I stood by the door, my arms folded under my chest as I watched them. Ididn't know when they would make their move or what it would involve. Iglanced ...out the window and didn't see a vehicle."You didn't come in a van or something?" I asked."We parked round back Miss," Mike said leering at me and letting his eyeslinger over my boobs. Even if I didn't know these were hired kidnappers,I think Mike would have made me nervous."We will just check a few circuits and we will be on our way," Gavin toldme. ‘You’re a very bad girl, Emma. When we get home I’m going to give you a sound spanking, too.’ I couldn’t quite hear your reply, but it sounded suspiciously like a cheeky, defiant, ‘Is that a threat or a promise?’ Finally, we were ready to leave. ‘All we have to do when we get back is explain our mysterious absence.’ ‘No, that won’t be necessary. The ship travels at speeds well in excess of the speed of light, so in accordance with relativity – your Einstein was right – you have effectively gone. A flash of yellow gold and a sparkle of blue fire caught his eye. He sadly smiled. Inside the box were his mother's betrothal ring and her wedding band. She had told him to give them to the woman he loved. That had been four years ago."It was as if she knew what was coming..."His mother had died less than a month after giving him the rings.Erik, through a simple twist of fate, had been staying with her for a long overdue visit and had caught her coughing into a delicate lace handkerchief when. I don't think I wanted to know how I'd helped. I wanted to know if she was still having problems."She was just this mixed up teenager. It wasn't anything ... major. But it was major to her. You know how things like that are. He got her one of my discs for her birthday and one of the songs really spoke to her. It might have been coincidence but she pulled herself out her funk and went back to being the kid he'd always loved. I patted his hand and that was all."She demonstrated with the hand I.