Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/4625391.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      F/M
  Fandom:
      Turn_(TV_2014)
  Relationship:
      Benjamin_Tallmadge/Original_Female_Character(s)
  Character:
      Benjamin_Tallmadge, Original_Female_Character(s), Original_Male_Character
      (s)
  Additional Tags:
      Love, Secret_Relationship, Time_Travel, molested_hip_bone, Masturbation,
      Age_Difference, lost_cat, found_cat, the_magic_of_showers, technology?
      what_is_this_witchcraft
  Stats:
      Published: 2015-08-21 Updated: 2015-08-28 Chapters: 6/? Words: 8126
****** Shall I Stay? ******
by XbesiegeX
Summary
     A young girl goes in search of her missing cat. When she finds him,
     she finds the love of her life too. Although she brought them both
     home, one can never be seen by her family. Keeping him hidden will be
     easy compared to finding a way to get him home. Yes, time travel is
     much more difficult than secrecy.
Notes
     This first chapter is more of a prologue than an actual first
     chapter. So you might see the writing style change a tiny bit once we
     actually get into the action and interactions of the characters. My
     apologies for the shortness of this one; I assure you the up coming
     ones will be much lengthier. Anyways, enjoy!
***** Where, Oh, Where Art Thou Harrison? *****
It was a brisk, early morning in mid August. The graveyard sky overhead was
hidden by tall evergreen and the first yellowing leaves of summer. An
unfortunate arctic blast was washing over the area, creating a chill not unlike
autumn. It had been raining the last few days, the wetness permeating the
ground and leaving a ghost of clamminess on the skin. Through the forests of
northern Minnesota trudged a young girl. Her nose was pink from the cold and
her eyes were a tad bloodshot, suggesting she’d hardly bothered to sleep the
night before. Her hands were stuffed in her sweatshirt pocket, hanging on to a
small baggie of cat treats.

“Harrison! You better not have been eaten by a bear!” She called to her cat,
wherever he may be. It was an indoor cat who was let outside as he pleases. But
he hadn’t come back last night. It wouldn’t have been much a worry at all if
there hadn’t been reports of a bear wandering about and harassing the others in
the area, mostly farmers who’d shoot it if they got the chance.

“Check for Harrison before you go to bed.” Her aunt ordered as she said
goodnight. “There’s a bear hanging about.” So, Emera had stayed up late as she
usually did, hoping there’d be a disheveled old cat batting at the sliding
glass door of her patio. She had an arsenal of carbonated, caffeinated drinks
to help her stay up. Four in the morning came, the time she’d usually be
falling asleep and still no sign of the cat. And she still did not go to bed.

When dawn came and her aunt and uncle had left for work, she got dressed to go
outside, hoping to find the aging cat still asleep in some tree. Or, worst case
scenario, his half eaten body. And so there she was wandering the woods behind
her house with a bag full of kitty treats and a hankering for more energy
drink. Despite the suppressed tightness of worry in the pit of her stomach, she
was in a pleasant mood. That was, until she saw the body.
***** Welcome to My Humble Abode *****
Emera froze. Her heartbeat was erratic with anxiety. She mused, in some
distant, detached part of her mind, that it might beat so hard as to leap out
her throat. She put a hand over her heart and breathed deeply. Then steeled
herself to take a few more steps. If it was a dead body it’s not as though she
should fear it would grab her ankle and take a bite. From where she was she
could only see the lower torso and down. Almost certainly male. He was dressed
in a very old fashion. He had on tan pants with an odd lack of zippers or
buttons. His shirt was more of a vest, with large silver buttons down the
middle. A blue coat with folded coattails was over that. All of it was very
dirty. Perhaps it was cosplayer or a civil war reenactor? But what would he be
doing out here? There were no such clubs or community groups here. Especially
several miles from town.

Getting closer and rounding the tree in her way, Emera prepared for the worst.
She shut her eyes before she saw him. Her arms crossed over her chest
protectively, she took a breath before suddenly opening her eyes. Her heart
skipped a beat before she realized he was very much intact. There was something
brown and furry curled up on his chest.

“Harrison?” Emera said incredulously. The old tabby lifted his head. “What the
fuck?” She crossed the distance to him and lifted the old cat off the body. As
she bent to grab him, she was distracted momentarily by the man’s face.
Although dirty, with a stream of dried blood from his sharp nose, it was a
rather handsome face. She continued to stare as she got the cat adjusted in her
arms.

Emera stood there wondering what to do. She needed to take the cat at least
back to the yard but she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to find her way back to
the body. After several moments, she set Harrison down and gave him a treat to
ensure he’d stay for a while. Then she squatted next the the body and watched
with narrowed eyes for any signs of life. She swore she saw his chest rise and
fall. She put a hand under his jacket and felt for a heartbeat. She couldn’t
tell.

With slight hesitation she pushed down his collar and felt underneath his jaw.
There was a pulse, albeit very faint. She withdrew her hand quickly. Her heart
was pounding even harder now. What do you even do in a situation like this? she
thought. Then she saw an eye twitch. Ah shit. Is he waking up now? Nah,
probably just in a lighter sleep. I could probably get him up…

She cleared her throat. “Excuse me! Wake up!” She said loudly. Harrison, who
had wandered to the other side of the man turned his ears and gave her a look
of annoyance. She pointedly ignored the cat and studied the unconscious man.
There seemed to be no response. Cursing her luck, she awkwardly reached over
and smacked his face. Again, nothing. She pursed her lips and slapped him twice
more, yelling “Oh my god, please wake up for fuck’s sake!” His eyes shot open
and he grabbed Emera’s wrist. She screamed and fell back. He sat up and stared
at her in confusion, then let go. After she scrambled away several feet, she
clutched a hand to her breast and breathed.

