DECIMUS MERIDIUS

By Stacey and Jo

PART 2:

John opened his eyes, momentarily disoriented as to where exactly he was. In the past 24 hours, he’d been both at the safe house, Ancient Rome, back at the safe house, and now here at his apartment. Damn, but it felt good to be back in his own bed again, his girlfriend’s warm naked body snuggled up against his.

His head and pretty much the rest of his body still hurt like hell from the tunnel cave-in back in Gladiator. He winced as he tried to scoot out from under Amber, letting out a soft groan as he did so. Finally, after a few moment's effort, he managed to slide his body over and slip out from under the covers, and then slowly was able to push himself up to a sitting position on the edge of the bed. He sat there a moment, his head spinning and vision blurred, then, as it passed, he pushed himself up and padded barefoot and naked into the bathroom – shutting the door behind.

Suddenly Amber woke up with a start, as her hands reached out blindly, feeling the bed where John had been sleeping beside her. Where’s John?! her mind screamed out in terror, thinking Sid had come in and warped him off into another movie or such. Quickly, she jumped out of bed and called his name, frantic to find him.

John had the shower running, didn’t hear her calling, lost in his own thoughts about Sid and what was happening back at the safe house with the others, so when she came bursting through the bathroom door, tears running down her cheeks, he was surprised.

“Amber, sweetheart, what’s the matter?” he asked, trying to comfort her.

“Oh, John,” she sighed with relief, “I’m so glad you’re okay. I woke up, and you weren’t there, and... well... my imagination was going wild with these ideas about Sid and...”

“I’m here, I’m all right,” he told her in a calm, soothing voice. “Just taking a shower. Thought you were sleeping so good and sound and all that I didn’t want to wake you.”

Tears were still streaming down her face, though she was trying to wipe them away.

“Come here, don’t cry, don’t cry, I’m right here...,” he was saying to her, as he opened the shower door and pulled her close to him. The warm water sprayed them both as he held her in his arms, stroking her hair and telling her it was okay, that everything would be fine. Deep down inside him, though, he knew that with Sid still out there, playing games with all of them as if he were some maniacal puppet-master, things were just getting started and he feared the worst may be yet to come.

Bud walked out to the living room, followed by Caroline and the two Generals. Other than the sleeping Cort, the four of them were now alone in the house. Hope and Lachlan had gone for a walk and not returned yet. Picking up the case for the Gladiator DVD, he showed it to them. "This," he said, "is the box your story stays in when it's not being played."

Decimus looked at Caroline. "I thought you said the story happened in the great arena."
 

"I did say that, Max...um...Decimus, but only to illustrate my point that many, many people could watch it all at once."
 

Bud took the disk out of the flat box, held it so they could see it, then slid it into the slot of the player. "Now, prepare yourselves, I'm going to push a button and this big box will light up. Then your story will appear. It will be kinda like looking at it through a window, if that helps." He turned to Caroline a moment, a look playing over both their faces that indicated they knew well and good that wouldn't help all that much.

"Take a seat on the couch," he added. "Might as well be comfortable." 

He pushed some buttons on the remote and the black, rectangular screen came to life. It was the extended version and so Ridley Scott's face appeared, talking about the film.  "He's, um, the, um, storyteller," Bud said quickly. 

Caroline decided to sit between Decimus and Meridius. How well she remembered the time at her pink house when she and Maximus had watched this for the first time. Now, one of these two was that Maximus, but for him it was, again, the first time. She hated that. She really really hated that. Actually, it was Sid she hated.  She wanted her Maximus, needed him desperately. Laying a palm on each of their thighs helped. She was connected to him, at least that. But then both of them covered her hands with one of their own.  Why were two not better than one?  They just weren't. She wanted one, the one who had memories of all the things they'd done together, memories of scrambled eggs, memories of...Wal-Mart. 

Alex slipped out of bed, quietly pulled on his pants and shirt and headed out to the balcony to smoke. After making love to Gayle two more times during the night, she was now peacefully sleeping, hopefully dreaming of him, Alex smirked.

As he stood in his bare feet, blowing smoke circles, he couldn’t stop worrying about what he was going to do now with his life. He wasn’t exactly boyfriend material – no job, no money, no place to live, and, his life was literally something one might concoct for a science fiction novel. His past, as it were, was a work of fiction, something fabricated for the sole purpose of selling movie tickets. 

