Since Brianna’s quarters had limited space, Sheena sent the SDDs to the docking bay for the night. Even with the four giant male protection units now gone, the space was still too small for the four rather large people currently attempting to share it.

Sheena put a hand to her knotted up stomach and rubbed. Bri had predicted her reaction correctly. Seeing the copies of their parents unnerved her. If this was a nightmare, she wished she could wake up from it. She inwardly cringed when Brianna pointed to her for the introduction.

“This is my sister, Dr. Sheena McNamara.”

“Hello,” Sheena said formally, trying not to stare at them. Brianna had been right about their appearance. They were a perfect match for the picture her mother had put on the shelf in her sitting room at the castle.

“Goddess, I’m being rude, but I can’t help staring at ya.” Erin walked closer to the woman Brianna had brought to meet them. She held up a hand when she halted. “It’s just that ya look so much like me. It’s a bit more than my brain can handle believing, even though my eyes know it for truth.”

Angus walked up closer too. He looked at Sheena, then at Erin. His gaze went back and forth several times. “I can still tell the difference. It’s not all that hard. Ya could definitely pass for sisters though.”

“Or mother and daughter,” Erin said, revealing the twist her mind had taken. If she and Angus had ever conceived a child together, the girl might have looked just like Sheena McNamara.

Angus smacked her arm lightly and brought her back to reality. “Told ya Bri was a real McNamara. Looks like Sheena is an O’Shea. I knew the girls weren’t adopted. Nate’s lost his fecking mind.”

Erin snorted. “Go on with ya. This is not a fecking joke, Angus. These women came from our other selves. Doesn’t it make yer head spin?”

Sheena turned to look at Brianna who wickedly grinned and mouthed “See?” as she lifted a hand. Finally, she turned her gaze back to Angus and Erin. She needed to take control of this strange situation.

“Could we talk about something?” Sheena asked.

“Sure, lass. Let’s all sit,” Angus suggested.

She was a bit alarmed when they immediately headed to the sofa to sit next to each other. As Brianna had said, it was like looking at a younger version of their parents—a version neither of them had known except through pictures.

Sheena exchanged a glance with her sister. Long ago, their parents had asked them to keep their birth stories private. When she’d met and married Nate in medical school, she’d told him the story her parents had insisted she tell everyone about her being a normal surrogate birth.

Bri’s creation over forty years later had allowed her to be part of the intricate process, at least in the sense of studying it at the time. The story they told about their births was the truth from a certain perspective, but she and Bri had always known they were more biologically McNamaras than the world would ever know. Her father had been more a genius than she could ever hope to be.

Sheena cleared her throat. “First, I will just ask my burning question. Are you two clones of my parents?”

“No,” Angus said, frowning. “We aren’t clones—at least not from what we read about clones in the tablet Toorg gave Erin. Isn’t the making of clones illegal here?”

Sheena nodded. “Yes. But it’s still done. Can I test you to make sure you’re not clones?”

“Will it hurt?” Erin asked.

Sheena shook her head. “No. I can do it with a mouth swab.”

At their blank looks, her gaze went to Bri who was looking concerned over their discomfort. She looked back at the couple. “A mouth swab is where I brush the inside of your jaw with a wad of cotton on a stick. The saliva and other material on the cotton will provide me with enough of a DNA sample to check if you’re clones.”

“And this test is important to you?” Angus asked.

Sheena paused, and then nodded. “Yes. If Nate has cloned our parents, Bri and I have a right to know.”

Angus looked down when Erin reached over and put a hand on his knee. He finally brought his gaze to Erin’s face. “What do ya think about doing this?” he asked.

Erin gave a half shrug. “Sheena is a scientist. I suppose it’s her nature to be looking for such answers.”

Angus nodded. “Okay. But I still think it’s a waste of time.”

“Why do you say that?” Sheena asked.

Angus shrugged. “What does yer gut tell ya about us, Sheena?”

“My gut?”

“He means your instincts, Sheena… your feelings,” Bri explained with a grin.

Sheena shook her head. “I don’t trust those any more, but I trust my mind. It says I need to test you so I can figure out what you are.”

When Angus sighed, he sounded so much like her father that Sheena found herself staring again. She swallowed hard as she waited for his answer.

“Yer test won’t tell ya the important stuff, but do what ya must,” Angus finally said.

Sheena disappeared into her room and moments later returned with her medical satchel. She dug around in the bag until she pulled out two swabbing kits. She had to give them credit for voluntarily going along with her.

