“I need this, Jacob, and you need this too. After everything we’ve been through, for now, let’s just focus on this. We have all the time in the world to worry about the other stuff.”
I returned her smile and finally reached down to cradle her by her backside, carrying her to our very small room, kicking the door shut behind me. I crossed the room in two short steps and gently laid her on the bed before removing my locally made trousers, revealing my favorite smiley faced boxers beneath. Helena rolled her eyes at them, especially since they’d accumulated quite a few holes over the years, and got to work removing the remainder of her own clothing — what little she still had left. It took her ten seconds, which seemed like a million years, but my patience was rewarded as she was now wearing nothing but a smile.
She leaned back against the bed, crossed her legs and held an arm across her chest to cover her breasts, beckoning me forward mischievously with a forefinger. I returned her smile with a goofy, Santino worthy grin, and practically flung myself at her with just enough restraint to protect my damaged chest. I planted my arms along either side of her waist and pressed my lips against hers with more vigor than even she had a few minutes ago. I felt her working her hands along my back towards my shorts, but just as she gave them a quick yank, I remembered something.
“Oh,” I said, rolling off the bed, temporarily pulling up my boxers again. I made my way to the door and retrieved my bag. “I bought you something.”
“Really?” She asked, surprised at the novelty of the idea.
“Sure,” I said nervously, just hoping she didn’t hate it. I pulled out the piece of silk cloth containing the necklace and tentatively handed it to her, tossing the bag under the bed. “I, uh… I hope you like it.”
She accepted the present carefully, looking at it for a second before looking back at me.
“You bought this before I ran into you today?”
“Um… well, yeah.” I replied, scratching the back of my head, trying, and failing, to play it cool. “I guess I wanted to surprise you.”
She smiled at my awkwardness and went to work unfolding the flaps of cloth. Gently parting the final fold, she paused. Her face wasn’t sad, angry, happy, or even surprised. She just sat there and stared at it, maybe wondering what to do with it. I started to wonder when she’d last been given a gift before realizing she’d probably never received one from anyone but her family before. I felt a twinge of guilt and sadness at the prospect. I was never able to really understand just how closed off and devoid of love her life had been before we met.
I was just about to say something reassuring when she looked back up at me, her mouth opening in a joyous grin. I almost thought she might cry, but she held back.
“It’s beautiful, Jacob,” she said, a brilliant smile blooming on her face as she looked back at it. “I… I love it. How much did it cost?”
I almost laughed. “Too much, but I figured you were worth it.”
“Aw, that’s sweet,” she joked, before holding it up to the light, glancing at me deviously. “How much do you think it will go for back home?”
This time I did laugh. “I’m sure a museum will pay handsomely for it. Hell, with all the authentic crap we can pawn off back home, we’ll probably be set up for life.”
She smiled, and held it out to me. “Will you help me put it on?”
“Sure,” I said, fiddling stupidly with the clasp that was apparently too complex for my fingers to operate. Finally getting it open, I reached around her neck, and secured it with more success than when I’d tried to open it. I pulled back and admired my handiwork. It fit wonderfully, dangling just within the nook between her breasts, the Byzantium symbol centered perfectly. With her necklace dangling seductively, she reached out and gripped my boxers, pulling me into bed beside her.
“I think it’s time we finally picked up where we left off,” she said cutely, finally finishing the job she started earlier with my boxers. She balled them up and threw them at my face. I smiled at her playfulness and caught them out of the air, throwing them aside
“You mean it’s time to pick up where we left off months ago, right?”
“Of course,” she replied, pulling me closer. “What would we do if we picked up any time before then? Sulk?”
“Golly you’re so clever,” I joked. “No wonder I haven’t been able to resist you all this time.”
She laughed and pushed me aside, climbing atop me and positioning herself on my hips. She reached out and grabbed my hands, guiding them along her hips until they cupped her backside. She let go and used my vulnerability to slap me lightly across the face, smiling as she did so.
“That wasn’t very cute, Lieutenant Hunter.”
I laughed through the sting of her assault and flipped her off of me and onto her back again, a playful squeal coming for her lips. She smiled at me as I gripped her hands and pinned them behind her head.
“Nope,” I said. “It’s because you haven’t called me that in the past year.”
“Well, Lieutenant,” she said as she managed to free one of her hands from my grip. She placed it against my abdomen and slid it south, finding exactly what she was looking for. Her eyes flicked up, her mouth seductively ajar. “Then today is your very lucky day.”
VI
Mission Entry #6
Jacob Hunter
Byzantium, Thracia — July, 42 A.D.
We haven’t baked any Welcome Home cakes quite yet, but we have a lead on the orb. Well, one of them anyways. The other is still with Agrippina.
Our old friends Gaius and Marcus ran into us during our stay here in Byzantium. They’re on assignment to retrieve the orb that was stolen from Varus after the Battle for Rome. It turns out they’re a part of those black ops boys that attacked Santino and me aboard Agrippina’s ship as well. Apparently, they’re some kind of Roman Special Forces outfit, trained and stylized to mimic what those of us from the future can do.
To combat us.
At least Gaius and Marcus still had their loyalties straight.
It didn’t matter. What mattered was the orb. Once we have it, all we need to do is figure out how it’s supposed to work, and we can go home. If we can’t, we have no choice but to destroy it, along with the second one as well. Better we end its potential for trouble now, instead of waiting for something even worse than me to come through next time.
I just wish I knew how it worked exactly because all I have are theories.
Theories I’m not even ready to go into yet.
All we want to do is go home. We’re so sick and fucking tired of Rome, and all its “glory and splendor,” but we can’t just leave. Not yet. We can’t leave with Agrippina’s claim to the throne lingering. Nor can we leave without Bordeaux, Wang, and Vincent… if they even wanted to go.
Our first priority was to get Agrippina away from Germany and all the chaos she’s wrought there.
Oh, have I not mentioned that yet?
Well would you believe it? Agrippina’s decision to take control of Vespasian’s legion wasn’t a great one after all.
No surprise there.
To Vespasian’s credit, there was no way he could have foreseen the devastation she’d bring with her. Needless to say, she’s a horribly inept commander, one prone to brash decision making and poor generalship. Not that it would have been easy campaign, anyway. Throughout Roman history, Germany had been one of the few provinces Rome had actively campaigned against that never completely fell under their control. Through stubbornness and determination, Germany remained relatively independent throughout Rome’s existence. And despite initial gains by the legions over the past few months, making its well past the Rhine region, months of fighting had resulted in little progress at the cost of thousands.