“You scared the shit outta me.” Emera laughed. “Are you okay?”

“I-I, um,” He cleared his throat, “who are you?”

“Emera,” she said without a thought. She’d always been a bit too trusting of
strangers. She stood and brushed herself off. Scanning about, she spotted
Harrison under a bush, fur on end. Poor thing She glanced at the man sitting
before her who was presently touching a finger to the blood down his lips. Both
of them. “What’s your name?”

“Benjamin Tallmadge,”

“Are you hurt?” She asked him as she stepped around him and over to her cat.

“No, I think I’m alright. My head’s a bit sore though,”

She picked up Harrison and turned back to Benjamin. “Well you knew your name,
which is a good sign. Do you know what day it is?” She smoothed down the cat’s
fur as she walked back.

“Um, well no, I don’t much keep track of them…”

“Who does?” Emera said with a forgiving smile. “Alright, what month is it?” She
looked up at him to see his uncertainty. She sighed. “Year?”
“Seventeen seventy six.” He said with complete conviction.

“Ha um no… It’s twenty fifteen.”

He looked at her, wide eyed, and finally noticed how oddly she was dressed. She
had men’s clothes on he did not know the names of. She called them a big green
sweatshirt and ripped skinny jeans. “That can’t be.”

“It’s true. So either you’re really into character, crazy, or from the past.”

Benjamin got to his feet and ran his fingers through his long, dark blonde
hair. “No, it’s seventeen seventy six.”

“No, it’s really not.” Emera held Harrison with one arm and reached into her
pocket to pull out a little black box. The face of it lit up. Benjamin watched
in wonder as she worked magic over it, swiping her thumb to bring down a
curtain of sorts. She stepped next to him, and pointed.

“See, right there, August fifteenth, twenty fifteen. My phone doesn’t lie about
the date.”

“Your what?”

“You’re really staying in character, aren’t you? Please cut it out.” Emera
looked at him. She realized she only came to about his shoulder. Looking up
into his face, she could see he was a bit hurt. “Okay not pretending. Um, I’ll
tell you later. Anyway, I need to get my cat home. You’re welcome to stay here
and bother some poor farmer about the seventeen hundreds but you’ll probably
get arrested. Or shot. Or you could come with me. I’ll get you some food and we
can sort this out, okay?”

“Alright,” he said numbly. She picked her way out of the woods and he followed.
When they finally got to the edge of her yard he stopped and stared, marveling
at the architecture. It was unlike anything he’d ever seen, although it wasn’t
even terribly ‘modern’.

“Well, come on!” Emera insisted. Inside, after she set down the cat, she made
him take his shoes off and she did the same. Without the open air, he stank of
unwashed man and the outdoors. “Are you hungry?”
“Yes,”

“I’ll get you something to eat then. Sit down,” She ordered, gesturing to the
long L-shaped couch. Ben sat awkwardly, unsure of what to do with himself. A
large golden dog came up to greet him and he pet it absentmindedly. Emera was
bustling about in the kitchen, which was just across the expansive room.
Benjamin looked about the place. There was cream colored carpet, which he was
curious about. Something else caught his eye. In the corner of the room was a
tall shelf of sorts. The largest spacing was in the middle and within it was a
huge black box, like Emera’s ‘phone’. He stared at it until Emera returned with
a steaming little pie.

“It’s a pot pie. From a box. It’s not as processed as other food so it
shouldn’t really.. disagree with you.” She watched him as he ate. A curious
expression on his face the entire time. He wolfed it down. After ridding of the
garbage, Emera sat across from him on a large ottoman.

“Benjamin,” She began. He stared at her, a bit of dread creeping into his
chest. “You need a shower.”

“I need a what?”

It suddenly occurred to Emera that the late seventeen hundreds did not have
showers. Or running water like modern times did. “A bath.” she corrected
herself. “Come on.” She grabbed his forearm and guided him down a hallway, up
three carpeted steps, and stopped. There were three doors, all half open. The
left one was obviously a bedroom. The middle had a futon but was a sewing room,
complete with half finished quilts hanging on the walls. The last was a small
bathroom.

Emera stepped in first and began gathering items. From the closet she took out
a fluffy towel. “This is shampoo, put it in your hair first and rub it through,
rinse it out. This is conditioner, use it second. Leave it in for a little bit
before you rinse.” As she spoke she held up an assortment of pink or purple
bottles. “This is body wash. Squirt some on this,” she had a bottle in one hand
and a large, natural sponge in the other. “Lather and wash your entire body.
Please,” She put great emphasis on the last part.

“Alright,”

Emera turned two dials in the tub and suddenly water gushed from the spout. She
sat, testing the temperature and making adjustments. “Is this good?” she asked.
Benjamin stared at her. “The temperature? Feel it.”
He was shocked by the warmth. “It’s… um, how?”