Dropping each swab stick into a separate processing solution, she gave them both her full polite attention again. In fifteen minutes, she would have enough to know if they were clones. Give her two weeks and some blood, and she could know everything about them.

“Thank you,” Sheena said. “Bri tells me you’re continuing the work our parents were doing.”

“If you mean the fecking alien matchmaking, yes that’s what we’re doing,” Erin said tightly. She nodded towards Brianna. “Yer sister is the next woman on our list.”

Sheena turned to glare. “You didn’t tell me that. Why did you come up so soon? How long have you been here?”

Bri crossed her arms. “Not long. Someone is obviously pushing me through the channels faster. And I’m here because this is my decision… which I did tell you, Sheena.”

Erin waved a hand between the sisters. “Are ya saying Bri has other options?”

Sheena turned back to Erin. “Yes,” she said tightly. “Bri has other options. She’s just too hard-headed to consider them.”

Angus chuckled and rose. “Before the three of ya gang up on me and start taking the McNamara name in vain, I’m getting us all some ale. Perhaps it will help lighten the mood.”

Sheena watched Angus leave. The resemblance to her father was uncanny. No clone could possibly have been created with so many subtle personality quirks.

“Told you,” Bri said solemnly, watching Sheena’s face as Angus disappeared into the kitchen.

Sheena turned back to her sister and made a growling sound under her breath. Erin snickered and broke her glaring contest with Bri. When she turned in the woman’s direction, Erin waved a hand at the two vials on the table.

“Ya can test whatever ya want, Dr. McNamara, but yar still going to come up as family… no matter how bad ya might be wishing not to be. Yer sister spouts some theory that gives her peace about it.”

“High Science,” Bri interjected, grinning at Sheena who was frowning at Erin. “Familial DNA. You remember, Sheena… from medical school. I know it’s been a while.” The glare her sister gave her had her grin widening across her entire face.

Erin nodded. “Yes. That’s the one. It’s sounds so educated. Explain it to yer sister so she can stop glaring at us. Bri.”

“I’m not glaring,” Sheena denied.

“Yes, ya are,” Bri argued, mocking Angus and Erin’s accent perfectly, which earned a giggle from Erin.

Angus came back to find two gigglers and Sheena frowning hard. He handed her a glass of ale first. “Don’t let them mess with ya, lass. I’m still in shock too, but there’s so fecking much strange shit here that Erin and I are starting to become immune.”

Sheena lifted the glass, sniffed it, and took a swallow. “Alien ale,” she said on a sigh. “I’d forgotten how good it tasted. What do they put in it?”

“Best ya don’t ask,” Angus said. He lifted his glass. “Just enjoy. Let’s drink to…”

“Familial DNA,” Bri interjected brightly.

Angus laughed. “I was going to say getting to know each other better, but if ya must drink to those words, so be it.” He lifted his glass and took a swallow. “Now that’s refreshing.”

Sheena chuckled and they all looked at her. “What? Can’t I laugh too?” Her gaze went to the table. “Look at that. Either my results are off or you’re not any kind of clone my test can identify.”

“Or you could just simply be wrong about them, Dr. McNamara. Don’t forget that option,” Bri said, hiding her smile behind her hand.

“Shut up, Brianna. I did not make a mistake.” Sheena started to drink and saw her glass was empty. She looked at Angus. “Did you fill my glass as full as the others?”

Erin covered her mouth to stifle a laugh as Angus fought to keep a straight face. He sipped his ale slowly, eyeing Sheena over his glass. “Are ya accusing me of something, lass? Or just asking for another in a less than charming way? I can’t tell.”

Sheena listened to her sister laughing at her rudeness. When she looked at Bri, really looked at her, she was startled to see her sister looking so relaxed and happy. Her troubled and always in trouble sister hadn’t been happy since she’d been twenty for real.

Whatever these two people were, they somehow made Bri happy. How could she begrudge her sister such a reprieve? She was tired of feeling like shit herself, and more tired of all the disappointments of her life. Tomorrow she’d get to the bottom of this clone mystery, but tonight watching Bri be happy seemed like the best idea all around.

Deciding to be a good sport, Sheena held out her glass. “I’m sorry, Angus. I must have been thirstier than I thought. Can I have another please?”

Angus rose. “Of course, Sheena my love. I’ll fetch it for ya right away.”

Erin and Bri’s giggling wrangled a reluctant laugh out of her. “You can both shut the hell up. It’s not that funny. I was thirsty and I like ale. There it is… you got me to admit it. I like alien ale. Are you happy now?”

