Because if you're going to seduce me, I'm going to romance you first. And second. And in between. Who: Billy and Cora Where: Europe in the time of legends What: Billy and Cora make a fateful decision, and timing is everything. They come home! When: Five years in, and back in 2013 Warnings/Rating: PG-13 for sexual intimations Status complete
Billy smiled as he slipped out of bed, and into the shower. It had been a long week and he had gone to bed early. Cora had come to bed later, and he had snuggled up against her. She was an amazing partner, and while they had never cross that line called sex, they had kissed and held each other over the last year especially. And he could honestly say he loved her a great deal. Which made him feel guilty, because he also loved Barbara, even after five years of not seeing her. Which was longer than he had known her, true, but, still…
He sighed as he worked a lather up. It didn’t help that, while not trying to tease him, Cora had grown far less concerned about concealing herself from him, and the kisses had become warmer. He was pretty sure she felt for him like he did for her, and he smiled as he washed, trying to ignore the hard on he got while thinking those thoughts. When he stepped out of the shower, or the magical rain maker, as the locals called it, he grabbed a towel and started drying off.
Cora smiled to herself as she listened to the sound of Billy’s magic rain, her eyes still closed as she enjoyed a few extra moments of rest. While they might not actually bathe together, she’d seen him get caught in the rain, and they’d splashed in lakes over the summers, and the memory of Billy, soaking wet, was not at all unpleasant or unwelcome.
She loved him. She admired, and respected him. She found him pleasing to the eye, and all the rest of her senses, too. She knew he missed Barbara, and she understood completely, because Nate still held a special place in her heart and mind--even though their link had been silent for longer than it had existed. She had accepted the fact that she would deal with that if and when she ever saw Nate again, and chose to be thankful that Billy was there with her. She was cautious when it came to physical expression, still growing into herself and all of these new feelings, but she didn’t hold back her affections either.
She sighed as the water shut off, and gave a languid stretch, trying to stir herself enough to actually rise and greet the morning with her partner and friend. “Big plans for today?”
Billy padded in with a robe on loosely belted. He settled to the edge of the bed and stroked her hair softly. “MMm, not much, other than our belated BirthChrisEasMasDay celebration. After we both got sick and then the village was sick, well, at least we’re now well and we didn’t lose any but one.” He nodded softly. “And today is the fifth year anniversary of our time here. And I have a second present for you, because of it.” He grinned down at her.
Cora curled instinctively, habitually around him, snuggling close. Even losing one person to sickness was hard, when the village was such a close community, but death was part of life, and life went on. Their annual celebration always brought cheer, even if it came a little late, and now that they were strong and healthy enough to really enjoy it, Cora was looking forward to it even more.
“Can you believe it’s been five years already?” she asked, smiling up at him. “The days feel long while we’re in them, but looking back...we’ve come a long way.”
“We really have… say…” He stared at her eyes, and smiled softly. “You have been getting darker, lately, did you notice that? This last year, I think, now that I think about it.” he snuggled her close, and stroked her hair. He planted a kiss on her temple then conjured a mirror for her to look in.
Cora scrunched up her face as she looked in the mirror, puzzling over her appearance. She'd noticed her arms were more tanned, and other parts of her body, but she'd attributed that to all the time they spent working out of doors. But as she looked at herself now, she realized something else. Not only was her skin not white where it was usually covered, but her hair had grown in darker, too, and her eyes...
"I'm not using any glamor, but my eyes are still brown. How are my eyes still brown?"
Billy shook his head, then slowly nodded. “The Dreams. Didn’t you say the name of your Dreamself was Anya Corazon? A Hispanic name? Maybe some of that is kicking in?”
Then he grinned, and kissed her nose. “Or maybe this is magic, and you are starting to change to look more like your dad because we are using so much of it.” He waggled a finger at her. “Don’t think I didn’t see you using his magic words with the Marvel magic last week…”
Cora blushed, but she couldn’t deny it. It was all true. She didn’t really see people’s race back when she started dreaming, never mind pay attention to the color of her skin in her dreams. She was only eight years old back then, and she loved all the colors of the rainbow, but she didn’t care what people looked like on the outside any more than she cared about what age her friends appeared to be.
But she was aware that Anya’s father, Gilberto, wasn’t Caucasian. And Billy was right, she had been strongly influenced by Harry’s magic, and his lessons had stayed with her in spite of the fact that she hadn’t seen Harry in five years. Just like her mom’s reiki.
She laughed. “I still look like my mom,” she observed, “Just...caramel.”
