611: Old Friends

by William Lindsay
81026.0200
Hours after The Stranger

-=The Church of Christ the King at Turner's Cross: Ireland=-


"Bless me Father, for I have sinned. It has been...too long since my last Confession.”

As he knelt, Keiran shifted uncomfortably.

It wasn't just that his large frame was jammed tightly into the small space. It was that being in this place always reduced him back to feeling like a small boy or worse, the awkward teenaged one he once was.

"How long is hard to explain," he sighed softly, thinking about linear and non-linear time as he'd experienced both aboard the Perseids. "Feels like years."

He heard breathing on the other side of the screen so he knew that there was, in fact, someone there.

He knew that there were two new priests assigned to the parish since he'd last been home, and so he thought nothing of the fact that he did not instantly hear the softspoken, reassuring voice of Father Quinn issuing from beyond.

"Where to begin." Keiran thought about the examination of conscience that he and all other Catholics were required to make of themselves if they wanted to give a good confession. As he asked himself the standard list of questions, he realized that he could be here all year if he didn't find a way to boil everything down to the most important points.

*Was I impatient, angry, envious, proud, jealous, revengeful...* he asked himself. Instead of dissecting each option he simply admitted to himself how far he'd gone off course by answering his own conscience with one word. *Yes.*

Even though he hadn't acted on the wish for revenge, he had to admit to himself that he had enjoyed watching Vox' fall far more than he should have, as a God fearing man.

"Well, I don't have all day." A voice from the other side of the screen warned. "I mean, have you sins to confess, my child?"

Keiran blinked. "Aye, Father, I, I'm just tryin' to figure out which one I should start with." *This new generation of priests are certainly different...*

"Well, maybe I can help ya with that," the voice replied. "What about that woman you're plannin' on marryin'? Have ye been livin' in sin?" The structure of each sentence broke down more than the last, until each word was punctuated by soft laughter.

Keiran's face turned crimson, his eyes flashing furiously.

He knew that voice.

He jumped to his feet, threw open the door to the confessional and, much to the surprise of several elderly ladies waiting behind him for their turn, ripped open the door to the box next to the one he'd been in and grabbed the occupant by the collar of his shirt.

"Forgive me, fine ladies," Keiran whispered to them as they gasped, shocked and appalled by what they were seeing.

He didn't stop walking, or dragging the other man by his shirt, until they were outdoors. Coming to a stop on the steps of the church, he finally released him.

William Lindsay was still laughing.

"Keiran if you could only see the look on your face just now." He roared.

Keiran continued to fume. "You tryin' to get me excommunicated?"

"Calm down, will ya now? Only couple of old women saw us. The Father is in the back on subspace. I was careful." He shook his head. "You take yourself entirely too seriously, you know. You always have. That's why Lassiter made us partners to begin with. So that I could save you from your own worst enemy. Yourself."

He held his hand out toward Keiran in earnest and finally, Keiran recovered enough to shake it.

"So I see you got my message."

"Aye, and I got here as quick as I could. Lucky for me that my new rank and assignment will allow me to honor your request."

Lindsay looked at him sideways, now a little worried that his stunt may have cost him the honor that Keiran had planned to bestow upon him.

"I'm sorry about all that. You know old habits are hard to break right? You know how I love to make an entrance."

"Yeah." Keiran stood there looking at Lindsay and as always, he just couldn't stay mad at him. They'd been through far too much together.

He was more a brother to Keiran than a friend, and in many ways he was so much closer to Will than he could ever be to any of his biological brothers.

Will understood the job, and that was something that only someone who had done it, could do.

"Let's get out of here." Lindsay suggested. "I'll buy you a pint."

"It's eleven o'clock in the morning!" Keiran protested.

"Scotch?"

Keiran sighed. "We do need to talk. But I'm not goin' an'a'where until I've made my confession. So you get to wait."

"Lovely. "Tis a fine morning, I'll just sit here and scope out the nuns."

"For shame, William, honestly!" Keiran winced. "I know you athiest types don't have much respect for a place like this," Keiran looked up at the church and while doing so, crossed himself. "But you could at least show me a bit of respect in rememberin' one of those nuns is my little sister!"

"Christ, I forgot,"

"Mind your tongue!"

"Jesus," Will stuttered.

"Lindsay! Shut up!" Keiran was the one laughing now. He had forgotten how, as the senior agent on the team since the beginning, when he took a certain tone with Lindsay it had the ability to reduce him to a complete, babbling eejit.

"I'll be back." He vanished again into the church, leaving William Lindsay with nothing to do but wait.

-=/\=-

"For His mercy endures forever."

Keiran offered the proper closing words and so ended his confession. He rose and made his way toward the exit at a steady pace, knowing that Will was still waiting.

He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the daylight once again and found Lindsay leaning up against the closest tree.

"About damned time. You must be more of a sinner than I gave you credit for." Lindsay grinned. "So, where we off to?"

"Tuxedo fittin'." Keiran advised, leading the way. "Look, Will, all joking aside this ceremony is very important to me."

"I know, I know, listen." They walked through town, making their way toward the tailor's shop where they were due to meet up with TC Blane and Salvek to have any needed alterations made to their wedding attire.

"You are finally marrying her. Are you forgettin' that I was the one stuck listening to you moan about being apart from her all those years?" Though his tone was teasing still, Will's eyes were sincere. "I know what she means to ye. I will conduct mehself, and the ceremony, accordingly. I'm a Starfleet Captain, you know. I am qualified."

"Thank you."

"Besides. If I didn't, Zanh Liis would kill me with her bare hands."

"True."

"So, that's tomorrow. Tonight..." Lindsay wiggled his eyebrows.

Keiran's eyes widened as he watched Will's easy smile turned into a wicked grin.

"Oh no. No no no. You talk about Liis killin' somebody, there is no way in Hell I'm letting you give me a bachelor party."

"Come on, Keiran! Your best man is what, twelve years old? So it's my duty to act in his stead. There is no way that you can't."

"Yes there is."

"But Keiran,"

"Said no."

"This club I found in New York, right? The way the women dance there makes sex look like a church!"

"William Torquil Lindsay..." Keiran stopped walking, rumbling again with laughter. "I've missed you, my friend."

Will knew Keiran well enough to know he'd never go to a place like that before he even posed the idea; and Keiran appreciated the fact that Will still had his sense of humor after all the job had taken out of him over the years.

Will gave Keiran a hearty slap on the back. "And I you." The two started walking again. "So, where are we goin' tonight?"

"My sister's for dinner. I can finally introduce you to Liis, though I have to warn ya," Keiran looked at him directly now, all joking aside. "To her mind, you've already met."

"Right. The paradox." Keiran had also mentioned in his message that they'd been subjected to the effects of an anomaly. "Did I make a good first impression?"

"You were wearin' a kilt."

The consistent smile that Lindsay had worn since he'd appeared now completely vanished. He turned pale, and looked away.

"In that case, O'Sullivan," he, glanced up at the sky and drew a deep breath, "I am very glad that we are here, and not there."

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Captain William Lindsay
Temporal Investigations