Angus grinned over the laughing as he slid a full to the brim glass into Sheena’s hand. “Don’t worry, lass. They’ll remember none of their mischief in the morning. These two get like this after a couple sips.”

Sheena snorted. “Really? I haven’t even gotten a buzz yet, but it’s a refreshing drink despite that.”

Angus grinned wider. “Well, ya might look like an O’Shea, but I can see ya at least inherited a little something from the McNamara bloodline. Ya got the better part, if ya ask me.”

Sheena laughed and looked into her glass. It was already half-empty. Smiling, she tipped it to where Angus could see. “How many of these will it take to turn me into them?” she asked, motioning with her head to Erin and Bri who were laughing at nothing except the looks on each other’s faces.

Angus shrugged. “I don’t know, but it would probably do ya a world of good to find out.”

Sheena leaned back. “If you’re not a clone of my father, what are you?”

Angus grinned. “You best ask Nate that question.”

“If he bothered to answer at all, he would only lie to me. Nate’s an ass,” Sheena said, sipping her ale.

“Agreed, but ya should still take yer questions about us to him. If I told ya my version, ya wouldn’t believe me anyway. I don’t have the proper terms to explain it to someone as educated as ya are, especially when ya are so doubtful of yer instincts.”

“I don’t doubt myself,” Sheena denied.

Angus set his glass on the table. He’d not even finished half of his first one yet. He met Sheena’s direct gaze.

“Yer eyes find what they look to see, not what’s really there. Erin and I… well, we’re not yer parents, but yer parents knew about us. I can’t explain why they never told ya or Bri what was happening, or going to happen, after they were gone. The only reason I can figure is that the two of ya both seem to shut real life out as often as ya can. I well know what that’s like because I did it myself for nine years after I lost my Mary.”

Sheena lifted her glass. “Oh yes. Your dead wife. Bri told me. You know that’s really just a planted memory, Angus. They can do that to clones in vitro now. When a clone wakes up… BAM… they have a whole life they remember. It lasts for the entire year or two they live. You see that’s the problem with clones, they die very quickly. You may die soon.”

Angus pointed at the vials on the table. “Thought ya just said we weren’t clones, Dr. McNamara.”

Sheena frowned. “Maybe you’re a new type of clone that my saliva test doesn’t cover. Maybe Nate has come up with something new to replicate people. Bastard was just as good at genetics as I was, but all he ever wanted was this fucking airship. Well, he finally got her, but she didn’t make him very happy after all, now did she? Did you know he’s been married five fucking times?”

Angus nodded. “Yes. He confessed as much to Erin. I believe he was trying to woo her when he shared the story. Here. Instant refill.”

“Woo her?” Sheena asked, frowning down into her empty cup. Nate hit on Erin? A woman who looked like her? Angus handed her the rest of Erin’s drink. Barely two sips were missing. It made her laugh. “Thank you… I guess.”

Angus nodded again. “My pleasure. Now as I was saying… I believe Nate was trying to win Erin away from me when he told her. If my Erin’s heart wasn’t so true, he might even have succeeded. Ya see… I well know I’m a bigger arse than yer Nate ever thought about being. But Erin and I? We’re not done with each other yet. In fact, we’re just getting started. It’s God’s truth that I can’t imagine what it would be like here without her.”

Sheena shook her head. “Your memories and experiences are fascinating. They’re as rich as any organic human’s. Multi-faceted even. I see what Bri means by your accents. How did that happen to both of you? It’s all fascinating. Just fascinating.”

Angus snorted at her rambling. “Are you feeling okay, lass?”

Sheena nodded and waved a hand. “I’m fine. Better than ever. My mind just doesn’t stop. I really wish I had someone to discuss this with who was involved with how you got here.”

Angus reached over and grabbed a giggling Brianna’s still nearly full glass. “I can help ya with that, but yer going to need a lot more ale first. Here. Drink yer sister’s. She’s over her quota already.”

Laughing, Sheena glanced at her sister’s ale. Tipping her head, she finished off Erin’s and handed the empty glass back to Angus who slid the empty in front of Erin then touched her arm.

“Do ya want some more ale, Erin?”

Erin peered into her glass and saw it was empty. “No. One’s my limit, Angus. Ya know what happens when I have two.”

“Some fancy water with bubbles then?” Angus asked.

“That would be lovely,” Erin answered.

Winking at a now snickering Sheena, Angus rose. Sheena caught his arm before he got passed the sofa.