So far he’d managed to dodge Gayle’s questions about his past pretty well, but now that things were getting serious between them, now that they were... closer, well, there was just no getting around it anymore – he’d have to tell her the truth. But... how would she handle it? This is what worried him the most, that she’d be scared away and he’d be doomed to spend a life alone, in this world he didn’t really belong in.

Alex sighed, took one last puff of his cigarette, then stumped it out, tossed it aside, and headed back in to Gayle. He’d see if she was up for another round of lovemaking before he had to be going. He didn’t want to go, though. He wanted to stay, but knew that wasn’t an option right now as Gayle herself, it appeared, was in the midst of packing up and moving. Hopefully, though, he could convince her to at least stick around in town. He grinned to himself, wondering what Bud’s reaction would be if he asked if he could move her in with them. Hell, he knew what the answer would be, but... if he just happened to, say, show up on the doorstep with her... eh? What then? All this played through his mind as he padded back into the bedroom, slipped off his clothes and slid back between the sheets – his warm body completely aroused by pressing gently against Gayle’s, waking her and alerting her to his intentions – which she gladly accepted and reciprocated.

The screen filled with its familiar amber, well, familiar to her, to Bud. She'd always loved how they'd done that, made even the logo look ancient. After the words came the hand over the wheat, his hand over his wheat. Meridius' mouth dropped open. "I was only thinking that!" he exclaimed. "How does the story know what I was thinking?"

Decimus was quiet. He knew that was what he had been thinking.  By the gods, they even had the robin! No one, not another soul had been near enough to know how he'd watched the robin. Then it hit him. That was...him! He was looking at himself on the big window box.  Getting up,

he walked to the set, reached out and lay his hand on it. It was solid.  "It is not a window," he stated, looking at Bud.

"No," Bud replied, "it is definitely different. It is only sort of...like...a window in that you may see your story.  Give it a while longer, see what you think."

Decimus sat back down, reaching for Caroline's hand, holding it tightly. 

Meridius remembered this walk through the mud, then up and down the long line of his troops, remembered the feel of the mud beneath his boots, thinking that it would be easy for a horse to slip, lose its footing. He remembered it all. He cast a glance sideways at Decimus, noting how absorbed he was in what was happening before their eyes, listening as Decimus softly whispered, "It is acceptable," a moment before it was spoken aloud. He knows. Decimus...knows.  He felt as though he were standing on the edge of some high bluff and the edge were crumbling.  Taking his free hand, he placed it a moment over his eyes.

Caroline was watching him,  aware of how disturbed he seemed to be. Would her Maximus be that disturbed...a second time? Well, for him this was the first, wasn't it?  Her heart went out to them both and she curled her fingers more tightly around their hands.
 

“Watch your head, Terry,” Dee told him, as she managed to help him slide into the passenger side of the car. She closed the door behind him, then quickly walked around to the driver’s side and got in. “Sure you’re up to doing this?” she asked him skeptically. His color was still off, his head hurt like hell, and he complained of dizziness and blurred vision.

“Nolia, Luv, I’ll be fine,” he tried to assure her. “All I want is a hot bath and to sleep in my own bed. Drive... please...”

She sighed, started the engine, and backed out of the driveway. “Terry, you should be going to the hospital... you heard what Canfield said... you need an MRI. Head injuries can be quite serious, and if left untreated...,”

“If I start having blackouts, I’ll go in for an MRI,” he told her.

“Promise?”

“I promise. Now, please, can we go home? Now?” he asked, a bit impatiently, his right hand covering his closed eyes, which were throbbing.

“Of course,” she replied, managing a smile, though in the back of her mind she was still considering driving him to the ER instead.

Once they reached her apartment, Dee helped Terry back out of the car, her dainty arm wrapped around his muscular torso as they walked up the stairs and through her front door.

“I’ll start a hot bath for you,” she said, helping him over to an armchair.

“Thanks, luv,” he told her, quietly, his eyes closed once more as he waited.

So, Sid had gone and made yet another mess for them to clean up, had he? Big surprise there! Seems like his whole life purpose now was cleaning up the messes that Sid left behind. Even back at NanoCorp, before things got so completely fucked up, he spent endless hours dealing with the mayhem that fuckin’ nanotech had caused.