“Cool. It looks good on you, by the way. All… creamy.” He waggled his eyebrows at her, just a little flirtation in his voice
Cora blinked away a prickle of half formed tears that were one part happy, and one part frustrated at yet another change. She supposed it was a good thing, a sign that she was finally starting to accept and assimilate her dreamself, and her adulthood. And it was hard to stay upset when Billy was so supportive.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him, lingering a moment to let him know how much she appreciated him. "You're such a sweet talker. If I didn't know better I might think you were trying to seduce me."
Billy smiled softly. "Maybe. mostly, I am always glad to see you smile. You make me feel loved. Seducing you would be an honor." He hugged her tight.
"I love you, Billy," she said, resting her head on his shoulder. He didn't have to seduce her for that. Someday, she'd be ready to go further. Maybe even someday soon. "Will you let me make you breakfast, or do you have plans for that already?"
"I love you too, Cora. And me,turn down a breakfast from you? Never!"Billy grinned at her. "Dinner is planned, but not breakfast."
"Good," she said, smiling up at him. "Because if you're going to seduce me, I'm going to romance you first. And second. And in between." And she supposed she'd see where it went.
Billy laughed, then hmmed. “Romance me, huh? Sounds like fun.” He smirked at her. “Well, then, you’d best get on that before I seduce you right out of your underwear.” He winked at her, mostly playfully, but his voice had gone a little low and hoarse at that.
They’d never really joked quite this far and it both frightened and excited him.
Cora swallowed, feeling all sorts of fluttery as she hugged him, and slid out of bed. “I guess so,” she said, pulling her hair back in a loose knot before she went to check the pantry for breakfast fixings. Just what did an impromptu, romantic breakfast look like, under the circumstances? She wasn’t sure, but she’d figure it out as she went along.
Billy rose and smiled. He followed her on bare feet, stretching. “You should shower first, before breakfast. I can go get the water in for whatever cooking you want to do.” He smirked at her, then smiled softly.
“Okay,” she said, taking a mental snapshot of their stores, so she could decide what to make. She smiled back at him, more thoughts of Billy in the shower flitting through her mind. There was no point in denying that they had both thought about it. But she didn’t say anything, she just padded back to the bedroom to get undressed.
Billy headed to get water, thinking about Cora, and smiling as his mind’s eye put together all the half glimpses he had gotten all those years. Cora was a beautiful woman, had been a beautiful girl and was more so now. And she was the woman he had known the longest. She was amazing and he liked her a lot, and loved her.
He whistled while he got the water, bringing in plenty.
Cora shucked off her night shirt, and unbound her hair, running a brush through the long, dark strands. Exposure to the sun had pulled burnished bronze, copper, and amber highlights through the cocoa colored strands, but all the blond had long since grown out. She didn't mind that, thought. It made her look...exotic. So did her cheekbones, now that all her baby fat was gone. And her skin...
She set the brush aside and stepped into the shower; watching the water cascade over her creamy caramel skin. She caressed her body with her hands as she bathed, formally accepting every part of it, and every part of who she was. Somehow, accepting turned to enjoyment, and she let herself touch just for the sake of touching. Just for a minute, she imagined it was not her own hands--and no sooner did she entertain the fantasy then she realized it was not the hands of one other she imagined, but two. Billy's...and Nate's.
Billy blinked as he was carrying in water, for a moment getting an image of… and his cheeks blushed bright red, for he had thought of it many times himself. Realizing what must have happened, he set the water down and closed his eyes, and let his mind reach out along that link, and then his hands were imagining those same curves…
… and that was exactly when there was a burst of mental static, loud and bright, then cleared up and Nate, Nathan fucking Summers, was loud and clear in their heads. Distant, but loud and clear.
--you hear me? This is Nathan Summers,. broadcasting up and down time with Professor and John Jones’s assistance. Can you hear me, anyone?
As soon as their minds were fully touched, Nate’s mind lit up with warmth and recognition. Cora! Billy! It’s good to…. Embarrassment and shock hit as the sensations of what had been happening hit his mind finally. Er...sorry. I ah… this is Nate and Hi! Uhmn… ready to come home? The voice faltered at the end, but the link was still there, strong and loud.
Oh shit! Nate! Yes! We are! Shock, embarrassment, and hope, weirdly, fear, and yet a singing exultation filled Billy.
Even if her summons had been unintentional, Cora had found herself welcoming the touch of Billy’s mind, willing--and dare she say eager?--to explore this new avenue of companionship. But just as soon as she had opened up to it, the image vanished, scattered by the sudden manifestation of that third presence in her mind.
She gasped, her cheeks flaming even in the heat of the shower, and her stomach turning somersaults in the not-so-fun way. Nate? She tried to recover her personal shields as quickly as she could, but she had no doubt that both men would pick up on the jumble of emotions she felt. She was sensing similar reactions from both of them.
