded a bit and patted her blanket covered leg, gently. It was a bit too flirtatious, given the situation. After all, coming off of drugs, she wasn’t going to be feeling all that randy, he was willing to bet. George kind of was, but distracted himself, since it was late enough for lunch. An early one, but that was fine.

  “Food?”

  She grinned at him and shrugged.

  “I’m completely not hungry. I could pick at something and pretend to be eating like a normal person? That’s the other side of being a fool like I’ve been, for so long. Meth is great for sex though. It’s part of why I started it. So, that I’d want to do things with the men that came in.” She stopped and looked away again. “Fucking hell. That’s got to sound attractive, doesn’t it? Mentioning the fact that I’m basically a whore for a living. It’s true, but… I don’t want to be. Does that help? I should at least get pity points, right?”

  It didn’t really work that way. On the great side, he wasn’t actually judging her half as hard as she probably expected him to be. Then, other than a Witch in a different world asking him to help her out, he didn’t really have any need to be useful to the woman in front of him at all. He couldn’t even have sex with her, since he didn’t have any condoms and wasn’t going to let himself risk anything with her until he saw some medical tests results.

  That meant standing up, shrugging.

  “You can change, if you want. People do that, I hear. Now, food to pretend to eat? Something small?”

  They ended up with eggs and bacon. It was carb free, but she seemed impressed enough that he could cook at all. At least she complimented him on the fact, several times. As if it were a big deal.

  “I can cook, too. So, you know, if you take me in, I can earn my keep?”

  For a half moment, he figured she was talking about staying during the storm. Then he realized she was trying to move in, with him as some k
ind of sugar daddy. If that was the real case, she was sadly mistaken. After all, he didn’t make enough money for that kind of thing. Enough to live on, and even have a slightly better life than he did at the moment, but that was all. Instead of playing with her, he shook his head.

  “Nope. I’m not doing that one. Not yet. If you want all of this, you’ll have to make some changes first. I don’t have time, or the mental stability, to deal with your problems too. On the great side, I don’t need you to throw yourself at me before I’ll help you out at all. It just won’t be in any way you want.”

  That got her to make a face at him, seeming upset for a bit. Tears came to her eyes, but he shook his head.

  “That won’t really work. Once a man decides not to sleep with you, a lot of that kind of power goes away. Still, if you do the work, I’ll give you a hand. Getting clean. Even changing things. If you don’t care enough for that kind of thing, then, well, it isn’t a good time investment for me, you know?” It sounded mean, but got a nod.

  “Yeah. Still, if you aren’t getting lucky with me, then why bother at all? I know what I’m worth. A slick spot with enough friction to be interesting.” She waved at her lap, as if he might not get what she was going for. That got him to smile.

  “I’m insane, Gina. As in, I’m not even certain that any of this is real at all. I was asked to help you out in a different reality, by a different version of you. So, you get the idea, it’s probably my subconscious mind pushing me to not be a jerk. That doesn’t mean I want to buy your problems for myself, though. You can fix things, or not, but it has to be you doing it.”

  She looked down, sipped her drink then shrugged.

  “Right. Okay, I’ll do it. Still, I can have sex with you. Even if I won’t enjoy it right now. I’m clean, you know? On depo, so there won’t be any kids. Don’t make me throw myself at you.” She was teasing on the last bit, her focus going back to the plate she was holding on her lap.

  It was going to be hard to keep resisting her after a while, if she kept doing things like that. Instead of giving in, he winked at her.

  “Oh, you’re going to have to work harder than that, if you want all this.” He gestured down at himself, as if he were trying to be alluring. It was too flirtatious, since he wasn’t putting out. That idea got him to frown for a bit, only to have the phone ring. They were sitting on the sofa, eating off of real plates, since he did that, which meant setting his food down to get over to the counter by the third ring.

  As soon as he tabbed the thing, he spoke.

  “Hello? George Elder here.”

  “George? General Howard Sayner. I don’t know if you’ll remember me?”

  He nodded, looking away from the woman on his sofa.

  “I do, General. What can I do for you?”

  “Good. I sent your name past the FBI the other day. I just got a call in from an Agent of theirs. Herret. It occurred to me that I should check in, before doing that. How are things going? Are you ready to come back to work? You’ve been doing… Auto repair it says here. So, nothing too important to leave, if you have to.”

  “Get back to work? You aren’t talking about the Feds, are you?” That had never been his job, after all.

  “Hell no, kid. We need to have some threats removed. In your area. Are you in? Your country needs you. Taking off the head will do more to protect our people than all the investigations the FBI can put together. If you’re inside there, which seems likely right now, we can use you to actually handle this. Officially. The President is in on the plan.”

  It sounded a bit like a trap, to be honest. He’d been a good enough sniper, and had some background in that kind of thing, but they had to have newer personnel who were sharper and up to speed. Then again, it was his fantasy, which meant that of course the world would revolve around him.

  “I’m in, but frankly I’m not a hundred percent, mentally. Also, I can’t leave right now. There’s a blizzard going on… I also have a friend over. So, I can’t say much.”