“Bring Bri some water too, Angus. She’s full of nanos and they need to be flushed out.”

“Nanos? What kind of sickness is that?”

Sheena giggled at his worry. They really were innocent. Who didn’t have at least some understanding of modern technology and science? Their programmer must have been following some very specific orders to create them in this condition. She waved his worry away with her free hand.

“Bri will be fine. Nothing a few trips to the bathroom won’t cure. Water will help that along.”

“If ya say so, lass,” Angus declared, patting the giggling Sheena on the back.

Sheena’s confused sigh as she sipped her sister’s ale was loud enough to be heard even above Erin and Bri laughing.

* * *

Moments after Nate briskly knocked, Angus answered the door to Brianna’s quarters.

“Evening, Admiral. Sorry to bother ya so late, but Sheena was asking a lot of questions I couldn’t answer. I figured it was time to let ya know.”

“You said you sent Erin and Brianna to your quarters for the night?”

“They were tired, ya see… and…” Angus stopped explaining when Sheena cleared her throat.

“Get your Admiral ass in here, Nate. I want to talk to you.”

Grinning, Angus stepped aside to let a wary Nate cross the threshold.

Nate looked around warily. Sheena was slouched in the chair. Using a hand, she motioned him over. She pointed to the vials on the table in front of her. “Explain that shit to me,” she ordered.

Nate ignored the vials and looked at Sheena. He looked back at Angus. “You gave her alien ale, didn’t you?”

Angus shrugged. “It seemed polite to offer it since we were all having a toast about finding each other.”

“You aren’t supposed to be having any ale, Angus. The rejuvenation cylinder can’t save your kidneys or liver if you keep up the drinking. I know you don’t get this, but it will take months to grow a replacement organ for any transplant. Months you would have to spend visiting medical every day to get your organs flushed. That’s a foolish thing to risk for a few measly glasses of ale.”

“Oh stop yer fretting. I’ve only had a sip or two so stop worrying about me. Talk to Sheena,” Angus ordered. “She’s the reason I called ya here.”

Nate stooped down until he could look into her face. “Sheena, you need to go to bed and sleep this off.”

“No. I’m not tired yet.” Sheena pointed to the vials again. “Angus and Erin are not clones.”

Nate sighed and straightened. “No. They’re not clones. I told you that earlier. How many times are we going to have to cover this subject?”

Sheena made a sound in her throat. It was nearly a growl when it escaped. “As many times as it takes for you to tell me what I fucking want to know. They look like my parents. They even act like my parents. But they’re not my parents, Nate. And they’re not clones. What the fuck are they?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Nate said softly.

Sheena threw out her arms, one hand nearly hitting him. “I might if someone would explain it to me.”

Nate turned his head to Angus. “Is this why you called me?”

Angus nodded. “Yes. She was wearing on my resolve. I like both the girls, which means I don’t like lying or keeping things from them.”

Nate stooped down to Sheena again and rubbed his forehead. He was shocked when she grabbed his hand and pulled it away.

“You cause yourself anxiety by keeping secrets you should never keep. And will you please tell me why you make my panties wet every time I look at you? This is bullshit, Nate. It’s been a hundred years. It shouldn’t still be happening.”

Nate burst out laughing at the lightning bolt of joy that shot through him. Then his face flushed with guilt. He glanced at Angus who smirked as he pretended to stare at the ceiling.

He turned back to Sheena who now had a death grip on his arm. “Would it make you feel better if I said you still have the same affect on me?”

Sheena nodded. “Yes, I think it would. My stomach has been all knotted up just wondering about it since I arrived. Doesn’t mean I don’t hate you though. I need to be honest here.”

Nate laughed again. “Understood. Can I take you to bed now?”

“Why not? I’m drunk enough to sleep with nearly anyone.”

Nate nodded. “Well aware of that.”

“It’s Angus’s fault,” Sheena said.

“My fault? Did I pour the ale down yer throat, lass?” Angus asked, while trying not to laugh and failing.

Sheena giggled and put a hand on her chest. “No, but you gave me Erin’s to finish. Then I also drank Bri’s. I think I might hate myself tomorrow.”

Nate turned to frown at Angus. “Why did you let her drink all that ale? It takes forever for her to feel the first drink, but when it catches up, she’s totally wasted.”

Angus frowned back. “Sheena was miserable, that’s why. Now she isn’t because she finally got to say to ya what was on her fecking mind. Courage is usually reason enough to imbibe, don’t ya think?”

