Laguna Sector by Anne Kramer (1)

Introduction:

 

 

Laguna Beach 2017: The quaint little beach town of Laguna Beach is located in Southern California about an hour south of Los Angeles. The town grew in popularity as an artist community due to all the artists and entertainers who have made Laguna their home over the years. The landscape of Laguna’s coastline is full of a variety of beach areas, with many of them containing rocky bluffs that made perfect scenery for artists of all levels.  Parkland areas cover many spots throughout the town, and the craggy canyons out in the San Joaquin Hills have, for years, been an inspiration for many artists.

While the town may be small, it is internationally known for playing host to large events such as The Pageant of the Masters, The Festival of the Arts, The Sawdust Art Festival, and Art-A-Fair, just to name a few. The town was originally settled in the 1870s and officially founded in 1887. The town itself, while a popular destination for tourists, still remains isolated from the demand of developers because it is surrounded by hills and has limited road access. There are only three ways out of Laguna Beach, northwest or south on Pacific Coast Highway or northeast through Laguna Canyon. There are many beaches in Laguna Beach and the tide pools at Main Beach are a popular tourist spot.

Laguna Beach, in its past history during the years of the 60s and 70s was known as the center for the hippie culture. The Brotherhood of Eternal Love was located there and world renowned psychedelic drug advocate, Timothy Leary, lived on Gaviota Drive. People who make their home there now are often jokingly referred to as "Lagunatics". Many other famous people over the years have called Laguna their home. Stellar names such as Judy Garland, Bette Davis and Rock Hudson, just to name a few. On Christmas Day in 1970, Laguna Canyon played host to what was later known as the Woodstock of the west coast. About 25,000 people gathered for a one-day music festival, called The Happening, which did not end until three days later. In 2004, MTV created and casted their show Laguna Beach from the locals who attended Laguna Beach High School.

The cramped coastal town itself is dotted with many smaller homes and businesses, but once you ventured higher up, the craggy hillsides provided the perfect setting for the multi-level goliaths with their shimmering glass facades built by the rich and famous who chose to make Laguna Beach their home. These goliaths of the elite would spend their days like soldiers standing at attention while looking out over the vastness of the ocean. They would preen in all their majestic glory for the entire world to pay homage to their beauty as they looked up from below.

Laguna Sector 2153: In the latter part of the 21^st century, all state and local government agencies were abolished. Cities were broken up into groups and classified as Sectors. State lines were adjusted and Colonies were created. Each colony was made up of their own group of sectors. All the colonies together created what is known as the United Alliance, and National Oversight was the only government agency in charge of ruling all of the colonies in the Alliance. The towns formerly known as Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills and Laguna Niguel were all merged into one Sector called the Laguna Sector.

What once was a thriving area for tourists who wanted to spend time at the beaches of Laguna Beach, has since become a desolate ghost town. Shortly before the Alliance was formed, beaches were closed permanently and citizens were banned from spending any time near the water. The pollution rate had increased so much over the latter part of the last century that all marine life in the water that touched the western colonies had since died off and the toxic levels noted in the water itself made it necessary to shut the beaches down completely. The general population that enjoyed their cliff side homes looking out over the ocean now chose to move inland and build their homes in the canyons to enjoy the stunning vistas of the San Joaquin Hills. What used to be considered the Green Belt Conservation Area of Laguna Canyon is now dotted up and down the hillsides with the million dollar homes of the rich and famous. The once shining structures on the hillsides of Laguna Beach no longer have an audience to appreciate their beauty. They now stand as lonely sentinels looking out over the ocean waiting for life to return them to their shining glory.

 

 

 

Chapter One:

The sleepy little beach town was dark and lacked any activity, as all the residents had long since gone to bed. Occasionally, a car or two could be observed moving through the quiet little town headed toward destinations unknown. Most nights after the blazing heat of the summer sun had long since passed, the sky would be clear and millions of stars could be seen twinkling the night away while the glowing moon would stand sentinel over the nighttime sky. It just so happened on this night that an unexpected storm was passing through on its way up the coast. The sky was full of roiling black clouds and the random crack of thunder was ominous. Occasionally, the darkened sky would be illuminated by the brilliant flash when the barrage of lightning bolts struck out over the waves as they made their way to pound relentlessly against the beach. It was during one of these brief flashes where the dark, cloaked figure could be seen pounding the pavement at a steady pace toward the beach. It was not uncommon to see someone walking to the beach, unless it happened to be the middle of the night during a thunderstorm. The dark figure slowly made his way toward the rocky outcroppings at the north end of the beach. Once there, he removed a glowing, golden item from his pocket, gave it one last wistful look, and tossed it as far as he could into the capping waves of the ocean. He hoped that the object would be swept out and then dropped to the bottom of the sea to never be seen again. With a sigh, he turned from the dark depths of the water and began his journey back to what he now referred to as his home. He felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders and there was a spring in his step, as he now believed that he was completely free to continue his quest.

The night was hot and sticky, which caused Gabby to toss and turn trying to get comfortable enough to fall asleep. She had long since abandoned the meager covers and laid there in her sheer nightgown that was plastered to her glowing skin. The only downfall to her little bungalow was that it did not have central air or even an air conditioner unit in the window to ease the onslaught of the summer heat, so Gabby was left with only the ceiling fan to try to generate a little breeze, which most times was ineffectual. She decided that after tonight, one of her newest expenses was going to be a window unit for the bedroom. To make matters worse, a storm showed up with lots of thunder and lightning that rattled the windows and left a blanket of humidity that felt thick and sticky. After another hour of tossing and turning, Gabby was finally able to fall into a restless sleep. It was then that the dream started. It was the same dream that had been plaguing her off and on for the last three months. The details changed from dream to dream, but the only one constant of it is the dark, handsome stranger with the sapphire blue eyes. His eyes would seem like they were looking right through her and into her soul and each time, Gabby would awaken and have to catch her breath. She had never met anyone like him and doubted she ever would, but his presence in her dreams made her feel more alive than she did when she was awake. He stirred such feelings in her that she struggled to understand. She knew that society didn’t really consider men as being beautiful, but in her estimation, that is exactly what he was. He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen and his effect on her while she encountered him in the dreams left her breathless.

 

Chapter Two:

Gabby awoke the next morning and stretched like a cat getting ready to face the day. As she lay there, she looked outside to what appeared to be a cloudy and gloomy September day. Not exactly one of those days that would give you incentive to want to head on down to the beach to hang out. Gabby knew it was going to be miserably cool and damp because of the passing storm, yet she still felt compelled to make the trek downtown to spend some time this morning clearing her mind while watching the ocean waves continue their duel with the sand. She had had another one of those dreams during the night about the strange, beautiful man and he was a blast to her senses each time. She figured that with any luck, the gloomy clouds would lift early and she could get a little sunshine. While her summer of art shows had been a huge success for her, her social and dating life was practically non-existent. Things had been a little dreary lately in her life; it sure could use some of that morning sunlight to brighten her days.

She crawled out of bed and slowly dressed in a t-shirt and leggings and decided to add a sweatshirt to keep away the chill. As she checked herself in the mirror, she realized she should probably tie her hair up in a ponytail, as the dampness and slight breeze would wreak havoc with her curls and she would end up with one big mass of frizz. As Gabby looked herself over in the mirror, her thoughts went straight to her flaws and how she didn’t consider herself to be a raving beauty. According to her daily analysis in the mirror, she felt her cheekbones were too high and her chin was too pointy, but she thought her emerald green eyes and her long, curly red hair, a tribute to her Irish ancestry, made up for what she determined were her flaws. She grabbed her camera and her backpack and jumped in her car to make the short trip to downtown and Main Beach. When she arrived, the ocean was choppy and a nasty looking dark grey, which looked to be the remnants of the storm that had passed through during the night.

She loved the little artist community known as Laguna Beach even though she could not afford to live in town itself. Those million dollar beach homes dotting the hillsides were a little out of the budget these days for a budding artist, but the artistic setting was the perfect locale for her to be creative and share her inspiration with the world. She was doing okay for a new artist too. Or at least she thought she was. She just finished a great summer with her booths at the local art festivals and one of the premier galleries on the Coast Highway now featured a large sample of her newest work. Getting her work placed at George Gallery, one of the premier art galleries of Southern California was a coup she never would have dreamed of. It was just that off chance meeting of Gracie George, the owner, which gave her the opportunity of a lifetime. Gabby remembered it fondly. She was standing in one of the food lines to get a much needed bottle of water on that sweltering hot summer day while she was working her booth at the local art festival. In front of her in line stood this little pixie of a lady who was no more than five foot two inches in stocking feet. To Gabby’s mind, the way she was dressed, she looked like a little street urchin, but she really liked her shoes. They looked super comfortable and decided to ask the little pixie lady where she got them from.

“Excuse me, ma’am, I don’t mean to bother you, but I really like your shoes. Can you tell me where you got them?”

Gracie turned around and felt like she was looking up into the heavens at this tall woman with gorgeous red hair spilling down her back and a pair of amazing green eyes. “Oh, you are no bother at all since we seem to both be stuck here waiting forever to place an order. I got them at Cashman Shoes in Newport Beach. I will admit they are my favorite.”

“Thank you so much, they look super comfortable.  I will go check them out.”

“You are quite welcome, miss….I want to call you Miss Tall Person, but that would be rude. My name is Gracie.”

Gabby extended her hand to shake hands with her new found friend, “Gabby Kincaid. Nice to meet you, Gracie.”

“Well it is a pleasure to finally meet you, Gabby. I have seen your work here at the shows. I am very impressed with it. You should come see me sometime so we can discuss maybe featuring your work in my gallery after the shows are over.”

“Wow, that would be great, Gracie. Which gallery do you work at?”

Gracie laughed, “It seems like all I do is work at it, but I like to have some fun there too. I am the owner of George Gallery on the Coast Highway here in town.”

Gabby blushed and turned a very unbecoming shade of red. “I am so sorry. I had no idea who you were. Imagine that, someone trying to become a successful artist in Laguna Beach and not know who the owner of the most prestigious gallery in town is when she is standing right in front of you. To say I am completely embarrassed would be an understatement.”

“Oh, that is quite alright. To be honest, I really do not get out much and try to keep a low profile, so it is quite understandable to not know me by sight. The fact that you know my name and my gallery is enough for me. You should come by and see me next week so we can talk more. I am usually there from opening until dinnertime. I would love to be able to feature some of your work.”

And with that, Gabby’s career as an artist took a turn that she never would have dreamed possible. She visited Gracie the following week at George Gallery and before she knew it, her work was on display and a huge show was being planned for her inaugural premier in Laguna Beach.