“It’s heated in a tank downstairs. I swear I’m not a witch,” She replied with a
giggle.

“Yes, it’s good…” He was trying not to get lost in her careless laughter. How
sweet she sounded…

“Okay, well I’ll be right back. Don’t get in yet!” She disappeared for a few
moments. Then returned with a large bottle. She poured a few cupfuls into the
running water. Floral smelling bubbles grew on the surface. “Alright, um, shout
if you need anything. When you’re done, turn this to drain the water and come
and get me. Don’t put on your clothes again.” Then as an afterthought, “Wear
the towel!” And she left, closing the door behind her. Ben undressed and was
about to get into the inviting bath when a knock on the door interrupted him.

“Um, could you give me your clothes?” he heard through the door. “To wash?”

“Give me a moment…” He tied the towel around his waist and gathered his
clothes. He opened the door.

“Thank you,” Emera said taking them. They stood in silence for a moment. Emera
tried not to stare at his muscular, bare torso, to no avail. She could feel
herself blushing. “Okay well, um, enjoy your bath.” And she scurried down the
hall.

Benjamin closed the door again. As he got into the bath, he was hardly aware of
a little smile on his face. He did as she’d told him to, washing down every
part of his body and shampooing his hair. It all smelled very… feminine. All of
it flower and fruit scented soaps. He was enjoying the hot, fresh water.
Couldn’t even remember the last time he’d been the first to use the bath water,
lesser yet had a bath all to himself. Finally, he drained the bath and dried
off.

Meanwhile, Emera had put his clothes in the washer and was in her room sitting
on her bed trying to decide if she should tell any of her friends about
Benjamin. On the one hand, her friends were the only ones who she could ever
talk to about this. On the other, it could be risky to tell anybody. Especially
through technology. And she couldn’t stop thinking about how goddamn attractive
Benjamin was. There was one thing really nagging at her, however. He had
nowhere to go and she was very willing to let him stay at her house but… that
wasn’t up to her. Her aunt would never let a man -especially an attractive,
young stranger- stay in the house. Even more than that, she’d think he’s insane
and call the cops on him. So, he’d have to stay hidden. Emera was completely
ready to house him if he’d like.

After a while, the sound of the tub draining reached her ears. Then he called
her name, sending her heart racing. “In here,” she said. Ben walked through the
doorway immediately, as the bathroom was just across the hall. He was only in
the towel, as was instructed. Emera leapt from the bed and pulled open the
doors of the closet.

“Gimme a sec, my cousin should have left some clothes that’ll fit you…” she
rooted through until she found a pair of jeans and a plain black T-shirt.
“Here, he’s pretty tall and lanky but they should be fine.” Next she pulled out
a pair of plaid boxers. Thankfully, they were clean. “Underwear…” she cleared
her throat. “It’ll probably feel weird but I promise, that’s how it’s supposed
to fit.” Then she left the room, calling over her shoulder, “I’ll be in the
living room.”

A minute later, Ben joined her on the couch. “It does feel weird.” he murmured.

Emera giggled, “You’ll get used to it. Don’t worry, you look good.” It took a
moment for them both to register what she said. Benjamin stared at his hands,
his brows knitted as he was unsure what she meant by it and how he felt about
it but a slight blush was in his cheeks. “I- I only mean,” Then she started
laughing, “I’m sorry,” She took a deep breath. “Anyway, I’m sorry you have to
smell so girly, I have that bathroom to myself and I didn’t want you to smell
like my uncle.”

“It’s alright,” he chuckled. Then Emera got serious.

“Someone is going to be home soon. I’m going to be honest, if you don’t want to
sleep in the woods or a jail cell, you’re going to have stay out of their
sight. They can’t know you’re here. So, either I send you on your way, or you
spend a lot of time in my room.”

Benjamin thought for a moment. “Where would I sleep?”

Emera shifted in her seat. “Um, well the safest place would be in my room.”

“Oh,”

“You could sleep on the floor or... I have a really big bed...”

“Well then,” There was a long moment of silence as Benjamin mused on the
possibilities. She was a very attractive girl. She had a short stature and an
hour-glass figure. Dark green eyes. A baby-like face framed by dark blonde
locks. Suddenly, it occurred to him he had no idea how old Emera was. “Forgive
me but, I cannot tell how old you are.”

Emera pursed her lips and tried to suppress a wry smile. “I’m sixteen.” She
searched his face for some reassurance that this wouldn’t be a problem. He was
unreadable.
“I’m twenty three.”

“So… if you’re not staying here, we should probably get you out the door soon.
Unless you’re going to stay a night before going. Not a bad idea, actually.
It’s scientifically proven you’ll make better decisions if you slept on it.”
Emera fussed with her nails as she waited for him to say something.

Ben thought for a moment. His heart beat hard wondering what would happen that
night. “Alright, I’ll stay, we can decide tomorrow.”

Relief and excitement fluttered through her chest. “Great, let’s, um, go to my
room.”
***** And So it Begins *****
A part of Emera knew that she shouldn’t be inviting this stranger to live with
her, lesser yet into her room for the night. The other part of her was too
distracted by his kind blue eyes to care. They sat on the bed together, each
wondering what to say to the other. Benjamin had one burning question in his
mind.

“What country is it we’re in?”