This latest tactic, however, was just completely over the top. He sighed, wondering to himself how Caroline was making out with the two Generals back at the safe house. When they’d left, both were still quite unconscious. After his bath, he’d give Bud a ring, ask him what was happening. Hopefully, things would get straightened out soon and Hope could warp the other Maximus back to where he belonged – if it still existed.

“Bath's ready,” Dee called out, walking back into the room and startling Terry from his thoughts. “Need help with your clothes?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow – a slight grin on her face.

“That’d be a yes,” Terry replied, letting out a slight groan as his aching muscles began to rebel against his trying to stand up. “Thanks, Nolia, luv.”

“Oh... Terry, here, you poor thing,” she said, “just...um... just sit down a minute here and I’ll help get your shoes and socks off and go from there.”

He did as he was told, allowing her to remove his shoes, socks, then work her way up to his shirt – saving his pants for last, since they were more difficult to remove whist he sat.

“All right, now, let’s get you into the bath, then, shall we?” she asked, wrapping an arm under his and around his back, helping him stand and walk slowly over to the bath.

As he dipped one foot in the warm water, then slowly did the same with the other, his free hand reached out and grabbed hold of Dee’s arm and pulled her down with him – clothes and all.

“Ack!” she exclaimed, her clothes and hair completely soaked, as Terry giggled like a schoolboy. “Not funny, mister!” she told him, stifling a laugh, herself.

“Here, let me help you out of those wet clothes, luv,” he said, reaching out and pulling off her shirt, exposing her bare skin. “That’s better.”

They lay in the tub, relaxing in each others arms until the water began to cool, then Dee helped Terry out, dry off, and over to the bed. He insisted on calling Bud at the safe house first for an update on what was happening with the two Maximuses. Dee objected, saying he should first get some rest and she was sure if there was anything to report, Bud would have called by now, but Terry was insistent and, in the end, she handed him his cell phone for him to make the call.

After a couple of rings, Bud finally picked up.

“Bud? Terry. Just checking in on our house guests. Any new developments?” Terry asked, hoping that no news was good news at this point so he could sleep at least a bit easy tonight for a change.

"Yes," Bud replied, taking the phone into the kitchen, "I'd definitely say there's new 

developments. We have no Maximuses."

"What the fuck do you mean, Mate, that we have NO Maximuses?" Terry asked, his temples 

throbbing at the thought that Sid may have warped them off somewhere again.

"What I mean is that we have a Decimus and we have a Meridius, but at the moment, our supply 

of Maximuses is depleted."

"Depleted?" Terry repeated, beyond disturbed by what he was hearing. "Bud, please tell me 

that Sid hasn't been back. Please tell me he hasn't fucking warped the two of them back into 

Gladiator again."

And so Bud launched into an explanation of what he meant and why they'd decided to refer to 

the two Generals in this manner. "Used a Sharpie," he added, "to darken Decimus' left cheek 

mole. That way we can tell 'em apart. Decimus...dot...it seemed the way to go. Look, Terry, 

they're watching the DVD now. I kinda want to be in there with them. They're having a hard 

time of it, from the looks of things. It's not just that they're dealing with the fact of the movie, 

but that each knows the other genuinely remembers doing that stuff. I can't even imagine what 

that's like."

"All right, Bud," Terry told him, "let me know if there's been any... change, in the situation. 
With any luck, something will spark their memory...eventually." He sighed, hung up the phone, 

lay back on the bed. Shit, it never ended. Sid's twisted games just never, never ended.

Bud stood on the side of the living room, quietly observing the three on the couch. "My dog," 

Meridius murmured. Decimus just looked quickly at him, his lips pressed together, unconsciously

lifting his hand to his face as the mud was smelled. How could he be seeing himself right there 

across the room? How could the other man on the couch obviously be feeling, be remembering 

all that he did? His head began to ache with his intense effort to understand and he rubbed his 

temple with his free hand. Meridius was doing the same thing and for the same reason. 

"I'm leaving tomorrow," Gayle told Alex, as she lay in bed beside him, wrapped in his arms. 

"My parents told me I could come stay with them until I can find another job and save up for a 

place of my own." 

"Do you have to go?" Alex asked, brushing a stand of hair from her eyes. "Isn't there a friend 

here you could stay with? Or another relative nearby? Anyone?" 