Gabby considered herself very fortunate to have been given the opportunities that she had been given since moving to Laguna Beach three years ago. Life before that had been a struggle while working odd and end jobs trying to make ends meet while pursuing her passion to become a renowned artist.  Those days in Kansas City that were spent taking food orders and carting trays from table to table, dealing with cranky people on a daily basis felt like such an eternity ago now for Gabby. But it paid the bills and helped her save money. She didn’t have much growing up, as her parents were not very well off, but they managed to provide for her as best as possible. Gabby took to painting early on her in teenage years to keep her busy and her parents did their best to make sure she always had some sort of art supplies for her to create her magic with a paint brush. Many of her pieces graced the walls of their home and her talent grew better and better. When Gabby was sixteen, her parents lost their lives in a car accident while visiting relatives in Colorado. She wasn’t left with much and because she was still a minor, she ended up having to go live with her grandmother in Kansas City. The rest of her high school years there were miserable. She was new to the school to begin with and was what most considered too tall for her age, so many of the other kids always made fun of her because of it. When she graduated, she knew that her grandmother didn’t have any money to send her to college, so she went out and got whatever jobs she could to try and save some money. She knew she wanted to escape from Kansas City someday. Her grandmother did her best to care for Gabby and she always made sure that Gabby knew that she loved her and would always be there for her no matter what. Gabby loved her grandmother too. When it came to the time where she knew she was going to lose her grandmother, she was devastated. Gabby had never been alone in her life and now here she was, twenty-two years old and no one left for her but herself. It was that painful loss of her grandmother that motivated her. She knew it was the moment in her life where it was time to pick up stakes and move somewhere to pursue her passion to become an artist. She didn’t want to be one of those people that kept saying she would do it tomorrow and tomorrow would never come. She didn’t want to look at her life twenty years from now and realize that she never took that leap of faith to try to achieve greatness. She knew that every minute she wasted not chasing her dreams, was a minute lost that she would never get back. She didn’t want to wait for the storm to pass; she wanted to dance in the rain.

Every night she went online searching for the perfect place to go to build her career. It was the moment that she found that cute little rental bungalow in the canyon area of Laguna Beach after only a few days of searching for a place to live that was her calling card. It felt right and she knew it was her destiny, so she packed up everything in her life that she felt was important, got rid of all the unnecessary junk, and made the drive to the beautiful beaches of Southern California. Her co-workers thought she was crazy, but she didn’t care. She was chasing her dream and she knew she was not going to find it while waiting tables in Kansas City.

Gabby sat for a little while on one of the benches at Main Beach to gather her thoughts and just relax and wind down from a busy week. Her mind wandered to many different ideas for some new work to create. She watched the waves and considered giving some beach scenes a try, but then she figured that her chosen direction was a lot different than a lot of the art featured in this town, as it seemed like everyone who was anyone in the art world was doing beach scenes. She thought of the one artist, an older gentleman who had been doing the festival shows for years. His work was way out of the norm for Laguna. He specialized in South American art and his pieces were, to Gabby, very abstract and off the wall. But what was she to say, he was very successful, always did great every summer and has had his work featured in some of the most prestigious galleries in Southern California.

Gabby realized that she had been sitting there some time and let out a heavy sigh, “Well Gabby, while you have been sitting here letting your mind wander, the sun has come out and it’s time to make your way down to the tide pools.” It was Gabby’s favorite hobby to help clear her mind. The little hermit crabs that scampered in and out of their little homes were entertaining and could bring a laugh to anyone on a gloomy day. And with any luck now that the sun was out, Gabby thought she could grab a few photos to supplement her online photo gallery. While being an artist was like a dream come true, it didn’t always pay all the bills, so Gabby was pretty confident her photography business could help fill in the gaps and earn her the extra cash needed between sales of her artwork. She had her own website and did a heavy business of stock photos and additional art images. People could then download and have her pieces printed and framed for their very own. The photos from the tide pools had proven to be one of her top sellers. Together, the artwork and the stock photo business kept her pretty busy and helped her keep going financially so she could continue to be able to chase her dreams.

It was still early and relatively quiet when Gabby made her way down the beach toward the tide pools. Thanks to the storm, the sand was covered in seaweed that had been washed ashore during the night. She knew it was not going to be this quiet for very long once the locals figured out the sun was out and it was going to be a scorcher later in the day. When you lived in Southern California, the beach was the place to be on a hot day and the tide pools were a draw to many tourists. The only good part was the kids were back in school for the year. But even this late in the year, there was still a significant summer time like crowd that would jam the beach before the colder weather started setting in.

As Gabby watched a couple of sleek black sea lions frolicking around one of the outer banks of rocks while on her way to the tide pools, something shiny wedged in the sand caught her attention. It looked like a chunk of metal, stuck in the sand like a seashell. As Gabby approached, she realized it was not the sun hitting the metal that made the object seem shiny, the object was actually glowing.

“Now that’s about the oddest thing I have seen in my life. Wonder what it could be?” as Gabby approached, the object glowed brighter and brighter and Gabby almost felt that if she touched the object, she would burn herself. As usual, her curiosity got the best of her and she gently plucked the object out of the sand.

It felt light to the touch and was square in shape with a shiny, golden hue. There seemed to be some sort of lettering on it, it almost looked like the initials TA, but the logo was not anything that Gabby recognized. There were a series of small buttons that were different in color, but there was no lettering to indicate what the buttons were for. More intrigued with her find of the day rather than chasing around for hermit crabs, Gabby decided to head back to her Laguna Canyon home and thought that maybe a little computer research, while having her coffee and breakfast, could offer some leads to where her new object came from and what it was used for. It was an odd find that was for sure. Probably would end up being just a hunk of junk, but the little girl in her let her imagination run wild as she thought of stolen treasure from old time pirates washing up on the shore.

As Gabby pulled into the driveway of her little canyon bungalow, she decided she deserved a little treat and having breakfast and coffee on the deck with her laptop was her idea of the perfect way to spend the rest of the morning. The sky was clear by then, there was a slight breeze blowing in from the ocean, and it looked like it was going to be a gorgeous day. She made her way to the kitchen, popped a cup into her fancy new Keurig machine that was a gift to herself after completing a successful summer of art festivals. Breakfast was going to be her new favorite that one of the festival workers introduced her to this summer, a toasted bagel with cream cheese and avocado. It was a guilty pleasure and no doubt fattening as hell, but Gabby didn’t really pay much mind to it. She knew she was blessed with a great metabolism and never really had to worry about what she ate. Many of the girls in high school hated her for it. While they all struggled daily with hormones and weight gain, Gabby filled out so it didn’t look like she was walking on stilts for legs, and the weight gain added some nice curves to her body.

 

Chapter Three:

Jacob stretched out on the lounge in a lazy repose. He knew he had to get up and away from the entertainment pod this morning if he wanted to get anything accomplished. It was one of his main struggles on days off from his job as a Special Investigator for the Time Alliance. He never seemed to have any energy left to do the most mundane things like get up off the lounge and make some breakfast. But his stomach would not stop grumbling, so he made his way to the food compartment and punched a few buttons. He didn’t care what he ate, just so long as his stomach stopped grumbling and he could get back to relaxing. It was his only day off after working three weeks straight on his most recent case and he felt he deserved the break. He had not been sleeping well lately and had been plagued by weird dreams of ocean waves and a beautiful redheaded woman that took his breath away. He could not figure out why he kept dreaming of this woman he had never met. More often than not, he woke up breathless and felt an aching emptiness inside him when he realized it was just a dream and the woman was not real. She dazzled his senses and left him a deep craving for more of her. He started to feel rather odd about the whole deal. It was like he was having a relationship with a dream.

Rather than go back and lay around in front of the entertainment pod, Jacob decided to take his selection of coffee, along with a bagel and cream cheese out onto the deck to enjoy some of the warm sunshine that he seldom got to experience while working. He could have just selected a couple of the basic breakfast nutrition packs, but decided since today was a day off; he would treat himself to some real food. And from what he could tell, it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day in Laguna Sector. He stepped out onto the deck and decided that while having his breakfast and coffee, he would get caught up on some emails and then zip one off to his parents. It was a lonely life sometimes working for the Time Alliance, as he was required to travel often and could not really set down any permanent roots. However, the family pod in Laguna Sector that his grandparents had left for him allowed him a little break from the rough routine of travel and spending many nights in guest pods. As far as family went, he only had a sister who was already married with two kids, and his parents had made the move in recent years to the Hawaii Colony to enjoy their retirement years. It seemed that emails and the occasional Photocall were the only ways they communicated anymore. Jacob could not remember the last time he had seen them in person. He made the decision then and sent a quick email off to his parents letting them know that once this case was completed, he would be taking some time off and planned on jumping in his shuttle pod to hop on over to the islands for a visit with them.  That should keep them happy for a while and hopefully off his back about not having a girlfriend. They constantly reminded him how they were getting older and needed some grandbabies to help keep them busy even though he kept reminding them that his sister, Katie had already had two. Little did they know that Jacob barely had time to breathe, let alone think about finding a girlfriend to add to his life. He could not imagine how hectic his life would be if he had to worry about someone other than himself. He laughingly thought, of course if that someone ended up being the sexy red headed vixen from his dreams, then he would be more than willing to endure the hardship. “Keep dreaming, pal. She is just a figment of your worn out and delusional imagination and that’s never going to happen in this lifetime or the next.”

As he munched his bagel and sipped his coffee, he pondered how the next couple of weeks were going to be brutal while continuing the investigation into the case for Wes Logan. Not only was the case proving to be extremely difficult, Wes was his best friend. They grew up together and joined the academy at the same time. It bothered him that someone he was close to and thought he knew pretty well, went and did something that Jacob never expected of him. He knew that Wes Logan had stolen a handheld transport device, called a TimeBot, and sent himself somewhere back in time. Jacob’s job was to figure out where he went and try to get him back before he made changes to the past. The Time Alliance was very strict about protocol and it required many levels of permission from the government agency, National Oversight, for someone to be allowed to travel back in time. Many years ago the Alliance was formed and all the TimeBots were gathered up and placed under special protection to ensure that others would not randomly decide to jump to another time. Somehow, Wes Logan broke protocol, secured a TimeBot and zapped himself somewhere to the past.

 

Chapter Four:

Gabby sat there looking at her newest find while finishing up her bagel and coffee. She admitted to herself that she had no idea where to start looking to find information on just what the gadget was and where it was from. All she knew was that it was glowing like it had some sort of energy force all of its own. The way it pulsed was mesmerizing. Gabby thought about taking it apart, but it didn’t appear to have the traditional look of something you could take a screwdriver to.

Gabby always was the adventurous sort, much to her parent’s dismay. She was always getting into one thing or another as a child. If there was a gadget around, Gabby had to tinker with it. So it was no surprise that Gabby wanted to tinker with the odd, glowing object now. And of course, her curiosity was killing her with regard to the buttons. She mumbled to herself “I wonder what they are for and what would happen if I pushed one?” She laughed out loud and said “I mean, really, what is the worst that could happen? I blow myself up?” But of course, there was more than one button. There was a red one, a blue one, a yellow one and a green one. The choices were too overwhelming for her adventurous heart. It was then that she said out loud to herself, “I will choose the old fashioned way.” She went inside and grabbed a pen and a piece of paper. She tore the paper into four pieces and put each color on one. She folded up each piece and jumbled them all together. “Okay, here goes nothing!” She picked one of the pieces up and opened it to see which color was chosen. “It’s green!” Now that the choice was settled, Gabby stood up near the edge of the deck and got ready to push the green button.  All of a sudden, a case of the nerves set in. “Stop it, you scaredy cat,” she said to herself. As the gadget was humming and glowing, she closed her eyes and pushed the green button. She immediately felt a whoosh of air like she was being swept off her feet. When she felt steady again, she was surrounded by a cloud of hazy smoke. As the smoke cleared, she found herself looking into those stunning sapphire blue eyes from her dreams.