“How do you know Sheena was miserable?” Nate demanded. He felt Sheena lean forward to run her hand down his jaw. His gaze immediately went back to her.

“Not a single man ever made me forget you. And I tried really hard Nate. I tried really hard.”

Nate sighed and stood. He held out a hand to Sheena while he glared at Angus. “I can’t believe you let her get this vulnerable.”

Angus huffed. “And I can’t believe ya were fecking stupid enough to let her go in the first place. She’s a pill to talk to alright, but nothing so contrary that a few good beddings wouldn’t sweeten right up. If ya want, I could give ya some pointers on how to make yer Sheena a happy woman.”

“I have nearly a hundred years more experience with women than you do, you big blow hard.”

Angus chuckled at the insult, glad to know Nate’s calm had a limit. “I kept one woman extremely happy for over thirty years and she died smiling. Can ya top that, Admiral? I don’t think so. So I believe I’ll just stand by my offer to help ya.”

Nate glared at a laughing Angus while pulled a wavering Sheena to her feet. He had to put his arms around her to hold her upright. Next thing he realized Sheena was folded against him, her arms coming around him to hug. Groaning at how good it felt to hold her again, he finally noticed tears were streaming down her face.

“What’s wrong, honey?” he asked.

Sheena shook her head. “I’m a smart person, but I’m so stupid about you… so stupid. I can’t believe I still want a man who’s in love with a stupid airship. If a hundred years apart isn’t going to change these longings I have for you, what the hell will?”

“Sheena… shush, honey. It’s alright. It’s going to be alright,” Nate said roughly, unable to listen anymore. Hearing her feelings was torturous. He put a finger over her lips to keep her from talking. It was late and he was weakening. Yes. That’s precisely what was happening.

“I’m getting dizzy, Nate. Take me to bed. We can talk tomorrow,” Sheena said, hugging him tighter.

“Need my help tucking her in?” Angus asked, fighting his grin.

“No,” Nate said sternly. “I think you’ve done quite enough for one evening.”

“Sheena insisted on scientifically testing us, ya know. Insisted on it,” Angus said. “The woman’s stubborn and determined. She’s not going to let up until she knows the truth.”

Nate nodded. “Yes. I knew that when she said she was coming here. I’ve sent word to the Guardians.”

“Okay then. Since a few more things are now out on the table for discussing, I’m going to call this a good night. I best be finding my own bed. Good luck to ya, Nate.” Angus opened the door and stepped out. “Evening, Berg.”

Nate heard “Berg is here” as Angus closed the door.

* * *

Nate sighed when they were finally alone and squeezed the woman in his arms. “Okay Sheena, let’s get you to bed.”

Nodding against him, she let him lead her to the first open room he saw. Inside was a well-worn set of luggage, including an open medical satchel. He knew then he’d chosen the right one.

When he turned loose of her to turn down the covers, Sheena shucked her clothes off at what seemed like light speed. In under ten seconds, he was staring once more at the most beautiful naked female his eyes had ever seen. The problem was… she wasn’t really his to look at anymore.

Nate rubbed his chest and fought the agony taking up residence there. Sheena’s absolute trust in him to care for her was a painfully sweet understanding. She was crawling onto the bed when she finally looked back at him.

“What are you waiting for? Get undressed. I’m cold and these rooms are always freezing at night.”

“Sheena, I don’t think this is a good idea,” Nate said, making himself be honest. His heart pounded hard when a naked Sheena rose to her knees, straightened her spine, and glared at him. He’d never wanted a woman more in his life.

“At least come to bed until I fall asleep. One day you’re going to figure out that your horny wife is far more important than this stupid…” she waved her arms and looked around, but then she stopped. Her guilty, knowledge-filled gaze came back to his startled guilty one. “Oh… shit… I forgot. I’m not your wife anymore, am I?”

Nate shook his head. He couldn’t speak for the painful knot clogging his throat. Damn Angus McNamara. Both of them. No, make that fucking all of them. Just especially the Universe 6 version. The irreverent, meddlesome man was now officially on his shit list.

“Never mind,” Sheena said firmly, crawling under the covers. “It’s just the ale talking. You can go back to your… duties… or whatever. I’ll manage without you. I always did.”

“Sheena…” Nate said her name softly. Pain caused by her drunken realization threatened to take him to his knees. Once there, he knew begging to stay would inevitably follow. He could feel the urge to grovel welling up like a tsunami inside him.

“No. It’s okay, Nate. Really. I know I can’t make you love me. I gave that up long ago. All the alien ale in the world can’t make me more important to you than this fucking airship.”