"Well, there IS this one guy I met," she grinned, snuggling up closer to him, "If he were to, say, 

offer me a place to stay...I may consider hanging around." 

Alex looked at her, smiled broadly. "Oh yeah?" he asked, lifting his eyebrows. 

"Yep," she told him, "all he has to do is ask." Gayle looked up at him expectantly.

Shit! Now what? He didn't have a pot to piss in, much less a place to call his own. Bud would 

shit a brick if he showed up on his doorstep with Gayle. Finally, he looked away, sighed. "Gayle, 

there's something I... need to tell you..." Fuck, this wasn't going to be easy.

Lachlan didn't want their walk to end. He was holding her hand, very aware of her small 

presence close to his right side. A low brick wall ran alongside the sidewalk where they now 

were and they sat down on it. As he played with her fingers, he asked, "Hope, what will you do 

now?"

"I will not go back to Blue," she said, her chin firm. "Besides, I have my father back now and...

and then...there's you."

"What about me, Hope?"

"This. I like this." She indicated her hand in his. "I like walking with you. You...make me happy 

inside. I don't think I've ever been happy in quite this way."

"You make me happy, too, Hope," he said. It had been so long since he'd been able to say that. 

Even in Canada, the happiness he'd known hadn't really been his, only...borrowed. This was 

different. This maybe, just maybe, might be his. He brushed her cheek with his lips and she 

turned her face more toward him, letting them easily find their way to her mouth. 

"Is that enough?" Bud asked when the opening battle of the film was over, pressing the pause 

button.

"The story continues?" Meridius asked.

"It does...all the way to its end."

"It ends?" Decimus spoke up. "Where does it end? How?"

"It ends in Rome, Max...Decimus," Caroline said softly. "But neither of you have been to the 

ending."  And she didn't want either of them ever to.

"I wish to see the whole story," Meridius stated. "Is that possible?" He looked at Bud.

"It is possible, yes. What do you think, Caroline?"

"Well, let's see how it goes, Bud. They are both familiar with it up for quite a way yet. Let's at 

least go that far."

Silently, tensely, they watched the Emperor slain, the attempted execution, the desperate, 

painful ride. "Spain," Meridius whispered barely audibly. "This has even...Spain?"

"Only around the edges, dar...Meridius. Though I know it will still be much for you to bear." 

She looked at Decimus, too. It was his wife, his son, as well.

"You don't have to say it, Ross... you don't want me to stay with you," Gayle sighed, trying to 

hold back the tears she was feeling welling up inside her. She sat up, rolled out of bed and began 

putting her clothes on.

"Gayle... no, wait," Alex said, propping himself up on his elbows. "That's not it... not it at all. I'd 

love for you to come stay with me..."

"But?" she asked, pulling her t-shirt over her head.

"But...," he sighed. "Shit... okay, here's the thing...," he ran his hands through his hair 

nervously. "I don't exactly have a place of my own right now."

"You're not... married... are you?" Stupid, stupid Gayle! I knew it... knew it was too good to be 

true...this always happens to me.

"Gayle... Gayle!" Alex broke in. "I'm not married... just crashing at a friend’s house for the 

past week. Kinda in-between jobs, too."

"What about the Herald? I thought you said you were working for them? And that freelance job 

you mention..."

Alex looked up, "Yeah, well, seems the boss wasn't too keen on me droppin' the NanoCorp story, 

workin' on something else off on my own... canned me. And that freelance job I mentioned... well, 

it didn't exactly pan out, so... guess we're both in the same boat here, slim."

"So, I guess this is... it... then?" Gayle asked, tears in her eyes. Dammit, Gayle! Why do you 

always end up falling head-over-hills too quickly for the wrong guy?

"Not if you don't want it to be," Alex told her. "I mean, you could... possibly... come stay with me 

at my... um... brother's place." If Bud didn't kill him first, he thought to himself.

"You don't think he'd...um...mind?" she asked, hesitantly. "I mean, I don't want to be a burden 

here... I'll get a job as soon as I can and my own place."

Mind? Fuck yeah, he'd mind! What the fuck are you thinkin', Ross?! Oh yeah, that's right... you're 

not. Alex cleared his throat, tried to push back images of Bud's angry face and the bodily 

damage he was sure to inflict. "Nah... he won't mind," Alex chuckled, nervously, "Now... what 

say you and I go take a nice hot shower together, get some breakfast, and head back to my 

place?"