He was tall, that was for sure, even for Gabby, who at 5 foot 10 inches, always stood taller than most of her friends. He stood well over six feet in his bare feet. His torso was lean and well defined, and his shoulders and arms were muscular, but not overly puffy like that of a body builder. He had shoulder length black hair with a slight curl to it with a random curl straying down over his forehead that gave Gabby the urge to reach up to brush it back.  His face was chiseled with high cheekbones, a square jawline and a nose that looked like it had seen a few fights over the years.  It was his eyes, however, that were the most mesmerizing. They were blue, but not the usual light blue you see in most people. They were a remarkable shade of dark blue, like twin sapphires looking deep into your soul.

 

Chapter Five:

After finishing up his breakfast, Jacob decided that the next order of business for the day was a hot shower in his new, state of the art, steam shower module. The bathroom facilities that his grandparents had were outdated and in serious need of an upgrade when he moved in, so Jacob had the steam shower module installed. He decided that this was probably the best living pod improvement he had ever completed. The only drawback was that he was never home long enough to enjoy it every day.

As he stepped out of the steam and toweled himself dry, he looked at his reflection in the mirror, gave himself the once over and noticed that his black hair was getting a little long and shaggy. “Damn Jake, you need a haircut.” As always, when he looked at himself in the mirror, he would look for facial features that would match something from his parents. The fact was he didn’t think he looked anything like either of them. His mom has hazel eyes and light brown hair and his dad has dark brown hair and brown eyes. The question always came up when he visited about how he ended up with jet black hair and dark blue eyes. If it weren’t for the fact that his sister had the same shade of blue eyes, Jacob would swear he was either adopted or mom had a fling somewhere along the way. He tended to think more of being adopted, as his parents had been together for over thirty five years now and didn’t show any signs of breaking up anytime soon.

After a quick shave, Jacob threw on a pair of shorts and went back outside to his seat on the deck to finish up his emails and figure out what he was going to do for the rest of the day. He was thinking about taking a run somewhere, but could not decide on a spot. When he was done with the emails, he got up to go back inside when he felt a strange buzz in the air. There were no electronic devices outside, so he was not sure just what would cause such a stir. He gathered up his laptop and went back in, not giving the odd buzz much more thought. He set his laptop down on the table, realized he left his coffee cup out there and went back out to retrieve it. As he was going through the doorway, the buzz turned into a louder humming sound. All at once there was a loud zap and a burst of light so bright that Jacob had to cover his eyes to shield them from the brightness. The deck was filled with a huge cloud of smoke. After a few moments, the smoke cleared and there, standing in the middle of his deck, was the sexy redheaded siren from his dreams.

She stood taller than he remembered. Not as tall as his 6 foot 2 inch frame, but definitely not someone he would have to look down to. She was lean and fit, with legs that went on forever and skin the color of cream. Her face was of a classic beauty with high cheekbones, a pointed chin and a delicate nose. Her hair was luxuriously long and curly, and was a stunning shade of copper red that glinted in the sunlight. Jacob instantly felt the urge to run his fingers through her stunning mane of hair to feel its downy softness. It was her eyes, though, that shook him to the core. He had never seen eyes the color of deep, green emeralds. They reminded him of the soft, green hills of the Ireland Colony when he was there working on a case last year.

As they both stood there taking stock of one other in the brief instant of their eyes meeting, they both had the same thought and blurted out loud at the exact same time “Who are you and what are you doing on my deck?”

Jacob said “Excuse me, Miss, but this is my deck.” Gabby slowly gathered her wits about her. She was still a little stunned by the whoosh her body felt and the smoke that surrounded her. So much so, that she did not immediately notice her surroundings. She looked about her and noticed that while the hills surrounding the deck looked similar, the house behind it looked nothing like her little canyon bungalow. It was all rough angles and a stark, vivid white in color.  In a small, careful whisper she said: “Where the hell am I?”

It was at that moment that Jacob saw the TimeBot in her hand. While pointing at the object, Jacob said: “Excuse me again, Miss, but where did you get that?”

Gabby slowly lifted her hand and realized she still held the little golden gadget in her hand, but it had stopped glowing. “I found it on the beach this morning. I was trying to figure out what it was and I decided to push one of the buttons. I felt a whoosh of air and then I was surrounded by a puff of smoke. Next thing I know, I am standing here looking at you.”

Jacob chuckled as he stepped closer to the goddess of his dreams and extended his hand in a gesture of friendship. “My name is Jacob and this is my family pod in the Laguna Sector.” Jacob then pointed at the gadget in her hand and said: “And that is a handheld transport device called a TimeBot.”

Gabby looked at him like he just told her the moon was made of cheese. “Okay pal, sure it is.”

“I am not kidding. And I would be very interested in learning more about where you found it.”

“Look, Mister whatever your name is. I am not interested in whatever games you have in mind to be playing. Just tell me where I am and what do I need to do to get back to my home.”

“Well Miss, I am not sure you realize exactly what just happened to you. Perhaps you should have a seat and let me explain it to you as best as I can.”

Gabby then looked around and realized that even the furniture on the deck wasn’t hers. Her quaint little table and chairs were replaced with white cubes with cushions on top, and all of her plants were gone. It was at that moment that her head starting spinning, and before Jacob could react, her eyes rolled back in her head and she crumbled into a heap onto the floor of the deck.

Jacob was at a loss at what to do. Never before had he had a woman fall into a dead faint in front of him. He gently picked the strange woman from his dreams off the deck floor, carried her inside and laid her slowly down on the lounge. He made his way into the food compartment and punched the buttons to get a bottle of water to bring back to his unknown guest. He wasn’t sure how to deal with someone that fainted, but he figured water might help.

As Jacob was fetching water, Gabby slowly opened her eyes and looked straight up into the sky. Well, it wasn’t exactly the sky, but a solid, glass ceiling that allowed you to look right up into the sky. She blinked her eyes from the brightness and looked around her. She was lying on what looked like a couch. It was soft and comfortable to lie on, but it seemed more like a bunch of square cushions on top of a shelf. The walls around her were a stark white with no decor or art of any type on them. The furniture in the room was minimal, if you could call a couple of squares with cushions on top as furniture. Overall, the place looked bleak and sterile like a hospital. Gabby slowly tried to raise herself up to a sitting position. Her head had stopped swimming, but she was leery of movement, as she had never before fainted in front of anyone and certainly didn’t care to try such an embarrassing experience again. It was at this point as she was sitting up that Jacob returned to the room with some water and it appeared that he grabbed a shirt to put on while he was away, much to Gabby’s dismay.

“Here, have some water. Hopefully it will make you feel a little better.”

“Do you happen to have anything stronger? It’s been quite an adventure so far.”

“I can get whatever it is you would like. What is your preference?”

“Whiskey. No ice. Please.”

Jacob returned a few moments later with the requested whiskey. Gabby took the glass and downed it in one, quick swallow. She then felt the wonderful warmth in her belly that spread throughout the rest of her body and helped her relax. “Thank you. That is some good stuff.”

“I only keep the best in stock. I don’t get to sample it often, but when I do, I want the good stuff to enjoy.”

Gabby closed her eyes for a moment to savor the warmth one last time and to somehow try to get her bearings and gather her thoughts together. She knew something had happened, but she could not quite piece together everything in her jumbled brain right now.

“Okay, let’s skip the small talk. Who are you, what the hell happened and where am I? Because I know I am not in Kansas anymore.”

Jacob chuckled. “No, you are not anywhere near the Kansas Colony. Let’s start with your name.”

Gabby looked at him funny. He obviously didn’t get the reference to not being in Kansas anymore, which she thought rather odd. Everyone knew that line from the movie. “Long version is Gabriella Elizabeth Kincaid. Short version is everyone calls me Gabby.”

“That’s quite a long name.”

“Yeah, it’s a pain when I have to sign things. Now what was yours again?”

“Well, mine is not as long or nearly as beautiful sounding as yours. Jacob Michael Evans, but everyone calls me Jacob or Jake. It doesn’t matter much to me either way.”

“Okay, now that we have the pleasantries over, Jacob, what happened and where the hell am I?”

“Well Gabby, you are in my home in Laguna Sector. My best guess from the little bit you told me earlier is that you pushed one of the buttons on the TimeBot. I am going to assume the green one since you are here.”

“Yeah, it was a toss-up which color to push. Green won. What is Laguna Sector and how did I get in your home?”

“Laguna Sector is a small part of the California Colony, which is part of the United Alliance. As for how you got here, as I said, you pushed the little green button. I am sure you can recall the effects of what happened, but to keep it simple, you were transported to this spot in the year 2153.”

“Did you just say the year was 2153?”

“Yes ma’am. The exact date happens to be September 9, 2153.”

“Okay, that was a great joke. Now tell me the real story.”

“As sure as my name is Jacob Michael Evans, that was the truth I just told you.”

Gabby got up and started pacing around. “This is crazy! Are you telling me I somehow zapped myself into the future?”

“Yes ma’am. But please sit down. Perhaps if I told you what I think is another part of the story, you will have a better understanding of what happened to you.”

Gabby quit pacing and sat down next to Jacob. “I have a feeling I might need another one of those whiskey shots.”

Jacob handed her the water instead and began telling his story. “Like I said, my name is Jacob. I live here in the Laguna Sector when I have some time off from my job, but for the most part, I travel a lot for work. I am a Special Investigator for the Time Alliance. I have been working on a case recently where an individual stole a TimeBot and sent himself back somewhere in time. It is my job to locate him and return him to his present time before he makes any changes to the past.” As he spoke, he pushed the blue button and the golden gadget opened up to reveal a small screen with data showing. “From what I can see here, you pushed the green button on September 9, 2017, is that correct?”

Gabby nodded her head in agreement. “Yes. I was standing on the deck of my home in Laguna Beach and the date was September 9, 2017.”

“It makes perfect sense then. Laguna Sector, many years ago before the United Alliance was formed, used to be called Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills and Laguna Niguel, three smaller areas that were called cities at the time. In the year 2085, the United Alliance was formed and what had previously been known as cities and states were reorganized and changed to sectors and colonies. National Oversight governs all the colonies and sectors of planet Earth. So technically you are in the same spot, just not the same time.”

 

Chapter Six:

It was a Friday and it dawned with a clear and bright, blue sky. It appeared it was going to be another scorcher of a day in Southern California as the heat could already be seen shimmering above the endless pavement that made up the concrete jungle known as the City of Angels. Jeremy got dressed after his shower and made his way downstairs to the kitchen to grab some breakfast and fill his travel mug with coffee for his trek to work. It was finally the weekend and he was looking forward to it and hoping that the weather was going to be decent so he could spend Saturday at the beach and then be able to hit the town later that night to grab a few drinks with friends.

Jeremy loved living in Los Angeles and he was glad that he took the chance and made the move when he did. It was all the fun of a big city without all the cold and snow he had to deal with when he lived in New York. He found the perfect apartment just two blocks away from the train station and he was able to take the train to work every day rather than spend over an hour sitting in traffic if he were to take his car. The train had another station just a block away from the bank where he worked, which made it even more convenient than driving. His apartment was small, but he didn’t have much choice since the rent prices in the area were so high, but what he lacked in space in the apartment was made up by the fact that he was close to work and there was a lot of entertainment and dining in the area. In his mind, it was a good swap.

