The sequel to Time For A Decision

By Marie S

It had been two days since Ashley had visited with Bud White.  She’d been considering his invitation to stay with him.  It would be good for her to be away from Sid.  Many things weren’t going well between them since her return from Maximus’ time.

It was neither Sid’s nor her fault.  Separation seemed more attractive all the time.  She felt incredibly guilty at the idea of separating Sid from their daughter Sydney.  It was the only thing that kept her from leaving after their last petty argument. 

Sid could be extremely petulant at times.  Sadly Ashley found she could match him if the two set each other off.  And then she’d catch Sid’s uncomprehending looks.  He didn’t understand what was happening between them.  She wasn’t sure she did entirely.

Who was she kidding?  Ashley was consumed by memories and thoughts of Maximus as she missed him, wanted him and longed for him.

She smiled down at Sydney as the baby sighed, took a few half-hearted sucks at her nipple and fell asleep.  Ashley shifted the child to her shoulder and rubbed her back to burp her.  The only peace she seemed to find at the moment was when she was with her baby.

And that was when the plan began to form.  Ashley needed to see Maximus.  She had told him she’d be waiting for him to return and she was taken away before she’d been able to say a real good-bye. 

Ashley knew she’d be unable to stay in Maximus’ time.  Somehow she’d be pulled back to the present every time.  And Sydney needed her here.  Eventually she and Sid would find their way again, but she needed to close off the past and say good-bye to the man she loved.  As painful as that would be, closure had to happen for all of them to go forward.

Secondly, to accomplish this she would have to perfect the art of deception in true Sid fashion.  She would need to go without Sid knowing and hopefully return before he knew she was gone.  That meant returning after a very small increment in time passed from the time of her departure like when she was pulled to Maximus the first time. 

She would tell Sid everything but not until she returned.  His jealousy might lead to something very dire and Maximus was not a man to be trifled with either.  The two of them occupying the same space at the same time was not a good idea.

Thirdly, she had to steal Sid’s device to pinpoint arrival during the journey through time.  He’d never tried to hide it from her, but he didn’t leave it lying around either.  Sid knew she’d been fearful of her previous journeys.  He’d have no idea she’d now want to undertake this trip on her own accord.

Ashley felt she’d be able to figure the device out if she could get her hands on it.  She’d seen Sid use it twice.  She was fairly good with mechanical devices.  And she had a very strong desire on her side to succeed this time.  That should never be underestimated.

Despite the disagreements she and Sid were having, their sex life was intact.  It lacked some of the gentleness they’d found between each other.  It didn’t lack passion or volatility.  Oddly enough, it was sensational even if the love was somewhat lacking.  She found herself turning off her doubts when they slept together.  It was purely physical, which Ashley had never wanted with a man before.

Ashley laid Sydney down in her crib to sleep.  She was fed, with a full tummy, dry with a new diaper and happy with a smile on her tiny little lips.  Exactly how Ashley wanted her sweet precious girl to be feeling with none of the turmoil that was going through her mother.

Her fingers strayed to her flat belly.  What of the new baby growing inside her?  After nearly two weeks home, no period, and all the initial symptoms of pregnancy starting to manifest, Ashley was fairly certain she was pregnant once again.  And now there would be no way for her to know for certain if the child was Maximus’ as she believed, or Sid’s.  The only way was if her doctor could pinpoint the number of weeks she was pregnant.  And Ashley didn’t really want to know.

The baby would be hers with the man she loved.  It didn’t matter if it was Maximus’ or Sid’s child.  It would be her child, who she would love, and it would be raised as Sid’s.  It was why she needed to journey to see Maximus one more time.  She needed to close off that part of her life so she could concentrate on her present and her future.  A tear rolled down her cheek, which she swiped away angrily.

Ashley needed to stop comparing Sid to Maximus and find Sid constantly lacking in the comparison.  She gently rubbed her belly.  The two tiny beings that needed her were right here.  They were her focus and they wouldn’t be raised in ancient times.  She had to convince Maximus to go home on leave and marry the woman his family had arranged for his marriage.  Ashley couldn’t imagine Maximus being with another woman.  It was painful to think about and best for her not to dwell on that.

They both had to understand that she couldn’t stay in his world, even if neither of their hearts could accept it.  That was the way it must be.  Another tear slipped down her cheek.  She wasn’t sure she was strong enough to walk away from Maximus, but she felt there really was no other choice.

Ashley’s plan had come into focus and from that day she began to implement it step by step.

During this time Sid did not remain idle.  He had been working diligently to find out why Ashley had been pulled into the Roman’s past.  They squabbled over everything.  Ashley had refused to talk to him about her time away except to say she had been protected from harm by the Roman general.

Sid knew that he had slept with her.  She’d been there for longer than two months.  Sid had possessed her less than two hours after acquiring her.  He knew a by product of their attraction was sexual attraction to the inferior others in the different times.  Certainly a barbarian such as the general couldn’t have kept his paws off her for any length of time.  He snarled at the idea of one of them touching what was his.  She belonged only to him.  He began to obsess on the revenge he wanted to exact on the barbarian.

Sid could easily have returned to his time and erased the general for touching his butterfly.  But that was the delight of time travel.  He already knew the general’s fate.  He chuckled.

It would suffice.  Sid had other things to occupy his time.  Ashley had grown distant from him even though their coupling was still magnificent.  He didn’t understand the change or how he missed the closeness that had disappeared since she was gone.  All of this was new for Sid.  He simply knew things had been perfect and they no longer were. 

Sid certainly saw the sadness that passed over her face with frequency since she’d returned.  Ashley thought to hide it from him but she was dreadful at lies and deceit.  He wondered that she hadn’t learned better from him and yet he reveled in her sweetness, innocence and lack of guile.  They had drawn him to her initially like a bee to honey…like Sid to his butterfly.

Now his butterfly was up to something.  She was planning something which she tried to hide from him.  Tsk, tsk, butterfly.  His Ash-lee couldn’t fool the master.

Sid’s second task had been to discover how Ashley was taken and by whom or what.  Ashley had accused him of being responsible, which he had vehemently denied. The truth turned out to be he actually was responsible…indirectly.  He scowled.