Gayle smiled brightly, "I'd say you're on."

Bud was aware of Lachlan and Hope's return. They poked their heads in the living room and 

mouthed good-night to him, then went to try to figure out where to rest for the night. Hope took 

the small bed in the room where Cort was sleeping, and because space was at a premium right 

now, Lachlan lay down on the quilt between those two beds. He grinned to himself in the 

darkness. His first night in the same room with Hope and her father was two feet away from 

him.

They'd started Gladiator quite late and so were still watching well into the night. It was not an 

easy viewing, not for anybody, and the tension level was high in the living room. Bud noticed 

how Decimus and Meridius kept eyeing one another more frequently, wondered how it was for 

them dealing with the fact of shared memories. He guessed, though, you really had to experience 

it to understand what that was like. Personally, he was glad there was only one Bud. Well, only 

one out in the real world anyway. LA Confidential was still going on and there was a Bud in it. 

He'd just fuckin' better stay in it! Bud thought.

Something was, indeed, happening between the two Generals as the reality of their shared 

identity steadily became more real to them. He is me, Meridius thought. He is. The how of it 

was way beyond his grasp, but the fact of it kept presenting itself unmistakably. It bothered him 

terribly, too, that he couldn't remember how it was he'd come to have such strong feelings for 

Caroline. A man should remember such things. It was that more than anything, that led him to 

the reality that his memories had been changed against his will. As had Decimus'.  He was 

feeling a definite kinship with the other, whose every gesture, every facial movement was his 

own.

Decimus had come to a reluctant level of acceptance of the existence of Meridius. It was akin to 

sorcery in his mind, but it could not be dismissed. There was a real person on the other end of 

the couch and that person was his reflection in every way.  In a long scene where Commodus 

was entering Rome and he didn't feel such a need to concentrate on the windowscreen, he 

lowered his head and put his free hand over his eyes.

"What is it, Decimus?" Caroline asked.

He raised his face to her, looking quite stricken. "I feel as though I am splitting in two, Caroline, 

that I have split in two and can do nothing about it."  He stared then past her to Meridius, gaze 

meeting gaze. "You understand, do you not?" he asked him.

Meridius dipped his head in assent. "I am at a loss as to what to do," he admitted.

"I think we need a bit more space for ourselves, that's what I think," Caroline said firmly. 

"Maximus," and she looked at them both as had become her way when making reference to her 

Maximus, "and I left our luggage at the blue house in the pines on the edge of the NanoCorp 

campus. There are large lawns, many trees surrounding it and it's much bigger than this 

so-called safe house. I would like us to go back there." She looked at Bud. "When Cort wakes 

up, ask him if he and Hope would like to join us. I'm not sure how he'd feel about that because 

of Rachel, but his things are there, too. There's the big bedroom downstairs for them and 

upstairs two more bedrooms. I think that would work fine for us."

"Tonight, Caroline?" Bud asked. "You can't wait for morning?"

"No. There's just no room here, Bud. We're all piled atop each other. I think this is for the best. 

And you know how terribly fond Cort is of Maximus. I think it could be good for him to spend 

some time with...with...these two. He also knows first-hand what it's like adjusting to a different 

time, a different world.  He can't just sit around here thinking of Rachel all day. If he feels like 

he's helping his friend, his brother, then that will be something positive."

"You want me to drive you over?"

"If you would, yes. I think my station wagon is...somewhere. Maybe it can be located and 

dropped off at the blue house sometime?"

"I'll take care of that. You want to watch any more of the movie tonight?"

"Just up to the pouch. I imagine they've had enough to deal with without going past that. 

There's a copy at the blue house, too, so we can finish it there whenever it's, um, time."

Meridius cleared his throat. "I would like to discuss this...story...with you Caroline, and with 

Decimus at some length. We may do that tomorrow, then?"

"Yes, Max...Meridius, we'll do that."  Decimus' right thigh was against her left leg and 

Meridius' left thigh against her right. She was very, very aware of them. There had been times 

when she was with Maximus that she wanted nothing more than to be surrounded by him. Now 

that was a reality and she wasn't sure how to handle it. 

They watched the Carthage reenactment then the Tigris fight mostly in silence, though she knew 

they both were filled with questions, over-flowing with emotions. And now they were going to 

come face to face with a chariot whose horses were under a hood. She remembered so well the 

first time she'd driven Maximus anywhere.  At least that gave her some idea of what to expect. 