She scrambled to shut off the water, and grab for a towel before Nate and Professor beamed them up. Could I just grab some clothes, maybe?
Nate’s mind was atumble in emotions, yes, and he mostly shielded them as much as he could, but he swore as something sparked near him and John held the ceiling up above him. Yes! But hurry! The Station is coming apart! His mind echoed as he spoke to the other groups at the same time, splitting his attention down the middle, helping him to not think of bad things. Hurry!
Billy was scrambling into normal clothing as he heard those words, and grabbing hers as well, and running toward the shower room, modesty forgotten.
“No, no, no!” Cora cried aloud, running from the bathroom and practically into Billy’s arms, clutching both him and the towel. She didn’t have time to be upset about having to leave yet another home in a hurry. Possessions were just things--she could live without them, as long as she had her family. “Never mind--just take us home!”
Billy yanked her sweater down over her even as a feeling of swimming change gripped them, and then they were in the middle of the time bay in Greymalkin. Sparks and damage components were everywhere and a shimmering forcefield held back space as a gaping hole out into it, not there before, showed mere feet away. Above them, A green man, large as a house, held up the ceiling as it fractured and broke. Others were popping in all around them, in different states of disarray.
Nate, behind controls, looking singed, bloody and tired, had one moment to glance at her, eyes warm, loving and worried, before there was an explosion that rocked the station, and he shouted. “Professor! Initiate Emergency bodyslide of everyone else but me to the special ward at irvine General, now! And as he glanced at everyone around him, the power swept over them and deposited them into another room, one clinical and white.
Billy gasped, stared around, then swore. “Holy Moley. We’re Home… and what the heck was that?”
Cora’s eyes were wide, darting around the station until she saw Nate. She cried out as he ordered the Professor to transport everyone but him. There was scarcely time to protest, though, before they were in the hospital ward, and she was left wondering the same thing as Billy.
“I…I don’t know.” She shivered, and hugged him, hoping Nate would be all right. “When was that? When is it?”
Others were appearing all around them and Magius bustled in, followed by a couple of others. “Welcome back to the present. Most of you know me. My name is Doctor Magius. I know the last thing you want right now, is to have someone poke and prod at you, but since you’ve been in different times, you’ll need to be checked out. Thankfully, magic means that takes minutes instead of days or weeks. I’m sure you all have questions, and I’ll be around to each of you by groups. Please rest, and stay calm.”
Billy facepalmed then hugged Cora. “We’re home, I think.” He stared at the doc, and nodded. “Doc Magius doesn’t look any older.” A nurse bustled up with robes for them and water bottles as well, fresh and cold, then bustled off.
“Nate didn’t either.” Cora’s throat constricted at the thought of Nate, left behind to deal with the explosion, like a captain going down with his ship. No. She couldn’t think like that. She pulled the robe on over her sweater-and-towel ensemble, and reached out to touch the doctor’s arm. “Doctor Magius? It’s me: Cora.”
She knew she probably looked a lot different than he was expecting.
Magius blinked, and squinted, then nodded slowly, smiling as he surveyed her, then Billy. “Oh my. Well then. I have a feeling I’ll need you both in for regular checkups soon.” He shook his head. “Nate contacted me when the incident happened, an hour ago, and I’ve been setting up since. I know this is going to be a shock, but… yes. You’ve been gone only an hour, in Current time.”
Billy stared, mouth open. “Ah… what? But we were there for five years!”
“So I see. Hold still for just a moment, my friends.” He gestured and cast a simple spell and warmth and tingling passed over them, and down, and they would feel warmer, and cleaner, and just fine. “Looks like no excess problems came back with you. You both did well, but you’ll need a dentist’s appointment soon.” And then he hugged them both.
“Welcome home. Your parents will be happy to see you.”
Cora didn’t think she could have felt any cleaner than having just stepped out of the shower, but somehow, Doctor Magius knew just the trick. He’d always known how to make her feel better, even before he’d remembered that he was a wizard. She took a deep breath, and tried to focus on that comfort, to ground herself in it.
She was home.
She hugged the doctor; took Billy’s hand and squeezed; but she couldn’t quite stop her mind from spinning. “We should call them,” she said, trying to give herself something constructive to think about. Some kind of direction. “And, Billy--you’ll want to see Barbara, too, huh?”
"We should, yeah. Ah, is there a phone we can use, Doc?" Magius nodded. He led them to another door and another room, where a phone sat to one side. "Cora you can use this room. Billy theres another one next door." Billy hugged her and headed out. "See you later, Cora."
