Derek’s heart misses a beat with the anguish in her voice. “I’m sorry, Nathalie. I couldn’t tell you what I was about to do. It would only get you in trouble. You were the best friend I ever had.”
“Don’t be a fool, she’s not….” The message cackles before it stops altogether.
Maeve glances at him, but he looks ahead.
“Where’re now, Maeve? Any ideas? We can’t stay here.”
There is a moment of silence, then she says, “Why not Earth? My aunt lives somewhere in Haroldswick in the Shetland Islands. It’s remote, and we can trust her. We’ll never be found.”
Derek smiles, “Never heard of it but that’s probably a good thing. I’ll put in the coordinates for Earth. It’s going to take a couple of hours.”
An hour later, the ship has stopped its acceleration. The harness automatically removes from Derek’s wheelchair, and Maeve unstraps her belt.
A moment later, she throws her arms around Derek’s neck and presses her lips against his. “You saved me. Nobody has done something like that for me before. You’re a hero.”
Derek gazes into her eyes, “Anything for you, love. You have the rest of our lives to make it up to me.”
They laughed and began to kiss once more.
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