That had been daylight, though, and now it was night. 

She took them both by the hand, leading them after Bud out the front door to his car. "I think 

we'll all three sit in back," she said, not wanting to let go of either of them.  Bud slid into the 

driver's seat, waiting for them to be seated before he turned on the ignition.

"Going to be a bit noisy, but it's fine," he smiled. "Here on this, um, other side of the gateway 

of light, we have different sorts of animals to pull our wagons."  He turned the key and the 

engine roared to life, then he turned on the headlights. 

Meridius and Decimus both sucked in deep breaths, gripping Caroline's hand tightly. 

"Just, um, bring the basics for now, we can come back for the rest later," Alex told Gayle, as she 

began folding her clothing and placing it in her suitcase.

"Not much here is mine, actually," Gayle told him, "The place was furnished when I rented it, 

so just the personal items are mine." She picked up a small framed photo, placed it gently on 

top of her folded shirts in the suitcase.

"That your parents then?" he asked, tilting his head so he could get a good look.

"Yeah, that's them," she replied, smiling as she picked it back up and touched her fingertips to 

the images in the photo. "This was taken the day I went off to college...they wanted me to have 

it with me so I'd always have a little piece of home with me wherever I went." 

Alex watched as she stared into the photo, realizing how very alone in this strange world he 

was... no family, no real past... he blinked hard, shook away the pain. "So, um, where are they 

now, then?"

"Back home," Gayle told him, setting the photo back in the suitcase and sandwiching it between 

her clothes. "That's where I was headed... before..." she smiled, blushed a bit, as she zipped up 

the suitcase and lifted it off the bed.

"Back home," Alex repeated, "and where'd that be then?"

"Shreveport," she said as he took the suitcase from her hand and carried it into the living room. 

"How about you? I've told you loads about me, but you haven't really said much about yourself."

"Not much to tell, really," Alex told her, simply. How the hell was he supposed to tell her how 

he came to be? How he was just a fuckin' figment of someone's overactive imagination and the 

life he knew... the past he had memories of living... didn't really exist? "C'mon, I'll carry your 

bags down to your car," he said, opening the front door and motioning her through. 

As they drove, Gayle couldn't help but wonder why he'd kept so quiet about himself. She should 

be worried, she thought to herself, though, for some reason, she wasn't.  Maybe it was the 

excitement of a new relationship, maybe it was the twinkle in his eyes, the way he looked at her 

and the way he made her feel... whatever it was, she had it bad for him.

"Turn here," Alex directed, as they rounded the corner to the street where the safe house was 

located.

"Sure your brother won't mind me being there? He wasn't too thrilled finding out about that 

book I was writing, you know," she said worriedly.

"Bud? Nah, he'll be... fine," Alex lied.

"Bud? Wait a minute! I thought his name was Terry?" 

"Nope, Bud. Terry, the one you met, is my other brother. He doesn't live here, though he does 

visit from time to time, so don't be surprised if he's there now," Alex told her, hoping, in fact, 

that Terry had been able to get off the couch by now and head to his own place. Less to explain, 

the better. He also said a little prayer to himself that the Maximus situation had been...handled...

now. He couldn't imagine having to explain THAT particular detail quite yet, as he was still 

having a hard time dealing with it himself. "Ah, here it is... just pull up there by the curb," he 

said, letting out a quiet little sigh of relief when he saw that Terry's car was no longer parked 

there.

Alex quickly exited the car, came around to the driver's side and walked Gayle up to the front 

door, pausing a moment before finally ringing the doorbell. 

Bud came to the door, still groggy from having gotten to bed so late and not really awake yet 

this morning. He stood there a moment, staring from Alex to Gayle. Ross hadn't...had he? 

"Morning, Bud," Alex drawled, a slight, nervous grin on his face. "Sleep well?"

Gayle smiled shyly at the big man, who she noted looked an awful lot like Alex, though much... 

angrier. 

Hope and Lachlan sat on the couch and Cort, feeling much better, was just coming out of the 

kitchen as Bud let Alex and Gayle in. "That Terry, Bud?" Cort called out, a cup of coffee in his 

hand. "How's he feeling today?"  Since Cort had been warped before the tunnel began collapsing,

he'd only just found out what had happened to those left for later.