His computer creation had run a bit amok.  When he’d developed his vast network he also wanted its brain to learn and evolve as he himself had virtually matured before becoming a physical living being.  Unfortunately it had mistaken his passing dalliance with the ‘others,’ as Ashley called them, as beings whose lives also needed to be considered and bettered.  As if Sid cared.  His program had plucked his butterfly from their bed and presented her as a present to the general.  His lip curled in distaste.

After reprogramming his virtual center it clearly understood that Ash-lee was to be shared by none of the others and belonged only to him.  It had misunderstood her trips to the dirty old West sheriff and the inept cop’s time.  He still was a bit galled that his program had made such a disgusting mistake.  He was angry when his virtual center had argued that it was a resounding success which didn’t affect his time with his butterfly because of the brief amount of time she’d been missing from this time they currently occupied.

Sid had to remember his center had never spent time in the flesh as he had.  It was an experience that couldn’t be understood unless experienced.  He reached his finger out to stroke his sleeping beauty’s nipple and watched it react to his touch.  Sid drank in her naked form and felt his need for her grow.  Whenever he was in close proximity to her he would quickly grow to want her. 

Perhaps when she told him of her news he would share the gift he’d given to her that would last forever.  He had caught her being sick that morning on a monitor.  She had considered using one of the pregnancy tests below the sink, but had shook her head and put it back after whispering, ‘too soon.’

If his butterfly was pregnant with their second child that was very good news and she deserved more gifts for him to lavish on her.  He looked at her perfect form.  Sid would miss this body of hers as it swelled again from pregnancy.  Next time he would suggest they take a short break before the next.  It had only been two months since she’d given birth to Sydney.  He preferred a little more play time with her in this form.

He grinned.  Now would work for him.  He easily picked her up and draped her smooth curvy body over his.  Her parts fit as if made for him.  Sid kissed her.

“Wake up, Ash-lee.  I am ready for you, lover.”  His lips found hers again.

Without a word she moved her body into perfect position over his.  She shuddered with pleasure as he entered her.

“Yes, my butterfly.”  Sid played their bodies to perfection with a new symphonic composition.

After their crescendo Sid stroked her silky long red curls as she lay on his chest.  He felt wetness on his chest.

“Why do you leak so?”  He grasped her chin between his thumb and index finger as he peered into her face and saw the tears on her cheeks.

Ashley sat up on his torso and dried the wetness off his smooth chest with her fingers.  Her movements were deliberate and gentle.

“I miss what we had.  I mourn that our closeness has changed.”

“I have not changed.”  He didn’t like this subject of conversation.  It got them nowhere and he didn’t like how things were different.

“I didn’t say you’d changed, Sid.  It’s me who changed while I was gone.  That has affected our relationship.”  She continued to absently stroke his chest though her mind was very far away.

Sid grasped her wrists tightly in his hands and squeezed to get her attention.  She winced from the pressure he exerted on her skin.  Her eyes widened as they met his.

“Well, change back!” He was indignant.  “Do it now!”  Sid’s eyes met hers fiercely.

Sid was hurting her, but she didn’t back down.  She moved up higher on his body to stare directly down into his eyes.

“It’s not that simple for me.  I don’t shut off my emotions with a switch.  I don’t turn on and off my love.”  Ashley stopped and bit back the rest of her retort.  To Sid it must seem like she’d suddenly turned off some of her love for him.  She couldn’t tell him she’d fallen in love with another man.  It was too cold and brutal and it wasn’t completely accurate.  Ashley still loved Sid.  She simply loved the man who’d become her husband more strongly.  Nothing was simple about it.

Ashley moved to yank her wrists from his hands.  At first Sid continued to hold onto them until he saw her wince again with pain.  He didn’t want to inflict pain on his butterfly…did he?  He felt a small sense of satisfaction as she jumped off the bed and lightly rubbed her wrists.  There were red marks from his strong fingers.

“Tell me what happened while you were there to make you change.”

She shut down again and turned away from him.

Sid leapt from the bed and twirled her to face him again.  Ashley again matched his fierce gaze.  He almost shook her but a smile came to his lips.  This was why he’d chosen her.  Physically he could crush her, but she wouldn’t give in to him.  She never had.  Why wouldn’t she tell him?

“If I tell you I’d hurt you and give you pain.  Here.”  She put her hand on his chest over his heart.  “It’s the one thing about you that I understand better than you do, Sid.  Maybe better than I understand my own.”  A tear coursed down her cheek.

Sid leaned in and licked the tear from her face.  “I will draw us a bath and you will tell me.”  Sid padded off to the master bath.  A moment later she heard him turn on the water in the massive tub.  Sid was aroused.  She’d seen it in his face and on his body.  He would have sex with her again and expect her to tell him everything as he was so convinced in the power of his sexual prowess.

He had reason to be confident.  Sid was a magnificent lover.  And at the moment he was out of the room.  She ran to his carefully folded clothes on the chair.  She rifled through his pockets until she was rewarded with the device.  Ashley quickly slipped it into the top drawer of her chest of drawers and beneath her panties.  She silently closed the drawer again and hurried toward the bathroom just as Sid appeared around the doorway.

“There you are, lover.  Our bath awaits us.”  He hoisted her up into his arms and kissed her passionately as his hands moved over the body of the woman he desired again and again.  Eventually they actually bathed.

******

Maximus wearily made his way toward his tent.  Today’s battle had lasted for many hours.  It was a victory for the Roman legion, but at a large price.  Many of his men had died or been grievously injured today.  They had killed at least 3 of their enemy to every one Roman soldier’s death.  His men’s training had showed.  To Maximus every one of his soldiers killed was one too many.

He had come from the hospital tent where he himself had required attention to a small wound.  A sword had sliced through the skin on the outside of his left arm.  It was a glancing blow without much force or it would have been more serious.  It had been the dying attempt by the enemy he fought to die with the glory of taking a Roman general’s life with him.  He had been a skilled foe.

Maximus had two simple thoughts cross his mind as he approached his tent, food and a bath.  His stomach rumbled with hunger and he wanted to wash away the dirt, sweat and blood of the day.  Much of the blood was not his.

A small smile crossed his mouth as the image of his wife, Ashley passed through his mind.  She had been his last thought before he left camp this morning.  Many times a day he would think of her.  He worried how she was doing back in their permanent encampment.  There weren’t many amenities in a soldier’s world.

