Time Thief

by Jill Cooper

  I yawn and peer at him with one eye. He’s sitting on the edge of the bed fully-dressed, a breakfast tray beside him. Breakfast in bed? What had I done to deserve such a yummy treat? “Is that bacon I smell?”

  “Sure is. All your favorites. Pancakes, eggs, coffee….”

  “You should have led with the coffee.” I push myself up on the bed in what appears to be a hotel room. I peer outside the window and see what looks like mountains. Now that’s a little abnormal for Boston. I munch on the bacon and slurp my coffee all while Donovan just sits and stares at me.

  It makes me uncomfortable. Is my bed head that bad? “What?” I touch my hair and realize how short it is. I guess after my time in that alternate timeline, it’ll have to grow back on its own. “It doesn’t look stupid, does it?”

  “You look beautiful as you always have.” Donovan nuzzles my cheek and lingers against me, his arms loose around my frame.

  “I must’ve been pretty tired last night. I don’t remember what happened after the reception or how we even got here.”

  “We drove. I figure restoring a timeline deserves a quick two-day honeymoon. Don’t you think?”

  I feel like he’s trying to make up for something, but I’m not sure what it might be. Maybe it doesn’t matter. We’ve all been through enough these past few days. “I think it sounds perfect.” I gaze down at my hand as I sip my coffee and gasp. “My ring!”

  Donovan holds it up with a smirk. “Mind giving me the pleasure, Mrs. James?”

  I offer my hand and grin as he slides the ring on. He lifts my hand and kisses it tenderly. “If this is what being married is going to be like, I wish we had done it sooner.”

  “I’ll be treating you like this for the rest of your life if you’ll let me.”

  “Ohhh…I think that can be arranged.”

  “Today I was thinking a short hike, some antique shopping, lunch somewhere quaint? How’s that sound so far?”

  “It sounds perfect.” I squeeze him close. Truthfully, a day without time travel, the TTPA, or anything remotely having to do with Rex sounds like a perfect solution. “I guess I better get dressed. Did you pack for me too?”

  Donovan grins. “Cass and Molly helped.” He removes the breakfast tray and takes it over to the dresser.

  I peel back the comforter and rush to my feet. A sharp stab of pain hits my head and I grab my forehead before it passes. “Lara, are you all right?” The concern in Donovan’s voice is ripe.

  “Just a quick headache. I probably got up too fast. I’ll grab some water after I get dressed.” I kiss him, resting against his chest and his arms come around me tight.

  “Sure, yeah.” Donovan laughs with a smile. “I’m sure that’s all it is.” He rubs my back and I peel away from him to go into the bathroom.

  I close the door and run the water in the shower. As I unbutton my pajama top, see myself in the mirror and notice my face holds the nasty scar from the alternate timeline. I thought I would’ve left that behind.

  My shower is quick and I dress in skinny jeans and some boots for our mountain hike. As I finish my coffee the mug slips from my hand. I don’t want to stain the hotel’s rug, so I work to slow time like I usually do so I can catch the mug before it hits the floor.

  Except nothing happens. Not even a headache. I watch in horror as the mug bounces down to the rug, splattering my boot with coffee.

  “What’s the matter?” Donovan asks. He bends over and picks up the mug for me. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  “My powers,” I whisper. My hand is cupped and I try to open a portal to the bridge. I swallow hard and can barely even say what I mean to. “My powers are gone.”

  Epilogue: Mike Montgomery

  Five hours earlier….

  Exhausted, I lower my hands to my side. It’s done. Lara’s been restored, but at what cost? I gaze at her sleeping face and her lips part, she takes a deep breath, but she’s still lost in a dream. Her consciousness is nowhere near the surface yet, but it’ll come. She’ll rush to like a scuba diver crests through the ocean surf.

  Behind me, I feel the shimmer of a portal open. I turn to see Future Mike stepping clear. Everyone believes he had been destroyed along with the dark bridge, but that’s what we’d wanted everyone to think.

  “It’s done then?” Mike asks as he stands beside me.

  I nod. “She’s been restored. Well, most of her. No one suspects that you’re the reason Lara’s consciousness separated from her body.”

  Mike smirks. “Excellent. Please then, hand over what’s mine. As we agreed.”

  I stop short. “You promise to leave my family alone? You promise there will be no more cages, no more dark bridges. No more ruining our lives with time travel?”

  “I promise, Mike.” He puts his hand on my shoulder. “I would never lie to myself. I want you to be happy. I’ll be content to play in someone else’s sandbox. Amass my empire far from you and our family.”

  I roll a golden cylinder affixed with a long needle, into his hand. “There it is. Just like you wanted. Lara’s power.”

  Future Mike’s face glows with happiness as he gazes down into his hand. Lara’s golden power flows back and forth inside, as if it has a mind of its own. “Oh, Mike. I won’t soon forget what you’ve done for us. This is going to get us everything we need.

  “Everything.”

  The Fall out of their actions puts everyone’s lives in peril. Follow along as Lara tries to piece what happened to her together in TIME WARP.

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