He hopped off the train and made the brisk one block walk to the bank. He was only twenty-six years old, and considered himself very lucky to have landed the position as Vice President of Hallmark Savings & Loan, located in downtown Los Angeles. It was a great job with fantastic benefits. The hours he had to work suited him perfectly. He showed up for work every day at 8:00am, unlocked the doors to let the employees in, and made his rounds prior to the bank opening at 9am.

As he walked up to the bank, he noticed he must have been a little earlier than usual, as only Peter, the security guard was there waiting to be let in.

“Good morning, Peter.”

“Good morning, Mr. Wharton. It’s a fine and sunny day today; hopefully it will be a good one for us.”

“I am with you there, Peter. I wouldn’t mind getting out a little early since it is Friday and maybe go catch the ballgame tonight. I know this year’s team is not nearly as good as it was a couple years ago in 1985, but it is still early in the season and I have a little bit of hope left for them.”

“I thought for sure they were going to lose last night after Cameron hit that home run.”

“Me too! Thank goodness for Barnes coming back with the home run of his own to take the lead again.”

Jeremy locked the door behind them and went about his rounds for the morning. He knew that Peter was there to let any other employees in once they arrived. Jeremy unlocked the vault and walked around inside. He immediately felt something was off, but he could not quite put his finger on it. He studied the different sections and after just a moment he realized that the trays in Section 12 were empty. “That is impossible!” The doors were locked, the alarm was set and no silent alarms were set off.”

Jeremy went back out and locked the vault. He went over to Peter and asked him to go into the back surveillance room to review the camera footage from the vault for last night.

Peter looked concerned: “What am I looking for, sir?”

“You are looking for how one million dollars has disappeared from the vault!”

“You are joking, right?”

“I wish I were, Peter. Please let me know as soon as you have reviewed the footage. I need to go tell Mr. Marshall about this and then notify the police.”

Jeremy was a bit nervous as he made his way down the long hallway to Mr. Marshall’s office. Mr. Marshall was president of the bank and a very formidable and intimidating man. It was only after a few years of working with him directly as his Vice President that Jeremy came to realize that for all his bluster, Mr. Marshall was actually a kind and gentle soul with a heart of gold. This was most apparent last year when one of the ladies who had been a teller at the bank for ten years had lost her husband unexpectedly to a heart attack. Mr. Marshall gave the teller some extra time off, with pay, and then helped her find a smaller, more affordable place to live so she would not have to quit her job and move in with her sister in Sacramento.

Jeremy knocked on the heavy oak door and entered when he heard the summons to do so.

“Uhh….good morning, Mr. Marshall, sir. I am afraid I have an urgent and concerning matter to discuss with you.”

“What is it, Jeremy? It’s been a busy morning already and I had to put out three different fires as it is.”

“Well, sir….uhhh….it seems we have been robbed.”

Mr. Marshall jumped up from his seat behind his desk and bellowed: “ROBBED! What do you mean, we’ve been robbed?”

Jeremy was quaking in his shoes. “I came in today, sir, and did my usual rounds. I unlocked the vault and went in to look around and make sure everything was in order as it should be and I noticed that all the money that is kept in the trays in Section 12 is gone. I have Peter reviewing the security tapes now and I was going to call the police as soon as I was done telling you.”

“Good grief, Jeremy! Section 12 always had at least one million dollars of unmarked bills for emergency use. We have no way to trace those bills.”

“I am aware, sir. I will go check with Peter on the camera and then make that call to the police.”

Jeremy made his way down the other hallway to the security office and walked in to see Peter looking over some of the camera footage. “What do you have for me, Pete?”

“Well, sir….it’s the oddest thing. One second everything is fine and the next, there is a dark, shadowy figure in the vault. I cannot see anything other than a black overcoat and a black ski mask and gloves. The figure dumps all the cash into a large, duffel bag. Then, in the next instant, the figure and the bag with the cash are gone. It was like the figure just poofed into thin air.”

“That’s impossible, Peter. Nobody can just poof themselves into thin air. Please check to make sure we do not have a glitch in the camera or its recording functions. I am going to call the police.”

Jeremy made the call to LAPD and about 30 minutes later, one of their detectives walked into the bank and asked one of the tellers to speak to Jeremy.

“Hello, I am Jeremy Wharton, Vice President here at Hallmark Savings & Loan.”

“Good morning, Mr. Wharton. My name is Detective Carson with LAPD.” Detective Carson pulled out his badge, “badge # 4598. I understand you reported that a robbery has taken place?”

“Yes sir, sometime during the night. We have some footage, but there appears to be a glitch of some sort that we are trying to sort out with the company that provides our security gear.”

“May I ask what kind of glitch, sir?”

“Well, it looks to be the oddest thing. One second, everything is fine, and then the next second there is a dark figure in the vault that dumps all the cash into a duffel bag. When done, the figure just poofs into thin air and is no longer able to be seen on any camera we have. Please follow me and I will show you the footage we have.”

Jeremy led the detective to the security room and asked Peter to replay the footage. “Well, Detective Carson, what do you think?”

Detective Carson put on his glasses and made a few notes in his notebook. As he was writing, he said to Jeremy: “Mr. Wheeler, I am sorry to have to inform you that there is a good chance that there is nothing wrong with your cameras or the footage that was recorded. I cannot get into too much detail, but I can tell you that this is the third bank that my team and I have been to this morning and so far, all of you have had the same details of the same type of robbery.”

Jeremy was stunned. “How is that possible?”

“I wish I knew, sir. We will do our best to review the footage and take down as many details as we can of what we see. We hope that between the footage from all three banks, we will be able to find some sort of clue that will help us discover who the robber is. I will be in touch as more details present themselves.”

 

Chapter Seven:

Wes figured that he had it all sorted out. He needed money to be able to set himself up to live the life he wanted to live here in Laguna Beach and he knew just how to get it. He figured he could put in a few extra calculations into the TimeBot and do some creative banking for himself. All he had to do was zap himself into the vaults and then zap himself out to a secure location. Then he could poof himself off to Switzerland for about a year and slowly bank the money into an account there with no questions asked. One year later, he would be a very rich man and able to live the good life in Southern California.

Of course, setting himself up as a local playboy with money to burn was all a ruse.  It was important for him to set up a home base and establish himself as one of the locals. The last thing he needed was to look conspicuous and bring attention to himself from any of the authorities or local law enforcement. It was imperative that he keep somewhat of a low profile until he was able to put his plans into place and continue on his quest.

Wes learned at an early age that he craved power and loved to be in control. He also found that he had a fondness for beautiful things. Many of the things that you needed a lot of money to buy. He worked hard through the academy and considered himself very fortunate when he landed the job as Special Investigator for the Time Alliance. It offered him an opening to a doorway he never thought he would have access to. Here he was, an SI for the Time Alliance with complete access to all the closely guarded TimeBots. All he had to do was bide his time and wait for the right moment to sneak one out of the inventory.

He remembered the day it happened vividly as if it were yesterday. It was just another ordinary day at work with cases to research and paperwork to file. He recalled the freak accident that caused his buddy and working partner, Reyes, to have to be taken to the Medical Ward for stitches to his hand. This left Wes all alone in the security area and he was able to activate the release controls and take one of the TimeBots out of lockdown. He knew that this was his time and he had to get himself away as quick as possible. He punched some numbers into the device and zapped himself about five years into the future. His goal was to have the device copied so he could have one of his very own that could never be traced back to the Time Alliance. Once he was set, all he had to do was toss the original one out in the waves so it would drop to the bottom of the ocean never to be seen again. From his limited information, he knew that the tracking device was virtually impossible to destroy. The only other option to keep the tracking from working was to have water surrounding it which would create the perfect cocoon and prevent the tracking signal from being traced.

Once he was set in place and had the newly made transport device, he would be able to continue on his quest for all those beautiful things that he found he had a fondness for. Of course, he did not have nearly that much money to buy them and more often than not, most of them were not for sale at any price, but with his new toy, he found it was much easier and much more pleasurable to sneak in and take them. Just like with the money, all he had to do was zap himself into a location; grab an item and zap himself back home again. He recently had the lower level of his hillside beach house renovated and sealed off from the rest of the house. He added a state of the art security system and many mirrored display shelves to place his newly acquired heirlooms. It would be his treasure room.

He already had a small list of items he wanted to acquire and first on his list was what was known as The “Star of Adam”, the world’s largest blue star sapphire. It was only by chance and a little bit of luck that while living in Switzerland, Wes learned the identity of the owner, who at the time of purchase, wished to remain anonymous. The next on his list was to be The “Emerald Unguentarium,” a 2,860-carat (20.18 oz.) emerald vase carved in 1641, that happened to be on display in the Imperial Treasury, in Vienna, Austria. He also found that he wanted at least one of every gemstone, so next on the list was to be a 23.1 carats (4.62 g) Burmese ruby, set in a platinum ring with diamonds, that was donated by businessman and philanthropist Peter Buck in memory of his late wife Carmen Lúcia, which is on display at The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

Wes also found that he had a fondness for art and was starting some research on just which pieces he wanted to start his collection. He was not overly fond of the works from Rembrandt, but did have an appreciation for Monet, Van Gogh and Picasso. However, taking such iconic pieces as the Mona Lisa and Starry Night was not something Wes was interested in doing.  He wanted to find the less obvious pieces that would not cause an international uproar if they went missing. In the meantime, he figured since he lived in an artist community, he could help himself to some pieces locally to grace the walls of his treasure room.

It was while he was driving down Pacific Coast Highway and stopped at a traffic light that he saw one piece that he knew he had to have for his room. The sign outside said the gallery was showing work for a local artist named Gabby Kincaid. The piece was a design of red flowers in a heavy gilded gold frame. The work was simple and uncomplicated, yet had a flair all of its own that set it apart from the rest of the work on display and the flowers appears almost lifelike. Wes snapped a quick photo of the gallery with his phone just as the light turned green and returned home to begin the process of obtaining the local painting.

 

Chapter Eight:

Gabby sat there and rubbed her fingers over her temples in an effort to ease the strain. She was still feeling a little befuddled as she tried to digest all the strange things Jacob had been telling her. She felt like she had just walked into the middle of a Sci-Fi movie and was now one of the leading characters. It was one thing to see stuff like this happen on television or in the movies, and quite another to be experiencing it in real life. This wasn’t just a made up scene that was the result of someone else’s imagination going wild, this was reality and she wasn’t too sure she was ready to accept it, let alone deal with it.

Jacob could tell that Gabby was completely confused and a little unsettled by the story he had told her. “Look, Gabby, I know it is a lot of strange stuff for you to try to grasp right now. I will be more than happy to help you understand everything better and do what I can to get you back to your time, but there are a lot of other factors that I need to consider and I also have to know exactly where you found the TimeBot.”

Gabby let out a long and heavy sigh, “Like I said, it was at the beach, the Main Beach in downtown Laguna. I was walking toward the tide pools to the north of the main part of the beach when I found it stuck in the sand like it had been washed up on the shore by the waves from the storm last night. If I had not walked by at that time, it very well could have been washed right back out with the tide.”

“One of the quirks about the device is that when it is surrounded by water, the water acts like a cocoon and keeps the tracking device signal from being traced. The tracking device is virtually indestructible. I am guessing that Wes tossed it into the ocean thinking it would be swept out further and then would drop to the bottom never to be seen again. I guess he didn’t count on the storm blowing through to knock up the waves a little more which must have caused the tide to carry the device back into shore.”