Emera bit her lip and smiled, curious as to how he’d react to the news.
“Benjamin, we’re in the United States of America.”

He stared at her with a doubting, half smile, “You’re joking.”

“Nope, USA, from sea to shining sea.” She beamed at him.

His eyes became brimmed with tears and he blinked them away. He smiled, then
sobered, took a breath to say something but shut his mouth.

“Oh, come on,” Emera said playfully, “It’s not like I told you someone died.”

Benjamin stared at his hands as Emera realized what she’d said.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“But they have, haven’t they?” He said quietly. He look at her with pain in his
eyes, jaw set. “They all have. Everyone I knew, everyone I loved is dead. They
died not even knowing what became of me.”

“Not if we can do something about it.”

“What?” Ben shouted, “What can we possibly do? We’re not even in the same
century!”

Emera struggled to keep herself calm. “Figuring out what happened in the first
place, what brought you here, would be a good place to start.”

“Listen,” he snarled, “the last thing I remember is getting ambushed and
knocked unconscious. Then two hundred some years later you slap me awake. And
for some unfathomable reason, the first thing you want to know is whether or
not I’m ‘okay’."

He was standing over her now, having gotten up during his outburst. Emera was
holding back tears, hating that he yelled and somehow feeling at fault. Her
voice trembled as she said, “I just want to help.”

Benjamin’s anger fled from him at once and he retreated from her. He looked for
a moment as though he wanted to step closer again and embrace her. Instead he
turned his head away and stared at the carpet beneath his feet. “I know,” he
said softly, “I’m sorry. Shite, I'm sorry! I don’t know what came over me.”

“Grief,” came the reply. Emera stood and approached him, laying a comforting
hand on his shoulder. “It’s a lot to take in. I’ll leave you alone for a
while.” She left the room, pausing in the doorway to say, “Benjamin, don’t
accept this as your life now. If there’s a way to get you home, we will find
it.” Then she was gone.

“If there’s a will, there’s a way.” Ben said to himself. He sat on the edge of
the bed, wondering momentarily what it was made of. Despite the ache in his
chest and the fury of dark emotions, there was a blossoming of hope. Hope for a
way home. Hope that perhaps Emera might be feeling the same way about him as he
was starting to feel about her.

After Emera had switched Benjamin’s Continental uniform to the dryer, she had
gone to play a computer game, though her mind was elsewhere. She couldn’t help
but to feel foolish. She’d brought home a time-traveling man and was letting
him stay the night; worse than that, he would be sleeping in her room. If she
was caught, he’d probably be arrested, and she wouldn’t be allowed to even
sneeze without permission for years. It was a risk she was willing to take,
however. She wouldn’t have been able to live with herself had she left him in
the woods, to wake up alone in a strange new world.

Two things weighed more heavily on her mind. For starters, where would she even
begin to look for a way to travel back in time? Secondly, she was beginning to
like him. As more than just a stranger she’d found in the woods. More than just
a friend, for that matter. That could prove problematic, as she, although as
virgin, was a very forward girl when it came to love interests and advances on
them, however much she blushed. And Benjamin was a grown man… from the
seventeen hundreds, when dating wasn’t quite a thing and marriages were fast or
arranged. He was also, she assumed, a gentleman. As she went to retrieve his
laundry, she mused that one such creature may not appreciate a straightforward,
unabashed woman. Or teenager. So, walking back to her room with a bundle of
clothes, Emera vowed that she’d try not to entertain fantasies of them together
and to control the little crush she had on him.

A knock on the door startled him from his thoughts. “Your uniform is done,”
said Emera as she entered the room. She set the clothes on the bed and stood
before Benjamin, still perched on the edge of the mattress.

“Thank you,”

“You know, my brother was in the army. My sister’s boyfriend, too. And my mom
was in the navy.”

“Where is your mother? I’ve only heard you speak of your aunt and uncle.”

“Oh, she’s dead. Died when I was almost seven.” Emera said bluntly.

“Forgive me,”

“No, it’s fine, not like you should’ve known.”

After a beat of silence, Benjamin said, “You mentioned a brother?”

“Yes, I’ve got just the one. He’s probably about your age, actually. What about
you?”

“Samuel, last I knew he was on board the Jersey.” seeing Emera’s expression he
elaborated, “The prison ship. He was a prisoner of war.”

“He was enlisted too?”

“Yes, he was a captain,”

Emera nodded thoughtfully. “So, where are you from?”

“A town called Setauket in New Jersey.”

“The place I was born wasn’t claimed by any congress when you’re from.” Emera
laughed lightly.

Before either of them could speak again, the sound of the front door closing
resounded through the house.

“My aunt’s home. Um, if anyone comes down this hall hide behind the bed. If
they aren’t whistling, it isn’t me. And, they’re both pretty tall so you’ll
have to get low. I know it’s ridiculous but it’s unlikely either of them will
come this way.” She started out the door. “Oh, and be quiet. Read a book if you
like.”

Ben did choose a book from her headboard shelf and read it, listening to the
distant murmur of voices and being acutely aware of Emera’s sweet laughter
echoing down the hall. It was an hour or so until she returned. Closing the
door behind her, Emera grinned wolfishly at him.