Cora thanked the doctor, and wished Billy luck. Then she went to the telephone, approaching slowly, as if she wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. It was more like she wasn’t quite sure what to say--how to break the news to her family that she was another five years older.
She picked up the phone and slowly dialed the familiar number, giving herself time to compose her thoughts. Then she waited as it began to ring.
Harry had come home for lunch, waiting to find out if there was news. When the phone rang, he picked it up and answered. "This is Harry. How can I help you?"
Hearing her father’s voice again after so long, Cora almost lost her own. She gulped, and had to take a deep breath before she could finally speak. “Daddy--it’s me. I’m back.”
Harry frowned. Her voice sounded off. "Already? Is everything okay?" He sat up and sent a trill to Elaine, signaling that Cora had called.
“No..I mean, I’m not hurt, but I went back in time, and when we came back, the station was breaking up and--” The words tumbled out in a mad rush, her eyes welling up with tears as she flashed to that last look from Nate. She had her shields locked down tight, scared to even reach for him; not knowing what had happened after the bodyslide, or what Nate must have thought when he’d found her. “I’m at Irvine General with Billy. Nate’s still up there…”
Worry and a boiling anger rose in Harry and he rose. "We're on our way. Hang in there, Cora. I love you." In an aside to Mouse, Harry spoke. "Get Elaine. Cora needs us." The uncanny dog barked worriedly and ran off to get her.
Elaine sent a pulse back as she sprinted up the stairs from her office space. Coming.
Cora hugged herself, ready to curl up and cry. Five years was a long time to hold it all in. “Okay,” she said, “I’ll be okay.” She sighed, realizing she should probably warn them. “I might look...a little more like Anya.”
“More like Anya? Okay. That sounds like an interesting story.” He blew out a long breath. “No matter what, we love you, and we are coming for you. Want me to call you back from the Cell so we can keep talking?”
He snagged the car keys and tossed them at Elaine as she came in.
Elaine caught the keys, grabbed her purse, and a few items from the laundry room which she stuffed into a bag for Cora. She hadn’t caught the whole of the conversation, but what she did catch was enough to suggest that a change of clothes might come in handy. Then she was back at Harry’s side. “We’ll be right there, baby girl.”
“I love you, too,” Cora said, “Both of you. I’ve missed you.” She wiped at her eyes with the heel of one hand. “If you think the cell phone will work…” She read off the number printed on the hospital phone. “I guess we have a lot to catch up on.”
“We do. Hang on…” He nodded and picked up the phone. “Okay, Hang up and I will call you right back.” And as soon as she had, he did, and smiled as she answered. The oversized phone, rigged by Nate, worked on magic, and the power was flowing just fine, for now. “We’re leaving now.” He headed out at a trot with Elaine. “Your mom will be driving.” She had better shields.
“Okay,” Cora said, once they were reconnected. She could hear her parents getting into the car as she spoke. “I don’t really know what went wrong, but there was some kind of malfunction, and we were all split up and sent to different points in time. Billy and I wound up in ancient, ancient Egypt, during the reign of King Rama Tut. It’s...it’s been five years, for us.”
Harry kept his connection to Elaine wide open. "Five years in ancient Egypt... Stars..." He swallowed and shook his head. That was.... Wow. And he felt some anger stirring, even knowing it likely a true accident, that his daughter had been put in danger. He sighed.
"How are you feeling?"
“Well, three years in Egypt, and then we migrated toward Europe,” she said, combing her fingers through still-damp hair. How was she feeling? She had to take a moment to honestly assess her feelings. Physically, she was fine. “I’m worried about Nate. And I guess I’m waiting for the culture shock to set in. I hope everybody else is okay.”
She wasn’t sure how long it would take to get used to life in the 21st Century again.
It was just about then that Nate’s voice came in her head, and warmth with it. I’m okay. Sorry for making you worry. Graymalkin has broken up and I’ve landed some of it off the coast. When your parents stop clinging to you, and vice versa, I can steal you away for some snuggle time. And talking. And chocolate milk.
Harry, unaware of that, spoke on. “Sounds like you’ve done a lot, Cora. And all of that makes sense. For now, we’ll take you home, and you can figure out the rest as we go, okay?” He glanced at Elaine, and outside to see where they were.
“Okay.” Cora relaxed as she felt Nate touch her mind. She’d missed that, even though she treasured the bond she had with Billy. Having her parents close helped, too. I missed you so much, Nate. They had so much to talk about. “Drive safe.”
I missed you too, Cora. Warmth and love flowed over the link, a mental embrace. And before she knew it, her parents were there.