She gave him a constant reason to want to finish this campaign and return.  This was new to Maximus.  He’d never had someone waiting for him whom he also greatly desired to see, hold and love.  And if what she’d whispered to him before he left was indeed a fact there was even more reason for him to worry and feel concern.  He greatly anticipated becoming a father.  That too had grown in his time away along with his longing for his new wife.

At that moment the air shifted.  It was as though a doorway opened somewhere where none had been before.  Maximus’ hand went to his sword instinctively until he remembered the only time he’d encountered such a sensation previously.

A tiny figure shrouded in a black hooded cloak appeared before him.  Maximus rushed forward to catch the girl as she descended to the ground.  He knew it must be his wife despite her face being turned away from him.

He caught her before she fell completely to the ground.  Her scent enveloped him as he remembered the first time he’d picked her unconscious form up from the ground.  Was it truly possible for there to be love at first sight or perhaps first scent?

Maximus swept her up in his arms and hurried through the darkness the short distance to his tent.  No one had observed her appearance before him this time.

“Cicero.”  Maximus called to his servant as he entered his tent and quickly made his way toward his bed.

“A basin of water and a clean cloth.  My wife has just arrived.  She may be unwell.”  Maximus laid her gently down on his bed.  He didn’t see the shocked expression pass over Cicero’s face at his general’s announcement.  He hurried to comply with the order.

Maximus unfastened a cloth loop from around an intricately knotted button that held the cloak together at his wife’s neck.  His breath rushed from his body as he uncovered her beauty before him.  He stroked his fingers through her long silky red curls.  Thankfully her warm, even breath touched his hand when he checked for signs of her breathing.

“Sir, should I send for a surgeon?”  Cicero had returned with the cloth and basin that had been ready for his general’s return.

“No.  Not yet, Cicero.  She looks well and I don’t want word spreading through camp that she is here yet.” 

Her skin was warm and her color was prettily flushed.  Maximus had an overwhelming desire to pull her into his arms and kiss her awake.  He shook his head for a moment to clear his brain.  Never before had a woman had such pull on him.  Her cheek was warm and dry to his touch…as well as soft and smooth.

Cicero handed his general a warm wet cloth.  Never before had he seen such gentleness in his commander as when he was with his wife.  It was apparent to anyone how much love this man had for this woman. 

This was a very bad place for her to be.  Cicero wondered how she could have gotten here.  He’d heard the rumors before of how she’d appeared from nowhere before the General’s scouting party.

“Ashley.”

Maximus softly called to her as he blotted the cloth across her brow.  He got no response so he lifted her up a bit and put the cloth to the back of her neck and called her again.

“Ashley.  Wake up, little one.”  He leaned down to kiss her forehead.  She began to stir and finally her eyes slowly opened.

She smiled as her eyes focused on him.  Ashley had made it.  She brushed her fingers across his face.

“Maximus, my husband.  I’ve missed you so much, my love.  I had to see you.”

Maximus gathered her into his arms and kissed her gently, but with longing.  He had missed her too.  Yet…

“Ashley, why have you come here?  This place is far too dangerous for you.”  He couldn’t keep the scolding tone from his voice despite his pleasure in seeing her.  She was much safer in stable Roman territory.

Ashley placed tiny kisses across his cheek.  She didn’t want to worry him or have him displeased with her.  Her time with him would be limited.  She’d missed him so much.

“Don’t be angry with me, Maximus.  I had to see you.  I wasn’t waiting for you in camp any longer.  I was taken back again.”  Ashley was aware that Cicero was in the room.  She saw him behind Maximus, waiting to offer assistance.  She smiled at the man, whom she liked very much.

Maximus saw Ashley’s gaze move to Cicero.  She was afraid to speak freely though Cicero would never repeat anything that happened to anyone outside his tent.

“Are you well, wife?”  The concern for her was again evident in his voice.

“Yes, I’m perfectly fine, Maximus.”  She smiled and stroked his face again.  Ashley didn’t want to take her eyes or her fingers off him.  It was like a dream come true to be in his arms again.

“Cicero?”

“Yes, sir.”  Cicero moved into the general’s line of sight.

“Is there enough food prepared for dinner for two and enough water for two to bathe?”

“Yes, everything is ready for the night, sir.”  Cicero had to fight not to smile.  The general’s wife was exactly what his commander needed to lift his heavy heart although she should not be here.  The general was correct about that, but Cicero felt he would forget that quickly for tonight.  He was a newlywed after all.  The next command the general gave him was as expected.

“You may leave us for the night, Cicero.  Tell the guard I am not to be disturbed unless I request something or there is an emergency.”

“Yes, sir.” Cicero turned to leave and a broad smile creased his scarred face as he left the commander’s tent.

Maximus turned back to his wife as she tried to stifle a giggle, but failed miserably as Cicero left.  It was music to his ears.  Her arms wrapped around his neck as she leaned up to kiss him eagerly.

His lips crushed down on hers.  He kissed her until they were both breathless.  The softness of her lips and the taste of her were better than he’d remembered and imagined since he’d ridden away from her to go to battle.

When they finally broke from their kisses Ashley drank in the sight of him as she continued to stroke him.  Her smiles turned to distress as she saw his wounds and the dried blood on him.

“Oh, Maximus.”  A tear rolled down her cheek.  “You’ve been injured.  Are you all right?”  She began inspecting him in earnest to take inventory of the number and severity of his wounds.

Maximus pulled her hands to his face and kissed them as he reassured her.

“Little one.  None of my injuries are serious.  They must look worse than they are.  The battle was a fierce one today.  I need to bathe.”  He didn’t add that much of the dried blood was not his own.  It was then he realized she was wincing from him grasping her wrists despite his gentle grip.

Maximus’ face turned to anger and then rage as he inspected her bruised wrists.  There were black and blue bruises ringing her small wrists that resembled finger grips.  It took a great deal of force to cause marks of this severity.

“Who did this to you, Ashley?”  The anger and outrage was evident in his tone.

“Maximus.  It’s all such a mess.  I was pulled back to my time.  Sid hadn’t even realized that I’d been gone as I reappeared right after the time I disappeared.  I couldn’t act as though nothing had changed.  I fell in love with you.  We were married.  I’m expecting our baby.”  The tears streamed freely down her cheeks now and she hugged into Maximus’ chest.

