Where Are You Going, Lord?

By: Carol Molliniere

A/N: And now, yet another fanfiction for the Bible! Sorry, I just can't find another story for another fandom. As for "The Way I Loved You", watch out for updates! (Though I'm pretty sure it's gonna be slow, with school and all that jazz.)

Disclaimer: I don't own the Biblical characters, or the events that happened here. I only own my historical OC: Mary, the wife of Simon Peter. Or at least I only own her name. You can call her whatever you want.

And yeah, Pete is married. Remember his mother-in-law?

I sprang up from my mat, my chest heaving. Something was not right.

Just not right.

I pushed the blanket off me, careful not to wake my sleeping wife, Mary. Then I crept quietly to the window, and smelt smoke, and heard screaming. I was more astonished – and scared, though, by what I saw.

A giant fire was waging through the city of Rome.

I blinked. No, it was real. The fire was very real.

I ran back to our mats. Then I shook Mary, waking her from her sleep. "Mm…w-what is it?" she asked, her brown eyes opening. I wanted to stare at them for how beautiful they were, but more pressing matters were at hand.

"Mary!" I called. "The whole city is burning!"

"What?" she asked, running to the window, alarmed. I went back with her; thankful that I did, too, for she almost fainted when she saw it. She wasn't one to normally faint, so this must have rattled her very much. I wouldn't blame her, though; when I saw it, I was pretty rattled.

"We have to put out the fire," I said sternly.

We ran out of the room and went to Paul's room. "Paul! We have to put out the fire immediately!" I shouted, violently banging on the door, like I did after I escaped from King Herod's prison.

Paul went to the door in record time and opened it. "A fire? How—" "No time for that," I interjected. "We have to find water right away."

And so, Mary and I went out to find water while Paul alerted the rest of the men in the house.

We finally found a river just outside of Rome. Mary started filling her bucket right away, but I froze when I turned and saw the burning city. Orange flames were licking the buildings; screams and cries of help resonated from the walls.

"Simon, what the heck are you doing?" Mary screamed, dragging out her bucket, which was full of water, out of the water. "Hurry!"

I blinked again. "Oh, right!"

Together, we dragged out bucket after bucket of water under a starless and moonless night.

We finally got back to Paul and the others after a full 10 minutes. By then, much property had been damaged, but everyone was trying their best to put out the fires; even having their own pails of water.

"Paul," I said, still panting after running so far. "We have the water." Paul looked over at us, and then at our arms, which were full of buckets full of water. Then he nodded. We soon joined the other men and women in trying to save Rome from the blaze.

What a long night it had been.

The next day, we heard a report from the guard of Paul's house. Emperor Nero, it seemed, had blamed the Christians for the fire. I gaped. Us Christians! We had tried our hardest to put out the fire, not start it!

Now us Christians were in trouble.

Framed for a crime we didn't commit.

I got up and left the table.

I had made up an excuse to get out of the house (without Mary being involved), and now I was running for my life, fearful, leaving behind the broken and burnt down city. Of course, I felt bad for leaving my wife, whom I loved and who loved me back and bore my children. But surely, she would get the message and follow me.

However, nowhere was safe anymore; it had been bad enough that the Jews and the high priests were against us. Now that the emperor of one of the greatest empires were after us…

"Oh, my God, why?" I prayed in my heart, pausing momentarily. "Why now? What must we do?"

Footsteps headed towards me. I looked back towards the path, grabbing my fish-gutter in case it was a man who was against Christ as well. Fortunately, it wasn't. Rather, it was a man whom we revered.

He walked on, heading for Rome, a giant cross in tow. Still, He did not look like He was suffering from carrying the cross; He was walking somewhat amiably.

When He came closer to me, I recognized Him at once.

"Lord!" I said, falling on my knees. "Where are You going, Lord?"

He looked at me. "I AM going to Rome."

"Why? The emperor is trying to kill us!"

"That is precisely the idea, Peter." Yeshuah continued on, carrying His cross.

The same cross that He had died on 3 decades ago.

"I AM going to Rome to be crucified again, my fisher of man."

Memories flashed through my mind.

The day my father Jonah promised me that the Messiah would come to save His people.

The day Yeshuah gave me the name Peter.

The day I was called to be a fisher of man.

The day He healed Mary's mother.

The day He forgave me for denying Him 3 times that horrible night.

The day the Holy Spirit Yeshuah promised rushed on me and the Twelve.

The day I baptized Cornelius and his entire household.

The night I miraculously escaped from Kind Herod's grasp.

The compassion I felt for the people who nearly lost everything in the fire that night.

And that day, on the mountain…

"And I tell you, that you are Peter, and on this rock I shall build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not overcome it."

I turned and followed Him back into the city.

A/N: So, I've been getting a lot of stuff about the "Quo Vadis, Domine?" incident where Peter is escaping the persecution of Christians in Rome, and Jesus goes into the city ready to die again, and Pete soon follows Him back. So I decided to make my own dramatization. Hope you liked it!

*silence*

Sigh.

Well, I'm sorry if you guys feel mad that I made Peter leave Mary (his wife) behind. That's just me and my mind. But I like it, so do whatever you want.

So...that "I AM" and the fish-gutter was from wickedmetalviking1990. Sorry, I like some of the stuff he/she puts there.

Review, or else I'll kidnap a bunch of people and force them to read it! Oh wait, that's you guys. Sorry, OCs.