by Charlie
He shrugged. “Research. I’ve learned over many life times that I can’t just present myself to you and say ‘here I am’ or plug in our mental connection and start talking to you inside your head. I’ve made that mistake before with disastrous results. I have to fit into your life, your culture. You have to get to know me, trust me, and be willing to give yourself to me freely… Each time it’s a new courtship.”
Stephanie sat staring silently at their clasped hands. After a few minutes she looked up. “Jake that’s a pretty fantastic story, but I don’t know how much of it I should believe or if you’re just making up some fantasy world for reasons that I can’t even begin to fathom. I need some time to think about this.”
“About what I am or about us?”
“I’m not really sure… I guess both maybe.”
“All right. At least you’re being honest. Would you like me to leave you alone for awhile?”
“Well… It is your apartment but… ” She nodded. He stood looking down at her for a minute, then brushed his hand across her hair and left.
Chapter 23
Hearing the door close behind him, Stephanie flopped back on the sofa and contemplated the ceiling. This was insane. She’d just been held at gunpoint by a stalker who was posing as her best friend’s boyfriend, only to find out he was the same person who had attacked her nearly ten years ago. Then her own boyfriend appears to have supernatural healing powers, claims to be an immortal half-breed alien, and tells her that she is continually reincarnated so that they can always be together. And the really weird part? She’d sat there listening to him without calling the men in white suits to come and take him away. Was she going crazy or was it everyone around her?
A familiar weight landed on her stomach. Coco was walking up and down on top of her, kneading her paws to indicate that she needed attention and probably food. They had retrieved the cat when they’d left Paula’s earlier, and ever since Coco had been sulking over the experience of being put in a carrier twice in one day. “Have you forgiven me for toting you all over town today?” The cat butted its head against her face, and Stephanie took that as a yes. She scooped the animal up and then got to her feet.
“You know Coco, I think you’re the only normal one around here. You’re just you; a cat who got lucky and found a home. Now all you want out of life is three square meals a day, a clean litter box, and the occasional scratch behind the ears. I wish my life was that simple.” Walking into the kitchen, she got out a can of cat food and put some in a dish, setting it on the floor for the impatient feline.
Leaning back against the counter, she watched her pet eat and reflected how easily Coco had accepted Jake. She’d read that animals were good judges of character. Did that mean that Jake was trustworthy? She snorted derisively. Here she was considering the opinion of her cat. Maybe she was the one who was a bit loony tunes. She rubbed her forehead as thoughts and emotions swam around in her mind.
Maybe Jake was crazy and maybe she was too. Maybe the whole world was going off the deep end, and did it even really matter? What it came down to was how she felt about Jake. Did his story change her feelings about him? She searched her heart and realized that he was still the same person she’d made love with last night. He was still kind and gentle, intelligent and funny, brave… So what if he had this one quirky idea? Was it so important that it negated everything else about him? She felt a smile breaking out on her face as she realized the answer. Jake was Jake, and she loved him for who he was right now, past lives or not.
And some of his story was true. The healing part she believed. After all, she’d seen the evidence with her own eyes when the knife wound had disappeared, but the rest… Well, there was no way of proving or disproving it. All that existed was a file full of personal information about herself.
Pushing off from the counter, she headed to the bedroom to take another look at what he’d collected on her. The papers were still scattered all over the room, where she’d dropped them earlier. Bending down, she began to gather them together, skimming over some of the data as she went. It was quite comprehensive and accurate. Stacking it on the bed, she collected the pictures next, making a little moue over her appearance in some of them. She hated pictures of herself.
One was sticking out from under the edge of the bed, and she tried to pick it up, but it seemed to be caught under something. On her hands and knees, she peered under the box spring to see what it was hooked on. Somehow it had snagged on the seam of a large metal box. She pulled the box out and worked the picture free, then started to push the box back only to pause when a single musical note came from inside. It sounded like a music box.
Intrigued, she pulled the metal container back out again. She loved music boxes and wondered what kind Jake might have. Lifting the latch, she paused feeling a bit like Pandora, but then scoffed and peeked inside.
It appeared to be some kind of memory chest full of keepsakes and papers. A silver music box was sitting the corner. She picked it up and admired the intricate carving then lifted the lid. A simple song started to play, the tune both familiar and haunting, though she couldn’t put a name to it. She smiled as the delicate notes filled the room, then when the song had finished, she closed the lid and tipped it over to see if the song’s name was on the bottom. There was no name, but it was inscribed "To Elizabeth, Love Thomas.” She wondered who they might be. Possibly Jake’s parents, if he did indeed have any.
Setting the music box down, she explored further. There was a gold plated hair brush, a string of pearls, a few letters faded with age in a language she couldn’t read… Wrapped in tissue she found a framed portrait, the quality and the costumes of the occupants letting her know it was from that late 1800’s. "Natalia and Ivan – Moscow, 1883" was written on the back. A small painting of a woman was the next item she found. “ à Jean aime Maria - joyeux anniversaire, 30, mai 1815” was written on a small cardboard tag with hand drawn flowers.