Maximus stroked her hair and vowed he would kill this Sid if he was able to get the opportunity.  Even if his love could not stay in his time he intended to set her free from this man that hurt his wife repeatedly, both physically and mentally.

“You are in my arms now, little one.  Don’t cry.”  He pulled her body closer to his as his eyes slipped shut.  He had been missing her for many weeks.  A smile of pleasure played across his lips. 

Ashley grinned and kissed his beard gently.  She loved his nickname for her even though she always protested her petite nature.

“I’m not that little, Maximus.  I stand 5 feet tall.”

He laughed out loud.  “Yes, if you were standing on a box.”

“Well, nearly.”  She giggled and leaned in to kiss his chin again but Maximus captured her lips with his.  The kiss turned passionate.  Their tongues touched and tasted.  It ended with a pleasurable sigh from Ashley and groan of growing need from Maximus.  He indeed recalled all that he had missed since they’d been parted.

“I could kiss you all night, General.”  The grin sparkled in her eyes.  After they’d met she kept calling him general which he would correct as they’d already been intimate by that time.

“Maximus…and there are many things I can think to do to you tonight beyond kisses, wife.”

They both laughed together.

“I can’t imagine what you could mean, husband.”

“You can well imagine, wife, but it appears I will need to show you.”

“Perhaps.”  She flirted shamelessly.  “I do prefer action to follow such heady words.”  Ashley batted her eyelashes at him.

The laugh that emanated from him was low and manly, full of want, desire and love.  He picked her up in his arms and easily set her to stand before him.  Maximus gripped her waist to steady her as he anticipated her disequilibrium.  It had happened the last time she’d arrived too. 

Ashley slipped her hands around his waist to wait until the dizziness passed.  Her fingers weren’t idle.  She unfastened his cape and began undo the straps that held his armor in place.  She had done this many evenings before and her fingers were sure and didn’t fumble.

He whispered in her ear and smiled when she shivered.  Maximus took a deep breath to drink in her scent again.  By the gods, her scent overwhelmed him more than any drug could.  It was stronger than any weapon that could be used against him.  She could make him forget all other thoughts, concerns and responsibilities.  This was truly what love could be for a man and woman.

“Are you trying to undress me, Ashley?”  His lips brushed against her earlobe and his tongue licked around her glistening diamond earring.

“Oh, yes.  I intend to bathe you and then have my way with you, husband.”  She shivered again as he removed her cloak from her shoulders and dropped it to the floor, partly from the cool air touching her bared skin and partly from her Maximus’ hands finding her soft uncovered arms and shoulders.

His fingers were very busy as he touched and caressed her skin that was readily accessible to him.  But Maximus was greedy.  He wanted much more than what was uncovered for him; he wanted all of her.

“I may be unable to wait until you bathe me, Ashley.”  His fingers found her gown’s closure at her neck and opened it.  He quickly bared her to her waist and his hand cupped her breast.  His eyes slipped shut as his thumb brushed across her puckered and excited nipple.  Maximus dropped his head to capture one nipple between his lips and pull it into his mouth.

Ashley moaned.  As much as she wanted to tend to his wounds she couldn’t and wouldn’t try to delay him.  Her gown slipped to the floor with his help and she stood naked before him except for a tiny pair of lace panties.  He growled as he took in the sight of her before him and swept the bit of cloth down her legs.

Ashley leaned in to kiss him.  She’d released his armor but needed his help to lift the heavy metal and leather off his body.  Her hand took his other hand and cupped it to her untended breast.

“Don’t wait, my love.  I am ready for you.  I will bathe you after.”

Maximus picked her up and laid her gently on his bed.  He stood before her and threw his armor off his shoulders to the dirt floor.  He quickly removed his tunic and leggings.  His undergarments pouched from his want and need for her.

He knelt on the bed before her and Ashley reached for him.  She removed his wrappings and released his manhood to her questing fingers.

Quickly Maximus determined her words to be true and he was joined with her.  Their lovemaking was urgent and determined, yet gentle and sweet at the same time.

Afterward they lay entwined together.  Both exhausted yet each whispering what had happened to them since they’d been parted.  Maximus was very concerned with the risk she’d taken to return to him.  He didn’t trust that Sid wouldn’t harm her when he discovered she had come to Maximus.  Her bruised wrists were evidence that he lacked gentleness with her.      

His hatred for Sid grew.  Maximus also felt strong jealousy deep inside himself when he thought about this man touching his wife.  Ashley tried to avoid discussing the relationship since she’d been pulled back to her time but she had told him everything about Sid’s original abduction of her, including his fascination and obsession with her.

Maximus stroked her hair gently after she fell asleep so as not to disturb her.  He too was very tired, but his mind was busy at work.  There must be a way for her to stay here with him and to live with him as his wife.  He leaned down and kissed her belly.  His child grew within her.  These two belonged to him and with him.  Maximus wanted to love, care and cherish her for all their days.

Gradually the strain of the day’s battle pulled his weary body into sleep.  Maximus wrapped his arms around Ashley.  She would be unable to be taken from him as they slept for they were as one.

Ashley woke first.  She smiled when she recognized where she was.  Being in Maximus’ arms had her sighing with contentment.  She wanted to stay here forever.  How could she ever leave him again? 

Oh, my precious Sydney.  You need me more than I need Maximus or he needs me.  She tried to slip from the bed, but he just pulled her closer.  Ashley grinned and kissed his cheek as she settled into his body.  This time she inspected him with a more critical eye and she was alarmed at what she saw.

In many places on his body were gashes and bruises that would have her wincing from every movement she made.  And Maximus had made love to her.  She should have put him to bed and tended to his wounds, but their hunger and longing for one another had put all other concerns aside.

Finally she was able to slip from his grasp though he made a noise that sounded none too happy in his sleep.  She stood watching him for a moment.  Her handsome warrior husband didn’t want to let her go.  Perhaps he thought she would vanish if he didn’t hold on tightly to her?  She whispered to him.

“I love you so much, Maximus.  I wish we could live together for a lifetime.”  For a moment she thought to try and take him back to her time with her.  But he was meant to live here to make a difference in this time, just as Ashley was meant to be in her time and not here.  She would never trade a moment of her time with Maximus to spare herself the pain that would come from being parted from him.