“I have the most wonderful news,” she said quietly. “My aunt and uncle are
leaving for five days. They’re going to the south to clean and sell some
distant relative’s home. They’re leaving tonight! Don’t say anything, I came
here only to tell you. Dinner is ready. I’ll bring the leftovers when I can.
Okay, um, resume.” She smiled warmly and left. Another hour passed. The sun was
beginning to set now. The front door slammed shut one last time before there
was a rumbling departing down the dirt road.

“Ben! You are free!” called Emera from down the hall. She laughed. “Come on!
Nobody is home but us. Nobody will be home but us!”

Tentatively, Benjamin left the room and followed the hallway to where Emera
waited in the living room.

“You know, their rules were, ‘Don’t have any parties. No boys over. And don’t
burn the place down.’ I think we know which one I’m already breaking.” She
looked at him sternly before breaking into her contagious laughter.

“Well, perhaps you should be punished.” Benjamin flirted. He had decided, in
his time alone, that he would flirt, and see how Emera responded. She was at a
loss for words. A mix of confusion and surprise flashed across her face. Then
she gave him a coquettish smile.

“Only by the proper authority, sir.” Then she danced away, settling herself on
the couch.

Ben followed and sat next to her, giving her an appropriate amount of space. He
glanced sidelong at her, admiring her straight nose and long eyelashes.

“So, what shall we do, with all this freedom?” she inquired. Suddenly they both
jumped when a car door slammed outside. Her eyes wide with panic. “Quick, hide
in the computer room! Behind us!”

He dashed quickly to the enclosed little space. It had a chair in front of a
desk. On, that there were shelves of papers and another black box. He hid under
the desk and pulled the chair in front of him.

Emera’s uncle walked through the door. She pretended she was flipping through
channels on the TV.

“I forgot something.” The old man said gruffly. He walked around the couch. And
into the computer room. He was in there just a moment, there was a shuffling of
papers, then he came out and stood behind the couch, still in view of the
little room’s interior. Emera pretended she wasn’t having a heart attack and
turned to look at him.

“What’d you forget?” She asked, trying to appear nonchalant.

“A document for the house.” He walked to the door. “Uh, stay out of trouble.”
He grumbled before leaving. The door slammed shut. Emera breathed a sigh of
relief as the vehicle sped off for good. Soon they’d be on a plane and likely
asleep.

“You can come out now..”

“Well, that was…” Ben said as he returned and brushed himself off.
“terrifying.”

“Sorry,” Emera began to laugh. “Close call, huh?”

“You’re not kidding,” chuckled Ben. He sat beside her again, putting an arm
over the back of the couch.

“Well, um, I’m sure once this adrenaline wears off I’ll be pretty tired so-”
Benjamin grabbed her chin with his free hand and pressed his lips against hers.
It’s odd how time seems to slow down when things like this happen. It was
quick, as far as kisses go but it was fiery and begged for more. When he
withdrew, Emera blinked in surprise.

“Oh,” She laughed once before meeting his eyes.

He bit his lip and looked uncertain. “Sorry, I, um,” he stammered. There was a
redness to his cheeks Emera hadn’t seen yet.

“Don’t apologize, silly. It was just unexpected.” There was an awkward silence.
“So… as I was saying, I’m gonna be going to bed soon. Are you gonna join me?”

“I-I suppose I will.” Ben blushed a little more.