She studied the small portrait and noted the woman seemed vaguely familiar. There was something about her eyes, her smile… Carefully she picked up the photograph and peered at it. It appeared to be the same woman, which was impossible given the dates. Possibly a grandmother? Staring at the photograph of the man, she realized that she was looking at a picture of Jake, or at least his double. With her finger, she traced the familiar jaw, nose and eyebrows. He was stern looking with longer hair, as was the style for the time, but there was no mistaking that the man in the photo was Jake.
Could his story be true? She took the picture into the bathroom and held the photo up so she could see it and herself at the same time. The hair was different, her lips were a bit fuller, but the eyes, the cheek bones, the determined chin—they were all hers. Setting the picture down carefully, she gripped the edge of the sink. Was Jake telling her the truth? Had she lived before, or was it just some strange coincidence? It seemed incredible, but this appeared to be actual proof.
The sound of the apartment door had her rushing back to the bedroom, guiltily trying to restore the items to the metal chest before Jake discovered she’d been snooping. He called out her name and his footsteps came closer. She laid the photograph inside, put the music box back in, reached for the lid and started to flip it shut…
“Steph?” The bedroom door swung open and she turned to look just as the lid was coming down.
“Ow!” The metal top slammed on her hand. A thin line of blood appeared and she pulled her hand back wincing as the nerve endings throbbed. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, rocking back and forth as the waves of pain shot up her arm, making her feel slightly faint and queasy.
“Steph! What happened? Where are you hurt?"
“My hand! The lid fell on it. I think I broke a finger or something.”
“Let me see.” He took her hand and gently cradled it in his own. Almost immediately, the pain subsided. She opened her eyes and stared in wonder as the cut faded away as well, right before her eyes. Experimentally, she wiggled her fingers in h
is hand. There was no pain, no discomfort. It was as if the lid had never fallen on it at all!
“Jake that really is amazing. If I hadn’t experienced it, I wouldn’t have believed it. I mean I did believe you because of what happened at Ella’s but… Wow! To just watch it happen.” She gazed up at him in wonder and then surprise as her brain finally began to connect events together. “Hey! That’s what happened to my paper cut, and the allergies and the sunburn. Oh! And when we made love the first time… ” Her voice trailed off in embarrassment.
He quirked a smile at her and nodded. “I said I’d never hurt you and I’m glad I was here now to help.” His eyes drifted to the metal box and she felt herself flush, embarrassed at having been caught prying into his personal things.
“I discovered this under the bed and umm… Sort of was looking inside.” Jake lifted the lid and checked the contents, reverently touching and rearranging them to his satisfaction. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t’ have been snooping. I was picking up the pictures I dropped early and one had slipped under the bed. It was stuck under the edge of this box. When I moved it, I heard the music box chime a note and I was just going to take a little peek… ”
Jake picked up the music box and carefully wound it then opened the lid. The simple notes drifted between them and he handed it to her. “You always loved this. Here, it’s yours.”
Surprised, she just stared at him. “Mine? You can’t give this to me. It’s a keepsake and probably worth a fortune from the looks of it.”
“I gave it to you once before, for our tenth anniversary. You always said it was your favourite out of all the things I’d ever given you.”
“Our tenth anniversary? Oh… You mean in one of those other lives you were talking about.” She shifted uncomfortably, still not sure what to think.
“It’s all right, Steph. You don’t have to believe me.” He looked a little sad and carefully closed the lid. The music stopped and he placed it back in the metal box.
She felt guilty for hurting him, confused, unsure… Licking her lips, she quietly asked, “Jake, are all of these things keepsakes of our lives together?”
“Yes. Each time you’ve… died, I’ve kept one or two trinkets to remind me of you. They comfort me while you’re gone.”
“Some of these things look really old and expensive.”
“Some of them are. Others are only significant to me. Someday, I’ll tell you about each of them, if you want.” He looked at her questioningly, a faint flicker of hope evident in his eyes.
“That would be nice.”
He smiled at her and carefully closed the box, sliding it back under the bed. They both stood and stared at each other awkwardly, neither seeming to know what to say.
Finally Stephanie spoke. “Jake, about what you told me earlier—the healing and the multiple lives and stuff—I’ve been thinking and… Well, I guess it doesn’t really matter to me if you believe that or not.“
“So, in other words, you don’t believe me.”
“I didn’t say that. What I meant was that I was thinking, and I’ve come to realize that you’re still the same person you were when I met you, and whether any of this is true or not, I… I still love you.”
“You do? You love me?” She nodded and was immediately swept up in his arms. “Oh Steph, that’s what I’ve been waiting decades to hear again. You don’t know how happy you’ve just made me.”