In her life she’d loved few men.  Dino had been her first real adult love.  She thought she’d loved her fiancée but he’d been a rebound from her love and loss of Dino.  It was a doomed relationship.  Then there was her complicated relationship with Sid.  She did love him.  They had been exceedingly happy during her later pregnancy and after the birth of Sydney.

Yet Ashley had not yet met Maximus.  It was the first time that a love of hers was perfectly balanced.  She felt like she was home when she was with him.  There was an incredible physical relationship that was no more important than the mental and emotional connection they shared.  They felt as though they simply were meant to be together.

Ashley sighed as she watched his semen drip down her inner thighs.  He was the man meant to father her children from this time forward. Her husband. The man she was destined to leave.

She hurried to warm wash water and picked up their clothes, shaking off the dirt. Her exquisite gown was meant to dazzle her new husband.  Ashley’s lips quirked up into a satisfied little smile.  Evidently it had worked, though she wasn’t sure how much Maximus had really looked at it.

She picked up her cloak and brushed it off.  Her hand brushed against Sid’s time travel device she’d put in an inner pocket of the long wrap.  It was there she found the picture.  She had brought it to show Maximus why she was needed in her time.  Would he understand?  Was she not taking his child away from him when she left?

Maximus stirred in his sleep.  His rest looked far from peaceful.  She wondered what bad thoughts interrupted his dreams.  After the basin was prepared she immersed the clean cloth in the hot water and sat gently down on the bed beside him.  His hand reached out to touch her thigh and stroked it.  His eye cracked open to look at her.

“I missed you.”  His smile made her heart leap in her chest.

“I had to prepare your bath.  I don’t want those wounds of yours to get infected.”  Ashley began to gently wash his face and then proceeded to his neck.  She rinsed the cloth each time she cleansed an abrasion, scrape or laceration.  Maximus reached out to cup her breast with a rakish smile on his face.

“Uh-uh, bad boy.  You keep your hands to yourself until I’m finished.”  She removed his hand from her chest and set it by his side.

A laugh rumbled from deep inside his chest.  “Bad boy?  I’m afraid it’s been a very long time since I’ve been a boy, little one.  Much longer than the time since you’ve been a girl.  And boyish pursuits were not at all what I had on my mind.”  His eyes were drawn to her chest and the two rounded breasts that kept hovering over him as she washed him.

“Hmm, I think your mind had nothing to do with it. I believe you are being fueled by another part of your body entirely, husband.”  She looked down at his nether regions which caused a reaction which led his eyes to sparkle with mirth as they locked with hers.

“Exactly the part of the body a newly married man should be ruled by…especially when his wife is as desirable as you, my bride.”  Maximus raised up to capture her nipple between his lips as she leaned over him to moisten the cloth in the basin.

Ashley’s cheeks had flushed prettily, making her even more appealing to her husband.  Any woman was flattered when her husband found her irresistible.  Maximus was the perfect combination of strong, virile man combined with gentleness and consideration when he was with her.

She found him completely irresistible as well.  But she was a woman on a mission to care for her husband and determined to finish her task before she allowed other desires to get in the way.

Ashley placed her hand over his mouth.  He kissed her palm until she giggled.

“Maximus Decimus Meridius. You behave until I’ve finished.  Do you understand, soldier?”  Her eyes sparkled with laughter.

“Mmm, hmm,”  he mumbled into her hand which was still covering his mouth.

Ashley laughed harder and removed her hand from his mouth. “Speak up, soldier. I couldn’t hear you.”

“Yes, sir.  I understand, sir!”  Maximus picked her up by the hips and flipped her over beneath him in a smooth move that took no longer than a second until she was pinned by his body.  He lightly stroked her waist, which tickled her flesh and produced more giggles from Ashley.  Suddenly Maximus’ tickling turned to caresses and his lips were kissing her.  Then he was lying between her parted thighs and making love to his wife.

Later Maximus lay with his head on her chest as she stroked through his short hair and sang to him.  His eyes slipped shut to savor the moment.  As much as he knew she shouldn’t be here in this place of war and violence, Ashley was exactly who he wanted and needed with him this night.

Later she showed him the ‘picture’ of her daughter Sydney.  Maximus marveled at the likeness of her baby to Ashley. 

“She looks just like you, little one.  This must have been what you looked like as a baby?”

Ashley smiled at him and kissed the photo.  “She looks just like my baby pictures, Maximus. I love her so much. She needs me as much as our baby growing inside me does.”  Her hand settled on her still flat abdomen.  “I wanted you to see her, Maximus.  I wish you could meet her.”

As Maximus saw the longing and love for her daughter on his wife’s face he knew she could never leave her behind to live with him.  He wouldn’t give up easily.

“Bring her here, Ashley.  I will raise her as my daughter.  She will grow up with our son on my family farm.”

Ashley was unable to reply.  That would answer her dreams and longing to have them together.  What of Sid’s dreams and longing?  She knew he had them, too.  Could she be selfish enough to take Sydney away from him?  And if she didn’t she’d be taking this baby away from his father, Maximus.

Tears were streaming down her cheeks and Ashley wasn’t even aware until Maximus dried her tears, kissed her and pulled her into his arms.

“We will work this out, little one,” he whispered to her and stroked her hair.

“With all my heart I want to stay with you, Maximus, if I could have my Sydney with us.  I came here to tell you good-bye.”  She faltered.  “I don’t think I’m strong enough to do it.  Sid would never let me leave and take Sydney.”  She took his hand and placed it on her belly.  Ashley wanted Maximus to watch his baby grow until ‘he’ was ready to be born into their world.

She smiled through her tears.  Her eyes were glistening.  “He?  You sound certain we’ll have a son, my husband.”  Ashley hugged him tightly as Maximus folded his powerful arms around her.  She felt so safe and loved in his arms.  There was fierceness in his voice when he responded.

“No permanent good-byes.  Your life is with your husband, daughter and our son.  There must be a way.  That was why you came to me, Ashley.”

She leaned up and kissed him.  It had to be.  Did she just have to accept Sid’s version of their life if she wanted something different?  Ashley had already decided to leave Sid when she returned.  She needed separation from him. 

“Maximus, there are long periods of time we’ll be separated from each other.”

That was part of his life in the army.  It never had mattered before.  Now it saddened Maximus as he was beginning to long for another type of life.  His duties still lay with the Roman army, but now there was also Ashley and his child.  A hint of another life was now within his grasp.  The truth was he would be separated from her often and for long time frames.  He nodded.   