Gabby snorted in disdain, “Well, aren’t I the lucky one. And of course, I had to be an idiot and push one of the buttons too.”

“Well, if you can believe it, I am considering myself very lucky that you did. It would have taken me at least a few more weeks of back tracking the data to be able to find out where Wes took himself to.” Jacob grabbed Gabby’s hand and raised it for a kiss. “And I thank you my lady for the assistance.”

Gabby didn’t know what hit her. It was such an innocent touch and a simple brush of his lips against the top of her hand, but she felt as if she had been set on fire. The warmth quickly spread from her hand and rushed like a wild fire that set itself to a blazing inferno in the core of her body. The assault to her senses that his touch created was nothing like she had ever felt before. Never before had she had such an intense physical reaction to someone and the thought of it left her feeling shattered. In a desperate attempt to save herself from complete embarrassment and to try to settle her nerves, she walked over to the table to take a long drink of water from the water bottle.

Jacob didn’t know what possessed him to grab her hand to bestow a small kiss on it, but now he was frazzled and didn’t know what hit him. Never before had he ever felt this incredible urge to sweep a woman off her feet and carry her up to bed like he did now. At least, not with a complete stranger that just literally landed on his deck. Her skin was as smooth as porcelain and when his lips made contact with her hand, he felt like he was set ablaze. He was grateful when she walked away to grab a drink of water. It allowed him a few moments to compose himself and get his thoughts back to where they needed to be.

After a moment, Gabby turned around and quietly asked Jacob: “How will you be able to get me back home?”

“Well that should be easy enough since the coordinates and the date are still in the data of the device. We can just push the green button and it will take us back to your time and we should land safely back on your deck.”

“Excuse me, but what do you mean “we”?”

“I am going to have to go back with you.”

“Why?”

“Because I need to research this case and from what I can tell, Wes Logan has located himself in the time and place where you happen to live. I need to get there to find him and get him back to his time before he makes any significant changes to things that could change history.”

“So, you will just go back with me and then be on your merry way to conduct your investigation?”

“Okay, so I might need a little bit of help from you. I would need a location to set up a base of sorts to work from. I can secure a travel location, if needed, but it might be a little easier for me to get around and learn where things are if I had someone there who was familiar with the area. It would be helpful, and I won’t look like I am the new kid in town. People tend to not want to answer questions from someone they don’t know anything about.”

“I see. And just how am I supposed to explain you to the neighbors?”

“You could say I am a long, lost cousin from the Alaska Colony?”

Gabby chuckled, “Sure pal, that will go over like the proverbial lead balloon.”

“We can figure out something for a plausible story to tell everyone there. In the meantime, please make yourself at home as much as you can for now. I need to get into my office space and contact my Captain to explain the situation and let him know that I have a new lead in finding Wes and will be leaving soon to continue the investigation. It may take me a little while. I will try to get back here as soon as I can. ”

 

Chapter Nine:

Gabby was grateful that Jacob stepped away for a few moments to contact his captain. This gave her a little time to further compose herself since she felt like she completely fell apart after Jacob kissed her hand. “Don’t be silly, Gabby. It was just an innocent kiss on the hand. Don’t read any more into it than that.” At least that is what Gabby kept trying to tell herself, however, her thoughts kept going back to the dreams. This man from the future that she just met today is the spitting image of the man in the dreams that have been plaguing her for the last few months. She could not figure out how she could be dreaming about a man from the future she had never met. And those eyes, good heavens she could not escape the piercing look from those eyes. It was as if he could look straight into her heart and soul and see the thoughts and feelings that she was so desperately trying to hide. There was no denying that after three months of some rather steamy dreams with this unknown man, Gabby felt an instant and intense attraction to Jacob that she had never felt for any man before.  Gabby was no prude when it came to men, but she had never had such an intense physical reaction to a complete stranger. It was all very unnerving to her. It was one thing to meet someone and slowly develop a relationship with them and quite another to have your dreams turn into reality.

Jacob stepped into the other room to contact his captain via Photocall and was happy for the brief respite away from Gabby’s presence. His reaction to her wasn’t anything like he had ever felt for another woman and it left him slightly dazed. Jacob had had his share of one night stands and the occasional girlfriend, but never had a woman affected him in such a physical way. He felt a clawing need inside him and a craving that he knew only being with her could satisfy. It was a pure moment of genius on his part to suggest that he return with her. It had been a long three months of some really intense and sensual dreams of this woman. It was definitely bizarre to have your dreams come to life and end up outside your door, but there was no way he was going to let her get away that easily.

Jacob concluded his call with his captain and sent off the coordinates to when and where he would be going. There was always that off chance that a device could malfunction or become damaged during an investigation, which could leave an investigator stranded in a time he didn’t belong in. Methods for retrieval had to be kept in place for just such instances. If something happened along the way, his captain would send another investigator to the same coordinates to ensure they both got back safely. Jacob then pulled a bag out and packed a few items of clothing and essential items for travel. He was not sure how long he would have to remain in Gabby’s time, but he figured he could come back here if he really needed anything else.

By the time Jacob returned, Gabby had composed herself and she was ready to make the trip back home. She didn’t know how she was going to explain Jacob’s presence, but she figured she could just wing it and if worse came to worst, she could tell everyone she had a boyfriend. She knew it was going to set people to gossiping about her, but it was better than the alternative of trying to explain to her neighbors and friends that Jacob was a Special Investigator from the future. They would probably get together and drag her to the nearest psychiatrist for that one.

Jacob moved around the house turning off lights and getting everything shut down for his departure. Since he did not know how long he was going to be gone, he figured it was best to shut down and lock up completely. Whatever mess he had left he would be able to clean up when he returned. And with any luck this would be a quick trip and he would be able to head on out to the Hawaii Colony to visit his parents for a while.

“Are you ready to go, Gabby?”

“Oh yeah, I sure am. It is time for this gal to get out of The Twilight Zone.”

“What is “The Twilight Zone”? Wait…never mind. I have a feeling it is something from your time that I am not going to understand.”

Jacob grabbed his bag and headed back out to the deck. “It is probably best if we stick to the same location where all this started from.” He locked the door, pocketed the keys and walked over to where Gabby was standing on the deck looking out over the hills. “Are you ready?”

“Sure am! This time when we get to where we are going, remind me to sit down afterward so I don’t fall into a dead faint at your feet again.”

“Oh, well okay. I will admit it was kind of nice being a knight in shining armor for a moment to rescue you, but I will give the part up for the time being. Now you are going to have to stand really close and hold my hand so we both can make this trip together. Hold on tight. It may be a bumpy ride.”

Jacob squeezed Gabby’s hand; she closed her eyes tight as he pressed the green button. At once, they were both surrounded by a cloud of smoke and a buzzing sound could be heard in the air. Gabby felt the familiar swoosh of air and when she opened her eyes again, all was right in her world and she was standing back on her deck. Everything around her looked familiar again. Gabby let out a loud sigh as if she had been holding her breath and sat down on the nearest chair to let her head and stomach settle from the weird trip from the future.

Jacob was an old pro at the time travel thing. He did not feel any of the after effects that Gabby felt, so naturally he was ready to get up and moving as soon as he realized they had landed in Gabby’s time. “There now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“Easy for you to say, you are used to that kind of zapping between worlds thing. I am a little out of practice and my head feels like it is stuffed with fluff right now. If you give me just a moment more, I will try to compose myself and get us inside to settle in.”

Once inside, Gabby took a look around and realized just how small her little place was. It was perfectly fine for one person, but with two bodies in there, things seemed a little bit cozier. And to make matters worse, Gabby realized one big thing that might make living together a little more difficult. “Well Jacob, there is not much here, but it is my home. I apologize that it is not as big and roomy as your place, and I just now realized we may have a problem with us sharing this living space. You see, there is only one bedroom in the bungalow. The other one is my studio and there is no bed in there. Unfortunately, you are going to have to sleep on the couch.”

Jacob looked around and saw the long bench with cushions and pointed at it. “I am assuming that that is what you are referring to as a couch?”

“I am afraid so.”

“Well, it looks fine to me. I have slept in many worse situations in my work travels, I am sure I will be fine.”

 

Chapter Ten:

Wes was very pleased with his little morning escapade into the local art gallery. He was able to snag the piece with the red flowers in a quick moment and zap himself right back out of the gallery and into his home. He took the artwork downstairs to his trophy room. He knew the exact spot he wanted to place it. He figured the colors of the flowers and the gilded gold of the frame would be the perfect backdrop for when he acquired the Burmese ruby ring that he could not wait to get his hands on.

Gabby was giving Jacob a small tour of the bungalow to show him where everything was when her phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Gabby? Oh my goodness, Gabby! I have been trying to reach you for the last three hours. Where have you been?” The caller was Gracie, the owner of the gallery on Pacific Coast Highway where her work was showing.

“Ummm, sorry. My phone died and was on the charger. I got busy working and didn’t think anything of it.” That was the best story Gabby could come up with on such short notice. It would be rather strange to start telling Gracie how she had found this gadget, and had pushed one of the buttons and zapped herself into the future and that was why she was gone so long. It was much easier to pretend it was just a simple matter of her cell phone battery dying. “What is wrong, Gracie?”

“I am going to need you to come down here right away and speak to the detective.”

“Detective? What is going on, Gracie?”

“Someone broke into the gallery this morning and from what I can tell; your Crimson Roses piece was taken.”

“What? They took Crimson Roses? Didn’t they take anything else?”

“Not from what I can tell.”

“Why would anyone steal just one piece, and a piece from someone like me who is nothing close to a famous artist? That seems really strange. If you give me about thirty minutes, I will get myself to the gallery.”

“Thanks, Gabby. And I am really sorry to have to be the one to have to tell you all this over the phone.”

“It is okay, Gracie. I will see you in a little while.”

Gabby disconnected the call and walked back out onto the deck to speak to Jacob, as he had stepped out to let her have some privacy during the call. “Is everything okay?”

“No. Well, not really anyway. It seems that someone broke into the gallery this morning before it opened and stole one of my art pieces. I need to leave for a little while and go down there to talk to the detective about it. I don’t know what I am going to be able to tell him other than a description of the piece. Are you okay with staying here alone while I am gone? I should not be gone too long.”

“Why don’t I go there with you? It will give me a chance to start learning my way around your area.”

“Okay, but just remember to stick to the story that you are my long, lost cousin from Alaska that just dropped in unannounced on your way to San Diego.”

“Got it.” Jacob chuckled. “Can I still be Jacob, though? Or do I have to change my name to some obscure family name you have like Wilfred?”

Gabby rolled her eyes and walked off. This was all she needed, a comedian. She continued on into the bedroom to grab her purse and car keys. She locked the sliding glass doors to the deck and turned off all the lights. She walked out the front door to the car and Jacob followed. After locking the door behind her, she clicked the remote to unlock the car and indicated for Jacob to get in the passenger seat.

“What is this thing I am getting into?”

“It is called an automobile. Don’t they have them in your time? How do you travel from one place to the other?”

“Well, we have shuttle pods and zip trains. I have not seen anything like this since my younger years learning about history at the academy.”