"It's Ross, Cort," Bud said, "and he's brought...someone."

"This is my...uh... girlfriend." Alex turned to Gayle, smiled, then back to the room. "Gayle... 

Gayle, these are my brothers, Bud, Cort, and Lachlan there on the couch."

"Hi," she said, softly, feeling quite a bit awkward in the situation she now found herself in. 

"Gayle here is recently out of a job since it was...well... blown up last week," Alex told them, 

making sure to look Bud in the eye when he emphasized that last part, "and now, since she can't 

pay her rent, she's in need of a place to stay, so... being the kind-hearted gentleman I am... I told 

her she can stay here with me for a while, until she can get a job and place of her own." Alex 

grinned at Bud, prepping himself in case the big man was to suddenly explode. 

Bud sighed. What next? Actually, nothing surprised him these days, well, not after yesterday 

anyway. The fuckin' safe house was rapidly becoming a motel. Least nobody was shooting it full 

of holes. Not yet anyway. That'd probably come tomorrow. Forcing a polite smile, he looked at 

Gayle, who was obviously uncomfortable. "Hello, Gayle. Guess Alex here told you about me 

bein' his big brother, eh?

"Um... a bit...sorta... actually, Terry - whom I met a couple nights ago, mentioned you all were 

half brothers? Had the same dad? Though, he didn't mention there were...um... so...many..." she 

looked nervously around the room, smiled at them.

"Well, Ross, you're in luck, buddy. Caroline took, um, the twins over to the blue house late last 

night. Did he tell you about the twins, Gayle?" He didn't pause for an answer, "And Cort, here, 

and, and, his, um, our, um, cousin Hope, are going over there in just a bit to stay. So that'd just 

leave me and your, um, our younger brother, Lachlan, there on the couch with his, um, cousin, 

still here in the safe, um, this house. So, yeah, you can have a bedroom if you want."  He stared 

at Alex, trying to keep the edges of his mouth from twitching, making a mental note to be sure 

and tell Caroline that Decimus and Meridius needed to go along with the twin thing. Alex and 

Gayle could bunk in his bed and he'd take the cot in the twins' former room. Musical rooms, 

that's what it had come down to. Fuckin' musical rooms. 

Alex grinned, slapped Bud on the back, "Thanks, Bud," he told him, "Owe ya one...or two...," 

he added as he walked by him, taking Gayle by the hand and leading her into the bedroom.

Caroline had felt relieved to get back to the blue house. She was still wearing the tan outfit Sid 

had put her in for Gladiator, and her own clothes felt just wonderful. One of the upstairs 

bedrooms had a queen-sized bed, the one she and Maximus had shared while staying with 

Cort and Rachel. She took that one, leading the two men on to the other bedroom where there 

were twin beds. "This is where you will stay," she said, hoping putting the both of them together 

would be all right. "But before I leave you for the night, there are a couple of things I need to 

show you." So saying, she took them to the upstairs bathroom, carefully explaining what the 

toilet was for and that it was not a wash basin. She showed them how the faucets worked, opened 

the mirror to display Maximus' personal grooming items on the shelves behind it, then took them 

back to her room.  "There," she continued, "are Maximus' clothes. Take them to your room. I'm 

sure they'll fit both of you perfectly." Her hand ran down the silky cream-colored shirt she loved 

to see him in and tears stung her eyes once again.

"What is it, Caroline?" Meridius asked.

"Maximus' shirt. I miss him so."  Even with two of them there, she missed him. 

"You say one of us has worn this before, then?" he said softly, touching the shirt himself. "The 

one who has been a long while through the gate of lights?"

"Yes, him." She gazed up at his wonderful face. "Maybe you."

"Or possibly me," Decimus said. 

She turned to look at him. It definitely could have been him. She had to find a way to know. 

"Rest now, if you can, the both of you. Tomorrow we will talk again."  They gathered up 

Maximus' clothing, his shoes, and went to their room. When they'd gone, she closed her door 

and lay across her bed, crying. It had been today, just earlier today, that her Maximus had 

found her, had looked at her with all his love, his then-unforgotten love, in his eyes. She wanted

...that!

ON TO PART 3

BACK TO PART 1

BACK TO NANOCORP INDEX

BACK TO LIBRISCROWE