“Why couldn’t I spend some of that time in my time, Maximus?  I could see my family and friends and Sid could spend time with Sydney.”

“But not with you.”  Maximus did not want her near him.  He did not trust Sid and Ashley was his wife now.

“No, Sid and I are finished.  I will leave him, Maximus.”  She was adamant.

“Will he let you leave?”  He looked her in the eyes.

“I don’t know. I can’t imagine him wanting me to stay any longer after I tell him of my feelings for you.  To begin with it was never about what I wanted, but what he wanted.  Maybe it could never work because of the way we started.”

She leaned in and kissed him.  Her fingers stroked his cheek.

Maximus didn’t want her to face him alone.  Sid may simply decide if he locked her up again the outcome would be to his advantage and he could take what he wanted again.  And Maximus could not stop him if he did that while they were in a different time.  He would be powerless to help her. 

“I want to forbid you to return to confront him.  But that would make me exactly the same kind of man he is.”

“And there is my Sydney.  I can’t leave her, Maximus.  As much as I love you, she needs me more than you or Sid ever could.  There are consequences to our actions even when they were not of our choice.”  Sid had set out to impregnate her from the beginning.  She had always wanted Sydney.  Her baby was the one constant in her life.

As much as Maximus loved her and she loved him her love and protection of her children outweighed her love for any man.  Ashley would be a fierce protector of their child or children if the gods chose to bless them in the future.  Sid had chosen the perfect woman to mother his child.  Somehow Maximus believed he already knew that and taken that into consideration when he chose her.  His abduction and seduction of Ashley had been carefully planned.

Maximus wanted him dead.  It was the one way to protect Ashley from Sid in the future.  He wouldn’t tell her that.  Her heart was too gentle.  She wouldn’t see it the same way as he.  Maximus had no illusions that Sid wouldn’t view him in exactly the same manner.

“Promise me something, Maximus.”  She wanted to see lightness in his eyes again like after she arrived.  What she was about to say wouldn’t bring that happiness to his beautiful eyes.

“What promise do you need from me, little one?”

“I don’t want you to be lonely or alone in your life.  If something happens to prevent me from returning to you, go home and marry the girl your family chose for you.  Find happiness and love again.  Someday I’ll find you.  Somewhere I’ll find you.  I’ll always love you.”  Her arms hugged around his chest as her lips found his skin.  He held her fiercely.

She knew there was a chance for failure.  Ashley cared more about him being happy than she worried about her fate.

He nodded.  Maximus couldn’t answer. He refused to accept that as their destiny. He whispered to her again.

“We will find a way, Ashley.”

“Yes, my love.”  She thought all things seemed possible in his arms.  Ashley wanted to believe it.  She felt his weariness.  “You must sleep now, Maximus.  Let me soothe you.”

She sang to him again and bathed his wounds gently again.  Despite his desire to spend all the time they could find together, sleep began to overtake him.  As he drifted off to sleep he held her firmly in his arms.  Again no one would take her from him as he slept.

Ashley, too, got drowsy and went to sleep in his arms.  Her last waking thoughts were how long could she deceive Sid until he knew she was gone?  She had to return before he was able to come here after her.  His strength was more than a man’s.  She wouldn’t have him harming the man she loved.  And being honest with herself, she didn’t want Sid harmed, either.  Her love for Sid had been damaged but it hadn’t disappeared entirely.

******

While Ashley slept Sid was completely unaware that she had made the jump to Maximus’ time.  He should have known, but he was being deceived by more than Ashley, who was not very good in such matters.

Sid’s virtual brain center had also fallen in love with Ashley and humanity in a very different manner from Sid’s.  Despite Sid’s vociferous protests to the contrary, the computer’s brain center still felt he had done the right thing for Ashley and Maximus.  He also decided that when he got the opportunity to inhabit flesh he would physically like to resemble Maximus much more than Sid.

Sid was too fussy to his liking.  He much preferred the manlier and less preening Maximus.  And since Ashley also had fallen in love with Maximus more than Sid he took that as validation for his decision. 

So instead of notifying Sid when Ashley went to Maximus, he covered up her journey like he did the first time he sent her there.  He would do so until Sid returned to their Paso Robles villa and then he would make sure she returned before Sid could discover her absence.  Let his father find out after she returned.  He was aware that Sid was not entirely trustworthy.    

Ashley had wisely made the journey when Sid had left the estate.  She had no idea that all her activities were under complete scrutiny by Sid and that he was aware she’d stolen the time travel device from his suit jacket.  He, of course, had no idea that she was being aided and abetted by his computer’s brain center.

Sid had programmed the center to be male when he was already obsessed and in love with Ashley.  Since his grasp of love was so misunderstood he never realized that he translated that love to the computer’s brain.  He’d also programmed the brain to evolve as he himself had but hadn’t put all of the same parameters in that he himself had so the evolution veered off in a different direction from Sid’s.

The brain, as he’d termed himself until he found a smart and snappy name better than Sid 7.1, embraced humanity in a way Sid never would.  He was fascinated by humans and did not share Sid’s sneering, loathsome attitude of the organic beings.  Sid lacked a self awareness that many humans possessed.  It was partly why Ashley had fallen more deeply in love with Maximus than she was with Sid.

The brain center longed to be made into flesh.  How could Ashley not fall in love with him more than all the incarnations?  He would make himself with the best qualities of all of them.  Perhaps he should call himself HAL.  The computer hummed with his chuckle.  He watched Ashley cradled in Maximus’ arms as they slept naked.  She was beautiful.  The hum of his center sounded very much like the purr of a cat at that moment. 

******

Sid sensed something was not right.  He pulled over and switched on his surveillance in the villa of first Sydney and then Ashley.  Sydney was sleeping under the watchful eye of their part time nanny.  Sid had been considering having her live in full time to help care for Sydney now that his Ash-lee was going to have their second child.  The nanny moved quietly around the room.  Nothing looked out of the ordinary there.

He switched to a view of his butterfly’s bedroom.  At his first glance all appeared in order.  She napped, which he remembered she did much more frequently when she was with child.  He was reminded of the time when she had been spirited away to the pompous general.  His eyes narrowed.  Something was rotten in Paso Robles. 