“Well, um see you then.” Emera walked away briskly, wondering what had
happened. First he’d flirted with her, then he kissed her! And those were the
actions of a gentleman. She hardly could blame him, however. She wasn’t exactly
lady-like. As she changed and brushed her teeth, she couldn’t help but the be
excited about that night. There were butterflies in her stomach. That kiss
changed everything.
***** It's a Bit Nippy in Here *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
“Are you sure you want to sleep on the floor? I promise I don’t bite.” Emera
was tucked in already, poised to turn of the lamp on her nightstand. Ben
resided at the foot of her bed, with only a pillow and a blanket.
“I don’t wish to infringe upon your honor.” he said.
Emera scoffed. “There is no honor these days. Trust me, you wouldn’t do any
damage by sleeping in a more comfortable arrangement.”
“An arrangement that already has an occupant.”
“Suit yourself,” Then she flicked off the light plunging the room into
darkness. “Goodnight, Benjamin.”
“Goodnight,” There was silence for several minutes.“Emera?” Benjamin called
softly.
“Yeah?”
“That kiss was far too early, wasn’t it?”
“No, not really. I just… didn’t think you were even interested in me at all.”
After a thick moment of silence, she forced herself to continue. “And I thought
that gentlemen didn’t… do stuff before establishing a relationship.”
If there was enough light, Emera would’ve seen the blush in Ben’s cheeks. He
cleared his throat. “So you do indeed feel it was too soon.”
“No. But I wasn’t expecting it from you. Any other guy, specifically a guy from
my time, I would’ve been on alert for wandering hands. I’ve met a lot of guys
who just don’t respect women like men did in the past. Chivalry is dead.”
“I see.” he said. Another few minutes passed before either of them spoke.
“You know, it’s pretty cold.” Emera had been shivering. “I say we combine our
forces. Come on,” she patted the bed invitingly but there was no reply. “Don’t
make me come down there, Benjamin.”
“Are you sure?”
“Well I sure am freezing, if that’s what you mean. Get your butt up here,”
Finally, he relented and gathered his pillow and blanket to join her. After
spreading his blanket over hers, he crawled under the covers. He turned away,
lying on his side. Neither of them spoke, relishing the warmth between them.
It was some time before Emera asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Talk about what?” was the sleepy reply.
“You know, your life. The people you knew. Do you want to talk about it?” There
was no response. “Ben?”
“No,”
Emera knew he needed something, so she snuggled up to his back, draping her arm
over his side and taking a fist full of his shirt, pulling herself close. His
breath hitched at her initial touch. She rested her forehead against his
shoulder, breathing in his scent. He smelled of earth and pine, with an odd
hint of women’s fruity shampoo. To her, it was alien to be intimate this way.
But with him it felt so… natural.
“Emera?”
“Shush,” She gripped a little tighter.
“So you feel it, too, then?”
“Yeah, I suppose I do.” she whispered. It wasn’t long before they both slipped
into a blissful sleep.
Chapter End Notes
     You probably noticed I started using coding. Thank goodness, right? I
     went and edited all the other chapters but it's not necessary to go
     back, I just fixed that ungodly lack of spacing. Anyway, sorry that
     this one's a bit short. I was going to continue into the next day but
     that'll be a whole new ballgame since they'll get getting busy. With
     time travel stuff, ya nasty.
***** Into the Woods *****
Benjamin was still asleep by the time Emera got out of the shower. After
rooting through her dresser and picking an outfit, she didn’t bother to leave
the room. First she pulled on a thong, then let her towel drop. It wasn’t until
she was buttoning her jeans did she finally look up to see Ben sitting up in
bed, staring at her with his mouth agape.
His face flushed and he covered his eyes. “I am so sorry,” he gushed. Emera
quickly pulled on her bra and shirt and stood with her arms crossed over her
chest.
“How long have you been sitting there?”
“Too long,” he answered after a long moment.
“Perv,” she huffed. “Next time just keep pretending you’re asleep!” She thought
for a moment. “I think I need to punish you. But should I punch you? Or maybe
over cook your breakfast?”
Slowly Ben dropped his hands only to see her grinning sadistically at him. Then
he stood up and put his arms behind his back. “I deserve it. Go ahead, punch
me.”
“Hmm, you’re right. Bad food is a special kind of torture. But I’ll get you
when you aren’t expecting it.” She then turned on her heel and walked out the
door, calling over her shoulder to let him know breakfast would be soon.
He sat back down and sighed. “I just saw her breasts,” he whispered. It took
him several minutes before he felt he could face her again. Not to mention
the.. problem.. in his pants. When he finally did join her, a large breakfast
of eggs and bacon awaited him.
“I don’t know how much you eat, so I just made a shit ton.” Emera said plainly.
Ben stared at her curiously. “What?”
“Quite the mouth on you.” he commented, taking a bite on egg.
She glared at him rebelliously. “Fuck you,”
“Sorry, I’m eating.”
Emera nearly choked on her bacon. Composing herself, she dabbed her mouth with
a napkin, then leaned over and punched him in the chest. Benjamin pretended to
be hurt, rubbing the spot she hit.
“Sorry,” He laughed. “I couldn’t help myself.” he said sheepishly.
Emera bit her lip and smiled. “I mean, if you want to get technical, we did
sleep together last night.”
He glanced sidelong and smiled. “Yes, we did. Yesterday was quite the
adventure.”