“I think I might have a slight idea if the strength of your grip is any indication.”
“Oops, sorry! “ He set her down, but kept his arms wrapped around her waist. “I was worried that you’d think I was crazy and refuse to see me again.”
“Could that happen, if we’re destined to always be together?”
He nodded. “Once in the dark ages, you thought I was an evil sorcerer. You were using garlic and hexes to keep me away.” He chuckled. “The human factor can throw a monkey wrench into even the best laid plans. That’s one of the things that frustrated my people the most and finally convinced them to leave. Humans were too independent and unpredictable.“
“But you stuck it out?”
“Only because of you.” He brushed his lips over her forehead, her eyes and along the curve of her cheek before finally reaching her mouth. Gently, almost reverently he kissed her. “I love you, Stephanie.”
“I know.” She ran her hands over his shoulders. “I’m still a bit unsure about this whole multiple lives thing, but some of the stuff in that box is starting to convince me. Regardless, I do love you and I’ll continue loving you for the rest of my life, whether it’s just this one or, well… You know what I mean.”
He nodded in understanding. Reaching up she slowly traced his features, as if rediscovering something once known but long forgotten. Tentatively, she outlined his eyebrows, cheeks and jaw. His eyes closed and he trembled faintly under her delicate touch. Her hands moved down to his shoulders and chest, her touch becoming surer, bolder… Something niggled in the back of her mind, a memory, a sense of having done this before.
She unbuttoned his shirt, and then smoothed it from his shoulders. Her eyes gazed upon the muscular plane of his chest, and her hands ran over his flat male nipples, enjoying the feel of them pebbling against her palm. Replacing her hands with her mouth, she tasted the slight saltiness of his skin and inhaled the scent that was uniquely him. He drew in a ragged breath and she could hear the sound rumbling in his throat. It was all so familiar, her senses knew him. As she nipped lightly at his collar bone, his control broke and she was swept up in his arms.
They tumbled onto the bed and became lost in each other. Clothing was quickly shed as hands explored soft supple flesh, sliding down and then up over hills and valleys. Kisses, butterfly soft feathered over her neck, her jaw, her cheeks… Warm breath teased her ear as words of love and desire spilled from his lips before his mouth captured hers, hot and urgent. Passion intensified and an all consuming hunger grew within her, as if something inside of her was finally being set free. This was Jake, her lover, her destiny. Need began to build inside her. Suddenly she couldn’t get enough of him. The scent of him, the taste of him, the feel of him… She wanted to consume him, to be consumed by him.
Stephanie pulled him to her, frantic to feel his body crushing hers, to have him inside her, filling her. As the warm weight of his body came down upon her, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer, arching up to meet him. Finely sculpted muscle flexed under her hands as her fingers dug into his back, his waist and then reached lower still. She opened herself to him, urging him to complete their union and as he slid into her, she cried out with pleasure as the ache was temporarily assuaged. In that one moment, a light seemed to go on inside her mind.
She caught his head with her hands and kissed him deeply. “Jake—I know. Somehow, something inside me knows. It’s all true. This—“She looked down to where they were joined. “This is as familiar to me as breathing. I feel like a part of me was missing, sleeping… and now you’ve brought it to life.”
“Oh god, Stephanie, I’ve missed you.” His mouth crushed hers. Their kiss was hot and wild as they devoured each other, totally consumed with the need to become one. He began to move within her and she met him thrust for thrust, the tempo becoming faster, harder… Tension grew within her and she felt a strange disembodiment taking over. She was no longer just Stephanie Fields. Maria, Natalia, Elizabeth—everyone she had ever been seemed to be merging into one, all reaching, striving, straining … Her breathing turned into shallow rapid pants; her vision blurred. All that existed was this need… and Jake. Her world narrowed as she focused on his eyes boring into hers, the feel of his body pounding into her… The tension coiled tighter and tighter… Her orgasm ripped through her and she screamed his name as her body convulsed and clenched around him. His release quickly followed and her name spilled from his lips before he collapsed on top of her, totally spent.
In the aftermath, they lay in each other’s arms, idly caressing, sharing soft kis
ses. “Jake?”
“Hmm?”
“Does it always happen like this?”
“Yeah. It’s always good between us.”
“No—I meant that suddenly I seemed to know everything that had ever happened in the past. I wasn’t just me, Stephanie, anymore. It didn’t last though. Already it’s kind of hazy, almost like a dream that fades away even as you try to recall it.”
“Sometimes memories live on in the subconscious and, under the right circumstance, they resurface for awhile.”
“I like these circumstances.”
“Mmm… Me too.”
She was quiet for a while, contemplating, and then spoke softly.” So, if memories live on in our subconscious, then Stephanie Fields will never really be gone. I’ll exist in the memory of some future me.”
“And in my memory as well. You’ll be a part of me forever.”
“Forever?”
“Yeah, forever in time.”