“Get in then. This is going to be an experience you will never forget.”

Gabby started the engine and Jacob jumped slightly from the noise of it. “It’s rather noisy.”

“You will get used to it. This is one of the newer Jeeps and it is pretty quiet. But there are some older ones out there on the road that make quite a ruckus.”

One of the bells starting chiming indicating something was not right. Gabby looked over at Jacob and realized that he did not have his seatbelt fastened. She leaned over and pointed at it and told him: “You are going to have to pull that belt down and strap in for this ride.”

“Why? Is it going to be that fast and crazy?”

“Not that fast and crazy, but we have laws and it has to be fastened. And if you do not, this stupid bell will not stop chiming.”

Gabby pulled out of the driveway and made her way out onto the Canyon Road merging in with the other traffic. She glanced over at Jacob and he was grinning from ear to ear. “What on earth are you grinning about?”

“This is amazing! I never knew something like this used to exist. It is a lot of fun!” He pushed the button on the armrest of the door and jumped when then window went down. “Hey, it opens!” Jacob then proceeded to hang his head out the window like a dog enjoying the wind on his face.

Gabby tugged on his shirt to pull him back into the car. “Get back in here. You look like an idiot. Remember, you are supposed to be someone visiting from Alaska, not the year 2153.”

“Sorry. Our shuttle pods and zip trains don’t have these openings so you can see everything as you are traveling. They go way too fast and everything would be just a blur and it makes you dizzy. This is way more fun. I wish I could take one back with me.”

Gabby pulled up to the gallery and parked the car out front. “Well, we are here. Please remember to let me do most of the talking.”

Jacob chuckled, held up his hand and said, “I promise.”

When they entered the gallery, Gracie immediately came up to them and led them back to her office where the detective was waiting.

“Detective Jones, this is Gabby Kincaid, the artist whose piece was stolen. Gabby, this is Detective Jones from the Laguna Beach Police Department.”

“How do you do, Detective?”

“Good day to you, Miss. Thank you for coming down here so quickly.”

“I am not that far away, so it was easy. Gracie, this is Jacob. He is my cousin from Alaska, who decided to surprise me with a visit as he was making his way down to San Diego for a week of deep sea fishing with his buddies. Jacob, I would like you to meet Gracie George, the owner of George Gallery.”

“How do you do, Miss George?”

“Oh please, everyone calls me Gracie. It is very nice to meet you, Jacob.”

“Detective, anything you have to tell me you can say while my cousin is here. Are you able to tell me what happened to my artwork?”

“Well, from what we can gather from the limited surveillance video that Gracie was able to show us, it seems that one second there was no one there and your artwork was intact on its display, and in the next instant, a dark shadowy figure can be seen on the screen picking up the piece off the display and then the figure poofs into thin air.”

“I am not sure how anyone is able to poof into thin air. Gracie, can you pull up the video for us?”

“Sure, Gabby, just give me just a moment.” Gracie punched a few buttons and the video playback appeared on the screen of her computer monitor.

Jacob walked up and stood next to Gabby and they both viewed the video together. It was as the detective had described. One moment, everything was fine and then the next, the figure appeared on screen. Jacob grabbed Gabby’s hand and gave it a slight squeeze. Gabby looked at Jacob and she could tell that he knew something, but didn’t want to say anything. Gabby then turned to the detective and asked: “Do you have any thoughts on who might have done this?”

“I am sorry, Miss. I have none whatsoever. This is as strange to me as it is to all of you. However, we will do our best to analyze the video and see what type of clues we are able to come up with that might help us in learning the identity of the thief. In the meantime, if you could give me a description of the piece that was taken, it would be a great help to us.”

Gabby reached into her purse and pulled out a photo and handed it to the detective. “That is a picture of the piece, sir. I took one after the display here at the gallery was finished and I printed it up for you before we came down here.”

“Thank you, Miss. This will be a great help to us. We will be able to put out bulletins in the area and notify pawn shops and such to be on the lookout for this missing piece.”

“Gabby, I will finish up with the detective here. You can go back home and I will call you later. Thank you for coming down here on such short notice, especially when you had company. It was nice to meet you, Jacob.”

“The pleasure was all mine, Gracie. You have a very nice place here.”

“Thank you. It is my one true love.”

Gabby and Jacob made their way back to the car. No sooner had they both sat down and closed the doors, Gabby turned to Jacob and asked: “Okay, what did you see in there?”

“It was Wes, I know it was. Only I cannot figure out how he was able to zip in and out of there. Unless…he must have another TimeBot with him. We thought he only stole one. Maybe he was able to find one somewhere else, or have another one made. Either way, the only way someone was going to be able to zip themselves in and out of there that fast was using a transport device.”

“And even though we could not see a face or anything other than black clothing, you are sure it was this guy you are looking for?”

“Well, the size of the person on that video is a close enough match for me to say yes, I do believe it is Wes. So now it really is no surprise to me that you found that transport device this morning. Wes is here in the area. Now it is just a matter of me being able to pinpoint exactly where he is.”

“What will you do once you find him?”

“I will have to find out the details of just what he has done and then get him back to our time before he can wreak any more havoc. Then once he is in lockdown, I will have to come back and try to fix everything that he has changed so far.”

“What do you do if he puts up a fight and doesn’t want to go?”

“Well, I am hoping it won’t be that difficult, but if it should be, it may come down to a fight, but I am prepared and trained to use force, if needed, to accomplish this mission and get this case closed.”

“I certainly hope it does not come to that. But I am still wondering, what does a guy like that want with my artwork? It just seems very odd.”

“Could be he just liked what he saw. Who knows what is going on in his head right now, but obviously, with all that he has done so far, it appears that he is not thinking too clearly these days.”

Gabby pulled the car out of the parking spot and they made their way back home to her Laguna Canyon bungalow. It certainly had been a strange day and she was tired and hungry. “I am taking us back home. I am tired and hungry. I want some food and then some sleep.”

“Sounds good to me, I am starving. I have not eaten since that bagel I had this morning.”

Gabby glanced over at him and chuckled. "I had a bagel this morning too. What a coincidence. Tonight, just happens to be your lucky night.  I think I am in the mood for some spaghetti and meatballs, so you are in for a real treat."

“What is spaghetti and meatballs?”

“You mean to tell me you have never had spaghetti and meatballs?”

“Well yes, since I don’t even know what it is. We have lots of choices in our food compartment, but I am not home very often, so I tend to only order up things I know I am going to like to eat, or if I am in a rush, I will just grab a couple of nutrition packs.”

“That doesn’t sound very appetizing at all. I guarantee you that this meal will be better than anything you have ever had before.”

 

Chapter Eleven:

Gabby pulled into the driveway, unlocked the front door and made her way into the kitchen where she began pulling items out of the pantry and refrigerator. Jacob watched her move around the room. She certainly had a fluid grace about her in her movements that made him think of a dancer and he appreciated the great view of her backside while she was poking around in what she called a refrigerator.

“Is there anything I can help you with?”

“No, I don’t think so. Not with the cooking anyway, I happen to have some frozen meatballs from the batch I made last week, so this should not take long to heat them up and cook the pasta. If you want, you could grab us a bottle of wine from the rack in the living room.”

Jacob returned from the living room with one of the bottles, but by the look on his face, Gabby figured he was quite confused. “What’s wrong?”

Jacob looked sheepishly at Gabby. “I am sorry, but I have no idea how to open this bottle so we can drink what is inside.”

Gabby let out a laugh. Never before had she seen a grown man so intimidated by a bottle of wine. “Here, let me show you.” Gabby grabbed the cork remover, made a few twists and removed the cork. “The glasses are in that cabinet on the end.”

Jacob grabbed the glasses, poured wine into both and took a sip of his. “Wow, this stuff is pretty good!”

“Let me guess, you have never had wine before?”

“No. I am a beer or whiskey kind of guy. I have never had any occasion to try any wine until now and it is not really popular in my time.”

“Well, well….yet another coincidence. I am a beer or whiskey kind of girl.”

Before she could get herself too much further into any conversation, Gabby turned back to the counter and began preparing the meal. “I should be good with the rest of this for now. If you want, you can go sit outside and enjoy that wine. I will be out in a little while to set up the table out there and we can have dinner under the stars since it is such a nice night.”

Jacob went outside to sit and sip his wine while waiting for Gabby to finish cooking the dinner. He had to admit that he was happy that she didn’t need any help with it, because to be quite honest, Jacob had no clue what to do. Whenever he wanted something to eat, all he had to do was go to the food compartment and punch a few buttons and whatever he wanted to eat appeared on the tray in front of him. He had no idea what this cooking thing was, but it sure seemed to take a long time to do it. It was a wonder a person didn’t starve to death waiting for the food to cook. He did have to admit though that the aroma was tantalizing and was definitely an aspect that was lacking when getting dinner out of his food compartment.

Gabby came out a short time later and sat on one of the chairs on the deck. “Everything is done except the meatballs. We should be able to eat in another ten minutes or so. I forgot that since they were frozen, they were going to take a little longer to cook.”

“I appreciate you taking all this time to make us something to eat. I have to admit that I am not used to it. Back home, all I had to do was go to the food compartment and punch a few buttons and food would appear on my tray. I don’t quite understand this cooking thing and it sure does take a long time.”

“Trust me; you will not be disappointed with the wait. I guarantee you will love the meatballs. It is a family recipe and everyone always raves about them.”

 

Chapter Twelve:

Gabby sat back in the chair and closed her eyes a moment to relish the languid feeling that was slowly creeping over her after consuming such a huge meal. She was absolutely stuffed and didn’t think she could move to get up and put the dishes in the dishwasher. As she sat there, she realized that she had just shared a meal with a man she knows absolutely nothing about. She wondered at the fact that she did not feel nervous or awkward at all, which is what most first dates felt like. Not that she considered this a date, but there were similarities with the situation. It’s not every day one has dinner under the stars with a strange man. Not exactly a daily occurrence in her dull life.

“What are you thinking about?”

Gabby smiled. “I am thinking that I just ate like a pig in front of a complete stranger.”

Jacob got up and walked over to the edge of the deck to lean on the railing. He felt the sudden need to put as much distance as possible between himself and Gabby. The power of her smile was overwhelming and made him think a few thoughts that he had no business thinking. It was like a siren’s call to him that he was powerless to resist. She was, by far, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and after those months of dreams that continuously tantalized his senses, it was no surprise that he felt a need for her. She was like a drink of water to the parched traveler.

“What are you thinking about?”

“I was thinking how your smile is even more beautiful in person.”

All at once, as soon as the words left his mouth, Jacob realized his mistake and made a move to try to cover it up by picking up his plate and bringing in inside and pretending like nothing happened.

Gabby followed him inside with her plate and placed them both in the dishwasher. After a moment, she turned to Jacob and asked: “What did you mean out there when you said my smile was more beautiful in person? Because as far as I know, we have never met until today.”

“Uhhh…..well……ummmm….okay, well, you probably won’t believe it, but for the last three months I have been plagued by these strange dreams. The details of the dreams change, but there was always one constant to the dream and that was an incredibly beautiful woman that looked exactly like you.”

Gabby’s eyes flew up to look directly at Jacob. She thought he must be joking, but when she looked, his eyes showed complete sincerity in what he had told her. This made her nervous. Should she tell him the story about how he has been in her dreams for the last three months, as well? And what did it all mean? Why would two complete strangers from two different moments in time start having dreams about each other? It made no sense to her. Gabby went back out onto the deck and slowly paced around to gather her thoughts.