“I think today will be boring comparatively. We’ll need to go back to where I
found you, see if we can find anything. Even if there’s just a weird vibe it
could be evidence.”
“So it’s a plan then.” They were quiet until they finished their meal.
“I was thinking, after we search the woods, we could go into town. I need to
pick up some stuff.” Emera said as she put away the leftovers and gathered the
plates for the dishwasher.
“Alright..”
It was about ten in the morning when they set off. It was colder than yesterday
had been. Or perhaps it was just the wind, whipping through the trees with a
vengeance that cut through their clothes. It took them a while to find the
spot.
“Are you sure this is it?” Emera inquired.
“Positive.”
After a thorough search of the area proved little more than pointless, Emera
sat down, defeated.
And that was when she noticed the black crack in the ground. It wasn’t
particularly wide and it didn’t appear to have any depth to it. Or rather, it
was so deep she couldn’t tell. It was long and thin, stretching the length of a
body. Of Ben’s body.
“Holy shit, Ben, you gotta see this.”
He squatted to examine the fissure. Hesitantly, he ran his finger along the
edge, then tried to enter it. His finger seemed to disappear.
“What does it feel like?” Emera whispered.
“Cold… familiar... “ He withdrew his hand. “What is it?”
“I-I don’t know. I hate to say but… a crack in time and space, perhaps? It’s
about as long as you are tall, right where you were laying. Maybe you fell
through.”
“Can we open it?”
“I have no idea how we could. Or whether or not it’d open to the time and place
you left.”
“Did you see anything odd before you found me? Maybe even the day before?”
Emera thought for a moment, brows knit. “You know, I did. There’s was a distant
blue flash in the middle of the night. Probably from about right here. And the
birds were silent the whole day, before and after. I don’t know how I forgot
that..”
“It must’ve been when this thing opened. I may have been unconscious when it
happened in my time. I surely fell through. But why did it open where I was?”
“Who could say? Maybe you were meant to come here? Maybe it was a fluke.” She
offered.
“I wonder how long it stays open. If we were to see another one, would we have
time to get to it?”
“I hope so.” They stayed a bit longer, throwing out ideas. Finally they walked
back to the house. Emera needed only to grab her car keys.
“What’s that for?” Ben asked.
“The, uh, big shiny box outside? It’s transportation.” When they reached her
compact silver car, she opened the door for him, bowing with a flourish. She
got in and inserted the keys into the ignition, warning Benjamin to brace
himself. He still jumped when the engine revved.
After helping him with his seatbelt, they drove off, and Emera instructed him
on basic edicate. “Do not, I repeat, do not act like a weirdo. Pretend you’re a
normal twenty first century guy out for a bit of shopping. Pretend you see
stuff like this everyday.”
He nodded, despite gripping the edges of his seat tightly as they sped down the
road at about fifty miles per hour. The closer they got to the small town, the
more cars they saw. Once he got adjusted to the feeling of driving, he stared
out the window, marveling at buildings and people.
“And take off your jacket,”
“Why?” he inquired.
“Because you’ll stick out.” By then, they pulled into the grocery store parking
lot. Ben took off his jacket as instructed and left it in the car. “Just, try
to act casual, you know? Do more or less what I do.”
Together, they walked into the little market. Ben did his best to not seem
mystified by the rows and rows of shiny products. They walked to the where the
coffee was stocked and grabbed one.
“Can I help you find anything?” Piped an employee.
“Oh, no, thanks,” Emera turned to look. “Oh! Hi, Nick.”
“Hey, Em’. It’s been a while. What’ve you been up to?” Nick wasn’t
unattractive. He was medium height, athletic, and had a very nice jawline. He
used to like Emera during the school year. She turned him down several times,
feeling he was just a friend to her. He cast an appraising eye over Ben who
stepped closer to Emera and crossed his arms.
“You know, the usual shenanigans. What about you?”
“Getting a job here is really the only notable thing. Is, uh, this your
boyfriend?”
Emera laughed nervously. “Yeah, I don’t know about that, maybe. Anyway, I’ll
let you get back to work. Nice seeing you.”
“Yeah you, too,” He walked away, casting another slitted eye glance at Ben.
“Maybe?” Ben asked, shifting to stand before her.
“Don’t get your hopes up, soldier boy.” Emera whisked away, hoping to get her
shopping done before Nick returned. They gathered up a few more items and
walked to the checkout. Ben watched the laser scan the barcodes in wonder.
Emera nudged him out of the store before he could say something weird. Finally,
they got back in the car. Ben opened the door for her this time, and remembered
to buckle himself in.
“I have no idea what the shite any of that was.” he said dazedly on the way
home.
“That’s perfectly fine, it’s probably better if you don’t.” She smiled at him.
“And I’m way too lazy to explain it all to you.”
“Fine but only if you hold this for me.”
“Hold what?” Emera glanced at his empty hand. “Oh, you sly dog, you.” Then she
giggled and entwined her fingers with his.
“Emera, you’re really beautiful.”
“Thanks, you know, you’re not so bad yourself.” They pulled into the driveway
now and parked. Emera looked at him and let go of his hand to reach up and run
her thumb of his jaw. She wrinkled her nose as she said, “Could use a shave,
though.”
They got out of the car and walked inside. The dog greeted them jovially. She
put the groceries away and Ben planted himself on the couch.
“So, what shall we do for the rest of the day?” he asked.