  “Understood. Let me get you this number. Call me back in a few days. I’ll set things in motion on this side. Good talking to you again, Elder. We need some good people, like you.”

  When the phone hung up, he settled the cell on the counter. It was a bar, so you could see over it into the kitchen. Pretending that he was still hungry, he picked his plate up, and started to eat again.

  Gina just looked at him, blinking.

  “General? As in the military?” The words were a bit dry sounding, as if that didn't make any sense at all.

  “Yeah. I used to work with him, when I was in the Army. I was… Well, I caught a chunk of metal to the head, so I had to get out.” He patted the side of his head on the right. “When I woke up, I had some problems. I managed to get through my tour, the rest of it, riding a desk, but then got out. My old job might have some use now, so… You know, another job offer.”

  That got him grinned at.

  “So, you’re a bad boy and a man of mystery? That is so unfair. I’m the one that’s supposed to be pursued, not the other way around. Well, what do we do, after we eat?” She looked out the window, as if they could see more than white from the second story.

  “I don’t know what you’re doing, but I need to get up to speed on some things, which will mean more research, online. Public sources, so it will be hard to get it all, but that’s what I have for the moment.” He winked at her then. “Less than fun for you, but there is a television and I have cable. Even a few of the good channels.”

  That got a grunt, which sounded tired. A bit grumpy as well, as if he wasn’t doing what she wanted him to.

  “Hmmph. That’s hardly the constant entertainment I expect from life. It’s practically like you didn’t expect me to just show up and move in on you today at all.”

  Which he hadn’t, though now that she was there it seemed right. So, did the rest of the highly unlikely things that were going on.

  It had to be a sign, of something.

  Chapter seven

  George nearly started talking to Herret about terrorists and wet works operations before he understood that he was in Stena, not Springfield. It wasn’t hard to see that the world was different, being that they were walking along muddy paths, instead of being trapped inside by the snow.

  The evening before, which had been weeks after his last visit, as far as he could tell, had involved two Regina specific things. The first was some rather interesting and cuddly things done after everyone had gone to bed. In a tent, on the ground, but it was still nice. The other was that she’d had a vision, which spoke of the enemy coming in six days. Where they’d be coming in on the map as well.

  So, they were marching out, heading toward the right place.

  His new wife was walking with him, carrying her own gear, instead of acting like she was helpless. That wasn’t the only woman with the group, since they had camp followers. Mainly cooks, but a few whores as well. Some of the women did both jobs, making them even handier than the others. A few of the men had wives that were in that group as well. They did things like taking in laundry and watching the children. There weren’t a lot of those along, thankfully.

  The big trick was that they needed to hold those people back far enough from the danger to prevent them from either slowing the whole group down, or them being taken as hostages.

  Without saying anything to her, Regina nodded, getting what he was thinking about.

  “That’s a good idea. We should have all the women and children stay back, about two days from the correct place. I’ll just stay with them?” She said it like that wasn’t the best plan, but it really was. Not just because she was his wife now, either. That was a bit strange, since he actually felt like protecting her, even if she’d been pushy and taken over part of his life.

  Then, he’d had the option of being crazy and alone, or with a Witch who was pretty and rather well put together, compared to the other version of herself. So, in that way, he got the good one. The big point, at the
moment, was different however.

  Turning to Captain Herret, George nodded a few times.

  “There’s a point. We can’t risk our only intelligence source.” He didn’t add anything more than that. After all, wife or not, the woman had been hired on for a specific job. If that meant going into danger, then that would be what happened. His red clad buddy just snorted and smiled at them.

  “That isn’t wrong. Fine. You can stay back with the women and children. Captain Elder, can you find a good location for that? We won’t have a lot of time to make large detours, so keep that in mind.” Then the man walked off, his pack on his back, even if no one would have blamed them if they’d set the things on one of the horses. Most people in their position would have been riding.

  That wasn’t great for morale however, though the men wouldn’t have ever mentioned it. They complained and whined like anyone else did, but they were careful to not do it directly in front of the Captains. Especially when it came to things that the men couldn’t easily fix. The only real grumbling had been about the new training that had been going on. It was clear it worked, but that didn't mean all the men loved the new style of fighting.

  He had to open a map as they moved, his mind going back to the research that he’d been doing on terror attack patterns. The big difference here was that they were a lot less random. The Tollan had specific goals, which made sense and dictated where they’d hit. They wanted loot and women. That meant a town or village that was fairly prosperous. It couldn’t be that large however, or else the men there might fight back too well.

  The location for the base camp was simple enough to find, except that it meant them being left three days from the main group, not two. There was a nice dry field, with a clean river on the bottom side. Instead of having everyone ford it, only the fighters would have to do that. It would save on wet feet, which could only help with preventing illness.

  The days were all lived by him, even though it was mainly exhausting walking the whole time. The only saving grace was that he was getting to have sex each night. Regina was fairly normal as far as things like that went, but she had a few positions she knew how to use. That she wasn’t a virgin was just true. He didn’t even need to ask about that. In Stena that was a big deal, but it happened. You just weren’t supposed to admit it.