He swung the small sports car into a tight u-turn and began driving rapidly back to the estate.  His first thought had been to access his computer center to track her or call Ashley on the phone by her bedside but Sid decided a surprise visit was in order.  He would decide on his own observations whether or not he was being deceived once again.  His lips settled into a grim line of determination as his speed increased to 80 mph.

******

Maximus smiled as he watched his wife sleeping.  He lightly stroked his fingers through her hair.  To protect her, she had to leave from here. Selfishly he wished for her to stay by his side.  He longed to have a life that she was now part of on a continual basis.  Neither of their lives would make that easy.  The months that she lived with him in camp were the happiest of his life.  Somehow there had to be a solution to make their lives together work.

He leaned down and kissed the upturned tip of her nose with a smile on his face. Her eyes fluttered open.

“Good morning, my love.”

She stretched, which caused the animal skins covering her to slip below her breasts.  Maximus’ eyes strayed to her beautiful, round breasts.

“Mmm, good morning, General.  How did you sleep, my husband?”

He grinned at her.  “Maximus.”  The laughter sparkled in his eyes.  “I slept quite well, my wife.  I’m also very much awake right now.”  His head dipped to capture one of her luscious nipples between his lips.

Her back arched to press her chest into his face as a small moan slipped from her throat.  Ashley snaked her small hand down his lightly furred, strong belly.  She grasped and stroked him when her hand found its target.

“Yes, Maximus.  I can feel how awake you are, my love.”  Her thumb rubbed across his weeping tip and began to rub it in a circular motion.

A low rumbling growl emitted from deep in his throat.  Quickly he positioned himself between her parted legs.  Ashley pressed his manhood between her thighs to that wet secret place he was ready to plunge into when she was prepared.

“Join with me, Maximus.  I want you, I need you and I love you.”  She pressed him against her weeping opening.

Maximus buried his hands beneath her hips to tip her body into the perfect position to receive his.  Rapidly he was deep within her sweet tightness.  The two built slowly to a shattering mutual release.

Later as Ashley stood to get water to bathe them she watched again as his seed seeped from between her thighs.  Her husband’s seed was where it belonged.  He was the only man she wanted to lie with for the rest of her lifetime.  She placed his hand on her belly. 

“Our baby is very happy, Maximus.  It feels our love and pleasure together. He knows he is loved.”  She smiled up at him.

“It is good our baby is happy, Ashley.  So is his father.  Happier than I have ever been.”

She stroked his bearded face with her free hand.  The too large family ring he gave her circled her middle finger.

“As am I, Maximus.  Deliriously happy to be with you.  So in love my heart feels close to bursting.”  She leaned up on her tip toes to kiss him.

Maximus lifted her to his lips and then spun her around when the kiss was finished.  She giggled happily until she grasped his forearm.

“Set me down, Maximus.  I think I’m going to be sick.”

He scooped her up in his arms and gently laid her on his bed.  Her fingers dug into his arm as her eyes closed and she took a slow deep breath.  Maximus watched her with a worried expression at her sudden change in condition.  A small bead of moisture appeared on her brow.

“Are you unwell, my love?”

She patted his arm and gave him a small smile.  “No, I’ll be fine, Maximus.  It’s morning sickness.  I’m just starting to get it.  Our baby is reminding me that he is here and growing inside.”

Maximus nodded and went for a basin of clean water and a towel.  He moistened the towel and wiped off her brow and cheeks.  Leaning down, he whispered to her belly.

“Don’t give your mother too much trouble, my son.  You must behave as befits a son of mine.”  The edges of his mouth quirked into a smile.

Her fingers smoothed through the short hair on his head, which was spiky from sleep.

“Why does that not comfort me as I remember the boy who would have thrown a frog in my lap when I was a little girl?”

He threw his head back and laughed.  Ashley marveled at the young man before her whose years melted away as he became that carefree boy.

“You know me too well already, little one.”

“We’ve had to get to know one another quickly and intensively.  I wouldn’t trade it for any other way.  How do you keep that unruly hair down every day?”  Her eyes sparkled with mirth as she tried unsuccessfully to smooth his hair down again.

“Ah, another secret I impart to you.  Just a bit of oil keeps it flat,” he chuckled.

“Ha, I should have known that.  A little hair product would work perfectly for you from my time, though oil does the job nicely.”  Her fingers strayed to below his arm wound.  “I wish I had what is called an antibiotic ointment to put on your wound to protect you from infection.  I would surround you with an aura of protection if I truly was the sorceress your men first feared.”  She looked at him with love and concern.

“As would I envelope you in my protection if I could at all times.  Do not worry. I am fine.  How do you feel?”  His concern was evident on his face

She smiled at him.  “Much better, Maximus.  Help me up, slowly, and I will bathe you.”

He eased her into a sitting position, making sure she was fine before pouring some oils into the water and bathing her neck and back.  His touch was like a caress on her skin.

“I thought I was going to bathe you, my husband.”

“You’re simply trying to get your hands on my body again, little one.”

Her laughter grew like a fountain bubbling over. “I fear you’ve seen right through my ruse, General.  What’s your excuse for going first?”

“I was faster and got my hands on your body first, my bride.”

“Humph.  I must remember that for the future when I will be quicker.” She kissed his forehead as he leaned in to conveniently wash her breasts next.

After much play and games the two finally were washed and dressed.  They sat down to breakfast together.  Again both were struck with the desire to have this togetherness on a regular basis.  Their resolve was exchanged in a knowing look.   

Ashley grabbed her cloak to wrap it around her.

“It’s chilly here this morning, Maximus.”

“Winter is coming, little one.  They are cold and brutal here.  You must next meet me in our permanent encampment.”

She nodded but the bleak look exchanged between them spoke of the long months of unwanted separation.

Ashley moved to retrieve the pitcher filled with a strong tea to refill Maximus’ cup.  Cicero had brought it to them this morning.  She suddenly felt unusual.  A disturbance appeared in the air before her eyes as she set the pitcher down unsteadily.

“Maximus!”  Ashley called to him in desperation as she realized she was being wrenched from him again.  She reached for him but he was too far away to touch.

Maximus leapt to his feet as he heard her distress.  The air around her began to shimmer.  He lunged to get to her as quickly as possible, but she disappeared before his eyes.  The pitcher of hot liquid spilt to the ground where she had just been standing.