Jacob refilled both glasses of wine and took them outside. He figured they both were going to need the fortification from it after his blunder.

“I am sorry if what I said bothered you. I didn’t mean to say anything to make you uncomfortable.”

Gabby sipped the wine and decided that since he was inadvertently honest with her, she should probably be just as honest with him. She didn’t understand it all or how it happened, but the day had been full of rather strange twists and turns, so what was one more? “What you said did not make me uncomfortable. To be honest, I was rather flattered. What bothered me the most is that for the last three months, I have been having strange dreams too, and while the details change, there is only one constant in the dream and that was a man that looked exactly like you. So you see I am in the same boat you are and I don’t understand it one damn bit.”

Jacob walked over the where Gabby was pacing and put his hand on her arm to stop her from fidgeting. Gabby turned and was met with the full force of Jacob’s eyes looking straight into her soul.

“Stop that.”

“Stop what?”

“Stop looking at me like that.”

“How am I looking at you?”

“The same way you did in my dreams. It is like you are looking straight into my soul. Damn your eyes.”

Jacob reached up and placed his hand on her cheek. “You really are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen and your smile is heart stopping.” At that moment, he leaned over and gently brushed his lips against Gabby’s. Neither one of them heard a sound, but they both felt the explosion down to their toes.

Jacob walked away to put some distance between them before he continued to do anything further. “Sorry, but it was driving me crazy not knowing the taste of your lips after all those months of dreams. I had to find out.”

Gabby went back inside and started to find things to do to keep her busy. She went to the closet in the hallway and pulled linens and a pillow out and started setting up the couch for him to be able to sleep that night. She rushed as fast as she could. She had to get away. She had to escape before she did the unthinkable and kissed him back. The gentle kiss had set a fire in her that she was not sure she could handle. It was imperative that she make her escape to the bedroom where she could be alone with her thoughts and muddle through her jumbled feelings.

Jacob stood out on the deck and watched her keep busy getting the couch set up for him to sleep. He called himself all kinds of fool for kissing Gabby, but he just could not help himself. Just the simple thing of sitting there and sharing an intimate meal with her was pure enjoyment, but when she smiled, it completely unnerved him. His thoughts went back to the many encounters they had in his dreams and all he wanted to do was touch her and taste her. He knew now that it was a mistake. The one, gentle kiss was not enough. He wanted more. He wanted all of her.

Gabby poked her head out the door. “The couch is ready to go for you tonight. Today has been a crazy day and I am going to bed. Good night, Jacob.”

“Good night, Gabby.” Jacob let her go, for now. He needed time to compose his thoughts better and he figured that Gabby needed the time alone too.

Gabby crawled into bed and immediately regretted her decision to do so. Her mind was a mess and her body was a raging inferno from the heat Jacob created with that kiss. She knew sleep was not going to happen and she would toss and turn most of the night. What made it even worse than the dreams was the thought that the real life, flesh and blood man from her dreams was lying there alone in the next room.  How easy it would be to walk out there and invite him back to the bed with her. Of course she was not going to do that, but her brain would not let her stop thinking about it long enough to fall asleep. She figured she must be mad and called herself all kinds of fool for thinking these thoughts about a complete stranger, but the taste and feel of his lips lingered on hers. There was no denying it in her mind though; she wanted Jacob just as much as she wanted the man in her dreams.

Jacob closed the doors, turned off the light and went to lie down on his makeshift bed for the night. It was kind of lumpy in spots, but he had been in worse situations and subject to sleeping in places that were a lot less comfortable than this couch. He didn’t think he was going to get much sleep anyway. That small, innocent kiss caused quite a jumble inside him. To make matters worse was laying there with the thought that the woman involved was in the next room lying in a big, comfy bed. It would be quite easy to walk into the room, ease his way into the bed, and make sweet love to her. Instead, he was stuck out here on the couch thinking about it. He figured it was going to be a long night of tossing and turning and very little sleep. He could not understand how he had dreamed about her, but the fact was that he wanted Gabby just as much as he wanted the woman in his dreams. Eventually sleep claimed him and once again he was taunted by the vision of the green eyed goddess. This time there was an ethereal mist swirling about her and she seemed too elusive for him to capture. Just when he thought he would have ahold of her, the mist would swirl about her and break any hold he thought he had. He could see her laugh, but no sound came forth and her eyes would dance in merry mischief as she taunted and teased him. Just when he thought he finally had her cornered and could capture her lips with his own, he would awaken breathless and drenched in a damp sweat. As he lay there, he cursed the fates for once again denying him his prize. For a time, he laid there deep in thought about the events that had taken place that day. He didn't know how everything had happened the way it did and it seemed very odd that they were both dreaming about each other, but considering the effect that she has had on him since the dreams had started, he was considering himself very lucky.

 

Chapter Thirteen:

Gabby laid there with her head cradled on her arms and did the slow crawl into wakefulness. She was not looking forward to getting out of bed and starting the morning since she did not fall asleep until well after 3am. She slowly peeled her eyes open and looked at the clock. “Great, not even 8am. It’s going to be a very long day.” She snuggled down into the covers a little more and hoped that maybe she would be comfortable enough to squeeze in another hour of sleep, however, according to her bladder, this was not to be. She unburied herself from the covers and made her way into the bathroom to take care of her business. She brushed her teeth and threw on a robe with the hopes that maybe some really strong coffee would give her the kick start she needed to face the day. She left the bedroom and tiptoed quietly toward the kitchen, not wanting to wake Jacob if he was still sleeping. As she entered the living room, she noticed that the sheets and blanket had been folded up and Jacob was nowhere to be seen. She thought maybe he went out on the deck to enjoy the morning sunshine, but he was not there either. “Weird. Wonder where he went?” She went over the check the front door and found it unlocked. “Well, I guess I better get him a key so he can lock up when I am gone.” Gabby returned to the kitchen, popped a cup into her Keurig machine and toasted a bagel while she was waiting for the coffee to brew.

She stepped out onto the deck into the bright morning sun and sat down to have her bagel and coffee. It was looking to be another scorcher of a day with clear blue skies. She wondered where Jacob had gone to at such an early hour. Her neighborhood was pretty isolated and a few miles from town, so it wasn’t like there was any place to go. As she was sitting there thinking about it, Jacob came jogging up the driveway. He noticed Gabby on the deck and headed there instead of the front door.

“Good morning, Gabby. Did you sleep well?”

“Good morning, Jacob. As a matter of fact, I did not. How about you?”

“Not really. I tossed and turned a lot. I am not used to it being so warm. I woke up rather early and decided to go take a run. Your area here is very small and doesn’t have a lot of space to run. I did find a path up into the hillside though and managed to get all the way to the top up there”, as he pointed to the water tower at the very top.

“Wow that is impressive. You should be careful though. This time of year, there are a lot of rattlesnakes out and about up there, especially with the warm weather and lack of rain. They like to venture down this way to get to the water in the creek behind us.”

“Okay, but what is a rattlesnake?”

“Oh lord, I am going to have to remember that I need to explain everything here. A rattlesnake is a slimy, slithery vessel from hell.” She pulled up a picture of one on her phone to show him. “They are long and skinny and have rattles at the end of their tails that they will jiggle to make noise to warn you they are around. If provoked or scared, the will try to bite you. Their venom is poisonous and if you are not able to get treated right away, it could kill you.”

“Well, damn good to know. No more running in the hills for me then.”

“If you really need to run, we can find a safer location for you. I would not recommend going out and running on the Canyon Road out there either. There are no sidewalks and at some spots there is not even much of a bike lane. People drive like idiots out there and crash all the time, someone would probably end up hitting you.”

“Okay, no more running…period.  I can take a break from it for a while and just do some exercises out here on the deck. Thanks for the warnings.”

“So what are your plans for today?”

“I was hoping you could take me to where you found the TimeBot on the beach. I don’t know if it will help, but it may give me a better idea of the area we are going to need to cover to try and find him.”

“Laguna is pretty small, with a lot of homes scrunched up together. But that is, if he actually lives there and is not just popping around up and down the Coast Highway going from town to town. The towns in Southern California are lumped pretty close together. He could easily be living anywhere close by.”

“The way I see it, we have the device found in Laguna Beach, and now your painting stolen by him in Laguna Beach. I am going to bet that he has been here awhile and has set himself up as one of the locals to not bring any sort of suspicion to himself. He has since blended into the population and would look like any other person living in the area.”

“Okay, I am going to grab another cup of coffee, finish my bagel and take a shower. We can go after that.”

“Speaking of a shower, I saw your set up during the night. I was wondering if you could show me how it works. Then I can get cleaned up and ready to go while you are out here.”

Gabby laughed out loud. She was tempted to offer him a cold shower after last night. “Sure, come on in and I will set it up for you.”

Gabby came back and sat on the deck with her second cup of coffee. She thought about the idea of having to teach Jacob everything. It made you realize just how many of the simple things in life that you take for granted. And then she made the mistake of thinking about Jacob in the shower and groaned out loud. As if last night wasn’t bad enough, now she had even more descriptive images floating around in her head to go with it. It was going to be a long day if she had to spend it with him after thinking all these lustful thoughts so early in the morning. Maybe later this afternoon she would be able to break away and sneak off to her studio in the second bedroom and get some painting done to help clear her mind. Then again, after such a bad night’s sleep, maybe she should sneak off for a nap instead.

An hour later, they were both showered and dressed and on their way to Laguna Beach. It was still early in the day and there was relatively no traffic to deal with and Gabby was able to find a place to park, which she was grateful for. They walked to Main Beach and then turned north toward the tide pools.

When they were a good distance from the main part of the beach, Gabby stopped and told Jacob, “This is the spot where I found it. It was just wedged in the sand like the tide had brought it in. There was nothing else around it but some clumps of seaweed. I was thinking about it and there was an unusually big storm that night. I am going to guess that the current was pretty strong because of the waves from the storm, so instead of it falling to the bottom of the ocean, it was swept back in to shore.”

“No doubt, you are right. We can head back now. There really isn’t much more here for me to see.”

“Well, sure there is! You have never seen a tide pool or watched a little hermit crab, have you?”

Jacob laughed, “I can honestly say that I never have. Unfortunately, the water back home is so polluted, we are not allowed anywhere near it.”

“That is a shame. That means a lot of species of marine life are probably extinct in your time. Now be careful on the rocks, they may not look like it, but they can be slippery in spots.”

As they climbed over the rocks, Jacob could see all the little puddles of water left on the rocks. Gabby motioned him to come closer and squat down to take a closer look. “See there, that little shell? That is where the little crab lives” As they watched, the little crab poked out of the shell and sensing the intrusion, scurried away as far as he could. Gabby showed him a few more critters and Jacob was amazed at the number of them that lived in the little pools of water. “We definitely don’t have anything like this back home.”

Gabby frowned, “That makes me sad to know that all these different species will be wiped out. I am not sure how I could live there knowing I cannot go to the beach or see my little friends in the tide pools. We better go back now though. If it gets too late, we are going to get stuck in the traffic of the people going home from work.”