It was a good hour later until they finally got around to doing what they
talked about. Each suggestion spawned new suggestions and topics of
conversations. Eventually, Emera sat down at her computer to research time
travel and Ben sat beside her, finishing his book from yesterday. Occasionally,
Emera would point out something plausible or interesting and sometimes Ben
would ask her what this word was, or what the author meant by that. He found it
very fascinating that the black box in front of her was controlled by the grid
board and click-y hand-thing, which Emera insisted was called a mouse.

The two sat like that for hours. Long after Ben had finished the book.
Eventually, they came to the conclusion that the crack in the woods was indeed
a tear in the fabric of time and space. They had no way to close it, and
opening it themselves could be catastrophic, if they figured out how to do it.
It opening on its own was bad enough. However, they did find out that days
prior, there had been a spike in the radiation of the area (which beforehand
had been more or less, none) that hadn’t begun to decrease until it actually
opened, producing the flash of blue light. That was called ‘Cerenkov
radiation’. In a lab, the blue stay in the water, appearing to glow. But the
crack had likely swallowed it, trading it for Ben.

Emera vowed to watch the radiation maps for spikes. If they could spot it
before it happened, they might be able to reach it in time to get Ben home,
hopefully. It was still unclear if the cracks could be manipulated to reverse
the effects. Or if it could even produce the same time-traveling effect as it
had. Perhaps other cracks could simply vanish a person from existence. Despite
all the evidence of the radiation, nobody on the internet had yet to point out
the cracks that caused them. Or whether it was the other way around. Emera was
growing quite concerned. Surely someone else had happened upon one? Then it
dawned on her. Either it was a conspiracy, the government was hiding any
evidence of the actual cracks. Or, the cracks did not exist in a tangible,
documentable state. It was really all quite interesting, but the two had gotten
what information they needed. Today was proving to be incredibly productive.
Now all there was left to do was watch and wait.
***** They Could Smell it on Each Other *****
Chapter Notes
     Warning: the following chapter is NSFW.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
After showing him how to work the shower and ordering him to take one, Emera
had gone to bed. She’d told him to take as long as he’d like. Ben was quite
enjoying the hot water cascading over his bare body. He let his mind wander. He
mused on the events of the last two days. He briefly thought about the thing
they found in the woods. It wasn’t long until his mind strayed to Emera. There
was an undeniable connection between them. An undeniable attraction. The
clothes she wore clung to her body, showed off every supple curve. He
envisioned what she’d look like without them, lying naked before him. He
imagined running his hands over her body.
Ben slammed his fist into the tile wall, scolding himself for such unclean
thoughts. But he needed the release. His hand rubbed along his shaft as he
wondered how it would feel to capture her breasts in his hands. He wondered how
she’d moan when he slid a finger into the hot, wet fold of her womanhood. Would
she cry out as he drew her nipple into his mouth?
He gripped himself harder, imagining her wrapping her legs around him as he
penetrated her. He wanted to feel her clenched tightly around his shaft, as he
began driving himself into her. Ben turned and braced himself against the wall
now, pumping his length. He thought of her clinging to him as he pushed himself
deeper inside her. As he began to climax, she would cry out, her back arching
as her sex clenched tightly around his cock. He groaned as he released his hot
seed on the tile of the shower. He rested his forehead against his arm and
sighed. He washed it off, then finished his shower.
“Emera, are you awake?” He asked as he entered the bedroom a few minutes later,
wearing only a towel.
“I am,” she muttered, although curled up in bed.
“Well, I need to get dressed. Is it alright if I just wear the, uh, boxers and
breeches?” Ben inquired, as this night was a bit warmer than the previous. He
was trying to pretend he hadn’t just fantasized about having sex with her.
“Sure, and I promise I won’t peek.”
After a few moments, the light turned off again and Ben climbed into bed. Emera
crawled over to him after he got situated. Since he was laying on his back she
snuggled close, resting her head where his shoulder met his chest. She had her
leg over his pelvis and an arm on his chest. Suddenly he felt very glad he’d
done what he had in the shower, or it could’ve gotten awkward quickly.
Emera was quite aware that she was practically torturing but she wanted to be
close to him so badly. Last night she’d gotten the best sleep of her life,
although reason told her she should’ve been freaking out. He was hardly a
stranger at this point. She felt so comfortable around him it was hard to
imagine she hadn’t know him her whole life. Together they drifted off into
oblivion for the night.
The next morning, she was the first awake again. They were still in the same
position. Emera was content to lay there for a while longer. She was still half
asleep as she realized how horny she was. She could feel her cunt pulsing,
begging for a touch. She cursed herself, not wanting to get up. But this wasn’t
the sort of thing she would ignore, even could ignore. She shifted
uncomfortably, suddenly she was acutely aware of his hip bone pressing sharply
against the front of her pelvis. She adjusted again and could feel it against
the sensitive bump of her sweet spot. She pressed herself a little harder
against his bone. She moaned quietly. She rotated her hips with a sharp intake
of breath when it almost made her spasm. She repeated the motion again and
again. She struggled to keep herself quiet. Her hand was a fist against his
sternum. It only took a minute to get close to her climax.
“Enjoying yourself?” Benjamin murmured in her ear.
Emera gasped and turned her head to look at him, her heart skipping a beat.
Suddenly he was on top of her. He had his knees on either side of her legs and
had his hands beside her shoulders. She was more or less trapped.
“Emera,”
She hardly dared to make eye contact.
“Emera,” he said again, his voice soft and welcoming. He grabbed her chin and
forced her to look at him. Her face was flushed from the pleasure and
embarrassment. She glanced down at his bare torso. He was flexing it a very
flattering manner. She tore her eyes from his sculpted body and had no where
else to look but his face. He had on a crooked smile. Then he kissed her,
tenderly at first before she melted into it with a moan. He pulled away for a
moment then began to slowly kiss down her neck. Her hand was at the base of his
skull as he sucked on her neck. He stopped, adjusting himself so she could feel
his hard rod between her legs. Then he resumed his kissing. She took a sharp
breath as he sucked hard, her hand grabbing a fistful of his hair. She felt his
fingers feel for the hem of her shirt, then slowly begin to inch up her
stomach.
“Ben, stop,” she whimpered.
He did stop, instead burying his head in the crook of her neck. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want to have sex. I- I mean I do, it’s just… I’m a virgin.”
Ben sat up. “I am, too,” he said quietly.
“Besides, we only met a few days ago. And I’ll admit there is something between
us but we’ve gotta talk about this first.”
“Forgive me, I got carried away. We should talk.”
“No, it’ll ruin the mood.” Emera pouted playfully but it was only for a moment.
“Seriously, though, no sex. Not yet.” She pulled herself out from underneath
him and sat as well.
Ben had his hands over his crotch, trying to hide it until it was gone.
“Emera,” He was blushing a little now. “This isn’t going to go away on its
own.”
Chapter End Notes
     For those of you you didn't know, I went to the first chapter and
     added a very important sentence (basically I said it had been raining
     the last few days). Also, I added three paragraphs to the end of the
     last chapter (ch. 5). Also very important.
     PS: Sorry this one's a bit shorter.
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