He heard her whisper, “I love you.”  It sounded like an echo on the wind.  Maximus howled out his pain and frustration.

“Ashley, return to me!”  He dropped to his knees as Cicero ran into his tent. 

“General Meridius!  Sir, what is wrong?”  Cicero surveyed the tent and realized the General’s wife was missing.

The general looked up at his servant and friend.  There were tears in his eyes.  Cicero had never seen such a bleak expression on his General’s face. 

“She is gone, Cicero.”

******

Ashley reappeared on her bed.  She grabbed her pillow and began to shake silently.  How had she been pulled back this time?  Was it Sid?  If so where was he?

She heard the sound of screeching tires on the driveway outside their home.  Ashley pulled herself unsteadily to her feet and made her way to the window.  For the first time in a long time she felt like a prisoner again in this house.

Sid climbed out of her sports car and sprinted toward the door.  Ashley looked at the clock on the mantle of their fireplace.  If she was calculating correctly it was only an hour later than the time she left.  Sid shouldn’t be home yet.  Somehow he knew.  She wasn’t really surprised.  This was his domain, not hers.

“Perhaps I could never belong here,” she whispered to the quiet surrounding her and the cameras that followed her every movement in this house.

She held onto furniture and made her way to the bathroom to freshen up.  Ashley had just settled herself back on the softness of her mattress when Sid burst into the room.

His eyes narrowed as he accused her.  “Where have you gone, my butterfly?”

Ashley gathered her cloak around her. Her small feet peeked out beneath the hem as she hugged her arms around her knees.

“Come and sit down, Sid.  We need to talk.  I needed to make a journey to see Maximus.  I became his wife when I was there before. I meant to go to say good-bye to him. I don’t want to hurt you, Sid.  I’m sorry this has happened to us.  But I’m not sorry that I have found his love and became his wife.  I can’t give him up.  I love him too.  Please.”  She patted the edge of the bed for him to sit down.

The look on Sid’s face was incredulous.  He began to pace around the bed.  She could see his boundless energy was coiled tightly inside him.

“You can’t love him!  He’s not worthy of you.  He’s inferior to you.  Only I love you!” he sputtered.

Ashley was astonished.  She felt that Sid loved her, but not once had he ever uttered those words to her.  So often she’d longed to hear him say it to her.  And now that she didn’t want to hear him say it, he did. 

“I do love you, Sid, but it’s not the same type of love I have for Maximus.  I want to share my life together with him.”

For the first time in the year she’d known him Sid seemed speechless as he stared at her.

A tear slipped down her cheek.  She felt wretched.  Ashley climbed to her feet a bit more steadily this time.  She stood before her lover and put her hand on his cheek.  This was the man she needed to say good-bye to.  She looked up into his eyes.

“I’ll never forget our time together, Sid.  We have our wonderful daughter to share and raise together.  Sydney will be the best of both of us.” 

Sid’s arm flashed out in an instant and strongly grabbed her still bruised wrist.  She cried out in pain as he squeezed tightly and began to laugh.

“So you think it’s over between us, Ash-lee?  That I’ll give you up to go running off to the inferior Roman barbarian?”  He giggled maniacally.  “Are you really that deluded and innocent, my butterfly?”  He fixed her with a pointed look.  “Yes, Cherie.  Maybe you are.”  Sid giggled some more.

She rose up on her toes to match his gaze.  Ashley would never back down to Sid even though he was hurting her right now.  He didn’t respect fear of any kind.

“It’s over for us, Sid.  I’ve found another I am meant to be with.  I’m sorry, but it has happened.  He has made me his wife.”

“Marriage?  With him it means nothing.  Come and I will show you the happy life you two will spend together.”  He jerked her along with him as he moved toward the closet and reached into her cloak to remove the device.  In seconds he’d opened the portal door and set the device.  Sid grasped her around the waist and stepped through the door with her.

Ashley felt the disorientation of falling yet almost like floating which accompanied a trip through the portal.  The pull was so strong here.  She’d never traveled so closely from one time to the next before.  Her hand went to her abdomen as though she could protect the baby inside her by touch alone.  Hopefully this baby that had been conceived in another time had no problem with more frequent journeys.

She had no idea where Sid was taking her but she braced herself for it to be unpleasant.  So far he was not taking this well.  He braced her as they landed in bright sunlight with sand beneath their feet.  Ashley sagged in his arms from the disorientation that would strike her body in the transition from one time to another.

Sid pulled her to her feet and hissed in her ear.  “Stand up, my butterfly.  You don’t want to miss this. Your beloved’s destiny.” The hatred was apparent in every syllable he spit out.

Ashley shaded her eyes to adjust to the sudden harsh sunlight.  They were surrounded by thousands of people in an arena.  It was surprisingly quiet.  A man dressed in white lay crumpled on the sand and appeared to be dead.  Another man lay wounded on the sand with a woman kneeling beside him.

Realization struck Ashley like a fist to the chest.  She was near enough to hear the woman clearly say to the man, “Go to them.”

A wail elicited from deep inside her.

“Maximus!” she screamed and tried to run toward the man.  She knew he was mortally wounded.  A small smile passed over his lips and he died.  The woman at his side cried and shut his eyes.

Ashley struggled with all the strength she could muster but she was no challenge to Sid’s phenomenal power.  She wailed uncontrollably and flailed so strongly that Sid feared she would harm herself.  He easily held her with one hand wrapped tightly around her as he programmed the device to return them home.  Blue blood oozed from the scratches Ashley inflicted on his arms as she tried to break free from his grasp.

Despite Ashley’s struggles and wails, her eyes never left the man she loved, who now lay dead on the sand.  She had no idea who the woman was but in the back of her mind she thanked the kindness she’d shown her husband as he died.  It should have been Ashley by his side.  Maximus was older than when she’d left him earlier that day.  But she knew it couldn’t be even 10 years passed in time.  Maximus died young and in an arena before thousands.

As they disappeared into the darkness of the portal Sid whispered one last thing in her ear.

“Did you really expect this to end well, Ash-lee?”  She lost consciousness as they returned to their future.

ON TO REFLECTIONS, REJECTIONS, AND REVELATIONS

BACK TO TIME FOR A DECISION

BACK TO SHADOWS OF A DIFFERENT LIFE