“That’s not true,” Nate denied fervently, even knowing he was arguing with a drunk who wouldn’t remember his passionate disclaimer tomorrow.

Sheena snorted as she hunkered down under the covers. “Of course it’s fucking true. That’s why I left. All the ale did tonight was make me forget reality for a while, which was actually quite nice before the last ten minutes. Remind me to thank Angus tomorrow… right after I find out what the hell he is. Bri was right about them both, but I can’t just leave her here with them. You’re going to send her away to some fucking alien planet, and then I will hate you even worse. First, I lost you. Then I lost Dad and Mom. Bri’s all I have left.”

Nate didn’t answer her. He couldn’t.

After sighing out her resignation, Sheena closed her eyes tightly and passed out on the pillow. Her steady breathing assured him that she’d given up waiting on him to accept her offer to come to bed.

How many times had Sheena done that exact thing during their last year together? Little by little he’d watched her get better at not waiting up for him to return from whatever had claimed his attention that evening. A hundred years later and he could still barely get a full night’s uninterrupted sleep, but then who was waiting for him in his quarters? No one now. There hadn’t been anyone in a very long time, and no woman had ever minded his absence as much as Sheena had.

Nate stood there in the dark room staring. The woman he’d loved and lost was curled into a tight ball of misery. Angus had been right about her suffering—damn the know-it-all bastard. That didn’t mean it would be a smart idea for him to try and fix the situation. Wouldn’t he just bring Sheena more pain when he made her upset enough to leave again?

Yet seeing her in the bed all alone and looking vulnerable reminded him of the night before Sheena had finally left him. She had said similar things back then when they’d fought, but nothing had changed his feelings on the matter. It had taken a lot of years and four other wives before he’d finally figured it out.

Sheena had given up a lot to stay with him as long she had. He could appreciate that now. She had commuted from his airship to her work, regardless of how far the travel distance. She’d tried her best to adapt to the new demands on his time, but she’d lost most of his attention. He’d known he was neglecting her, but had put her longing for his company aside. The stark truth was that he had left her to sleep alone nearly every night she’d spent with him after he’d made admiral.

She had been curled up in misery that last night too… just like she was now.

So many things had changed for him in the time that had passed, but what were his chances of ever convincing Sheena of them? How crazy was he to even contemplate it? Getting her back wasn’t a viable goal. After all this time, the possibility was only a fantasy.

But one thing was crystal clear. He’d never gotten over Sheena McNamara any more than she’d gotten over him.

While he’d never take advantage of her in her current condition, even the possibility of crawling under those covers and holding her exquisite naked body thrilled him as much as having sex with her would have. He knew what Sheena would feel like in his arms. After a hundred years away from her, it would feel exactly like coming home at last.

Nate wandered out to the common area to start his escape. Then he looked at the vials on the table. That was a reality which would have to be dealt with, and a more serious one in the long growing line of issues Angus and Erin kept generating with their presence.

Nate stared at the vials while he wished for the impossible. “Why couldn’t you have been a little less smart? This would all be so much easier if you weren’t a fucking genius.”

No one heard him complaining though. His whining was a waste of breath.

Tomorrow he’d hear from his mother about the threat to Brianna, and hopefully from the Guardians about their upcoming discussion with the new matchmakers.

Tomorrow Sheena would be sobered up and likely get mad about showing him her feelings tonight. She’d probably do her best to talk Bri into leaving as soon as possible. If Sheena succeeded with her goals for coming here, would he have to wait another hundred years to see her again?

An ache for yet another impending loss spread through him just as sharp as it had the first time he’d lost her. His body was behaving like a portal to the past where Sheena McNamara was concerned.

It had felt just like this the day she’d left for good. He’d pushed his emotional panic aside out of duty to his work. When he’d finally realized duty alone could not keep him warm at night, only then had he tried to replace her with others… to replace what they’d had together.

It hadn’t worked for him, and if he chose to believe Sheena’s drunken ramblings, it hadn’t worked for her either. Any decision he made right now was going to once again lead to losing her, but only one led to a memory that might be of some comfort to him after Sheena was gone.

Shrugging off the shirt he’d thrown on earlier to come here, Nate tossed it on the chair he’d pulled Sheena out of. His pants soon followed… as did the rest of his reservations about what he was doing.

Then he turned and walked back to the bedroom where a naked Sheena slept.

He was finally doing what he should have done a hundred years ago. He was choosing to stay with her.