As they began their trek back to the car near Main Beach, Gabby happened to notice a sleek and shiny silver car pull in to the gas station across the street. “Wow, what an incredible looking car.”

Jacob looked up at Gabby and then turned in the direction where she was looking. “You mean that silver one over there?”

As they were both watching, the driver got out of the car and started to pump some gas into it.

“Yeah, it is amazing looking. I think I have seen one before in a movie, but I cannot recall right now. Lord, knows, it probably costs a small fortune. I think it’s one of those…”  Gabby stopped and realized that she was walking alone and talking to herself. She looked back and saw that Jacob had stopped in his tracks and was staring intently across the street at the car.

She walked back to where Jacob stopped. “What is it?”

“That is Wes. I would know that blond hair anywhere.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, well without being up close to him, but from here I am pretty sure it is him.”

“Okay, how about this. Let me walk over there to grab a couple bottles of water at the store and I will get a good look at him for you. He doesn’t know me, so it will not be any big deal.”

Jacob watched as Gabby made her way across the street to the gas station. He wasn’t sure just how he felt right now. The feeling he had floating around inside him knowing that there was just a slight possibility that Gabby was putting herself in a potentially harmful situation was baffling to him. He hardly knew her, yet he had this overwhelming need to protect her. He was confused at feeling such a strong emotion for a woman he barely knew.

Gabby walked up to the gas station and slowed down to look at the sleek, silver car. While she was standing near the front of the car, Wes happened to look up and he was stunned. Never before had he seen such an incredibly beautiful woman.

“Nice car, Mister. What kind is it?”

“Well, hello Miss. Thank you. It is a Lamborghini Aventado.”

“Wow. I bet that cost a small fortune.”

Wes chuckled, just a bit. “Would you like to take a ride in it?”

“Ahh, sorry. I am just here to grab some water bottles. My boyfriend is over at the beach waiting for me. He is never going to believe I saw this car. Would you mind if I took a picture to show him?”

Wes preened just a little, but he was a little dismayed at her mention of a boyfriend. “Sure, go ahead. I don’t mind at all.”

Gabby pulled out her phone and angled it just right so that Wes was included in the picture of the car. “Thanks Mister! Enjoy your ride.”

Gabby then went into the store of the gas station to grab the water bottles. As she entered, she waved hello to the clerk, “Hi Mike!”

“Hiya Gabby, hanging out at the tide pools again?”

“Yes, well sort of. My cousin from Alaska is here visiting, so I was showing him the beach and the tide pools.”

Gabby spent a few extra minutes walking around looking for other things. She wanted to make sure that Wes was gone before she went back out and across the street to Jacob.

“That’s cool, ready to check out?”

“No, not just yet, Mike. I need to wait for pretty boy out there with the fancy car to leave.”

“Was he bothering you?”

“No, I was talking to him about his car and typical male, he offered me a ride. I told him my cousin was my boyfriend so he would leave me alone.”

“That is a smart move, Gabby. He’s kind of a creep from what I have heard. I have met quite a few people who don’t really like him much.”

“Do you know him?”

“Not really, He comes here for gas all the time and sometimes he will come inside for something. His name is Wes. He is new in town: Laguna’s newest rich playboy.”

Gabby watched out the window as Wes got into the car and drove off. “Well, that is my cue. Thanks for the chat and the warning, Mike. I will be sure to steer clear of him next time he is around where I happen to be.”

“Bye Gabby, take care. Nice seeing you!”

Gabby walked back to the beach and handed the water to Jacob.

“Well, did you get a good look at him?”

“I did even better, I got his picture.” She pulled the picture up on the phone and showed it to Jacob.

“How did you get him to agree to a picture?”

“Well, I started gushing about how awesome his car was and asked if I could take a picture to show my boyfriend and I angled the camera so I got him in the shot. Of course, I did have to turn down a ride in that awesome piece of machinery. I even spoke to Mike, the clerk inside the store, and he confirmed that the guy’s name is Wes.”

Jacob looked at the photo. “Yep, it is Wes. I am not sure how I feel about you putting yourself into this situation for me, but I appreciate knowing that we found him rather easily.”

“Even better was that I got a picture of his license plate too. If we can figure out a way to run them through the DMV, we could get his address.”

“What is the DMV?”

“DMV is an acronym for the Department of Motor Vehicles. Everyone who owns a car has to register it with them and they give those cars specific license plates.” She pointed to the picture…”these things here. The problem is I don’t know anyone that would be able to do this.”

“Would someone that works for the place you called the Police Department be able to do it?”

“Of course! Detective Jones! He would be able to do it. The question is though, how do we convince him to do it without giving away your story?”

“I don’t know for sure just now, but I am sure if we put our heads together, we can come up with something that he might believe a lot more than he would believe if I were to tell him I am from the future.”

Gabby laughed, “No doubt about that. I am having trouble myself still accepting all of it and I am one of the actors in this crazy Sci-fi saga.”

 

Chapter Fourteen:

Gabby and Jacob returned home after an eventful morning. The whole drive home was quiet as both had their own thoughts about the events of the day. Gabby was trying to figure out how to get the detective to look up the license plates and Jacob was busy thinking about these new feelings that seem to have been stirred up since being here with Gabby. After all the months of dreaming about her and now having her here around him all the time was wreaking havoc on his thoughts. He knew he had a job to do, but all he could think about was touching her and the taste of her sweet lips.

As they entered the house, Gabby said to Jacob, “I think I am going to go try and take a nap. I didn’t sleep well last night. You are more than welcome to help yourself to anything you need. The refrigerator has plenty of food.  If you want, I can put the television on for you too.”

“What is a “television”?

“It is that big thing with the screen over there on the wall. We use it for entertainment.”

“Oh! We have one of those. We call it an entertainment pod.”

“Great. I will put it on for you.” She then handed the remote to Jacob and showed him the different buttons to change the channels and turn the volume up and down. She left him with a big grin on his face. It was like watching a little kid with a new toy.

Gabby went into the bedroom, turned on the fan to try and cool the room off a little and crawled onto the bed with the hopes of getting just a little sleep. She knew deep down that it was a hopeless effort. She had too many thoughts jumbling around in her head and her brain would just not quit long enough for her to relax and slip into the void of sleep. She kept having disturbing thoughts of Jacob. In her mind, she kept reliving the kiss from last night and how soft his lips were. She could not shake how it made her feel. She was confused and concerned. How does one go about trying to have any type of relationship with a man that doesn’t belong in your time? What is going to happen once the case for Wes is closed and Jacob has to return home to his time? Gabby wasn’t quite sure now just how she felt about that. She was starting to have some feelings for Jacob that she had never had for another man before. As she tossed and turned trying to get comfortable enough to fall asleep, eventually her thoughts kept her mind so busy that she dozed off.

It was some time later that Gabby finally woke up feeling a lot more rested and refreshed than she did that morning. She looked up at the clock to see that she had slept a good, solid two hours. She got up and brushed her hair and made her way down the hallway into the living room. She noticed that the television was still on and Jacob was sound asleep on the couch. She stopped a moment and looked at him with his face all innocent looking in sleep. She noticed how his face had softened and he didn’t seem as stern looking as when he was awake. Gabby slowly made her way into the kitchen to see what could be made for dinner. As she was poking her nose into the refrigerator, she jumped at the sound of Jacob’s voice behind her and banged her head on the top of the inside of the fridge.

“Looking for something?”

“Goddamn it! You scared the hell out of me! What the hell are you doing sneaking up on a body like that and scaring them to death? I could have had a heart attack just now!”

Jacob laughed, “So very sorry, Gabby. I thought you might have heard me walk in.”

“How can anyone hear anything with the television blaring like it is?”

Jacob walked over and put his hand to the back of Gabby’s head to rub where he thought the bump might be after she hit her head. Immediately he regretted the decision to do so, as his hand could feel the downy softness of her hair.  He slid his hand around the side of her face to cup her cheek and leaned in to touch his lips to hers. He continued to brush his lips softly against hers and he felt her tremble. He slowly slipped his tongue between her lips and he felt her relax and lean into him. Just the feel of her molded to his body was his undoing. He deepened the kiss and used both arms to hold her as close as he could. He wanted to touch her: all of her.  Never before had he felt such a deep, burning desire like he did for this woman.

Gabby was at a loss for any coherent thought once his lips met hers. Once he deepened the kiss, it was her undoing. She felt like a spell had been cast over her and she just melted into him. Never had a man aroused her as much as this man did. It was next to impossible to think when he was near and to have him kissing her and touching her like this was more than she could bear. She wanted all of him and she wanted him now.

Jacob pulled away and looked into her eyes. He hoped that she could see how he felt about her because he was at a loss for words. He ran his hands up and down her back while watching the emotions playing in her eyes. When she reached up and pulled his face down for another kiss, an explosion of desire flashed through him that was not going to be denied. He scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom. He set her gently down on her feet next to the bed and kissed her deeply while his hands were kept busy removing her shirt. He undid the buttons of her pants and pulled them down, so all she had left on was her bra and underwear. Jacob made quick work of those and eased her gently down onto the bed. He spent a moment just looking at all of her. He could not believe how stunningly beautiful she was. Her skin was the color of soft cream and as smooth as the finest porcelain. Her legs were long and lean and her breasts were a lot larger than what they looked like hiding under her bra and shirt. As he continued to devour her with his eyes, he teased one of her nipples to a perky, pink perfection. When his mouth closed over it, Gabby thought she was going to die from the explosion of passion. She dug her hands into his hair and everywhere that his hands or mouth landed left a burning blaze of molten fire that needed to be quenched. He ran his hand down her stomach and touched the most sensitive part of her and the explosion ripped through her and left her breathless.

Jacob couldn’t stand it anymore. He had to be a part of her. He slowly moved above her and entered her welcoming softness. He started to move slowly and when he felt her moving along with him, there was no way he could stop. He continued loving her until he felt her shudder and kissed her to take her scream into him as the orgasm ripped through her. Jacob let loose his own and felt like his insides were drained. He collapsed onto Gabby and lost all coherent thought. After a few moments, he felt Gabby move under him and realized he must be squishing her. He raised his head and looked into her eyes, “Am I hurting you?”

“Not at all.” She reached up to brush a lock of his hair back off his forehead and he slid over to the side and pulled her close. He didn’t know what to say and he hoped that holding her as close and as tight as he could would make up for the lack of words. He looked down at her and saw that her eyes were open, but she looked pensive.

“What are you thinking?”

“Sadly, I was thinking that while this was inevitable, and despite the fact that it was incredible, it probably should not have happened.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because when you really think about it, we are literally from two different worlds. Eventually you are going to have to go back. There is nothing more for us than this.”

Jacob was quiet for a moment. Before he spoke, he turned Gabby’s face so he could look into her eyes when he spoke. “I don’t know the why of it all. I have not given any thought to what happens later, but I will tell you that I would not trade this moment here with you right now for anything in the galaxy. We shall worry about what comes tomorrow when tomorrow gets here. Until then, let’s just enjoy what we have here and now.”

Gabby reached up to touch his cheek and brought his face down for another kiss. The kiss deepened and it was a long time before Gabby and Jacob finally got out of bed and made their way to the kitchen to find something for dinner. Once their appetites for food were satisfied, they returned to the bedroom to continue on where they left off. It was a few more hours before they both finally fell into an exhausted sleep.

 

Chapter Fifteen: